Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 2087 - 1525: The Bigwigs of Ningbo

The eighth year of Hongzhi (1495), May, Ming Dynasty, Ningbo Port.The morning mist dissipated at the port, and in the once bustling Ningbo Port with a thousand sails competing, over forty patrol ships and hundreds of inspection boats gathered at sea, presenting an unprecedented sense of severity. A document from the Ningbo Prefect’s yamen was issued with unparalleled efficiency, delivered ten days earlier. Most merchant and civilian ships in Ningbo Port were forcibly ordered to leave the port and dock at nearby small ports and fishing villages.

However, at this moment, the "Great Merchants" of Ningbo sat in the city’s highest tea house in elegant seating, sending their subordinates to the port to observe while drinking tea and laughing. Although everyone’s faces were composed, their voices still betrayed an unmistakable excitement.

Because, with the arrival of the once-in-a-decade "tribute" fleet from Japan, carrying a load of gold, silver, copper materials, and other goods, this business worth tens of thousands or even millions of silver taels, the true "Great Deal" once every ten years is about to commence! And those small merchants who were driven away are merely those lacking the background, without the entry ticket to this grand "Japanese goods" trade.

"Oh! So many naval force flags? Taiping, Xia Yu, Chuanshan, Changshan... Matsuura, Shi Pu, Xiangtou... have inspection bureaus from more than a dozen coastal areas sent ships here?!"

"Yes, and it’s the order from the Zhejiang governor’s office. Previously, the yamen was reorganized, warehouse inventories were checked, over a dozen clerks were dismissed in one go, military equipment at the garrisons was inspected, ordered to conduct drills, consuming rice, grain, and silver taels... This northern governor who has come south surely treats this cultural spectacle of four foreigners being submissive and Japanese paying tribute as if it’s a daunting military affair like defending against northern barbarians!..."

"Ha! The coastal garrisons have been at peace for many years; it’s good to have some organization, so that the Japanese do not underestimate our Great Ming. After all, these barbarians fear might but do not respect virtue... As for reorganizing the yamen, dismissing clerks, it’s merely changing a batch of people, staying solemn for two or three years, and when this governor leaves office, it will revert back... However, I heard that this governor’s aide secretly checked the treasury’s Fish Scale Land Book and covertly transcribed a copy..."

"... Checking the Fish Scale Land Book?!..."

Upon hearing such a shocking news, the elegant seating at the tea house went silent instantly, the faces of the old gentlemen becoming subtly expressive. After all, these great merchants, being able to present large quantities of cloth, silk, and porcelain to trade with Japanese vassals, definitely have their footing. Behind them are undoubtedly the gentry of Zhe Province! The mulberry fields, hemp fields, and workshops producing these goods are mostly controlled by local gentries.

In truth, the so-called "sea trade" of Ming Dynasty, despite its name of "maritime trade", is in this era truly dictated by the gentry on land! Among Ningbo’s four noble scholar families, the West Lake Lu Family, Cha Lake Zhang Family, Jiangbei Tu Family, and Jingchuan Yang Family, which house does not hold ten thousand acres of fertile land, cultivating mulberry and planting hemp, employing thousands of tenant farmers and servants for weaving and silk reeling? The businesses that gentries engage in have always been the most profitable ones. And these top-grade yet untaxed land acres are their lifeblood, impossible for anyone to stir!

"Cough! Lu Jingtian, what are you talking about again? Mind your words, mind your words!..."

After a moment of silence, it was still Yang Maode, an elder in scholarly robes sitting at the head, who gently coughed. He glanced mildly at the elder in blue robes, Lu Shougong, who just spoke, and the latter nodded with a smile. Both sat at the head, one in a scholarly robe, the other in a blue robe, plus two more on either side. The four were subtly revered like the moon surrounded by stars, sitting at the center of many merchants.

Indeed, that’s how it is. Yang Demao, courtesy name Shanxing, is known for his goodness and generosity, being not only renowned in Zhe Province as "Yang the Good", but also the largest silk merchant in Ningbo. His identity, however, is the bastard born to the concubine of Yang Shouchen, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing, hailing from Jingchuan Yang Family.

Jingchuan Yang Family is right at its zenith, currently there are Yang Maoyuan, Deputy Inspector of Shandong, Yang Maoren, Director of the Ministry of Justice, Yang Shouzhi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing, Yang Shousui, Vice Imperial Censor of Nanjing, Yang Shouyu, Director of the Department of War... indeed, they are the most prominent noble family inside and outside Ningbo City at present. And it is precisely this family door that can shelter fifty thousand acres of good fields, controlling nearly half of Ningbo’s silk supply in sea trade!

In comparison, Lu Shougong as a branch representative of West Lake Lu Family is slightly weaker in status. The former Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Justice, Lu Yu, already passed away years ago, the current West Lake Lu Family has only two Deputy Magistrates of the standard fifth grade. Such positions, trying to shelter the family’s thirty thousand acres of good fields, are indeed somewhat strained, naturally worried about the trend of the governor’s investigation of land sources! After all, although every family has a "reputation for goodness", if any family were to have their land origins truly investigated, none of them could withstand the scrutiny...

Fortunately, Lu and Yang families have intermarried for generations, with Yang Family’s protection in the court, as long as the seeds for imperial examination in the family continue, promptly producing a court dignitary, they can shelter for another few decades. But this time around in "Japanese goods trade", Yang Family naturally cannot compare with eleven years ago during the 20th year of Chenghua. They must yield a significant portion of interests to other families...

"Yang Shanxing, everyone listens to you, you have the final say!... Since everyone is here, why don’t you start by discussing the share distribution of this Japanese goods trade among families?"

"Hmm, then I shall, discuss it?"

The scholarly elder Yang Maode slowly nodded, looked around at the nodding crowd, especially pausing on the faces of merchants from Lu, Zhang, and Tu families. Then he coughed lightly again, speaking with a smile.

"Cough! The inspection bureau has communicated with me in advance... This time, Japan has sent as many as eight large ships, each capable of holding over a thousand stones, extremely heavy! More than the previous times, only second to the fourth year of Jingtai with the most, which had eleven large ships that time..."

"What?! Eight Japanese ships holding one to two thousand stones? So many?!... Among them, how many are for the Emperor’s tributes, how many are trade attached items? Among attached items, how many are worthless Japanese goods, how many are valuable gold, silver, and copper materials?"

As a foreign vassal’s tribute trade, there must be tributes presented to the court. However, according to the customs of tribute, the tributes need to be ’given generously and returned sparingly,’ with the court adding money for rewards. If a vassal state’s tributes are too abundant, the court often chooses to ’not accept’ to reduce losses.

Correspondingly, the court also gave the vassal states involved in tribute, especially Korea, Ryukyu, and Japan, another kind of policy privilege, allowing ’attached items’ trade. This means granting the tribute missions the legal and open trade rights for non-tribute goods in the tribute at the Market Department’s location. Every time Japan comes, it carries the most ’attached items,’ often several times or ten times the tributes. Moreover, compared to the Koreans who overlap with their goods, the Japanese can bring out astonishing amounts of real gold and silver without needing resale for cash, attracting the attention of the local gentry...

’Cough! Don’t rush!... Wait until the Japanese envoy has landed, met with the Emperor’s eunuch garrison, and counted the tributes... Naturally, we’ll find out how many ships of gold, silver, and copper materials they have brought this time!...’

Yang Maode, the scholarly elder, raised his teacup and sipped slowly to moisten his throat. He spoke very slowly, exhibiting an air of a ’Zanying Family,’ and ’Noble expression delay.’ As for the maritime trade of Great Ming Zhejiang, especially the tribute trade which collects money locally, it is pre-divided and the main profit taken away amidst the elegant discussions of these gentry.

As for the true sea merchants like the Chongming Shi Family, they are mere subordinates to the gentry lords at the table—scurrying beneath it, no matter how hard they struggle, can only nibble at the leftover scraps as ’dogs’...

’However, ugly truth upfront... Regardless of how much gold, silver, and copper materials the Japanese bring, my Yang Family is taking this share of the maritime trade!...’

Yang Maode smiled gently, holding up three fingers slowly. Then he glanced around at the ’not big enough’ great merchants, leisurely setting the rules.

’...If the Japanese wish to trade silk, the price of all merchants’ silk cannot be lower than the price set by my Yang Family! If the Japanese bring limited gold and silver, no more need be said... But if the gold and silver are abundant and my Yang Family’s goods are insufficient, I kindly ask everyone to "lend" some goods to me, profits split in half!...’

’According to the rules of previous tribute missions, the Japanese fleet will stay here for two or three months, only leaving for the capital once all attached items are traded... During these two or three months, all trade in Ningbo Port, please everyone keep an eye on things...’

’Any merchant who fails to follow the rules or quotas and dares to secretly trade with the Japanese... is disrespecting all at this table!... Thus, need to have their names noted down and submitted to the Inspection Bureau and government... Each Inspection Bureau and government’s prison will inevitably need them to make a visit one day...’

In the seaside teahouse’s elegant seating, merchants glanced at each other, their eyes flickering. But regardless of their inner thoughts, in Ningbo and even the Zhe Province, the gentry noble families still are the largest! Merely a few breaths, everyone respectfully smiled and gradually nodded in agreement.

’Yes! Listen to Elder Yang!...’

’Right! Follow the rules...’

’Deal with those outside merchants from other regions—what the Inspection Bureau and government need to arrest, should still be arrested!...’

’Come, tea, tea! Excellent tea shoots before Dragon Well, Yu Hang Jing Mountain’s Lu Yu Spring Water...’

’But seeing purity floating, emerald shadows fall on green ridges. Brewing golden bud, not taken after Grain Rain... This golden tea soup truly leaves lingering fragrance, with elegant taste beyond the ordinary!...’

The elegant seating soon returned to a scene of laughter and conversation. Great merchants harmoniously conversed, discussing how to distinguish the quality of various ’Japanese goods,’ how to determine the differences in red, authentic gold and silver. And as several sweaty workers rushed over from the port, without needing them to speak, everyone looked out to sea, smiles appearing on their faces.

’Masters, esteemed masters...’

’The Japanese... the Japanese fleet has passed the inspection and verification of the Inspection Bureau, under the Naval Forces’ escort...’

’They, after anchoring at sea for two days, have finally just docked!’