Chapter 140: The Vastness in the Smallest Details
Surrounded by guards, Gu Yan, like a cloud of brocade, rushed into Linhai Town. As he approached the wharf, He Chengzhe, standing by the second-floor window of the He Family Old Shop, did not see his son He Ruiming. He hurriedly sent someone to the wharf to look again, but He Ruiming was indeed not among the brocade cloud.
He Chengzhe felt a slight unease. He gazed into the distance at the wharf, watching the brocade cloud sweep past like wind-blown rice stalks. After a moment of silence, he called over a servant and told him to take a few men to guard the town entrance.
He didn’t know why his son hadn’t followed, so he could only have people wait at the town entrance.
He Ruiming was rushing on his way to Linhai Town.
The day after the Young Lord declared he would petition the emperor to investigate the Maritime Tax Bureau, he arrived at the villa early in the morning to be on duty.
The Young Lord hadn’t told him to return for further summons, and after two days of commuting, he found it inconvenient.
Although his family’s house in Pingjiang Prefecture was not far from the villa, it still took an hour to travel back and forth. The Young Lord’s outings were always spontaneous. One time, he left very early, and He Ruiming missed him. Another time, He Ruiming had just left the villa when the Young Lord departed.
Having missed him twice, he asked Uncle Hong to request the Young Lord’s permission to stay in a room at the villa for easier service at any time. Uncle Hong replied: “The Young Lord said that you are not a servant of the manor and it is not appropriate to be confined to the villa and not allowed to go home.”
This morning, when he arrived at the villa, he was told that the Young Lord had gone to Linhai Town and had already left for over half an hour!
He Ruiming, with a few servants and attendants, galloped on horseback. When he arrived at Linhai Town, covered in sweat, a servant who had been waiting outside the town rushed to greet him.
He Ruiming slowed his horse slightly and heard that the Young Lord was currently at the Maritime Tax Bureau. He hurriedly said he was late and urged his horse towards the Maritime Tax Bureau.
He Chengzhe received the report that he was late and frowned.
It was unlikely that the Young Lord’s appointment to the Maritime Tax Bureau today was spontaneous, yet he hadn’t informed A Nan.
He Chengzhe leaned back against the chair back, lost in thought for a while, then stood up and walked to the window, looking towards the Maritime Tax Bureau.
He always felt that the Young Lord had been very wary of their He family during his last visit to Jiangnan. Why? Had someone said something?
He Chengzhe slowly and carefully weighed every person and every matter.
Gu Yan emerged from the Maritime Tax Bureau and saw He Ruiming, his face flushed red, wiping sweat from his face with a handkerchief. He smiled, “I was just about to send someone to call you over. We will be staying in Linhai Town today. Find a place to stay, close to the wharf, anywhere else is fine.”
“Yes, how many days will we be staying?” He Ruiming quickly bowed and replied.
“How many days…” Gu Yan seemed to just be thinking about this question. After a moment, he smiled, “It’s hard to say. We’ll probably need it until this wharf is cleared.”
“Yes.” He Ruiming asked no further questions.
Since the Young Lord couldn’t say for sure, he would plan for the long term.
He Ruiming hurried off to find lodging.
It was already past noon, and the Young Lord would be staying tonight. In half a day, he needed to find lodging, clean and tidy it, arrange furniture, utensils, cups, bedding, hot water, ice…
He Ruiming quickened his pace. Time was too tight!
Gu Yan, fanning himself with his folding fan, ate at Zhaoyue Tower and returned to the wharf.
At the wharf, Wang Gui had already led people to set up a canopy and place chairs and tables. At the entrance of the canopy stood Gu Yan’s banner with the character “Gu” on it.
Gu Yan stood in front of the canopy, surveying the surroundings. He spotted Huang Xianzhou and Mr. Yao counting and writing by several large ships. He tapped Huang Xianzhou with his folding fan and ordered, “Call him over.”
Huang Xianzhou followed the servant into the canopy.
The canopy was chosen in an excellent location, with a cool breeze.
As Huang Xianzhou entered the canopy, he felt a wave of coolness and comfort.
“Sit,” Gu Yan gestured to Huang Xianzhou.
Shi Gun placed a cup of tea on the table next to Huang Xianzhou.
Huang Xianzhou quickly bowed in thanks, his gaze falling on the enormous cup. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
“A Nan said you’re someone who drinks tea from a large cup. I had someone find this one for you,” Gu Yan said with a smile.
“The Young Lord is truly considerate. This subordinate thanks you,” Huang Xianzhou quickly bowed.
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow. His tone was quite sarcastic!
“Tell me what you’ve seen recently and what your thoughts are,” Gu Yan got to the point.
“Yes,” Huang Xianzhou lowered his head, his eyebrows drooping.
That last sentence seemed to be wrong again. Sigh! Never mind, let’s talk about the task.
“The porters unloading cargo at the wharf have fixed rates. How much per job, adjusted annually, decided by the Maritime Tax Bureau in conjunction with major merchant houses and the various gangs at the wharf.”
“The negotiation of prices is based on the rice prices and oil prices of each month last year, how much they rose or fell. This part is rigid and not much to discuss.”
Gu Yan grunted. These were things that, in his past life, he had considered trivial matters…
“The porters unloading cargo also check the goods. After a ship’s cargo is unloaded, they take a bamboo slip, indicating the type of goods and the number of workers. The shipper signs it. The foreman of the porters takes it to the Inspection Office for recording and signing, and then uses the bamboo slip to withdraw money from the bank. The bank settles the unloading fees with the Maritime Tax Bureau each month.”
Gu Yan listened, his eyes narrowing. No wonder He Chengzhe said the Maritime Tax Bureau was so complex, affecting so many things. Just the unloading alone involved so many parties.
“The Inspection Office is subordinate to the Three Judicial Commissioners. Each year, the Ministry of Rites selects Recommended Scholars skilled in Investigation of Things to serve. The collected figures are reported directly to the Three Judicial Commissioners monthly. Those serving are on a two-year rotation, only compiling and summarizing data, and they learn very quickly. This part, this subordinate believes, is extremely difficult to tamper with.”
“The figures of the Three Judicial Commissioners and the Maritime Tax Bureau have never differed,” Gu Yan stated.
“This subordinate has thought of something,” Huang Xianzhou bowed slightly. “The porters at the three wharves on the south bank, Jiangzhou, and the north bank each have their own gangs. On the south bank, this subordinate has inquired and found a total of four gangs, each with a primary business. Among them, the Silk Gang has the largest number of members and the greatest influence.”
“The porters from outside the region who have recently flooded the wharf can only snatch the heavy and miscellaneous jobs. They cannot get involved in silk, tea, jewelry, and so on.”
“I often chat with the porters, and their biggest complaint is unfair calculation of work. They clearly need two trips to finish, but the gang only counts it as one job.”
Huang Xianzhou said the last sentence with deep meaning.
Gu Yan lowered his eyes, suddenly stood up, walked to the front of the canopy, tilted his head slightly, and gazed at the masts standing tall in the distance like a dense forest.
Before, He Chengzhe had said that his feet had never truly touched the ground of Linhai Town. Now, he understood the meaning of those words.
“Continue,” Gu Yan turned back and gestured to Huang Xianzhou.
“This subordinate believes that counting two jobs as one is likely the crux of the problem,” Huang Xianzhou said, his eyes shining.
“Hmm, what do you think should be done?” Gu Yan asked.
“First, we need to ensure that one job is counted as one job, and let the porters cause a commotion. Then, seize the opportunity to define the amount of work for one job, such as how many bolts of silk, how many pieces of fine porcelain, how much tea, etc. This subordinate believes that these work quantities should have existed before,” Huang Xianzhou finished, holding his breath slightly as he looked at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan lowered his eyes, sipping his tea, carefully reviewing it, and nodded, “Mm.”
A writer who is too focused on logic, the effort put into the last two chapters is probably unnoticed by anyone…
Want to cry
