"If the price of raw silk surges, how could those brocade merchants accept it tamely? What if they band together to drive prices down?"
Wei Yuan naturally had an answer prepared for the King of Jin's question. "Raw silk is finite, but brocade can be infinite. How much land there is dictates how much silk can be harvested; that is something that can be calculated. The yield of ice silk is smaller still. Brocade, however, can be produced in whatever quantity you desire, provided you are willing to spend silver training artisans. As brocade increases, so too will brocade merchants. They will never be of one mind. Instead, they will scheme against one another and bid up silk prices. Thus, so long as the silk is in our hands, we can raise the price at will—right until none of the brocade merchants can turn a profit."
This conclusion had actually been reached by the mortals within Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. Wei Yuan had found it very reasonable, so he pitched it to the King of Jin on the spot. As for whether the king accepted it or not, Wei Yuan did not particularly care.
Even without the King of Jin, there would always be others who converted their fields. As long as Wei Yuan continued purchasing raw silk relentlessly, people would naturally plant more mulberry trees on their own.
While the amount of silk Wei Yuan was buying up now seemed enormous, it was still merely a single hair from nine oxen compared to the potential demand in his future plans, meaning the stockpiling process would last quite a while. At this moment, Old Daoist Chuhe had already departed, once again on his way to Ningxi Commandery. This time, the old daoist would sweep up all the silk stockpiles of Ningxi's major brocade guilds in one fell swoop. By the time he returned, the commanderies of Ningxi would have nothing left except whatever small reserves remained in the hands of the mulberry farmers.
The King of Jin half-closed his eyes to conceal the divine light flickering rapidly within them.
Pondering the matter carefully for a moment, he realized things would indeed unfold just as Wei Yuan had described. The commanderies of Ningxi in particular were beyond the King of Jin's direct control; the royal family held less than ten percent of the local farmland. Just as Wei Yuan had said, even if the king did not convert his fields to mulberry, plenty of others would, and forbidding mulberry planting in those regions was entirely impossible. The only viable path was to convert all the grain fields under his own control in one breath before anyone else realized what was happening, thereby seizing the richest first bite.
At this moment, Wei Yuan added, "Levying a new silk tax is still fairly easy right now and can be established as standard practice. Otherwise, once silk prices soar even higher, imposing a tax will no longer be so simple."
These words struck right at the heart of the matter. If the price of raw silk truly skyrocketed, how could the local prominent clans and aristocratic families allow the King of Jin to swallow that choice cut of meat all for himself? By then, a silk tax could never be implemented.
A sharp glint flashed in the King of Jin's eyes. "You truly possess extraordinary talent! If this can genuinely resolve the crisis of the state treasury, We will not begrudge you rewards and enfeoffments. Ah, that is right—the Crown Prince hosted a banquet for you tonight. What did he say?"
"The Crown Prince told this subject to do nothing and focus solely on the west."
"And what did he promise you?"
Wei Yuan replied, "This subject requested the lands west of Hanyang Pass, but His Highness gave no answer."
The King of Jin mused for a moment, then asked, "Our days are numbered. What are your thoughts on the future successor to the throne of Jin?"
"That is Your Majesty's family affair; how could it be this subject's place to consider it? My mind is fixed outward. I wish only to fight the Shamans and live out my days in peace. If Your Majesty wishes to ask, you should inquire of Lord Lü Wenbai and Lord Xu Tongshou instead."
The King of Jin's eyes rested half-shut, his thoughts unreadable. Wei Yuan sat quietly as well, watching the smoke curl upward from the incense burner.
After a long silence, the King of Jin opened his eyes. "The fortune of the state of Jin rests upon you, not upon Lü Wenbai or Xu Tongshou. If you desire the lands of the Western Regions, We can grant them to you, but it must be done step by step—piece by piece, before Our allotted span comes to its end. Aside from this, what else do you want?"
Wei Yuan's heart stirred. "I want people. Countless displaced refugees die year after year in Great Jin, yet my Qingming still lacks hands. Therefore, I would ask Your Majesty's permission to recruit refugees in Ningzhou."
"You have grain; what refugees could you fail to recruit? How about this: We shall bestow upon you a token. Any merchant caravan bearing this token, regardless of its size or cargo, may travel freely across the territory of Great Jin, and no one may obstruct it."
Wei Yuan immediately voiced his gratitude, then added, "For every refugee this caravan brings back, this subject shall offer five taels of silver to Your Majesty."
The King of Jin was taken aback for a second, and then a smile finally broke across his face. Shaking his head, he remarked, "Wei Yuan, what do you need so many people for? Truth be told, you possess both land and grain now. Even if you relied solely on natural reproduction within the domain, a dozen years would be enough to multiply your population several times over."
Wei Yuan answered, "Your Majesty knows that Qingming possesses secret methods capable of allowing even mortals to attain cultivation in a short time. In ordinary times, these displaced refugees are merely labor, but during war, they become soldiers who can be driven forward. If I send them to the front lines first, the elite troops I have trained with great effort can be kept in the rear to await the opportune moment and decide the outcome in a single battle."
The King of Jin came to an understanding and chuckled. "Only such thinking conforms to proper statecraft. To other lands, these people are nothing but a burden; only under your hand do they find purpose. The token will be delivered to you tomorrow, and We shall simultaneously announce this decree to the ministries."
With this matter settled, the King of Jin's expression gradually grew aloof and distant. "We must cultivate now. You may withdraw."
Wei Yuan retreated from the side hall. Zhao Tong was waiting outside and escorted him flying back toward the royal capital. As they took to the air, Wei Yuan felt as though someone in the shadows was watching him, the gaze carrying a strange touch of familiarity.
Upon returning to the relay station, Wei Yuan sat before the window, spread out his map, and studied it in silence.
The King of Jin's sudden late-night summons had, as expected, touched upon the succession, but inquiring about the depletion of the state treasury was something Wei Yuan had not anticipated.
Taking advantage of the opening, Wei Yuan had presented the plan to convert grain fields to mulberry orchards and obtained permission to recruit refugees, which counted as a major gain.
Yet the King of Jin had made no mention whatsoever of the new army or the new military equipment, which surprised Wei Yuan somewhat.
According to his original expectations, once the new army was successfully organized and drilled, his own importance should have declined. Even if the King of Jin did not move to suppress him, the king could have at least refrained from bestowing further rewards.
Yet the King of Jin's current attitude defied expectations. Wei Yuan guessed that either something had gone wrong with the new army, or there was another reason forcing the King of Jin to keep courting his favor and even raise the stakes.
Wei Yuan looked at the map before him and drew three circles on it. The innermost circle represented Qingming's current territory; the middle circle reached Hanyang Pass; and the outermost circle represented Qingming expanded to its ultimate limit—a radius of ten thousand li.
If no unforeseen complications arose in the future, Wei Yuan would secure at least all the territory west of Hanyang Pass. Both the King of Jin and the Crown Prince had tacitly acquiesced to this scope. After all, in their eyes, the Shattered Lands were merely a barren wilderness devoid of real value, and the Wu domain was far harder to reclaim and transform than the Liao domain.
Granting Wei Yuan a parcel of land that did not belong to Western Jin in the first place in exchange for his loyalty and support seemed a thoroughly profitable bargain. History was filled with such precedents: enfeoffing a fierce general in the untamed territories of foreign races, leaving him to conquer his fief by his own strength.
Wei Yuan was more than happy to see it happen.
As for Hanyang Pass itself, it was not something Wei Yuan strictly required. If the Xu family were to reactivate Hanyang Pass in the future and seek to use it as a forward base to raid Qingming, Wei Yuan would simply erect another fortress directly opposite it, then mount heavy artillery behind its walls to trade fire with Hanyang Pass. He did not believe the Xu family could endure his saturation bombardment.
As for Qingming expanding past Hanyang Pass, that was a matter for the distant future and did not warrant consideration for the time being.
In the blink of an eye, noon arrived. Wei Yuan boarded a carriage and traveled to Li Weisheng's residence for the banquet.
Li Weisheng had been transferred to the royal capital and now served in the Ministry of Personnel, having risen to the fourth rank, which granted him the privilege of attending morning court audiences. Within the capital, however, his fourth rank could only be described as middling, which was why the timing of his invitation to Wei Yuan was chosen with care, placed at midday.
Li Weisheng had arranged a private banquet this time: just the two of them, with no outsiders present.
After three rounds of wine, Wei Yuan spoke up: "Lord Li and I are old acquaintances. Whatever you have on your mind, you might as well speak plainly."
Li Weisheng said, "There are indeed two matters, so I will be direct. First, Prince Wei has sent word that he wishes to let bygones be bygones and clear the air with Lord Wei."
Wei Yuan let out a hearty laugh. "Prince Wei and I get along splendidly; what past grievances could there be?"
Li Weisheng smiled, not pressing the matter further, and continued, "The second matter concerns Xu Xi, the Commandery Governor of Bianning. He has been pulling strings up and down lately, seeking a transfer away from Bianning Commandery to another post. However, on one hand, there is no vacancy available, and on the other, everyone is mindful of your thoughts, Lord Wei. Not knowing whether you would approve of his reassignment, the ministry has kept the matter shelved.
"Yet I was thinking that so long as he does not leave, it will be hard for Lord Sun Chao'en to take a step forward. That is why I wanted to ask your thoughts on the matter, Lord Wei."
Wei Yuan said, "If Lord Sun can take a step forward, that is a good thing for everyone."
"With that word from Lord Wei, this humble official can set his mind at ease." Li Weisheng drained three cups on the spot in thanks.
"Now that official business is settled, there is one small personal question." Leaning forward slightly, Li Weisheng lowered his voice: "I have heard that Lord Wei has been buying up raw mulberry silk in large quantities recently, driving prices up sharply, and has even been purchasing mulberry orchards and grain fields across several commanderies in western Ningzhou. May I ask the reason behind this? Could you reveal a hint or two?"
Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "I suspect it is not merely Lord Li who wishes to know, is it?"
Li Weisheng cupped his hands toward the ceiling. "Indeed, a certain exalted lord wishes to understand the matter in greater detail."
Wei Yuan understood at once and replied, "I have my own uses for the silk I purchase, and in the future, I will only buy more. Soon, the raw silk stockpiles across the seven commanderies of western Ningzhou will be bought out completely. Therefore, if Lord Li has the connections and spare funds, you might consider buying some land in Shanyang Commandery—preferably grain fields—and then quickly converting them to mulberry saplings. But you must act fast. Delay may invite complications."
Wei Yuan stopped right there, and Li Weisheng did not pry further. With the connections of the great figure above, finding out what those unspoken complications were would be no difficult feat.
The two reminisced a while longer before Li Weisheng suddenly said, "Lord Wei, there is one thing I have never quite understood. In the past, you were always finding ways to absorb displaced refugees; you truly showed the mercy of a living Buddha to the common folk, and I admire you deeply for it. However, if your goal was merely to provide relief to refugees, there are many other ways to do so. Relocating them thousands of li to Qingming is an enormous toll on people and resources. Why are you so persistent about this?"
Wei Yuan gave a jovial chuckle. "Every man has his eccentricities, and I am no different. I simply like seeing the people I helped stay right under my own eyes. It is just like how some people enjoy counting their immortal silver every day."
Li Weisheng also broke into hearty laughter, seemingly taking it as the truth.
Afterward, guest and host parted on excellent terms, and Li Weisheng escorted Wei Yuan to the residence gates.
Climbing into the carriage, Wei Yuan recalled Li Weisheng's parting question. His answer had been nonsense, and Li Weisheng had naturally understood that Wei Yuan did not wish to answer.
In truth, when Wei Yuan had first started doing it, he had acted purely on instinct, and Qingming had indeed lacked manpower at the time. Li Weisheng was right: if all he wanted was to relieve mortal suffering, there was no need to move them all the way to Qingming; the same could be achieved in any other commandery. But what Wei Yuan wanted was not merely to fill their bellies. For mortals, simply having enough to eat had no deeper meaning; they still held no intrinsic value of their own.
To allow them to live meaningful lives, many things had to change.
And after meeting the Crown Prince, Wei Yuan finally understood: the very things he sought to change were precisely what the prominent clans, aristocratic families, and royal nobility would never permit.
The realm under heaven was like a banquet that had begun long ago. The seats were already full; to add a single person to the table, someone else had to be dragged down. Whoever that might be, they would fight to the death.
That was why Wei Yuan wanted to set a new table entirely. What dishes were served, how they were eaten, and who was allowed to sit could all be decided by Wei Yuan himself. Only when they saw the new table feasting well would the people at the original table ever consider changing their menu.
Chapter 456