Chapter 39: Making a Move in Secret

  Xian Yan put on a humble attitude, and Xu Lao secretly thought that this guy was quicker to turn his face than to turn the pages of a book. He quickly sent him away, laughing and saying, "Ha ha, no need for that, just have someone bring a letter and I'll be there. I'll go write the letter now."

  It was so obvious that he couldn't help but hear it, and he immediately stood up to bid farewell. After leaving the door, he still doubted whether this Xu family had an ancestral training that did not allow their descendants to serve as officials, and the meaning of the clan leader's shirking was too obvious.

  Xu Shi-zhen, apart from the initial few words of small talk, had been speechless all along, not because he was afraid of Zhan Yue, but because he was intimidated by Yi-zhen's words. This Fourteenth Master, on one hand calling him "阁老" (a term used to address high-ranking officials), and on the other hand saying "中华" (China), who knows what he is thinking in his heart? If someone else had said this, once reported, they would not have escaped with their skin intact.

  After sending the two away, Xu Lao sat back in his chair, looking pale and weak. This young prince is not simple, just a bit cold, but it's worth making him speak Chinese, close his mouth and leave a legacy, scaring me to sweat, also forcing me to be at a loss for what to do, unable to let my ancestors be humiliated, nor can I let my children suffer, having no choice but to push out the Sun family's descendants to avoid disaster. This is indeed a helpless move, after all, the Sun family's ancestors were killed by Emperor Chongzhen back then, so many years have passed, you Sun family don't need to die for the sake of the former Ming dynasty.

  This 14th prince has a broad mind, vision and means that are indeed superior to others. If you can gain his appreciation, your Sun family also has the hope of regaining its former glory. I consider this as having lent a helping hand to the Sun family.

  With Zhang Bohui taking office as Governor of Jiangsu, Chen Pengnian temporarily took over as Provincial Governor, and the dispute between the two governors also came to an end. The world was at peace, and several ministers in the imperial court felt a little relieved. As the New Year approached, both inside and outside the capital presented a harmonious scene.

  However, a rumor that the 14th prince, Yin Zhen, was going to thoroughly clean up and reorganize the maritime trade fleet in Jiangnan began to circulate quietly among the officials from Jiangnan in the capital.

  The huge profits from maritime trade are not unique to the Jiangnan region, as Shandong, Zhili, and Fengtian also have countless fleets engaged in maritime trade along their coastlines. After more than 20 years of opening up the seas, having gone through numerous brutal mergers and acquisitions, all the fleets currently engaged in maritime trade are enormous in scale, with deep backgrounds, and complex webs of interests. Moreover, each has its own sphere of influence, fixed routes, and trading partners.

  In the capital, many high-ranking officials with a good family background and some ability have a close relationship with Hai Trade. When this news spread, everyone became tense, thinking of Yongzheng's tactics in integrating the piaohao industry and his current efforts to build a fleet of ocean-going warships at his own expense in Shanghai, as well as Kangxi's protection of him. They felt a growing sense of unease, wondering what would happen if the "Four Greats" were to dominate the shipping industry like they did the piaohao industry. Just thinking about it made them feel extremely frightened. Suddenly, the frequency of visits between officials in Beijing increased, and fast horses galloped out of the capital one after another.

  This unusual phenomenon in the capital naturally could not escape Kangxi's attention. After figuring out the ins and outs of the matter, Kangxi sniffed out a conspiracy. Yin Zhen only said he wanted to build an ocean-going trading fleet, but didn't say anything about clearing up and integrating the existing maritime trade fleets. What was the intention of the person spreading this rumor? As soon as this rumor spread, not only did it set obstacles for Yin Zhen's ocean-going trading fleet in advance, but also pushed him into opposition with all the sea merchants, which would have a great impact on his plans to build ships and vessels.

  Is it the jealousy of the Crown Prince's party or the fear of the ministers being cut off from their wealth? Kangxi had no time to make a judgment at this moment, and Yinzheng encountered such a bad situation as soon as he arrived in Shanghai, I don't know if he can handle it.

  Facing this situation, Kangxi was also at a loss for a while. It was impossible to come forward and dispel the rumors, and it's hard to say that Yin Zhen didn't have such an idea. After thinking about it, he felt that it would be better to put it off for now, first to test Yin Zhen's response ability, and secondly to see if they had any other tricks up their sleeves. He reported this situation to Yin Zhen in a secret letter, and the latter temporarily dropped his hand.

  Since returning to Shanghai from Jiangning, Zhang Mengjiao has been feeling uneasy. Her father was unwilling to lean towards the Fourteenth Master Yin Zhen, and instead colluded with Gali to use warships to smuggle rice, which made her extremely depressed. Although there is no trouble at present, how can such a large family business not be prepared for the future? In case Gali falls, the Zhang family will inevitably be implicated. There is a saying that "a corrupt official can bring down his whole family", and what's more, this involves a struggle at the level of the governor and the commander-in-chief.

  After thinking for a long time, Zhang Mengjiao still didn't give up. After paying respects to her father in the morning, she smiled and asked: "Father, have you thought of a perfect solution these past few days?"

  Seeing his daughter bring up the old topic, Zhang Yuanlong sighed and said: "Jiao Jiao, I understand what you mean. These past few days, Father has been thinking about it over and over again. Father is really not willing to give up. The current situation of our Zhang family is the result of several generations' hard work. Father doesn't want to end up like Zheng Shichang. Rather than that, why not just be content with being a wealthy gentleman? Besides, behind our Zhang family's shipping fleet, there are still people who can take over, such as the Xu, Chen, and Dong families, all of whom are influential families. Father will discuss it with them again."

  "Father, the Xu family, Chen family, and Dong family are all yesterday's news. You're still stuck in the past, thinking about old times. Think about it, Father, how have you been doing these past few years? How many of our territories and routes have been taken over? In Grandfather's time, which shipping company in Shanghai didn't come begging to us, the Zhang family? But now, after just a few short years, we're being squeezed out and can barely stand on our own two feet. Why is that? It's because there's no one backing us up! If something were to happen to Lord Gao, no one would be able to help us. They'd all abandon ship before they could even think about it. By then, you won't even have the chance to become a rich man."

  His daughter hit his sore spot, Zhang Yuanlong let out a light sigh and weakly waved his hand, "You go down first, Dad will think about it."

  Seeing her father still unmoved, Zhang Mengjiao stomped her foot in anger and turned to leave the yard. She returned to her room, deep in thought for a while, then resolutely walked out of the room and ordered her maid, "Prepare the carriage, go to Liu Chun Garden."

  Liuchun Garden opens its gate at 4 o'clock every day, and Xu Shizhen is also punctual to report on time. Today, he was beaming with joy. After paying his respects to Yongzheng, he said: "Reporting to the Fourteenth Master, yesterday all the procedures for the vacant land have been completed. A few villages were a bit tricky at first, but we've already negotiated with the villagers and will start relocating after the Lantern Festival."

  "Alright, let's not delay. Tell the villagers to have a peaceful New Year and move out before the end of the first month. Also, we need a large number of young laborers for the construction site, with wages of 40 cents per day. Let those who are willing sign up first." He glanced at Xu Shi-zheng before continuing, "Post an announcement in the village to prevent your men from profiteering."

  Xu Shi-zhen couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he heard Xun Yu-zheng's straightforward words, and smiled awkwardly as he replied: "The 14th Master is right, since ancient times officials have been slippery like oil, they are all the kind of people who pluck feathers from passing geese. This official will definitely strictly control them."

  "It's indeed difficult to manage the clerks, as they have no chance of promotion." Yongzheng looked at Xu Shizheng with a smile, "You are also a scholar from the Imperial Academy, considered a learned man. Go back and formulate a reward and punishment system for the clerks, see if you can solve this stubborn problem from the root."