Chapter 10

Du Qian hurriedly went forward to check Li Si's breathing, then turned back to the crowd and said, "No worries, he just fainted from a sudden rush of anger!" He then ordered someone to move Li Si to a less crowded, well-ventilated area. He also instructed a nearby henchman to fetch some wine, took a big mouthful, and squatted in front of Li Si. With a "pu" sound, the mixture of wine and saliva was poured onto Li Si's face. Soon, Li Si slowly regained consciousness.

Seeing Li Si move, Du Qian smiled smugly and stood up to the henchmen, saying, "This trick of mine is always effective, never fails! Everyone should learn from it!"

The henchmen, who had been watching with their heads stretched out, all agreed, showering him with flattery. Wang Lun, seeing this, shook his head and walked to the side, barely able to suppress a laugh.

At this moment, Zheng Qian, with a joyful look, rushed out from the inner courtyard, carrying a wooden box in his arms. The lock had been broken, and it clanged with each step, as if playing a cheerful and festive tune. Zheng Qian looked around the crowd, finally spotting Wang Lun, and hurried over.

"Chief, Chief... This time our gang has made a huge profit!" Zheng Qian, still out of breath, reported as soon as he stopped.

"Take it easy, take it easy! Rest a bit first!" Wang Lun patted the panting Zheng Qian, took out a gourd from his waist, and handed it to his confidant. Zheng Qian quickly put down the wooden box, took the gourd with a smile, and drank heartily. Taking this opportunity, Wang Lun beckoned Du Qian to come over and listen to Zheng Qian's news.

Du Qian had long noticed the commotion here. Seeing Zheng Qian's joy even while drinking water, he guessed something and walked over, laughing and scolding, "Zheng Qian, if you don't have some substantial news, just wait and see what I'll do to you!"

Zheng Qian's heart skipped a beat, suddenly realizing that his behavior had been somewhat inappropriate.

Sigh! The huge fortune he found in the back yard warehouse had made him lose his head, and he had momentarily forgotten that the Chief had already entrusted the management of the gang's finances to Du Qian. He had acted as if only the Chief's orders mattered, almost ignoring Du Qian, who was now in charge. In private, it wouldn't have mattered how he reported to the Chief, but with Du Qian right there, ignoring him was clearly disrespectful.

Thinking about this, Zheng Qian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling ashamed. Fortunately, the Chief was considerate and had covered for him. Otherwise, if Du Qian noticed his disregard for him a few more times, it would inevitably lead to conflict. No matter who was right, as a subordinate, he would not have a good outcome.

Realizing this, Zheng Qian's gaze toward Wang Lun changed.

He was a man with some experience. Logically, the worse his relationship with Du Qian, the more beneficial it would be for Wang Lun. However, Wang Lun did not do this. Instead, he had smoothed over any potential misunderstandings, clearly hoping for a harmonious relationship between him and Du Qian.

This was truly strange! The Chief's actions now were vastly different from his previous style. Could it be that after his illness, the Chief's heart had become more open?

Putting aside his doubts, Zheng Qian carefully considered Wang Lun's intentions. He suddenly realized that Wang Lun's way of managing subordinates was very wise, embodying the principle of trusting those he used and not using those he doubted. Regardless of whether he had any reservations about Du Qian, his current treatment of the second-in-command easily made people feel trusted. This trust was so evident that even an outsider like himself could feel it, and he doubted the person involved would be oblivious.

Realizing this, Zheng Qian suddenly understood. It seemed his future would be much easier, at least he wouldn't have to be caught between the Chief and the second-in-command. Of course, he also knew that respecting his direct superior, Du Qian, was one thing, but his unwavering loyalty to the Chief in critical moments was the foundation of his position in the gang.

"Old Zheng! What are you daydreaming about? If you have good news, speak up so that I and my brother can be at ease!" Seeing Zheng Qian remain silent, Du Qian, growing impatient, urged him.

Zheng Qian, lost in thought, was pulled back to reality by Du Qian's urging. He quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, bowed to Wang Lun and Du Qian, and said loudly, "Reporting to the Chief and Du Head, the boys found a large amount of grain in the back yard, estimated to be no less than 8,000 shi! Additionally, during the raid, we found 100 taels of gold, 2,700 taels of silver, 4,300 strings of copper coins, and jewelry worth no less than 1,000 strings of copper coins! There are also countless cattle, sheep, and cloth, which are still being counted!"

Before Zheng Qian finished, Du Qian's expression became extremely excited, his long face turning red. Finally, he waited for Zheng Qian to finish and, unable to contain his excitement, patted Zheng Qian hard, saying to Wang Lun, "Brother! This fortune of 10,000 strings of copper coins plus 8,000 shi of grain is enough to sustain our gang for a year! It's amazing that this guy had so much wealth, more than what I could rob in three months!"

Actually, not only was Du Qian surprised. Even Wang Lun was quite taken aback by Zheng Qian's news. According to his previous estimate, this family could have at most 2,000 to 3,000 shi of grain, but he never expected such a bountiful haul!

Suppressing his doubts, Wang Lun asked, "Zheng Qian, how much land does this family own? Did you find the land deeds?"

Zheng Qian nodded excitedly and replied, "I just glanced at the land deeds. This family owns about 1,500 acres of prime land, 900 acres of medium-quality land, and 700 acres of poor land! The box I just brought contains the land deeds and the high-interest loan documents of the family!" He pointed to the wooden box he had just carried over to indicate to the two leaders.

"Hmm, that's roughly the 3,000 acres of land Li Si mentioned!" Wang Lun mused. He remembered that the average yield of Northern Song land was about 1 shi per mu, so the total 3,000 Song mu of prime, medium, and poor land would produce about 3,000 shi of grain per year. After deducting the family's expenses, taxes, and payments to tenant farmers, which amounted to about 70%, there would be about 30% left, or nearly 1,000 shi of grain per year. If the family stored grain for up to two years, the maximum inventory would be around 2,000 shi. However, finding 8,000 shi of grain tonight was indeed surprising! How could the family store so much grain without it spoiling?

While Wang Lun was puzzled, he suddenly heard Du Qian curse, "This scoundrel, he's actually quite clever! Knowing that grain prices are rising, he's learned to stockpile grain! If these 8,000 shi of grain are sold in the spring next year in Hebei, he would make a fortune!"

Rising grain prices? Du Qian's offhand comment reminded Wang Lun, who suddenly remembered that grain prices in the late Northern Song were very stable and continuously rising, from about 1 guan per shi at the beginning of Emperor Huizong's reign to 4 guan per shi by the end of the Northern Song. In the early Southern Song, prices in some areas even reached 6 guan per shi! Under this trend, wealthy families with some economic sense would typically stockpile grain to wait for its value to rise! No wonder Song Jiang's raid on Zhu Family Village yielded 500,000 shi of grain, which made sense now.

No! No, no!

Wang Lun suddenly realized he had overlooked something. He waved to stop the excited Du Qian and Zheng Qian, ignoring their surprised looks, and began to calculate silently: 9,000 strings of copper coins and 8,000 shi of grain were roughly equivalent to the family's savings over a decade. According to Li Si, his family had been tenant farmers for generations, so these resources were far from their total savings!

That's it! Realizing this, Wang Lun no longer hesitated. He pulled Zheng Qian aside and instructed him, "There must be other secret rooms in this family's house. Take the 30 family members and interrogate them thoroughly! I don't believe they only accumulated 20,000 strings of copper coins and grain over generations of evil deeds! Find it, dig up the ground if you have to!"

"Brothers... What 20,000 strings?"

At this moment, Song Wan, who had not yet arrived, shouted from a distance, making Wang Lun wonder if he had superhuman hearing. Everyone turned to the source of the sound and saw that the rear guard, led by Song Wan, had arrived at the village. Over a hundred empty carts of various types were lined up, stretching from the courtyard to outside the village.

Without waiting for Song Wan to approach, Du Qian called out joyfully, "Brother Song, quickly get the boys to load the grain in the back yard! I don't think you'll believe it, but we've already raided over 20,000 strings of copper coins and grain, and we're just waiting for you to haul it away!"

"My goodness! How much? 20,000!?" Song Wan's face was a mix of all kinds of expressions, mirroring Du Qian's earlier reaction, like two gourds from the same vine, both in appearance and spirit.