Chapter 20: The Key to Breaking Through the Predicament
When Li Fan heard Empress Ma say this, he knew what she meant. How could this lady in front of him not be able to come up with money? Any piece of jewelry on her body was worth at least a hundred or two hundred taels. She was only testing him. Smiling, he said, “Aunt, your words are somewhat extreme. You can take the goods back first and bring the money next time you come!”
Empress Ma was astonished by Li Fan’s words. She didn’t expect him to generously let her take the goods. His magnanimity and demeanor surprised her, and she curiously asked, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll take the goods and never return?”
Li Fan smiled indifferently. If she really did seize the goods, she wouldn’t be able to live in Jinling City or even the entire Ming Dynasty. Although merchants are profit-driven and unscrupulous, sometimes they still need to keep their promises. Once an agreement is made, it must be honored; otherwise, they can’t survive in the entire Ming Dynasty. Moreover, judging by Xu Miaoyun’s respect for the lady, her identity was certainly not simple. It was just some rock sugar, after all. “Casting a long line to catch a big fish”—such a loss was acceptable.
Smiling, he said, “Aunt, you are my elder, it’s just some goods, and I trust you!”
Empress Ma was very pleased with Li Fan’s words. No wonder Lian’er liked him. She just didn’t know what relationship he had with Xu Miaoyun, as her fourth son, Zhu Di, was very fond of Xu Miaoyun. But seeing the affectionate gaze of Xu Miaoyun, she knew Zhu Di had no chance. This matter had to be discussed with the emperor. She then said, “I plan to take back a thousand jin of fine white sugar and a thousand jin of rock sugar, to see if the market in Jinling can absorb it!”
Li Fan didn’t expect her to be so cautious and said with a smile, “Two thousand jin of sugar can’t make much of a splash. I’ll directly give you ten thousand jin of fine white sugar and ten thousand jin of rock sugar. Tell me a delivery location, and I’ll send it to Jinling immediately!”
Li Fan actually very much wanted to send sugar into Jinling City, but Liu Bowen had been obstructing his caravans, forcing him to sell sugar at a low price to others. This lady in front of him was the key to breaking the stalemate. Judging by her appearance, she was certainly not simple. As long as the Jinling market was opened, he could continuously send in sugar.
Jinling gathered the wealthiest people in the entire Ming Dynasty, who were the main consumers. Once this lady got a taste, more goods could be sold, breaking Liu Bowen’s monopoly. Initially, he was worried he would have to wait until Liu Bowen was dead to penetrate Jinling City. But now, seeing this lady, everything was solved.
Empress Ma, seeing Li Fan’s politeness, said, “I’ll handle the transportation; I can’t let you spend more!”
Li Fan didn’t insist. He took out paper and pen from the drawer, wrote a few words in a flamboyant style, signed, and stamped it. Handing the paper to Empress Ma, he said, “Aunt, take this paper and send someone to the warehouse in the south of the city to get the goods. The manager will have everything ready, and it can be transported at any time!”
Empress Ma looked at the few flamboyant characters on the paper and said with satisfaction, “As expected of a top scholar, this cursive script is indeed vigorous and powerful, impossible for others to imitate even if they tried!”
Li Fan smiled. As a top scholar, writing was second nature to him. He then continued, “The journey to Jinling might be challenging. Can Aunt handle it?”
Empress Ma nodded, understanding what Li Fan was implying. Her visit to Fengyang was not only to investigate Li Fan but also to look into another matter. Liu Bowen had become increasingly outrageous, exceeding even the emperor’s control. The conflicts between the Zhedong and Huaixi factions had escalated to a point of irreconcilable differences.
Liu Bowen and Hu Weiyong were now at a deadly impasse, and it seemed the emperor was inclined to support Hu Weiyong. The issue of the imperial tomb might be the catalyst. If problems with the tomb could be confirmed, the emperor might take action against Liu Bowen. She then said, “Don’t worry about this matter; I will handle it. You haven’t mentioned the land issues in Fengyang yet.”
Seeing Empress Ma’s calm demeanor, Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had bet correctly—she was indeed not afraid of Liu Bowen. That old man thought his semi-immortal status could protect him, but he was just seeking death. With an emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang, wouldn’t it be better to be a minor corrupt official quietly?
But Liu Bowen had to involve himself in various complications, and if he had been more restrained, he might have ended well. Zhu Yuanzhang killed all the meritorious officials he could, even the most loyal Huaixi generals. How could a small figure like Liu Bowen survive? His end was near.
Hearing Empress Ma’s interest in the land tax, Li Fan explained, “Frankly, His Majesty still has a peasant mentality. He doesn’t understand the thoughts of landlords and merchants. Many policies are decided impulsively, based on his own understanding, without considering the reality. He won’t listen to officials’ explanations, resulting in well-intentioned but disastrous outcomes, leaving Ming in a mess.”
Empress Ma agreed with Li Fan’s assessment. The emperor acted according to his own preferences, deciding how things should be without concern for the actual situation. Even if all the officials opposed, he would think they were trying to deceive him, leading to the enactment of numerous absurd regulations. But she couldn’t say these things to the emperor. She had already been told that the harem should not interfere in politics. If she opposed again, she might even lose his conjugal affection.
Worried, she asked, “How do you think these words can be made known to the emperor?”
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