On their way back to the celadon shop, Zheng Fan still had not entirely recovered his composure. His feelings were deeply tangled: joy mixed with uncertainty, and even a gnawing anxiety.
"Your methods are wild beyond belief," Zheng Fan remarked, looking at Shao Shuyi inside the carriage with genuine wonder. "You always manage to snatch life from the jaws of defeat and pull off the most astonishing feats."
Yu Yuan and Liang Tai kept their heads bowed, eyes fixed on their noses and noses over their mouths, remaining completely silent like mere background scenery.
Unable to chime in, they chose not to speak at all.
Shao Shuyi gauged Zheng Fan's expression and grinned playfully. "Sir, I was already thinking about this. Whenever the southeast winds surge, Sun Chuan leads his clan's younger kin down to the docks to engage the foreign merchants and seafaring traders. Given his vast wealth, he still spares no effort, braving the scorching sun and pouring rain just to personally welcome those foreign merchants into his own home.
"The reason behind it requires no explanation. If Sun Chuan can do it, why can't I?
"Getting to know Ali may have had an element of chance, but it was also the result of my long pondering. Even if I hadn't run into them on the fifteenth of the ninth month, I would have likely met someone else a few days later. It was only a matter of time."
"It isn't as simple as you make it sound." Zheng Fan shook his head. "It's not as though others haven't tried to court foreign merchants and seafaring traders, but few succeed while most fail. For you to free Ali from Sun Chuan's grip and get him resolved to give you an opening—that isn't something just anyone can do."
Shao Shuyi offered a bashful smile. "It's all thanks to your good fortune, sir."
Zheng Fan gave him an exasperated glance, then hefted the pouch in his hand. "Why did you insist on trading with me? Do you think I lack a few gemstones?"
Shao Shuyi smiled. "I heard that in your younger years, sir, you roamed far and wide as a wandering swordsman. Your lady wife handled most of the household affairs, carrying an immense burden. Women love gemstones. For you to take them home and delight her—wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Zheng Fan burst into hearty laughter, clapping a heavy hand onto Shao Shuyi's shoulder with his other arm. "You certainly have a way with words! It's not easy for an ordinary man to give me a gift, but you, kid—very well, I'll take your advice. On the Winter Solstice, well, if you and I are still in Taicang, come over to my home for a meal."
"Without fail, without fail," Shao Shuyi replied, secretly delighted.
In this world, countless people couldn't even find a door through which to present a gift. To successfully give one away and have the recipient accept it with such delight was already a great triumph.
Yet he caught another implication in Zheng Fan's words, and asked, "Sir, will there be other business around the Winter Solstice?"
"Isn't it the very mess you stirred up?" Zheng Fan said with wry annoyance. "If I'm not mistaken, Third Young Master will send men tomorrow to settle Ali's two attendants, and after that, we'll have to make rounds to the kilns. You said it yourself: we'll have to make a run to Jingdezhen in Jiangxi as well."
Shao Shuyi was left speechless. That truly had been of his own making.
"However—" Zheng Fan shifted the conversation, his tone turning serious, "there is actually another matter, one far more pressing."
"What would that be?" Shao Shuyi inquired.
Zheng Fan shot him a glance. "Seeking office."
Understanding dawned on Shao Shuyi, and he ventured, "A trip to Suzhou?"
"We must go to Suzhou, of course." Zheng Fan nodded. "But do you think the Transport Office alone can decide who becomes Deputy Myriad Household Commander?"
"No," Shao Shuyi said, shaking his head.
"Strictly speaking, they can influence part of it, but the Central Secretariat must give its nod," Zheng Fan added.
"Does that mean a trip to Dadu to lobby for the post?"
"Naturally."
"When?"
"During the spring transport next year."
"By sea?"
At the mention of this, Zheng Fan grew irritated. He couldn't resist jabbing Shao Shuyi's shoulder, scolding with a laugh, "Traveling by land isn't impossible, but it's far too slow and equally perilous. As for going by sea, well, it's just as dangerous, but at least it's fast."
"Will you be going in person, sir?" Shao Shuyi asked.
Zheng Fan looked at Shao Shuyi with a mischievous glint in his eye. "You're coming with me."
Shao Shuyi felt as though fate had played a cruel joke on him...
Staring at Zheng Fan dumbfoundedly, he sought confirmation: "Are you truly heading to Dadu, sir?"
"Truly." Zheng Fan sighed. "I'm not deceiving you. After the New Year, I will no longer serve concurrently as the celadon shop's manager; there isn't much left to handle here anyway. After Wang Sheng was cleared out, Lu San over at the satin shop was terrified out of his wits and personally requested an audience with the Old Minister. He, too, will resign his post after the New Year. There is a shortage of hands everywhere and endless tasks to oversee. Seeking this office is of paramount importance. If I don't step forward, Thirteenth Brother will have to shoulder it, and it will most likely fall on me."
Shao Shuyi fell silent.
He had originally been recruited by Zheng Song and assigned to the celadon shop. Through a twist of fate, Zheng Song had hurried off to Suzhou and then Gaoyou, leaving him no time to attend to the shop's affairs, which had led to Shao Shuyi connecting with Zheng Fan instead. Now, after several months, he was thoroughly branded as Zheng Fan's man—and indeed, he had actively sought ways to deepen his ties with him.
With an affair as momentous as lobbying for an official appointment placed in Zheng Fan's hands, Shao Shuyi could not possibly keep himself detached; accompanying him on a journey to Dadu was inevitable.
He simply had no way to refuse.
"After the New Year, I shall accompany you on the journey, sir," he answered without hesitation once he thought it through.
Zheng Fan nodded approvingly. "Tie up whatever loose ends you need to settle early on. If you require any help, just tell me directly. I will assist where I can; I cannot have you setting out on the road with an unsettled mind after the New Year."
"Understood," Shao Shuyi replied, a faint bitterness rising in his heart.
Why did everything have to be so difficult? His career had barely gained momentum, his standing had only just improved, and now he had to risk his life taking to the sea. If the ship capsized, whom could he complain to?
Then again, even Zheng Fan was going to sea; what choice did he have?
Zheng Guozhen had sailed out twice before, hadn't he?
Such was the world. Hoping for a peaceful, steady rise was nearly impossible.
***
Returning to the shop, Shao Shuyi made a show of wandering about until the time seemed right, then left with Yu Yuan and Liang Tai to return to their rented courtyard.
After an absence of several months, Kong Tie had finally returned to Liujiagang. At this moment, he sat in the courtyard, chatting and laughing heartily with Wang Huadu.
Beside them stood a man in his twenties wearing an easy smile. Every now and then he interjected a comment that left Kong and Wang marveling in astonishment.
Yu Yuan had been following behind Shao Shuyi, originally showing off with great enthusiasm: "Brother, I can now load gunpowder into the chamber in just a few breaths, it's so fast—"
Halfway through his sentence, he shrank back like a mouse sighting a cat.
"Second Brother, now that you see your elder brother, why haven't you come forward to pay your respects?" the man called out, standing up.
Yu Yuan dawdled for a moment before finally stepping forward to salute. "Elder Brother."
With his hands clasped behind his back, the man glanced at the bronze handgonne his younger brother was trying desperately to hide behind his back. Then, turning his gaze toward Shao Shuyi, he bowed in greeting. "Accountant Shao."
"Brother Shao, this is Young Master Yu's elder brother," Wang Huadu said, rising to make introductions.
"Clerk-Interpreter Yu." Shao Shuyi stepped forward with a bow, smiling warmly. "I have long heard of your renowned name, yet fate kept us from meeting until today. It is an honor to finally meet you."
Yu Chu returned the courtesy. "My younger brother is unruly and willful; I fear he has caused you no end of trouble."
"Not at all," Shao Shuyi said, casting a glance at Yu Yuan. "Two months ago, had it not been for Young Master Yu, my life would have been forfeit. I could never forget such kindness in this lifetime."
Yu Chu studied Shao Shuyi, attempting to reconcile him with the mischievous boy who could never absorb a lesson in his father's schoolroom all those years ago, but failed completely. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly; a person's fortunes and transformations in this life were truly vast.
"Xiaohu!" Kong Tie walked forward, looking Shao Shuyi up and down with a bright smile. "You've grown taller, sturdier, and you're in fine spirits."
"And you've gotten darker," Shao Shuyi chuckled. "You must tell me all about the roaring waves out at sea in a bit."
With that, he leaned toward Yu Yuan's ear and whispered, "Young Master Yu, go buy some wine and food. Use your own money; I'll repay you in a few days."
Yu Yuan acknowledged the order and scurried away with his head lowered.
"Come, sit down," Shao Shuyi invited everyone to take their seats.
Wang Huadu brought over a chair.
After sitting down, Shao Shuyi looked at Yu Chu. "Regarding the previous affair, thank you."
Yu Chu understood what he meant and waved a dismissive hand. "A trifling matter. In truth, it would not have been that easy for the subprefectural yamen to arrest you anyway. Someone had already suppressed it on your behalf under the pretext that the summer transport was imminent and rash moves were ill-advised. Yet so far as I know, you have not been conscripted to transport grain, have you?"
"Brother Shao hasn't even bought a ship yet, so how could he transport grain?" Wang Huadu chuckled. "Besides, he is now a favored man before Record Checker Zheng. Even if he had ships under his name, no one would likely force him to ship grain."
"Third Young Master Zheng is already a registrar of rank 7b," Yu Chu stated. "The darughachi, Lord Shansi, personally affixed his seal today, and the official commission has already been issued."
Although Shao Shuyi had known that Zheng Guozhen's promotion to registrar was set in stone, skipping over the post of administrative assistant altogether still caught him somewhat by surprise.
"What is Lord Shansi's full name?" Wang Huadu asked. "It doesn't sound like a Han surname."
"Shansi, a native of Zhending," Yu Chu replied. "His ancestors hailed from Arabia and submitted to our dynasty. As a Semu, he has held the post of darughachi for several years."
Realizing that Shao Shuyi and the others were unfamiliar even with the upper echelons of the Transport Office, Yu Chu elaborated, "The Myriad Household Commander, Lord Fu, hails from Yutian in Jizhou. He is skilled in poetry and prose, comes from a distinguished family, and is a Northerner. The four Deputy Myriad Household Commanders..."
Yu Chu explained the structure in thorough detail, giving Shao Shuyi a much deeper grasp of the Transport Office.
"Actually, it is hardly surprising that Third Young Master Zheng was promoted to registrar," Yu Chu shifted the subject. "The imperial court is short of grain right now. As long as one achieves merit in maritime grain transport, advancement comes easily. The registrar, administrative assistant, record checker, and archivist are all chief clerical officials, not the principal officers of the Transport Office—namely the darughachi, Myriad Household Commander, and Deputy Myriad Household Commanders. Promoting them isn't difficult; it takes merely a word."
"I see," Shao Shuyi murmured. Then he asked, "Just how much grain was delivered to Zhigu during this year's spring and summer transports?"
"It should be over 1.6 million dan. As for the exact figure, I would need to check the records, as I can't recall it off the top of my head," Yu Chu said. "The peak of sea grain transport was during the reign of Emperor Wenzong, when 3.52 million dan were transported in a single year, in 1329. In most other reigns, it hovered around three million dan. The highest single year during Emperor Wuzong's reign was close to three million dan, while during Emperor Chengzong's reign, sea transport had not been established for very long, totaling less than two million dan..."
Hearing this, Shao Shuyi couldn't help but take another long look at Yu Chu.
The Transport Office had forty-seven clerks, among whom were one clerk-translator and one clerk-interpreter. The former handled written translations, while the latter focused on oral interpretation. In practice, however, because there were numerous Mongol and Semu officials, translation needs arose everywhere. Consequently, the duties of the clerk-translator and clerk-interpreter were much the same; both labored over translating documents, and whenever required, both accompanied officials out on duty to serve as interpreters.
Thus, Yu Chu genuinely had access to a vast volume of official correspondence, even though he was merely a petty clerk without any official rank.
To tell the truth, many who came into contact with such files might not remember their contents, or might recall them briefly only to forget them later. Yu Chu not only possessed an exceptional memory, but was also keenly sensitive to numbers and evidently attentive in his daily duties, having read through most of the documents submitted across various departments. He was quite an impressive fellow.
"According to what you say, Lord Yu, sea transport has already passed its zenith and begun to decline?" Shao Shuyi inquired.
In fact, this matched his own intuition. When boat households had been impoverished to such a wretched state, how could maritime transport not be in decline?
"Next year will certainly not match this year's volume," Yu Chu said. "Over seventy ships sank during this spring's transport, didn't they?"
As he said this, Yu Chu looked at Kong Tie.
Kong Tie fell silent for a moment before replying, "I can't say for certain, but I did hear that some ships went down."
"Over a thousand vessels were mobilized for the spring transport," Yu Chu noted. "It actually wasn't that terrible—only about five out of every hundred ships sank."
Yu Chu then recited another set of figures concerning the number of shipwrecks in the tribute grain transport.
Shao Shuyi did a rough mental calculation: during Emperor Renzong's reign, the year with the greatest volume transported, 1320, had a shipwreck rate of 0.5 percent; under Emperor Yingzong, it was 1 percent; during Emperor Taiding's era, 0.8 percent; under Emperor Wenzong, it rose to 5.2 percent; and under the current emperor, it remained between 5 and 6 percent, hovering close to 6 percent...
*Good grief,* the shipwreck rate had indeed climbed, likely tied to the economic plight of the boat households.
Among the grain transport fleet, old ships abounded while new ones were rare; the vessels suffered overall aging and inadequate maintenance, while experienced sailing masters and sailors fled in droves—for the more experience one had, the longer one had hauled grain, and the more ruinously one had lost.
Shao Shuyi's heart could not help but churn with apprehension.
A six percent shipwreck rate might sound modest, but what if one became part of that six percent? Hadn't Zheng Guozhen's second elder brother met with that very fate?
One could only pray that the Zheng family's transport ships were relatively new, well-maintained, and manned by seasoned sailors, bringing the probability of a wreck down under one percent.
As for this voyage to Dadu, whether he wanted to go or not, go he must.
Chapter 45