Moma Liangshan

Chapter 50 Hangzhou Pawnshop, Fang La Appears

Two days later, Wang Hao traveled from Luxian to Hangzhou and stayed overnight at the Hangzhou West Post Station. At the post station, Wang Hao sought out the postmaster and asked, "Who owns the largest pawnshop in Hangzhou?" The postmaster replied, "There are dozens of pawnshops in Hangzhou, but the three most famous are the Chen family, the Ma family, and the Liu family. As for which of the three is the best, I don't know." Wang Hao nodded and then asked, "Do the three families differentiate between the items they pawn?" The postmaster pondered for a moment and said, "The Chen family is good at collecting property deeds, the Ma family is good at collecting gold and silver jewelry, and the Liu family is good at collecting antiques and calligraphy." After a pause, he added, "These three pawnshops have been operating in Hangzhou for over three generations; they are truly established brands. Besides them, there is another pawnshop whose reputation spread throughout the streets and alleys overnight last year." Wang Hao asked with interest, "Pawnshops and money houses are different from others; without years of operation and accumulated reputation, how can they gain the trust of the people?" The postmaster replied, "I am also puzzled, but what is even more perplexing is that this pawnshop has no reputation in Hangzhou..." Shopfronts. Whenever people urgently needed money, they would pawn their belongings and take them to Qingxi Town outside Hangzhou City. Wang Hao frowned and asked, "Is there anything special about Qingxi Town?" The postmaster replied, "Qingxi Town has a Ming Cult altar, which is very efficacious, and it's rumored to have no fewer than ten thousand followers." Wang Hao thought to himself, "The four great bandits of the late Northern Song Dynasty: Song Jiang of Shandong, Tian Hu of Hebei, Wang Qing of Huaixi, and Fang La of Jiangnan. Tian Hu and Wang Qing were merely nominal; they were no match for Song Jiang. Fang La of Jiangnan..." With a force of millions, they conquered six prefectures and fifty-two counties in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Zhejiang within a few months. Song Jiang led the 108 Liangshan heroes and a massive naval force of 100,000 in a fierce battle. Fifty-nine of his valiant generals died in battle, eleven from disease, and countless soldiers perished—a Pyrrhic victory. Based on the timeline, Song Jiang's sweeping conquest of Shandong under the guise of "acting on behalf of Heaven," and Fang La's annexation of Jiangnan under the pretext of "obeying Heaven and protecting the nation," should have occurred between the next two years. He then asked, "Is there any particular custom in going to Qingxi County to offer sacrifices?"

The postmaster pondered for a moment and said, “The poor must kneel before the altar for three days and three nights, during which time they may only drink water and not eat, to show their sincerity; the wealthy can offer a hundred strings of cash and kneel before the altar for one day and one night, also only drinking water and not eating; the rich offer a thousand strings of cash annually, then bathe, burn incense, and gather forty-nine believers to kneel and worship together for half an hour. Wealthy merchants, if they offer ten thousand strings of cash, can become deacons within the sect and do not need to kneel.” Wang Hao frowned and asked, “How did you learn of this?” The postmaster looked around and whispered, “To be honest, young master, it is rumored that the Prefect is on the Ming Cult’s roster.” Wang Hao was surprised and said, “A high-ranking official of the court, associating with the three religions and nine schools of thought, isn’t that laughable?” The postmaster said, “Actually, it’s not the Prefect’s fault. The court has set up bureaus in Suzhou and Hangzhou specifically to search for…” They collected exquisite and unusual items, but taxes were levied in no way on any locality. The people inevitably harbored resentment, and countless groups gathered to resist taxes. Small disturbances could easily escalate into major problems. However, the local troops were stretched thin and unable to quell the unrest, so they had to seek external help.” Wang Hao asked, “Is this external help the Ming Cult?” The postmaster replied, “Exactly! The Ming Cult has ten virtues: love, faith, sincerity, respect, wisdom, obedience, knowledge, awareness, secrecy, and observation. Its methods of self-cultivation emphasize asceticism and silence, with vegetarianism, fasting, and prayer as daily practices. Those who follow its teachings are often able to avoid arrogance and impatience, maintain a peaceful mindset, and be content with their current situation. Therefore, the Ming Cult's tenets have played an indispensable role in maintaining stability in Jiangnan.” Wang Hao smiled and said, “The customs and traditions vary greatly across the north and south of the Yangtze River! Thank you for your explanation, postmaster. This small amount of money is just a token of my appreciation!” He then placed five taels of silver in the postmaster's hand. The postmaster hesitated briefly before placing the item in his pocket and said, "Young master, if you have something to say, please give your instructions. I'll take my leave now!"

After the postmaster left, Wang Hao summoned Yang Zhi and said, "Tomorrow, take my visiting card to the Liu family and ask them to send someone to discuss business." Yang Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "We're new to Hangzhou and unfamiliar with the area. If we go rashly, we might be looked down upon and have our prices lowered. In my opinion, we should ask the postmaster to come along." Wang Hao thought this made sense and said, "Excellent!" The next morning, Yang Zhi and the postmaster rode together to the Liu family. The postmaster, riding excitedly, said, "Our post station only has one mare from Dali, short-legged and small, not as imposing as a warrior's horse." Yang Zhi, not one to mince words, asked, "Are you acquainted with the Liu family?" The postmaster replied, "Our post station is specifically for receiving merchants from the north and south. The Liu family has been merchants for generations, so we're naturally familiar." Yang Zhi said, "Young master is still waiting at the post station; let's not delay." Two hours later, the two arrived at the Liu family's gate. Upon seeing that it was the postmaster, the gatekeeper hurriedly greeted him, saying, "Postmaster, you look quite imposing today!" The postmaster dismounted and said, "I have business to attend to today; I'll invite you for drinks another day. Is your master in?" The gatekeeper replied, "Yes." The postmaster took the visiting card from Yang Zhi and handed it to the gatekeeper, saying, "A young master from Dongjing wishes to see your master; please go and inform him immediately." The gatekeeper said, "No need for announcements for the postmaster; please come in!" The postmaster and Yang Zhi handed their horses to the gatekeeper and entered the Liu family compound together.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in his forties approached. Upon seeing the postmaster, he hurriedly greeted him, saying, "Brother Lü Tong, it's been so long! I've missed you terribly!" The postmaster returned the greeting and said, "I've come to pay my respects to Brother Liu Gu today on someone's behalf." Liu Gu asked, "What is it?" The postmaster, while asking Yang Zhi to produce his visiting card, said, "A young master has come from Dongjing (Kaifeng) who wants to pawn a batch of valuables. However, the quantity is too large to enter the city, so he would like to ask you to send a manager to appraise them first." Just then, the sound of horses neighing came from outside the door. The three of them went outside and saw a man mounting a horse. Yang Zhi strode forward and demanded, "Who are you? Dismount at once!" The man on horseback was extremely arrogant, replying, "I never change my name or surname; I am Lü Shinang from Shezhou." At this moment, the postmaster Lü Tong hurriedly ran over and said, "Cousin, please dismount!" Lü Shinang, seeing it was Lü Tong, asked, "Is this burly man your friend?" Lü Tong looked at Yang Zhi and said, "We've known each other for a day; he's a guest at the post station." Lü Shinang remained seated on his horse and said, "Where did you come from, guest, with such a fine steed?" Postmaster Lü Tong replied, "A high-ranking official from Dongjing."

Lu Shinang frowned slightly and said, "Why is this high-ranking official from Dongjing (Kaifeng) coming to Hangzhou instead of staying there?" Yang Zhi, having already lost his patience, said, "You talk too much. I'll count to three. If you don't dismount, don't blame me for being rude! One! Two! Three!" With that, he grabbed the reins and leaped up. Caught off guard, Lu Shinang was kicked off the saddle by Yang Zhi. Yang Zhi didn't linger on the horse; he turned and landed on the other side. Lu Shinang fell to the ground, covered in dust, and lay sprawled at Yang Zhi's feet. Liu Gu and Lu Tong quickly ran over and helped Lu Shinang up. Lü Tong said, "My cousin meant no harm, please forgive him, sir." Yang Zhi said, "I was merely guarding my young master's belongings, I have no intention of making enemies!" To avoid further trouble, Liu Gu said, "Please wait a moment, sir, while I make my preparations, I will go myself." Lü Shinang looked at Liu Gu and asked, "Brother Liu, are you going out on business?" Liu Gu said, "A young master at the post station wants to pawn a batch of calligraphy and paintings to me, and asks me to go and discuss it." Lü Shinang suddenly said, "I will go with you." Liu Gu was surprised and looked at Yang Zhi. Yang Zhi said, "As long as this person is not causing trouble, you can go!" Liu Gu looked at Lü Shinang again, and Lü Shinang said, "Alright!" A moment later, Liu Gu found a two-oxcart, and together with two pawnshop managers, they went to the post station. Lü Tong wanted to mount his horse, but Lü Shinang stopped him. Lü Shinang looked at Yang Zhi and said, "I have two horses. May I borrow them for the journey?" Yang Zhi replied, "If the postmaster agrees, that's fine." Lü Shinang said, "He is my cousin. Of course, I will grant his request." Before Lü Tong could answer, he mounted his horse.

Upon arriving at the post station, Yang Zhi went to report and recounted the events that had transpired. Upon hearing the name "Lü Shinang," Wang Hao thought to himself, "No wonder a post station clerk is so familiar with the Ming Cult affairs of Qingxi Town; he's the cousin of Lü Shinang, one of Fang La's Eight Heavenly Kings." He said, "Please invite them in." Wang Hao placed four large chests in the living room, with Yang Zhi and the three Ruan brothers standing behind him. Lü Shinang, Liu Gu, and the others entered the room and were quite surprised to see a young man sitting in the main seat. Lu Tong, standing to the side, said, "This is Young Master Wang from Tokyo." Liu Gu replied, "I am Liu Gu, greetings, young master! Thank you for patronizing my business!" Wang Hao said, "Business is about mutual benefit and harmony. There's no need for such modesty, Mr. Liu!" Seeing Wang Hao's impressive words and imposing presence, Liu Gu dared not be negligent and said, "I've brought the men, and the money is prepared at my residence. It will be delivered in half an hour." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Open the boxes and inspect the goods!" Four large boxes contained dozens of antiques and paintings. It took the two pawnshop managers almost half an hour to complete their appraisal, silently recording the valuations of each item. After everything was finished, the two managers looked at Liu Gu. Liu Gu understood and asked, "Would you like to pawn the items immediately or permanently?" Wang Hao replied, "Permanently! Please quote a price, Boss Liu." Liu Gu looked at the two shopkeepers, one of whom said, "Sixty-three items, totaling 31,000 strings of cash." These antiques and paintings all came from Liang Zhongshu's birthday tribute, which was said to be worth 100,000 strings of cash, including 90,000 strings of gold and silver jewelry. Wang Hao thought all the antiques and paintings added up to less than 10,000 strings of cash. In fact, Liang Zhongshu's antiques and paintings were all obtained through bribery or extortion, and were not included in the 100,000 strings of cash. Just as Wang Hao was about to speak, Liu Gu spoke first, saying, "I feel an instant connection with Young Master Wang, and I will purchase them at a friend's price." The two shopkeepers exchanged glances and said, "54,000 strings of cash." Wang Hao was surprised, thinking to himself, "A shrewd merchant," but he still said, "Thank you, Boss Liu!"