Chapter 87: The Wealthy Lu Family
Zhou Lan was still busy, and Yang Zhengshan and Lu the Second Master had been waiting for half an hour in the tea hall of the Prefectural Banner’s command center before finally seeing her.
“How did you get here?” Zhou Lan asked, surprised by Yang Zhengshan’s arrival.
Because she knew exactly what Yang Zhengshan had been busy with lately. Rebuilding the garrison, training soldiers, and burning wood to produce charcoal – all these matters had not escaped her attention.
Zhou Lan had seen Lu the Second Master before, but she didn’t pay much attention to him. As the esteemed daughter of the Ning Country Duke’s Manor and the Commander of the Jing’an Prefecture, there were only a few people in the entire Heavy Mountain Fortress who could catch her attention.
Yang Zhengshan smiled and introduced, “General, this is Lu the Second Master from Anning County!”
“Old Man Lu pays his respects to General Zhou!” Lu the Second Master hastily bowed.
In front of Yang Zhengshan, he called himself “old man,” and in front of Zhou Lan, he called himself “old fellow” – this Lu the Second Master was indeed a master of adapting to different situations.
“Anning County’s Lu Family!” Zhou Lan thought for a moment, unable to recall any impression related to them.
The Lu Family was a prominent clan in Anning County, and even in the entire Jing’an Prefecture, they were considered one of the top families. However, in the grand scheme of the Da Rong Imperial Dynasty, the Lu Family was still relatively unknown.
Moreover, in front of the Ning Country Duke’s Manor, the Lu Family was barely worth mentioning.
Despite this, Zhou Lan still gave Lu the Second Master face, “Ah, it’s Lu the Second Master. Please, take a seat!”
After Zhou Lan sat down, Lu the Second Master also took his seat.
Yang Zhengshan spoke again, “General, the Lu Family has grain!”
He understood Zhou Lan’s personality – she was not someone who liked to beat around the bush.
When talking to her, it was best to be straightforward.
Upon hearing about the grain, Zhou Lan’s eyes lit up, “So Lu the Second Master wants to sell grain to me?”
“One hundred thousand bushels, as long as General Zhou needs it, we can transport it to the Jing’an Prefecture within a month!” Lu the Second Master unashamedly showcased the Lu Family’s wealth.
“What’s the price?” Zhou Lan asked.
“Four taels and three silver coins per bushel!” Lu the Second Master replied.
Zhou Lan smiled, a very happy smile.
“I’ll take it all!”
Four taels and three silver coins was a discounted price, but not an overly generous one. The Lu Family still had some integrity and wasn’t giving it away for free.
White giving away something for free wasn’t to curry favor, but to grasp Zhou Lan’s handle.
Four taels and three silver coins, with some rounding, was a price that was neither too high nor too low, making it a perfect balance between giving face and saving face.
Yang Zhengshan could see through the situation, and Zhou Lan naturally also understood.
“This time, I’ll remember the Lu Family’s favor. In the future, as long as it’s not troublesome, you can come find me anytime!” Zhou Lan smiled until her eyes narrowed.
Yang Zhengshan listened to their conversation, feeling like a poor guy.
Compared to these two, he was indeed a poor guy.
They were discussing business deals worth tens of thousands of silver taels, while he couldn’t even scrape together a hundred taels.
Thinking about it, Yang Zhengshan felt a pang in his heart.
Make money, make money!
Before, he didn’t feel like he lacked silver, but now he suddenly realized he was really poor.
However, he wouldn’t be poor for long!
As a middleman, Lu the Second Master naturally couldn’t ignore Yang Zhengshan.
When Lu the Second Master left the Jing’an Prefecture, he handed Yang Zhengshan a stack of silver bills.
Each bill was worth one hundred taels, and there were twenty of them in total!
Yang Zhengshan felt a bit embarrassed, having earned two thousand silver taels so easily.
However, Yang Zhengshan was still very happy to accept it.
This wasn’t bribery, and Yang Zhengshan was convinced that he had earned it honestly.
Although it seemed like a simple matter, Zhou Lan’s door wasn’t one that just anyone could enter.
Without an introduction, Lu the Second Master would have found it difficult to meet Zhou Lan.
However, Yang Zhengshan’s benefits didn’t stop at the two thousand silver taels.
After seeing off Lu the Second Master, Yang Zhengshan went to meet Zhou Lan again.
“You did a good job this time!” Zhou Lan praised him sincerely.
The Lu Family’s grain had solved her burning problem, and Yang Zhengshan had introduced Lu the Second Master to her, which could be considered a meritorious deed.
Although she owed someone a favor and had spent silver, she still felt very satisfied with Yang Zhengshan.
“Thank you, General. I’m just lucky!” Yang Zhengshan smiled.
It was indeed luck.
The Lu Family had been trying to curry favor with Zhou Lan, trying to get in good with her.
Yang Zhengshan could take the Lu Family’s silver, but he couldn’t take credit for himself in front of Zhou Lan.
“When the grain arrives, I’ll give you five hundred bushels!” Zhou Lan said.
“Thank you, General. I’m grateful for your care!” Yang Zhengshan smiled more happily.
He had bought a lot of grain from Yang Family Village, but at this moment, who would complain about having too much grain?
“Also, I have a batch of people here. You can take them back!” Zhou Lan said again.
Yang Zhengshan was taken aback, “What kind of people?”
“Convicts sentenced to labor and military service!” Zhou Lan replied.
Yang Zhengshan’s eyes widened, realizing that the Heavy Mountain Fortress was a major location for exile, and these people were likely destined for the borders.
“Are there any particular individuals who need special attention?” Yang Zhengshan asked softly.
Zhou Lan glanced at him, “The Liu Family doesn’t need much attention, just make sure they’re not bullied!”
Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, knowing that there was something fishy going on.
However, he still couldn’t resist asking, “What’s the Liu Family’s background?”
“Liu the Old Master was once the Right Vice-Minister of the Imperial Censorate!” Zhou Lan simply reminded him.
Yang Zhengshan stroked his beard, his heart racing with excitement.
A Right Vice-Minister of the Imperial Censorate?
That was a first-rank official!
How did he end up being exiled?
Was it because of a crime or a power struggle in the imperial court?
“You’d better not mess with the old man too much!” Zhou Lan added with a warning.
Yang Zhengshan quickly nodded, “I’ll take care of the Liu Family!”
Zhou Lan looked at him satisfactorily.
…
Zhou Lan said it was a batch of people, and indeed it was.
There were over five hundred people, all convicts sentenced to labor and military service.
Among them, the Liu Family had over thirty members, and it was clear they were an official family.
Liu Yuanfu, the former Right Vice-Minister of the Imperial Censorate, was around sixty years old now, with six sons, three daughters, eight grandchildren, and even a young concubine.
The next day, Yang Zhengshan led the group of people to the Welcome River Fortress.
Of course, he didn’t bring his own soldiers to escort them; he only brought ten people. Zhao Yuan and his one hundred soldiers were also part of the entourage.
Looking at the prisoners locked in shackles, Yang Zhengshan’s gaze finally fell on the Liu Family.
“Is the Liu Family a scholarly family?” Yang Zhengshan asked Zhao Yuan softly.
Zhao Yuan shook his head, “No, Liu the Old Master was a self-taught scholar. He was a metropolitan graduate at the age of twenty-two and became a Provincial Governor at thirty.”
“He’s been an official for forty years, with three rises and three falls, although he had some foundation previously, but it’s hard to consider him a noble family!”
Yang Zhengshan looked at the old man sitting in the prison cart, feeling a mix of surprise and curiosity.
Three rises and three falls?
This old man had some real abilities!
The year of the Heavenly Union?
That was during the reign of the previous emperor, the Kang De Emperor.
A true veteran of three dynasties.
The key was that the Liu Family’s foundation wasn’t deep, and it couldn’t support someone who rose and fell three times; that could only mean that Liu the Old Master had real talent.
Hmm?
He really had great abilities, and even at the age of sixty, he could still satisfy a young concubine.
Yang Zhengshan wondered, “Why did Liu the Old Master fall to such a state?”
Zhao Yuan looked around cautiously before whispering, “Four months ago, Liu the Old Master directly criticized the Emperor, offending His Majesty!”
“What did he say?” Yang Zhengshan asked curiously.
Zhao Yuan hesitated before whispering, “He said the Emperor was old and incompetent!”
“…”
Wow, what a bold move!
This old man was indeed a bold one!
He dared to say the Emperor was old and incompetent in the imperial court!
The Emperor didn’t chop his head off; that was indeed a stroke of luck.
Yang Zhengshan silently cursed, finally understanding what Zhou Lan meant by “old and stubborn”.
“This has something to do with our Heavy Mountain Fortress?”
“It does, but the main issue is related to the Imperial Harem!”
Yang Zhengshan stopped asking questions, realizing that it involved the Imperial Harem, and he shouldn’t be too curious.
The old Emperor was indeed a bold one, still going strong even at an old age, with his harem still blooming.
Because of the long and difficult journey, the prisoners’ bodies were weak, and they took four hours to arrive at the Welcome River Fortress in the evening.
Although the fortress had been recently renovated, with many new houses, it still couldn’t accommodate so many people.
Yang Zhengshan could only temporarily let them squeeze in for the night.
The next day, Yang Zhengshan arranged for Yang Chengzhen and Yang Chengyu to take the prisoners to the Three Mountains Fortress and the Xiangguan Fortress, leaving only the Liu Family in the Welcome River Fortress.
As for the prisoners, Yang Zhengshan had his own ideas.
“Exile” was one of the five punishments, with the others being flogging, caning, penal servitude, and death. Exile was a severe punishment in ancient China.
And “labor reform” was like a form of labor camp, where the conditions were harsh, and it was easy to lose one’s life, especially if war broke out.
As for whether the prisoners could escape, it was difficult to say.
Firstly, they were prisoners, and once they arrived at their destination, they would be re-registered and have different household records than ordinary people. Without any proof of identity, if they escaped, they could only become vagrants, unable to enter the city, and it would be hard for them to survive.
Secondly, in a feudal society, the village and township system made it difficult for someone to suddenly appear and blend in.
So even if they escaped, they would have to hide in the deep mountains and forests, trying to minimize their contact with others.
It was better to just follow the rules and stay in the exile location; who knows, they might get lucky and encounter a general amnesty.
Therefore, most exiled prisoners wouldn’t attempt to escape.
These prisoners in Yang Zhengshan’s hands were like free laborers. They weren’t military dependents, so they didn’t need to be assigned land or given rations; they just needed to be fed.
With this group of free laborers, Yang Zhengshan was indeed happy.
Just in time, he needed to repair the battlements and beacon towers, and with these prisoners, he could save a lot of silver.
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