Great Tang Idyll - Volume 4 Chapter 39

Wang Juan doesn’t understand at first and stares blankly at Zhang Xiaobao, waiting for his explanation.

Zhang Xiaobao sighs. “Juanjuan, you know I never worry about money. What truly concerns me is people’s hearts. Look at the farmers—they have selfish thoughts too. But they sign death contracts, and their masters treat them well, so they remain grateful and respectful. What really keeps them from rebelling isn’t just those two factors—it’s my father’s official position. Especially now that he’s a fourth-rank official, that status alone keeps them in check. Most of the Zhang and Wang family farmers are genuinely loyal, but not all of them. A small portion only behaves because of fear and gratitude.”

“Are you serious? Even when they’re living well, some of them still have other thoughts?” Wang Juan asks.

“You know what I did before. With a business this large, do you think everyone follows me out of loyalty alone? I don’t like talking about it. I’d rather focus on the warmth and trust, but I can’t afford to let my guard down. That’s why I’m telling you this today—but I don’t want you to get involved. I can handle it alone. Dealing with a few unstable people is easy. They aren’t particularly capable. Back when I ran things, I had plenty of competent people under me. Who would dare betray me? Self-interest and fear are enough to keep them in line. The point is, even among simple farmers, some have ulterior motives. So do you think merchants are any more patriotic? When their actions don’t seem to harm the country, they rationalize their choices. Once they take that first step, few can turn back. That’s why I’m letting them be bought. People like that are easy to control afterward—much easier than spoiled aristocrats. Remember how much effort it took us to get that dandy to talk? And that was when he was injured, drunk, and at his weakest.”

Zhang Xiaobao finally reveals something few people know.

Wang Juan exhales. “You’ve been handling all this alone for the past few years? You still have to think about making money, managing your family’s daily needs, and dealing with one conspiracy after another? Xiaobao, I’m done being friends with you. You’re too selfish.”

“You’re overthinking it. It’s actually simple. Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken? Someone as charming as you shouldn’t waste time on such trivial matters. Teach me, and I’ll clean it up while having fun. Or better yet, I’ll let you handle the schemes in the future. There are only so many tricks, and they never really change. If you find it dull, just refuse. If you still have the energy, use their own tactics against them.”

To Zhang Xiaobao, this isn’t exhausting. Back when he ran a massive fraud operation, he had to manage hidden investments and evade pursuit. Compared to that, this is nothing.

Wang Juan thinks for a moment and finally agrees. “Tell me about any difficulties in the future. I’ll share the burden with you. This family isn’t yours alone.”

“Alright, but this isn’t a difficulty. You can handle the spy work here. The Second Division should be up for it.”

“You mean we send people to infiltrate? The inner courtyard staff would be the safest choice,” Wang Juan suggests.

Zhang Xiaobao shakes his head, a little exasperated. “Is your Second Division that poor? Why put our people in danger? Just spend money—bribe the merchants’ subordinates. Sure, some will take the money and feed us false information, but if we buy enough people, the truth will always surface.”

“Then I’ll set things up now. First, we lure those merchants in and give them some benefits. I’ll have your father act tough—that way, no one will suspect anything.” Wang Juan finally understands and smiles.

Under the beautiful moonlight, many people are still awake. Some are working hard, some are telling their children stories of the past, while others huddle together, plotting mischief.

Inside a renovated house, Cao Herui sits in front of a bowl of tea brewed from unknown leaves, mixed with salt, sugar, vinegar, chopped green onions, ginger, and even a few slices of garlic—all boiled together.

Once it’s ready, he pours a bowl for each of the three men sitting beside him. He sprinkles in some coriander, takes a sip, and sighs in satisfaction. “At this rate, it’ll take at least ten years to pay off our debts. Those useless seeds Zhang Zhong gave us grow so slowly, yet some fools actually planted a bunch of white flounder. What is he trying to do—sell flowers? Good thing we were careful and didn’t plant those. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to pay off our debts in twenty years. I’ve already thought it through—after this rice crop, I’ll plant something else next year. Then I’ll claim it was a mistake. Zhang Zhong won’t make me rip it out, right?”

The other three nod in agreement. They’re barely managing under the weight of their debts. Their families have been forced into business, and even they have to copy books or write simple annotations on the Analects just to scrape together money.

This is something they never imagined before, but now, it’s their reality.

Especially Liu Shaoqing. He has painstakingly found a method for making rice cakes in an old book, thinking it will be his way to wealth and a means to pay off his debts. But after an entire day of selling, he’s barely made a hundred coins.

The customers haggle relentlessly, and the people he sends out are too used to throwing their weight around—they have no clue how to negotiate. As long as they don’t lose money, they’ll sell at whatever price is offered.

This meager income shatters Liu Shaoqing’s expectations. He assumed that a newly introduced product would bring in several guan a day and even more in the future. After all, this isn’t something that should have existed here yet. He’s poured over countless books to find it.

Frustrated, Liu Shaoqing mutters, “We still have to reach out to Governor Ning and tell him about the situation here.”

Fan Jianxi, who is also drinking tea, says, “We can look for him, but there’s no need to say much about what’s happening here. I think the surrounding areas, especially Zhang Zhong’s original hometown, already know more than we do. Talking about it won’t change anything. It would be better to surrender directly. There’s another thing I want to mention. Brother Liu’s family has made something new—rice cakes. I looked into it later and found out that they’re originally from Hai. Since you knew about this, why didn’t you discuss it with the three of us? You only set up one stall—how much can you possibly sell? Look at how Zhang Zhong’s family operates. They always set up multiple stalls together. Brother Liu, you shouldn’t keep this to yourself. Tell the three of us the exact method, and tomorrow each of our families will set up ten stalls. That way, as long as we set the price, we won’t have to worry about making too little money.”

After Fan Jianxi finishes speaking, the other two also look at Liu Shaoqing, waiting for his response. Liu Shaoqing is reluctant to hand over the recipe. It has taken him a lot of effort to find it, and if he gives it away, he’ll lose his advantage. But seeing the attitude of the three men, he knows that if he refuses, he’ll be isolated. So he nods and says:

“It’s actually simple. Just steam or boil glutinous rice, pound it back and forth with a wooden hammer, and sprinkle some bean flour on top. Since the three of you want to do it, tomorrow morning, our four families will each send people out to occupy four locations.”

The other three are satisfied and drink their tea with smiles. But as they drink, Jiang Huanshi suddenly grows dissatisfied and says, “Do you know how Zhang Zhong has been making money lately? I sent people to investigate, and it turns out he’s selling tea. But his tea is different from what we drink. The people I sent to try it said it tastes lighter yet stronger than ours. The lighter taste comes from adding salt and ginger, while the stronger taste comes from the tea leaves themselves. Our tea is finished after one brew, but his can be steeped multiple times. The best quality can be brewed seven or eight times and still have flavor, while even the lowest quality can be brewed three or four times. Do you know how much the cheapest one costs? It’s not sold by the catty or tael but by money. One penny buys two strings, and they only sell half a catty per day. People are scrambling to buy it, and even then, it’s hard to get your hands on.”

The other three have no idea about this. When they hear Jiang Huanshi’s words, they all become excited. They drink tea regularly and know expensive varieties exist, but they’ve never heard of tea being sold at such a high price.

Even though they find it hard to believe, they still look at Jiang Huanshi with curiosity. Seeing their reaction, Jiang Huanshi smiles in satisfaction, takes another sip of tea, then deliberately spits it out before saying:

“This is what I want to tell you. I hear that their tea is also picked in Kaifeng, Chuzhou, Zhejiang, and Hangzhou, but the processing method is different. Here, we press tea into balls, and the quality depends on the timing of tea ball production and leaf picking. But they buy fresh tea leaves and process them immediately after bringing them back. I don’t know their exact method, but the result is better than anything we drink. The taste is different too—lighter yet richer. Now, imagine what would happen if we tell Governor Ning about this? He must already be furious about the recent flood. Normally, we’d all be in the same boat, but Zhang Zhong does something he shouldn’t have—he lets the people of Luzhou escape disaster. All we need to do is report this to Governor Ning and help him come up with a plan…”

Jiang Huanshi bursts into laughter as he finishes speaking. The other three are stunned for a moment, then join in his laughter.

Cao Herui sets down his tea bowl and says, “Then tomorrow, we’ll sell those rice cakes and save up some money. Let our families handle Zhang Zhong, and once things are settled, we’ll quietly leave for Qinzhou.”