MLMD -Chapter 310 Duke of Wei

With the support of Chen Dazhi and the others, Yue Yang stepped off the black-awned boat and set foot on the shore. Once on land, he turned to Fang Yizhi, who had been walking beside him, and asked, “Yizhi, have we received any news from the Duke of Wei’s residence?”

“Lord Marquis, I sent people to stay at the inn day and night, waiting for any notice, but so far no one has come to inform us,” Fang Yizhi replied, looking somewhat uneasy as he glanced at Yue Yang, worried that his boss might lose his temper upon hearing the news.

Yet Yue Yang remained calm, much to Fang Yizhi’s surprise. He snorted lightly and said, “Seems this old fellow still wants to keep us waiting.”

Mao Xiang beside him couldn’t help speaking up: “Lord Marquis, it’s likely that the Duke of Wei simply wants you to personally visit his residence to submit your letter of greeting. In my humble opinion, you might as well go in person. After all, it’s only proper and respectful that you pay your respects to the elder himself.”

“No!” Before Yue Yang could respond, Fang Yizhi interjected firmly: “We had agreed before coming that upon arriving at the Jinling residence of the Duke of Wei, someone would be sent to discuss the transfer matters with Your Lordship. But now they suddenly changed their mind. Such conduct is not that of a gentleman. If we were to rush over eagerly, wouldn’t it demean our Marquis’s standing?”

“You’re right, Yizhi.” Yue Yang gave Fang Yizhi a look of approval, then turned to Mao Xiang and spoke earnestly: “Bijiang, in life, face—though sometimes it seems worthless—is at other times worth more than gold. You have to understand, Jinling is not like our Shanxi Northern Route. Here there are countless imperial relatives, nobles, and high-ranking officials. We’ve just arrived, and yet the Duke of Wei has already put us in a tight spot. If we were to fawn over him, how would others view us? How could we establish ourselves here in the future? That’s why we must handle this matter firmly, or people will underestimate us. Do you understand?”

“Even… that’s a thing?” Mao Xiang scratched his head, still looking confused.

Seeing this, Yue Yang sighed lightly. It seemed Mao Xiang was truly only suited for scholarship; when it came to social interactions and worldly matters, he was far behind. Fang Yizhi, however, could still be trained in this regard.

After walking a few more steps, Yue Yang asked Mao Xiang, “Bijiang, I asked you yesterday to contact people. Are you ready?”

Mao Xiang nodded: “Reporting to Lord Marquis, Yizhi and I have been in Jinling for many years, and we know quite a few scholars. Many of them are not doing well financially. I believe if you were to offer them a sum as a writing fee, they would gladly contribute to our venture. But I don’t understand… is this thing you want to run, called a newspaper, really that useful?”

“Ha… of course it is! Just wait and see!” Yue Yang said with confident laughter.

The reason Yue Yang had come to Jinling personally this time was not only to establish connections in the south and sell goods for huge profits, but also to gain a voice of influence here.

In the Ming Dynasty, although Shanxi served as the first line of defense against the Qing and Mongols, in reality, for over two hundred years, the political and cultural center of the Ming Dynasty had always been in the south—a fact that no one could overturn. Yue Yang knew very well how bad his relationship with Emperor Chongzhen and the Ming court was. Frankly speaking, if Yue Yang were to suddenly die one day, Chongzhen would probably have people raid a few small taverns and celebrate with wine.

Moreover, many court officials looked down on Yue Yang, such as Yang Sijian and Wen Tiren. Naturally, his reputation among scholars was not great. Although Yue Yang’s power allowed him to ignore public opinion, after scholars like Yi Wuqing, Chen Zhi, Chen Zhenhui, and Fang Yizhi gradually joined him, they all advised Yue Yang to improve his relationship with the court, at least to restore his reputation among the people.

After much persuasion, Yue Yang decided to start a newspaper in the south. This was also why he immediately tasked Mao Xiang with finding some struggling scholars in Jinling to serve as writers.

As Yue Yang and his companions walked slowly along the streets of Jinling, in a courtyard in an alley to the south of the city, an elderly man in a purple robe leaned back in a lounge chair, reading a book slowly. Beside him sat a cup of fragrant tea. This elder was the tenth-generation Duke of Wei, Xu Hongji (previous chapters were incorrect—he was not the eleventh generation).

Just as Xu Hongji was absorbed in his reading, hurried footsteps approached, followed by a voice calling out: “Father… I’ve found out. That Yue Yang spent all of yesterday roaming Jinling, and last night he spent the night on a pleasure boat owned by Li Xiangjun, the top courtesan on the Qinhuai River. He only came out this morning.”

The old Duke of Wei frowned and scolded: “How many times have I told you? You’re already in your twenties. Stop being so hasty. If you always act like this, how will you inherit the vast estate of the Duke of Wei in the future?”

The young man speaking was Xu Wenjue, the Duke’s eldest son, dressed in a brocade robe. His face was pale, with dark bags under his eyes—clearly the result of overindulgence in wine and women.

“You’re right, Father!” Xu Wenjue immediately slowed his steps and approached the Duke, lowering his head in silence.

The Duke of Wei sipped his tea and then asked, “Are the goods they brought still at the original location?”

Hearing this, Xu Wenjue perked up and whispered into his father’s ear: “Yes, Father. The goods are still at the dock, guarded only by two hundred artillerymen and five hundred soldiers. Father, should I take men and seize all the cannons at once? That way, we could save two hundred thousand taels of silver.”

“Nonsense!” The Duke of Wei exploded with anger, delivering a hard slap to Xu Wenjue’s head before angrily scolding: “Fool! Don’t you think we already have enough enemies? Do you think this is like casually taking a few women from the streets? Who is Yue Yang? He is the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, personally appointed by the Emperor. He commands tens of thousands of elite troops ready to fight the Jian Man. Don’t you fear that if we try to take his goods, we won’t be able to handle the consequences?”

“Then what should we do?” Xu Wenjue asked, feeling aggrieved as he rubbed his head. “We’ve been dangling him for two days, yet he doesn’t seem anxious at all. Should we… just drag it out longer?”