Chapter 51
Back home, Shen Yao handed the reply to her father. Watching him open it in front of her, she peeked at it and asked, "What does the letter say?"
"Act according to the circumstances," Master Shen said in a slightly somber tone.
Despite the emperor's warnings, the Imperial Concubine was determined to gamble, believing that if she took the risk, the position of Crown Prince might change hands. Moreover, the Crown Prince's reorganization of the Embroidered Uniform Guard presented a perfect opportunity.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Shen Yao lowered her eyes and silently pondered a solution. She knew that the Consort was not so easy to admit defeat, and her father always followed the Consort's lead. This was going to be quite a hassle.
She couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Just then, Master Shen took the key from his waist and tossed it to Miao Niang, saying, "Go to the storeroom and fetch two jars of Snowflake Wine."
Snow Beer? Beer existed in this day and age?
Watching Miao Niang's graceful figure disappear into the distance, Chen Yao opened her eyes wide and asked curiously, "Father, was it real Snow Beer?"
“It’s real snowflakes,” Mr. Shen replied casually, but after a moment, his eyes flashed, and he asked in a low voice, “No…you really thought it was wine?”
Shen Yao looked confused.
Master Shen frowned and asked his daughter again, "You send wine to the palace every month, don't you know anything about it?"
Shen Yao's eyes widened even more, and she asked blankly, "Know... what?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Shen immediately pursed his lips, seemingly speechless. How could he have raised such a foolish daughter?
Miao Niang arrived quickly, and the servant carried the two wine jars to the table. After returning the keys to Master Shen, Miao Niang smiled and asked, "Master, are you at home or out today?"
"You don't need to prepare a banquet for tonight's outing."
Miao Niang understood, bowed, and then left with her servant.
Shen Yao sensed that this matter was not simple. After the person left, she pointed to the jar and asked, "Father, can I open it and take a look?"
Mr. Shen wanted to stop her, but looking at his daughter's foolish appearance, he felt that if he didn't give her some pointers, she would really become a fool. So he sighed and said, "See?"
The jar was opened, and Shen Yao looked down and was immediately stunned.
True Snowflake Wine – Solid Snowflake Silver.
"Wow……"
Shen Yao took out a silver ingot, held it in her hand; it was quite heavy. She asked, "How many taels is this ingot?"
"Genuine snowflake silver, with a silver content of over 95%, is sold in ingots of fifty taels each."
"What about this jar?"
"3,000 taels."
"Then Father, you're going to use it..." Shen Yao looked at her father, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "As a bribe?"
Master Shen's face immediately darkened, and he said in a low voice, "Why say such unpleasant things? It's clearly just drinking and making friends." He added, "If you have nothing to say, go back to your room and go to sleep. You shouldn't be asking around. Don't ask."
Master Shen took the silver from his daughter's hand, put it into a jar and sealed it. He then called two servants to carry the jar into the carriage, and he got in and left.
Shen Yao was a little confused. Could it be that the wine he just mentioned being sent to the palace every month was all paid for with silver?
Where did all the silver in that family come from...?
After Master Shen left, Shen Yao found Miao Niang and said mysteriously, "I want to ask you some things."
"Ask away," Miao Niang said in a clear voice, her bright eyes sparkling like stars.
Shen Yao asked, "What kind of business does my family run?"
"Your family...you don't know?" Miao Niang raised an eyebrow and smiled, "That shouldn't be the case. I remember that you were the one who always transported wine to the palace."
Shen Yao lowered her eyes and silently replied, "I didn't open it to look, so I didn't know it was full of silver."
Miao Niang smiled, pulled Shen Yao to a chair, and said, "Your grandfather was originally a low-ranking military officer (a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard). Because the Imperial Concubine was favored, he was posthumously granted the title of Vice Commander-in-Chief (a first-rank honorary title), and the family rose to the ranks of the nobility."
"The current emperor, out of affection for your father, has bestowed upon him the title of Left Commander-in-Chief, a first-rank military officer, which is essentially a nominal position. In reality, your father was in charge of... salt production."
"Salt?" Shen Yao asked, puzzled. "How is it managed?"
Do you know what salt licenses are?
Salt permits were official licenses issued by the government for the transportation and sale of salt. Merchants used these permits to purchase, transport, and sell salt. The official price of salt was far lower than the market price, allowing merchants to buy salt at low prices and sell it at high prices, making profits several times or even ten times their initial investment.
During the Yongzhen era, the salt permit system implemented a "discount system," where merchants directly paid silver to the government in exchange for salt permits, eliminating the need to transport grain.
"The Imperial Concubine was favored by the Emperor, who often bestowed salt permits directly upon the Shen family under the guise of 'rewards.' The Shen family's salt permits allowed them priority in picking up goods from the salt fields. In the twenty-fourth year of Yongzhen, your father received tens of thousands of salt permits from Lianghuai, worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."
"The national annual salt tax revenue is about 2 million taels, and the Shen family's salt profits account for more than one-third of that. People outside say that the Shen family is richer than a country."
Shen Yao's heart trembled, and then Miao Niang asked, "So, is the Shen family really richer than a country?"
"How could that be?" Miao Niang glanced at Shen Yao and snorted, "The Shen family profits from salt permits and needs to split the profits 40/60."
"Sixty percent of the profit is what you transport to the palace every month under the guise of sending wine, which becomes the emperor's private treasury, called the Imperial Treasury; the remaining forty percent, after deducting the twenty percent for social obligations, is the profit that your Shen family receives."
"Huh?" Shen Yao felt her mind go blank and stammered, "This...this...is that how it is? But the whole world belongs to the emperor, so why would he need private money?"
"Because the national treasury and the imperial treasury are distinct. The national treasury, also known as the Imperial Treasury, was managed by officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Its sources were mainly land taxes, salt taxes, and commercial taxes, and its expenditures were used for official salaries, border defense, disaster relief, and other official duties. If the emperor wanted to withdraw funds, it had to go through multiple levels of approval and meetings, and was often subject to the constraints of officials."
"The emperor's private treasury was mostly managed by eunuchs, and its sources were mining taxes, imperial estates, confiscation of property, and tributes. Funds for the use of the harem, palace repairs, and royal sacrifices were mostly taken from the emperor's private pockets, and these officials of the Ministry of Revenue did not allocate funds to them."
Shen Yao asked, "According to your logic, the profits from salt permits should belong to the national treasury. Isn't the emperor embezzling national treasury assets by doing this?"
“Yes,” Miao Niang added, “Salt is a highly profitable industry, and the position of Salt Commissioner is an even more lucrative one. There’s a saying among the people, ‘A clean prefect for three years can earn 100,000 taels of silver.’ But compared to the Salt Commissioner, none of that matters.”
"The emperor had no choice but to do this because the officials were too corrupt. If the emperor handed over all the salt to the bureaucracy, less than half of the salt profits would be collected by the national treasury, as it would all be embezzled by everyone from top to bottom. But if the salt is handed over to your Shen family, the emperor can get more than 60% from the imperial treasury. Although the imperial treasury is the emperor's private treasury, if a war breaks out, the emperor can allocate these funds at any time for emergency relief."
"After all, it's much better to have the money in your own hands than in the hands of the bureaucracy. Do you understand?"
Shen Yao nodded slightly and looked at Miao Niang, saying, "So, the fact that the Consort is favored and the Shen family is collectively ostracized and suppressed by the bureaucratic group is actually because the Shen family is seeking benefits for the Emperor and harming the interests of the bureaucratic group, right?"
Miao Niang took her hand and patted it lightly a few times, saying, "You're so clever, you understand so quickly." Miao Niang teased her, "From childhood to adulthood, every time you went to the palace to deliver wine, didn't you notice how much more affectionate the Emperor looked at you?"
Shen Yao imagined the scene and couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "Of course, who wouldn't love it when money is handed to them?"
*
The brothel in the west courtyard is filled with flowers.
As night fell, lanterns hung outside the building, while inside, the place was bustling with activity, filled with guests and clinking glasses.
In a private room on the second floor, a man and a woman had just finished their lovemaking. The man was getting dressed when a servant knocked on the door and called out, "Sir, Master Shen has arrived and is waiting for you to come and have a drink."
Wang Zhen paused, fastening his belt, then looked up and shouted, "I just finished drinking, I'm not going."
The servant was about to say something more when suddenly voices came from outside the door. Wang Zhen pricked up his ears and listened carefully. It turned out to be Master Shen speaking. He quickly put on his clothes, straightened his hat, and strode out the door.
The door creaked open, and the servant, who was just weighing the silver given by Master Shen, was caught in the sight of his master's gloomy face. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he quickly said, "Sir, you've arrived."
Wang Zhen grunted in acknowledgment, dismissing him, and then looked up at Master Shen, asking, "What brings you here?"
"drink wine."
Wang Zhen remained unmoved, and Master Shen continued, "Not only me, but also the Prime Minister's son are next door, waiting for you."
Upon hearing that the Grand Secretary's son was also present, Wang Zhen's expression immediately changed. Master Shen noticed this and said with a smile, "Governor Wang, let's go."
Wang Zhen paused for a moment, hesitated for a few seconds, and then stepped forward. But before leaving, she called out to the woman inside, "Come on in too."
Haitang had just finished dressing and tidying her hair when she heard Wang Zhen call her to attend a banquet. So she grabbed her pipa and quickly went out the door. Upon seeing Master Shen, she first bowed, and Master Shen exclaimed, "Miss Haitang is truly a beauty!"
"You flatter me, sir."
The group then went to the next room together.
The banquet was all prepared. When they entered, the prime minister's son was chatting with a beautiful woman in his arms. When the two saw Shen and Wang enter, they quickly stood up and bowed. Shen and Wang returned the bow.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three women took their seats in order of seniority. Haitang poured wine, and another woman named Lianqiao followed suit.
Five glasses of wine were poured, and Haitang held one in her hand, laughing, "Gentlemen, since you've asked me to keep you company tonight, then I'll decide the first round of drinks."
Since Haitang was invited by Wang Zhen, everyone was looking at him. Wang Zhen asked, "What do you think?"
"Let's play a drinking game. In the first round, we'll roll the dice. There are five of us. Whoever rolls the lowest number tells a joke. If none of the other four laugh, the speaker has to drink; otherwise, the rest of the people drink. How about that?"
The rules were simple and transparent, and everyone nodded in agreement, so the dice were rolled.
In the first round, Lianqiao's score was low, so she started by saying, "Listen carefully, what I'm talking about is called 'marrying the first wife'."
A man wanted to get married, but fearing he would be ridiculed for his small size, he decided to find a virgin. Someone suggested, "On your first night, show her your testicles. If she doesn't recognize them, she's a true virgin."
The man thought the plan was brilliant, so he relayed it to the matchmaker, telling her to return the match immediately if there were any flaws.
The matchmaker said, "Yes."
He married a woman, and upon getting into bed, he examined her and asked her what was wrong. She answered with her testicles. The man was furious, realizing she was not a virgin, and sent her away.
He married another woman and asked her the same question as before. The woman replied, "A whisk?" He exclaimed in surprise, "You already know the symbol for this thing; you can't be wrong about it!" He then sent her away.
Finally, he married a woman a year younger than him, and tested her as before. She replied, "I don't know."
The man was overjoyed, believing it to be a true virgin, and pointed to the object, saying, "This is called an egg."
The woman shook her head and said, "No. I have seen many, but I don't believe there are such tiny eggs in the world."
After Lian Qiao finished speaking, there was only a brief silence. Everyone present realized what was going on and burst into laughter. Wang Zhen laughed the loudest, slapping his thigh as he laughed and said, "Well said, so funny... hahaha."
"I have a whole bunch of stories to tell, and you're all going to have to drink yourself into a stupor tonight."
...
After several rounds of stories, with fine wine and beautiful women as company, Wang Zhen initially kept his composure, but as the wine flowed freely and he became increasingly enthusiastic, he completely forgot about his pride and started kissing Haitang repeatedly.
Seeing this, Master Shen had someone bring over the Snowflake Wine Jar and said to Wang Zhen, "Miss Haitang's expenses for cosmetics this year will be covered by your younger brother."
These words were like a wake-up call. Wang Zhen quickly looked at Master Shen and asked, "What are you doing? Take this away immediately. What kind of relationship do we have? If you need anything, just tell your brother."
Since everyone in the room was one of their own, Master Shen didn't try to hide anything and said in front of them, "You all know that the Crown Prince is reorganizing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, right?"
Wang Zhen himself was the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could he not know? He said with a stern face, "This matter is difficult."
Master Shen hurriedly asked, "How is it difficult?"
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is severely overstaffed. Even if the Emperor himself were to reduce its size, it would be a huge undertaking. How much more difficult would it be to appoint a nineteen-year-old Crown Prince, who has no subordinates, to the position?"
After Wang Zhen finished speaking, the Grand Secretary's son chimed in, "Going against all the nobles in the city alone, this is definitely not going to work. Even if it does, the Crown Prince's position will be in jeopardy."
It should be understood that those who support the eldest prince, besides Liu Shen's faction of civil officials, are the nobles and officials of the capital. The crown prince's actions are tantamount to cutting off his own arm.
Master Shen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then why did the Emperor still appoint the Crown Prince?"
"It is both a test and a suppression. On the one hand, it is to see the Crown Prince's ability, and on the other hand, it is to use the Crown Prince to tighten the grip on power."
If he becomes the crown prince, it means he has good political skills and the emperor recognizes his abilities. However, at the same time, the crown prince will offend a group of people, and the emperor can control him better. If he fails to become the crown prince, his position will probably be unstable.
When Master Shen asked such a question, everyone present understood that he wanted to cause trouble.
"So whether it succeeds or fails, it doesn't make much difference, does it?" Old Master Shen lowered his voice.
"That's still different. If it succeeds, at least the emperor will acknowledge its ability; if it fails, it will offend people and lose the emperor's favor."
Master Shen nodded silently, and then asked, "My two elder brothers, I have come here tonight specifically to ask for your advice. What do you think we should do?"
Mr. Shen adopted a very humble attitude.
Wang Zhen exchanged a glance with the son of the Grand Secretary, then put his hand on Master Shen's arm and said in a low voice, "Brother, I know you're anxious. Actually, I also want the Crown Prince to change hands. We've known each other for a long time. If Prince Xi can inherit the throne in the future, we can live happily in the capital, right?"
"These past few days, the Crown Prince has sent several officials from the Ministry of Revenue to spend all day in the office calculating. I'm already fed up with it. Right now, everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard only knows that the Crown Prince wants to make changes, but they don't know the details."
He paused, then gestured for the two to lean closer, saying, "What I mean is, the first step is for us to..."
The warm yellow candlelight shone brightly, filling the room with a peaceful atmosphere and laughter.
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