Chapter 10 Meng Xiao

In the Gengchen year of the Shaoxing era, Meng Jian went to Rongzhou to handle tea affairs. When he arrived in Jiangjin again, he learned that Qiao Heng had passed away. Meng Jian still stayed in Qiao Heng's thatched cottage. He refused to leave, and despite everyone's persuasion, he insisted on waiting for Qiao Heng's return. After four months of living there, he met Monk Bai. Monk Bai said, "If you consider her your wife, then she is your wife. In Taoism, even now she is with you. In Taoism, she and your son Daona are one. You do not belong to this whole, so you can enjoy her body. If you cherish her, you should cherish your son Daona. You should pass on your family property to your son Daona. This will allow you and them to become one."

Meng Jian gained a realization and left Baisha in December of that year. On his way back to Chengdu, he encountered a white tiger again. This time, it crouched in the sky, not like lightning, but like a snowy mountain. That night, he stayed at the Zhupi Inn in Renshou County and dreamed of Qiao Heng, her hair disheveled, waiting for him at the dock. Shortly after returning home, Meng Jian caught a cold and remained ill by mid-February, unable to get out of bed. During his illness, his third concubine, Ma, who had given birth to his son, his fourth concubine, Luo, and his fifth concubine, Tian, ​​along with Han, who had adopted Qilang, the son of Yao, the seventh concubine, all came to inquire about his future. Ma and Luo, knowing their sons had no hope of inheriting the family business, wanted to know whether Sanlang or Qilang would be the next head of the family. Ma placed her bet on Sanlang, the son of Tian, ​​the fifth concubine, due to her sworn feud with Han. Luo, the fourth concubine, was attracted to Qilang, the son of Yao, the seventh concubine. Han's feelings differed from these two women. Han thought she knew Meng Jian's rebellious, lustful, and dissolute nature—for fifteen or sixteen years after the death of his seventh concubine, Yao, Meng Jian hadn't brought any women home. Therefore, regarding this important matter of family succession, Meng Jian must follow family rules. Dalang was still the most likely candidate.

The women went to ask Meng Jian where the family heirloom box was. Meng Jian replied, "Why bother to care where it is? Haven't you already stolen everything inside and dumped it in the river?"

After hearing this, Han came to the bed and sneered, "Sir, when you go downstairs, please take good care of my son Erlang."

The third concubine Ma and the fourth concubine Luo said, "Nu Nu dare not, the things were stolen by Han and the seventh concubine Yao. When the master goes downstairs, he will find out as soon as he asks Yao."

In May, Meng Jian summoned Pi Baochang and announced that the family fortune would be passed to Dalang. The family estates, including the houses and lands in Zizhou, Pengzhou, and Shuzhou, would all be passed to Dalang. Since Dalang was incompetent in managing the family business, he was ordered to sell the brocade field and the medicine shop. Shu was home to many wealthy merchants, and the highest bidder would inherit the Meng family fortune. Trembling, Pi Baochang wrote these words and gave them to Meng Jian to sign. Trembling, he emerged from the house and presented himself to the concubines and children. However, before Pi Baochang could announce his master's last words, someone knocked on the door. A servant arrived to report that "someone" had returned from outside. Han asked who it was. The answer was Shilang.

Shilang Meng Daona stroked his inch-long hair, carried the old wooden box, and walked past the concubines and their children. In the box were a stonemason's hammer, a chisel and a plane, the Meng family's family rules, and ten brocade patterns of animals. Shilang walked straight into Meng Jian's room and stayed there for a moment. Pi Baochang, the concubines, and their children were all surprised. They looked at each other, feeling a little ominous. The name "Shilang" had already announced that this person was Meng Jian's son born outside, but other than that, they knew nothing about him. A quarter of an hour later, Shilang came out and said to Pi Baochang, the concubines, and their children: "My name is Meng Xiao, and my nickname is Daona. I want to ask my aunt and my younger sister-in-law to be well. I also ask my aunt's eldest brother and my younger sister-in-law to arrange a room for me so that I can stay and hold my father's funeral."

Chengdu people say, to be honest, who could have thought of it? Maybe it was because the monks from outside could chant sutras, and it must be said that Shilang's appearance was so intimidating. Here, we have to use the process of elimination. Shilang is unfamiliar, but it is better for him to be in charge than Sanlang and Dalang. Qilang might even be secretly planning to avenge his mother. Therefore, there was no need to verify the identity on the spot. Han, the third concubine Ma, and the fourth concubine Luo came forward and touched Meng Xiao's head, shoulders and back. Han said, "Shilang really looks like an official.

In fact, this scene also contains a question: What did Shilang inherit from Meng Jian? The locals said that they didn't know. But the locals knew that a few months later, Dalang checked the accounts with the heads of various brocade fields and the owners of the medicine stores, and found that no one had cared about his father's business for a long time. The previous way of selling to officials and private individuals was almost abolished, and the price paid as tribute to the capital was several times lower than when it was prosperous. The profits that these brocade fields, silk fields and medicine stores could earn were no longer enough to pay the workers' wages. In order to pay the workers' wages, Dalang went to Shilang to borrow money. Dalang thought Shilang had money, but Shilang said he had no money. Not only did he have no money, he also owed the workers tens of thousands of strings of cash in wages.

Dalang asked blankly, "Where's the money?"

Shi Lang said, "They are all with Wu Lang."

Dalang asked, "What should we do?"

Juro said: "Sell your belongings first and pay back your salary."

Dalang asked, "Where's the field?"

Shi Lang said, "Pay back the money first. Don't tell others and make the Meng family lose their credibility."

The following year, Shilang arrived in Qiongzhou and summoned a group of dealers to the tea market to discuss the matter from the green glaze kiln. The dealer Lu Xianshi (who later became a teacher) was present and took note of what everyone said.

Sun Zhangshi, the accountant of Zhen Gong, the head of the Huojing Tea Farm in Huojing County, Qiongzhou, said, "There are eight sources of Sichuan tea: Mengding in Yashan, Weijiang in Shuzhou, Zhongfeng in Jiazhou, Kekou in Pengzhou, Yangcun in Hanzhou, Shoumu in Mianzhou, Luocun in Lizhou, and Huojing in Qiongzhou. Yashan is fine, but doesn't sell for much. Queshe and Niaozui are flashy but lack substance. Huojing's cakes are large, and Huofan is the easiest to export. Before the Xining era, every Lixia and Xiaoman (Grain Full) we would trade tens of thousands of catties of tea with the Dangxiang in Western Sichuan. But how can that be achieved now? Tea growers produce 30,000 to 50,000 catties annually, and this is common in Huo County. Some households would pay interest on their grain every year, hire shearers, and around April, sell the harvested tea at the market to cover their debts and taxes. How can that be achieved now? It's a shame."

The broker Zheng Jingji said, "What a pity."

Song Gongshi, the chief tea official in charge of Chengdu Prefecture and Lizhou, said, "What a shame."

Bu Baomai said, "To be honest, my grandfather and I were both involved in the tea business. We didn't have any connections in the trade, so we charged high prices. We sold to the Tanguts in the Western Regions, so we weren't afraid of the high prices. But the trade agents often defaulted on their payments and underpaid. We weren't afraid of the low prices, but we were afraid of not fighting. The government needed food for the border defense, so we found merchants to deliver it. The garrison collected the food and issued a tea permit, which cost a hundred strings of cash. We could exchange the money for tea permits, which could be worth a thousand strings of cash. This was called "entering the border to attract grain." At first, it was profitable, but later it was abolished. It's really a pity."

The broker Zheng Jingji asked, "Why?"

Bu Baomai said, "Because everyone wants to do this business. They seek wealth and fame amidst danger. People are scrambling to deliver food to the border in exchange for tea permits. There are too many permits, but not enough tea. The permits change hands several times before they reach the dealers. The dealers go to tea gardens in the southeast, southwest, and east-west to get their tea. Some wait three to five months from Chengdu Yashan, while others wait for half a year before giving up in vain. Who can afford to wait? Moreover, the tea bought in exchange for the expensive permits, when transported from Chengdu Yashan to the front lines, is taxed every three to five hundred steps. The price of tea rises sky-high with every mile. In the end, who can afford it? Seeing the world change, people are selling their permits again. The Jingde tea permit plummeted, and everywhere was bleeding, so the government had no choice but to release the tea. After his freedom, the tea permit trade was bleeding money, and the military's business was also getting anxious because they couldn't afford the permits. My grandfather had no other choice but to sell tea. Once the Tanguts closed their borders, tea gardens priced tea at 51 catties, and selling it for 65 was considered a loss. Tea gardens priced tea at 51 catties, and officials were paid 61 catties. The profit wasn't big. Not much at all. Fifty-one catties sold for 70 catties wasn't much either. The profit from selling tea to officials was even smaller. As Sun Zhangshi said, the Shanba tea gardens that used to produce 30,000 to 50,000 catties a year were now struggling to produce 10,000 or 20,000 catties. Even 10,000 or 20,000 catties went to the "Du Da" to bet on horses, and half was sold to private traders. If he died, this business would be too bloody to continue.

Song Gongshi said, "I can't speak for the state, but I must say this: if this business dies, it's not our fault. Tea is unprofitable, and a horse shorter than four feet two inches is worth forty taels of silver. And we haven't even pocketed any of the money."

Broker Zheng Jingji said, "The key issue is probably still taxes."

Meng Lang said, "It's all the same."

Bu Baomai said, "Who says it's not?"

Sun Zhangshi said, "That's right."

Zheng Jingji, a dealer, said, "I can sell it, but it's not profitable. I have to sell it, or I won't be able to eat."

Sun Zhangshi said, "That's right."

Meng Lang said, "It's not impossible."

The broker Zheng Jingji asked, "Does Shilang have any advice?"

Meng Lang said, "It's not the gambling or the taxes. It's the lack of profit. To revive this dead business, we have to sell a pound of tea for 100. We can't produce money ourselves, so we have to ask the government to produce it. The more we produce, the more money we make, and the more tea we make. More money means more profit."

Bu Baomai asked, "Does Shilang have any good ideas?"

Meng Lang said, "I want to open a money shop. I won't exchange copper or iron coins or anything like that, only silver bonds."

Bu Baomai asked, "Where did the debt come from?"

Meng Lang said, "Government. All of them are high-ranking government offices."

Bu Baomai asked, "Is it related to tea?"

Meng Lang said, "I want to sell tea to the government. I won't sell it at a high price. The government won't buy it if it's too high. The tax on the tea is every 300 steps, and the tax on silk is every 1,500 steps. Tea must first be exchanged for silk, and then for tea. If you have 100 jin of 51 jin (approximately 1000 kg), you can exchange it for 10 rolls of high-quality silk with a receipt. Don't trade. Bring me the receipt and I'll give you 15 rolls of silk. I'll exchange it for tea, and you can sell the 15 rolls of silk, worth 5,000 yuan, locally for 6,000 yuan, a 500 yuan discount on the market price. I'll take the receipt to the tea gardens, transport it, and sell it. I'll sell it to the government at a horse racing price, without raising the price, but below the official price the government charges for tea. If the government's regular price for tea is 100 yuan, I'll give you 80 yuan, which I can repay with a promissory note. This note is a debt. This debt must be paid in silver, which the government will share with the military. I want to open a money shop and lend this debt to wealthy merchants. They will charge a high price, and my profit will be enough to cover the cost."

Sun Zhangshi said: "This is the art of bringing the dead back to life."

The broker Zheng Jingji said, "Wonderful!"

Song Gongshi said: "Wonderful!"

Meng Lang smiled but said nothing.

Bu Baomai said, "But where is the benefit?"

Meng Lang didn't answer. Qiongzhou businesspeople explained that this technique could revive the tea trade because, firstly, Meng Lang had a sufficient supply of silk, and secondly, it had opened up every link from supply, transportation, and sales, creating a profit everywhere. Bu Baomai didn't understand; he only heard the phrase "fifty-one catties for a hundred catties," not realizing Meng Xiao was referring to a large quantity, measured in tens of thousands of catties. Qiongzhou businesspeople explained that exchanging tea for silk was the first tactic, seemingly intended to evade taxes, but in reality, it was a gimmick. It was simply a matter of trade. The brokers valued the collective transport of tea from tea growers, orchards, and farms, saving labor costs and generating bribes for tax officials, thus reducing taxes. Meng Xiao would then take the tea to the Tea and Horse Bureau, transforming the miscellaneous tea into horse tea. If the regular price were "one hundred, give me eighty," of course, there would be no profit. However, with the tea policy that "officials are allowed to establish tea and horse markets in places where tea is produced and marketed," the difference between the one hundred and the eighty could generate profit. Only after seeing bloodshed did the officials agree to raise the price of tea and "repay with silver." Meng Xiao used silver bonds to exchange for money with large merchants, taking advantage of the declining value of money notes and the convenience of the region. In Sichuan, money notes and iron coins circulated. The large amount of notes and the small amount of money made them difficult to exchange with other places. Small iron coins could not leave Sichuan, and copper coins could not enter Sichuan. Large iron coins could circulate but could not be transported. Silver is not money, but silver bonds, unlike silver, do not depreciate as much as money notes, allowing them to be spent in other places. Their value can even rise. When large quantities of silver bonds are exchanged for money notes, they will flow back into the market. If they make a profit, large merchants can exchange silver bonds for more money from Meng Xiao's money shop.

The second thing Bu Baomai didn't understand, and something Sun Zhangshi, Zheng Jingji, and Song Gongshi might not understand either, was how Meng Xiao could secure access to the Grand Supervisor of Tea and Horses. This office's officials—the Grand Supervisor of Tea and Horses, the Associate Supervisor of Tea and Horses, and the Supervisor of Tea and Horses—were traditionally headed by the Superintendent of Pastoral Affairs, sharing responsibility with the prefect and the Tongpan. Above them was the Sichuan Xuanfu Office or the Transportation Office. The Sichuan Pacifying and Controlling Commissioner, who also served as the prefect of Chengdu, might not have been able to secure approval for the office to issue silver loans. Even if he could, where would the money come from? The actual silver guarantor in this deal was the Northwest Military Command. The Grand Supervisor of Tea and Horses, formerly the Sichuan-Shaanxi Supervisor of Tea and Horses, sold tea and bought horses to supply Sichuan and Shaanxi. After the migration south, to prevent the northwest military from usurping power, the Tea and Horses Office was also transferred south. During the Jianyan era, Zhang Gong commanded the Sichuan army and stripped the prefect of Lizhou Road of his military authority, replacing him with a concurrent position of Pacifying Commissioner. After Shaoxing, the Sichuan governor was appointed concurrently as prefect, overseeing all matters, but "treasury funds did not provide tea and horses." This was because the horses were not supplied to the provincial government, but to the military headquarters. If the military headquarters did not purchase horses from the Tibetans themselves, but used military funds to purchase horses, the Tea and Horse Department would have silver. This silver could then be exchanged for tea, which did not represent a loss for the department. Economic experts in Qiongzhou believe that the most puzzling aspect of this method is its "huge profit margin." The appreciation of silver bonds would not be immediate; it would be a gradual process. Merchants who purchased silver bonds either exchanged them for silver, held them in the hope of silver's appreciation, or hoped to receive more money from Meng Xiao's money shop with the bonds... So, where did Meng Xiao's money go?