Mo Sang – CH 201

Chapter 201. The Merchant

Two days later, in the afternoon, when Li Sangrou returned to Yangzhou with Hei Ma, the corpses and blood splattered both inside and outside the city had already been collected, buried, and cleaned up. The checkpoints on all land and water routes outside the city had just been removed.

The terrified people who had fled outside Yangzhou began to help the old and young return to their hometowns.

The people inside the city remained trapped. Although the death toll was not as high as outside, every house was collapsed and was dilapidated, the walls were empty, and everyone was starving, their eyes green, and suffering from illness.

General Wen and General Huang had besieged the city for nearly two months, waiting for the Southern Liang Army to run out of food. Once their food supply was cut off, the Southern Liang Army would naturally plunder the city’s entire grain supply…

Li Sangrou led her horse, looking at the scattered soup kitchens amidst the ruins and the hungry crowds surrounding them. The entire city was still shrouded in a heavy, deathly atmosphere.

Hei Ma followed beside Li Sangrou, occasionally peeking into the hungry crowd. He’d sniff the thick porridge in the broken bowls, then pull back and click his tongue with Li Sangrou. “They are all experts, just trying to save lives.

I just do not like this smell; it is awful.

Boss, we are hiring right now; just one decent meal will do, but we are too short of strong laborers. Sigh, what a pity.”

Listening to Hei Ma’s grumbling, Li Sangrou walked halfway around the city, entering a relatively well-preserved house not far from the east gate.

This house was also hers.

“Boss!” Mazha, who was squatting on the threshold of the second gate, jumped up. “Boss, you are finally back!

Our grain ships have arrived; they arrived this morning, right at the dock outside.

There’s an official in the Ministry of Revenue named Ning who says he wants to requisition the grain on our ships, saying it is an imperial order, that Yangzhou is currently at war, and something like that. Brother Chang is watching over things at the dock.

Brother Chang told me to stay home and keep watch, saying he did not know when you’d be back. I was so worried!”

Mazha stomped his feet and spun around as he spoke.

“I’ll go check on it,” Li Sangrou said, handing Mazha the horse. “I will not use this. This horse is exhausted; it needs water and hay right away.”

“Give it a bath too.” Hei Ma shoved his own reins into Mazha’s hands, chuckling as he patted Mazha.

“Boss, I…I!” Mazha, leading the two horses, looked at Li Sangrou, who was turning to leave, and at Hei Ma, who was waving and smiling at him as he walked away. He looked utterly aggrieved.

He wanted to see it too!

Li Sangrou walked quickly; the dock was right outside the east gate.

On the dock, all of the Qi Army’s warships had been moved to the south side of the dock for defense. In the center of the dock, twenty or thirty large, heavy-draft ships were moored.

The dock was crowded with people. Da Chang, his face grim, stood with his arms crossed, blocking the view of the ships, which were quite conspicuous.

Beside Da Chang, Xiao Lu and the others also stood with their arms crossed, heads held high.

Across from Da Chang stood several officials and a group of clerks, angrily discussing something.

Around both groups, on one side was a group of soldiers, their leader standing with his hands on his hips, occasionally scratching his head, looking extremely troubled.

On the other side, the old Yunmeng Guards stood lazily, while Meng Yanqing squatted on the ground, chewing on a blade of grass and watching the commotion.

Standing next to the old Yunmeng Guards were seven or eight ragged middle-aged men, hands in their sleeves, radiating fear and unease.

“The Boss is here! The Boss!” Xiao Lu, with his sharp eyes, spotted Li Sangrou the moment she turned around and immediately jumped up, shouting.

“The Boss is here!” The commander at the head of the troops ran even faster than Meng Yanqing. “Greetings, Boss! During the battle of Hefei, I followed General Huang back from Jiangnan, and I even led your horse.”

The commander introduced himself as he greeted them.

“We are all comrades; I do not deserve such praise. What’s this all about?” Li Sangrou smiled and returned the greeting.

Upon hearing the word “comrades,” ​​the commander’s face lit up. “Here’s what happened. Master Chang said these dozens of ships were grain ordered from the grain store, and a deposit had been paid.

Senior Official Ning said they’d be requisitioned in wartime, and General Huang sent me to oversee them.

The general instructed me to just make sure no fighting breaks out.”

The commander leaned closer, lowering his voice considerably as he finished speaking. He glanced sideways at Senior Official Ning and smirked.

He and the Boss were comrades-in-arms; they were truly on the same side!

“Boss.” Senior Official Ning greeted Li Sangrou with a deep bow, then straightened up and launched into a rapid, clear speech, “Boss, you have always been dedicated to the country and its people; this is common knowledge both in and out of the court.

You have seen Yangzhou now; the entire city, young and old, is on the verge of starvation.

These dozens of boatloads of grain could save at least half the city’s lives, yet this brother of yours says this grain belongs to a grain merchant and is intended to be sold for money.

You, Boss, are always loyal and righteous; how could you be doing this for money…”

“Senior Official Ning, did you just arrive, or have you been waiting outside Yangzhou for some time?” Li Sangrou interrupted Senior Official Ning’s torrent of words with a smile.

“I arrived a long time ago, at General Wen’s camp, waiting for about twenty days.” Senior Official Ning swallowed hard.

“You’ve been here for over twenty days, and the imperial relief grain ships still have not arrived?” Li Sangrou asked again.

“General Wen has been besieging the city. When to attack is a military secret; I…”

“Then you should send grain ships over first. Wait outside the city; do you think General Wen and General Huang would steal your grain?”

“I did send them, but I thought… well, there are more people in the city than I expected. I really did not expect it.” Senior Official Ning’s face flushed red.

When the Southern Liang attacked Yangzhou, they drove thousands of civilians outside the city as shields, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. He thought the people inside the city had probably been slaughtered as well. He had not expected that while houses had collapsed and food and clothing were scarce, the death toll was relatively small.

“The craftsmen I recruited, the fast ones, might have already arrived. They need food and drink to work, and they need a place to buy grain.

This grain cannot be given to you.” Li Sangrou’s tone was gentle but firm.

“Boss!” Senior Official Ning cried out anxiously.

“You’d better think of another way quickly. I definitely cannot give you my grain.” Li Sangrou took two steps back and beckoned to the seven or eight thin, pursed-cheeked middle-aged men craning their necks to look at her.

The seven or eight middle-aged men hurriedly stepped forward.

“Quickly get the rice shop owners to come and collect the grain. Allow them credit. These thirty-odd boats are a bit few; if everyone takes, it might not be enough. Distribute it evenly among the shops in the four cities.

Instruct them to keep their usual profit margins unchanged; do not raise them.

The porters’ debts must be settled that day. Also, cook several large pots of rice. Give each porter a bowl; eat your fill before you start working.

Old Meng, pick a few people to watch over things. Be quick; the rice shops must be open before dinner.

Also, this is the first batch. The second batch of grain boats should arrive tomorrow or the day after. There are many more grain boats to come.” Li Sangrou ignored Senior Official Ning and the others, and gave orders to the seven or eight grain shop owners.

“Do not worry, Boss! Do not worry! Hurry! Hurry!” The head of the grain shop was so excited that tears streamed down his face. Without saying a word, he waved and shouted to the others.

With the grain shop open, their families would finally have food.

“Boss!” Senior Official Ning cried out anxiously, taking a step forward, but was stopped by Hei Ma’s outstretched hand.

“What are you all doing crowding here? Hurry up and go into the city to recruit people, men or women, women preferred. First, clean up the broken bricks and tiles in the house and pick out anything usable.

Remember to pay daily. Pay the first day’s wages before you start working. Hurry up!”

Li Sangrou then instructed Da Chang and Meng Yanqing, among others.

“Boss! How many people can you recruit for your house? This whole city is…” Senior Official Ning could not squeeze through, jumping up and down in frustration.

“Hey! What are you saying?” Hei Ma blocked Senior Official Ning’s path with one arm, glancing at him sideways, letting out a long, loud “Hey!”

“Let me tell you, half of Yangzhou belongs to our Boss. How many people do you think you can recruit? Did you not hear our Boss say men or women do not matter! How many people do you think you can recruit?”

Senior Official Ning was speechless at Hei Ma’s words. As the aroma of snow-white rice wafted from the East Gate Wharf, Xiao Lu and his companions, along with the old Yunmeng Guards, were already banging gongs and shouting throughout the city, recruiting workers.

The rice merchants had their own channels, and hungry porters and shopkeepers flocked in from all directions.

The porters, having wolfed down bowls or two of rice, carried sacks of grain from the boats, loaded them onto carts, and pushed them to the rice shops throughout the city.

The rice shops were almost all collapsed. The shopkeepers quickly gathered their employees, found some planks, piled up bricks, and placed the rice sacks on top. The shopkeepers and their employees, either salvaging measuring cups from the rubble, borrowing one or two, or finding something similar, immediately set up shop.

Once the business was up and running, they could make money; with money, they could eat, and with money, they could rebuild their houses.

In the city, families dug out buried silver coins and jewelry and, clutching their newly received day’s wages, flocked to the rice shops.

General Huang quickly dispatched two thousand-man squads into the city to patrol the streets.

The rice shops, with their lamps lit, operated through the night, filling the entire city with a cacophony of activity.

The next afternoon, a string of twenty or thirty grain boats once again moored at the East Gate Wharf. Tents were pitched on the ruins of the grain shops, and everyone from the shopkeepers to the porters was working tirelessly.

A few small stalls had already sprung up in the nearby open space, selling hot tea and meals.

Craftsmen from nearby cities and counties, weary from their journeys, hurried into Yangzhou.

They had heard that there was plenty of work and high wages in Yangzhou!

Li Sangrou, instead of providing food and lodging for the craftsmen as usual, included the cost of their food and lodging in their wages.

Five days later, Jiang Cheng, the newly appointed Transport Commissioner and Prefect of Yangzhou, who had rushed to the city day and night, had barely turned the corner of the prefectural yamen when he was met with a torrent of abuse from the overwhelmed General Huang. General Huang then pelted him with a pile of documents. Before Jiang could react, General Huang, clutching his robe, stormed out of the yamen and hurriedly fled back to his military tent.

Slumped in his tent, General Huang downed two bottles of wine in one gulp before he could catch his breath.

He would rather die ten or eight times over in a battle than deal with local government affairs again—it was too terrifying!

Prefect Jiang was immediately overwhelmed upon entering the yamen. His desk was piled high with official documents, and his subordinates, clerks and assistants, surrounded him, each clutching a large bundle of papers, looking at him with desperate anticipation, eagerly explaining that their matters were the most urgent; any later and people would die—a whole bunch of them!

Fortunately, he was experienced and capable, and after working until late into the night, he finally managed to piece together a rough outline. The next morning, he rushed out of the yamen; he needed to pay his respects to the Boss first.

Li Sangrou had just finished breakfast, brewed some tea, and stretched a few times, preparing to immerse herself in the sea of ​​patterns, when Datou called in from the courtyard gate: “An official surnamed Jiang requests an audience with the Boss.”

Li Sangrou, whose ears were clenched by Datou, only heard the words “request an audience.”

“I am Jiang Cheng, the newly appointed Transport Commissioner of Huainan East Circuit and Prefect of Yangzhou. I pay my respects to the Boss.” Jiang, the Transport Commissioner, hurried in and, upon seeing Li Sangrou, quickly bowed deeply.

“I dare not accept such praise.” Li Sangrou hurriedly returned the bow. “I am unworthy of such praise.”

“You are too kind, Boss.” Transport Commissioner Jiang bowed again. “I am a disciple of Prime Minister Du. Before I came, Prime Minister Du repeatedly instructed me that with you, Boss, along the Grand Canal, my position as Chief Canal Officer, despite being in the aftermath of the war, has been relatively stable. The post stations and grain stores have all returned to normal, thanks to you, Boss.”

“You flatter me.” Li Sangrou gestured for Transport Commissioner Jiang to sit down, and Hei Ma respectfully served him a cup of tea.

“You are too kind, Chief Canal Officer. I am just a merchant, simply trying to get my family’s business up and running. Nothing more,” Li Sangrou said with a slight bow and a smile.

“The Boss is indeed very courteous,” Transport Commissioner Jiang laughed. “My predecessor served in the Ministry of War, handling all military reports. My colleagues and I held the utmost respect for you, Boss.

We heard that upon my arrival in Huainan, my colleagues in the Ministry of War are incredibly envious of your presence.”

“Transport Commissioner Jiang is too kind.” Li Sangrou bowed again. “I will be staying in Yangzhou for a few more days, so please do not be so polite, Transport Commissioner, and do not bother with me.”

“Yes, His Majesty also instructed me that the Boss is a free spirit and to keep my distance. The Boss can rest assured.

However, I just arrived yesterday, and I felt I had to come and pay my respects to the Boss. Besides, I really wanted to see you.” Transport Commissioner Jiang quickly stood up.

“You are too kind, Transport Commissioner,” Li Sangrou also stood up and saw Transport Commissioner Jiang to the courtyard gate.

From the main gate to the inner gate, a crowd of men in long robes and short jackets had already gathered, curiously watching Transport Commissioner Jiang being politely seen off by Li Sangrou.

After seeing Transport Commissioner Jiang off, Li Sangrou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and entered through the inner gate, gesturing to Datou, “Call them in one by one.”

“Gentlemen, please go in first. The rest of you, sit and wait. The tea is over there, and the melon seeds are over there,” Datou said, waving his hand and directing from the inner gate.

Several scholars in long robes, carrying scrolls of paper, followed Li Sangrou into the main courtyard.

“Speak one by one,” Li Sangrou said, sitting down at the long table.

The middle-aged scholar at the front placed the scrolls of paper he was carrying on the long table, unfolded one, and laid it out in front of Li Sangrou, weighing it down with a paperweight.

“This is the first house in Niuwei Lane, totaling two and a half mu, not small at all.

The Boss did not say what it is for or what kind of family lives there. I figured that since Niuwei Lane is near the red-light district, the wealthy families probably would not be interested. So, I’ve designed this house to be opulent, with many rooms and a small garden.”

The middle-aged scholar pointed out various parts of the blueprint, explaining with great detail.

“Hmm, you’ve thought this through thoroughly. This one will do,” Li Sangrou said, picking up a large, two-inch square wooden seal and stamping it onto the blueprint.

The middle-aged scholar’s face lit up immediately. With this seal, five taels of silver would be in his hands, enough to support his family!

“This is the second one,” the middle-aged scholar’s voice rose even higher.

Li Sangrou was very easy to talk to; each of the five or six scholars had at least one blueprint stamped.

The scholars went through the small door next door, and several curtain shop owners came in, spreading out booklets of designs they had drawn overnight, or those salvaged from disasters, along with rolls of small curtain patterns. They laid them out on the long table for Li Sangrou to choose from one by one.

Inside the small door, Da Chang and Xiao Lu checked each sheet against Li Sangrou’s official seal, registered them, took out silver ingots from a large box at the back, weighed and cut them on the spot, paid in coins, and had them write contracts and affix their fingerprints.