Chapter Twenty-Eight: Undercurrents

The lanterns of the Lantern Festival had barely been extinguished when Chang'an was hit by a sudden cold snap. February of the twenty-seventh year of the Zhenguan era was colder than in previous years.

That morning, as soon as Liu Bao'er arrived at Datong Pharmacy, she sensed something was amiss. The shop assistants were huddled in a corner, whispering amongst themselves, and hurriedly dispersed when they saw her arrive.

"What happened?" she asked Hu Liu, who came to greet her.

Hu Liu's expression was grave: "Master, three pawnshops in the West Market closed down last night."

Liu Bao'er paused slightly, her hand holding the pen still: "Which three?"

"Yongtong, Changsheng, and... Zheng's Pharmacy."

This last name made Liu Bao'er raise her head. Zheng's guild shop was an important business of the Zheng family of Xingyang in Chang'an, and its sudden closure was anything but ordinary.

Do you know the reason?

"I heard that overnight, all the merchants who had deposited money went to cash out, and the treasury was emptied."

Liu Bao'er walked to the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside. The closure of these three shops was no accident; it seemed more like a carefully planned scheme.

"Go check what's been going on in the market lately."

News spread quickly: rumors were being secretly spread that the silver deposits of the major money shops had been misappropriated for other investments and were simply unable to pay out. Even more troublesome was that this rumor wasn't entirely unfounded—many money shops had indeed used their silver deposits for businesses dealing in salt certificates, silk, and other commodities.

"Master, should we tighten the payment schedule?" the accountant asked. "Today, the number of people coming to redeem money is 30% higher than usual."

Liu Bao'er pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "No, pay as usual. Instruct all branches not to delay payment for any reason."

"But..."

"It's precisely at times like these that we need to stay calm."

She walked to the cash flow chart, her fingertip tracing several key points. While a portion of the deposits at Datong POS were indeed used for investment, she always strictly adhered to the bottom line, reserving sufficient redemption reserves. This was a rule she established from the very beginning, and now it seemed like she was being proactive.

In the afternoon, Cui Jiulang rushed back from Luoyang. He didn't even have time to take off his cloak before going straight to Liu Bao'er's study.

"The situation is more serious than we imagined." His expression was grave. "Five shops in Luoyang have also gone bankrupt, and now the entire business community in Henan Province is in a state of panic."

"Have you found the source?"

"All clues point to the Wang family of Taiyuan," Cui Jiulang sneered. "They've learned their lesson this time; instead of confronting us directly, they've resorted to these underhanded tactics."

Liu Bao'er gently turned the teacup in her hand. Wang's move was indeed ruthless; she was exploiting people's fear of the financial system to fundamentally undermine the credit foundation of Datong Pawnshop.

"They think they can defeat us like this?" She smiled slightly. "They underestimate me."

She immediately summoned the managers of all branches and issued a series of instructions: increase the redemption efforts, disclose some accounts to prove innocence, and mobilize reserve silver from various regions to ensure that each branch has sufficient cash.

"Master, this will cause us great losses," one of the shopkeepers couldn't help but say.

"Losing some money is better than losing your reputation," Liu Bao'er said firmly. "Remember, the foundation of Datong Pawnshop is 'trust'."

What worries her even more is that this turmoil has begun to affect the real economy. Due to the shortage of funds, many merchants have begun to scale back their businesses, and transaction volume in both the East and West markets has declined significantly. If left unchecked, it could trigger an even greater crisis.

That night, she stayed up late alone in her study doing calculations. Rain began to fall outside the window, its gentle patter tapping against the windowpane.

"Still not resting?"

Cui Jiulang's voice came from the doorway. He was standing in the rain, holding an umbrella, his shoulders already soaked.

"Why are you here?"

"I heard your study light is still on." He walked in, leaning his umbrella against the door. "Are you worried about the situation?"

Liu Bao'er rubbed her temples: "I'm thinking, if this turmoil continues, it won't just be the pawnshop industry that suffers; the entire commercial sector of Chang'an will be affected."

"So that's why you insist on making every effort to pay out?"

"That's not all." She spread out a map of Chang'an. "I plan to offer low-interest loans to merchants in the East and West Markets tomorrow to help them through this difficult time."

Cui Jiulang was stunned: "Do you know how much risk this involves?"

"I know." She looked up at him, her eyes clear, "But if all the merchants go bankrupt, can Datong Pawnshop remain unscathed?"

The rain intensified, and the study fell silent. Cui Jiulang gazed at the woman in the candlelight and suddenly felt that she was more radiant than ever before. Her breadth of vision and sense of responsibility were far beyond what ordinary businessmen could match.

"Since you've made your decision," he said softly, "the Cui family is willing to share the risks with you."

Liu Bao'er was slightly taken aback, then smiled: "Thank you."

At this moment, the subtle barriers between the two seemed to have been somewhat washed away by the rain.

However, they all understood that this storm had only just begun. Their adversaries lurking in the shadows would not give up so easily, and an even greater storm might be brewing.

The rainy night was deep, and the thousands of lights of Chang'an City flickered in the rain. But behind these lights, countless undercurrents were quietly surging, waiting for the right moment to unleash a storm.