Chapter 23: Fire a Shot and See

Tossing a five-hundred-tael silver banknote to Fatty Niu, Zhang Chen gave him a kick. "Two choices: either become our family’s second steward and eventually succeed Uncle Zheng as the head steward, or become the section chief of the Zhang Manor’s Confidentiality Department. Fatty, pick one."

"Is the Confidentiality Department similar to the Imperial Court’s Brocade Guard? Young Master, I’m only sixteen; I don’t want to retire at home. I’ll be the chief of the Zhang Manor’s Confidentiality Department."

Fatty Niu tucked away the five-hundred-tael banknote, his face beaming with a fawning smile. "Dongcao is bold yet meticulous; she’s suited to be an operative for the Confidentiality Department. You should go to the Second Young Master and request her."

"The duties of the Zhang Manor’s Confidentiality Department include those of the Brocade Guard, but are not limited to them. The primary task for the section chief at this stage is to protect the formulas for soap, anti-inflammatory pills, and other such items. You fat rascal, you just want to marry Dongcao. The Second Young Master will send her to Zhang Manor today."

Zhang Chen scolded Fatty Niu, "All personnel in the Zhang Manor’s Confidentiality Department are considered special forces. Currently, serving as a soldier in Zhang Manor is a high-risk profession. It is not suitable for both husband and wife to serve in the military. Fatty, let your fiancée, Dongcao, be a head manager in the back courtyard instead."

"I’ll listen to the Young Master." Fatty Niu saw Yang Wenlin approaching. "Young Master, Old Yang wants you to test their large-scale double-bang firecrackers."

Just then, Xi Yuming dropped to her knees with a thud before Zhang Chen. She held out the five-hundred-tael banknote with both hands. "Master, I am a woman, an unmarried maiden. I do not want the money; I beg you to let me serve as a maid in your household."

"Serving as my maid would be a waste of your talents. You may enjoy the treatment of a personal maid and live in our back courtyard at night."

Zhang Chen did not take the banknote. "Keep the money, Xi Yuming. Continue your research and develop laundry detergent, shampoo, and other daily chemical products."

Having worked as a doctor for over a decade in the twenty-first century, Zhang Chen had seen through Xi Yuming’s cross-dressing at a single glance.

"That’s wonderful. Yes, this servant will obey, Master." Xi Yuming kowtowed once. "Master, my name is Xi Yuming."

"Get up. There’s no need to kneel and kowtow at every turn. Fatty, get the soap factory and the Confidentiality Department established as soon as possible." Zhang Chen walked out of the room and nodded to Yang Wenlin, who was approaching. "Test the cannons on the academy’s parade ground. I’ll fire one to see how it performs."

"Master, fire two," said Bao Wulin, the gunpowder craftsman, who had also arrived. "Fire one with standard gunpowder, then one with our improved version."

"That sounds reasonable." Zhang Chen cast a distant glare at Tian Yachun and Zhu Weijin as they approached, then took Xia Hua’s hand. "Why did you bring them here? The academy is the military base of our Zhang Manor. Xia Hua, do not bring outsiders here in the future."

"The Young Mistress is the mistress of Zhang Manor; how could she be an outsider?"

Dongmei cursed Zhang Chen under her breath, then dropped to her knees. "That afternoon, it was I who threw the banknote on the ground, causing you such anger that you fainted. It was my own doing; it had nothing to do with the Young Mistress. Sir, have me beaten to death, but please forgive her."

"Get up, Dongmei. No one is going to beat you to death."

Zhang Chen truly did not want Tian Yachun. He smiled. "Little Tian, we have not consummated our marriage, and the wedding ceremony was never completed. In other words, we are not yet husband and wife. Yes, that is an excellent reason; I hadn't thought of it before. Actually, never mind the excuses..."

"Little Tian, we only met a few times before the marriage. We aren't close, and there is no foundation of affection between us."

Zhang Chen spoke with sincerity as he pressed the thirty-thousand-plus tael banknote into Tian Yachun’s hand.

"Take the money back. Breaking up is the best choice. Fortunately, we haven't consummated the marriage. Miss Tian, a twisted melon is not sweet. Better a short pain than a long suffering. Let go. From now on, you walk your sunny path, and I’ll walk my own bridge."

"You certainly have a silver tongue, Zhang Chen. You are the most eloquent bookworm in the Great Ming." Zhu Weijin chided him. "Our Qingzhou Trading Company has shipped you over ten boatloads of iron, saltpeter, grain, sulfur, and other miscellaneous supplies, totaling one hundred and eleven thousand taels of silver. That is forty thousand taels more than the seventy thousand we agreed upon. Do you want these extra supplies?"

"You sell me supplies at prices ten to twenty percent higher than market value, and knowing I had one hundred and eleven thousand taels, you greedy merchant, you shipped exactly that much in goods."

Zhang Chen cursed Zhu Weijin in his heart. "I want them, but I have no more money."

"For Yachun’s sake, I could have allowed you to buy on credit." Zhu Weijin put on a regretful expression. "Zhang Chen, you are planning to divorce Yachun, are you not? Then there is nothing to be done."

"Take the money." Tian Yachun shoved the dozen or so banknotes—totaling over thirty thousand taels—back to Zhang Chen. "We have already bowed in marriage. A virtuous woman does not serve two husbands. I will not divorce you; I would rather die than divorce!"

"We are all sensible people, Little Tian. You don't need to deny it; by driving me to Zhang Manor, you had the intention of divorcing me."

Without taking the banknotes Tian Yachun shoved at him, Zhang Chen smiled and picked up a dirty rag from the ground. "Princess Zhu, don't blink. The moment for a miracle is about to arrive."

Fatty Niu, quick to read the situation, brought over half a copper basin of clear water.

Xi Yuming, equally sharp, brought over a bar of soap.

With a smile, Zhang Chen used the soap to wash the dirty rag.

"Soap! It’s not the usual lye soap!"

Zhu Weijin looked at the clean rag, then stared at the soap in Zhang Chen’s hand. "Zhang Chen, I want it! Tell me, how much of this strange soap do you have? I want it all!"

"This is soap, something I’ve spent over a decade of sleepless nights researching. Each bar is at least five taels of silver." Zhang Chen tossed the soap. "Princess Zhu, use the soap to settle the payment for the goods. Bring as much iron as you can, and Zhang Manor will take it all."

A three-inch square bar of soap likely cost less than three copper coins to make, yet Zhang Chen was selling it for five taels. Fatty Niu and Xi Yuming exchanged glances, shocked.

Monopolizing a business is certainly a path to immense profit. The key was that most commoners didn't use soap; Zhang Chen felt no guilt in draining the silver from the wealthy!

Historically, Ming merchants smuggled vast quantities of contraband—iron, copper, grain, tea—into Liaodong, selling them to the Mongols. So, as long as Zhang Chen’s silver was provided, the Qingzhou Trading Company could supply him with enough iron, saltpeter, and other materials over the coming years.

Rural land was cheap, and the Zhang Manor academy’s parade ground was vast. Yang Wenlin set up two "heartless cannons" at the edge of the field, and Bao Wulin had several bags of black powder brought over.

"You don't mean to use these iron buckets as cannons, do you?" Zhu Weijin scolded Zhang Chen. "Iron cannons are prone to bursting. Your buckets will surely burst even faster. Zhang Chen, next time I will get you some copper to cast cannons; bronze cannons are less likely to explode."