Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Hibiscus Poetry Gathering

The Liang family was hardly among the elite merchants of Jiangling City; even within the textile trade, they could at best be considered above average. Yet, such a merchant house had managed to ruin the mighty Miao family—the largest textile dealer in Dangyang County—bringing them to utter destruction.

This glimpse through a narrow lens was enough to reveal that Jiangling, the seat of the prefecture, was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, home to countless individuals of remarkable influence and power. The Liang family, with its modest reputation, had produced several sons who had studied and served as minor officials. However, these learned sons had only emerged after the family had established themselves as textile merchants and begun to prosper.

The Liang family’s business owed its success to the support of the Chang family, whose patriarch, Chang Wen-ge, served as the Minister of Public Works. The Chang clan was deeply rooted in Jiangling, reputed to be a longstanding and powerful house. Rumor had it that the Liang family’s old master had once been a servant to the Chang family; through diligence, shrewdness, and a talent for commerce, he had been allowed to branch out and start his own textile business.

Such was the common occurrence in the Great Yan Empire. Most of the high officials in the court hailed from wealthy merchant families, yet they all prided themselves on upholding the traditions of agriculture and scholarship, refusing to admit their involvement in the "tainted" world of commerce. In truth, these local clans had been engaged in trade for generations, often using their servants as a front while they themselves enjoyed the profits.

The true aristocratic families owned vast lands, forests, and mines, forming powerful interests that could not be easily shaken. With several merchant caravans at their disposal, none dared to criticize them. Businesses like the Liang family, run openly by former servants, were usually limited to less critical, floating wealth. The truly vital enterprises, such as the Hengtong Trading Company, were tightly controlled by the family heads themselves.

In this light, the Liang family’s actions in Dangyang County were likely their own doing, without the knowledge of their patron, the Chang family. Even so, to take on the Liang family and seek justice for Miao Xiaoyu and the six little ones would inevitably bring one into conflict with the Chang clan.

At present, Zhao Hengyi found it difficult to confront such a formidable force; he was merely gathering some intelligence in secret, unbeknownst to his wife.

With the bandits on Duanya Mountain exterminated and Master Huang’s whereabouts unknown, the Liang family’s influence could no longer reach Dangyang County. Zhao Hengyi had plenty of time to deal with them slowly.

The Liang family, for their part, were clearly aware of Miao Xiaoyu’s current situation and understood the relationship between Zhao Hengyi and Song San’s newly established trading company. While wary of the newcomers using the title of the Baron of Dangyang, they were not truly afraid. After all, the Marquis of Weiwu’s estate was not in Jiangling, and a mere Baron of Dangyang could not hope to run rampant in such a prefectural city.

Song San, meticulous and astute, understood the bond between Zhao Hengyi and his lord. His own men in Jiangling continued to keep a discreet watch on the Liang family.

Although they failed to uncover any serious missteps by the Liang clan, Song San’s agents unexpectedly found Master Huang Xin’s personal attendant. Cautious as he was, Master Huang had not fled to Jiangling. The attendant, left without livelihood after his master’s disappearance in Dangyang, had come to Jiangling seeking relatives.

After interrogating the attendant, Song San’s men confirmed only that the bandits of Duanya Mountain had deliberately targeted Yushu Bay, and that it was indeed the Liang family who had paid Master Huang to orchestrate this. However, this transaction was merely a side deal for Master Huang; the connection between the Liang family and him had arisen from their earlier scheme against the Miao family years ago.

The true patron behind Master Huang remained a mystery.

Zhao Hengyi had an intuition that Master Huang’s mysterious backer was the same group that had recruited and aided the defeated frontier soldiers to stir up trouble in the mountains. If this were true, then he had twice foiled their plans; once the truth came to light, it would surely become a matter of life and death.

Yet, worrying about these things was futile. Rapid development and growth were the only things Zhao Hengyi could and should focus on now. If he could make Dangyang County a fortress under his control, then not even the highest authority could intimidate him.

Moreover, the hidden mastermind was not without traces. Master Huang had stirred up trouble in Dangyang for so long that he must have left some clues behind, and the Zhou family—those local magnates—were among the few who knew the truth.

Zhao Hengyi had not pursued these leads, simply because he had not yet exposed himself and wished to avoid alerting his enemies.

His days spent exploring Jiangling had brought him to an uncomfortable realization: the Great Yan Empire was exceedingly wealthy.

Yes, this was the same empire whose frontier armies were repeatedly defeated, whose court paid annual tribute to the barbarians, and whose common people struggled to fill their bellies—yet it was astonishingly rich.

When Zhao Hengyi first reached this conclusion, he was shocked.

The evidence was plain to see, and his observations left him no room for doubt.

Jiangling was not even the wealthiest city in Yan, yet here one could easily purchase treasures from both north and south, savor dishes from every region, ride through the streets in fine attire, or spend a fortune for a beauty’s smile.

It was said that the truly great cities and prosperous regions enjoyed splendor far beyond that of Jiangling.

In Jiangling, merchant caravans came and went each day, a testament to the thriving economy. If one could calculate GDP as in modern times, the figures would surely show a flourishing, prosperous nation.

But Zhao Hengyi knew full well what life was like for ordinary people—the beggars driven out of the city by the prefect would inevitably starve to death in the wild.

Where did all the wealth go?

The answer was simple: it never reached the people’s pockets, nor did it enter the coffers of the court, which faced fiscal crises year after year despite sky-high taxes.

Seeing the deep malice hidden behind this tapestry of prosperity, Zhao Hengyi lost all desire to continue sightseeing. He settled quietly in his inn, waiting for Miao Xiaoyu and her sisters to finish their visit to the county lord’s mansion, so they could return together to Yushu Bay.

Unexpectedly, as he sought peace in the inn, someone brought him an invitation.

A literary gathering was to be held at Lotus Garden on the outskirts, and Zhao was specially invited to attend.

He was baffled; as a country squire with no scholarly background, why would anyone invite him to a literary event?

A moment’s thought revealed the reason: the two lines of poetry he had inscribed on the Nine-Flower Jade Porcelain Vase must have led to a misunderstanding.

Zhao considered declining, but then Manager Liu of Hengtong Trading Company came to invite him as well.

"The prefect is fond of poetry, so those of us in trade occasionally pool our resources to rent a garden and invite talented scholars to showcase their verse—for amusement, really. Lotus Garden is beautiful, and you might as well join in the fun, Zhao, and meet a few notable figures. In fact, the county lord will bring your wife and her sisters on a painted boat to Lotus Garden that day; you’ll be able to see them there!"

Manager Liu, you went to all this trouble, but your last sentence was the real point, wasn’t it?