Chapter 2741: The Capital (Part 97)

Though his words sounded reasonable enough, the momentum had noticeably flagged, utterly lacking the earlier spirit of "crushing them before breakfast." Manager Shen was puzzled—how had everyone's disposition shifted so dramatically in just a few days?

Could Leng Ningyun have met with them in secret and struck some... private arrangements?

Manager Shen's expression grew suspicious as he glanced at Manager Qin. Their eyes met, and by unspoken agreement, they separately found excuses to step outside. Finding the corridor empty, Manager Shen demanded, "Old Qin! What's going on in there? Everyone's gone soft!"

"I'm as baffled as you are." Manager Qin looked genuinely bewildered. "Before the New Year, everyone was in agreement! When we divided up to purchase the notes, the enthusiasm was palpable. Besides, even if Delong's notes become worthless paper, each house stands to lose only a few hundred taels at most."

"Could that Kun fellow Leng have pulled some trick and promised them benefits?"

"That... surely not?" Manager Qin hesitated. "We Shanxi Houses have always stood united—all for one, one for all. What could Leng Ningyun possibly offer to buy everyone off?"

Manager Shen considered this—it was true. Leng Ningyun held no real cards at the moment.

"How strange!" he muttered.

"Leng Ningyun must have employed some stratagem," Manager Qin said. "We should probe everyone's thoughts first."

The two returned to the meeting room one after another. They heard Manager Lu of the Feng establishment holding forth expansively: "...This Leng Ningyun will definitely appear tonight. If he doesn't, I'll eat my words..."

Manager Shen frowned slightly. This Manager Lu was still as crude as ever!

Most Shanxi House managers came from humble origins—apprentices and junior clerks who had worked their way up through years of toil. The majority had received only a few years of private schooling and were barely literate. Yet decades of conducting business had polished most of them, teaching them proper merchant speech and demeanor. Only this Manager Lu remained stubbornly true to his roots, revealing his coarse nature within a few sentences.

Manager Lu paid no heed to Manager Shen's disdainful expression and continued with enthusiasm: "He petitioned Shuntian Prefecture to lift the seal, then went calling on the minor nobility. He's clearly planning to reopen and weather the storm. If he intends to tough it out, how could he not show his face at the God of Wealth banquet? He might even be hoping to secure some short-term funds from us!"

"Ha! Speaking of which, isn't Delong's owner one of the Kun? I hear the Kun are quite wealthy!"

"Pity that however rich they may be, you and I can hardly travel to Guangdong to collect. Otherwise, we could take our Delong notes to Guangzhou and receive full payment—we'd make a fortune!"

"Keep dreaming! Delong has never admitted any connection to the Kun. You go to redeem your notes, and the Guangzhou Kun will claim you're a court spy—drag you to the beach and take your head off..."

"Ha ha ha..."

The hall erupted in laughter. To Managers Shen and Qin, this cheerful mirth sounded inexplicably strange.

Up to this point in the meeting, not a single strategy for running on Delong had been proposed. Instead, voice after voice had poured cold water on the scheme.

How peculiar. Manager Shen had been stationed in the capital for over twenty years, working alongside these men for at least seven or eight. He knew that though their temperaments differed, in matters of business they were all decisive and ruthless.

Yet the arrow was nocked and had to fly. If this arrow wasn't loosed, he couldn't answer to his backers, let alone to his owner...

Thinking of his owner, his forehead began to bead with sweat. His decades of reputation, his prospects for a comfortable retirement, his descendants' prosperity and honor—all depended on this.

He coughed and spoke up: "If the Kun ever truly reached the capital, our heads would probably rest quite unsteadily on our shoulders."

"The Kun reached Guangzhou, but no Guangzhou banker lost his head," someone pointed out.

Many Shanxi merchants conducted business in Guangzhou. Haoban Street, where Director Guo had made his fortune, hosted numerous Shanxi merchant establishments. Through correspondence, they had gleaned some understanding of conditions under the Kun.

"Heh, that's different." Manager Shen sneered. "The Guangzhou bankers never offended the Kun. But we... we've offended Manager Leng terribly..."

These words immediately chilled the previously merry atmosphere. When it came to running on Delong back then, all eight houses had been involved. Especially when Delong first arrived in the capital—the eight houses had joined forces and even mobilized official power. If Eunuch Yang, backing Leng Ningyun, hadn't intervened, Delong would have been destroyed long ago.

Later, though cooperation had proceeded smoothly enough, when the Kun landed in Guangdong, the eight houses had again conspired to label Delong "rebel property" and Leng Ningyun a "Kun spy"—a far more serious accusation. Had it succeeded, Leng Ningyun might not have survived.

"...Think about it, gentlemen. If you were Leng Ningyun, could you swallow such grievances? Wouldn't you have every one of us dragged to the execution ground, sitting outside Heniangtan Pharmacy to watch your enemies being sliced alive?"

Observing the frightened expressions spreading across their faces, Manager Shen felt a secret satisfaction. Look at you fence-sitters!

He pressed his advantage: "Beat a snake without killing it, and you'll suffer for it! Leng Ningyun has only just been rescued, and Delong is at its weakest. Rumors already swirl through the streets. All we need do is add fuel to the flames. Without much effort on our part, the depositors and note-holders out there will run them into the ground!"

Fresh whispers rippled through the hall. These words weren't without merit.

"The Kun reaching the capital? Unless the sun rises in the west." Manager Lu looked disdainful. "Besides, if the Kun really came, why would we still be here—greeting them with food and wine?"

"Not conducting business anymore?"

"Business? Having offended Leng Ningyun to the point of mortal enmity, are we supposed to sit in the capital waiting for him to have us sliced alive? Naturally, we'd pack up quickly and return to Shanxi. Business can be done anywhere. And life matters more than commerce..."

Manager Shen despised this fellow's flippant manner, but the words themselves weren't unreasonable. If the Kun gained power, they couldn't survive in the capital. Conversely, as long as the Kun stayed away, the capital remained their domain.

Manager Cao coughed—a signal for everyone to cease arguing. He wished to offer some "fair words."

"Everyone, enough quarreling. Delong remains a member of our trade guild. Whether they're connected to the Kun, there's no need to speculate. If the authorities say so, then so be it; if the authorities say not, we treat them as not." Manager Cao spoke slowly and deliberately.

"That's right." Heads nodded around the room. Manager Shen grew anxious and was about to interject, but Manager Cao raised his hand and continued:

"As for whether Delong is grievously wounded or flourishing, that's their own affair. We're peers; we can offer a few observations."

Manager Shen seethed inwardly. This was practically defeatism. He was about to challenge the statement when Manager Cao calmly continued: "As for each house's Delong notes, each conducts their own business. Those who feel uncertain can redeem them when they reopen these next few days. Those who believe Delong can hold on may simply retain them. Bad notes and bad debts are part of daily life in the money trade."

These words covered all bases and were watertight. But Manager Shen understood clearly: the previously agreed plan to crush Delong—"united as one, speaking with one voice"—had dissolved into empty rhetoric, replaced by "every man for himself."

Though Manager Shen felt certain each house remained pessimistic about Delong's prospects, and with such profit at stake the run was inevitable, the force of eight houses acting in concert versus acting individually were entirely different propositions. United action could coordinate timing and deploy resources systematically, leaving Delong unable to draw breath. Acting separately would give Delong far more room to maneuver.

He wanted to say more, but Manager Yuan muttered, "If Delong truly collapses, Eunuch Yang probably won't let the matter rest."

Eunuch Yang was the Director of the Bell and Drum Office. Though it couldn't compare to genuinely powerful agencies like the Directorate of Ceremonial or the Directorate of Imperial Horses, it remained the head of one of the Twenty-Four Offices. Offending him fatally would bring consequences they couldn't afford.

"What's there to fear?" Manager Qin said. "Eunuch Yang has already sent people to withdraw his deposits. The moment they lift the seal tomorrow, Leng Ningyun will have to obediently hand over a hundred thousand taels. Once Eunuch Yang has his silver, whether Leng Ningyun lives or dies is no concern of his."

"True enough..." Manager Yuan clearly lacked conviction. Twice they had tried to destroy Delong, and twice Eunuch Yang had intervened. The second time, when Delong fell under suspicion of Kun connections, Eunuch Yang had seemed ready to abandon them—yet Delong had weathered the storm safely nonetheless. This made them suspect Delong possessed even more powerful backing beyond Eunuch Yang.

"Eunuch Yang's attitude is probably fifty-fifty." Qiao Wannian, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke in measured tones. "He's rushing to withdraw his money, which shows he's not optimistic about Delong and likely won't protect them vigorously. Otherwise, he wouldn't be pulling out this sum."

"Old Qiao is right! If he truly treated Delong like a godson, he'd be sending timely rescue, not pulling the rug from under them!" Manager Qin immediately agreed. "He's merely watching from the shore as the flood rises. If Delong survives, splendid; if Delong falls, he hasn't lost much."

"Yes, at worst we can pool a few thousand taels for him afterward," Manager Shen said.

Manager Lu remarked, "I don't have that much silver to throw down a dog's den..."

Manager Shen was about to argue, but Manager Cao intervened: "That's all future business! What are you bickering about?"

"Speaking of backing, who among us lacks it? Is there any need to fear some Eunuch Yang?" Manager Qin encouraged the room. "When Wei Zhongxian held power, Yang was already without allies. When the current Emperor took the throne, Yang wasn't among the Prince Xin Mansion eunuchs. He only climbed to Director of the Bell and Drum Office by flattering former mansion servants. His connections with the inner ministers probably aren't particularly deep. It's nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say. What if Delong holds shares belonging to some inner minister? They simply don't show it publicly and have Eunuch Yang hold them on their behalf!"

"If that were true, could Leng Ningyun have been kidnapped?"

...

Just as they argued animatedly, a junior servant suddenly entered to announce: "Delong's Leng Ningyun, Manager Leng, has arrived!"

(End of Chapter)