“Utterly foolish!” Wang Tiangui angrily berated Wang Chi, his rage boiling over. “And you, Gu Pingyuan – you’re the Third Manager, yet you let a clerk make such a mess of things?”

“Now we’re in trouble. The whole street is saying that Taiyufeng lost to Daping Exchange, that our Third Manager kowtowed and apologized to their young master. We’ve lost face completely, and just when business was picking up, after you two stirred up this mess, customers will go running back to Daping Exchange.” Manager Qu added fuel to the fire from the sidelines.

Sure enough, Wang Tiangui became even more furious, pointing at Gu Pingyuan: “You were there as Third Manager, not only failing to prevent this, but making things worse. You’re truly more trouble than you’re worth. Your monthly salary is docked for half a year, and Wang Chi’s for three months as well.”

“Yes, I accept the punishment!” Gu Pingyuan neither argued nor protested, his expression unchanged, much to the disappointment of Manager Qu, who had hoped to watch a good show.

Wang Chi, who had remained silent throughout, knew in his heart that Wang Tiangui was deliberately being lenient with his punishment – if not for his status as a nephew of the Wang family, the penalty wouldn’t have been so light. Just as he was about to speak, Wang Tiangui waved his hand: “Everyone disperse!” With that, he left without looking back, taking Manager Qu with him.

“Chief Manager, I have some news!” Manager Qu said mysteriously in the back room.

Wang Tiangui had Ruyi massage his shoulders as he lay comfortably in a rattan chair, half-closing his eyes as he asked: “What is it? Looking at you like this, it’s as if you know some great secret.”

“The Qiao family has no money.” Manager Qu knew this news would make Wang Tiangui’s eyes widen, and indeed, Wang Tiangui sat up straight, his expression immediately changing. “The Qiao family has vast wealth and business – if you say they have no money, that’s probably not accurate.”

“This matter – truly few people know about it. Last month, an old accountant from the Qiao family reached retirement age and left to return home and enjoy his golden years. By coincidence, he and my wife’s family are neighbors. When people get old, they like to share interesting stories to draw listeners, and he ended up talking about the Qiao family. He said that Qiao Zhiyong took all the silver to buy tea mountains in the south, and the silver vault has been nearly empty for more than half a year.”

“Is that so.” Wang Tiangui nodded. “Then it must be true.”

“It is true. Chief Manager, I have an idea.” Manager Qu looked up and saw Ruyi bending over to massage Wang Tiangui’s shoulders, her neckline revealing a patch of snow-white skin with valleys faintly visible. He couldn’t help but swallow hard. “I think Daping Exchange always fighting with us like this isn’t the way forward. Why not reveal the Qiao family’s situation to them? Daping Exchange is single-mindedly focused on expanding their business – they won’t pass up such a good opportunity when the tiger is napping.”

“You mean to redirect the trouble to Qiao Zhiyong, using the strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf?”

“The Chief Manager sees clearly.”

“Hmm.” Wang Tiangui coughed and stood up, walking slowly for a few steps before turning back to ask Manager Qu: “Do you know what Qiao Zhiyong is doing?”

“Isn’t he trading tea?”

“He’s saving the lives of Shanxi merchants!” Wang Tiangui emphasized his tone. “Ever since the Long-haired rebels rose up and occupied Jinling, the southern tea routes have been cut off. Thousands upon thousands of businessmen in Shanxi Province who made their living transporting tea to Kyakhta now have no livelihood, and consequently won’t do business with exchange houses. This is precisely why exchange house business has been sluggish in recent years.”

Manager Qu thought about the business of recent years and nodded in sudden understanding.

“This young man Qiao Zhiyong is remarkable – daring to risk everything to buy tea mountains. If something goes wrong, it would be utter disaster for the Qiao family. Just this courage alone commands admiration. If he can open up the tea routes, he’ll give Shanxi merchants a way to live, which is equivalent to helping the exchange houses. At this time, I absolutely cannot stab him in the back. Do you understand!” Wang Tiangui glared at Manager Qu.

Manager Qu hadn’t expected his flattery to kick the horse’s hoof, and his face showed discomfort. Suddenly he heard Wang Tiangui say again: “I also have some news – the copper route from Yunnan has been cut off.”

“Ah?” This news was extremely important for exchange houses, and Manager Qu immediately pricked up his ears.

“The Provincial Governor told me this personally. The saying goes that copper mines are ‘seventy percent in Yunnan, thirty percent in Jiangxi.’ We also have copper mines in Shanxi, but their quantity is negligible. Copper coin minting depends almost entirely on Yunnan copper.”

“After the Long-haired rebellion started, the Grand Canal has been neglected for years, with silted waterways. Light passenger boats and grain ships can still pass through, but heavy copper boats have been absent for a long time. Currently, transporting copper from south to north relies on the Shu Road.”

“The Long-haired rebel Shi Dakai has recently been attacking cities and seizing territory in Sichuan, occupying several cities and controlling the exit routes from Sichuan. All the copper transport vehicles are blocked in Chengdu – not one can pass through Guangyuan’s Qipan Pass.” Wang Tiangui spoke leisurely up to this point, then suddenly changed his tone: “This is an excellent opportunity. When this news reaches Shanxi, it will inevitably cause a trend of expensive copper and cheap silver. Starting tomorrow, you must spare no expense to collect copper – get your copper supplies ready before everyone else understands what’s happening. When the time comes to sell, the profits will be enormous. We might even be able to buy out Daping Exchange’s silver gourd.”

“I understand, I understand!” Manager Qu’s face was full of excitement.

“This matter must be kept secret – absolutely no word must leak out.”

After Manager Qu left, Wang Tiangui sat back on the couch. He hadn’t felt this comfortable in many days. Looking at Ruyi, his eyes gleamed with lustful light: “Come, come to the bed and give me a good massage.”

In the middle of the night, Gu Pingyuan was awakened by knocking at his door. The visitor was unexpectedly Liu Sankuai, the tavern owner.

“Third Manager, someone from your exchange is drunk and calling your name repeatedly. I don’t know what’s going on, so I came to find you.”

Gu Pingyuan threw on his clothes and followed him to the tavern. He saw it was Wang Chi, who had drunk an unknown amount of alcohol and was completely intoxicated, mumbling drunken words.

Gu Pingyuan couldn’t wake him, so he thanked Liu Sankuai and half-carried, half-supported Wang Chi back to Taiyufeng. All along the way, Wang Chi kept talking drunkenly, calling Gu Pingyuan’s name and shouting “If Zhou Yu exists, why must Zhuge Liang exist too!” – leaving Gu Pingyuan not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

When they reached Taiyufeng, naturally the group of street-running clerks gathered around – some pressing Wang Chi’s head, others cooking sobering soup. The clerks all gathered to ask questions, and after understanding that Wang Chi was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, they each sighed.

“Brother Wang is truly a good man,” White Flower Snake commented. “Actually, over time, we can all see that his relationship with Chief Manager Wang is unusual, but he never shows off his status. Instead, he rushes to take on work and reluctantly accepts rewards. When any of the brothers has trouble and comes to him, as long as he can help, he never refuses. This time, if it weren’t for…” He looked at Gu Pingyuan with difficulty. “Never mind the rest – just losing so badly today is enough to make him miserable.”

“Wang Chi didn’t lose,” Gu Pingyuan interjected, sitting among the group of clerks.

At first the clerks paid no attention, but after they digested the meaning, they all widened their eyes and stared at Gu Pingyuan together.

“Third Manager, you’re joking too much. Brother Wang lost right there in front of everyone – we all saw it. That Master Su is truly a divine person. I’ve never seen anyone use an abacus like that in my whole life.”

“You were all fooled by him. Why do you think he blindfolded his eyes with silk? It was so people wouldn’t stare at his hands. He wasn’t calculating according to the account books at all – he was just randomly moving the abacus beads.”

“That’s impossible,” Dwarf Tiger called out. “Then how did the numbers he wrote at the end match Brother Wang’s exactly? Don’t tell me he has supernatural sight!”

“It’s supernatural calculation,” Gu Pingyuan replied. “She was doing mental arithmetic – all the numbers went through her mind once, and she calculated the final result that way.”

Mental arithmetic!

Looking back at Su Zixuan’s hand movements on the abacus at the time, the clerks indeed felt something was wrong, but mental arithmetic – this was too…

“This is an exceptionally clever person! Her hands moved the abacus beads while her heart calculated silently. Although I could see clearly, I had no way to expose her deception on the spot. But precisely because she cheated, Wang Chi didn’t lose in the abacus competition.”

So that’s how it was. The clerks listened with stunned expressions. White Flower Snake glanced from the corner of his eye and discovered that Wang Chi had awakened without anyone noticing and was sitting dazedly on the bed, listening to Gu Pingyuan speak.

The next day, Gu Pingyuan was about to offer kind comfort and suggest Wang Chi rest for a few days, when he saw that Wang Chi had already packed his traveling bundle and asked with raised head: “Third Manager, haven’t we sent clerks to Caoyan, Plum Blossom Ridge, and Tubu north of the city yet? I’ll go make rounds there these few days.”

Gu Pingyuan was startled, then smiled and nodded: “Brother Wang, don’t overwork yourself.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going.” Wang Chi tightened his shoulder straps and strode out the door.

“I have to go.” Ruyi half-sat up arranging her undergarments, while Li Qin behind her reluctantly embraced her soft slender waist. “Stay a while longer – it’s still early before dark.”

“When it gets dark, that old man will come back. If he becomes suspicious, neither you nor I will have a good end.” Ruyi tapped Li Qin’s forehead.

Li Qin was truly infatuated with this beautiful woman – whenever Zhang Guangfa wasn’t looking for him, he wished he could spend all day tangled up with her. Unfortunately, Ruyi couldn’t often come out to meet him, so Li Qin said with some displeasure: “I’m not afraid – I just don’t know about you.”

“I’m not afraid either.” Ruyi suddenly became somewhat distracted. She thought of Gu Pingyuan again – if he had been with her then, what would the situation be like now? She shook her head, not letting herself think further. “I’ll tell you two things – both things I overheard in the old man’s room.” If she could bring down Wang Tiangui, at least she wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore.

After Li Qin finished listening, he leaped up and gave Ruyi a heavy kiss on the face: “My darling treasure, you’ve accomplished a great deed. I’ll go to Daping Exchange now and tell Uncle Zhang this news.” With that, he got out of bed, dressed, put on his hat, and left like a gust of wind.

Ruyi looked at the still-swaying door and showed a bitter smile at the corner of her mouth: “Men…”

“Don’t ask me how I know this – in any case, it’s absolutely true.” When Li Qin returned to Daping Exchange, he unexpectedly learned that Zhang Guangfa had been summoned to Beijing by Li Wantang for face-to-face instructions. Only Su Zixuan remained at the exchange house. Unable to keep secrets, Li Qin told Su Zixuan everything he’d heard from Ruyi.

“What do you think – isn’t this a great money-making opportunity?” Li Qin pressed Su Zixuan, who remained silent and contemplative.

“The Qiao family matter can be set aside for now. We still can’t successfully deal with Taiyufeng as it is – if we carelessly provoke the Qiao family as well, who knows if the next step won’t be playing with fire and getting burned.” Upon hearing Qiao Zhiyong’s name, Su Zixuan’s eyes showed a barely perceptible ripple.

Li Qin hadn’t expected Su Zixuan to respond this way and said disappointedly: “What about the copper then? If Taiyufeng can collect copper, so can we. We can’t let them monopolize the advantage, or they’ll be even harder to deal with later.”

“Collecting copper requires capital. Manager Zhang has gone to Beijing – the exchange won’t let you freely move such a large sum of money. By the time Manager Zhang returns, the day lilies will be cold, and Taiyufeng will have gotten all the copper long ago.”

“Then what can we do? Just watch such a good opportunity slip away?” Li Qin thought about it and truly felt unwilling.

Su Zixuan smiled slightly and took out a dried flower she’d been using as a bookmark from her frequently-read “Records of Yangzhou Pleasure Boats,” handing it to Li Qin.

“What is this?” Li Qin looked at it twice and asked in confusion.

“This is called Haizhou Elsholtzia. Wherever it blooms, there are copper mines.”

“Really?” Li Qin repeatedly examined this small flower, unable to see how this thing could have such great use.

“Guess where I saw this type of flower?”

“Could it be somewhere nearby?”

“Past Little South River, thirty li from here, there’s Youlu Gully Village. I went there to sightsee last month and discovered a large patch of Haizhou Elsholtzia growing in the mountain hollow behind the village.” This statement was half-true, half-false. The location was indeed as Su Zixuan described, but the reason she could reach that mountain hollow was because she had been chasing that madman Qiao Songnian.

“That means there’s a large copper mine there.” Li Qin thought about it and shook his head. “Unauthorized mining is a serious crime – Uncle Zhang won’t agree.”

“Not only mine, but mint coins too!” Su Zixuan said leisurely. “The timid don’t become generals. If you, Young Master Li, have the courage, I have the silver for mining.”

Privately mining and minting coins would be a capital offense if caught by the authorities. Li Qin was truly hesitant. Su Zixuan added: “Otherwise, I’ll go find Gu Pingyuan – he has more courage.”

“No!” Li Qin suddenly turned to stare at Su Zixuan. “How much silver do you have?”

Zhang Guangfa had been waiting outside the mansion of Minister of Revenue Bao Jun for two hours, but Li Wantang still hadn’t emerged. His heart began to feel uneasy. Finally, the two central doors opened wide, and Bao Jun smiled as he escorted Li Wantang out. Entering through the side door and exiting through the central door – this was the host’s gesture of respect for the guest. Indeed, Li Wantang’s face bore a smile as he walked toward Zhang Guangfa.

“Master, the matter was successfully concluded?”

“Not easy, but it was concluded.” Li Wantang said lightly. “In a few days, there will be an imperial edict from the inner court. You must hurry back to Shanxi to make arrangements.”

Just now in Bao Jun’s house, the two men had tested each other’s bottom lines – one afraid of asking for too little and suffering loss, the other afraid of giving too much and inviting excessive demands. Through their laughing conversation, they bargained back and forth and finally concluded a major deal.

“Master, this matter can’t succeed with just an imperial edict from the inner court. The foreign firms in Tianjin must also be mobilized to swarm together before we can gnaw down the hard bone that is the Shanxi exchange houses.”

“For the foreign firms, Minister Bao has already agreed to have the Zongli Yamen make arrangements. There’s another matter that’s very favorable to us – the copper route from Yunnan has been cut off.” Li Wantang’s connections with officials were precisely for obtaining such information.

“This is truly Heaven helping us Beijing merchants. With this three-pronged approach, I don’t believe the Shanxi exchange houses can still turn things around.” Zhang Guangfa rubbed his hands together eagerly, his face full of smiles.

Li Wantang glanced at him: “This plan was originally intended to be used after destroying Taiyufeng and establishing a firm foothold, but now we’re forced to use it early. You must not make repeated mistakes. If you fail to achieve results again, I cannot tolerate you any longer.”

“Yes!” Zhang Guangfa immediately restrained his smile and lowered his head in fear.

Gu Pingyuan’s unique method of lending had made the small businessmen of Taigu County rich beyond measure. Businessmen from neighboring counties, upon hearing of this, also flocked to borrow money, and Taiyufeng’s business flourished like wind and water.

“Third Manager, I think there’s another group of customers we shouldn’t neglect.” Ever since Gu Pingyuan had resolved Wang Chi’s predicament and preserved his dignity among the clerks, Wang Chi, though he never said a word of thanks, assisted Gu Pingyuan in business with wholehearted dedication and unwavering diligence compared to before.

“Oh.” Gu Pingyuan was always three degrees more polite to Wang Chi than to others. “What good route has Brother Wang thought of?”

“Camel caravans.” Wang Chi explained that although camel caravans all had cargo owners, often among the full loads of goods on the camels’ backs, there was always ten or twenty percent that was private goods carried by the camel drivers – this was something everyone tacitly understood.

“The camel drivers travel far and wide with great hardship. Selling some private goods along the way to earn money for food and drink is something even the caravan leaders turn a blind eye to when they encounter it face-to-face. So this is an extremely stable business.” Wang Chi sat at the table speaking eloquently, with Gu Pingyuan also seated in accompaniment and several young clerks standing to listen carefully.

“However, camel drivers are poor people to begin with, and their private goods are nothing more than tobacco leaves, broken rice, rattle drums, cloth scraps for mending clothes, and such – there’s no profit in it. If they could transport medicinal materials, paper, jewelry, dried and fresh goods, and similar items, the profit margin would be much larger when they change hands. Never mind anything else – just our Shanxi aged vinegar, when sold in Zhili and Changlu regions, immediately has several fold profit.”

“I understand – we lend money to these fellows and take a percentage.” Gu Pingyuan lightly tapped the table.

“Right. There’s naturally some risk – there might be some dishonest camel drivers who won’t want to repay or might just run away, but these are very few after all. We can also give the caravan leaders a low-interest loan as a benefit. For their own profit, they’ll also constrain their workers and try to prevent debt defaults. We can also put all the camel drivers from one caravan on the same account – if one runs away, then this caravan can’t borrow money in the future, or the interest rate will be raised. The camel drivers, thinking of themselves, will watch each other and even actively help us collect debts.” Wang Chi had been thinking about this business for a long time, considering it thoroughly from all angles before feeling confident it was foolproof and finally speaking out.

“Excellent!” Gu Pingyuan applauded in appreciation. “Brother Wang truly deserves to be called a fine abacus – your calculations are flawless!” He immediately knew this was absolutely a good business. The large and small camel caravans entering and leaving the province daily numbered in the hundreds if not thousands. This business was truly remarkable – it was impressive that Wang Chi could squeeze oil from stone and think of such a strategy.

“Brother Wang, you take a few clerks to make contact for this business. Naturally, you’ll get the lion’s share of future profits.” This was no small sum – with the rewards, he could probably afford to build a house and marry a wife.

“No!” Wang Chi waved his hand. “I’ll also learn from the Third Manager and divide this silver equally among everyone.”

The young clerks were naturally happy to hear this, but Gu Pingyuan felt moved. First, he thought Wang Chi was no simple person – though a clerk, he had the bearing of greatness. Given time, he might well soar to great heights, and shouldn’t be regarded as an ordinary clerk. Then he thought that among Taiyufeng’s clerks, there were quite a few with real talent and knowledge. Wang Tiangui could also be considered a manager who knew how to use people, but he was blinded by greed for profit. On the surface he ran an exchange house, but secretly he made high-interest loans, stopping at nothing for profit, caring nothing for human life. Such a good business falling into the hands of such a person was truly a pity.

“Lu Zhonglian threw himself into the sea not seeking fame; Fan Li sailed away in a boat, not fleeing for his life.” Lost in thought, Gu Pingyuan unconsciously recited aloud. The young clerks couldn’t understand, but Wang Chi was startled upon hearing it. Having studied in a private school for a few days, he knew this spoke of preferring death to yielding to a powerful enemy’s humiliation, and couldn’t help but look deeply at Gu Pingyuan.

Just as Gu Pingyuan’s credit-extending business was flourishing, Manager Qu suddenly called away half the street-running clerks, saying there was another business that needed manpower, and this was Chief Manager Wang’s order. Gu Pingyuan found this strange and naturally made discrete inquiries. He soon learned that Wang Tiangui was using silver from the vault to collect copper coins throughout the province. The official rate was one tael of silver for one thousand wen in copper coins, but now Taiyufeng was willing to take a loss of over ten copper coins. Soon the silver vault was filled with copper coins, and when there wasn’t enough space, even the back chambers of the Wang family compound became storage for copper coins. Previously, copper coins brought from villages would be sent to the smelting house to be exchanged for silver, but now they were all stored directly in the silver vault.

“What does he want with so many copper coins?” Gu Pingyuan knew there must be something fishy, but only Wang Tiangui and Manager Qu knew the full story of this matter. Although Gu Pingyuan clearly knew something was wrong, he couldn’t see through to the truth.

The consequences of Wang Tiangui’s massive copper collection became apparent half a month later. Poor households had no silver – they used copper coins for daily expenses. Seeing copper coins becoming increasingly scarce on the market, without copper coins, common people couldn’t buy things, and small businesses gradually began experiencing difficulties.

“Chief Manager, on the street today it’s already nine hundred wen for one tael – we’ve made a huge profit.” Manager Qu said to Wang Tiangui with a face full of smiles.

“This is nothing – wait a few more days and see.” Wang Tiangui sneered.

“Yes, yes. Chief Manager, you truly have vision.”

As they spoke, Wang Chi walked in: “Chief Manager, I heard from the street-running brothers that all the silver in the vault has been turned into copper coins. Is this true?”

“Mm.” Wang Tiangui glanced at his nephew and grunted an acknowledgment. He appreciated Wang Chi’s abilities, but after several tests, he felt the young man was too stubborn – not someone who could share confidential matters.

“How can this be acceptable?” Wang Chi always thought of everything in terms of the exchange house’s interests, and became anxious upon hearing this. “The copper transport wagons from Yunnan come to the province once a month. Though we’ve exhausted everything to drive up copper prices, once the transport wagons arrive, prices will naturally fall back, and we’ll lose a huge sum.”

He paused, seeing Wang Tiangui unmoved, and continued urgently: “Now all the exchange houses in the province are waiting to see us make fools of ourselves. They’ve said that even if we dump our copper coins for silver now, they won’t take them – they insist on waiting until month’s end to teach Taiyufeng a lesson.”

“Is that so?” Only then did a smile appear on Wang Tiangui’s gaunt face, looking extremely pleased. He had already sent capable clerks to investigate all along the copper route and knew the Provincial Treasurer’s words were true before daring to invest heavily in collecting copper. “They want to watch us make fools of ourselves? When the time comes, I’ll watch the show with them – let’s see who has the last laugh.”

“How did it go?” When Wang Chi emerged from Wang Tiangui’s room, Gu Pingyuan was waiting for him in the corridor.

Wang Chi shook his head.

“Chief Manager Wang must have heard some information.” Upon hearing Wang Chi’s words, Gu Pingyuan knew Wang Tiangui absolutely had complete confidence to make this bold gamble.

His guess was correct. Ten days later, the mystery was revealed, and all the smelting houses of exchange houses throughout the province were in uproar.

The copper wagons from Yunnan did not arrive as scheduled, and their future arrival remained indefinitely distant. This news spread like wildfire, causing panic among all the major exchange houses, while copper prices on the market rose day by day.

“Seven hundred fifty wen per tael now,” Manager Qu hurried to the back hall to report, speaking with delight.

“Mm.” Wang Tiangui was lying on his opium couch, his expression unreadable through the clouds of smoke.

“Should we exchange some copper coins for silver? Right now the exchange house needs to honor silver drafts daily, and customers come to withdraw silver – these are all normal transactions, but there’s almost no silver left in the vault to pay out.”

“No!” Wang Tiangui answered quickly. “I have one more move I haven’t used yet. Once I use it, copper prices will rise even more. The current shortage of silver in the vault doesn’t matter – go to Rishengchang and borrow at the standard interbank lending rate. Compared to copper prices, this bit of interest is nothing!”

Manager Qu felt his scalp tingle upon hearing this. Borrowing money and paying interest meant losses on both ends – this was a first for Taiyufeng. If they couldn’t handle the situation well and something went wrong, the losses could shake Taiyufeng’s very foundation. But he had long made it a habit never to argue with Wang Tiangui, so he agreed and withdrew.

After Manager Qu left, Wang Tiangui arranged for a horse carriage to rush to Taiyuan Prefecture overnight – he wanted to find Provincial Treasurer Xu.

The Provincial Treasurer’s office in Taiyuan Prefecture was located beside the west city gate. Legend had it that beneath Taiyuan lay a golden turtle carrying the city, slowly crawling southwest toward Jinci Temple, wanting to drink the water there. Once the golden turtle reached Jinci, it would flood Taiyuan City. To suppress this golden turtle and protect the city’s people, the Provincial Treasurer’s office, which managed money and grain, was built beside the city gate – right where the turtle’s head was located.

Wang Tiangui, as usual, gave the gatekeeper a thick red envelope and was immediately announced. The Provincial Treasurer soon granted him an audience.

He held a seventh-rank title and came dressed in official robes for the formal visit. Once inside, the host immediately invited him to change into casual clothes as a gesture of respect for guests, but Wang Tiangui still respectfully performed the formal hall greeting before changing into casual attire to sit and drink tea with his host.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Tiangui placed a small bag containing silver drafts on the table. “A few days ago, I was honored by Your Excellency’s appreciation and granted a path to wealth. Today I’ve come specially to express my gratitude.”

Provincial Treasurer Xu smiled reservedly and imperceptibly lifted the bag slightly, revealing half a silver draft. After glancing at it, he placed it satisfactorily beside him. “It was merely a small favor – Master Wang is being too courteous.”

“Your Excellency’s thousand-gold body – even lifting a finger for this humble official is my good fortune.”

“Haha!” Provincial Treasurer Xu laughed heartily. “But I hear you’re still keeping those collected copper coins in your silver vault. You must be careful. The battlefield is unpredictable – though Shi Dakai currently holds the Shu Road, if he suffers defeat, news travels faster than wind, and your copper coins will become worthless.”

“Thank you for Your Excellency’s reminder.” Wang Tiangui had long considered this point, which was why he’d rushed over overnight. “Though copper prices have risen, with such a golden opportunity, earning just this little silver truly leaves one unsatisfied. To speak truthfully, I’d like to contribute even more to Your Excellency.”

“Oh.” Provincial Treasurer Xu tasted the flavor of these words, knowing Wang Tiangui had come not only to present gifts but surely had something to request. “Master Wang, speak plainly. We’re old acquaintances – why beat around the bush?”

“Yes, Your Excellency is most perceptive.” Wang Tiangui flattered him, studied the Provincial Treasurer’s expression, then said softly: “Then I’ll speak directly.”

After he made his request clear, Provincial Treasurer Xu drew in a sharp breath. As controller of money and grain, he understood all too well what Wang Tiangui’s request implied. “This old man’s heart is black enough.” He pondered, using his tea lid to skim the floating leaves in his cup, taking a long time before lifting his eyes to glance at Wang Tiangui.

“Doing this – if the court assigns blame, this official cannot bear the responsibility.”

Wang Tiangui had been watching Provincial Treasurer Xu intently. Hearing him say this, he knew that as long as they could leave room for future excuse-making, this matter wasn’t impossible – and he’d already thought of this escape route for the Provincial Treasurer.

“Right now, both the Jiangnan and Jiangbei military camps are urgently demanding military provisions. This money and grain represents the nation’s most urgent debt – any province that defaults will have its governor’s hat removed. If the court issues inquiries, we can simply say that collecting grain for military provisions is easy to arrange but prone to wastage during transport. To preserve military funds, we had no choice but to handle things flexibly. Currently, the nation’s top priority is suppressing the Long-haired rebels. With military affairs as such an important justification, even the Ministry of Revenue officials and our provincial governor will help speak for Your Excellency. No wind or rain can touch you, sir.”

“Hmm.” Provincial Treasurer Xu thought it over again – this was indeed the case. In recent years, whenever local governance had failed, invoking military necessity as justification almost always gained understanding. He glanced again at the silver drafts on the table, and Wang Tiangui quickly added: “If this matter succeeds, I certainly won’t forget Your Excellency’s support and guidance.”

“Hehe, well said.” Provincial Treasurer Xu made up his mind and called out: “Someone come – go to the document office and invite the secretary who drafts proclamations to come here.”

Wang Tiangui’s face lit up with joy as he rose and bowed: “Thank you for Your Excellency’s assistance.”

Gu Pingyuan had no knowledge of these machinations Wang Tiangui was conducting behind the scenes. He routinely took two clerks to Eighteen Li Market outside the county seat, with the clerks carrying cloth bags containing interest payments. Gu Pingyuan had reformed the exchange house rules – even changing the practice of customers coming to collect interest. Now, when a village or township accumulated a certain amount, they would deliver interest payments door-to-door. This didn’t require Wang Tiangui to personally make the rounds, and seeing the clerks had no complaints, he was happy to continue this practice.

In the past, on interest payment days, people would wait far off at the village entrance for Taiyufeng’s clerks. Upon spotting them, they’d shout at the top of their lungs, calling the whole village to come welcome them. Though the interest wasn’t much, in the eyes of farming families, this was money fallen from heaven. Even just one copper coin’s interest could keep them grinning for half a day.

Today, Gu Pingyuan walked all the way to the first small courtyard at the village entrance without seeing a single villager, naturally feeling puzzled. “Surely they can’t all be working in the fields?” Just as he was thinking this, suddenly crying and shouting came from ahead.

Gu Pingyuan and the two clerks exchanged glances and quickened their pace. When they drew near, they saw a large crowd of villagers gathered around an old locust tree. Beneath the tree, a woman was prostrate on the ground, beating her head against the earth while crying out: “Heaven won’t let people live! Just when we’d saved up this bit of family wealth, it all has to go to the government! My poor second son – he was just about to get engaged, and now where will I find the money!”

The villagers surrounding her all sighed. Looking carefully, Gu Pingyuan recognized this woman – it was Sister Qi from the first house at the village entrance. She was a widow, extremely proud and spirited but with a sharp tongue and soft heart. She’d raised two sons alone without ever relying on anyone’s help. Initially, when Gu Pingyuan tried to persuade her to deposit money at the exchange house, he nearly wore his lips raw. Now, after receiving interest payments twice as promised, whenever Sister Qi saw Gu Pingyuan, she treated him like family, insisting he stay for a meal every time he came to the village to pay interest and collect accounts. Today Gu Pingyuan had come to the village with Sister Qi’s interest in his pocket. This should have been a day Sister Qi eagerly anticipated, so why was she crying so heartbreakingly?

When Gu Pingyuan approached to ask, a villager sighed and pointed to a notice nailed to the old locust tree. After reading it, Gu Pingyuan was stunned. This notice was issued by the provincial treasurer’s office to all villages and towns, written in plain language with only one meaning: starting today, to expedite military fund transport, all grain taxes would be collected as copper coins through people-to-official conversion. This meant common people had to sell their grain to get copper coins for tax payment. Most infuriatingly, since grain tax collection was based on the previous year, the copper coin amounts were calculated using last year’s grain prices.

“Last year, one shi of grain sold for two strings of cash. Now with expensive copper and cheap silver, one shi of grain only sells for one string of cash. Once the provincial treasurer’s office posts this notice, by tomorrow it might not even fetch eight hundred coins. This is demanding more than half a person’s life!” The villagers all looked worried and distressed, with several joining Sister Qi in weeping.

Gu Pingyuan frowned deeply. This was clearly the government taking advantage of rising copper prices to exploit people during their crisis. Wealthy gentry could find people to intercede with officials, or continue paying in grain or silver. Scholar-degree holders were permanently exempt from taxes according to Qing law, so this disaster didn’t affect them at all. The unlucky ones were the hardworking farmers.

“We need to sell our grain overnight, or tomorrow grain prices will definitely drop again. Manager Gu, we originally deposited copper coins at your exchange. Now we’d rather forgo the interest – please return our copper coins. Here are the account books – please have mercy on us. If we can’t get this money, half the village will hang themselves!” The over-seventy village chief trembled as he held out a stack of Taiyufeng account books.

As Gu Pingyuan reached to take them, a clerk hesitantly reminded him: “Third Manager, this might not be acceptable. Would the Chief Manager agree?”

Though the village chief was old, his hearing was sharp. Upon hearing the clerk’s words, he dropped to his knees: “Manager Gu, please have mercy – our whole village is counting on this money!”

Gu Pingyuan quickly helped up the village chief. Glancing at Sister Qi, who was crying herself voiceless, he nodded and took the stack of account books. “Elder, leave this matter to me to handle.”

He returned to Taigu County with a heavy heart. When he reached Taiyufeng’s entrance, he was immediately shocked. A dark mass of customers holding account books filled the area in front of Taiyufeng – villagers who’d traveled dozens of li and local small businessmen. Manager Qu stood at the entrance, face full of impatience, stroking his beard with one hand while shooing people away with the other.

“You people, why can’t you understand? Though you deposited copper coins, as long as it hasn’t been three months, the exchange has the right to pay in silver – and vice versa. This is government-sanctioned and has always been done this way. You common people now disagree and insist the exchange pay in copper coins – are you trying to resist the government?”

With government rules, how dare common people object? But this loss was truly unbearable. Wine seller Liu Sankuai was also squeezed in the crowd, saying with a bitter face: “Who could have imagined that in just one short month, copper would become so expensive and silver so cheap? Not only are our profits gone, but the government insists on tax payment in copper coins. We have no choice but to come to the exchange to withdraw money.”

“There are many unimaginable things. When you, a wine peddler, opened a tavern, why didn’t you say it was unimaginable? Hmph! Keep quiet when you profit, but shout loudly when you lose – that’s the nature of you paupers. Get lost quickly – if you interfere with the exchange’s business, I’ll have the county magistrate send officers to arrest you for jail!”

Listening to Manager Qu’s extremely caustic words from behind the crowd, Gu Pingyuan was so angry he trembled inside. Though none of these people were wealthy, together they formed the customer base that he and the clerks had painstakingly maintained through kind words and patience. Taiyufeng’s recent ability to hold on, even Wang Tiangui’s ability to massively collect copper, was all due to their silver deposits. Now Manager Qu was burning bridges – after saying such outrageous things, they would never do business with Taiyufeng again.

“Everyone!” Gu Pingyuan pushed through the crowd, first glancing at Manager Qu, then clasping his hands toward all directions. “Please remain calm. I’ll go find the Chief Manager right now. Regardless of the amount, you are all customers, and the exchange absolutely won’t let anyone suffer losses.”

“Manager Gu is here – this is wonderful!” Liu Sankuai shouted to those around him.

“Manager Gu, we really have no other option…” Before he could finish, a large portion of the crowd had already fallen to their knees.

“No need for this – everyone please rise quickly.” Gu Pingyuan broke out in a sweat and quickly stepped down from the platform. Together with several clerks, they struggled to help everyone back to their feet.

“Manager Gu,” everyone spoke at once, but Liu Sankuai’s voice was fastest: “It’s not that we don’t sympathize with the exchange – we’re really pushed to the limit. We run small businesses, paying daily food and drink expenses with copper coins – we never use silver. If we used silver, the cost of one cup of wine wouldn’t even cover the silver bits chipped off by cutting! But now with copper coins so expensive, common people can’t bear to spend money on wine. My business gets worse every day. Not just me – which of the city’s peddlers selling sundries or food stall owners isn’t the same?” He gestured to both sides as he spoke, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Gu Pingyuan’s face was dark as water. Having joined the exchange house only recently, he wasn’t yet proficient in silver-coin transactions. Initially, he’d only vaguely worried about Wang Tiangui’s massive copper hoarding, never imagining that Yunnan’s copper route severance combined with a government proclamation could have such tremendous power. This clearly wasn’t just a county or city matter – business throughout the province must be severely affected.

“Don’t say more – I understand everything. I suppose the government also issued notices to businessmen requiring tax payment in copper coins, right?”

“You understand us completely, Manager Gu. We really don’t have this money, or we wouldn’t come to the exchange to cause trouble.”

“Don’t say that. Coming to withdraw money is proper – deposits and withdrawals are normal. As for wanting copper coins, I’ll discuss this with the Chief Manager right now.” With that, Gu Pingyuan clasped his hands again and hurried toward the back hall.

During his conversation with everyone, Manager Qu hadn’t said a word, only coldly observing. He understood Wang Tiangui’s intentions perfectly – he would never give up this excellent money-making opportunity because Gu Pingyuan pleaded for everyone. Gu Pingyuan’s trip would surely end in humiliation – he only needed to sit and watch the show.

Gu Pingyuan stopped outside the room, took a deep breath to calm himself, then stepped into Wang Tiangui’s chamber.

“Chief Manager, you know about the situation at the entrance?”

Wang Tiangui was examining accounts in his room. Hearing this, he set down the ledger. “I know – just some petty people causing trouble.”

“Those are all the exchange’s customers. When we first invited them to deposit silver, Taiyufeng was at its most difficult time. Thanks to them…”

“So what?” Wang Tiangui glared. “You said it yourself – these are just customers, not parents! Even if they were parents, as long as they’re customers, they must follow the exchange’s rules.”

Gu Pingyuan was stunned by his words. After thinking, he still said: “If we pay them in silver now, we’ll be ruining all these people. They’ll never do business with the exchange again, and Taiyufeng’s financial channels will be cut off.” He knew he couldn’t reason with Wang Tiangui or appeal to emotion – he could only discuss profit.

“You’re wrong.” Wang Tiangui stood up, walked slowly a few steps, opened the window and pointed outside: “These common people are like the sky outside. When clouds come, there’s rain, but when wind comes and blows the clouds away, it’s clear sky again. Those who truly can’t be offended are the big households. You’re a scholar – how does Mencius put it?”

“‘Governing isn’t difficult – just don’t offend the powerful families.'” This was indeed Mencius’s original words, which Gu Pingyuan naturally knew from his extensive reading.

“Why didn’t he say ‘don’t offend the common people’?” Wang Tiangui smiled coldly. “Commerce is the same. You can ponder this principle yourself.”

Walking out, Gu Pingyuan felt his feet weighed a thousand pounds. Manager Qu was still at the entrance, and seeing Gu Pingyuan’s ashen face, he immediately smiled smugly.

“Manager Gu, how did it go?” Liu Sankuai immediately asked.

Gu Pingyuan looked at everyone’s hopeful gazes, his mouth seeming glued shut. After a long struggle, he finally managed: “Everyone, the exchange absolutely won’t short-change your money, but… but right now we can only exchange silver. Please…”

“Crooked merchants!” “Beat him!” Before Gu Pingyuan could finish, people were already roaring angrily, followed by stones and debris raining down like hail. Seeing this, Manager Qu had long since hidden inside the exchange house. Outside, only Gu Pingyuan and a few clerks remained, immediately becoming targets for everyone’s anger.

Gu Pingyuan tried to calm these people, but the crowd was like furious waves, and he was like a small boat, pushed and shoved by everyone, receiving punches and kicks. The young clerks also got beaten, all scared to tears, kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

Initially, Gu Pingyuan kept explaining, but seeing people had gone mad and wouldn’t listen to anything, he could only raise his hands to protect his head and face. Then someone rushed over and swung a club, striking him hard on the back. Gu Pingyuan saw stars, his body swaying as he fell to the ground. That person wouldn’t relent, using the hard heel of his quick boots to viciously kick Gu Pingyuan between chest and abdomen with deadly force.

“Ahhh!” Gu Pingyuan felt as if a red-hot knife had been thrust into his body. He spurted a mouthful of blood and rolled his eyes back, losing consciousness.

Though the people were angry to the point of losing reason, seeing someone’s life in danger, they immediately became timid. If caught and questioned by authorities, this would be a lawsuit that couldn’t be shaken off even by losing a layer of skin. So they scattered in groups of twos and threes, and soon not a soul remained at the entrance. Only then did the young clerks dare run over, wiping away tears as they carried Gu Pingyuan into the exchange house.

The person who’d struck the vicious blow threw away his club and ran to a nearby street corner where a woman was waiting.

“Fourth Mistress, did I hit well enough?” Chen Laizi said with a grin, expecting Ruyi to praise him. But Ruyi showed no smile at all – instead, she glared at him.

“Too heavy!” she said disapprovingly, then tossed over a money pouch. “Inside are the twenty taels I promised you. Don’t tell anyone about this, or I’ll skin you alive.”

“Yes, yes!” Chen Laizi repeatedly agreed. After Ruyi walked away, he muttered resentfully: “Said to beat him hard, then said it was too heavy after the beating. This little woman is really hard to please!”

Chen Laizi’s kick had broken three of Gu Pingyuan’s ribs, and his back injury was also serious. The doctor Wang Chi summoned ordered bed rest, but as soon as Gu Pingyuan awakened, he had Dwarf Tiger open the small chest at his bedside and take out five hundred taels in silver drafts.

“Take this to the folks at Eighteen Li Market, especially Sister Qi.”

Dwarf Tiger felt the silver drafts burned his hands. “Third Manager, we’ve inquired – the whole province is in this situation now. Your silver is just a drop in the bucket. I think…”

“Go!” Gu Pingyuan roared angrily, aggravating his injuries and causing piercing pain. He had to cover his abdomen with his hands.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go. Third Manager, you rest well – I’m going right now.” Dwarf Tiger shrank his neck and scurried out of the room.

Lying in bed, Gu Pingyuan felt he could still faintly hear the customers’ cries and curses. His mind was confused and hazy, and soon he drifted back to sleep.

In his dreams, he returned to Gu Family Village, where the small stream behind the village flowed gurgling from the mountain cave. Fish played in the clear water, and in midsummer, he most loved reading in the bamboo grove by the stream head. The teacher’s daughter would also come there each afternoon to wash clothes. The two were mutually attracted but had never overstepped propriety. Only once, when sudden heavy rain struck and she ran to the bamboo grove for shelter, the narrow bamboo leaves couldn’t withstand the rain’s assault. He took off his long robe to shield both their heads – the first time in their lives they’d been so close, close enough to seemingly hear each other’s heartbeats.

He stared unblinkingly at his beloved so near, and she looked up at him once before shyly lowering her head. He couldn’t help but think of the Book of Songs: “Guan, guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river. The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady – for our prince a good mate she.” Moved by the moment, he reached out to grasp her soft hand.

Suddenly she startled like a frightened bird, pulled her hand away, and fled the bamboo grove. He called anxiously from behind: “Yimei, Yimei…” but only saw that graceful figure growing more distant, disappearing into the curtain of rain.

Gu Pingyuan suddenly opened his eyes to see someone beside him hurriedly standing up and turning away. His vision was still blurry as he struggled to make out the figure: “You…”

“Brother Gu, you’re awake.” The person took a long time to turn around, face flushed red, somewhat awkward and unsure where to place her hands.

“It’s you, Miss Chang.” Gu Pingyuan sighed in relief. Recalling the dream, he turned to see a table set with simple, elegant dishes and a steamer of freshly made oat flour buns, crafted small and delicate, aromatic with grain fragrance.

“I asked Sister Li to steam the buns, and I made the side dishes myself – all freshly picked mountain vegetables, the most tender possible. I asked someone knowledgeable, and they said your injury can’t have meat or fish, but mountain vegetables benefit the center and supplement qi.” Chang Yu’er spoke while coming over to set up the kang table.

“No, no.” Gu Pingyuan quickly waved his hands. “How can I let you wait on me? This isn’t proper.”

“At the Wang family, don’t I do the same things?” Chang Yu’er’s face was calm, but her heart dwelt on the name Gu Pingyuan had called in his dream – that must be his beloved. She looked at her own hands again, a trace of bitterness showing at her lips.

Just as both felt awkward, Dwarf Tiger burst in. He stared left and right, finally realizing his rashness. He stepped back, closed the door, and knocked carefully: “Third Manager, may I come in?”

Gu Pingyuan and Chang Yu’er looked at each other. Chang Yu’er couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Gu Pingyuan was both annoyed and amused: “Come in.”

“Third Manager,” Dwarf Tiger hesitated for a long time. “I didn’t deliver that silver.”

“Why not?”

“Sister Qi drank arsenic.”

“Ah!” Both Gu Pingyuan and Chang Yu’er were greatly shocked. Though Chang Yu’er didn’t know who Sister Qi was, hearing of someone’s death naturally alarmed her.

Gu Pingyuan was even more urgent, quickly grasping Dwarf Tiger’s sleeve: “What exactly happened?”

“Sigh. News that our exchange only pays silver, not copper coins, spread like wildfire – villages within ten li all heard, including Eighteen Li Market. Apparently, some scholar who doesn’t need to pay grain tax went to the village and had families who couldn’t pay taxes put their property under his name. If Sister Qi didn’t agree, there’d be no money for her son’s bride price, and naturally the engagement would be called off. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree. Probably the more she thought about it at home, the more humiliated she felt, so in a fit of anger, she drank poison.”

“Did she die?” Gu Pingyuan was devastated upon hearing this.

“Fortunately they discovered it in time and saved her by making her drink manure water. But from now on, their family will be tenant farmers, and the little family wealth they’d finally accumulated is all gone.” Dwarf Tiger said hesitantly, “I didn’t dare deliver the money. Her two sons’ eyes were bloodshot – if I’d said I was from Taiyufeng, the villagers would have detained me for sure.”

“How can that be? They need money most now – even medical treatment costs money!” Gu Pingyuan angrily pounded the bed repeatedly.

“This…” Dwarf Tiger really didn’t dare to go.

“Give it to me.” Chang Yu’er took the silver drafts from the side and gently comforted him: “Brother Gu, your injury requires rest – you mustn’t get agitated. Fortunately Sister Qi’s life is safe. I’ll handle this matter and definitely deliver these silver drafts.”

“Thank you, Miss Chang.” Gu Pingyuan nodded deeply. This movement actually caused unbearable pain at his fracture sites, but he endured it.

During his recovery, Wang Tiangui was also closely monitoring silver-coin movements. When five hundred large coins could exchange for one tael of silver, he felt it was about right.

“Wait one more day – tomorrow we’ll take our stored copper coins to the smelting houses and various exchange houses for conversion!” he instructed Manager Qu.

“Transport this batch of money to various villages and townships today – the more scattered the better, so it won’t be easily detected.” At the same time, Su Zixuan was also instructing Li Qin. Indeed, money could make ghosts turn millstones – they’d hired a group of well-diggers and blacksmiths, and with promises of thick profits, everyone worked desperately. In a very short time, they’d opened a batch of copper mines. Qing Dynasty copper coins were half copper, half lead, but theirs were thirty percent copper, seventy percent lead – truly small investment, large profit.

“Who would have thought copper coins would go crazy in these two months? If we convert all these copper coins to silver, we’ll make a fortune!” Li Qin rubbed his hands together eagerly.

“With Yunnan’s copper route cut off, plus the government proclamation, copper prices naturally had to rise.”

“And there’s Taiyufeng – I hear they really collected many copper coins. Now they’re using silver borrowed from competitors at interest to pay accounts. Once our counterfeit money circulates, it’s like stabbing Taiyufeng in the back.”

“That’s why I didn’t let you tell Manager Zhang about mining and minting coins – I’m waiting until we’ve both made a huge profit and severely damaged Taiyufeng to give him a surprise, and make him look at you with new respect.” Su Zixuan fanned herself leisurely.

Li Qin was so excited his nostrils flared and his eyes gleamed. Having Zhang Guangfa look at him with new respect was secondary – what he most wanted was to show his father Li Wantang: even Zhang Guangfa, whom you entrusted with important tasks, couldn’t accomplish what I’ve achieved in one stroke. Let’s see if you still talk about armchair strategists like Zhao Kuo and Ma Su.

“Hurry up – I estimate Taiyufeng will also make moves soon. We must get ahead of them.” After Li Qin left, Su Zixuan asked Sixi: “You’ve looked everything over carefully?”

“Miss, don’t worry. None of the silver drafts used by Li Qin for mining can be traced back to us. We never went to that mine either. Even if this matter is exposed, it’s only this young master who’ll take the blame.”

“I’m just afraid he can’t handle it.” Privately opening copper mines and minting coins was a capital crime. During Emperor Qianlong’s reign, Vice Minister of Revenue Qian Du was ordered to inspect Yunnan copper mines and discovered copper mine officials colluding with mine workers to withhold copper ore and sell it to Japanese pirates. He brought out the imperial execution flag and beheaded over ten people on the spot. One person was beheaded merely for privately minting a few copper coins to show off his skills – not only was he executed, but his property was confiscated, and his wife and children were exiled to the harsh borderlands to serve as slaves to armored soldiers.

“But this doesn’t concern us – if something happens, naturally Li Wantang will have the headache. As for you,” Su Zixuan turned to Sixi, “pay attention to Qiao Zhiyong these days. I hear he went to Baotou for sorghum business. Calculating the time, he should return soon. I want to meet this Shanxi’s greatest wealthy merchant.” As she said this, her eyes revealed a trace of subtle smugness.

“Chief Manager,” Manager Qu ran along the brick path, his face full of panic. “Today it’s actually five hundred fifty coins per tael – lower than yesterday! What should we do?”

Wang Tiangui frowned. “Any news from Yunnan?”

“None. I’ve stationed two clerks at the Yellow River crossing – if copper transport wagons cross the river, they’ll immediately gallop back to report. No one’s news can be faster than ours.”

“Then there’s no problem. Perhaps some exchange house also accumulated copper coins and dumped them, but it can’t be much. Copper prices will rise again. We won’t sell today – wait a few more days.”

Events far exceeded Wang Tiangui’s expectations. Two days later, copper prices actually dropped to seven hundred coins per tael. Manager Qu was sweating profusely: “Chief Manager, let’s sell too! If we don’t sell now, counting the high prices we paid for copper and the interest paid to other exchange houses, we’ll lose money!”

“No – Taiyufeng’s comeback depends entirely on these copper coins!” Wang Tiangui couldn’t help but feel anxious. He paced circles in his room: “The copper wagons from Yunnan haven’t arrived – how could copper prices fall?”

The saying goes “rarity makes things precious.” With no copper coins on the market now, the scarcer they became, the higher prices should rise. There was no reason for them to fall instead of rise – Wang Tiangui was truly baffled.

Gu Pingyuan also heard about this while bedridden. Wang Chi and the clerks visited him daily, and when discussing this matter, they all looked puzzled.

“It can’t be without reason.” Gu Pingyuan also found it strange, but thinking carefully, everything must have a cause. “Could it be that Rishengchang and the Weizihe Five United Firms joined forces to dump copper coins to stabilize the market?”

“I asked around.” This showed Wang Chi’s capabilities – he had acquaintances among clerks at these exchange houses. “Copper coins aren’t like silver drafts – large-scale dumping can’t be hidden. But not only these two firms – even clerks at the other dozen major exchange houses haven’t heard of such actions at their firms. As for the remaining small exchange houses, there’s no need to ask – they lack the strength for such operations.”

“There’s one more.” Gu Pingyuan’s heart trembled. “Could it be Daping Exchange?”

“Even less likely!” Wang Chi shook his head. “Ever since Daping Exchange opposed us, Chief Manager Wang ordered people to watch them. Daping Exchange never hoarded copper coins – if they never collected, where would they get any to dump?”

“In that case, this is truly a strange matter.” Even with Gu Pingyuan’s meticulous thinking, he couldn’t figure it out.

“Chief Manager, this is truly disastrous!” Another day later, Manager Qu ran to the Wang residence in the middle of the night, banging on the door. Entering, he carelessly tripped on the threshold and bloodied his head.

Seeing Manager Qu’s frantic state, Wang Tiangui knew something major had happened. Without bothering to let him sit and rest, he grabbed his lapels.

“Speak!”

“The government went to various townships today to withdraw the previous proclamation. Instead, they’re requiring tax payment in silver or grain only. Now aren’t all our copper coins stuck in our hands!” Manager Qu was so anxious he forgot his pain, repeatedly stamping his feet and beating his chest.

Wang Tiangui’s legs went weak as he sat back in his chair. He understood all too well what this government action meant. Tomorrow at dawn, copper coins would plummet further – eight hundred or even nine hundred coins per tael, possibly returning to the official rate of one thousand copper coins. His own heavy losses were already certain. Most critically, other exchange houses had previously been willing to lend silver because they saw the large amount of copper coins in his vault as collateral. Now with copper coins plummeting, never mind borrowing more – they’d probably demand immediate repayment.

“Call the horse service for a fast horse – I must go to the province tonight!” Wang Tiangui suddenly shouted.

Watching Wang Tiangui frantically exit the main gate, board a carriage and gallop away with whip cracking, Ruyi peered from beside the door with a smile in her eyes. But when she glimpsed Chang Yu’er also hurriedly leaving, that barely perceptible smile instantly turned cold – she knew whom this girl was going to see.

“Don’t think a few broken bones settles it.” She quietly uttered these words. Though it was deep in the night, no one could hear clearly or distinguish them.

“This happened?” Gu Pingyuan was young after all – after recuperating for over ten days, his body had mostly recovered.

“I heard it clearly – there’s absolutely no mistake. Brother Gu, don’t you think Wang Tiangui is going to be in trouble now?” Chang Yu’er appeared very happy.

Contrary to her expectations, Gu Pingyuan pondered for a moment, then slowly sat leaning against the wall, showing no joy on his face.

“Brother Gu…”

“All the businessmen in the city – no! – in the entire province are going to be in trouble.” Gu Pingyuan looked deeply worried.

“Why?”

“Think about it – originally copper prices soared and the government required tax payment in copper coins. Common people suffered losses converting back to copper coins – that was already a huge loss. Now the government has changed course again, and they have to convert their copper coins back to silver or buy back grain. That’s another huge loss. The market is already depressed – how can it withstand such devastation!”

“But isn’t Wang Tiangui’s loss the greatest?”

“His greed makes this inevitable. But if this matter is serious enough to bring down Taiyufeng, then how many common people will lose everything, how many businessmen will go bankrupt and close shops, and what about Taiyufeng’s clerks – their rice bowls will all be smashed too.”

“Brother Gu,” Chang Yu’er listened quietly to Gu Pingyuan’s words, adding a trace of respect to her expression, but she also had something to say: “In doing things, you must take care of yourself first before you can take care of others. Look at why Wang Tiangui succeeds in everything – it’s because he has no scruples and only looks out for himself. But you always consider others first. Your heart is truly kind, but inevitably your hands and feet are bound. In the end, you can’t protect yourself. When that time comes, you can’t help others or yourself – wouldn’t that be contrary to your wishes?”

Gu Pingyuan looked surprised. Chang Yu’er was gentle on the outside but strong within – he’d already experienced this in Mongolia. He hadn’t expected her insight into matters to be so penetrating, hitting the nail on the head with just a few words.

“Miss Chang, you’re absolutely right.” He said slowly, “It’s just that I, Gu Pingyuan, was still a scholar a few years ago. Now learning to do business, I must master a businessman’s methods, but I won’t forget a scholar’s conscience.”

Chang Yu’er remained silent. She loved Gu Pingyuan precisely because he was a businessman unlike other businessmen, and she didn’t want him to become someone like Wang Tiangui who used any means necessary. But after several setbacks, Wang Tiangui’s methods were vicious. If Gu Pingyuan couldn’t harden his heart, he might well lose to this man again next time. When that happened, success or failure would be secondary – whether he could even keep his life would be questionable.

Gu Pingyuan hadn’t thought as far ahead as Chang Yu’er – he was still thinking about immediate matters: “Since Wang Tiangui has connections with officials, the government won’t change proclamations without reason. This trip to the province will surely bring back inside information about the copper price drop. Tomorrow the truth will be revealed.”

Gu Pingyuan guessed correctly. Wang Tiangui sought an urgent audience with the Provincial Treasurer that night. Provincial Treasurer Xu said nothing, only tossed him two copper coins. Wang Tiangui examined them carefully and immediately widened his eyes.

“Even you need half a day to detect them – common people can’t distinguish real from fake at all. Now half the tax money collected by the provincial treasury is counterfeit, so we had to change to grain and silver for tax payment. The Governor ordered that this matter has reached such a state that we just seek to avoid mistakes – protecting the provincial treasury’s tax money protects military provisions. Nothing else matters! Can’t help Master Wang – truly sorry.”

News of rampant counterfeit coins spread like wildfire. “Copper coins on the market are all fake – the government has stopped using copper coins!” Once this sentence spread, copper prices tumbled even faster. In just a few days, it became one thousand two hundred coins per tael of silver, and even large restaurants and shops refused copper coins. What had been sweet cakes became stinking dog shit. Common people who’d just exchanged for a few strings of copper coins cried to heaven and earth, begging everywhere to exchange back to silver. But now everyone feared copper coins like tigers – carrying copper coins met closed doors everywhere.

Li Qin didn’t care about any of this. This time he’d truly made a fortune. Carrying a thick stack of silver drafts, he went to find Zhang Guangfa and bowed upon entering: “Uncle Zhang, congratulations!”

Zhang Guangfa was waiting for Beijing’s brilliant strategy to take effect while being baffled by recent events in Shanxi’s commercial circles. Seeing Li Qin playing mysterious again, he naturally showed no good face.

“Young Master Qin, where have you been running around lately? If you keep fooling around…”

“Wait, wait – first look at this.” Li Qin pulled out the stack of silver drafts. Taking advantage of Zhang Guangfa’s stunned moment, he explained the copper mining and coin minting operation in detail.

“Now Taiyufeng is going to collapse. What you couldn’t accomplish despite tremendous effort, I’ve helped you achieve. Uncle Zhang, you should thank me!” Li Qin waited to hear Zhang Guangfa’s praise, but unexpectedly Zhang Guangfa’s eyebrows shot up after hearing this.

“Thank you? Young Master Qin, do you know what huge trouble you’ve caused?” Cold sweat broke out on Zhang Guangfa’s back. “You truly don’t know how high the sky is! Privately opening copper mines is a capital offense, and privately minting copper coins means property confiscation. Do you think the Master sent me to Shanxi just to deal with Taiyufeng, and after bringing it down everything would be fine? We’re here to replace Jin merchants, to turn Shanxi exchange houses into Li family exchange houses – we must deal with exchange houses throughout the province.”

“Then what did I do wrong?” Li Qin looked completely unconvinced. “Didn’t I bring down one first?”

“Ai ya, my Young Master Qin!” Zhang Guangfa stamped his feet anxiously. “Did you need to use this method? This is an unpardonable capital crime – it’s like handing people a handle to grab. No matter how much we suppress Jin merchants, as long as someone grabs this point, we’ll immediately suffer complete defeat. Aren’t you being foolish!”

“Let me tell you,” Zhang Guangfa caught his breath and continued: “The Master’s linked stratagem is about to be unleashed – this is the critical moment. You absolutely can’t cause trouble now. Immediately dismiss all the workers, fill in the mine shafts, and never go near that area again. Otherwise, if something happens, even the Master can’t protect you!”

Li Qin had been full of joy but got a cold shoulder instead. Clutching his silver drafts as he left Daping Exchange, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He muttered resentfully: “When I don’t manage affairs, you say I’m worthless. When I do manage affairs, you say I’m causing trouble. I don’t believe it – can’t this pile of silver be put to use somewhere!”

The doctor had originally said Gu Pingyuan should rest for a month, but he got up after less than half a month. Walking through the streets and alleys, he saw sighing crowds everywhere. The only ones jumping around were yamen runners, banging on doors at various houses demanding tax money, with loud scolding and quiet begging intermingled. The whole city was filled with lamentations, and the formerly bustling sundry markets now showed not a single soul.

“This business can’t be done anymore.” Two cart drivers were chatting idly at the street corner. “Goods are displayed but no one buys – who can afford to wait day after day?” The speaker wore hemp shoes with holes, occasionally sticking his finger between his toes to scratch and sniff.

“That’s not all – any moment two runners might come and take away the day’s food money. That would be truly unlucky.” A big-eyed fellow nearby added.

“Not unlucky, not unlucky.” The first man waved his hands repeatedly. “Most unlucky is having no silver, only copper coins – that’s terrible! The government only wants silver. If you can’t produce it, they’ll arrest you and make family members bring silver. If they’re late, you get beaten with boards – your buttocks will definitely bloom like flowers.”

“The government won’t take copper coins, and business stalls won’t accept copper coins either. Brother Zhang,” the big-eyed man chuckled twice, “you owe me two hundred coins – I don’t dare accept copper coins. Who knows which are real and which are fake? Better pay in silver.”

“Two hundred coins equals only one qian and seven fen in silver – not even as big as a fingernail clipping. How can I pay that?” Brother Zhang stopped scratching his foot and glared angrily.

“Gentlemen,” Gu Pingyuan understood – this was a debt repayment dispute. He stepped forward: “I can distinguish real from fake copper coins. Why don’t you give me the money and let me help you identify them?”

“You?” The two men looked at each other, both somewhat skeptical. “Looking at you like a pale-faced scholar who doesn’t know how to spend money, can you really identify real from fake coins? I heard these fake coins can fool anyone – only exchange house people can tell the difference.”

“I am from an exchange house – I’m the Third Manager of Taiyufeng.”

“Oh, then we truly failed to recognize Mount Tai!” Brother Zhang untied the money pouch from his waist and took out two small strings of threaded coins. “Please take a look.”

Gu Pingyuan took the two hundred coins, untied the strings, and picked them up one by one – looking, feeling, and holding them up to the sunlight. After a long time, he sorted them into two piles, pointing to the smaller pile: “These are all real – the rest are fake.”

“Ai yo!” Brother Zhang slapped his thigh. “This is killing people! Who’s so wicked to make fake coins? When the Emperor catches them, they should be flayed alive!”

After examining these two hundred coins, Gu Pingyuan was secretly shocked. These fake coins were remarkably well-made – externally identical to real coins, just with slightly blurred characters. But real coins used for a long time would also have worn, blurred characters, so this couldn’t be used to distinguish real from fake. Exchange house people could identify fakes only through experience – they could see that real and fake coins had slightly different-sized square holes in the center. But ordinary people, not having handled so much money, could hardly distinguish them.

“Whoever could make such fake coins is no ordinary person.” Gu Pingyuan was right – the coin-minting sand molds were made from Su Zixuan’s drawings, virtually identical to the twenty-five genuine coin templates made by the Ministry of Revenue.

Returning to Taiyufeng, Gu Pingyuan first went to find Wang Tiangui. Wang Tiangui had been anxious and restless these past days. The vault held mountains of copper coins that had now become hot potatoes. Moreover, the exchange faced daily crises – he knew that failing to pay out even one sum would immediately trigger a run, and Taiyufeng would certainly collapse. So he’d rather lose money for show, borrowing silver at high interest from other exchange houses to pay interest, just to keep the business running. But watching the hole grow bigger, Wang Tiangui was forced to quietly sell several of his business shops to manage, but what would he do next month when interest was due to other exchange houses? He hadn’t figured it out yet. The exchange’s clerks all tiptoed past the back courtyard, not daring to breathe loudly, or they’d certainly receive harsh scolding. The only person unchanged was Old Crooked – he’d always been frighteningly gloomy, and could stand motionless and silent at the door all day. When Gu Pingyuan came to find Wang Tiangui, he first looked deeply at Old Crooked. Old Crooked stared back with his exposed eye. Anyone else would immediately look away, but Gu Pingyuan didn’t – he looked at Old Crooked carefully with a trace of compassion before stepping into Wang Tiangui’s room.

“Nonsense!” Soon Wang Tiangui’s thunderous angry shouts came from the room. “How dare you add to the chaos at this time? Get out!”

Gu Pingyuan walked out silently. Wang Chi and others all gathered concernedly at the moon gate between the front and back halls, watching. But Gu Pingyuan wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he turned to Old Crooked and said: “First day of next month at high noon – I’ll wait for you at Wubian Temple.”

Old Crooked rarely showed surprise, looking Gu Pingyuan up and down.

“Whether you come is up to you.” Gu Pingyuan left this remark and turned to go outside.

“Third Manager, your injury isn’t fully healed – why did you come out?” The clerks chattered. Wang Chi also asked: “What did you want with the Chief Manager?”

Gu Pingyuan didn’t answer his question but said with deep feeling: “Some people see profit as nothing but money. Such people, even with large shops, are still just petty merchants.”

The clerks were baffled, but Wang Chi heard he must be referring to Wang Tiangui. Since this concerned his relative, he couldn’t continue the conversation and stared at Gu Pingyuan blankly.

But Gu Pingyuan said no more. He took paper and brush from the counter and wrote on red paper, inscribing two lines: “Genuine Coin Table – Identifying Real from Fake.” Then he moved over a table and chairs, properly pasting the paper slip on top.

“Genuine Coin Table?” The clerks all stared in bewilderment. “Third Manager, what is this…”

“If coins can’t be distinguished as real or fake, goods can’t circulate, merchants can’t be trusted, and profits can’t be sustained. The reason Shanxi commercial circles are in such chaos now is because of these counterfeit copper coins. Everyone lives in fear – sellers dare not accept money, buyers have nowhere to spend money, and the path between buying and selling is blocked.” Gu Pingyuan pointed to the table before him. “I’m setting up this Genuine Coin Table to help everyone distinguish real from fake coins, letting sellers dare to sell and buyers be able to buy, reopening this blocked path!”

“This…” The clerks hesitated, looking at each other. White Flower Snake scratched his head: “There are tens of millions of copper coins circulating in Shanxi Province. If we identify them like this, when will we ever finish – even in the year of the monkey and month of the horse?”

Gu Pingyuan didn’t answer, just moved the table outside and set up his stall in front of Manyi Restaurant, not far from Taiyufeng.

At first, no one paid attention to him. Later, gradually some diners wanted to pay with copper coins, but Manyi Restaurant’s counter wouldn’t accept them. Both sides got into an argument, and together they thought of Gu Pingyuan, so they both came out to ask him to make an identification. Gu Pingyuan meticulously examined several thousand coins one by one, clearly distinguishing them. Only then did both sides avoid a quarrel, and Manyi Restaurant’s business was concluded. From then on, Manyi Restaurant no longer hung up a “No Copper Coins Accepted” sign. Instead, when someone paid with copper coins, they would ask Gu Pingyuan to check them. Gu Pingyuan didn’t want even one copper coin – he worked completely for free, busy from morning to evening. Manyi Restaurant felt embarrassed and wanted to provide his three meals, but Gu Pingyuan politely declined, only asking the counter for a pot of hot tea to drink.

Seeing Manyi Restaurant’s business pick up again, other restaurant owners became envious. Some privately approached Gu Pingyuan, wanting him to move his Genuine Coin Table to their restaurants. Gu Pingyuan smiled and told them that this coin-identifying skill was possessed by any Taiyufeng clerk with over three years’ experience. Why not set up a Genuine Coin Table at each commercial street entrance where these restaurants were located, then have Taiyufeng’s street-running clerks take turns on duty?

The street-running clerks had nothing to do anyway due to the market depression. When people came with generous gifts to request their services, naturally having one less task was better than having more – they were happy to earn some extra income. After a few more days, everyone discovered that these Genuine Coin Tables were tremendously beneficial. No matter which commercial street, as long as a street-running clerk sat at the entrance, business immediately flourished. With buying and selling came borrowing and depositing, and exchange houses no longer had only customers coming to withdraw money.

“Third Manager, this move of yours is truly brilliant.” One day after the market closed, the clerks gathered at Gu Pingyuan’s house to drink and chat. Dwarf Tiger picked up a few peanuts and chewed them with relish. After a sip of wine, feeling completely comfortable, he couldn’t help but speak up: “It’s just that results come slowly. With so much money on the market, when will we see an end? Exchange house clerks can’t neglect their proper duties to guard commercial streets all day – in the long run, the Chief Manager won’t agree!”

“You’re absolutely right!” Gu Pingyuan had been looking for an opportunity to discuss this matter. “Everyone has worked hard these past days. The money you’ve handled must total several tens of thousands?”

“Even hundreds of thousands.” White Flower Snake rubbed his aching fingers.

“Good. Have you discovered the difference between fake and real coins? I mean differences that common people can immediately recognize.”

“This…” The clerks had only focused on identifying real from fake, not considering this much. Only Wang Chi said: “I felt these real and fake copper coins were somewhat different.”

“Right.” Gu Pingyuan enthusiastically took out one real and one fake coin. “Since Emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne, the real coin molds have been used for over a year. The surfaces have long been worn smooth, so coins cast from them also have smooth surfaces. Old coins used for a long time are even more slippery. But fake coin molds have only been used for a short time – their surfaces still have sand-casting marks, so fake coins naturally have some rough edges. It’s hard to distinguish with the naked eye, but you can tell by feeling them carefully in your hand.”

“That’s right!” With his reminder, the clerks suddenly understood. Dwarf Tiger complained: “Third Manager, why didn’t you say this earlier? I wouldn’t have had to examine each one against the sunlight. These past days, my eyes are nearly blind from looking.”

“I only just figured it out myself.” Gu Pingyuan smiled. “Besides, this method isn’t for you to use.”

“Then it’s for…” Dwarf Tiger was still confused when Wang Chi slapped his head. “Didn’t you hear the Third Manager? Teach this method to those small businessmen. They’ll learn quickly – one teaches ten, ten teach a hundred. When all the common people can distinguish them, these fake coins will naturally disappear without a trace.”

“Ah!” Dwarf Tiger was both surprised and delighted, holding a real coin in one hand and a fake in the other. “Hey, this should really infuriate those bastards who make fake coins!”

The next day was the first of the month. Gu Pingyuan worked busily all morning but kept one matter on his mind. Without even eating lunch, he hurried to Wubian Temple. After waiting briefly, he saw Old Crooked walking up step by step from the mountain foot.

“What do you want with me?” Old Crooked asked directly upon meeting.

Gu Pingyuan walked toward the temple, saying as he went: “The Buddhist Three Treasures say many things cannot be spoken. Some matters are better done than said, and what’s done must be seen. Since you came, be patient. Soon you’ll see what you should see.”

Everyone is curious. Though Old Crooked had a heart like iron and stone, at this moment he couldn’t help but be attracted by Gu Pingyuan’s words. He grunted: “If you dare toy with me…”

“I know.” Gu Pingyuan glanced at him without fear in his eyes. “You’re a demon who kills without blinking, and if someone calls your name, you’ll cut out their tongue.”

“You!” Old Crooked’s face changed color. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Pingyuan suddenly said sharply: “Silence!”

They had walked into the temple’s side hall. From outside came several women’s voices – though they whispered, in the quiet, solemn ancient temple, their words were faintly audible. Old Crooked looked out the window and indeed saw a group of women entering together, carrying baskets. Through the open lids, he could see offerings of fruit and incense candles.

Old Crooked was puzzled, then remembered that Wubian Temple usually didn’t receive female benefactors – only on the first and fifteenth of each month was this an exception. He sneered coldly at Gu Pingyuan: “You brought me here to see this?”

But Gu Pingyuan didn’t answer, his eyes fixed on the corner gate. Old Crooked followed his gaze and was immediately struck as if by lightning, standing frozen in place.

At the corner gate, a blind old woman walked in tremblingly, holding a cane in her hand. Though her clothes were simple, they were very clean. Beside her was a middle-aged servant woman, equally neat and efficient. With a basket on her left arm and her right hand supporting the old woman, she slowly helped her forward.

“Aunt Xue, go slowly. This temple is shady, and the floor tiles are covered with moss – it’s very slippery.” The servant woman clearly cared for the old lady, giving constant reminders with each step. The old woman nodded in acknowledgment.

Old Crooked had long been stunned. This old woman was none other than his own mother, Mrs. Xue. When he’d last seen her, she’d been slovenly and dirty, and he knew she never stepped outside her door. How had she changed so much?

He stood dazed in the side hall, watching as the servant woman helped Mrs. Xue to the stone table and chairs in the courtyard, placing a cushion on the stone bench before helping the old lady sit down.

She opened the basket and took out some fruit and bread to offer Mrs. Xue, but Mrs. Xue waved her hand. Hearing an oriole singing overhead, she broke off a piece of bread and scattered it on the table. Soon greedy birds hopped onto the table to peck at the food. After eating what was on the table, seeing the old lady still had some crumbs in her hand, they hopped over to peck at those too.

“Oh!” Mrs. Xue was startled but, understanding what happened, laughed together with the servant woman.

Old Crooked gripped the window lattice tightly, watching his mother’s face as greedily as that gluttonous oriole. He’d long forgotten when his mother had last smiled. Ever since that night of gambling, everything had changed – he’d never smiled again, his mother had never smiled again. Only Ruyi often smiled, but behind that smile lay bottomless hatred.

Even after Mrs. Xue stood up and slowly walked into the Main Buddha Hall to worship, her figure disappearing from view, Old Crooked still stared unblinkingly, his gaze full of obsession.

“Brother Gao!” Gu Pingyuan had been standing quietly behind him, now speaking softly.

Just these two words were like provoking an enraged leopard. Old Crooked spun around, grabbing Gu Pingyuan’s throat with one hand and pressing him firmly against the wall.

Gu Pingyuan opened his mouth wide but couldn’t draw a breath, his face turning iron-blue from suffocation. Only when he felt Old Crooked’s grip gradually loosening did he manage to break free, half-crouching on the ground and coughing for a long time before he could struggle to say one sentence.

“In your mother’s heart, you’ll always be Gao Dehui, not Old Crooked!”

Old Crooked stared at him for a long moment: “The mother-son bond was severed long ago. There’s no one in this world with that name.”

“Then tell me,” Gu Pingyuan stood up breathlessly, pointing toward the main hall outside the window, “why does your mother, each time she comes to worship Buddha, after reciting the ‘Avatamsaka Sutra,’ quietly add the words: ‘May this old body bear all sins of this life alone, may all hellish retribution fall on me, having nothing to do with Gao Dehui’?”

Old Crooked’s body swayed, crying out in shock: “What?”

“That servant woman, Sister Li, was hired by me to care for the old lady. She’s always nearby when she worships Buddha, and she told me these words personally. The old lady kneels devoutly each time to recite the Avatamsaka Sutra for human redemption, and each time she finishes, she says those words. If there were no person called Gao Dehui in this world, this person must still exist in her heart. She’d rather suffer evil retribution herself than have it fall on this person. Don’t you understand?”

Old Crooked’s chest heaved continuously. Suddenly he turned and ran toward the door, but stopped at the threshold, slowly falling to his knees, his whole body trembling violently. His fingernails dug into the brick cracks, splitting piece by piece, as large tears mixed with blood flowed in this Buddha hall lit by green lamps.

“The saying goes ‘children want to care for parents, but parents don’t wait.’ The old lady is advanced in years after all. I couldn’t bear to see you mother and son like this, so I purchased two mu of poor farmland outside the city for her, hired tenants to work it, and she lives on the rental income. From now on, food and clothing are secure. Usually, Sister Li helps manage household affairs. She and the old lady get along very well, and in recent days, your mother’s state of mind has improved considerably.” Gu Pingyuan spoke slowly from the side.

Old Crooked took a deep breath, stood up and faced him. His eyes still held coldness as he took out a dagger from his robes and handed it over: “Gu Pingyuan, don’t think that repaying evil with kindness means I owe you a favor – impossible! Three cuts, six holes – I’ll return them to you. Strike!”

Gu Pingyuan smiled, shaking his head dismissively: “You think I’m making you owe me a favor? Making you help me deal with Wang Tiangui?”

“Isn’t that it?”

“I want you to understand the old lady’s heart. She’s there reciting sutras and chanting Buddha’s name to redeem your sins. And you? You help tyrants commit evil, killing good people. If the old lady takes your evil karma upon herself, won’t she suffer endless terrible retribution in the future!”

Old Crooked was greatly shaken upon hearing this. His dagger clattered to the ground, and he seemed struck by a heavy hammer, staggering backward several steps.

“I can fulfill filial duties for you physically, but heart-felt filial piety must come from you. After all, mother and son are flesh and blood – ghosts and spirits all know this. No one can substitute for it.”

“Then… then…” Old Crooked’s mind was in great turmoil, looking at Gu Pingyuan in bewilderment.

“I know you don’t know where to go from here. Why not abandon evil and embrace good? Didn’t you once want to join the army? All evil karma began from that day – why not start over again now?”

“Start over, start over…” Old Crooked murmured this dozen times, recalling that night many years ago – Ruyi’s earnest persuasion, their shadows against peach blossoms, his own heroic aspirations now all turned to bubbles. He seemed dazed, shaking his head after a long moment: “Too late!”

“Not too late.” Gu Pingyuan had said what he needed to say. He walked out of the hall, leaving behind one distant sentence: “Do you want to be Old Crooked for life? The sea of suffering is boundless – turning back is the shore!”

Old Crooked stared wide-eyed at Gu Pingyuan’s departure. In his ears came the clear sound of striking a chime from the main hall – indicating someone had just finished reciting a sutra. Old Crooked suddenly let out a mournful howl, the long sound like a wounded wolf crying and wailing in grief.

Leaving Wubian Temple, Gu Pingyuan didn’t return to the county seat. He had another place he absolutely had to visit – the Rishengchang head office in Pingyao.

“Sun brilliant in the sky, ten thousand treasures and essence shine together in colorful splendor; Rising to blessed land, convergence from eight directions uniquely remarkable.” Standing before this decades-old exchange house, Gu Pingyuan saw these five stone steps rising above street level, the bright main courtyard’s five grand rooms of this merchant leader. Looking at the couplet carved high on the gate wall in a top scholar’s calligraphy, his heart was deeply moved.

This was what brought honor to businessmen! He knew that building such a great business required generations of managers and clerks working hard. Though inside the counters, abacuses clicked methodically and clerks smiled welcomingly at customers, the business seeming calm as still water, behind it lay countless storms and hidden dangers.

“Young brother, you’ve come!” Lady Lei emerged wearing a moon-white dress with red trim, radiant and spirited.

“Manager Lei, have you been well?” Gu Pingyuan bowed deeply, but Lady Lei, being a straightforward person, immediately supported him with her always kind smile.

“You really are something – when we parted in Xi’an, I told you to visit Rishengchang when you had time. Why come only now, and so formally when you do?” Lady Lei pretended to scold. “Come in quickly. I begged half a tael of that Da Hong Pao tea from young Qiao, just waiting for you to drink it.” Saying this, she pulled him along, and Gu Pingyuan had no choice but to follow Lady Lei into the exchange house under everyone’s astonished gazes.

All the clerks in the exchange, seeing their usually dignified manager so warmly greeting an unknown young man, were dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed as the two walked into the back hall manager’s room before poking each other and whispering.

“Young brother, if I’m not mistaken, you wouldn’t visit a temple without a purpose.” When the tea was steeping, Lady Lei asked directly.

“Yes.”

“Speak then. Did Manager Wang send you to borrow silver?” Lady Lei smiled as usual, but these days’ business troubles were enough to vex her. With the copper coin disruption, the market was depressed and cold. Though Rishengchang was wealthy and powerful, several months without profits meant sitting idle and consuming resources – hardly a solution. The real headaches lay ahead. If Wang Tiangui came to borrow silver, Lady Lei would never be tempted by high interest rates – she’d refuse without thinking. But with Gu Pingyuan coming, matters became difficult. The silver vault needed to keep reserves for emergencies, but Lady Lei truly liked Gu Pingyuan. Moreover, he’d saved her and the other managers from trouble in Xi’an. Now, if he asked, she’d have to agree regardless.

Unexpectedly, Lady Lei was wrong. Gu Pingyuan spoke of something else entirely. He detailed how he’d set up Genuine Coin Tables, helped merchants and customers identify real from fake copper coins, and discovered the differences between real and fake coins. Finally, he said: “Now several commercial streets in Taigu County with Taiyufeng clerks stationed have reopened. Starting today, clerks will teach everyone how to distinguish real from fake. I believe it won’t be long before fake coins have no place to hide in Taigu.”

Lady Lei listened with growing excitement, clapping once: “You’re truly something! I understand – you came to me hoping Rishengchang will follow suit and set up Genuine Coin Tables in Pingyao too.”

“No. I hope Manager Lei can stand forward as head of the exchange houses and promote this method throughout the province. At minimum, the eighteen major exchange houses should implement it. The smaller ones will naturally follow. This way, before long, those fake coins will melt away like snow in sunlight.”

“Truly excellent.” Lady Lei hadn’t expected Gu Pingyuan to deliver a solution, perfectly resolving a persistent worry. She stood and walked a few steps, thinking, then said: “This matter could also work through government channels – set up several Genuine Coin Tables in front of the tax collection offices. At worst, exchange houses work for free, letting common people confidently pay taxes with copper coins. Once the government approves, it can immediately stabilize the market.”

“Worthy of being Rishengchang’s manager.” Seeing her such quick thinking, Gu Pingyuan sincerely admired her, knowing that by speaking thus, Lady Lei naturally agreed with his idea.

Just as the two were about to discuss further, a maid hurried from the back room, whispering in Lady Lei’s ear. Her face immediately changed slightly as she smiled apologetically: “Young brother, please wait. I’ll return shortly.”

Rishengchang had six courtyards front to back, with sixty-seven rooms total, including halls. The main and side courtyards each had three groups. The back three courtyards were built by Lei Lutai, who’d bought surrounding shops and residences to expand on Rishengchang’s original site, serving as the Lei family’s private residence for convenient business management.

Lady Lei lived in side rooms herself, giving the main rooms to her brother Lei Nianzhu. Lei Nianzhu had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood but was weak and sickly. The Lei family consulted experts and gave him this name to pray for his blessing. Lei Lutai had once hoped to pass the family business to his son, but Lei Nianzhu’s constitution truly couldn’t bear the burden. Later, Lady Lei vowed before Buddha never to marry, precisely to help her brother preserve this family business.

“Nianzhu, I heard you urgently needed to see me?” Lady Lei entered her brother’s bedroom as several maids quickly stood aside respectfully. A young woman adorned with pearl ornaments also stood and curtsied to her: “Actually, it’s nothing urgent.” The woman looked uneasily at the man on the bed.

“Cough, cough. Sister is speaking with me – don’t interrupt.” The man leaning against the bed darkened his expression. His complexion was gray and ashen, his frame skeletal, but his eyes were deep as pool water. Though it was nearly Mid-Autumn Festival, he wore a sable coat, and doors and windows were tightly shut, letting no breeze through.

Lady Lei comfortingly stroked the young woman’s soft shoulder – this was the wife she’d chosen for her brother. Others thought the Rishengchang young master would marry either a wealthy merchant’s daughter or an official family’s daughter, but Lady Lei had specifically chosen a poor florist’s daughter from the back street. When news spread, it became the talk of the streets. However, this florist’s daughter was truly a virtuous wife – the gentlest, kindest woman who treated servants generously, relatives courteously, and her husband with complete obedience, never saying “no.” Everyone in the Lei household praised her. The only puzzling thing was that this bashfully smiling woman had begun wearing long clothes and pants year-round soon after entering the Lei household. Though women not exposing skin was proper, covering herself so completely year-round that not even her wrists showed was indeed unusual.

Lady Lei had her sister-in-law stand aside and sat on the kang edge beside her brother, saying gently: “Are you feeling unwell? I’ve sent people to Beijing’s Tongrentang for your medicine, especially giving them bear gall from Russia this time. The medicine made should be better than previous years.”

“Thank you for your care, sister.” Lei Nianzhu forced a slight smile. “I’m fine – just old ailments. How could I die so quickly? I heard from the maids that someone came to the front hall, and sister seemed very happy to see him. I particularly wanted to ask about it.”

“Oh, that’s Gu Pingyuan I told you about when I returned from Xi’an.” Lady Lei was relieved to hear this, then explained Gu Pingyuan’s purpose: “He’s about your age but truly a rare commercial talent. Given time, his achievements will be immeasurable…” She spoke with slight excitement but suddenly felt something improper and hesitantly stopped.

Lei Nianzhu smiled bitterly: “He’s a capable, aggressive man. What can I, half-dead, compare with him?”

“Brother, I spoke wrongly. Don’t take it to heart.” Hearing him say this, Lady Lei felt terrible.

“What’s this about? But after hearing sister’s words, I also have something to say. It’s about business matters – I don’t know if I should speak up?” Lei Nianzhu stared intently at his sister’s eyes.

“You’re a Lei family member – what can’t you say? Never mind other things, you own a large share of the Wealth God stocks. Should you have no say?” Lady Lei pretended to scold.

Lei Nianzhu nodded: “This Gu Pingyuan’s method is good, but… if Rishengchang really does as he says, even following his guidance to contact provincial colleagues, word spreading outside – wouldn’t it mean the Lei family follows this Mr. Gu’s lead? Father’s lifetime reputation wasn’t easy to build. Sister’s been working hard maintaining such a large enterprise. Don’t let one careless move hand over decades of reputation to outsiders.”

He coughed laboriously several times as his wife immediately came forward to help him sit up slightly, gently patting his back. “Sister, I’m just talking. You must decide everything. I’m a useless person who never leaves home, understanding nothing. My words don’t count.”

Lady Lei bit her lower lip, her face somewhat pale. After a long moment, she smiled: “No wonder father always praised your learning and thoughtfulness. Can’t you occasionally offer advice to help sister fill gaps? Don’t worry – sister knows what she’s doing and will never damage our Lei family’s reputation.”

Seeing her brother had nothing more to say, she took her leave. Lady Lei’s sister-in-law brought a small plate of pear slices, using an imported Western fork to feed her husband a piece, saying gently: “These are seasonal Laiyang pears, most nourishing for lung qi. Eating more should help your cough. Ah!”

She suddenly cried out half a sound before immediately closing her mouth, her face showing pain. Lei Nianzhu held a small fork, stabbing it into her leg as blood soon stained her silk skirt. The maids on both sides lowered their heads deeply, not daring to look at the young master and madam.

Lei Nianzhu watched his wife endure pain, his eyes also seeming to show suffering, but mixed with madness, jealousy, and traces of unwilling anger.

Lady Lei walked out of the main courtyard, stopping in the corridor to look back blankly at the towering eaves. She understood this brother too well – pitiful yet… hadn’t her lifelong spinsterhood resulted from his “casual” remark to their father, forcing her to make that vow? She couldn’t help but think of that devoted scholar in Pukou town outside the city who’d missed his examinations just to see her once. He’d waited so many years, then married a tenant farmer’s daughter a few months ago. People said the woman looked much like herself.

“Sigh!” Lady Lei sighed, about to turn when she suddenly heard her sister-in-law’s pained cries from the room. Her face darkened as she called over the nearby steward: “Starting tomorrow, increase the monthly allowance to the madam’s family by fifty taels, from my private account.”

Returning to the front hall, Lady Lei looked terrible. She truly didn’t know how to tell Gu Pingyuan about changing her mind. Her expression was like an open book – Gu Pingyuan immediately knew something had changed and couldn’t speak either. The two sat in long silence, the air in the room seeming frozen.

“Manager Gu…”

“Manager Lei,” Gu Pingyuan interrupted, “my earlier suggestion truly had many flaws. Let me return to think carefully. This matter can be discussed slowly. You have countless daily affairs – forgive me for not disturbing you further.” He stood up.

Lady Lei apologetically saw him to the door, watching him mount his horse. Taking the reins from a servant and handing them to Gu Pingyuan, she said quietly: “Young brother, I’m sorry.”

Gu Pingyuan worried about this matter for several days. Lady Lei was a reasonable person – since she had unspeakable difficulties, he couldn’t force her. But if Genuine Coin Tables weren’t established province-wide, fake coins couldn’t be eliminated, and businessmen would continue suffering.

He was thinking about who besides Rishengchang could command responses from all exchange houses when he muttered to himself at the Genuine Coin Table: “Should I go find that old Mao?” Thinking of the calculating Mao Honghan, Gu Pingyuan felt somewhat intimidated.

“Which old Mao are you talking about?” Someone blocked the sun, their aged voice impolite but familiar. Gu Pingyuan started, looking up to see – speak of the devil! He hurriedly stood: “Manager Mao, how is it you?”

“Weren’t you just mentioning me?” Mao Honghan glared.

“No, no – I was talking about old Mao from the front street who owes the exchange money.” Gu Pingyuan’s face reddened as he waved his hands repeatedly.

“Hehe, young man, you’re far from good at lying.” Mao Honghan laughed heartily, then spoke seriously: “I came to Taigu on business and stopped by to thank you.”

“Thank me for what?” Gu Pingyuan asked puzzledly.

“For this Genuine Coin Table.” Mao Honghan knocked on the table. “Don’t tell me you don’t know – now all provincial exchange houses regard these Genuine Coin Tables as the ultimate method for generating profit. From Datong Prefecture in the north to Yuncheng County in the south, commercial streets everywhere are setting up these things. Hehe, Brother Gu, you’ve truly saved this province’s exchange houses.”