Chapter 151: The Purple Pearl Pavilion

Although the year had not been good, with the pacification of the great Fujian-Guangdong sea merchant Zheng Zhilong, the situation in Guangzhou had eased considerably, despite continued pirate activity outside the Pearl River estuary. As the year drew to a close, Guangzhou, the largest metropolis in the southeast, once again bustled with activity.

Guangdong had always enjoyed a mild climate. Although China was currently in the Little Ice Age, and even Leizhou had seen snow, cold was not the norm south of the Five Ridges. Once a cold snap passed, the weather would warm up again, and the land would be a scene of early spring, with flowers in full bloom. From the great and powerful families down to the well-to-do, this year’s New Year was still celebrated with joy. From New Year’s Eve onwards, firecrackers exploded throughout the city, becoming even more dense at the fifth watch on New Year’s Day.

However, the consecutive years of famine in Fujian last year had also had a significant impact on Guangdong. Refugees from outside and local famine victims congregated on the wasteland near the few temples that had set up soup kitchens. Every day, hungry people begging for food filled the streets and alleys, their cries of hunger incessant. Fortunately, the weather was mild, and there were no frozen bodies. But with the warm weather, various epidemics became a lifeline of death in the densely populated areas of the destitute. Every day, the baojia (local self-defense units) would carry bodies to the charnel grounds outside the city. But this situation was not unique to this year, and everyone was used to it, so it did not hinder the city’s prosperity, nor did it interfere with the New Year’s festivities of the high officials, local gentry, and wealthy families.

After the New Year came the annual Lantern Festival. The lantern market stretched for about three or four li from Chengxuan Street to the Great South Gate, covering several streets. As usual, the lantern market began on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month and ended on the sixteenth. During the day, it was a market, and at night, people viewed the lanterns. Merchants from all over gathered at the lantern market, taking the opportunity to hawk their various goods. Day and night, a constant stream of people shouted and called, like a boiling pot. Many nearby streets and alleys also became lively during the lantern festival. At night, every shop front was hung with all kinds of lanterns: some made of glass beads, some of silk with ink patterns, some of five-colored gauze, some of bright horn, some of paper, some of wheat straw, and some of pith paper. There were even extremely rare Western glass lanterns and Australian “soft film” lanterns. These Australian “soft film” lanterns had only appeared on the market last year. Their material was slightly transparent, light and soft in texture, and their colors were bright and dazzling, making them a new favorite among the local officials and wealthy merchants.

The particularly precious lanterns were hung on the colored pavilions along the streets for people to admire from a distance. These pavilions all faced north and south, with red doors, embroidered households, and painted and carved beams. The pavilions with curtains were mostly occupied by the families of high local officials and gentry. The rent for each pavilion was several dozen taels of silver for one night.

The colored lanterns stayed lit all night, allowing for all-night lantern viewing and fireworks. The fireworks were also varied and amazing. Various bands and acrobats performed all night. In addition, here and there, dragon dance teams and lion dance teams performed from dusk till dawn. All night, men and women crowded together, a sea of people.

The fourteenth day of the first lunar month was the second day of the Lantern Festival’s climax. On this morning, a middle-aged man of distinguished appearance, approaching old age, with a sparse three-part beard, wearing a half-worn round-collared silk robe and a square scarf, his brow tinged with a hint of melancholy, rode a donkey from the west city to the east city. He entered Huifu Street and dismounted in front of the main gate of the Purple Pearl Pavilion. He paid the footman and slowly walked inside.

This merchant-like middle-aged man, whose real name was Shen Fan, had been an apprentice at a famous jewelry store in Guangzhou since the age of twelve. After more than twenty years of diligent work, he had become the chief manager. He had been in this trade his whole life and had just resigned from his employer last year to buy some land in the countryside—at over fifty, it was time to enjoy some family happiness. But fate had other plans. His only beloved grandson fell ill with an unknown disease. He spent all his savings on famous doctors, only to be told: “The cold and malaria have penetrated the bones; there is no cure.”

This was like a bolt from the blue for Old Manager Shen. He had had great difficulty in having children, with only one son who had long since passed away. This grandson was his everything, his hope and his future, and now his life was hanging by a thread. It made him utterly despondent.

However, somehow, the news of his grandson’s illness reached Manager Sun Kecheng. Manager Sun, due to his escort agency’s business, was quite familiar with the jewelry and curios trade. A young man calling himself Guo Yi was introduced to him by Sun, claiming he could save his beloved grandson’s life. The condition was that he had to serve as the chief manager of the soon-to-be-established Purple Pearl Pavilion. For a man of Shen Fan’s reputation, joining another establishment was a major taboo in the trade. But he had already retired and had no ties with his former employer. To come out of retirement for another position would, at most, cause some gossip among his peers. Although this young man looked strange, he had a distinguished appearance and behaved with propriety, so he was probably not a petty thief. Although he was a bit puzzled, he agreed on the spot. After all, compared to his grandson’s life, what was his own reputation worth? So, with the attitude of trying anything in a desperate situation, he allowed Guo Yi to treat his grandson. And a miracle did happen. After taking some mysterious white pills with water for several days according to Guo Yi’s instructions, his grandson’s condition improved significantly. Overjoyed, he asked the doctor to check his grandson’s pulse again and was told that he was out of danger and only needed to rest. As agreed, once the Lantern Festival was over, Shen Fan would fulfill his promise and formally join the Purple Pearl Pavilion.

But this Purple Pearl Pavilion was also very strange. Old Manager Shen had heard some news from his colleagues that this shop had been open for less than a month and seemed to specialize in dealing with wealthy households. The shop’s entrance was heavily guarded, and no one knew much about its inner workings. Some colleagues advised him that the owner of this shop had deep connections with the Gao family and might not be from a legitimate background. It was possible that he was the backer of some powerful figure on the seas.

This made Manager Shen a little suspicious. But then he thought of Sun Kecheng, who had always been known for his maturity and reliability. He wouldn’t have recklessly introduced him to a new employer. So he decided to visit the Qiwei Escort Agency first—to get a feel for his new employer.

Sun Kecheng was not at all evasive and told him everything about Guo Yi’s background: an Australian sea merchant with some rare goods, hoping to develop his business and make money in the Great Ming. As for what rare goods he had, Shen Fan knew without asking: the various strange Australian goods sold in the Gao family’s shops probably came from this Guo Yi. This was quite unexpected. He had originally thought he was just a rich man from another province, hoping to make a fortune in the prosperous city of Guangzhou. It turned out he really had some good things. Manager Shen knew that the so-called Australian goods were not only extremely exquisite but also almost impossible for outsiders to imitate. His former employer had once invited him back to study the various strange Australian goods on the market. The skilled craftsmen in the jewelry business all said that if it was just a matter of imitating the appearance and structure, they could make something similar, but the materials used were unknown.

Shen Fan had been indifferent about taking up the position of manager at the Purple Pearl Pavilion. Knowing that they were the source of the Australian goods, his curiosity, having dealt with rare treasures his whole life, was piqued, and he decided to take the job. These past few days, he had been busy visiting colleagues and clients, preliminarily establishing the business relationships of the Purple Pearl Pavilion.

The two young apprentices at the door, seeing the manager arrive, quickly dropped their brooms and came to greet and support him.

“Is the master in?”

“He’s in the back counting house, talking with Manager Sun from Qiwei,” one of the apprentices answered respectfully. This was Guo Dongjia’s house-born servant, Gao Di, a very clever young man. Shen Fan knew that Gao Di’s entire family served in the household and were what was known as “close-bodied” servants. Although he was just a young apprentice, he was privately highly valued by Master Guo, and he was the one who handled all the liaison with the Qiwei Escort Agency.

In fact, Gao Di was more than just highly valued at this point. Shen Fan would never have dreamed that this boy, who still looked like a child, was now one of Guo Yi’s main eyes and ears.

During the time Wen Desi was away, besides practicing martial arts at the escort agency and collecting information on the prices of various goods as usual, he also constantly gathered information on the Gao family through the childhood friends he had made while playing at their house. He was quite cunning and knew that Manager Wen and the Gao family were outwardly friendly but inwardly wary of each other. Later, when Manager Xiao arrived, he looked at the information he had collected. This Manager Xiao smiled without saying a word, neither approving nor disapproving, but he gave him silver—which made him happy for several days, not because of the silver, but because his work had been recognized.

After Manager Xiao left, Manager Guo arrived. Gao Qing and Gao Xian were puzzled and a little uncomfortable with the frequent changes of personnel among the Australian sea merchants, but Gao Di somewhat understood. Manager Wen, these Australians, were not just one or two people, but a group. Manager Wen and Manager Xiao were just leaders among them. His family were not anyone’s servants, but the minions of the Australians.

For this reason, he had become even more active recently. Under Guo Yi’s instructions, besides being an apprentice and learning the trade of the shop, Gao Di also continued his intelligence activities every day. He had now recruited three or four subordinates from his childhood playmates, each receiving two hundred copper coins a month from him—this money was paid from the one tael of silver per month for activities that Wen Desi had stipulated for him. Guo Yi believed that an intelligence chief should not only be good at gathering intelligence but also have good management skills, including managing personnel and finances. So he did not give Gao Di more funds.

It turned out that Gao Di, who had just turned fifteen at the New Year, had a talent for certain things. Now, not only was Guo Yi well-informed about the Gao family’s activities, but he was also timely in his knowledge of the street talk and gossip in Haopang Street and even the whole of Guangzhou.

Guo Yi’s next goal was to establish a preliminary intelligence and trade network throughout Guangdong province. For now, he was relying on the Qiwei Escort Agency. With his planning and financial support, Manager Sun had expanded the outer counters of the Qiwei Escort Agency, setting up various businesses at major water and land terminals, transportation hubs, and commodity distribution centers throughout the province. They acquired land and estates, opened inns, and established transport companies. Sun Kecheng was both happy and worried. He was happy because the countryside was currently in decline, and many of his disciples, fellow villagers, and relatives who couldn’t make a living in the countryside came to him for help. Manager Guo’s plan to expand the outer counters solved the problem of feeding these people. He was worried because he had never seen anyone do business like this. Before they even knew if the first business would be profitable, the second and third were opened one after another. And at this rate, it seemed they were going to set up businesses all over Guangdong. The amount of money spent made his heart pound—just the layout in Leizhou alone had cost over a thousand taels of silver. And Manager Guo had repeatedly instructed: buy more land, estates, and oil presses, as much as you can. At this rate, even if Manager Wen had a mountain of gold and silver, it wouldn’t be enough.

He had been worried for several days. As soon as the New Year was over, he hurried to discuss with Guo Yi whether they should slow down the pace of expansion.

Shen Fan walked through the front courtyard and the main hall, passing through a moon gate guarded by an escort. Inside was a fresh and elegant small courtyard with three main rooms, which served as the counting house of the Purple Pearl Pavilion. The long windows were all open. He saw Master Guo and Manager Sun talking inside. Sun Kecheng had a worried expression but was nodding repeatedly. Shen Fan, having been an apprentice for over twenty years, slowed his pace and coughed lightly.

Seeing him arrive, Master Guo quickly stood up to greet him. Manager Sun, seeing him return, also stood up, bid his farewell, and left.

Shen Fan reported on his visits to clients and colleagues over the past few days. Normally, such business matters did not need to be reported to the owner, but the Purple Pearl Pavilion was very different from other shops. For one, Shen Fan still didn’t know what kind of goods the shop was planning to sell. The only thing he could do was to visit the great households in the city with the shop’s name card and account book.

“Master, this is the list of households I visited to open accounts.” Shen Fan took out a folder from his sleeve and handed it to Guo Yi. Guo Yi was now completely dressed as a man of the Ming dynasty, even with his hair in a bun.

He casually opened the folder. On the plum-red paper, in neat columns of regular script, were many names, with small annotations next to them: the owner of the Baixian Restaurant, a secretary in the governor-general’s yamen, the manager of the Chen Family Grain Store, the owner of the Gongxing Pawnshop, Jinshi Zhao of Panyu, Gentry Ma of Nanhai… all either rich or noble, or the chief steward of a powerful family, or the concubine of a high official. A quick glance showed there were at least eighty or ninety households.

“So many?” Guo Yi was a little surprised, because Shen Fan had told him that the households he planned to visit to open accounts were mostly the largest and most prominent in the city. The money they spent on jewelry and curios each year ranged from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

“Master, these are just the largest households. There are still some smaller ones I haven’t visited yet.” At this point, Gao Lujie brought tea and a towel. Shen Fan took off his hat and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. “It’s only been a few days. But there is one thing I must ask for the master’s instructions on.”

“Go on.”

“Master, you are selling priceless treasures and curios. To deal with so many great households at the same time, will there be a problem with the capital turnover?”

Since the Purple Pearl Pavilion was dealing with wealthy households, it had to follow the practices of that trade. According to the rules, such great households did not pay in cash when they selected jewelry. They just opened an account at the jewelry store. Whatever they fancied, they would register it in the account book, stamp it, and take the goods. The accounts were settled three times a year: at the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and New Year’s Eve.

This placed a very high demand on the shop’s capital. Jewelry and curios were not like other goods; they could easily be worth thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver. Even with a large amount of capital, it was difficult to handle so many clients at the same time. Shen Fan was afraid that this man from overseas, not being familiar with the intricacies of the business, would be too greedy and ambitious, and would end up failing spectacularly.