Chapter 50: A Windfall of Fortune

Cao Si was startled and hurriedly bowed in apology. “Please don’t be angry, young master. I do have an idea that might spare you further worry about these worldly possessions.”

Hearing this, Zhang Zhong paused what he was doing, eyeing Cao Si with scrutiny. “What idea do you have? Speak. If it truly works, you’ll be richly rewarded.”

Though he said this, he held little hope. If Cao Si could help him scrape together a hundred or so taels of silver, that would already be considered a stroke of luck; it was unlikely to amount to anything significant.

Currently, control over the household finances was firmly in Madam Wu’s hands. Even borrowing a bit of silver from the accounts required her approval, let alone the vast expenses needed to flee for safety.

To lay hands on the family’s true wealth, he’d likely have to inherit the Marquisate first.

Cao Si glanced outside, then leaned in close to Zhang Zhong and whispered a few words.

Zhang Zhong was so shocked by what he heard that he stared, dumbfounded, for a long while before angrily pointing at Cao Si. “You dog! How dare you suggest such a reckless scheme!”

“Young master, how is this reckless? You are the true master of this household now. Why should you have to beg for your own family’s money?” Cao Si hurried to persuade him.

“That might be true, but the household still isn’t under my command. Would the steward of accounts agree to give me anything?” Zhang Zhong remained hesitant.

“Young master, opportunities lost do not return. While Madam is away at the Duke of Cheng’s residence for the memorial, we should strike like the sparrow that waits for the cicada—simply move the silver out of the treasury. If the steward of accounts refuses, we beat him until he yields. I don’t believe Madam would dare go to the authorities over this.”

After pacing back and forth, Zhang Zhong suddenly gritted his teeth. “You’re right. What’s there to fear? The family fortune belongs to me as well. I’m just using it a little early. Let’s go now!”

With that, he called a few young servants from the courtyard and stormed off toward the treasury.

The Marquis’s household was grand, and its treasury much larger than that of most families.

When Zhang Zhong and his men arrived, the steward of accounts was busy at his abacus, apparently reconciling the books.

Seeing Zhang Zhong, the steward assumed he was here to ask for more money and quickly put on a pained expression. “Young master, you’ve already drawn funds three times this month. Madam has expressly forbidden any further advances. Please don’t put me in a difficult position.”

“I’m not here to borrow silver.”

Zhang Zhong glanced around the room, closely inspecting the furnishings.

The steward grew curious. “Then, young master, what is your purpose here?”

“There is something,” Zhang Zhong replied, then pointed to the iron door on the back wall, half again as tall as a man, and said sternly, “Open the lock for me.”

“O-open the lock?” The steward was nearly scared out of his wits.

That door behind them led to the family’s treasury for gold, silver, and jewels. A solid iron door had been cast for it, with a massive bronze lock for which the key was kept by Madam Wu herself.

Ordinarily, the household finances did not involve this treasury; only large transactions required Madam Wu to unlock it, which happened but a few times a year.

Now Zhang Zhong was ordering him to open it, something the steward simply could not do. He could only bow and say, “Forgive me, young master, but only Madam has the key. There’s no way I can open it. Why not inform Madam and wait for her decision?”

“You scoundrel! Are you trying to fool me?”

Zhang Zhong kicked the steward to the ground and shouted, “You lot, smash the lock!”

The young servants looked at each other in terror; not one dared to move.

“I’ll do it,” said Cao Si. Seeing no one else act, he snatched a hammer from one of the servants and began to pound the bronze lock furiously, sparks flying and making everyone’s heart pound with anxiety.

But the lock was exceedingly sturdy; Cao Si’s arms soon ached with fatigue, yet the lock remained unbroken. Zhang Zhong kicked another servant hard and cursed, “Go on, smash it open! There’ll be a handsome reward!”

Pressed by both threat and promise, the servant took the hammer and pounded the lock with all his might.

After a good while, several people had taken turns at the task before the lock finally began to deform.

With a sharp crack, the lock finally gave way under another round of blows, breaking in two.

“Haha! Perseverance pays off!”

Zhang Zhong laughed heartily as he pulled open the iron door and peered inside.

Behind the door was a separate room, at the center of which a passage led directly underground, perhaps as deep as several men. It was clearly a hidden chamber.

Zhang Zhong ordered candles to be lit and led the way down.

Inside the chamber, he turned a full circle and was left stunned.

All around the walls stood ten racks, each bearing an array of rare treasures, hundreds in all—many he had never seen before, likely heirlooms collected over generations.

In the center lay a dozen or more wooden chests.

Zhang Zhong recognized them at once—they were the very kind used for storing silver in the family, each capable of holding two thousand taels.

He opened one at random and found his breath catching in his throat.

By candlelight, the inside of the chest gleamed with a dazzling yellow radiance.

The chest was packed full of fine silver ingots!

He opened several more, and as expected, each one was filled with silver. By a rough estimate, there were no less than twenty or thirty thousand taels.

The brilliance reflected from the silver made Zhang Zhong feel almost dizzy. It took some time for him to calm his excitement and close the chests again.

Since Madam Wu would be away only briefly, Zhang Zhong feared any delay would bring trouble. He hurried out of the treasury to have Cao Si prepare the carriages.

Once the carriages were ready, Zhang Zhong directed the servants to move all the silver chests out, then selected a number of easily transported treasures before finally driving the carriages away from the treasury.

As Zhang Zhong strode unhesitatingly toward the main gate, Cao Si offered a reminder, “Young master, the Second Madam and the young master are still in the residence. Shouldn’t we bring them along?”

“Bring them? With all this silver, what sort of woman can’t I find? As for sons, I can have as many as I like.”

Sitting in the carriage, Zhang Zhong seemed entirely unconcerned.

Cao Si was dumbfounded—this man, now that he had the silver, was planning to flee without even his wife and child.

Noticing Cao Si’s strange expression, Zhang Zhong wiped the smile from his face and addressed Cao Si and the handful of servants following him:

“The capital is dangerous these days. If you come with me, there will be plenty of good food and drink in the future. If you choose not to, I won’t force you. Once you see me out of the city, you’ll each receive a reward of ten taels. But if you stay and continue serving the house, Madam will no doubt question you about the treasury. If you can’t explain yourselves, don’t blame me.”

The servants were all bonded to the household, and the master could punish or even kill them at will. Now, having been forced to break open the treasury, even if they stayed, they would be beaten half to death. They might as well follow Zhang Zhong and see things through.

With this in mind, the servants quickly declared their willingness to follow.

Zhang Zhong then turned to Cao Si to ask his intentions.

Cao Si’s wife had passed away years before, leaving him only a son, now managing the family’s business in Jiangnan.

Having sided with Zhang Zhong, and with Zhang Zhong now fleeing the capital, Cao Si had no choice but to stick with him, assuring Zhang Zhong of his unwavering loyalty.

Having just come into a fortune, Zhang Zhong was in high spirits and looked upon the capable steward Cao Si with even more favor. Hearing Cao Si’s declaration of loyalty, he repeatedly promised that, as long as Cao Si continued to serve diligently, once he inherited the title, both Cao Si and his son would be well taken care of.

Inwardly, Cao Si sneered, though outwardly he remained deferential and grateful, adopting the manner of one who has found his true master.