Chapter 96 Dog Raising Manual (A Two-in-One of Malnutrition): "Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, here's what happened. Initially, I asked you to deliver this to my Uncle..."
"Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, here's the thing. It all started when I asked you to pass on a message to my Uncle."
In the first six months, my shop didn't need much stock. Other shops probably wouldn't have accepted such a small amount, so it was only my family who let me handle all that back and forth.
Now that things have changed, I need to talk to my sister-in-law first, whether it's good or bad, I can't let it ruin our relationship.
It is said that the eldest son guards the old home, but to be precise, it is Shen Wanqing's eldest uncle who leads the Shen family to guard the old home, relying on the official position of Shengjing Zuo Ling to support the military and caravan and establish themselves in Liaodong.
The Shen family has been passed down for so many years that their genealogy book is so thick that if it were to be thrown at Shen Wanqing's head, it might just send her back to the modern world.
Passing down the family line from generation to generation has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that there will always be an experienced leader in the family, so even if the situation is bad, the descendants of the Shen family will always have a glimmer of hope to retreat to. At worst, the family still has ancestral fields, so even if the family's property is confiscated, they can still rely on the ancestral fields to keep a living.
The downside is that being steady and mature can sometimes equate to being conservative and stubborn. Just like the Shen family's eldest branch, which has stayed in Liaodong for so many years without ever coming to the capital, it is both a way out and a kind of confinement.
The original owner had a very shallow impression of her uncle, Shen Hongji, having only met him on a few major occasions. However, Shen Hongji left a deep impression on the original owner; he was a man with a booming voice, rarely smiled, and was extremely meticulous in his speech and actions.
Shen Wanqing could understand why Shen Hongji was like this. He was the eldest son in the family and the head of the clan. It was important for him to safeguard the Shen family's foundation, but the location was remote. In the eyes of the world, his younger brother Shen Hongshi, who was an official in the capital, was more prestigious. Whenever there was a matter in the clan, people would inevitably have to listen to Shen Hongshi's opinion first.
If Shen Hongji were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't be so bad. But he was good at studying and even better at martial arts. However, because of this 'ancestral rule', he was destined to stay in his hometown and live on that small plot of land for the rest of his life.
So what if they have ginseng tickets and caravans? The eldest branch of the Shen family is rich, so rich that even Xu often says behind their backs that the eldest branch is the wealthiest in the entire Shen family.
But you need to have money to spend. No matter how good Shengjing is, it can't compare to the capital or Jiangnan. Just thinking about the pain of having money but nowhere to spend it makes Shen Wanqing feel suffocated. If it were her, she wouldn't be able to laugh either.
Regret often doesn't come when people are young. When you're young, you're incredibly driven by every decision you make, whether it's choosing the stars or staying put in your comfort zone. People in their early twenties often make life decisions easily: "This is how I'll be; I can definitely do it."
Do we only start to regret it when we're halfway through life or when we can see what the future holds? Is this really how we're destined to live our whole lives?
At this point, it's often too late to change things. There might still be a chance, but the cost would be too high. As the head of the clan, Shen Hongji has too many Shen family members who rely on the Shengjing-Liaodong trade route for their livelihood. Even in the caravan, at least two-thirds are Shen family members. He certainly can't leave now.
But he was unwilling to accept this, otherwise he would not have sent his two sons from their hometown to the capital so early, saying that he wanted them to study and enter officialdom, but in fact he wanted to free the eldest son's family from the constraints of their hometown.
As long as Shen Wenbo and Shen Wenyuan can pass the imperial examinations and enter officialdom with a bright future, the clansmen will be unable to force them to return to Shengjing to inherit the responsibilities of the eldest branch of the family. The hierarchy is Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher; the Ruler comes before the Parents. A son serving as an official outside the capital isn't something he can simply resign from; he can choose not to return if he doesn't wish to.
Perhaps his two sons will volunteer, or perhaps Shen Hongji will live a longer life, and one of his grandchildren will be capable and willing to stay in Shengjing. This is the greatest freedom that Shen Hongji can secure for his descendants.
For this freedom, Shen Hongji sent his two sons away and stayed alone in his hometown. In addition, in the eyes of outsiders, the ginseng tickets and the caravan were two gold nuggets that had to be traded with one's life. As the clan leader, Shen Hongji could only act according to the rules without showing any mercy.
Otherwise, with such a large family and so many in-laws, if your husband's family wants to ask a caravan to bring some goods, and your father-in-law wants to get a couple of ginseng roots from the Shen family, everyone would feel that their own business is willing to earn less. If this goes on and on, the Shen family members who actually stay in Shengjing to dig for ginseng and travel by caravan will have no way to survive.
"Going up the mountain to dig for ginseng can easily cost you your life. When the caravan leaves Shengjing City and travels to various places, they encounter robbers, people who die of illness, or people who roll down the mountain while traveling and whose remains are never found. There are always a few of these cases every year."
If something happens, the family and clan must provide for them; the elderly must be supported, the boys must be educated, and the girls must have their dowries prepared and be cared for by their husbands' families. The clan must cover all of these expenses.
“I know all this even if my uncle doesn’t say it, so I have no objection to him not wanting to lower the price. But in business, it’s always the case that you want to make money and I want to make money, so I’ll play the bad guy here.”
Now that I have other families to choose from, no matter what my uncle chooses, he won't suffer a great loss. The clansmen won't feel that my uncle is giving away a huge advantage to me, his married aunt. Other families won't be able to follow suit.
He was firmly established in the capital, and the shop was his own. Half of the people in the shop were under the command of Yu Langzuo. Even if he hired chefs from outside, it wouldn't cost much money or cause any major problems. Compared with Shen Hongji, his business was almost guaranteed to make a profit.
Therefore, Shen Wanqing could understand Shen Hongji's unwillingness to compromise on price and give way to favors. Whether it was discussing with Dai Jia about going to work for the caravan before, or agreeing to Zhenxuan's request for her family's goods now, it was all part of putting on a show for the Shen family.
Let them know that Shen Hongji's concessions were out of necessity, so as not to offend either side. The further they go, the more difficult the Crown Prince's path will become. Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang are already on this ship and there's no way to get off. So naturally, they can only try their best to unite the people on the same ship closely, at least to prevent any mishaps.
"Look at you, you've been talking to me for so long as soon as you got back. Your second aunt couldn't even get a chance to chime in."
After listening patiently to Shen Wanqing finish speaking, Helan's face showed no displeasure but rather a sense of relief. She handed Shen Wanqing a cup of tea and affectionately took her hand.
“I’m happy whichever of you two gets the best outcome. Your older brother failed the exam again this year. I suggested we just give up, even if we don’t go back to our hometown, we could buy an official position. But your father absolutely refused, insisting that your older brother study for another three years.”
"And your second brother, he joined the Infantry Commander's Office at the beginning of this year, and his son-in-law even used his connections to get him into the patrol battalion. This should have been a good thing, but Father doesn't remember the good things you two did for each other. He's been keeping his second brother and sister-in-law cold all year. I don't know what he's thinking."
Helan was furious about this and had nowhere to vent her anger. Other people's elders would like to keep their sons and daughters-in-law by their side and never let go, but her father-in-law wished that his two sons would never return to Shengjing and Liaodong.
Helan's family was originally from Shengjing. She never felt that there was anything wrong with Shengjing. On the contrary, the capital had many people, officials, money, and connections, but there were very few people she could truly confide in.
The reason why I've always had such a good relationship with my sister-in-law, Zhou, is because I have to keep a distance from everyone except my own family. Only Zhou is family, so I don't have to worry about what she says or does.
The Fifth Patrol Battalion was subordinate to the Commander's Office, but it was easier to enter than the Commander's Office. The Central Battalion was responsible for the safety of the canal transport from Tongzhou to the capital, and it also protected several royal gardens in the suburbs of the capital.
The job was more tiring and more important than those in the other battalions. Yu Lang arranged for Shen Wenyuan to be a captain in the central battalion, which was a genuine plan for him.
For this reason, Zhou specially sought out Helan, the two sisters-in-law, who opened the main house's secret treasury and selected two waist knives and a pair of coral bonsai to send to Shen Wanqing and Yulang.
The waist knife was a rare treasure, and fortunately, Yu Lang brought it to Yuqing Palace where it was seen by Yinreng. Even the dignified Crown Prince couldn't resist asking Yu Lang for the knife to examine it. When asked where he got the knife, Yu Lang took the opportunity to tell him about how he had helped Shen Wenyuan find a job in the Commander's Office.
Yinreng listened without saying anything at the time, and only two days later did he send the reward to Hesheli's family.
Yu Lang was obviously trying to promote people from the Shen family. Otherwise, why would such a large government office insist on assigning people to the patrol battalion? It was because he valued the canal transport route.
From He Yi's appointment as the grain transport commissioner to Shen Hongshi's position in the Ministry of Revenue, and then to Shi Jia's many years of service as a general from Jiangnan to Fuzhou and even the southeast, each soldier was responsible for a grain transport.
The military officials were all in the open, and everyone could see them clearly. The officials in charge of grain were at most fourth or fifth-rank officials. The only one who could catch the eye of the Emperor or the Emperor was Shen Hongshi. The others, whether it was He Yi who went to Fuzhou and went into hiding or Shen Wenyuan who had just joined the patrol camp, were really nothing special.
But the number of people who rise to high positions in a prestigious family is limited. Ultimately, getting things done still depends on the people below. Standing on a mountaintop certainly has the advantage of a high vantage point and a far-reaching view, but sinking to the bottom also offers the vastness and freedom of rivers, lakes, and seas.
Yinreng understood and supported Yulang's approach. He believed that Yulang should develop his power naturally and not flaunt the Crown Prince's faction at every turn. Being too ostentatious would only bring trouble to Yinreng and did not seem to offer any other benefit.
"My uncle has a grand vision in mind. He must still be hoping that my elder brother will pass the imperial examination and become an official. This path is the most prestigious and promising. This matter can only be taken slowly and cannot be rushed."
My great-aunt's family runs a fairly large business. My sister-in-law hasn't been back to Shengjing for many years, so she might not know, but my uncle certainly does. Next year, when our family's mule caravan delivers goods to the Nara family, my uncle might be too busy to handle it all alone and might finally agree to let my brother and sister-in-law go back.”
"I hope so. Don't worry, your second sister-in-law and I definitely have no objections. I'll write a letter back tomorrow, not only to my father-in-law but also to my father. If my father-in-law disagrees, I'll have my father persuade him. There shouldn't be any problem."
Helan was unaware of the other implications; she simply instinctively felt that the eldest son's family should back down. How much money could they possibly earn? Even when the eldest son's family was flush with cash, they hadn't managed to get the second son a captain in the patrol battalion.
Meanwhile, in the study in the front yard, after hearing what Shen Hongshi had said, Shen Wenyuan's first reaction was not to mention the Shen family sending people to form a caravan to work for Yulang; the first person he thought of was Shen Hongji.
Shen Wenyuan knew exactly what his own father was thinking. Not only did he know, but the entire eldest branch of the family and even the entire Shen family could more or less understand his thoughts.
Shen Wenyuan's opinion on this matter has always differed from his father's. He felt that his father was not yet fifty years old and had a physique that could eat three bowls of rice, half a catty of wine, and more than half a catty of meat at each meal, so he didn't need to think about his children and grandchildren at all.
We'll just wait a few years until my eldest brother fails the imperial examinations. Even if Dad doesn't want him to go back, he'll definitely take his wife back with him. Then he'll take over all the affairs back home, and Dad can go wherever he wants.
So when Shen Hongshi called him to the study and explained the situation, he was overjoyed. He had said he would wait a few more years, but the turning point came so quickly.
"Second Uncle, if you ask me, our Shen family can produce talented people, but we can't be without a leader. Once I'm in the Commander's Office, I certainly can't leave. Although my eldest brother didn't achieve much in his studies, he's just a weak scholar. Letting him go back to our hometown to take care of the family business is fine, but making him travel with the caravan is going to be the death of him."
So after much deliberation, Shen Hongji was indeed chosen as the leader of the caravan that was transferred from Shengjing to the west. The eldest son of the family, though old, still had lofty ambitions and was unwilling to be confined to the small territory of Shengjing. He led his caravan to open up new trade routes to the northwest.
The eldest son of the first branch of the family, having no hope of passing the imperial examinations, returned to Shengjing to inherit the position of Zuo Ling (military commander) of the Shen family's first branch, content to take over his father's duties in guarding the household. Meanwhile, Shen Wenyuan, the second son, remained in the capital, firstly because he had his own duties and couldn't leave, and secondly because he could serve as a liaison between Shen Hongji and Shen Wenbo and the second branch of the family and Yu Lang.
People today don't have as many fancy terms as people in later generations. The role of the Shen family and Shen Wenyuan at this moment is to build one or even two more firewalls in front of the Crown Prince and Yu Lang.
Even if Mingzhu and the First Prince sense something in the future, knowing something and having concrete evidence are two different things. It would be safer to keep the Crown Prince and his subordinates separated layer by layer. Those like Suo'etu, who desperately want to push the Crown Prince into the limelight, are simply not thinking straight.
The matter of the horse caravan has been settled for now. As long as Shen Hongji gives his approval, the horses and people should be in place by next spring.
The initial investment in buying horses and the horse team will not only come from the Shen family and Yu Lang, but also from Dai Jia's family.
After all, the news that Shen Wanqing was going to arrange for a caravan to transport the goods from the shop had already spread. Now that it was actually going to happen, Dai Jia's share would be excluded. If any problems were investigated later, this would be a suspicious situation.
They had to continue following what Shen Wanqing had been doing. Zhenxuan went back to her parents' home to get involved in Shen Wanqing's business. Shen Wanqing tried to balance things between her parents' home and her husband's home, while also getting the eldest branch of the Shen family involved in her and Dai Jia's caravan business.
The various families cooperated with each other, and to outsiders it seemed that Shen Wanqing, the eldest madam, was just ambitious and wanted to eat everything. However, the true identity of this caravan and the Shen family, and who they were working for and what they were doing, could be temporarily concealed.
It would be best to make two trips to the west before Mingzhu's officials start procuring grain. First, to get a feel for the situation and establish connections in advance. Second, it would also help to mislead Mingzhu's faction.
If we were to actually deal with them or try to find out anything from them, we, the people here, arrived even earlier than the officials who were procuring the grain. Why should we say that we're here for them? If anyone is to be suspicious, it should be the officials who came after us. This is a blatant smokescreen.
Several of Shen Hongshi's former subordinates were transferred from Fuzhou to the west, but these people should not be contacted easily, as the more contact they make now, the more clues they leave for others to use against them.
The task assigned by the Crown Prince was to oversee the process of Mingzhu's faction raising grain without causing any obstacles. The job was simply to ensure they didn't make any mistakes or to intercept any evidence of Mingzhu's faction secretly tampering with supplies.
As for He Yi, he couldn't make any major moves. His position on the grain transport route made it easier for him to gather information from all sides.
Mingzhu will definitely mobilize his men to collect grain from various places next year. At that time, He Yi only needs to keep a close eye on their movements. As long as he knows where those merchants are going, the caravan can take jobs along that route.
The work is static, but the people are dynamic. As long as there's a chance to make contact with the periphery, one can infiltrate little by little. Grain is a major commodity; any commotion it causes will be significant, and it will require a large number of people. As long as this is closely monitored, no trickery Mingzhu might try to pull will escape Shen Wanqing's eyes.
"Are you done talking?"
"That's all."
After leaving the Shen family, the carriage slowly made its way back. On the carriage, Yu Lang told Shen Wanqing everything that he and Shen Hongshi had discussed in the study.
"Grandpa, don't you think something's missing?"
"What's missing?"
Shen Wanqing raised her hand and flipped her wrist so that her palm was facing up: "We had a good chat, but we didn't discuss whether the eldest branch of the Shen family would need to contribute money after sending out the horse team, where the horse team would buy the horses from and from whom, and whether my father and mother would also be involved in this."
"Should we even bother calculating who gets the bigger share and who gets the smaller share when several families partner up to run a mule caravan? My uncle, what kind of person is he? It's certainly best to have him in charge of the caravan, but who can control this 'ancestor' in the future? You, me, or my father?"
The plan was well-thought-out, but everyone was talking about important matters of the court. Even Shen Hongshi was blinded by the idea of "being able to do things for the Crown Prince," and no one discussed the specifics of how to proceed.
"Such a large caravan is spending money every day, feeding the people and horses. Why do you think the eldest son's family is so stubborn and unwilling to give up any profits? They're spending money every day."
“I spent much less money this year than last year. I only buy a knife every two months. You can see all of this, Grandma.”
"so what."
"So all my money is with the eldest mistress. She has control over how to negotiate this matter. I really can't do it."
“You must have money in your hands. I heard that Fu Chang went to see you a few days ago. He couldn’t have gone empty-handed, could he?”
"They only gave me five hundred taels, and before I could even warm up to them, the mistress was already taking them away."
Even if Yu Lang wanted to interfere in the business dealings, Shen Wanqing wouldn't be willing. She felt more at ease keeping some things under her own control. Besides, she had already done so much for this whole affair; no one could expect to reap the benefits.
This is just an excuse to coax the extra silver notes from Yulang. Everyone has their flaws, and Yulang's flaw is that he's used to spending money recklessly. He can't change that, so we can only try to control him a little.
When they got home, Yu Lang handed over the box containing the silver notes. Shen Wanqing didn't count them, but roughly divided them in half by feel, keeping one half for herself and returning the other half to Yu Lang.
Give it back to me.
"Would you like some, sir?"
"Yes, of course I want it. My great-grandmother knows how to care for me. You're the only one in the world who's good to me."
Raising a dog requires this: you can't give it everything, and you can't give it nothing. You have to go through this back and forth to save money while still making the dog wag its tail happily.
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