Chen Liejiu's boat traveled south, passing through seven or eight prefectures before reaching Suzhou Prefecture.
They had originally thought that with many scholars in Suzhou Prefecture, their charcoal would surely sell well.
But unexpectedly, at the beginning of the year, the Emperor had reformed the imperial exams. As soon as they entered Suzhou Prefecture, the entire area was shrouded in an atmosphere of curses and complaints.
"Damn Emperor! Damn Emperor! Damn Emperor!" A scholar dressed in Juzi attire, drunk with a wine pot, openly cursed on the street. "Over ten years of hard study, all ruined with sentence! Hahahaha, studying, studying—what is the point of studying?!"
"IT is unjust!"
"They are unfair!"
"Born at the wrong time!"
Groups of scholars and students were going mad, ranting and raving in streets and alleys. They saw no hope in life and could only vent their frustration this way.
Even the shopkeepers, who usually smiled and welcomed customers from north and south, were sighing and lamenting because of the exam reforms.
Suzhou Prefecture's prosperity was precisely due to its many scholars, literati, and high-ranking officials. It was because of them that merchants from all over were willing to come here to do business.
Now, with the Emperor's reform of the exams, it was like sentencing all Suzhou's scholars to death, firmly cutting off their paths to advancement.
Merchants are quick to sense the wind. Knowing that Suzhou's officials had displeased the Emperor, they were reluctant to do business in Suzhou Prefecture.
And even if they came, it was useless. Scholars had lost heart for the exams, and official families were living in daily fear, worried that their heads would be dragged out and publicly executed like Minister Zhao. Who had the mood to go shopping and spend my?
Suzhou Prefecture was no longer the incredibly prosperous scene of the previous year, with boats coming and going and heavy traffic.
It had become desolate and listless.
The entire city seemed shrouded in a great gloom. Even though it was still early winter with warm sunlight, it felt like the depths of winter.
This left Chen Wu and the others, who had come with Chen Liejiu to sell charcoal and see the bustling metropolis, dumbfounded: "Boss, can we still sell our charcoal in a place like this?"
Seeing the entire city's dispirited people, Chen Liejiu also frowned displeased: "They're truly a bunch of hopeless mud that won't stick to the wall. No wonder the Emperor reformed the exams."
At home, he had heard his little husband mention that the Emperor's exam reform was excellent—it could bring more capable ministers to the world, rather than just scholars who only knew pompous phrases.
At the time, he didn't understand. Weren't they all scholars? What was the difference just because the exam questions changed?
But now, seeing these people who had become like this because the exam questions changed, he suddenly had an epiphany.
If such scholars, who couldn't withstand even this little setback, became officials, it would truly be a tragedy for the world.
Even scholars like Xu Huaiqian and the others, tucked away in small mountain villages, knew about survival of the fittest and adapting to change. But these people only knew how to complain. What use was it if their literary talent was great and their essays and poems were earth-shattering and ghost-moving?!
Besides adding more painting or calligraphy to their home walls, it changed nothing.
"Try selling first. If it doesn't work, we'll think of another way." Since they had already come, Chen Liejiu didn't want to change locations.
First, the boat they rented only went to Suzhou Prefecture; it was too late to rent another now. Second, even if scholars weren't studying anymore, they still needed to stay warm, right? Third, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter what, Suzhou Prefecture had been wealthy before. In just year, it couldn't have become that poor, could it?
Little did he know that while Suzhou Prefecture was rich, that only applied to the upper-class official families. Middle- and lower-class ordinary households still lived carefully calculated lives every day.
Before, they could hope that the scholars in their families would pass the exams, become officials, and give back to the family. Now that the exam path had been cut off, the family suddenly lost hope. With Suzhou Prefecture no longer as prosperous as before, life became harder, and they had to be even more careful with my than before to get by.
Originally, with winter approaching, the people of Suzhou Prefecture would have welcomed Chen Liejiu's charcoal. But when they heard it was ten taels per cartload, they all waved their hands and didn't dare buy.
Too expensive.
Wealthy families didn't mind the price, but at this critical juncture, they didn't dare show off—especially since Chen Liejiu's charcoal was marketed as imitation silver frost charcoal.
In the past, they would have bought it without a second thought. But now, with the court nervous and every rustle causing an uproar, these official families in Suzhou Prefecture who had incurred the Emperor's displeasure had to keep their heads down and avoid drawing attention.
"Boss, we can't sell it at all." Chen Wu and the others had been running around Suzhou Prefecture for several days, hitting walls everywhere, and couldn't help but feel disheartened. "Should we go back?"
In Suzhou Prefecture, they were in an unfamiliar place. Food, drink, lodging—everything cost my. Especially the warehouse they rented at the dock to store the charcoal—each day cost a significant amount.
Watching my flow out like water made Chen Wu and the others their eyelids twitch. They were afraid that even if they sold the charcoal at ten taels per cartload, they would still lose my.
"Raise the price." Chen Liejiu thought about it—the charcoal price had to be increased. "Raise it to thirty taels per cartload!"
"Thirty taels per cartload?!"
Every present, including the usually shrewd Chen Qiang, was dumbfounded: "We can't even sell charcoal at ten taels per cartload—how are we supposed to sell it at thirty taels?!"
"Not selling in Suzhou Prefecture." Chen Liejiu clenched his fist. "We'll find another place to sell!"
"But where can we go?" Chen Qiang was full of doubt. "The my we brought is almost g; we can't afford to rent another boat."
They had spent the whole year stockpiling charcoal without earning any my. They had hoped selling the charcoal would bring in funds, but now not only was the charcoal unsold, their my was nearly spent. Even their return travel expenses were in question—how could they afford to rent a boat and change locations?
"No need to rent. We'll just wait here." Chen Liejiu shook his head, not planning to move.
Although Suzhou Prefecture had declined, it had once been prosperous. Its docks were first-class, making shipping and transportation very convenient.
Now, with no merchants coming and going, the empty docks were even more accessible. There was no need to move somewhere else and jostle for space.
"If we don't change locations, how do we sell to people from other places?" Chen Qiang didn't understand.
Chen Liejiu took out the handwritten letter from Song Yunfan that Xu Huaiqian had given him and smiled: "This is why I say your Second Brother is far-sighted."
When he first received Song Yunfan's letter, Chen Liejiu hadn't thought much of it—just a potential connection if they encountered obstacles in Suzhou Prefecture.
Whether it worked or not didn't matter much, but now it seemed they would have to rely on his little husband after all.
Every was puzzled—what use was a single handwritten letter?
Chen Liejiu didn't explain. The next day, following the address on the letter, he took ten cartloads of charcoal to visit the Suzhou residence of Song Yunfan, Lord Song.
Song Yunfan was from Suzhou Prefecture. Although he had no powerful connections and had advanced through the exams step by step himself, now that the Emperor disliked Suzhou officials but had promoted him al, his residence in Suzhou had become as crowded as a marketplace.
When Chen Liejiu arrived, many influential families were trying to connect with him to find out what the Emperor really intended.
They wanted to befriend Song Yunfan, but Song Yunfan didn't dare associate with them. The situation in the capital was unpredictable. Suddenly promoted by the Emperor, he was like a sitting duck—who knew if the Emperor was using him to test others?
So his promotion was both painful and joyful. He repeatedly instructed his family in Suzhou to be cautious, and they treated his words as imperial decree, not daring to interact with any from Suzhou.
Thus, no matter how many people gathered outside the Song residence, no one could get in.
When Chen Liejiu arrived with his charcoal, every glanced at him disdainfully.
If even silk, satin, gold, and silver couldn't open the Song family's door, would ten cartloads of charcoal do it?