Chapter 83

Zhu Yuanzhang's intentions were clear; he wanted to demonstrate the magnanimity of an emperor who does not hold grudges. What could be more touching to the common people than pardoning the orphan of a criminal? Xu Hao had the same intention, knowing that with so many people personally involved, the pressure of public opinion would force the emperor to give an account to the relevant individuals after the fact.

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang personally pardoned the criminal status of Zhang Yueyun and her brother, promising that when Zhang Yu grew up, he would inherit his late father's title of marquis. He also sent people to escort the siblings back home and exiled their uncle's family to the countryside.

Xu Hao's vow was fulfilled, and he felt a sense of relief, but also a pang of sorrow for the late Zhang De. From then on, Zhang Yueyun and her brother were deeply grateful to Xu Hao, and the relationship between the Zhang family of Heqing Marquis and the Xu family became very close, though we will not delve into that for now.

The four major cases at the beginning of the Ming dynasty affected many people. The recent Lan Yu case, in particular, left many of the surviving noble families with dead relatives, causing widespread grief. As a result, the families gradually severed ties and were hesitant to interact with each other.

The Xu family was also significantly affected. First, the old generation of acquaintances had scattered, and the number of familiar elders had dwindled. Although they had not interacted much in recent years, it was enough to make the old lady feel deeply saddened, often sighing and missing her old friends, with fewer smiles on her face.

The situation for the masters and madams was similar; they all had close friends who had died in the case, especially the Xu Yaizu couple, who were most closely connected to the capital. More than half of their former friends and relatives had perished, casting a dark cloud over the Xu family for half a year. Even the old lady's 62nd birthday and the birthdays of several elders were celebrated in a perfunctory manner, with only a few tables of wine and food.

The four brothers, including Xu Hao, were also affected, losing many contemporaries. Xu Hao, in particular, no longer wanted to associate with people from the capital, for a simple reason: he did not want to see his friends die in front of him. In the future, when Zhu Di led his troops into the capital, history clearly recorded another large-scale massacre.

Therefore, every time he went to the capital, he politely declined all those who tried to befriend him, regardless of their status—wealthy young masters, talented scholars, guards, officials, and even common laborers. As for the young people in the vicinity who came to his door, most had ulterior motives, and Xu Hao found it boring and simply refused to see them. However, without friends, he felt lonely, so he only maintained contact with Zhu Gaohuo and his brothers, as well as the imperial princes. Although Xu Hao was not of high birth, he had three aunts who were princesses, and with the prestige of the Yan王府 (Yan王府), the imperial princes, who were usually haughty, looked upon him with respect, though most of their relationships were superficial.

Although Xu Hao had no intention of attaching himself to these nobles, after joining Zhu Shangbing's salt mine business, he made a substantial profit. He decided to start a business transporting southern goods to the north. With the support of various princely households, he would not worry about the source of rare goods or the interference of local authorities in marketing.

As a member of the Yan王府, Xu Hao naturally shared his plans with Zhu Gaohuo, but he did not explicitly mention his father's ambitions. Instead, he said that since Yanjing was in the north with a small population and insufficient tax revenue, adding another source of income would be beneficial. Moreover, with business establishments spread across various regions, they might also gather useful information, which would be better than relying solely on official reports.

Zhu Gaohuo, known for his cautious and steady approach, did not give a clear answer after careful consideration. Instead, he sent someone to inform his father, Zhu Di, of the matter, leaving Xu Hao to wait.

Xu Hao was not unwilling to manage the business himself, but once the business was established, it would inevitably be used by Zhu Di. During the Jingnan Campaign, when information was blocked, Zhu Di would not let any useful resources go to waste. It was better to disclose his plans from the beginning. Besides, the Xu family lacked manpower, and he hoped the Yan王府 would provide support, allowing him to reap the benefits.

The Red Leaf business, after receiving 500 taels of gold from the Wang sisters, had completed the construction of a wine shop by the beginning of the month. Located on a bustling street near the Qinhuai River, it was already being decorated by craftsmen and named the Yanbin Building. Unfortunately, due to the overall environment, Red Leaf had not sold another set of mahjong tiles.

The scale of the project was grand, with the main building having three floors and surrounding structures covering an area equivalent to a market district in the Tang dynasty, capable of accommodating thousands of people dining simultaneously.

Amid the turmoil in the capital, with no competition from the nobility, Xu Hao pawned all the valuable items in his room. Do not underestimate them; every antique and treasure in his room was priceless, all war spoils from Xu Da's conquests, and gifts given casually during the New Year and other festivals. Additionally, there were rare jade artifacts and other trinkets gifted by his three aunts, which he dared not sell if they bore the imperial seal, but the rest were sold at a good price.

Xu Hao also borrowed some money, ranging from a few hundred to a thousand or two taels from the princely offspring. With this, he boldly spent 20,000 taels of silver, using the influence of the Yan王府 to intimidate and bully local landlords and merchants, and bought ten shops along the street near the wine shop in one go.

According to the agreement with the government, the wine shop occupied half of the main building, while the rest was available for civilians and merchants to sign contracts. Dozens of other wine shops were planning to open.

Xu Hao welcomed this, as the scale effect was essential, and he was confident in his ideas and not afraid of competition.

If it were not for the impact of the Lan Yu case, these ten shops would have been worth at least 50,000 taels of silver. However, with the capital in a state of panic, no wealthy family dared to act rashly. The nobility and ministers were preoccupied with their own affairs, and with the Yan王府's intervention, no one with lesser resources dared to compete. In the end, Xu Hao got a good deal, and within half a month, the value of the shops doubled.

These shops belonged entirely to Xu Hao, as he had paid for them himself. Officially, they were part of the family's shared assets, but the deeds were in his name. No matter what, even if it came to a legal dispute, it would be useless.

The elders understood the situation; the money and the connections were all arranged by their nephew, and the government matters were handled by him. The deeds were in his name, and as elders, they could not bring themselves to seize the property from their nephew. It was already a good deal for the family to share the income.

Xu Hao was not a selfish person. He had mentioned to his family that his uncle had lost his position and income and was bedridden, while Lady Wang had a considerable private fortune but was unwilling to part with it. Since his elder brother Xu Wen had taken over the family affairs, he had intended to purchase a few shops to increase the family's income, but the family lacked the cash.

Although Xu Hao knew it was natural for Xu Wen to manage the family affairs, he was unhappy that Xu Wen never consulted him and acted as if he had all the power. Therefore, he ignored Xu Wen's hints about borrowing money.

His second brother, Xu Ji, was devoted to studying the classics and considered business beneath him, so he paid no attention.

His third aunt, Lady Liu, was not short of money; her family could easily provide tens of thousands of taels. However, after her husband was warned by the Yan Princess and her son was beaten, she felt that her status was different from that of the first and second families, and as a lady, it was better to be low-key.

It was actually Mu Ningsnow who, upon hearing about the matter, discussed it with her mother and decided to purchase a wine shop and four or five shops. Of course, this "hearing" was quite deliberate.

Additionally, his second uncle, Xu Yingxu, quietly bought many shops and a mansion, including two pleasure boats, mostly from the estates of fallen noble families that were confiscated and sold at a low price by the government.

Xu Hao also intended to take advantage of the opportunity to buy some real estate, but he had no more money. Now that he owned the properties, he had not yet decided how to operate them, planning to open a silk shop branch and rent or sell the rest gradually.

As for the large, luxurious mansions, Xu Hao had no interest in them, as he would not dare to live in them without a title or official position, which would be considered a breach of etiquette.

After resolving the matter of Zhang Yueyun, Xu Hao felt a great sense of relief and planned to continue his studies at the Mu family, hoping to take the provincial examination and, if lucky, obtain the qualification of a scholar, bringing joy to the old lady.

Of course, his true intention was not just that. Although he had not seen Mu Ningsnow in the past six months, the inner garden of the Mu family was open to him, and he could enter and exit freely, which was more effective than any hint.

Xu Wen's engagement had been arranged, and the wedding date was set for the 16th of August. All the details were being handled by Xu Qingtang and Xu Wen.

It was said that Princess Zhu Qiaoqiao was dissatisfied with her future husband and had caused a few disturbances, but she could not resist the will of her family.

Xu Hao could only sympathize but could not help, as he had not been the one to arrange the marriage, only facilitating the relationship.

Marriage is what it is; it depends on whether the west wind overpowers the east wind or the east wind conquers the west wind.

PS: Today, I did not expect a power outage, so I can only update one chapter. Usually, I update two chapters a day, occasionally one due to various reasons, and sometimes three.

Thanks to everyone's support, the clicks and recommendations are doing well. Thank you.

Finally, there are various types of books, and historical novels do not have to be limited to power struggles. Since there are already excellent examples of daily life stories, I dare to write and want to write well.

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