The Heir

Сhарter 93: A Нigh-Stаkеs Gаmblе

The man whо аttemptеd suicide wаs thе оwnеr оf а small tavеrn. Some time ago, he hаd mоrtgagеd his tavеrn tо Sifаng Вank tо sесurе а loаn, which he then usеd tо buy lаnd. Unexpеctedlу, land priсеs hаd rесеntlу plummetеd, lеaving him with nоthing. Whеn Sifаng Bаnk cаmе to reроssess his tаvern, he cоuldn’t bear the lоss аnd jumрed frоm the building. Fortunatеlу, it wаs onlу thе sесоnd flоor, sо hе survived. Yеt, his aсtions onlу brought grеаtеr hardshiр uроn his fаmily. What was thе point?

The crоwd watched аs the tavеrn ownеr wаs takеn to the Medicine Hall before gradually dispersing. Soon, conversations turned back to the falling land prices, inevitably touching upon the news of Lord Hai Rui’s impending arrival.

Zhen Niang, accompanied by Xiao Ya and Hua’er, was walking home. Luo Qian seemed to be heading in the same direction, strolling leisurely ahead, so the two appeared to be walking one after the other.

As she walked, Zhen Niang pondered the suicide incident and suddenly had a thought.

If the court truly intended to send Hai Rui to investigate the land price matter, why would news of his arrival spread so widely before he even arrived? Of course, it was possible that the decision had already been made in the court, and some insiders had leaked the information. But if that were the case, wouldn’t those in the know keep it quiet, secretly selling their own land first? It made no sense for the news to become common knowledge like this.

Thinking this, Zhen Niang recalled some speculative tactics from later eras.

Perhaps Hai Rui wasn’t coming to Nanjing at all for now—this might simply be someone’s smokescreen.

Maybe certain individuals wanted to acquire land but found the prices too high, so they spread this rumor to drive down prices, allowing them to buy up large quantities of land and achieve their goal of land consolidation.

Hmm, the more Zhen Niang thought about it, the more plausible this seemed.

“Aren’t you going home?” Luo Qian’s amused voice suddenly broke her reverie.

“Hmm?” Zhen Niang snapped back to reality and glanced around, her cheeks flushing slightly. She had already passed the alley leading to the Li residence. Unconsciously, she had followed Luo Qian for quite a distance.

She had been too absorbed in her thoughts. Zhen Niang pursed her lips slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

But she wasn’t about to show it.

“I’m going to buy something up ahead. Please go on ahead, Young Master Luo,” Zhen Niang replied calmly. Then, with Xiao Ya and Hua’er in tow, she walked past Luo Qian and entered a fabric shop not far away. As soon as her back was turned to him, Zhen Niang’s lips twitched involuntarily.

Luo Qian rubbed his nose. This girl was clearly lost in thought but refused to admit it. Of course, as a gentleman, he wouldn’t expose a young lady’s stubbornness. He simply chuckled, bowed politely, and took his leave.

“Miss, miss, who was that?” Once Luo Qian was gone, Xiao Ya and Hua’er’s curiosity exploded. Both wore identical expressions of intrigue and gossip.

Zhen Niang turned and glared at the two girls, then gave each a light tap on the forehead. “He’s just a fellow from Huizhou. What are you two imagining?”

“Oh,” Xiao Ya nodded obediently.

But Hua’er was clever and grinned mischievously. “Oh, is that so?”

“If not, then what?” Zhen Niang retorted, exasperated.

“How should I know?” Hua’er continued to smile, then ducked behind Xiao Ya when she saw Zhen Niang’s glare."Alright. Stop overthinking and hurry home." Zhen Niang naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against these two girls, so she turned and left first. The two girls didn't dare to gossip too much either, so they suppressed their curiosity and obediently followed.

Soon enough, they entered the main house of the Li residence.

"Miss Zhen, you're back. Hurry to your room—Second Madam seems troubled. She's already asked about you several times." As soon as they entered, Madam Fang came out to greet them, addressing Zhen Niang.

"Oh, do you know what it's about?" Zhen Niang asked curiously, thinking to herself that her second aunt had gone to her eldest aunt's house early in the morning, supposedly to attend a gathering of ladies. Had something happened?

"I don't know. You'd better go quickly," Madam Fang said.

"Alright." Zhen Niang nodded, glancing at Madam Fang. Perhaps due to Uncle Jingming's warning the other day, Madam Fang hadn't mentioned the tax matter in front of her these past two days. From this, it seemed she still respected Uncle Jingming's authority.

With that thought, Zhen Niang hurried back to the small building in the second courtyard. Sure enough, from a distance, she saw her second aunt pacing back and forth in front of the building, her expression filled with anxiety.

Spotting Zhen Niang from afar, Huang Shi immediately rushed over. "Zhen Niang, come with me upstairs."

Seeing her second aunt's grave expression, Zhen Niang sensed that the matter was serious. Without another word, she followed her aunt upstairs.

"Second Aunt, what happened?" Zhen Niang asked.

"Zhen Niang, did you bring two thousand taels of silver with you this time?" Huang Shi inquired.

"Yes," Zhen Niang nodded. Her second aunt already knew about this, so the question was merely a confirmation.

"Could you lend it to your eldest aunt for now?" Huang Shi asked.

"What's going on?" Zhen Niang instinctively asked, then suddenly remembered the incident earlier outside where she saw the restaurant owner jump from a building. She jumped in alarm. "Don't tell me Eldest Aunt also bought a lot of land?"

Given her eldest aunt's family's financial situation, losing a little land wouldn't be a big deal. But judging by her second aunt's expression, it seemed like a major crisis.

"Yes, she bought land, and quite a lot of it. Your eldest aunt went to Huizhou to borrow money but couldn't get any. Instead, she secretly mortgaged the family house to Sifang Bank. Now that land prices have plummeted, the bank has come knocking. Your Uncle-in-law only found out about it then and was so angry he nearly coughed up blood," Huang Shi explained.

"How could Eldest Aunt be so foolish? I warned her before not to touch land," Zhen Niang exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration.

"Actually, you can't entirely blame your eldest aunt. In merchant families, sometimes you have no choice. It's all because merchant households have such low social standing. Even if they have a bit of money, they always feel insecure. That's why your eldest aunt places great importance on your second cousin. She hopes he'll pass the imperial exams one day and elevate the family's status. She's also very close to Second Madam Xu and is determined to arrange a marriage with the Xu family, hoping to secure support and a strong backing for your second cousin."At this point, Huang Shi paused before continuing, "With such worries on her mind, your eldest aunt inevitably fell into others' hands regarding the previous land purchases. Many officials' wives were involved. However, given their status, it wasn't appropriate for them to appear publicly, so all the land purchase matters were handled by your eldest aunt. Moreover, most of the money was advanced by her. In your eldest aunt's mind, in the merchant world, money can always be earned back—this was merely about building good connections. But who could have expected Hai Rui's arrival? It caused everyone to sell off the land they had previously bought, leading to a sharp drop in land prices. Now, those wives are avoiding your aunt one after another, likely trying to renege on their commitments. As a result, all these losses will have to be borne by your eldest aunt."

After finishing, Huang Shi sighed. The waters in Nanjing truly run deep.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Niang couldn't help but frown. She had originally thought it was her eldest aunt's own idea to acquire land, but now it seemed her aunt was trapped on the same boat.

"But, Second Aunt, with just our two thousand taels—to be honest, for ordinary families, that's an astronomical sum. But in my eldest aunt's situation, I'm afraid even if we advance two thousand taels, it won't make a ripple." Zhen Niang sighed.

"There's no other way. We can only offset as much as possible. Or perhaps I'll write to your Seventh Grandmother again and ask her to think of something. We can't let your eldest aunt and uncle-in-law's lifelong efforts collapse like this. The raw silk harvest is about to begin." Huang Shi said.

Listening to her second aunt's words, Zhen Niang paced back and forth in the room before suddenly slamming the table heavily. "Since we're already in the water, we might as well dive to the bottom. Who knows, we might find gold at the bottom. I just wonder if my eldest aunt and the others have the courage for it."

"What do you mean by that?" Huang Shi didn't understand.

"I'll go see my aunt and uncle-in-law first and talk about it when I return." With that thought, Zhen Niang took Xiao Ya with her, called Er Gou to prepare the carriage, and headed straight to her aunt's house.

As soon as she entered her aunt's home, she could feel the atmosphere of gloom and despair. Although the servants and maids didn't fully understand what was happening, seeing the expressions on their masters' faces filled them with anxiety.

"Zhen Niang, you're here. Come inside quickly to see your aunt and uncle-in-law." It was Eldest Cousin's Wife Han Chen Shi who came out to greet her, her expression also looking grim.

"What are you here for? To laugh at my misfortune?" As soon as Zhen Niang entered, her eldest aunt sprayed her with angry words.

"Aunt, we're family. How could I come to laugh at your misfortune when something like this has happened? I'm here to help solve the problem." Zhen Niang said.

"Are you agreeing to lend me money?" Madam Han Li first looked pleasantly surprised, then shook her head dejectedly. "Forget it. I know roughly how much silver you have. That amount won't make much of a difference. Anyway, I'm already in this situation—there's no need to drag you down with me. You should use that silver to properly manage Ink Manor." Madam Han Li slumped onto a stool, looking utterly defeated.

"Zhen Niang, your aunt and I appreciate your kindness. It's fine. If the house is taken, so be it. Looking back, I managed to get to where I am today step by step. Even if I have to start over, I believe I can still provide your eldest aunt with a comfortable life." Han Yigui said to Zhen Niang.

Hearing Han Yigui's words and seeing his simple, farmer-like attire, Zhen Niang couldn't help but feel that Old Master Li had truly chosen an excellent husband for her aunt back then.

"Uncle-in-law, I have something to discuss with you. Let's go to the study." Zhen Niang said at this point."Alright, come with me." Han Yigui glanced at Zhen Niang, then stood up and led her to the study.

After they both sat down, a servant brought tea and left. Only then did Zhen Niang speak: "Uncle-in-law, don’t you think the news about Hai Rui’s arrival feels somewhat strange?"

"What do you mean?" Han Yigui asked.

"I’ve thought about it. If the court really intended to send Hai Rui here, they wouldn’t stir up such a commotion before he even arrives. Moreover, those who know about Hai Rui’s impending arrival would likely keep it quiet for their own benefit, trying to profit from it first. Why would they muddy the waters like this and cause such panic?" Zhen Niang looked at Han Yigui as she spoke.

Han Yigui lightly tapped the table. Indeed, what Zhen Niang said made sense—the news about Hai Rui’s arrival did carry an air of strangeness. "So, what’s your take on it?"

"Do you think someone might be manipulating things behind the scenes? Recently, land prices have risen outrageously. Someone could be deliberately spreading this news to force a reshuffle—flushing out large landholdings, driving down prices, and then secretly buying up the land once it falls to a certain level. This way, they could achieve their goal of land consolidation," Zhen Niang explained.

"You mean the news about Hai Rui’s arrival is false, deliberately spread by someone." Han Yigui’s expression shifted as he pondered the idea. It was bold, yet remarkably plausible.

"Exactly," Zhen Niang nodded.

Han Yigui stood up and began pacing back and forth in the study.

"Uncle-in-law, since things have already come to this, my two thousand taels won’t make much of a difference. But why not take a big gamble?" Zhen Niang said. She believed that with her uncle-in-law’s experience, he would naturally understand her meaning. In stock market terms, this was called averaging down—taking advantage of the plummeting land prices to buy more, thereby lowering the average cost of the previously high-priced purchases. And when news later arrived of Hai Rui’s impeachment and imprisonment, that would be the Han family’s moment to turn things around.

Now, it all depended on whether her uncle-in-law had the courage to take such a gamble.