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The atmosphere in the main hall was serious.
Prince Yong frowned tightly, looking ready to explode at any moment. The Shan merchants had managed to play both sides between Yong’s and Liang’s territories for a reason. Both he and Prince Liang were well aware of these merchants’ existence and their activities.
But these merchants were generous in their payments—every year they gave him hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, not to mention jewels and beauties.
Because of this, Prince Yong naturally turned a blind eye. Who could say no to silver? As long as these merchants didn’t harm their interests, that was enough.
But now these merchants had clearly made a serious mistake and were discovered by Xiao Ming.
“Are these Shan merchants really betraying the country?” Prince Yong asked.
He never cared what business these merchants did with the barbarians, only how much silver he could get from them.
Xiao Ming nodded and told Prince Yong the intelligence gathered by his secret guards.
“Hmph, these treacherous merchants. I told them not to go too far, but they secretly did this behind my back. Nephew, don’t worry. When I return, I’ll deal with them,” Prince Yong said carelessly.
Xiao Ming sneered inwardly. He didn’t really believe Prince Yong. The fief lords in Great Yu Empire had long acted independently.
He knew that even invoking Xiao Wenxuan’s authority wouldn’t make Prince Yong obey. Most likely, Prince Yong would just kill a few scapegoats and let the merchants continue their business under a new guise.
Using imperial authority to pressure these border lords was less effective than negotiating interests. After all, whether it was Prince Yong or Prince Liang, these frontier lords often ignored imperial orders.
“Fourth uncle, we’re both smart people. Don’t use those words to brush me off,” Xiao Ming said, slowly sipping his tea.
Prince Yong frowned, “Nephew, what do you mean by that? Haven’t I already agreed with you? What more do you want?”
“If you’re sincere, I will send three thousand cavalry with you. If I don’t see the heads of those Nine Great Shan Merchants, I won’t believe it,” Xiao Ming blew on his tea, and Prince Yong’s face darkened.
To Prince Yong, Xiao Ming was overreaching. His hot temper wouldn’t allow it.
Before Prince Yong could get angry, Xiao Ming continued, “I understand what you worry about. It’s just the hundreds of thousands of taels a year, right? If you remove those merchants, I will pay you back that silver.”
Prince Yong’s expression gradually returned to normal. He said, “Nephew, I speak bluntly. I don’t believe you do all this for the good of Great Yu. You’re just a small fief lord; the empire belongs to the Crown Prince. The real worries are for your elder brother and the Crown Prince, not you. Why exhaust yourself? Too much success can be dangerous—your achievements might be poison. The more you succeed, the quicker you might die. We lords only need to manage our own lands. Reaching too far only makes others unhappy.”
“People say you, Fourth uncle, are brave but lack wisdom. I’m not so sure,” Xiao Ming was surprised. Prince Yong’s words reflected the thinking of most fief lords now. After pondering, he said, “You’re right. I think the same way now. This purge of the Shan merchants is for Great Yu—and for myself.”
“Oh?” Prince Yong exclaimed. “How did those merchants offend you?”
“Because they buy goods from my merchants, then sell to the barbarians at four or five times the price. They also block my merchants’ trade on the steppes. How can I tolerate this?”
Although the empire forbade private trade with barbarians, with imperial permission, some trade was allowed—except for iron, saltpeter, and similar goods, just as barbarians were restricted in owning warhorses.
Border trade was heavily taxed, so smuggling was the only profitable way. That’s how the Shan merchants grew rich.
Now that Xiao Ming had official merchant status and tax exemption, he naturally wanted to capitalize on the lucrative border trade. The barbarians were powerful, having plundered much gold, silver, and jewels from Western kingdoms during years of war.
Noble barbarians also loved luxury goods, and competition for status was fierce. For Xiao Ming, this was an opportunity. Even in war, trade could continue.
“Hahaha… I see. These Shan merchants have indeed gone too far,” Prince Yong said.
Xiao Ming smiled and continued, “Driven by greed, the Shan merchants sell anything. How can they compare to Qingzhou’s merchant guild? At least I won’t sell saltpeter or sulfur. So eliminating them cuts off supplies to barbarians and lets my guild control border trade. Uncle, you can take the silver openly, right?”
Prince Yong was tempted. He only kept the Shan merchants for the silver anyway. Now that Xiao Ming promised compensation, why not? He also disliked Prince Liang, as those merchants paid Liang more silver than him.
What angered him most was the battle at Jizhou. Prince Liang watched Jizhou besieged and did nothing to help.
Thinking of this, Prince Yong nodded, “Then I’ll help with this favor. It’s also a chance to test these firearms.”
“Then I’ll wait for good news,” Xiao Ming said, relieved to have found an ally.
This plan could both punish the treasonous merchants and expand his own trade—a double win.
After the discussion, Prince Yong prepared to take the firearms. He was impatient, eager to equip his troops with the new weapons.
They went to the warehouse at Qingzhou harbor where the military supplies were stored, guarded by layers of soldiers. All the weapons traded with other lords were kept here.
According to their agreement, Xiao Ming was to produce two thousand matchlock guns for Prince Yong. The guns were ready, waiting for Prince Yong’s inspection.
Prince Yong arrived at Qingzhou with silver and bodyguards specifically for this matter.
“Fourth uncle, these matchlock guns are for you,” Xiao Ming said. Since Prince Yong came personally, he had to accompany him.
The armory was filled with boxes of matchlock guns. Seeing them, Prince Yong’s eyes lit up. He nodded approvingly to Xiao Ming, “Thank you, nephew. Bring the silver off the ship.”
While speaking, Prince Yong wandered through the armory. When he saw the cannons, his eyes gleamed. “Nephew, can you also give me these twenty cannons?”