Chapter 950
Tungsten Mine
Chapter 950 Tungsten Mine
The constables forcefully affixed the seal, drove the shopkeeper and his staff out, and threatened, "Tearing the seal without permission will land you in jail. There will be people watching here, unlike outside the city. Go ahead and tear it off if you dare!"
How could the shopkeeper dare to tear it?
Besides, with the yamen runners sealing the street and the matter causing such a big commotion, even if they secretly peeled it off, they wouldn't dare open the door to do business.
Silk shops are different from dye houses. In a dye house, as long as someone sneaks in, they can start working once the door is closed, regardless of whether the seal is removed or not.
But silk shops are places that open for business.
The shopkeeper stamped his foot, and as soon as the constable left, he immediately asked the waiter, "Have you told the master?"
"The master has gone to inspect the estates; the young master is now in charge of the manor."
Shopkeeper: "Where is the young master?"
Waiter: "The manor said that the young master was at Wanchun Tower last night and is still drunk."
The shopkeeper and Pan Yun looked up at the position of the sun together; one remained silent, while the other clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Pan Yun quickened her eating pace and said to Miao Zhen and Miao He, "We can't watch the excitement anymore, let's go shopping later."
Miaozhen: "What should I buy?"
“Let’s buy food and supplies,” Pan Jun said. “Tomorrow, Wang Cong and I will go to see Pu Min. We can’t go empty-handed.”
Miaozhen asked in surprise, "You're going to give people gifts?"
This is neither junior uncle nor senior brother.
Just as the three were about to leave, several people carrying a sedan chair came running quickly and put it down in front of them with a thud.
Before the sedan chair had even come to a complete stop, a young man with dark circles under his eyes and unsteady legs rushed out. Perhaps he was dizzy from the swaying of the sedan chair, because as soon as he got out, he swayed from side to side, then tripped over his own feet and fell face-first to the ground in front of Pan Jun and the other two.
Pan Yun suppressed a laugh, wanting to help but not daring to reach out, so she could only repeatedly raise her hand and say, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities."
The shopkeeper and his staff, who hadn't left yet, immediately rushed over and helped him up: "Young Master, are you alright?"
Chen Dongrong pushed the shopkeeper aside, put his hands on his hips, and looked up at his silk shop. When he saw the seal on the door, he was furious: "Wu Cunwen is going too far! He dares to seal my silk shop for just a few copper coins! Tear it down! Tear it down!"
The shopkeeper said with a bitter face, "Young master, the prefect himself summoned us this morning about this matter, and even specifically mentioned our family's name. This seal not only represents Magistrate Wu, but also Prefect Lu, so it cannot be torn off!"
Enraged, Chen Dongrong kicked the sedan chair beside him and cursed the shopkeeper: "What can you do? You can't even handle this little thing. They won't tear it up because they didn't pay enough."
The shopkeeper choked for a moment, then stepped forward and asked Chen Dongrong to lower his voice, whispering, "Young master, instead of wasting money on them, why not settle the workers' wages? It's not much in total..."
"No way! I'd rather throw the money into the water and hear the splash than give it to you!"
The shopkeeper couldn't help but stomp his foot: "Young master, why are you doing this? You've not only chilled people's hearts, but also offended the prefect and the magistrate."
Chen Dongrong sneered: "What do you know? A bunch of lowly people, thinking they've found a way out, dare to ride on my head. Don't they even know if they've wiped the mud off their feet?"
“They used to beg for food at my house, kneeling outside the door and begging for a job in my dye shop. Back then, they would delay paying wages for a whole year, and who dared to say a word against it?” Chen Dongrong became more and more angry as he spoke. “Now they dare to say that the Zhang family pays more than my family and that they want a raise. They dare to sue me in the yamen after only five months of delayed wages. If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll turn the world upside down in the future.”
Shopkeeper: "Things are different now. There's a labor shortage in Quanzhou, so wages are indeed rising..."
Chen Dongrong narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "What, Zhou Shancai, do you also want a raise?"
The shopkeeper was taken aback, opened his mouth, and said with difficulty, "Young master, I didn't mean that."
"You better not have it!" Chen Dongrong said with a gloomy face. "Don't forget, you owe everything you have today to my grandfather. If it weren't for my grandfather taking pity on you and making you a shop assistant in my family back then, would you be where you are today?"
Before the shopkeeper could speak, Chen Dongrong cursed at the seal again: "A bunch of lowly people, do they think that just because they sued me, I have to pay them? I'd rather throw money at the county magistrate and the prefect than give them to them!"
The shopkeeper, exhausted, said in a deep voice, "Young master, it's only a little over four hundred taels. Why bother getting angry with them? It's just the cost of two days of shopping at Wanchunlou. But if this silk shop continues to be closed, not only will it lose daily revenue, but it will also damage its reputation. It will be difficult to turn things around in the future."
"There is no one in the world who does not love money. If you try to bribe Magistrate Wu and Prefect Lu with money, they will not budge. It's just that the money you offer is not enough."
The shopkeeper looked at him with a helpless expression.
Chen Dongrong returned his gaze with disdain: "Don't be stingy with money. Once you've taken our money, the relationship is established. Of course, there will be more than just this one thing to solve in the future. It's all about spending money anyway. Instead of wasting money on this bunch of disobedient lowly people, why not use it to build roads, roads to heaven!"
Chen Dongrong was very pleased with himself, thinking that his idea was excellent.
The shopkeeper remained silent.
The two spoke in hushed tones, but the three people sitting not far away were no ordinary people; they were sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, making it difficult for them to pretend not to hear.
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them.
The shopkeeper helped Chen Dongrong into the sedan chair, then stood with his hands clasped and watched him leave.
Although he was facing away from her, Pan Yun still caught the fleeting look of disgust and annoyance in his eyes.
Pan Jun became interested and called out to the shopkeeper as he turned to leave, "Shopkeeper, you must be hungry after a busy day. Come and have a bowl of wontons."
The shopkeeper paused for a moment, looked her over carefully, and realized she was a stranger. But seeing her smiling, he hesitated for a second, then walked towards her with a smile.
This is his conditioned reflex. When doing business, you have to be kind to people. No matter what you were doing one moment, you have to smile at strangers the next.
Pan Jun's smile widened, and after the shopkeeper sat down, she immediately asked the stall owner to bring another bowl of wontons.
While waiting for the wontons, Pan Yun asked, "May I ask how the shopkeeper is addressed?"
The shopkeeper said, "My name is Zhou Shancai, and I am the shopkeeper of Chen's Silk Shop."
Pan Yun praised, "What a wonderful name!"
Zhou Shancai smiled. It was because of his name that he was kept on as a runner by Chen Ji's old boss, which changed his life.
"May I ask how our honored guest is addressed?"
Pan Yun smiled faintly and said, "My surname is Pan."
Zhou Shancai's eyebrows twitched. A female Taoist priest surnamed Pan?
In the Ming Dynasty, there was an extremely powerful Taoist priest named Pan, who was also the Imperial Preceptor.
In the Fujian area, there was also a renowned Taoist priest named Pan Sanzhu, who was hailed as a hero by everyone from eighty-year-old elders to five-year-old children. He was none other than the National Preceptor.
Rumor has it that the Imperial Advisor is young, only a little over ten years old.
Before Zhou Shancai could finish thinking, Pan Yun had already looked him up and down, shook his head and sighed, "Manager Zhou, I have a connection with you. I took the liberty of casting a divination for you earlier. You lost your father and mother at a young age and grew up eating food from many families. Until you were twelve years old, you met the old owner of Chen's shop and were taken in as a long-term worker. After years of hard work, you finally started to have enough to eat and wear."
Zhou Shancai nodded: "That's right, my former employer has been kind to me."
“You two, one of you belongs to the element of metal, and the other to the element of water. Metal generates water, so you bring prosperity to the Chen family, and the Chen family, in turn, benefits you. You complement each other and achieve mutual success. It's a pity…” Pan Yun looked at his face and shook her head with a sigh, “What a pity…”
Zhou Shancai's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "What's a pity?"
“It’s a pity your old boss has passed away. The current owner and young master of Chen’s are of the wood and fire elements, respectively, which are exactly what you need.” Zhou Shancai’s eyes widened.
Pan Yun said, “Metal overcomes wood, and fire overcomes metal. You three must eliminate one of you in order to transfer your fortune to that person. Otherwise, the three of you will wear each other down. In the long run, this will not only lead to financial loss, but may also result in death.”
Zhou Shancai suddenly stood up, his face ashen: "You, you, you, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly bring bad luck to my master?"
Pan Yun shook his head and said, "Manager Zhou, no matter how loyal you are, if the other party doesn't appreciate it, you can't use any of your skills. And the other party is just being stubborn and insists on doing the opposite of what you want, which only makes things worse. In the end, it's because your personalities don't match. So no matter how good your suggestions are, he won't take them. What can you do about it?"
Zhou Shancai opened his mouth wide, unable to speak.
The stall owner brought out the wontons.
Pan Yun put down the money, stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "That's all I have to say. I meant well. Manager Zhou, please think it over carefully."
"Wait, wait," Zhou Shancai immediately grabbed Pan Yun's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Master Pan, is there a way to break this?"
"Yes, it's very simple. Just leave the Chen family and quit your job."
Zhou Shancai asked with difficulty, "Isn't there any other way?"
Pan Yun: "Find a way to kill one of your two employers? Leave one alive, and either you will be able to overcome him, or he will be able to overcome you. This calamity can be averted."
What kind of solution is this?
Zhou Shancai felt a lump in his throat and remained silent for a long time.
Miaozhen said at the right moment, "Junior Uncle, we should go to the Maritime Trade Office to see Lord Cao."
Pan Yun nodded, got up, and led Miao Zhen and the other two away.
Zhou Shancai suddenly looked up at Pan Yun, and only looked away blankly after her figure disappeared.
Everyone in Quanzhou knew that Pan Yun had a good relationship with Cao Jixiang of the Maritime Trade Office. Every time he came to Quanzhou, he would go to the Maritime Trade Office to see Lord Cao, and sometimes he would even stay at his place.
Her surname is Pan. She is neither after money nor does he have any woman to offer him. She gave him this divination for free, so she is the imperial advisor?
Zhou Shancai felt a burning sensation in his chest, which then swelled up, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He actually brought bad luck to his employer. Does this mean he's really going to quit and leave?
Miaohe and Tao Yanbai followed closely behind Miaozhen. Taking advantage of Pan Jun's inattention, the two of them slowed down and asked in a low voice, "Are the three of them really incompatible?"
Miaozhen: "I don't know about the owner of Chen's shop, but he and the young master are indeed incompatible."
“Oh,” Miaohe scratched his head, “Junior Uncle has a kind heart.”
Miaozhen glanced at her, then took two quick steps to catch up with Pan Yun: "Junior Martial Aunt, should we pass on those words to the Chen family?"
Pan Yun shook his head: "I want to poach his employees, but I don't want to harm them. Whether Zhou Shancai resigns or not is his choice, not for the Chen family to fire him."
She didn't want to cause someone to lose their job.
Miaozhen understood.
While Zhou Shancai was in a state of distress and inner conflict, Pan Jun and the others had a sumptuous dinner with Song Dalin. The next morning, before dawn, Pan Jun took Wang Cong and flew to Ruijin.
They only knew that people were being sent to mine in the mountains of Ruijin, but they had no idea which mine it was or what kind of mineral it was.
Pan Yun and Wang Cong sat by the roadside throwing tree branches at each other.
They muttered incantations as they threw down the branches in their hands, then walked in the direction the branches pointed. At the next intersection, they would calculate and throw down the branches again.
As they continued their calculations, they strayed further and further into the wilderness. At first, they could still see one or two people here and there were cultivated fields with crops on both sides. But the further they went, the fewer fields there were on both sides. First, they turned into forests, then dense woods, and then mountains, and then mountains connected to mountains.
Wang Cong tossed down the branch, glanced at the divination it represented, swallowed hard, and looked at the grass that was taller than his buttocks in front of him. He asked worriedly, "Junior Uncle, do you have enough money on you?"
Pan Jun pondered for a moment: "Not much. Before I left, I donated all the money to Miaozhen so that she could buy things to prepare for this typhoon."
Wang Cong let out a breath, touched his chest, and said, "I haven't felt my luck getting worse lately. Surely God wouldn't lie about the divination?"
Pan Yun: "I guess so?"
She wasn't entirely sure.
Pan Xiaohei glanced at it and asked, "Are you guys leaving or not?"
Pan Yun gritted her teeth and said, "We've come this far, it's really not worth turning back. Let's go!"
Wang Cong also felt that, since they were already here, they had already come all this way.
So the two of them went deep into the mountains.
Wang Cong was surrounded by lush greenery; he looked up and saw trees everywhere he turned, and he looked down and saw more trees.
"Aren't they mining silver? Would a silver mine be hidden deep in these mountains and forests?"
Pan Yun: "Don't forget, most of the silver mines in Jiangnan were previously illegally mined. If they weren't hiding deep in the mountains, were they going to mine on the main roads?"
She reached out and pushed aside the weeds in front of her, but tripped over a stone. She kicked the stone away, and a flash of silver light flew past her eye. Pan Yun paused.
Wang Cong walked past her to clear the way. Seeing that Pan Yun had stopped and was looking down at her toes, he turned around and asked, "What's wrong? Did you kick your foot?"
Pan Jun used her foot to pry open the shallow turf and looked down at the stones hidden underneath.
Wang Cong glanced at the grayish-white stone, his eyes flashed, and he immediately squeezed forward excitedly: "Junior Uncle, Junior Uncle, could this be a silver mine?"
Before Pan Yun could speak, Wang Cong said with a mixture of envy and jealousy, "Junior Uncle, you're so lucky! You don't seem like the disciple of the Grandmaster at all."
Pan Yun: "This isn't silver, it's tungsten!"
The excitement on Wang Cong's face faded: "Tungsten? What's it used for?"
He only knew about gold, silver, iron, copper, and tin.
Pan Yun glared at him and said, "Idiot, tungsten has many uses."
She stood there with her hands on her hips, muttering, "How could I forget? Southern Jiangxi has the most tungsten mines, and silver mines have associated minerals, with tungsten being the most common."
Upon hearing this, Wang Cong became excited again: "Therefore, by the same logic, there must be a silver mine nearby!"
Pan Yun: "This tungsten mine looks quite large, and it's scheelite. Tsk tsk tsk, I was just worried about the tungsten wire a few days ago, and here it is... I really am a lucky one, God is very kind to me!"
Wang Cong: "...So what's the use of tungsten ore?"
Pan Yun flashed her teeth at him: "For the revolution!"
(End of this chapter)