Chapter 55: Mutual Admiration
Chapter 55: Mutual Admiration
Looking at Liu Qian’s frightened face, Emperor Hongzhi finally realized that things were not simple.
He sternly shouted: “Speak!”
“When Your Majesty was holding court in Fengtian Hall… the Crown Prince came… Your Servant did not pay any attention at first, thinking… thinking… the Crown Prince came to the Warm Pavilion to wait for Your Majesty, so Your Servant purposely went to the Tea Room to get tea for the Crown Prince.”
Emperor Hongzhi grew impatient. What did this have to do with the Crown Prince? “Get to the point.”
“Yes, yes…” Liu Qian was so scared he lost his wits. “But who knew that shortly after brewing the tea, I discovered the Crown Prince had packed a large bundle of things. He rushed out in a flash. Your Servant… Your Servant dared not chase after him. I didn’t know what happened. By the time the Crown Prince had run out of sight, Your Servant realized the Warm Pavilion was missing a “Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains Painting,” an ivory-inlaid golden brush holder, a dragon and phoenix jade disc passed down from the Tang dynasty, and…”
After hearing Liu Qian’s words, Emperor Hongzhi’s mouth hung open in shock.
Was this theft?
How dare he! He had the audacity! Taking my things and running away.
“Your Servant deserves to die ten thousand times!” Liu Qian’s body trembled even more as he prostrated on the floor.
Emperor Hongzhi looked back and indeed, upon closer inspection, the dragon and phoenix jade disc was gone, and so was the brush holder…
Right then, he hurried behind the screen and exclaimed, “What about my inkstone from Emperor Huizong’s palace…”
Liu Qian’s body shuddered again, not daring to lift his head, only stammering, “I… I suppose…”
“Spendthrift!” Emperor Hongzhi flicked his sleeve. The Warm Pavilion was his daily work space, where he spent most of his time. Thus, his favorite imperial collectibles and artworks were displayed there—each one a priceless heirloom. But now… they had vanished into thin air.
At this moment, Emperor Hongzhi realized he was too shocked even to be angry. He stood dazed for a long while before suddenly saying, “Order the Brocade Guard to investigate and see what the Crown Prince is up to. Also…” a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes: “No one is allowed to speak of this matter!”
Ultimately, compared to his treasures, the Crown Prince was the true apple of Emperor Hongzhi’s eye. The boy’s bizarre behavior must have a deeper reason. Moreover, if this news spread, how would the world view the Heir Apparent?
Since they could not act as if the palace had been burglarized… it naturally followed that they could not openly interrogate or investigate. So… Emperor Hongzhi’s old face twitched. I’ll endure it!
“Your Servant… Your Servant obeys the decree.” Liu Qian felt as if he had been granted a great pardon.
…
Early the next morning, it was still bitterly cold. Along the streets, many refugees huddled in corners, thinly clad—likely connected to the disaster in Baoding Prefecture.
Fang Jifan breathed out fog. Seeing those people shivering in corners, he felt cold even though he was bundled up—how much more so for them?
When he arrived at the House of the Crown Prince, he unexpectedly saw Wang Jinyuan.
Fang Jifan warmly greeted Wang Jinyuan, but Wang acted like a startled bird, lowering his head and pretending not to know Fang Jifan before hurrying off.
How strange…
Fang Jifan entered the House of the Crown Prince and was led to see Zhu Houzhao. As soon as Zhu Houzhao saw him, he excitedly said, “This Palace has money now.”
He seemed very excited and full of energy, slapping a contract onto the table. “You have money, but This Palace doesn’t? Hey, hey, you there…”
Deng Jian now accompanied Fang Jifan everywhere, and Zhu Houzhao seemed to permit Deng Jian to come and go freely in the House of the Crown Prince. When Deng Jian heard “you there,” he hurriedly stepped forward and said, “This lowly one is Deng Jian.”
Zhu Houzhao grunted. “Read this contract aloud to your Young Lord.”
Deng Jian reached for the contract, but Fang Jifan grabbed it first. After a quick look, he realized it was an agreement drawn up by Wang Jinyuan, stating that he would pay 200,000 taels of sycee silver for Zhu Houzhao’s “Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains Painting” and various other artifacts, with payment and goods to be settled within three days.
Fang Jifan exclaimed in surprise, “Your Highness, why would Wang Jinyuan buy these things? The ‘Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains Painting’? From what I know, that should be an imperial collection from the palace. How could Wang Jinyuan have the nerve to buy it?”
Zhu Houzhao grinned. “He didn’t have the nerve to buy, but he also didn’t have the nerve not to buy.”
Fang Jifan immediately understood—ten to one, Wang Jinyuan had a knife to his throat when signing the contract. How wicked, Zhu Houzhao, you scoundrel.
Fang Jifan wanted to scold Zhu Houzhao harshly. In his view, although Wang Jinyuan was greedy, a Noble Person acquires wealth justly—how could you blatantly rob someone in broad daylight? The man was just trying to make a living.
But what could he say now? What’s done is done. Fang Jifan put on an appreciative expression and smiled. “Your Highness, your methods are brilliant. I admire you.”
Seeing Fang Jifan’s ambiguous attitude, Zhu Houzhao became agitated. “What do you mean? Do you think This Palace robbed the common people and seized their wealth?”
Fang Jifan said seriously, “What are you saying? What’s wrong with seizing people’s wealth? Is grabbing riches from the people inferior? If you don’t rob the common people, are you even human?”
Deng Jian quickly nodded in agreement behind him. “Young Lord’s words are truly eye-opening and enlightening!”
Deng Jian grinned brightly—it was a genuine smile. Since childhood, he had grown up alongside the former Fang Jifan, and over time, his mind had become twisted.
“…” Zhu Houzhao said righteously, “Nonsense! This Palace did not rob anyone. This Palace just took—took Father Emperor’s treasures and sold them to that Wang Jinyuan.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Jifan sharply inhaled. Your Highness, this isn’t theft—it’s a scam, and I’m the one who’s getting scammed!
Zhu Houzhao, however, went on nonchalantly, “But that Wang Jinyuan didn’t dare to buy. This Palace got angry, and then he obediently scrambled to say he was willing. Now can we start doing business? How do we do it?”
Fang Jifan could only remain silent about the trap Zhu Houzhao had set for him.
When Zhu Houzhao raised the topic of business, Fang Jifan became serious and said earnestly, “Your Servant bought a barren mountain in the Western Hills. But the mountain needs to be excavated, so we need to hire some workers. Not only that, we should also buy the land around the barren mountain. I’ve already contacted some local landowners and will negotiate with them in the next couple of days.”
“Excavate? Excavate what?” Zhu Houzhao asked in surprise.
Fang Jifan said, “Coal. Isn’t it cold now? We’ll sell coal to keep people warm.”
“Oh…” Zhu Houzhao’s eyes lit up. “Why didn’t This Palace think of that?”
Fang Jifan grinned. “Not at all, not at all. I’ve long heard that there’s coal there, so I bought the mountain. Think about it, Your Highness: with this freezing weather, it won’t be long before it snows heavily. If those commoners don’t keep warm, they’ll surely freeze to death. Besides, I’ve also thought about it—whether burning charcoal or coal, if the room is airtight and the smoke accumulates, it could suffocate people. I plan to build coal stoves and chimneys at the foot of the mountain. The wealthy families in the Capital are particular—they’re not short on money. Isn’t that another business opportunity?”
“Ah…” Zhu Houzhao got excited. “This Palace never thought of that! So This Palace and you are going to make a fortune together.”
“Of course we’ll make a fortune. Once it gets even colder, heating supplies become as essential as firewood, rice, oil, and salt—things people can’t do without. As long as they’re indispensable, and our cost to mine coal is far lower than producing charcoal, we won’t have to worry about buyers. You see, making charcoal requires cutting trees in the mountains and burning wood deep in the forests. In recent years, outside the Capital, nearly all the trees have been cut down, and the price of charcoal rises every year. But coal is different. I know the coal in the Western Hills is shallow and easy to mine—virtually endless and inexhaustible. It’s at least ten times cheaper than charcoal. Just wait, Your Highness—our time to get rich has come.”
Zhu Houzhao rubbed his hands excitedly, feeling more and more that he had great potential. In fact, people of this era already knew what coal was—the Great Ming even had a designated Coal Hill, where the Chongzhen Emperor later hanged himself. So even Zhu Houzhao knew coal could be burned. He slapped his forehead. “This Palace didn’t think of it at all! Yes, coal can be burned. Fang Brother, you’re incredibly clever. Look—so many people in the world didn’t think of it, yet you did.”