Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 11 Provincial Capital Layout

September 15th, 46th year of Wanli (1597), Jinan Prefecture.

The continuous autumn rain shrouded this important northern town in a gray mist. The weeping willows by Daming Lake had withered and turned yellow, clinging wetly to the water's surface, much like the state of the world—half-dead, yet not quite dead.

The Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, located in the south of the city, presents a completely different scene.

This was the most luxurious place in Jinan Prefecture, and also the money bag for the entire Shandong Peninsula. The towering gatehouse was carved from the finest white marble, and the vermilion gate was studded with eighty-one copper nails. The two stone lions in front of the gate were even more imposing than those at the county government office.

Lu Yan stood at the bottom of the steps in front of the clubhouse, not in a hurry to go in.

He wore a newly acquired royal blue silk robe, a square headscarf, and a warm-colored jade pendant hanging from his waist. This outfit cost Fan Fu a full fifty taels of silver, but in Lu Yan's view, it was necessary "construction equipment."

"Master, is this the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall?" Fan Fu huddled behind Lu Yan, holding an oil-paper umbrella, watching the dignitaries coming and going. His legs trembled slightly. "I heard the threshold here is even higher than the governor's office. We don't have invitations..."

"There were no posts before, but now there are."

Lu Yan took out a gold-embossed business card from his sleeve; it was a special identity document made by the government after he passed the imperial examination.

"Fan Fu, remember this. In the past, we had to use the back door to ask for favors. Now we're here to discuss cooperation, so we have to use the front door and have them open the main gate wide to welcome us in."

Lu Yan straightened his clothes and stepped up the stairs.

The arrogant servant at the door, who had been looking down on everyone, immediately changed his expression upon seeing Lu Yan's extraordinary demeanor and noticing the words "Juren" (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) on his name card. He bowed deeply, saying, "Oh, Juren sir! Greetings! I wonder if you'd like to see a play or..."

"Find your head manager, Wang Dengku," Lu Yan said calmly. "Just say you're an old friend from Ziyang, and you have a personal letter from Fan Yongdou, the head of the Fan family."

A moment later.

The main gate of the guild hall was wide open. A middle-aged man with a plump figure, dressed in a dark purple robe with floral patterns, strode out to greet them.

"Oh dear! Scholar Lu, your presence is an honor! I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly!"

Wang Dengku, one of the famous "Eight Great Shanxi Merchants," was in charge of the Shanxi-Shaanxi merchants' overall operations in Shandong at the time. With a beaming smile, his shrewd little eyes quickly scanned Lu Yan, immediately assessing the man's value—young, composed, a newly appointed scholar, and someone Fan Yongdou valued.

This is a stock with potential.

"Manager Wang, you're too kind. I dare not accept the title of a Juren (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). I was just lucky to pass the supplementary examination." Lu Yan returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his manners impeccable yet not humble.

The two exchanged pleasantries as they passed through the second courtyard and arrived at a warm hall called "Jubaoge" (Treasure Pavilion).

The guests and hosts took their seats and were served the finest pre-rain Longjing tea.

Wang Dengku dismissed his attendants, leaving only his trusted confidants, before opening the letter Lu Yan had brought. After reading it, his eyes became somewhat playful.

"Fan Yongdou praised Brother Lu to the skies in his letter." Wang Dengku closed the letter and looked at Lu Yan with a smile. "He said that you have a sharp eye and ruthless methods. You can turn the world upside down in Ziyang County. Even Lord Zuo Guangdou has a high opinion of you."

"Brother Fan, you flatter me. It's just a matter of survival," Lu Yan said, blowing on the tea foam.

"Since we're on the same side, I won't beat around the bush." ​​Wang Dengku leaned forward, his fingers lightly tapping the table. "The letter says that Brother Lu wants to do a big business deal with our Shanxi-Shaanxi gang in Jinan. I wonder what you're planning to do? Is it salt trading? Or grain dealing?"

In Wang Dengku's view, a newly appointed scholar was nothing more than someone who wanted to borrow some money or take a stake in the merchant guild's business. They had seen this kind of thing many times and were happy to spend money to support these scholar-officials.

But Lu Yan put down his teacup.

"I don't sell salt, nor do I deal in grain. I want to be a 'passing-through benefactor'."

"A passing god of wealth?" Wang Dengku was taken aback.

"Manager Wang, let's not beat around the bush." ​​Lu Yan's voice switched to his calm "negotiation mode." "The Shanxi-Shaanxi merchants are incredibly wealthy, the richest in the world. But too much money can sometimes be a curse. Especially now that the war has started in Liaodong, the imperial court is looking for easy targets everywhere. Even if your caravans have travel permits, which of the customs officials, patrol officers, and garrison soldiers along the way wouldn't want to take a bite out of you?"

Wang Dengku's face darkened. This was their sore spot. Merchants had low social status; no matter how rich they were, a low-ranking inspector could delay them for half a month, causing damage to their goods and incurring endless bribes.

"I am but a newly appointed scholar, though I am not very talented. I still have some influence in officialdom." Lu Yan took out a prepared "Proposal for Cooperation between Officials and Merchants" from his pocket. "I am willing to use my scholar's degree to 'list' your company's freight caravan in Shandong."

"Listing?"

"Starting next month, all grain and iron transport convoys of the Shanxi-Shaanxi merchant group within Shandong Province can use the banner of the 'Lu Family of Ziyang' and claim to be transporting 'anti-Japanese war supplies' for the government. I will be responsible for obtaining the permits from the customs offices along the route, as well as the clearance order from the Jinan Prefectural Government."

Lu Yan held up three fingers: "In return, I want 30% of the 'bribes' saved in Shandong for this shipment."

Wang Dengku's pupils suddenly contracted.

What a huge appetite! What a precise calculation!

He originally thought Lu Yan was there to borrow money, but he didn't expect Lu Yan to be there to sell "privileges".

In the Ming Dynasty, those who passed the imperial examinations (举人) had the right to be exempt from taxes. More importantly, they were "reserve officials," and local officials would usually turn a blind eye to the properties under their names in order not to offend their future colleagues.

Lu Yan is using his political status to do business without any investment.

"Brother Lu, isn't 30%... a bit too high?" Although Wang Dengku was tempted, his businessman's instincts made him start to haggle. "Besides, what if this 'resistance supplies for Japanese pirates' label gets discovered..."

"I can't find anything," Lu Yan interrupted him, his tone resolute. "Because I will make it real. I have already submitted a letter to the Provincial Education Commissioner of Jinan Prefecture, expressing my willingness, as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), to organize a local militia in Ziyang for any eventuality. These supplies are the militia's 'military rations.' It's reasonable, justifiable, and legal."

This is called "project packaging".

They disguised smuggling as national defense projects and commercial bribery as joint military-civilian construction.

Wang Dengku took a deep breath and re-examined the young man before him. This was no scholar who had studied the classics; he was clearly a ruthless and heartless corrupt official!

But he had to admit that the plan was too tempting. If they could really smooth things over with Shandong, the merchant guild could save far more than ten thousand taels of silver every year.

"Good!" Wang Dengku slapped his thigh. "Since Brother Lu has such boldness, it would seem petty of me to hesitate any longer. Thirty percent it is!"

"Not only that." Lu Yan didn't stop there; instead, he threw out a second bargaining chip: "I won't take the 30% profit in cash."

"Oh? What do you want?"

"I need the goods."

A cold glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes. "I want to use this money, plus the six hundred taels of capital I currently have, to exchange it all for the stockpiled goods in your warehouse—Liaodong ginseng, sable fur, and... two thousand bolts of white cloth and five hundred catties of wound medicine."

Wang Dengku was completely dumbfounded.

"I know about ginseng and sable fur; they're hard currency. But this white cloth and wound medicine..." Wang Dengku looked puzzled. "Brother Lu, this white cloth is for mourning, it's considered unlucky. Besides, everyone's saying that once the royal army arrives, the Jurchens will surely be destroyed. The war is almost over, why are you hoarding so much wound medicine?"

Lu Yan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the continuous autumn rain outside.

"Manager Wang, doing business is about going with the flow. But in my opinion, the greatest profits are often hidden in the wrong direction."

He turned around, his back to the gloom outside the window, and a cryptic smile appeared on his face.

"Just think of this shipment as me being crazy. But I guarantee that next spring, you'll be begging me to sell it to you."

"Would Manager Wang dare to take this deal?"

Looking into Lu Yan's frighteningly calm eyes, Wang Dengku felt a chill creep into his heart. But after all, he was a Shanxi merchant with a strong gambling addiction.

"I'll take it!" Wang Dengku gritted his teeth. "As long as you have the ability to pave the road, I'll prepare all the goods for you!"

……

The rain had stopped when I left the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall.

Fan Fu clutched the newly signed contract, his hands still trembling: "Boss... are we really going to throw all our money in? That's the savings we've accumulated over the past six months, risking our lives for it! What if we lose it all..."

"I can't afford to compensate."

Lu Yan looked at the pale, fading sunset on the horizon.

"Fan Fu, do you know what leverage is?"

"Leverage...leverage?"

"Give me a fulcrum, and I can move the world." Lu Yan patted Fan Fu on the shoulder. "Your status as a scholar is that fulcrum. And the impending national crisis is the driving force for us to leverage wealth."

"Go prepare the warehouse. We're going to be very busy this winter."