Chapter 78 – Merchants Money Bank

Jiangnan’s temperature is naturally much warmer than Kyoto, although a year ago, Suzhou and Hangzhou also fell a flurry of snow, the sky of snow clouds from the sea directly to the hinterland of Qing, so that all the fields and rivers are shrouded in snow, however, once the year turned over, the winter to the end of the period, Jiangnan’s snow will be stopped, as soon as the sun came out, melting snow ice, and then there is no harsh cold feeling.

The trees alongside the road outside of Suzhou have extended their small green leaves in advance.

Ming family contemporary master, known as the world’s richest businessman, Ming Qingda, at this time is sitting in the Ming garden under the small hill pavilion, eyes over the high courtyard wall, fell in the green tender between the trees. Although the Ming Garden’s walls are extremely high, once the door is closed, it will become a heavily fortified fortress, but these high walls can’t block his eyes, can’t hide the still weak but gradually burgeoning spring.

Although it is winter, but still looking forward to spring.

Ming Qingda sighed, some tired and old face added a trace of luster, he thought happily, this winter is about to pass, flowers and grass are coming to life, his own Ming family, this huge Ming family, should also come to life again is.

Within a year’s time, the Ming family experienced too many changes, in previous years, with the huge profits made by the treasury is less than half of the whole, all the way of marketing goods by the Supervisory Yuan non-stop harassment of the flow of goods and money and silver is very difficult, and gradually there is a sense of thinning out of the sky.

And that secretly control the Ming family of the old lady was also “forced to die” by the Lord of the Qinzhi, Ming Laosan nearly exiled, and suddenly there is a robbery of the family property of Ming Laoshi.

All in all, countless swords and knives to the head of the Ming family cut over, so that Ming Qingda some hard to breathe, difficult to survive. He is clear that behind the scenes of these things is that the world’s supreme father sitting on top of the dragon chair, and the executor is that gentle face, sinister mind of the Qinzhi adult Fan Xian, well in …… this half year Fan Xian basically stayed in Hangzhou, playing in Wuzhou Tanyu, seldom returned to Suzhou inner treasury yamen to see the matter, especially before and after the New Year’s Day in these two months, Fan Xian left the Jiangnan and returned to Kyoto.

When Fan Xian left Jiangnan, the dark clouds over the Ming family moved away, and although the Jiangnan Branch Office of the Supervisory Yuan was still working hard to carry out Fan Xian’s instructions and suppress the Ming family’s business, after all, the Ming family’s connections in Jiangnan were deep, and there were countless officials who secretly helped them, so the Ming family’s business came to life, and ushered in a rare and lively atmosphere.

That’s why earlier Ming Qingda looked at the shoots outside the courtyard wall and let out a happy exclamation.

However, his face was immediately gloomy, because he suddenly realized that he was overwhelmed by joy, spring has come, the trees have sprouted, but …… Lord Chinchilla is also coming back.

His mood was suddenly gloomy, and he angrily got up, and with a flick of his sleeve he marched to his own compound. Ming garden covers a huge area, most of the men of the two houses live in the garden, originally according to the theory, after the death of Ming Lao Taijun, Ming Qingda, the master of the house really grasp the right to speak, should be moved into the old Taijun that the highest terrain of the small courtyard is, but Ming Qingda resolutely did not agree with the clan’s public discussion, on the pretext of the heart of the mother, will be changed into that courtyard to think about the relatives hall.

He knew why he did not dare to move into that small courtyard, because he was afraid that once he woke up in that small courtyard, he would see the white scarf tied on the beam, and the pair of small feet that kept bouncing.

That morning, in the Ming Garden, dealt with the affairs of the clan’s lower merchant houses and farms, Ming Qingda picked up a hot towel and vigorously wiped his face, feeling a wave of fatigue seeping out of his bones. This family was too big, there were too many things to worry about, in the past he could handle specific matters with relative ease as the head of the family, that was because the general direction as well as the collusion with the powerful nobles in the dynasty were handled by Ming Lao Taijun single-handedly, so there was no need for him to bother about it.

But now it is not the same, with the Kyoto side of the secret message, need to be handled by him, the most Ming Qingda headache is that the Lord Qinzhi has not stopped the suppression of the Ming family, the external danger is approaching, the Ming family internal problems, Fan Xian hard through the lawsuit, the Xia Qufei that sinful seed stuffed into the family …… and the Ming old three recently heard and the Xia Qufei The Ming family is also having problems within the family.

In front of the pressure of the court, Ming Qingda did not have a good method, had to watch Xia Qifei step by step close to the core of the Ming family, and even a month ago on the first day of the New Year, he also watched as Xia Qifei returned to the clan and sacrificed his ancestors.

The internal difficulties and external problems have made Ming Qingda somewhat unable to bear it, but he must hold on, for the sake of this family, he must simmer down, until the Rapunzel succeeds.

He looked at the two people beside him, and sighed in his heart, a man and a woman beside him, is the person he can trust the most nowadays, one is his son Ming Lan Shi, a …… is the old Taijun’s personal big maid back then, now his own second aunt.

If it is not this big maid, Ming Qingda simply did not have the possibility to take over the secrets of Ming Lao Taijun in full and become the real master of the Ming family, so he also made enough compensation and love for this woman.

And Ming Lan Shi …… Ming Qingda looked at his son, frowned, in fact, he is clear, Ming Lan Shi ability is good, vision is also good, just father and son recently in about the future of the Ming family produced a great conflict.

According to Ming Lan Shi seems, since the court suppression of so fierce, the inner treasury and by Fan Xian firmly held, the Ming family again want to as in previous years as from the inner treasury to make large profits has been impossible, should take advantage of the present time of peace and relaxation, and gradually withdraw from the business, with the Ming family in the large number of fields in the south of the Yangtze River and all over the network, no longer do the inner treasury of the royal merchants, but instead of the import trade between the Qing Dynasty and the Eastern Barbarians. This will allow the court and Lord Qin to appreciate, and secondly, it can also preserve the Ming family’s foundation.

However, Ming Qingda was firmly against this proposal, even though the Ming family was supporting it very hard now, he still would not allow the family to have the slightest intention of separating from the inner treasury and going in another direction.

Second aunt left the front hall, Ming Qingda looked at his son frowned and said, “Your proposal …… last night is not working.”

“Why?” Ming Lan Shi sadly said, “Who can go against the court? If we don’t retreat …… at this time and wait for Fan Xian to return to Jiangnan again, I’m afraid that even if we want to retreat, we won’t be able to do so.”

“What can Fan Xian do?” Ming Qingda glanced at him and said, “Could he mobilize his troops and kill us all?”

“Hmph, who knows? That Lord Chinchilla is the emperor’s illegitimate son, if he really fools around …… who else would he be afraid of?” Ming Lan Shi clearly knew that Fan Xian couldn’t possibly use such a method, but he still couldn’t help but say.

“We also have people in the palace.” Ming Qingda frowned and said, “Are the Empress Dowager Empress Rapunzel …… and these nobles no match for one of His Majesty’s bastards?”

“What about business? If Fan Xian still does what he did last year and a year …… how much silver will our Ming family have to fill in to make up for the deficit?” Ming Lan Shi said indignantly, “In the past, when I was doing business with the inner treasury, I could make as much money as I wanted, but now I’m doing one order and losing one order, and when I set the bid, the price was set too high, so it’s impossible for me to make a profit, and it’s also being messed with every day by the people from the Supervisory Yuan …… Father, if we go on like this, we won’t be able to support ourselves for much longer, and if we mess with it for another three months, I see that the clan is going to start selling the fields.”

“What’s the hurry?” Ming Qingda said disapprovingly, “The business of the inner treasury must go on, this is the meaning of the eldest princess. If we take off at this time, Fan Xian might let us off the hook, but how will the Eldest Princess explain? Without the Inner Treasury’s mark, our Ming family is just a piece of fat meat that could be eaten at any time.”

He didn’t realize that he had said these words to his own son a year ago.

“Then …… at least the goods …… toward the Dongyi City side are less out, and you can also lose less.” Ming Lan Shi said tentatively.

Ming Qingda shook his head and said with determination, “No way! Can t offend the Four Gu Swords …… We also need the cash silver from Taiping Qianzhuang.”

Speaking of cash silver, father and son fell silent at the same time, under the full force of the court and Fan Xian’s suppression, the Ming family had been able to survive until now, and was still able to keep the clan’s ten thousand hectares of good land, relying on the good relationship with Dongyi City, and the constant supply of cash silver from the Taiping Money Bank and the Merchants Money Bank.

“In case …… I mean in case, Taiping and Merchants feel that our family can’t hold out and want to collect the silver how to do?”

“Collect the silver? We mortgaged our fields and merchant houses.” Ming Qingda said with a cold smile, “What can the Merchants do with these? Could they still sell them? They can only continue to support us …… otherwise what they take back are just dead things, dead things that can’t earn silver at all.”

“What should we do?”

“Stay up!” Ming Qingda stood up, slightly clenched his fists, coughed twice, and firmly said, “As long as there is no problem on the side of the Taiping Money Bank and Merchants, we can stay up, and there is no way for Fan Xian to take us.”

“How long do we have to stay up?” Ming Lan Shi looked at the stormy times of the family this year, and was really a bit unable to support himself mentally.

“Stay up until Fan Xian collapses, until His Majesty realizes that he’s wrong.” Ming Qingda’s eyes were deep-set, and he said with a hint of wringing cruelty amidst his fatigue, “Even if it’s two years or three years, we have to simmer, we have to wait for the movement over in Kyoto.”

“But now the family needs silver in too many places, I’m afraid we have to continue to transfer silver in the money bank.” Ming Lan Shi said worriedly.

“The clan’s share …… was forced to give Xia Qufei a share.” Ming Qingda closed his eyes and counted, “Even if the old three old four of these two aunts born of dissent, they have nothing on hand, the vast majority in our hands, the transfer of silver in the money bank side do not cross the line on the good.”

Sophisticated businessman, although do not think Taiping Merchants Money Bank will suddenly draw firewood under the pot, but has been cautious and careful he, of course, know to press the risk at the bottom.

Suzhou City, the street full of money changers pawnshops is not very long, the street made of green stone seems particularly quiet, people who can come here, either poor to a certain point, or rich to a certain point.

As the successor of the Ming family, Ming Lan Shi was naturally the latter, so when he quietly arrived at the money shop with the Merchants’ Green Stripe, he was immediately greeted respectfully by the big boss of the Merchants’ Money Shop.

Since Fan Xian went down to Jiangnan, the Ming family to the outside of the support of the silver strength will be up, especially the internal treasury to seize the bidding of the matter, in order to all over the world of the Taiping money strong strength, a time can not be raised to so much cash silver, so the Ming family risked to resort to the Merchants Money Bank.

I did not expect that the investment bank was a thousand times should be down, this time the cooperation to the Ming family left an extremely good impression, in a very detailed background investigation, the Ming family confirmed that the source of funds of the investment bank is the year when the Northern Qi brocade guards commanding officer of the legacy of the Shen Chong family as well as a family of the city of Dongyi, then put down their hearts.

The cooperation between the two sides increased day by day and became intimate, the Merchants Money Bank had become the Ming Family’s largest collaborator outside of the Taiping Money Bank, and in more than a year’s time, the Ming Family had transferred more than three million taels of silver in this money bank.

Ming Lan Shi is here to transfer silver again today, both sides are very familiar with the signing of the deed of settlement and notary certificate, fulfilling each other’s formalities.

The Grand Master of the Merchants Money Bank suddenly showed a difficult face and said, “Young Master Ming, there is one thing that I don’t know if I should tell you or not.”

Ming Lan Shi frowned slightly, but his heart thumped, thinking, “Could it be that the Merchants’ Money Bank suddenly had some kind of suspicion towards the Ming Family?

As expected, that ordinary-looking big shopkeeper said tentatively, “It is good in these two months, but I heard …… that Lord Chinchun will soon return to Jiangnan.”

Ming Lan Shi cold snort, thinking the whole world knows that the family and the Qinzhi adult Fan Xian and not, but you Merchants Bank was not afraid before, how now but afraid up?

The big shopkeeper smiled gently and said: “The Ming family has been in charge of the business community in Jiangnan for a hundred years, we are a small money bank naturally do not dare to suspect anything, just …… remind the young master of this world to earn money from the sale of a lot to go, why do you have to fight with the imperial court?”

Ming Lan Shi heart a move, this just fit his intention to transfer the Ming family to another track, but after all, he is not the Ming family party, for this big boss suddenly remind also produced a trace of doubt. In front of this outsider, he naturally refused to say anything and said with a smile, “What kind of business can earn more money than the inner treasury?”

The big shopkeeper laughed twice and said nothing more.

After the Ming family’s carriage left the street made up of green stone slabs, the grand treasurer of the Merchants’ Money Bank, slightly rickety, returned to the heavily guarded inner treasury at the back, which was stocked with cash silver and bills from various places, and the grand treasurer obviously valued the Ming family’s silver transfer slip at hand, which he carefully placed into a separate wooden compartment, his eyes glancing inside.

Inside the bill has been very thick, if the Merchants Bank at this time to force the Ming family to pay back the money, the Ming family and impossible to break the contract with the court, from the inner treasury out of the sale of matters out of the family, then only to sell their own strong family property to pay back the money.

Of course, Merchants Money Bank would not do such a thing.

The Grand Master suddenly thought of something and said to the assistant beside him with a smile, “How much silver has Master Ming Six borrowed?”

“It’s already exceeded the quota.” That assistant said respectfully, he was very impressed with the Grand Boss’s tactics, because he was clear that at this point in time, the Merchants Money Bank had actually owned close to half of the Ming family, although the Ming family’s industry was definitely worth more than that, but this kind of thing like wealth, once it was reflected in the bills, once it was in some kind of a more ingenious moment, it would always shrink a lot.

“That guest …… has the seal deed with him?”

“Yes.”

The big shopkeeper nodded, knowing that the master’s family is ready to make a move, just …… hasn’t he returned to Jiangnan yet?

In the side room behind the Merchants Money Bank, the big shopkeeper saw the green streamer at a glance and respectfully asked, “This lord, what should we do next?”

As soon as Wang Thirteen Lang entered Suzhou, he came to the Merchants Money Bank, and of course he knew about this money bank’s partnership with the Ming family, but he had not expected it in any case, no, I should say that the whole world had not expected it-this money bank …… was actually Fan Xian’s!

His lips were a little bitter, and once again he felt why his master father valued Fan Xian so highly, why he had allowed himself to represent a portion of his attitude, and he was also clear that what Fan Xian had said to himself in that broken temple wasn’t false, and that the Merchants’ Money Bank already possessed enough IOUs from the Ming family to make himself nothing more than a billing thug in this matter… …and was not likely to change all that.

Even if he notified Dong Yi City and the Ming family at this time, it was impossible to change the fact that it was already doomed.

The Ming family was finished, to be precise, before Ming Qingda knelt down in front of Fan Xian and secretly killed Elder Taijun Ming, begging for the world’s sympathy with a sad attitude, and stalling Fan Xian’s thunderous strike …… the Ming family was already finished.

All these efforts made by the Ming family were just redundant actions, very feeble struggles.

The reason Fan Xian hadn’t made a move was because he had to deal with the pressure from Kyoto before. And now that he was making his move, it must be because he was clear that the nobles in Kyoto no longer had any extra power to help the Ming family.

Wang Xulang frowned, thinking to himself what kind of tactics would Fan Xian use to stall the support of the Princess in Kyoto for the Ming family?

“I don’t understand this.” Wang XIII Lang sighed, “When will you go to ask for the bill, I’ll follow you.”

The big shopkeeper smiled, a long time ago, he was a very successful official in the Ministry of Revenue, now, he was a very successful loan shark operator, he was very good at such things as clearing out the stores, “There will still be actions to match on the proprietor’s side, so I trouble Your Excellency to wait for a few more days in the city of Suzhou.”

Wang Xulang thought to himself, Fan Xian wants to liquidate the Ming family, relying on IOUs alone is definitely not enough, what other actions will he take?

Fan Xian’s maneuvers in Jiangnan began early because he needed to hit this time gap, and the Kyoto maneuvers that really led to the Jiangnan maneuvers slowly began at this moment.

One day in the middle of February, the owner of the Dongyi City Embroidered Cloth Villa, who had been dragged around, finally got good news that the silver bills sent out had worked, and tomorrow, yes, that’s tomorrow, the embroidered cloth …… was going to be in the palace.