Chapter 83

Chapter 84: Speculation

"His Highness believes that Zhang Tianjue will definitely be dismissed from his post and refuses to help him. Does he want to help the new one who will take over?" Huang Jingchen, unsure of Zhao Cheng's intentions, asked cautiously.

"The affairs of the court are now beyond our control. What we can do is make money and manage our own small piece of land!" Zhao Cheng waved his hand and said. He knew his own limits; if he got involved in the political struggles of the court, he would soon be devoured by those old foxes. He felt helpless and desolate at this moment, and it was even less decent to make money from Zhang Shangying's downfall. But what could he do? More importantly, since the reform of Wang Anshi during the Shenzong era, the court had been plagued by constant party struggles, with the new and old factions clashing for over forty years. The situation was intricate and complex, truly heart-stirring.

"Yes, in the court, one wrong step means eternal ruin, and few can retire unscathed!" Huang Jingchen, who had been in the palace for many years, saw these matters more clearly. The current officials, caught in the political whirlpool, felt their futures were unpredictable and had learned to adapt to the situation, changing their stance with the wind. In terms of political views, the new and old factions were irreconcilable, opposing each other regardless of right or wrong. In the issue of party struggles, both sides were skilled in internal strife, proficient in internal conflicts but weak in external ones, being bullied into ceding territory and paying indemnities, while ruthlessly persecuting and retaliating against their own people.

"After Old Zhang leaves, our Song Dynasty will have no more gentlemen. These people have read books all their lives, preaching grand theories, but in the end, they were all taken down by a bunch of scoundrels. Their books must have been read into the bellies of dogs!" Zhao Cheng said with a sigh. It was said that the waves of the sea would eventually wash away the sand, and in the end, the gentlemen in the court were either killed or exiled by other gentlemen. Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Fan Zhongyan, Su Shi, and Su Zhe, all of whom were outstanding figures of their time, had no good endings. The saying that 'the Song Dynasty fell because of the gentlemen, not the scoundrels' was not without reason.

"Cut it out, Zhang Tianjue is not a gentleman either. He was once part of Cai Jing's faction, and later established his own power base. However, his abilities were average, and his governance was mediocre. Although he was not a humble gentleman, compared to Cai Jing, he was still a good person, at least he didn't corrupt the emperor!" Huang Jingchen commented.

"The problem lies here. It is said that 'it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality.' After Old Zhang became prime minister, he overturned Cai Jing's policies, advocating frugality, and used a large amount of money from the imperial treasury to fill the deficit. However, he couldn't generate more revenue, leaving the national treasury still empty and the financial situation tight. In this society, if you have no money and ask people to live a hard life, who will follow you?" Zhao Cheng said with a playful look on his face.

"Hmph, don't look at me like that, I'm not that kind of person. When I first came here, you were sick and had nothing!" Huang Jingchen, feeling uneasy under Zhao Cheng's gaze, quickly defended himself.

"Hehe, I didn't say anything about you. If you don't have those thoughts, why are you so nervous!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile, "Don't worry, we're about to make a fortune. I'll make up for it for you. Once Old Zhang is out, Cai Jing will definitely return as prime minister. Then everything will return to its original state. Some people still have the old salt vouchers issued by Cai Jing." Zhao Cheng hugged Huang Jingchen and whispered in his ear.

"Your Highness, I think the emperor should make you prime minister. You can even think of such a plan!" Huang Jingchen, after listening, looked at him as if he didn't recognize him.

"Go, I'm a scoundrel. To be prime minister, one must at least be a hypocrite, and I'm far from that!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile, "I've already prepared the money for you, Huang Bo. You need to act quickly. Others are not fools. If they find out, we won't even get a bowl of soup!"

"Okay, I'll prepare and send people out to collect them tomorrow. Now this thing is like toilet paper. I think a few coins will buy it!" Huang Jingchen said.

"This matter must be done quickly and kept secret. Absolutely no one should know our purpose!" Zhao Cheng reminded him, "Once Old Zhang falls, a batch of people will follow. At that time, you can give them some gifts to help those who are in dire straits. It's our way of showing our concern, but don't overdo it, or the censors will impeach you, and I'll have to spend money to protect you!"

"Your Highness, you take their money and then give them a little back, making them feel grateful. I have to be careful!" Huang Jingchen thought for a long time but couldn't find the right words to express his 'indignation.'

"Hmph, old man, if you don't do this for me, I'll stop your salary and take away your public funds, making you stay at home and drink porridge every day!" Zhao Cheng said in a very cooperative manner.

In no time, it was August. As Zhao Cheng had predicted, Zhang Shangying was dismissed from his post and exiled from the capital, with ten major crimes attributed to him. In the year he served, Zhang Shangying played his role, and now it was time to leave the stage. When he left Bianjing, he wrote a poem called "Nanxiangzi," which served as a summary of his life:

Leaving the capital gate at dusk,

Fine rain and gentle wind chill my face.

By the willow-lined embankment, green grass on the shore,

A sight to behold.

Drink until the cup is empty,

Do not say life is trivial.

To act against reason in the world, how hard!

When it is used, it is easy.

"Your Highness, Zhang Tianjue is gone. I have already collected 70,000 salt vouchers and spent 100,000 strings of coins. I don't know who will be the new prime minister. Will this be a loss for us?" Huang Jingchen came straight to the Xia Yuan to find Zhao Cheng as soon as he returned. Zhang Shangying had been dismissed, but no new prime minister had been appointed, leaving him uncertain.

"Old Huang, you're so old, how can you not be calm? Have some tea first!" Zhao Cheng quickly invited Huang Jingchen to sit down and asked Jianxi to serve tea.

"How can I not be anxious? At first, I bought one voucher for two strings of coins, but later, when people heard I was buying old salt vouchers, the salt merchants flocked to me, willing to sell for one string of coins. I bought so many that my hands were sore, and my heart was in turmoil. If we can't buy salt in the future, we'll be ruined!" Huang Jingchen pointed to the blisters on his lips, feeling embarrassed by Zhao Cheng's laughter.

"Old Huang, now is the time for the bold to thrive and the timid to starve. The more you buy now, the more we will earn in the future. Don't be afraid. Keep buying until you spend the remaining 100,000 strings of coins. Even if we lose, it's just 200,000 strings of coins. Consider it a year of no work!" Zhao Cheng said nonchalantly.

"Your Highness, you really don't understand the hunger of the hungry!" Huang Jingchen almost choked on his tea, "A family with 10,000 strings of coins is considered wealthy. You're willing to throw away 200,000 strings of coins!"

"Old Huang, don't worry!" Zhao Cheng patted Huang Jingchen's back to help him breathe, "Do you remember the events when Cai Jing returned as prime minister during the Chongning era?"

"Oh, Your Highness means that Cai Jing will really return as prime minister this time?" Zhao Cheng's words woke Huang Jingchen from his dream. As an old palace hand, how could he not know the turmoil caused by Cai Jing's reforms that year!

Salt was an essential part of people's lives and was monopolized by the Northern Song government. In the northwest, the "salt voucher" policy required merchants to pay money to local officials and receive "salt vouchers" to buy official salt. In the southeast, the local government had a monopoly, and the salt money was divided, with half going to the central government and half to the local government.

After Cai Jing became prime minister and led the Deliberative Council, he completely changed the "salt voucher" policy to improve the fiscal deficit. He required merchants to pay money to the central government and then use the "salt vouchers" to buy salt from local areas. This way, the salt profits went to the central government, and local officials got nothing. This policy quickly filled the national treasury. However, there was a problem: the government frequently changed the salt vouchers. Old vouchers were useless before new ones were issued, and one had to pay extra to exchange old for new. Often, three times the money was needed to get one unit of goods. Those who couldn't afford to exchange their old vouchers for new ones saw their vouchers become worthless, leading many merchants to bankruptcy or even ruin.

To maintain the new image of the new policy, Cai Jing believed that the government's failure to repay old salt vouchers was a breach of trust with the people, damaging the dignity of the great empire. The Deliberative Council devised a redemption plan: half in salt, half in spices, treasures, and furniture stored in the imperial treasury. This news quickly spread among some court officials, who mobilized their relatives to buy a large number of old salt vouchers at low prices. Soon, merchants flocked to the capital to exchange their vouchers, and those who acted early not only made a fortune by reselling the vouchers but also obtained valuable items from the imperial treasury, which they later sold for a huge profit. The profit was in the millions.

"Yes, Cai Jing is a master at making money. My father is short of money and will definitely use him as prime minister. After Old Zhang took office, he negated Cai Jing's policies, and the salt vouchers issued by Cai Jing became worthless or could not be exchanged for salt. To quickly achieve results, Cai Jing will likely revert to his old methods. We can take advantage of this to make some profit. You are now the chief eunuch of the Inner Service, and you know everyone. When the time comes, you can get some good things from the imperial treasury!" Zhao Cheng saw the changes on Huang Jingchen's face and knew he had understood, smiling as he spoke.

"Haha, the managers of the imperial treasury are all my disciples. If they don't listen, I'll skin them!" Huang Jingchen grinned, thinking how easy it was to make money.

"Then don't waste time. Keep buying. Even if we sell at cost, we can still make a million strings of coins. You can also learn from Tong Guan and take a few wives to keep as playthings!" Zhao Cheng teased him. Don't be surprised; it was legal for eunuchs in the Song Dynasty to marry, and high-ranking eunuchs could buy houses and land outside the palace and live there when they had free time, which was a unique feature of the Song Dynasty.

"Hehe, I don't have Tong Guan's taste. Being with Your Highness is enough for me. I just don't know when Cai Jing will return as prime minister!" Huang Jingchen was impatient and asked again.

"Old Huang, Cai Jing is still in Hangzhou. He won't return until next March at the earliest!" Zhao Cheng said, "We have another important matter to attend to. The three-year mourning period for the Empress Dowager is almost over, and the Empress will be officially crowned. As her son, I should show my respect!"

"That's great, a great event. We must make the Empress happy. What should we send?" Huang Jingchen looked at Zhao Cheng, feeling very happy. Following a disciple of a sage was indeed beneficial, as one could always stay ahead of others.

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