2.3 Xue Baochai: Are you truly not afraid that he is harboring ulterior motives?

The Zhen family, while boasting the reputation of being the "Foremost Family in Jiangnan," is in reality quite hollow. Looking back to the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the ancestors of the Jinling Zhen clan could not even be considered "founding heroes"; they were merely royal bondservants. If one traces their lineage further, they could be called "hereditary house-born slaves," and had it not been for the royal connection, they would be nothing more than "slaves for generations."

Throughout history, no head of the Zhen family has ever held a respectable official position. Their roles have consistently been within the Imperial Household Department—ultimately an arrangement made by the royals for their servants, placing them on an entirely different footing from high-ranking court officials. Their true rise began with the Lady of Imperial Consecration. Although she held the title of wet nurse to the Retired Emperor, she was in fact a lady-in-waiting who served by his side. Originally, there was little to note about her, but unexpectedly, she possessed a rare, innate talent for intelligence and an extraordinarily keen insight. Eventually, she became indispensable, step by step, and was stationed in Jinling to serve as the eyes of the royal family.

The so-called "Zhen family" is essentially just this old woman; in all other respects, they are unremarkable. Zhen Yingjia’s role as the Director of the Tiren Institute, overseeing the three major textile bureaus of Jiangnan to earn money for the Imperial Household Department? Or the hollow shell of a garrison thousand-man command post in the hands of Zhen Yinggui, which lacks even a handful of elite soldiers? As for the next generation, they are no different from the Jia family—not a single one is capable of standing on their own. These matters are hardly secrets throughout Jiangnan; any aristocratic family of status is aware of them. With such an origin and foundation, it is impossible for them to be taken seriously by those in power.

Perhaps in trivial matters, the Zhen family does indeed command some face, but that is mainly because outsiders prefer not to suffer losses greater than the gain. Given that Lin Ruhai’s assassination involves the royal family and the current Second Prince, anyone expecting anything significant from the Zhen family is purely delusional. A slave is a slave; would they dare to show their master a cold face? Well, the slaves of the Rongguo Mansion’s Jia family are another story.

Therefore, in his initial planning, Lin Rui only thought of leveraging the influence of the Zhen family—or more precisely, the Lady of Imperial Consecration—and never considered asking them for any practical assistance.

"I wonder how Brother Rui intends to proceed?" Xue Baoqin, unaware of his reservations, watched him with excitement. "I won't speak for other places, but within the borders of Jinling, helping to handle a few matters is no problem at all."

"Do you really think I'd tell you?" Lin Rui looked at her with feigned annoyance.

"Stingy!" Xue Baoqin pouted, turning her head away and showing him the back of her head.

"You really do have quite the temper!" Lin Rui reached out and ruffled her hair bun into a mess.

*Uh... that seems to have crossed a line.* He noticed that Xue Baochao’s cheeks flushed red, and she looked away in embarrassment.

"Brother Rui, is there anything I can help you with?" she asked softly, her face still flushed.

***

*Pretend the previous incident never happened.*

"To be honest with you, Sister Bao, I do have a few ideas." Lin Rui nodded with a smile. "I have long heard of the reputation of the Xue family—'The Feng Year has great snow, with pearls like dirt and gold like iron.' It just so happens that I have enough silver in my hands to attract the attention of many. Does sister have any advice for me?"

"Oh?" Xue Baochao’s expression shifted. "I suppose Brother Rui already has a plan in mind?"

"Not a plan, per se, but something that would benefit me and do you no harm." Lin Rui nodded decisively, as this matter was more important to him. "I know the Feng-brand shops have significant businesses in both the north and the south, but currently, only the Jiangnan operations are still viable, correct?"

Xue Baochao’s expression stiffened. "Brother Rui is quite right." After a long silence, she nodded with a bitter smile.

Such a large matter could not be hidden. The reason the various branches of the Feng-brand shops in Jiangnan were becoming increasingly unruly was largely due to the fact that the northern branches had essentially spun out of control, serving as a poor example. Combined with Xue Pan’s incompetence, they had gradually fallen into this state.

"Brother Rui has his eye on the northern business?" Xue Baoqin realized.

"Correct!" Lin Rui did not beat around the bush. "Due to various reasons, the branches of the Feng-brand north of the Huai River have lost control, but nominally, they remain the property of the Xue family. Now, I have the silver, and you have the legal standing. How about we make a deal?"

"You mean the capital region, don't you?" Xue Baochao understood his intent, but her pretty face revealed a look of difficulty. "I won't hide it from you, Brother Rui. There are twenty shops in total. Currently, the annual silver received is less than twenty thousand taels, and I have absolutely no control over them."

"No matter." Lin Rui dismissed it. "Do you have the land deeds, property deeds, and contracts of servitude?"

"Naturally!" Xue Baochao nodded immediately. "When my late father established the properties in the capital region, the managers he appointed were all house-born servants, and the shops and land were all purchased outright, precisely to avoid local entanglements." For instance, avoiding landlords who would raise the rent upon seeing the business was profitable.

"That will suffice." Lin Rui nodded in satisfaction. "They are merely a few slaves."

The laws of the Great Zhou are quite interesting. On one hand, they prohibit the sale of human beings, yet they tacitly permit the practice of parents selling children due to an inability to provide for them. On the other hand, they recognize "self-sale," which effectively nullifies most charges related to human trafficking—like kidnappers, or the case of Xiangling.

Therefore, the master-servant relationship holds high priority in the civilian realm. A master can basically decide the life or death of a servant. While in name, a master killing a servant is a crime, the charge of "insubordinate servants deceiving their master" is treated as an unforgivable offense.

Since the Xue family holds the land deeds, property deeds, and contracts of servitude for all their shops in the capital region, Lin Rui only needs to send reliable men with the evidence to the local government. By following the "proper procedures," he could effectively have the unruly servants dragged into the street and executed.

What? These shops have been out of control for years and are deeply rooted in the local area? This is a matter of positioning. Every official is a beneficiary of the feudal system; the principles of "ruler and subject, father and son" are ironclad laws, and the master-servant relationship is no different. If a case of "insubordinate servants deceiving their master" occurs under their jurisdiction and is covered up, it would be more than just a bad reputation. Mere silver is nothing compared to this.

The reason the Xue family lost control of their northern business was fundamentally their own incompetence—Xue Pan being a good-for-nothing. Ever since his father died, he had never inspected any property or business outside of Jiangnan, which led to the current situation. Lin Rui was planning to return to the capital anyway, and taking control of the business in the capital region would be far simpler for him than for the Xue family. As for the personnel, he already had a plan, though they were not yet "in place."

"In that case, I leave it to you, Brother Rui!" Xue Baochao nodded with a smile.

"How much silver?" Xue Baoqin asked, ready to play the "villain" without hesitation.

"Fifty thousand taels." Lin Rui smiled slightly, adding amidst the stunned silence of the sisters, "In gold. But I have one requirement: the previous commercial routes must not be severed. Sister Qin, I need your guarantee on that."

"Brother Rui, isn't that too much?" Xue Baochao stood up in surprise.

"It will pay for itself in two or three years; it is not too much." This price was one Lin Rui had carefully considered. "That is why I said from the beginning that this deal benefits me and does you no harm. Moreover, ensuring the north-south trade routes remain intact—under heaven, there is no one more reliable than Uncle Xue for this task."

"In that case, I thank you!" Xue Baochao bowed deeply and respectfully.

"Many thanks to Brother Rui for looking after our business," Xue Baoqin added with a cheeky, playful salute.

"Very well. Now that the matter is settled, the night is late, and I shall not disturb your rest any longer." Lin Rui smiled and returned their salutes. "Sister Bao, please have the items prepared; I must collect them as soon as possible. Sister Qin, you may send the money directly."

The Xue sisters exchanged a look and nodded in unison, watching him depart from the cabin. But immediately after, their "affectionate bond" vanished.

"You little wretch! Is this what you meant by 'going out for a walk'?" Xue Baochao grabbed the little boat-girl’s ear, gnashing her teeth in anger. "Meeting a man in private at the docks in the middle of the night—if even a whisper of this gets out, how are we supposed to go on living?"

"Oh, Sister Bao, have mercy, it hurts!" Xue Baoqin begged for mercy. "Didn't you mention to me two days ago that you wanted to speak with Brother Rui? Since we had to see him anyway, it was better to do it quietly and avoid trouble. Sister, don't forget, he is still not out of danger. Regardless of the outcome, while the people in Jiangnan may not be able to touch him, we still have to live and do business in Jinling. Being careful does no harm."

Xue Baochao’s expression softened, and she slowly released her slender hand.

"Is that why you sent Ying'er to another boat, making excuses so we could have a private talk?" After a long silence, she gently hugged the little boat-girl. "You silly girl, having only the two of us here is quiet, but are you truly not afraid that he might be a treacherous man?"

Two young women meeting a notoriously capable, strong man in the middle of the night did indeed require courage.

"My dear sister, you see too little while stuck at home. I see far too much here on the boats." Xue Baoqin reached up to straighten her messy hair bun, and seeing it was beyond repair, she simply let it down, allowing her black tresses to fall to her waist. "In this world, if you want to achieve anything, you must take some risks. Since our uncle passed away, and with Father’s health failing day by day over the last two years, our families' lives and businesses have declined. I fear we have less than half of what we once had. Brother Pan... well, it is not my place to say, but his temperament is not suited for maritime trade. As a young woman, I can rely on Father and Brother's names to run the ships for now, but if something were to happen in the future... how would it all end?"

In *Dream of the Red Chamber*, shortly after Xue Xun died, the second branch of the Xue family rapidly declined. Xue Ke could only, per the "marriage contract," take his sister north to "deliver the bride." The problem is, anyone with a bit of common sense knows that marriages involve "receiving the bride"—how could there be "delivering the bride"? Even so, Xue Baoqin’s fate is hard to predict. Even in the best-case scenario, would a girl who grew up following the maritime trade routes really be content with just being a housewife? It was simply a matter of having no other choice.

"Sister Qin, do you intend to find a path through him?" Xue Baochao’s tone turned serious.

"Isn't he returning to the capital?" Xue Baoqin smiled faintly. "Over the past two years, the Feng-brand's Yangzhou business has benefited much from Magistrate Lin’s care. It is only right that we lend a hand, don't you think, Sister Bao?"

"Perhaps you are right."