Chapter 420: Worth the Price
Li Wei held his wine cup frozen in front of him. The word “court” moved him deeply.
Chang’an—this was the capital of the Great Yu Empire. Serving even a minor post here was a lifelong dream for many officials.
“That’s right, the court,” Xiao Ming said bluntly. “The Minister of the Ministry of Rites will retire in three years. Many officials are scrambling for the post. Though it’s not very lucrative, it is a fourth-rank position.”
Li Wei’s expression struggled, then he said, “But what does that have to do with me? I might never rise beyond this in my lifetime.”
“Not necessarily. If you’re willing, I can recommend you to the Emperor for the Minister’s post. If you work for me, I guarantee that in three years, you’ll be appointed Minister of the Ministry of Rites.”
Xiao Ming made his meaning clear. Li Wei clearly cared deeply about his rank. A deputy to the Wei King was far below a fourth-rank court official.
Even if recruitment failed, Xiao Ming risked nothing but losing some advantage over the Chu King.
Li Wei pondered. His father had been a low-ranking ninth-rank official and wished before death for Li Wei to rise high. But under the Chu King, that hope was gone.
As the Qi King said, he was getting older and would soon only farm at home.
If Li Wei got the Minister’s post, he could enter court politics, which was a great honor. He asked, “Your Highness, do you truly mean this?”
“Truly.”
Xiao Ming smiled. As he once said, betrayal only happens if the benefits are enough. People live with selfish desires and few can fully resist temptation.
Li Wei continued, “Words are not enough. Please write a contract. If you go back on your promise, even if I die, I will make sure Great Yu’s righteous people know you are untrustworthy.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ming laughed loudly. “No problem.”
He had Zi Wan prepare pen, ink, paper, and inkstone to write down his promise. Then he said to Li Wei, “Since this is a contract, it needs two signatures.”
Xiao Ming wrote his name and handed the brush to Li Wei.
Li Wei held the brush and hesitated long. He knew that signing meant he had to obey the Qi King’s orders forever.
If he disobeyed, the Qi King could ruin his reputation with this contract.
But after years of frustration and the shame of being sent to Qingzhou, he decided and signed.
“Your Highness, I will serve you with all my strength,” Li Wei said after signing, standing and bowing.
Xiao Ming waved him back to sit. This was his first time recruiting an official, and he was glad it worked. Now he understood why court officials sided with different lords.
These lords had managed their territories long enough and were skilled at winning court officials.
“Don’t be nervous. I won’t ask you to do dangerous things. Just report Chu territory’s news and tell me if Chu King plays any tricks in this trade.”
Having signed, Li Wei was sincere. “I’m only deputy magistrate at Lin’an for the Chu King. Though the title sounds grand, it’s just a clerk recording daily affairs. But I know some secrets.”
Xiao Ming drank and waited for more.
“Chu King’s army now has 15,000 musketeers and over 3,000 large merchant ships, not counting medium and small ships. Including those, Chu King has about 8,000 merchant ships. Chu King does not intend to give you large ships, only medium and small ones in exchange for cannons. He has 30 shipyards, but won’t give you the core craftsmen, only ordinary ones.”
Li Wei revealed all he knew.
Before coming to Qingzhou, Chu King told him the negotiation bottom lines. He knew the tricks well, but Chu King didn’t expect Li Wei to reveal everything.
Envoys in Great Yu had a hard life. Envoys to barbarians risked death if offended. Lords also sent envoys to each other, and insulting envoys were humiliated or worse.
When Chu King chose Li Wei as envoy, he was already deeply disappointed.
Xiao Ming nodded repeatedly. Chu King really wanted cannons but planned to cheat. Without buying off Li Wei, Chu King might have found loopholes again.
Besides trade tricks, Li Wei also talked about Chu King’s dealings with the Cao family and with the Dutch.
Overall, the Dutch mainly bought porcelain, silk, and tea from Great Yu. Chu King only bought matchlocks from the Dutch.
The Dutch sold matchlocks at 500 taels each, and recently sold mirrors at high prices, causing Chu King many losses.
“The real Dutch anger with Chu King is over trade deficit. Buying porcelain, silk, and tea drained Dutch money,” Li Wei summarized.
Xiao Ming nodded. Li Wei’s words described a trade imbalance. The Dutch realized Chu was getting richer but bought little from them.
Years ago, Britain’s huge trade deficit with Qing Dynasty led to opium imports. Now the Dutch were going mad over the same issue.
Li Wei’s intelligence pleased Xiao Ming. Li Wei would keep providing info and expose traps so Chu King wouldn’t fool him.
After the meal, Xiao Ming sent Li Wei to rest at Wei family’s inn. He himself thought about how to get Chu King’s large merchant ships and skilled shipbuilders.
Just then, a loud explosion from Bowen Academy startled Xiao Ming.
The academy was only a few streets away from the mansion. Such a huge explosion meant something serious happened.