Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 36 Beneath the Imperial City

The capital city, Liulichang.

This is the heart of Beijing's cultural heritage and the largest distribution center for antiques and calligraphy in the world. Shops with blue bricks and gray tiles stand side by side, their signs swaying gently under the shade of locust trees. The people coming and going are mostly scholars in Confucian robes and officials from Beijing riding in small sedan chairs, and the air is filled with the unique fragrance of aged ink and ancient paper.

But in Lu Yan's eyes, this was not a place of elegance, but a "primary distribution market" for high-end luxury goods.

Inside "Songzhuzhai," located on a street corner, the shopkeeper, Manager Qian, was wearing reading glasses and using a magnifying glass to carefully examine a piece of wood on the table.

It was a two-foot square piece of Phoebe zhennan wood, its grain like floating gold threads, ever-changing in the sunlight. More importantly, at the corner of the wood was a wax seal, though deliberately polished, its outline was still discernible—[Made by the Imperial Household Department].

"Good stuff... really good stuff."

Shopkeeper Qian clicked his tongue in amazement, then looked up at Lu Yan sitting opposite him, "Sir, this material is from…"

He pointed in the direction of the imperial city, his eyes filled with ambiguity.

"A hero's origins are irrelevant; a good product's provenance is beyond question."

Lu Yan held his teacup, gently blowing away the foam, his tone calm. "Shopkeeper, just look at the goods. This material is 'leftover material' from the Qingling Palace. It's useless in the palace, but outside... if you commission a famous craftsman to carve it into a pen holder, paperweight, or a base for a Buddha statue, how much do you think the high-ranking officials and nobles of the capital would be willing to pay?"

"This..." Manager Qian's eyes darted around, and his merchant instincts allowed him to quickly estimate the profit. "If we add the title of 'Made in the Imperial Household' and the fine carving, this piece of wood can sell for at least fifty taels."

"Fifty taels?"

Lu Yan put down his teacup, a slight smile playing on his lips, a shrewd mockery flashing in his eyes. "Shopkeeper, you're selling wood, not 'auspicious omens.'"

He held up two fingers:

"This isn't just golden nanmu; it's sacred wood imbued with 'dragon energy.' Buying it to ward off evil spirits and protect your home will ensure your official career is successful and your descendants are numerous. Two hundred taels, not a penny less. And it's only ten yuan a month."

"Two hundred taels?!" Manager Qian gasped. "At that price, I'm afraid no one will..."

"It will happen."

Lu Yan interrupted him, turning his gaze to the bustling street outside the window. "The court is in turmoil right now, the war in Liaodong is critical, and officials are all on edge. It's precisely at times like these that people become more superstitious about these ethereal 'luck' things. What you're selling isn't wood, it's 'a sense of security'."

"Moreover," Lu Yan lowered his voice, "this source is unique in the entire capital. I got a note from Eunuch Wang of the Imperial Household Department. If you don't accept it, turn left after you leave, and Manager Liu of Rongbaozhai will probably be fighting over it."

Upon hearing the words "Eunuch Wang," Manager Qian's expression changed.

He's in the antique business, so he's incredibly well-informed. These past few days, everyone in Beijing's circles has been talking about a Shandong scholar who not only became a guest of honor at Wang Tiqian's court but also monopolized the disposal of waste materials from the Imperial Timber Factory.

Monopoly is the biggest source of exorbitant profits.

"Take it! I'll take it!" Manager Qian gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh. "Master Lu, Songzhuzhai will take this 'auspicious' business! But you have to guarantee the source of the goods..."

"Exclusive agency, monthly settlement." Lu Yan stood up, straightened his blue robe, and said, "I understand the rules. Lu's only responsible for supplying the goods. How you sell them and to whom is your business. Once you leave this house, I will not honor the debt, and you can't come looking for me."

When I stepped out of Songzhuzhai, the midday sun was a bit dazzling.

Zhao Changying stood guard at the door, knife in hand. Seeing Lu Yan emerge, he asked in a low voice, "Brother, has the deal been settled?"

"All done."

Lu Yan took out a newly signed contract from his sleeve and stuffed it into his pocket.

"This is just a distribution point. Li Jinzhong's side can produce several hundred kilograms of 'waste' every day, which can't be handled by just this one company. We need to find a few more furniture makers and coffin makers."

As Lu Yan looked at the bustling Liulichang, the puzzle of the "gray industry chain" in his mind was being pieced together perfectly.

Waste materials from the Imperial Timber Factory – Lu Ji's logistics – distribution in Liulichang – collectibles of the powerful and wealthy.

This is a complete closed loop. It not only generates huge profits, but also extends its reach to every corner of the capital through these antique shops, collecting intelligence circulating at dinner tables and in secret rooms.

Just as I was about to get on the bus, a commotion came from a teahouse not far away.

"The eunuch faction is ruining the country! The eunuch faction is ruining the country!"

A young scholar dressed in a blue robe and wearing a square headscarf stood by the railing of the teahouse, waving a folding fan and speaking passionately, "Liaodong is in ruins, the national treasury is empty, yet those eunuchs are still engaged in large-scale construction, building the Qingling Mausoleum! They are plundering the people's wealth; they are utterly devoid of conscience!"

The onlookers downstairs pointed and whispered, some cheering, others indifferent.

"Those must be students from Donglin Academy, right?" Zhao Changying frowned. "They certainly have a big mouth."

Lu Yan stopped and looked up.

The scholar cursed so fiercely that his face turned red and his neck thickened, but the folding fan in his hand was made of the finest Xiangfei bamboo, with elegant landscapes painted on its surface, and a valuable mutton-fat jade pendant hung from his waist.

"They criticize the exploitation of the people while using fans bought with the people's hard-earned money."

Lu Yan sneered, his tone carrying the engineer's natural aversion to "empty talkers," "These kinds of people are all talk. If you really put them in charge of the imperial timber procurement, they probably wouldn't even know how to calculate the transportation costs, and in the end, they'd be completely fooled by the clerks below them."

"Let's go."

Lu Yan climbed into the carriage, lowered the curtain, and shut out the noisy cursing.

"We're here to solve problems, not to make noise. We should stay as far away from these 'clean streams' as possible. They're more likely to cause trouble than anything else."

The convoy passed through Zhengyang Gate and headed towards Tongzhou.

The mission to Beijing has been exceeded.

Not only did he obtain Wang Tiqian's "Imperial Timber Procurement" certificate and establish connections with Liu Cheng of the Imperial Horse Administration, but he also laid out a network of commerce and intelligence in the capital through the "scrap metal business."

More importantly, through these few days of observation, Lu Yan has thoroughly figured out the true nature of the Ming Dynasty court.

This is a giant ship that is sinking.

The captain (emperor) hides in the cabin and refuses to come out, the first mate (cabinet) and the chief engineer (directorate of ceremonial) are vying for control, while the sailors (bureaucrats) below are frantically dismantling the ship's planks to go home and build houses.

"Brother, shall we go back to Shandong now?" Zhao Changying asked from his horse.

"Return."

Lu Yan leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes to rest, but his brain was working at a rapid pace, constructing the blueprint for the next stage of the project.

"We've got the 'approval' from Beijing. Next, we need to solidify the 'base' in Shandong."

"Changying, be careful on the way back. This time, we're not only bringing back Eunuch Wang's name, but also the 30,000 taels of silver notes we got from the capital (an advance payment for the imperial timber project plus a deposit for scrap materials)."

"This money is enough for us to build a truly impregnable empire in Jinan."