Pipa nodded lightly and asked, “Did the master send you to deliver this letter to the young master for something urgent?”
“The master asked the young master to return home, but as for the reason, I’ll leave it to the young master to read the letter himself,” Wang Chao replied.
Pipa frowned slightly, lowering her voice even more. “The young master may not be willing to return home. Be careful with your words later; don’t provoke his temper.”
Wang Chao nodded quickly. “Thank you for the advice, Miss Pipa.”
Pipa nodded back with a faint smile. “The young master just woke from his nap, and Xia Xia is helping him freshen up. There are several people ahead of you waiting to see him, so you’ll probably be here for a while. If you’re hungry, feel free to have some snacks or fruit.”
Wang Chao expressed his gratitude again. Pipa smiled briefly before leaving the room.
Wang Chao sat back down on the straw mat and sipped his tea slowly.
Meanwhile, the merchants began talking among themselves.
A middle-aged man wearing a melon-skin cap adorned with a jade ornament spoke first: “Young Master Wang gave us half an hour to consider, and the time is nearly up. Does anyone have a good idea?”
A young, beautiful woman wrapped in a snow fox fur scarf replied, “Young Master Wang is known for being decisive and authoritative—what he says, goes. Everyone in the land knows that about him. Since he’s ordered us to build canals and regulate the river, what choice do we have? We can only grit our teeth and comply.”
An elderly man wearing a jade thumb ring interjected, “But we’re talking about the Yellow River—the same Yellow River that’s caused flooding disasters for thousands of years, and no one’s been able to fully control it. I think Young Master Wang is still too young and impulsive. Just because some people flatter him, calling him a celestial star deity, he gets carried away, thinking he’s the reincarnation of Yu the Great. It’s fine if he wants to be ambitious and take risks, but does that mean we should squander the wealth our families have accumulated over generations? We’re imperial merchants; as long as we serve the court loyally and steadily, our descendants can enjoy prosperity for three generations. If today Young Master Wang produces an imperial decree, then I’ll sell my house and land if I must, just to comply. But he doesn’t even have an imperial decree or funding—he’s trying to accomplish everything out of thin air. Coming to this banquet was like walking into a trap. Are we supposed to be fools and bear all the losses just because he threatened us with a few words?”
The others murmured in agreement. None of them were willing to pay out of their own pockets to fund a public waterworks project, especially one with an uncertain chance of success.
The man in the melon-skin cap spoke again: “You all knew this banquet was a trap, so why did you come? Because we all fear Young Master Wang’s power. When he mentioned building canals, dams, and even diverting the Yellow River, it didn’t sound like idle talk. He gave us this half-hour not to consult us but to see who would submit first. He’s testing our loyalty, seeing who will be the first to obey and curry favor with him.”
The woman in the fox fur scarf chimed in: “I’ve heard that Young Master Wang has his own rules for dealing with people. Those who submit to him and assist him are rewarded tenfold or a hundredfold. Four or five years ago, when he was suppressing pirates in the East Sea, a sailor named Wan San helped him map out several hidden reefs and deserted islands. In return, Young Master Wang gave him a few prophetic words. Following his advice, Wan San became the wealthiest merchant in Jiangnan in less than three years. Now, at the mouth of the Wujiang River, over seventy docks and ports are filled with Wan family ships. Any merchant in Great Yong who wants to transport goods by sea has to rent ships, cargo holds, and containers from Wan San.”
The elderly man with the jade thumb ring snorted and said, “Since Young Master Wang knows such a wealthy merchant familiar with water transport, why trouble us? He could just summon Wan San to fund and build the canals instead.”
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