Chapter 363: Chapter 353: Coveting
After the upheaval on the sixth day of June reached Yangzhou, Mr. Su initially believed that his daughter and two granddaughters had all perished in the Capital City. Overcome with anger and grief, he suffered a sudden illness. Since June, his health had been steadily declining. At his advanced age, his body was already greatly weakened from the attack.
The doctor said that at most he had three months, at least one. It was unlikely he would survive the winter. Upon hearing this, Fengyu’s eyes brimmed with tears.
"Silly girl, don’t cry." Su Ming, accepting of life and death, reached out with his dry and aged hand, gently and lovingly wiping Fengyu’s tears away. "Grandfather has already lived to the age of sixty. Born into a wealthy family, I rarely suffered from illness in my youth. Growing up, I inherited the family business, and under my care, the Su Family’s trading house never faltered and only flourished. Now, it’s the largest trading house in Yanyang. Grandfather has traveled to the Desert and ridden camels. When the previous emperor visited Jiangnan, I was his host. Grandfather has also been to Sannan, where King of Sannan himself entertained me at the royal palace. I’ve journeyed along the Northwest River and seen the flowers of Chang’an. I have no regrets in this lifetime. For someone like me, born into wealth and privilege, and to live peacefully to the age of sixty, there are few in this world who can say the same. Ayu, you should be happy for Grandfather."
"But I can’t bear to lose you, Grandfather!" Fengyu sobbed uncontrollably. "I will search for doctors and medicines for you and find a way to help."
"No need to treat it." Su Ming chuckled softly. "Look at those who, at my age, are bedridden and tormented by illness—how they suffer. It’s better to leave this world early. Ayu, be good and accept the fate that life has ordained. Grandfather’s only regret is not being able to see Jiaojiao and Shu’er one last time. But one day, we will meet again. Promise your Grandfather, leave Yangzhou sooner rather than later. Don’t linger here."
With her grandfather’s days numbered, Fengyu was determined not to leave. She couldn’t bear the thought of her grandfather leaving this world all alone. If fate demanded this outcome, she would accompany him on his final journey.
"I’ll do as you say, Grandfather. Please rest well and don’t worry about me." Fengyu reassured him gently. Yet Su Ming couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. If only Jiaojiao and her daughters could be by his bedside, he would truly have no regrets.
Though Su Ming longed to gaze at Fengyu a while longer, his strength eventually failed him, and he sank into a deep sleep. Once Su Ming was soundly asleep, Fengyu tiptoed out. The Su Mansion was well-managed, and the servants dared not casually approach the main courtyard. Fengyu called for Housekeeper Su to inquire about the affairs in Yangzhou City. Housekeeper Su detailed everything about the trading house to her.
The Yangzhou Prefecture was under the control of the Li Family’s direct lineage, led by Li Yong. Before the fall of Marquis Zhenbei, Li Yong had enjoyed a good relationship with Su Ming. However, after Xie Xun defected from the Capital City, Li Yong began to find excuses to target the trading house. Even with Su Ming sending him large sums of money, Li Yong’s insatiable appetite was never satisfied. The trading house suffered oppression from opposing businesses, and the situation looked grim.
"Can we trust the general manager of Yangzhou?"
The general manager in Yangzhou was the patriarch of the Su Family. Whether he could be trusted was uncertain to Fengyu at the moment. With her grandfather gravely ill, the family members had grown restless. If not for his illness, none would dare rebel. But now, with her grandfather’s failing health, doubts and ambitions stirred within the family. Having always been cautious about trusting others, Fengyu asked out of concern for potential discord among the family members.
Housekeeper Su understood her implication. "Since the master fell seriously ill, there has indeed been some disloyalty within the family. The patriarch is ambitious and has already sought to curry favor with Prefect Li multiple times. He has pressured the master to divide the family assets, fearing that your ties with Xie Xun might implicate the Su Family."
"The Su Family’s immense wealth is coveted not only by outsiders but also by our own. It’s all because Grandfather has no direct son and never adopted a successor. Many relatives once urged him to consider adoption, but he resisted the pressure. Only with Su Mengwei’s support was he able to stand firm. He wished to leave the inheritance entirely to my mother and us sisters—how could the Su Family tolerate that?"
When Su Ming refused to adopt a son, he proclaimed to the family that the ancestral property could be divided among the relatives, but his personal estate was to be left to Su Yuejiao and his two granddaughters. The ancestral holdings of the Su Family’s trading house were but a small fraction; the true wealth lay in the personal fortune amassed by two generations of the Su Family.
The Su family’s wealth rivaled nations, making it distinct from the Su family in Yangzhou. How could the relatives willingly let such immense riches fall into the hands of married-out daughters? In Yanyang, let alone among commoners, even noble clans might drive out widowed mothers and daughters to seize inheritance. Thus, the Su family made multiple attempts to force Su Ming to adopt a child, yet he stood firm against them.
When Su Yuejiao married, she took half of Su Ming’s estate. At Feng Shu’s wedding, Su Ming gave away another half. Given Fengyu’s fragile health and uncertain marital future, Su Ming had set aside an even larger dowry for her. Su Yuejiao’s dowry did not draw much objection, as she was the only daughter. But Feng Shu’s dowry... that sparked discontent among the relatives, for Feng Shu was a daughter from another surname.
However, she married Xie Zhang, and the family dared not voice their dissent.
Now that the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion had fallen, the family was unwilling to let Su Ming’s estate go to Fengyu. Every member of the Su Family aimed to carve up his fortune.
Su Ming had biological brothers, yet after their parents passed and the estate was once divided, those brothers now sought to claim more, consumed by greed.
Housekeeper Su explained, "When the master was suddenly struck with illness, it wasn’t just due to the devastating news about Second Miss. It was also the relentless pressure from the family and later the repeated setbacks with the trading house, compounded by Prefect Li’s tightening grip. Knowing the master’s days are numbered, they’ve since stopped their demands. None wish to bear the guilt of pushing him to his death—they’re simply waiting for him to pass naturally by winter."
Su Ming, after all, maintained an admirable reputation across Yanyang, known to many as a living Bodhisattva. During several flood disasters in Liujiang, he rallied merchants to stockpile grain for relief efforts and generously offered his wealth. In times of calamity and turmoil, he always stepped forward, spending vast sums to aid others, earning immense goodwill. Even in the Capital City, tales of his virtue reached far and wide. Because of this, the Su family patriarch and Prefect Li dared not act too brazenly. Ever since Su Ming took ill, Marshal Fang personally visited him, easing some of the threats against Su Ming and the trading house.
"Have the patriarch and the uncles come to see Grandfather?"
"They have!" Housekeeper Su replied. "But since the master began refusing visitors, they haven’t returned. Meanwhile, the patriarch has grown increasingly close with Prefect Li. They all assumed that Madam and Second Miss are trapped in the Capital City and cannot leave, while you are far away in the West Continent, unable to return to Yangzhou. They think that once the master passes, they’ll have the chance to seize the estate."
Fengyu frowned deeply. "Let me think about what to do regarding this."
The Capital City.
Yuwen Jing had long coveted the Su Family’s trading house. After ascending the throne, he was busy with funeral rites and managing court chaos. While bloodshed and turmoil engulfed the Capital City, by the time he set his sights on seizing Baofeng Bank, he discovered that Fengyu had already emptied its coffers. Cleverly, she had left the clan’s deposits within the Su Family’s trading house. If Yuwen Jing attempted confiscation, he would be targeting the clan’s wealth—not something he dared to do.
The minor deposits were managed by Su Yuejiao, and redemption could also be arranged at the Lian City branches. The panic in withdrawals subsided within three days. Yuwen Jing contemplated charging the Feng Family and Su Family with treason to confiscate their properties altogether, yet he hesitated for fear of tarnishing Feng Shu’s reputation. After all, he intended to marry Feng Shu into the palace in a year’s time. If he razed the Feng Family, it would be detrimental to her.
Bound by such considerations, Yuwen Jing made no move against the Su Family’s trading house in the Capital City. Instead, his sights turned to Jiangnan, the true base of the Su Family’s wealth and vast fortune.
Whether it was him or the late emperor, they were both frequently constrained by the powerful clans. The crux of the issue was the empty royal treasury, which forced reliance on the clans. If the Su Family’s trading house could be brought under his control, he would no longer need to bow to Lin Helin’s influence.
"Lin Cheng, I want you to go to Yangzhou in person. After Su Ming’s death, see to it that you seize control of all his assets in Jiangnan under some pretense. Confiscate everything for the imperial treasury."
"Yes!"
Snow began to fall outside the window as Yuwen Jing stepped out of Qiankun Palace. Glancing at the snowflakes swirling through the air, he thought of Feng Shu.
The year was drawing to a close; he wondered how Shu’er was faring at Xiangguo Temple.
"Chen Mo, do you think I should visit her at Xiangguo Temple?"