Mo Sang – CH 176

Chapter 176. Money and Fame

About ten days later, an Evening Post, accompanied by a travel guide from Ezhou Prefecture to Jianle City, was delivered to the Ezhou delivery station.

The following day, two booklets compiling the daily table of contents of the Morning News and Evening Post were also delivered to the Ezhou delivery station.

Originally, the Morning News and Evening Post were bought by scholars and their families in Ezhou. But after the travel guide was released, merchants of all sizes, and even some well-off peddlers, flocked to the Shunfeng delivery station.

Whether they knew each other or not, everyone wore smiles and chatted with Old Nanny Liu and Sister Zhou, saying they were all neighbors, living on the same street, just one or two blocks apart; at least they were both from Ezhou…

Or perhaps they could not even write the characters for “Liu” or “Zhou” twice, and so on, all smiling obsequiously, trying every means to get a copy of the travel guide.

The daily newspapers reported on grain, silk, and cloth prices, along with the frequent price updates for goods from both the north and south and seasonal items. For example, with the Spring Festival approaching, the prices of spices in Jianle City had risen significantly, and some insect-repelling spices were practically given away for free in Ezhou City this year!

These daily price updates made the merchants of Ezhou, a land of plenty, rich in silk and other produce, extremely envious.

Far-sighted merchants saw business opportunities in the prices of cotton, paper, silk, hemp, and other commodities for the coming year, spring, and even summer.

With trade between the north and south disrupted for the past year or two, goods from the south, even the Xiangfei bamboo and purple bamboo used for fan ribs, had seen exorbitant prices. Ezhou had plenty of various types of bamboo used for roof ribs!

Moreover, they heard that the grain, silk, and cloth merchants in Northern Qi acted as intermediaries, facilitating transactions—how convenient!

For over a month, they’d been eagerly anticipating the journey, but the difficulty lay in the route from Ezhou City to Jianle City via Pingjing Pass. Very few, almost none, knew the way.

In the past, their trade always proceeded south along the Yangtze River.

The Pingjing Pass route was long and arduous, and Pingjing Pass had never been open to commoners; almost no one had ever traveled that route.

The market prices in the Morning News fueled the merchants’ desire to make money. Just when they were burning with anticipation, stumped by the lack of directions, this travel guide suddenly appeared before them. With the guide, they could set off immediately, hurry along the way, and deliver their goods to Jianle City before the New Year—the perfect time to sell!

Old Nanny Liu was being pulled and pulled along by both genuine and feigned acquaintances, trying to build relationships, leaving her utterly bewildered. Finally managing to extricate herself, she hurriedly went to find Li Sangrou.

Several families came asking for the travel guides; they had helped her, even saved her, and she owed them favors. She had to ask the boss, no matter what.

After hearing what Old Nanny Liu said, Li Sangrou immediately and readily agreed.

She had always planned to supply the travel guides freely, as many as needed. Even without Old Old Nanny Liu’s request, she would have had them every day.

Old Nanny Liu breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to the shop to start collecting money for the travel guides, collecting payment from each family one by one and noting down their names in order.

The merchants and peddlers who had ordered the travel guides hurried home, rushed out of town to collect goods, bought mules and carts, hired porters and found companions, and prepared to set off.

In trade, being a step ahead or a step behind made all the difference!

Old Nanny Liu and Sister Zhou were busy collecting money for subscription guides while also subscribing to next year’s Morning News or Evening Post, as well as bound volumes of those newspapers.

Because of that guide, merchants and peddlers joined the frenzy to buy the Morning News and Evening Post. The already hard-to-find newspapers became even more scarce; if you could not buy them, you had to subscribe for a year.

All the courier shops were the same: small storefronts with tall flags. This one in Ezhou was no exception, because the shop was small, it attracted a lot of people.

People from all walks of life, subscribing to, picking up, and buying newspapers, had to squeeze in and out. After two days of this, they got used to it. When they saw someone they knew, they’d nod and greet each other, glance at each other’s newspapers, and decide not to hide them anymore. They’d just take them home; after all, everyone on the street was buying and reading newspapers, so one more shop would not make a difference.

Old Nanny Liu and Sister Zhou were busy from the moment they opened their eyes. Meals were fine; they could just order whatever they wanted from the restaurant.

But Shitou required careful attention. Diapers and bodily waste had to be changed and washed.

Old Nanny Liu was a capable woman. After two busy days, seeing the pile of diapers in the house, she went to pawn a strong old woman the next morning to help with the washing, cleaning, childcare, and housework.

She and Sister Zhou needed to get their business sorted out first.

……………………

Just past mid-eleventh month, Pan Dingjiang, the third master of the Pan family, arrived outside Ezhou City after a long and arduous journey.

On this trip to his new post, only his wife, Lady Qian, accompanied him; the children were all left in Jianle City.

He brought very few servants and belongings; his group of about fifty people included thirty guards.

Minister Pan selected all the capable fighters from his household, especially the guards his second son, Pan Dingshan, had brought back from Taiyuan—all seasoned warriors who had chased bandits and killed men—and gave them to Pan Dingjiang to take along.

In case anything went wrong, at least they would have some protection.

Pan Dingjiang, mounted on his horse, passed through the city gate. Looking up, he saw the large, fluttering banner and chuckled.

“Look,” Pan Dingjiang said, lifting the curtain with his whip to show Lady Qian, “The boss’s business is so successful; you can see her banner everywhere.”

“Seeing those two big characters makes me feel like we are not far from home,” Lady Qian said, looking up at the bright banner and laughing as well.

The year Pan Dingjiang achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, she and her husband left Jianle City with their newborn eldest daughter to take up their posts in other places. At that time, she felt no homesickness; instead, she was very excited.

This time, however, the children all stayed in Jianle City. With each passing day, she felt farther away from Jianle City, constantly worrying that she would never see them again.

“It’s not far. Writing home, it only takes about half a month for a round trip.” Pan Dingjiang simply dismounted and walked beside the carriage, chatting with Lady Qian as he looked at the shops and pedestrians on both sides of the street.

“…You go see the Shizi later; I will go pay my respects to the boss first.” Lady Qian moved to sit by the carriage door, and her conversation with Pan Dingjiang shifted from casual chatter to business.

“Which carriage is Little Seventh’s box of junk in? Is it easy to get?” Pan Dingjiang glanced back.

“Look at you; the princess also asked me to bring things in there,” Lady Qian chuckled.

Thinking about the contents of the box, she laughed again; it was indeed a box of junk.

With a clatter, Pan Dingjiang walked two streets, accompanied by several guards, and headed straight for the military camp.

Gu Xi was not in the city; only Wen Cheng was in the military camp.

Gu Xi had left the city early that morning, saying she was going to Suizhou for an inspection. However, Pan Dingjiang’s meeting with Gu Xi was merely a perfunctory greeting; all other matters were handled by Wen Cheng.

Whether or not he saw Gu Xi did not matter; as long as Master Wen was there, it would not interfere with Pan Dingjiang’s official duties.

Lady Qian also failed to see Li Sangrou. Li Sangrou had also left the city. Several old Yunmeng guards shook their heads; they truly had no idea where their leader had gone.

Pan Dingjiang entered the military camp and did not leave, listening intently as Wen Cheng briefed him on the military situation outside Ezhou City, explaining which of the large quantities of military supplies arriving from Pingjing Pass would be assigned to him, which supply ships arriving from the river would be handed over to him, the key points, the Shizi’s plans, and other tasks assigned to him, such as recruiting laborers…

They talked until it was completely dark. After dinner, they chatted for a while longer before Pan Dingjiang took his leave.

Following several guards who had already toured half the city, he entered the inner quarters of the yamen. Looking at the red lanterns under the eaves and the brightly lit main room, Pan Dingjiang immediately felt a sense of relief. He let out a long sigh and hurried into the main room.

Originally, he did not want Ah Hui to come along. He feared that if anything happened, the children would all be orphaned at the same time, which would be too desolate. He felt it would not matter if he were gone; Ah Hui could manage the household.

It was his mother who told him to bring Ah Hui along. His mother said, “With Ah Hui taking care of things, no matter how hard it is, he will not feel tired. As long as he has the energy, nothing will happen.”

Hesitantly, the warm, bright lights, the busy servants, and the comfortable atmosphere of the courtyard made his tense body and mind feel comfortable enough to yawn.

“You must be exhausted. Go wash up first.” Lady Qian welcomed Pan Dingjiang in, handed him a bowl of red date soup, and pushed him into the bathing room.

Pan Dingjiang took a comfortable bath, put on a robe, and came out. He first looked around the three main rooms, then sat down by the incense burner.

Lady Qian handed him a cup of light tea and sat down beside him. “There are five main rooms. I separated the two on the east side with thick curtains.”

Lady Qian pointed to the heated couch.

“These past few years, your official duties must have been incredibly demanding. Those two rooms are for your study; once you’ve finished reading and organizing the documents you bring in, you can simply lift the curtain and go inside to rest.

We’ve brought fewer staff, so we need to make things easier for them too.”

“You’ve thought of everything very thoughtfully.

Master Wen said that the grain and supplies coming upstream by waterway, once docked, should be handed over to me. They must be unloaded from the ships immediately and transported to the designated locations according to his arrangements.

The military supplies coming from Pingjing Pass and delivered into the city should also be handed over to me.

These two matters alone are incredibly complex.

What’s the situation in the city? What are the streets and alleys like? What are the people like? What’s happening outside the city? I know nothing at all.” Pan Dingjiang frowned as he spoke.

“The gentlemen have been busy for most of the day. They say the clerks and ranchers at the yamen, all the household registers, and documents are all neatly arranged and in good condition. It seems this area is quite good, at least very complete.”

Old Huang and the others went to the street twice with Steward Wang and bought several cartloads of things.

They said the street was very lively, with all sorts of things for sale.

By the way, they said the Morning News and Evening Post are in high demand, and they can’t be bought after hour of Mao¹. The boss’s business is really something.” Lady Qian said, laughing.

“Her travel guide…” Pan Dingjiang started to say, then laughed.

“Thanks to that travel guide. Several places outside Pingjing Pass were truly dangerous. Luckily, it was written in the guide, so we were on guard,” Lady Qian laughed. “It’s getting late; you should rest. Tomorrow, you need to go to the yamen first, put away the official seal, and pay respects to the yamen god. Then you can go about your business; it will be easier for the officials to get things done if they are there.”

“Alright,” Pan Dingjiang replied with a smile.

……………………

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Pan Dingjiang, after breakfast, dressed in his brand-new official robes, carrying his official seal, headed towards the yamen.

Seeing Pan Dingjiang leave through the second gate, Lady Qian was about to turn and go back inside when an old woman entered through the second gate and announced loudly, “Lady Qian, the Boss has arrived!”

“Please come in quickly!” Lady Qian hurriedly went out to greet her.

“You flatter me,” Li Sangrou greeted the eagerly coming Lady Qian with cupped hands and a smile.

“I was just about to get ready to pay my respects to the Boss,” Lady Qian said, curtsying.

“You flatter me,” Li Sangrou replied, bowing again. “I returned late yesterday, and upon hearing of Lady Qian’s arrival, I rushed over this morning. I dare not trouble you.”

“After our Third Master arrived in Ezhou Prefecture, our Prime Minister took back the military report from the Shizi and had me and our Third Master take a look,” Lady Qian said, her voice low and smiling as she stood beside Li Sangrou. “The Shizi’s report said that the Boss should be credited with the greatest merit in capturing Ezhou.”

“That’s too kind,” Li Sangrou said sincerely.

If we were talking about the greatest merit, she felt that those suicide assassins and their accomplices deserved it.

“The Boss is truly something,” Lady Qian chuckled. “Please come in, Boss.”

Lady Qian took the curtain from the maid, and Li Sangrou, still smiling, bowed respectfully. The two entered the room one after the other.

“I heard Third Master was busy all day yesterday, and I imagine he must be overwhelmed with things to do here with Third Madam as well. I have a lot on my end too, so let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point,” Li Sangrou said, taking a sip of tea and smiling at Third Madam Pan née Qian.

“Do not be so polite, Boss. We always speak frankly,” Third Madam Pan née Qian replied with a smile.

“A military report just arrived; it seems they’ve taken Suizhou.”

Before Li Sangrou could finish her sentence, Third Madam Pan née Qian’s eyebrows shot up, her expression a mixture of surprise and delight.

“I will be setting off for Suizhou soon to open Shunfeng’s shop.

“I came here to tell Third Madam a few things. First, as of yesterday evening, over 370 copies of next year’s Morning News and over 430 copies of next year’s Evening Post had been subscribed to in the entire city of Ezhou.

Second, over 7,000 copies of the travel guide from Ezhou to Jianle City have been sold.

Third, over 4,600 copies of this year’s Morning News and over 7,000 copies of the Evening Post have been sold.

We’ve been adding 100 copies of the Morning News and Evening Post to our daily sales these past few days, reaching 1,000 copies each yesterday. I do not plan to add any more before the New Year.”

Li Sangrou finished speaking in one breath, smiling at Third Lady Qian.

Lady Qian listened intently for a moment, then smiled, stood up, and curtsied to Li Sangrou in thanks. “Thank you so much, Boss. With your extensive coverage in the Morning News and Evening Post, Third Master, as the Prefect, will achieve twice the results with half the effort.”

“You are welcome. I am leaving now.

Oh, by the way, I saw everything you left yesterday. Please thank Seventh Young Master for me. The whole box is full of good things. Hei Ma and Xiao Lu…”