Chapter 111: Borrowing the Sovereign’s Golden Inlaid Sword

When Wang Yuanbao was still known as Wang Ergou, he was as thin and withered as rotting wood. But after more than two decades as a wealthy tycoon, he had grown plump and round, looking much like a steamed white bun.

He was a cautious man. Over the years, he had spent a great deal of effort and money on charity and socializing with scholars, all to build a reputation and secure influential patrons for times of need.

Take Wang Jin, for example. After making his fortune, Wang Yuanbao had aligned himself with the Taiyuan Wang clan, claiming kinship with the brothers Wang Wei and Wang Jin. Since they began associating, he had spent at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, strings of cash on Wang Jin alone.

It was precisely this caution that kept him fixated on shops like the Glazed Pavilion in the West Market, even though he felt victory was already within his grasp.

"Jia Mao... meeting with Hu Yuanxiang and his men?" Upon hearing this news, Wang Yuanbao stroked his long beard, his smiling eyes narrowing.

"How did they end up together?" asked the man standing before him, looking surprised.

It was Wang Jin.

Almost immediately after Ye Chang left Princess Yuzhen’s villa, Wang Jin had followed suit. Although he wanted to build a closer relationship with the Princess in the Nanshan Mountains, the massive profits to be made from the ball games had spurred even a lazy man like him into action.

"It doesn’t matter if they are together. The Princess has already said that for one hundred and fifty thousand strings of cash, the management of the ball games will be handed to us. Old Man Wang, if that brute Ye Chang and petty street rascals like Jia Mao can make one hundred thousand strings of profit in a year, surely you and I can make at least two hundred thousand, right?"

Wang Jin cared little for Jia Mao, so he steered the conversation back to their original topic. The price quoted by Princess Yuzhen was actually one hundred thousand, but Wang Jin had added another fifty thousand without hesitation—the extra fifty thousand, of course, would not go to Ye Chang or Jia Mao, but into his own private pockets.

At the mere thought of those fifty thousand strings, Wang Jin felt a surge of excitement.

"Sir, you may not know this, but this upcoming market competition is tied to the ball games as well."

"Oh?"

"The saying goes that the East is noble and the West is wealthy. The ball games have always been centered in the West Market, and the semi-annual grand tournament is held there. If I am to manage the games, I intend to move the grand tournament to the East Market. To do that, we must outperform the West Market in the market competition..."

A grand tournament could attract tens of thousands of spectators, and their spending over at least half a day represented a massive gain for either the West or East Market. For a wealthy merchant like Wang Yuanbao, he valued the secondary effects even more.

"Furthermore, the Jingzhao Prefecture’s supply of cement is limited. After paving the main streets and supplying the nobility, there is very little left for sale to us. Only parts of the West Market near the new streets have been able to use it, while the East Market has none at all... If we win this competition, the Jingzhao Prefecture has promised to prioritize cement supply to the East Market in the second half of the year."

Wang Jin chuckled.

He had heard rumors of this. The reason the Jingzhao Prefecture had only supplied the West Market and not the East was that when cement was first introduced, the East Market had adopted a wait-and-see attitude, unlike the West, which had been bold enough to cooperate with the authorities.

He didn't care much for cement. Like salt and iron, it was a government monopoly; even with its huge profit margins, he couldn't get his hands on it in the short term.

Wang Yuanbao, however, knew the power of cement. It wasn't just about paving roads at a lower cost than stone slabs; he saw far more potential.

What would happen if they used cement combined with brick and wood to build houses or even city walls?

Moreover, this novelty had helped the West Market attract many outside merchants, bringing in more vitality.

"Therefore, we must win this market competition. We have no choice. Winning brings great profit, but if we lose, it might cost us hundreds of thousands of strings of cash to restore our influence." Mentioning hundreds of thousands of strings made even Wang Yuanbao’s heart ache.

There were many rumors about his wealth. His most famous business was the glazed glass trade, which was his foundation, but he was also involved in inns, general goods, real estate, and farmland; these were the main sources of his income. Even so, the total annual profit from all his industries was only a little over one hundred thousand strings.

"You said you had victory in the bag. I heard you even managed to sway the ladies of the Pingkang Ward... You certainly have great influence to be able to command the thousands of ladies in the Pingkang Ward."

There weren't ten thousand ladies in the Pingkang Ward, but there were certainly hundreds, if not thousands. Wang Yuanbao smiled faintly. Naturally, he hadn't swayed everyone, but he had persuaded the top tier and let word spread. Those ladies earned their living in the ward; even if they didn't respect him, they feared being blacklisted by their peers.

However, after smiling, he frowned again.

Having achieved his level of success by paying attention to details, he glared at the servant who had come to report. "Did that person say who else was meeting with Jia Mao and Hu Yuanxiang?"

"Our people could only watch from afar. They only knew it was a young gentleman, but they couldn't identify him."

"A young gentleman?" Wang Jin’s expression darkened instantly. He pondered for a moment and said, "It must be Ye Chang!"

Thinking of the humiliation he had suffered at Ye Chang's hands in front of Princess Yuzhen, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "It seems the West Market is desperate, grabbing at straws and seeking out Ye Chang, this..."

He paused.

He knew Ye Chang well enough; he knew of his "dream of the immortals." It was said the immortal Ye Chang dreamt of was the Medicine King, Sun Simiao, and that Ye Chang had even served as a pill boy for the master for a day.

A day in heaven is a year on earth; perhaps Ye Chang really had become a skilled physician after following the Medicine King.

Like Wang Wei, Wang Jin was a devout Buddhist. He loved building temples and giving alms, and because of this, he firmly believed in karma and retribution. Recalling this, he felt it was not a good omen.

"Amitabha, Amitabha." Muttering a few Buddhist prayers to himself, Wang Jin decided he had to help Wang Yuanbao.

"Ye Chang, the Eleventh Young Master Ye? If it is him, then we are in trouble!" Just as Wang Jin made up his mind, he heard Wang Yuanbao slap his thigh and cry out.

Seeing Wang Jin look over with dissatisfaction, Wang Yuanbao continued, "In my observation, Ye Chang’s actions are often inspired, far beyond the likes of Hu Yuanxiang. Hu has been fighting me for twenty years, but he’s just gasping for breath. This Ye Chang, however... he is not easy to deal with!"

"No matter how difficult he is, we must deal with him!" Wang Jin said impatiently. "What are you afraid of?"

"There are three keys to the market competition. The first is the decorated pavilions. Ye Chang can create football games, build with cement, and it is rumored that in his hometown, he can even divert water through channels... He must be skilled in architecture and entertainment. I originally hired the best carpenters and bought the finest silk; the pavilions were a sure win, but now I fear it’s dangerous."

Hearing this, Wang Jin fell silent.

"The second is the performers and singers... Ye Chang is elegant and skilled in poetry. Even I love to hear people sing his lines about the 'setting sun being infinitely beautiful.' If he composes new songs for the West Market’s performers, then in terms of music..."

"Don't worry about the music. I will have my brother write new poems for you," Wang Jin interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Besides, music also requires singers. As long as the top ladies of the Pingkang Ward haven't been snatched up by the West Market, we are guaranteed to win this round. The most critical part is the final one. After all, this competition is ultimately about your glazed treasures. Do you have a sure way to win?"

"In this item, I am absolutely certain. For the past ten years, the best glazed goods from Zizhou have almost all been in my hands. I know exactly what they have, and they definitely cannot produce anything to rival me!"

Hearing that Wang Yuanbao possessed such treasures, Wang Jin felt a surge of covetousness. "Might I have the honor of seeing them?"

Wang Yuanbao glanced at him and sneered inwardly.

This insatiable wolf, daring to pretend he practices piety and Buddhism, yet greedier than anyone!

Thinking this, he spoke with great courtesy: "It is not impossible. After the competition, I will certainly invite Master Wang to enjoy them properly."

Wang Jin gave a dry laugh. Unable to rush things, he turned the subject back.

"Three keys to the competition. For the pavilions, we just need to compete. For talent, we seek victory, and as long as we win one of these two, coupled with the treasures in your hands, victory is within our grasp. Let alone the talent, I will persuade my brother to compose a new poem. As for the pavilions, I imagine you have a backup plan, Old Man Wang?"

As he said this, Wang Jin nodded toward the person who had brought the news.

Wang Yuanbao smiled and nodded slightly.

Since he had bribed someone close to Hu Yuanxiang, he could naturally have information sent to him continuously. Knowing what tricks the other side had planned for their pavilions allowed him to take targeted measures.

"Besides that, we must find some trouble for Ye Chang... so he cannot focus too much on this," Wang Jin added. "If we could drive him out of Chang'an, that would be for the best."

"That might be difficult. Ye Chang has an excellent relationship with the Jingzhao Prefecture."

"The Jingzhao Prefecture is naturally out of the question, but someone else will want to drive him away... Do you know where Ye Chang is staying? Just tell me." Wang Jin thought for a moment and smiled. "I will find someone to drive him away, I guarantee he will have no choice but to leave!"

"Oh? You have such a person? Master Xiaqing, please do not alert the enemy. If Ye Chang finds out we are watching him, it might backfire."

"Rest assured, this person... there will absolutely be no problem," Wang Jin laughed.

Wang Jin was truly a man of his word. After leaving Wang Yuanbao’s residence, he summoned a servant and gave him instructions. The servant took a carriage to the Jinxian Temple in the city—this had originally been Princess Jinxian’s Taoist temple. After she passed away, it was reclaimed by the imperial family, and now it was managed by the Twenty-ninth Lady, Chongniang.

This was also thanks to Ye Chang. If not for him, Li Longji would never have paid attention to Chongniang, a daughter with almost zero presence, and naturally, would not have handed this temple to her.

Chongniang was young, and the temple was only nominally under her management; others ran the daily affairs, but some news had to be reported to her.

The servant loitered at the gate until he saw a young Taoist nun walk out and called out to her, "Excuse me, Immortal Sister, wait!"

"You little servant, what do you want?" The young nun’s eyes widened.

"I heard that if one brings news of the Eleventh Young Master Ye from Xiuwu here, there is a reward. Is that true?"

"Nonsense, what Eleventh Young Master Ye from Xiuwu... wait, you mean Ye Chang?"

The young nun was not Chongniang, nor was she a close attendant, but the temple was filled with priestesses, and priestesses were women, so they naturally shared one of the greatest hobbies of women: gossip. Under the burning fire of their curiosity, various internal and external secrets were spread.

For instance, there was the affair between the nominal temple head, Chongniang, and that Ye Chang who wrote about the "setting sun being infinitely beautiful."

It was said that a priestess, after hearing the lines, "The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, but it is near dusk," sighed for a long time and concluded, "This poem is a sign of great misfortune. Although Ye Chang is clever, he will not live long..." Somehow, this reached Chongniang’s ears.

Chongniang, who usually asked about nothing, was furious. Without even finding an excuse, she immediately had her maids slap that priestess.

"It is indeed that Ye Chang of the 'setting sun' fame."

"You have news of him? Isn't he in Xiuwu?"

"He has come to Chang'an. He just entered the city today."

"Where is he?"

Seeing the young nun ask, the servant knew he had a chance and grinned obsequiously. "Sister, don't ask. They said if there's news, there's a reward. Since there's no reward now, I'll just go back..."

"Reward, reward, tell me first!"

Thinking this news would surely please Chongniang, the young nun took out a few coins to buy the servant some cakes. The servant happily took the money and told her where Ye Chang was staying.

After finishing, he grabbed the reward and ran off, returning to tell Wang Jin everything. Wang Jin laughed heartily. "Well done, well done! Not only will she reward you, but I will too!"

Wang Jin's plan was simple: get Li Longji to step in and drive Ye Chang away.

After the "humiliation" he suffered from Ye Chang at Princess Yuzhen’s, Wang Jin dared not underestimate him and had inquired about him extensively. For Wang Wei’s sake, the Princess had not hidden anything, especially about the affinity between Ye Chang and the Twenty-ninth Lady.

This was the key reason Ye Chang had been pardoned and sent back. Wang Jin had found it laughable at the time—others courted princesses favored by Li Longji, yet Ye Chang went to befriend a little girl who had almost no presence in the palace, a girl who didn't even have a princess title!

However, he kept Chongniang’s fondness for Ye Chang in mind. Upon learning that Ye Chang was back in Chang'an and potentially advising the glazed glass merchants of the West Market, he immediately thought of using the relationship between Ye Chang and Chongniang to drive him out of the city.

Chongniang had even requested an imperial decree to travel to Xiuwu just to see Ye Chang before the New Year last year. Now that she heard he was back in Chang'an but hadn't come to see her, wouldn't she go and storm his residence?

Once Chongniang went, Wang Jin would find a way to get the news to Zhang Ji, who would then surely whisper slanders to the Emperor. If Ye Chang was lucky, he might be driven out of Chang'an again like last time; if he was unlucky, Li Longji might just have him arrested and beheaded.

The more Wang Jin thought about it, the more pleased he became. He ordered his men to keep a close watch on Ye Chang’s lodging, and if there was any movement, to report it immediately.

He was determined to see this drama unfold.