Chapter 61 I'll crawl back even if I have to crawl.
Outside the Gongcheng Money Exchange, Mei Xiaojing, who was about to return to her room, also heard the commotion. Pointing at the approaching carriage, she smiled and said, "They've been gone for half a day; they should be back by now."
The carriage came to a stop, and Mei Shiyu lifted the curtain and stepped down. He saw the head manager and his cousin at the door and knew that important guests must have just arrived at the manor. "Was that carriage that left our money house just now?"
"Master has a good eye; those were people from Xingguo Ward just now."
"Xingguo Ward?" Mei Shiyu turned to look at the long street. "Does the Pei family still have money here with us?"
Mei Xiaojing fiddled with her fingers, leaned closer and smiled, "They didn't come to collect silver, they came to exchange it. But they didn't exchange much, just two hundred taels of old silver bricks."
Mei Shiyu's cheekbone twitched slightly as he tapped his palm with his bone fan. "How did Father teach us? No matter how big or small the business, no matter how much money, as long as they come to Gongcheng Money Shop, whether they are high-ranking officials or commoners, they are all our providers. We must treat them with courtesy and never neglect anyone."
Mei Xiaojing pouted, looking aggrieved. "Ask the head manager, where did I neglect him? I was just mentioning it to you casually."
Mei Shiyu didn't respond to her question. "Who from his neighborhood has come?"
“A steward surnamed Pei and a young swordsman named Xiao Ma,” Qian Rong said as he led his young master into the house. “My subordinates exchanged the old silver bricks for silver ingots and strings of coins as they requested. They’ve only been gone for a short while. Don’t worry, Master, everything is already done.”
"Of course I trust you to handle things." Mei Shiyu said, glancing at Mei Xiaojing on purpose. Mei Xiaojing wasn't afraid of him and made a face at him, laughing without holding a grudge at all.
"Let's not talk about other people's business." Mei Xiaojing personally brought over a soft stool, pulled her cousin over and made him sit down. "You catch a cold every autumn. You even went to the Salt and Iron Institute today. Why don't you rest? The Eight Treasure Cake is already warming up. I'll bring it to you right away." Before she finished speaking, she had already run to the kitchen.
Mei Shiyu shook his head helplessly, covered his face and coughed a few times. Although his body was somewhat frail, he was still as upright as a pine tree. Seeing Mei Xiaojing run far away, Qian Rong took something out of his sleeve and handed it to Mei Shiyu, then leaned down and whispered, "Today, the money shop received two more... counterfeit copper coins."
Mei Shiyu's face showed a hint of worry, "Is the quality the same as the one we received before?"
Qian Rong nodded. "I've checked, and they're exactly the same. What will you say when you go to the Salt and Iron Institute today?"
"In the past two weeks, including today's two, our bank has received nineteen counterfeit copper coins." Mei Shiyu took the two copper coins, turned them over and examined them closely, and had already distinguished between real and fake.
Mei Shiyu became the owner of Gongcheng Money Exchange at the age of fifteen. His father suddenly passed away in his prime, and everyone assumed that this young man, not yet twenty, couldn't handle the vast family fortune. The imperial court even sent several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Revenue, including a one-eyed man with a tattooed face, whom everyone called Cui the Imperial Preceptor. They claimed to be helping the orphaned mother and son with funeral arrangements, but in reality, they were after the Mei family's immense wealth. News of the imperial court's interference in Gongcheng Money Exchange spread quickly, and branches throughout Jin State experienced runs on the banks. Everyone worried that the Mei family's money exchange would be confiscated by the government; then, would they have to go to the imperial court to demand their money back?
If the Mei family cannot withstand the pressure from the people, they will have no choice but to ask the imperial court to clean up the mess. At that time, the imperial court can take over the family and the Mei family will be successful. Then the Mei family will cease to exist.
In this struggle against the imperial court, Mei Shiyu displayed unexpected courage, remaining calm in the face of danger, coordinating efforts effectively, reassuring the people, and successfully withstanding a massive run on funds that lasted for several months, thus upholding the prestigious reputation of the "Mei Family's Success".
From then on, no one dared to underestimate the sickly young master of the Mei family. The Mei family was small; by Mei Shiyu's generation, besides him, there was only one other girl in the clan—his distant cousin, Mei Xiaojing. Hearing that Mei Xiaojing's family had all perished, Mei Shiyu, pitying the orphaned girl, took her in to live with him, providing support within the clan. After Mei Xiaojing arrived, the once quiet mansion became much more lively and vibrant. Mei Xiaojing was clever and quick-witted, and learned a great deal about managing a money exchange from her cousin. The siblings' joint efforts in running the business became a celebrated story in Rongdu.
Little did they know that their peaceful days wouldn't last long. Just half a month ago, Gongcheng Money Shop received a counterfeit copper coin. Throughout history, the materials used in the minting of coins had to strictly adhere to the standards of the Imperial Salt and Iron Bureau. Jin Dynasty coins, for example, were 70% copper, 20% iron, and 10% lead, tin, and silver. Once determined, these proportions could not be changed. Only coins made according to these proportions were recognized as circulating currency by the Jin Dynasty court. Every six months, the court would order the mints to mint coins as needed, sending in the copper, iron, and other ores prepared according to the quantity to be minted. The finished products would be inspected by the Salt and Iron Bureau, and only those that were confirmed to be correct would circulate among the people.
What are counterfeit copper coins? Copper coins, especially those made of brass, are the most abundant and have the highest market value. Copper mines were controlled by the imperial court and could not be privately owned. They were allocated only when needed. According to the laws of Jin, hoarding brass was a serious crime, especially brass for minting coins. Anyone who dared to covet it would face the death penalty for nine generations of their family. Mei Shiyu had heard his father, Mei Junhe, tell him when he was young that the Ma family, who had minted coins in Rongdu for three generations, were caught by the Salt and Iron Bureau for hoarding brass allocated by the imperial court and mixing it with other materials to make counterfeit coins. Their property was confiscated and people were killed.
Three generations of minting coins? A family that could mint coins for the court for three generations must have been capable and loyal, and clearly understood the gravity of the situation. How could they have made such a mistake in a moment of confusion? Counterfeiting copper coins can really be fatal.
Mei Junhe said: The Mei family and the Ma family are close friends. Ma Yi, the patriarch of the Ma family, is a man who values righteousness above all else, has a wide circle of friends, and is known for his magnanimity. How could such a person risk the extermination of his entire clan to forge [illegible]? Regardless of whether others believe it or not, I myself would absolutely not believe it.
But... Mei Junhe's eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. The counterfeit coins circulating in the market did indeed originate from the Ma family's mint. The Ma family's craftsmanship was unique. Not to mention the experts at the Salt and Iron Bureau, even the managers of various branches of the money exchange could tell at a glance that the counterfeit copper coins were made using the Ma family's techniques. It was irrefutable evidence, leaving no room for doubt. Yes, it was.
Most importantly, the old patriarch, Ma Yi… surrendered himself to the Salt and Iron Bureau and confessed his crimes. The blood of the entire Lu family at Caishikou was still fresh when Ma Yi at the mint also died with a single blow. On the day of the execution, Mei Junhe also secretly went to the scene. He and Ma Yanyu were like brothers, and the Ma couple had already been exiled to the frontier. No matter what, he had to come and see the old patriarch off.
The executioner raised his broadsword, and Ma Yi saw Mei Junhe. He smiled at Mei Junhe, the smile still on his face, before the blade fell. Mei Junhe's head rolled around for a long time before stopping. The onlookers said that the Ma family head did not die unjustly; he is still smiling in the afterlife.
After Ma Yi's death, the imperial court searched the market for all the counterfeit copper coins—no, not all of them, since who knew exactly how many the Ma family had minted? To be precise, the court merely collected everything they could find. For example, the Mei family had kept several.
When the conversation turned to this matter that day, Mei Junhe, in high spirits, pulled out some counterfeit copper coins from his own stash and handed them to his son, Mei Shiyu. Mei Shiyu held one genuine and one counterfeit coin in each hand. It was impossible to tell the difference just by looking at them. The rich used gold and silver, while the poor used coins. Copper coins were mostly used by ordinary people. Over time, the brass would wear down or get stained with dirt and dust, and the color of the coins would vary, making it impossible to tell the difference between genuine and counterfeit. As for the weight, without comparison, it would feel just right when held in one hand. Seventy percent copper and sixty percent copper—ordinary people would just pass them around without noticing the difference in weight. But if you held one in each hand and compared them, it would not be difficult to tell which was lighter or heavier.
Similarly, if a few genuine coins are mixed in with a string of genuine coins, it will be impossible to tell the difference. However, if the entire string is mostly fake copper coins, even an experienced shop assistant can detect the anomaly by simply weighing them.
To put it bluntly, the trick of counterfeiting copper coins is not difficult, but the counterfeiting is extremely sophisticated and cannot cause a big stir. If you want to fool people, it is not impossible, after all, who would have the time to handle strings of coins every day?
"How much benefit can the Ma family gain from profiting from counterfeit copper coins?" Mei Shiyu remembered asking his father this question.
Mei Junhe said that the money shop hadn't seen such counterfeit goods for over ten years, and even if the imperial court were to collect them, the amount wouldn't be that large. It was impossible for the Ma family to make a fortune from this. The Ma family had deposited ten thousand taels of silver with Gongcheng Money Shop; how could they possibly be interested in such a small profit?
Perhaps... start small and gradually expand, use a small amount to test the waters first, and if no one notices, then go for a big one? Mei Shiyu guessed.
The man is dead, and no one knows anymore. Mei Junhe sighed. The old patriarch watched him grow up, and he had long regarded him as half a family member. Seeing him die tragically at the execution ground, Mei Junhe was always saddened whenever he thought of it.
The Ma family's ten thousand taels of silver? Mei Shiyu suddenly remembered something: Wasn't the Ma family's property confiscated by the imperial court? Ten thousand taels of silver? How could there still be so much money in our family? Mei Shiyu had already read through all the ledgers of the money shop, but there was no record of this transaction.
Mei Junhe smiled meaningfully. His son was meticulous and indeed had the talent and ability to run a money exchange. Mei Junhe deliberately did not respond, wanting to wait and see what else his son could figure out.
"I understand!" Mei Shiyu exclaimed after a moment's thought. "This money is in our household, but there's no record of any transactions. What the Ma family values is the Mei family's century-old reputation and their friendship with Father. As long as the Ma family comes to collect it, you will certainly hand it over in full." But then Mei Shiyu's face darkened. "What if no one from the Ma family returns to Rongdu... or... there are no more descendants of the Ma family left in this world... what will Father do with this money?"
What would you do if you were in that situation? Mei Junhe remained calm and composed.
If it were me, Mei Shiyu would sit upright, his words firm and resolute: "Ten years, twenty years, a hundred years, as long as the Mei family still exists, I will keep the money for them. Even if no one comes to collect it, I will protect it for the Ma family." However… Mei Shiyu relaxed his brow as he spoke. "I think someone from the Ma family will definitely return to Rongdu."
—Your father doesn't even know where Ma Yanyu and his wife were exiled to. How can you think they will definitely come back to Rongdu?
"Ten thousand taels of silver! We couldn't finish it even if we ate for ten lifetimes!" Mei Shiyu laughed. "If it were me, my son, I would crawl back."
Father and son laughed as they talked, and Mei Shiyu sighed, recalling his rare heartfelt conversation with his father. The nineteen coins the money exchange had received were exactly the same as those from over a decade ago, and an investigation confirmed they came from the same batch. How could coins that the court had long since seized suddenly reappear? The officials from the Salt and Iron Bureau said they would report to the Emperor at a later date to see how to handle the situation. Their tone was indifferent, as if they didn't care; it was just a dozen coins, the same as a few bowls of wontons on the street, nothing to cause any trouble.
A dozen or so items may not seem like much, but the important question is: why would something that had been extinct for nearly twenty years suddenly reappear in Rongdu? For a moment, Mei Shiyu wished his father were still alive. Having experienced the catastrophe that befell the Ma family, he would surely be more vigilant than himself and would have thought of many things.
Overcome with anxiety, Mei Shiyu waved his bone fan, causing the jade clasp to sway gently. Mei Shiyu's gaze froze. On his deathbed, his father had placed this gold-threaded jade clasp into his palm. His father's illness had come suddenly, and he was unable to speak coherently when he passed away. Clutching the jade clasp, Mei Shiyu knew without him saying a word that the clasp was for a specific purpose. On a certain day in a certain month of a certain year, someone carrying a jade clasp of the same material would walk into Gongcheng Money Shop and retrieve the family's valuables that had been stored there for many years.
Mei Shiyu also knew that the old patriarch, Ma Yi, was buried next to the Fairy Cave outside the city. Every year during the Qingming Festival, after visiting his own cemetery, his father would take a detour to the Fairy Cave. He couldn't bear to see Ma Yi buried haphazardly in a mass grave, so he spent a lot of money to find Ma Yi's remains and chose a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains as his final resting place.
—Many things can no longer be said by her father, but Mei Shiyu knows them all.
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