Chapter Nine, Enter My Net

As a time traveler, Shen Shuren has seen many instances of such operations that diminish brand value in later generations. Therefore, he has already developed a comprehensive plan for how to redeem Chen Yuanyuan in the future

In two days, the literary gathering at Lixiang Courtyard will proceed as usual, where Shen Shuren has invited many local literary talents from Suzhou to enjoy music and discuss politics together. Subsequently, the conversation with Chen Yuanyuan's adoptive mother, Madam Chen, regarding the matter of "extending the venue for another six months" also went very smoothly

Shen Shuren wanted to seize the moment and quickly laid out all his conditions in one breath

Furthermore, you mentioned that you are afraid of being forced to become a concubine before the mourning period is over, which would bring shame to your family. Therefore, I can explicitly state in the contract that during your time as a servant, you may continue to wear plain mourning garments, and the duties of a servant do not include serving as a concubine.

After hearing this reason, Dong Bai finally felt a complete sense of relief

... ...

The actions are truly slow; are these people unwilling to work overtime to win back the woman? Shen Shuren yawned and thought to himself.

This is an era where reputation outweighs substance

Women in the Ming Dynasty did not bind their feet as cruelly as in the Qing Dynasty, but the daughters of wealthy families would still bind their feet to some extent, especially since it was already the late Ming period.

The maid was also at a loss and could only vaguely say: "I don't know. The visitors looked unfriendly and were unwilling to reveal their identities. They only mentioned that they were here to collect some irrecoverable debts from the Shen family."

In order to elicit a smile from the beautiful lady, I planned to secretly give her a surprise. Taking advantage of the moment when her sister was teetering on the edge of the cliff, I would pull her back, which could also be considered as accumulating virtue and doing good deeds

Dong Bai observed that he did not exhibit any other excessive actions; he was merely there to press for debt repayment and had no face to resist, resulting in a temporary stalemate in the situation

Everything indeed did not disappoint Shen Shuren. The next morning, the Dongliang family, who had a secret gentleman's agreement with Dong Bai but had not formalized it with a contract, sent someone to pay a visit.

The principal amount is over 2,000 taels of silver, with an average account period of approximately two years. When interest is taken into account, the final amount is determined to be over 2,800 taels.

During the late Ming Dynasty, in places like the brothels and theaters, when the courtesans were entertaining guests, the madams were not solely focused on the money; they also paid attention to the future "exposure rate" of their own daughters

... ...

Although Chen is a seasoned old madam who is ruthless and merciless, she is no match for Shen Shuren, who possesses centuries of experience and cunning. During the contract renewal, she was blinded by the immediate benefits and completely overlooked the subsequent risks

However, according to the maid's account, it is evident that the Shen family has already concluded that the money from the Dong family cannot be recovered, as it has been two years, and thus they have sold the debt at a low price.

Shen Shuren smiled and stood up, clapping his hands. Before long, the servants of the Shen family quickly found the nearest neighbors to the Dong family's embroidery shop, arranged for a banquet to notarize the agreement, and drafted the documents. All legal procedures were completed in less than half a day

In simple terms, it is about whether the benefactor who values the private event will frequently host literary gatherings to support her and increase her daughter's opportunities to interact with renowned literary figures, thereby further elevating her status.

However, in fact, when Shen Shuren became aware of the unspoken rules of this industry, he had already made plans: once the contract renewal was successful, he would quickly put Chen Yuanyuan in seclusion and would no longer allow her to appear and sing during social gatherings.

At first, Shen Shuren did not understand the intricacies of the situation, but after several conversations with Chen Yuanyuan, he quickly adapted. Therefore, in the days leading up to the discussion of the "monthly renewal package," he needed to demonstrate his charisma effectively, allowing the Chen family to see the extent of his ability to rally support.

She still does not fully understand what kind of conspiracy the Shen family has, and why they would offer her such favorable conditions—allowing her to weave silk for five years and embroider Su embroidery for five years, just to repay the part of the debt that exceeds her assets. From any perspective, it seems unprofitable for the Shen family.

The Dong Family Embroidery Workshop essentially has no remaining fixed assets, only a manor, some old equipment, and Dong Bai himself. In plain terms, it is "insolvent and should undergo bankruptcy liquidation"

Have you truly not caught up and have been left far behind, or have you been persistently biting and keeping a close watch?

If you escape, you will have to live in hiding, and you won't be able to stay in Suzhou at all. Do you really think that just because you have studied Kunqu for a few months, you can go sing on the Qinhuai River? In your heart, is singing not even worse than being a maid?

Upon hearing this, Dong Bai became increasingly fearful

Dong Bai only felt dizzy and disoriented, and it took a while for her to catch her breath. She first chased after the maid and asked: "Did you hear clearly what the visitor said? Which family do they represent in demanding repayment? How much silver is involved?"

Shen Shuren also took the opportunity to establish some personal connections with Zheng Sen.

Shen Shuren did not take it to heart, waving his hand to indicate that they would talk about it later, and then changed to a gentle yet exasperated expression, as if lamenting the lack of progress, before sending Dong Baili back to her room

On the other hand, Shen Shuren had secretly arranged for his trusted confidants to investigate the accounts at home while also gathering information, successfully completing all the preparatory work for the acquisition of the Dong family's embroidery workshop.

He wants to buy Huiyuan Juice from Coca-Cola in the same way, purchasing it without any intention of operating it, deliberately allowing the brand to decline in value. Once Chen Yuanyuan is no longer popular, the Chen family will lack the confidence to demand a high price for her redemption.

Dong Bai gritted her teeth, her heart felt like dead ashes, her eyes tightly closed, tears streaming down: "If I were to live in obscurity, even if I were humiliated again, I would not tarnish the reputation of my deceased parents, for no one would know who I am.

If Dong Bai's father had passed away and the embroidery shop had been closed directly, relying on farming, collecting rent, and living off interest, it would not have led to her being bullied by her former employees

This lawsuit is well-chosen, as it involves a prior buyer in a case of double selling of a property, which has certainly complicated matters. Shen Shuren spent seven to eight days meticulously laying out the case for this situation.

Miss Dong, at this point, I will speak frankly with you. I am Shen Shuren, the eldest son of the Shen family in Taicang. Today, I am personally here to demand repayment from you. Your Dong family's embroidery shop owes my family a sum of fifty dan of raw silk, with the principal and interest totaling over two thousand eight hundred taels.

Later, seeing the strong attitude of the main lady, Dong Liang took a step back and indicated that this matter could temporarily be settled with a gentleman's agreement, without the need for public disclosure or taking the contract to witness the contract tax, thus avoiding any damage to the reputation of the Dong Bai family

The house servant replied quietly and reliably, "Young master, rest assured, we have followed your instructions and kept a close watch on where she fled. In the end, we discovered that she had escaped to another embroidery shop two streets away before we returned."

Shen Shuren first left Dong Bai to one side, instructing the housekeeper to keep an eye on her to prevent any opportunity for her to take her own life. Only then did he step aside and quietly pull over the housekeeper who had pretended to chase after the fleeing maid, asking in detail:

Shen Shuren整理了一下思路，随后挥手示意那位假装追丢丫鬟的家丁："You two can go back first, keep your mouths shut, and the matters that follow do not concern you."

At first, Shen Shuren felt somewhat indignant about Dong Bai's choice, as he believed that it was understandable for a woman not to wish to be bought by a wealthy man

I did not expect that Sister Yuanyuan herself has not yet escaped from the sea of suffering, yet she can casually utter a word that saves me from this quagmire. You are so good to Sister Yuanyuan, I trust you, as long as you do not tarnish the reputation of the Dong family

If one is identified and taken back, and is unable to fulfill the duty of filial piety to their mother, they will be forced to become a concubine, and the reputation of the Dong family will be ruined

You only need to continue helping my family with embroidery and textile work, and this can be settled through labor. This point can also be witnessed by the neighbors, and when paying the deed tax with this contract, it can be noted as well

It seems that during these days, Shen Shuren remains the same frivolous and reckless character as before, showing no signs of change, and outsiders do not think much of it at all

Upon hearing the urgent report from the coarse maid, she was momentarily stunned before reacting, her face instantly turning pale

Seeing her daughter take the opportunity to meet so many wealthy and influential dignitaries, Chen was also overjoyed

After his sons changed their surname back, they no longer shared the same surname as Dong Bai, thus eliminating the taboo of "no marriage between those of the same surname." Therefore, a few months ago, when Dong Bai was completely unable to pay her debts and could no longer sustain herself, Dong Liang presented her with a condition:

Dong Bai's face turned pale as death, his heart felt like ashes. With a desperate struggle, he was about to throw himself into Yangcheng Lake to end his life

Not long ago, while having drinks and sharing heartfelt conversations with Miss Chen, she appeared sorrowful after drinking, reminiscing about the unfortunate experiences of a sister with whom she had studied the art of storytelling, which inevitably made her feel sad

Indeed, from the perspective of people at the end of the Ming Dynasty, especially those of higher status, the humiliation of the physical body was not the worst fate. If one could live incognito, being humiliated without others knowing who you were was at least preferable to tarnishing the reputation of deceased parents.

In the inner chamber of the Dong family, a young girl dressed in a plain silk mourning dress, with a delicate and refined appearance, was originally sitting there with a furrowed brow, embroidering.

Some procedures that need to be reported to the government office would originally be very slow, but what kind of influence does the Shen family have? Not only is Shen the richest man in Suzhou, but Shen Tingyang is also the head of the Ministry of Revenue

Shen Shuren smiled: "Ha, is there still a complaint about the conditions being good? Well, it seems you are not greedy, so I will speak frankly. To me, several thousand taels of silver is nothing. At the Lixiang Courtyard in Kunshan, hiring Miss Chen Yuanyuan to sing for a few months incurs such expenses.

... ...

After obtaining important intelligence from Chen Yuanyuan, Shen Shuren did not act impulsively

Throughout the entire process, Shen Shuren did not make an appearance nor did he sign anything; all matters were handled by the Shen family's steward.

Therefore, even if a case arises in the future, these two tracking servants will not be uncovered, nor is it possible for them to become witnesses, as they are completely unrelated to the subsequent parts of the case

The tall man at the forefront was clearly Shen Shuren, but in order to set the trap, he had to temporarily pretend to be a bit more menacing.

This is akin to modern companies selling off bad debts to specialized debt collection agencies, allowing these agencies to employ much harsher methods to collect the money

In the midst of the chaos, Shen Shuren grabbed Dong Bai firmly, preventing her from taking drastic measures, and loudly ordered the other subordinates to come and help surround her to prevent any further incidents

If you transfer this estate to our Shen family immediately, and you personally serve my family as a maid for five years, then this debt will be considered settled.

Miss, it is not good. A group of people has come to demand repayment! They said that if the debt is not repaid, they will take you as collateral.

I did not expect that the debt collectors would come to the door today. Has Dong Liang not yet repaid the debts owed by the Dong family as promised? Was it merely a temporary measure to appease the creditors and delay the debt collection?

However, fortune clearly did not favor Dong Bai

This way, one can turn the situation around, causing her popularity within the pear garden community to dissipate quickly

A little money was offered to facilitate matters, and the local officials in Kunshan were all eager to please, resulting in an unprecedented level of work efficiency. Even those officials who would normally leave work when it got dark were pulled back to work by lantern light.

At first, Dong Bai was filled with a desire for death, but as she listened on, she discovered that this newly acquainted Young Master Shen was surprisingly compassionate, which caused her to relax a bit.

It is precisely for this reason that the household servants relaxed their control over the coarse maid who had originally been captured nearby. Seeing this, the maid also struggled to break free and immediately fled

It turns out that providing her with such generous conditions to spare her from hardship was merely to please Sister Yuanyuan, which is indeed something that a wealthy and spoiled young master would do

Dong Bai initially refused to comply, believing that it would bring shame to the family if it were to be known. How could one discuss such matters before fully honoring one's mother? Therefore, she even considered fleeing under an assumed identity, resolutely deciding to abandon her family's house.

The maid who sought help until she escaped still did not know Shen Shuren's identity, so the other party, as a local tyrant, would certainly not let the matter rest.

Even so, please calm down for a moment, and I will discuss it with you in detail later

"Not good, quickly take the two bags of clothes and soft items that are neatly packed on the bed, and leave the rest to them. We will escape through the back door!" Dong Bai knew very well that falling into the hands of those who specialize in debt collection would not end well, so he made a decisive decision to run.

First, he had Shen Fu check the external debt accounts of their family business, listing all business partners who owed the Shen family more than 1,000 taels of silver. Then he personally reviewed the accounts, pretending to "casually" discover the accounts of the Dong family's embroidery shop.

She is aware that the Shen family of Taicang is her family's largest creditor, but the Shen family is, after all, a respectable family. If they personally come to collect the debt, there may still be room for pleading and extension.

Shen Shuren nodded slightly, everything was going smoothly. The maid must have gone to that household to secretly negotiate with Dong Bai about the buyer who would help her bear the debt and, upon the completion of the mourning period, would take both her and the estate under their wing.

She and the maid arrived at the back door, first quietly opening a crack in the door. Seeing that there seemed to be no one outside, they suddenly swung the door wide open and, taking advantage of the dimness of dusk, dashed out directly, intending to hide first in the reeds by the Yangcheng Lake.

The "Uncle Liang" she mentioned is a shopkeeper brought out by his father, who initially followed the surname of Dong, with the given name Liang Dong.

It is said that since Dong Liang changed his surname to Dong, his descendants should also bear the surname Dong. However, after the death of the former lord, he reverted his sons back to their original surname Cai. Only he himself, feeling it inappropriate to go too far, continued to use the surname Dong, demonstrating his loyalty and righteousness in not forgetting his former lord.

However, if one must choose between two evils, it is somewhat difficult to understand why one would prefer to sell songs rather than be the plaything of a singular man

Moreover, he has also laid some traps in the monthly contract. If the Chen family insists on having Chen Yuanyuan gain fame through other channels during the period he is keeping her hidden, he will file a lawsuit against them in the Suzhou government, directly causing the Chen family to breach the contract and allowing him to buy back Chen Yuanyuan at the official price

The Dong Bai family indeed owes the Shen family a considerable amount of silver, which began about two or three years ago when they started facing operational difficulties. They were originally suppliers of Su embroidery to the Shen family, and after their cash flow became strained, they asked the Shen family to extend credit for the raw material payments, accumulating a debt of over fifty dan of raw silk.

"Miss Dong, you owe my family several thousand taels of silver. Not only do you plan to sneak away, but you also dare to take these few bags of fine jewelry with you. Isn't that rather ungracious? Even if I do not make things difficult for you, these items should rightfully belong to my family."

However, the coarse servant girls did not bind their feet at all, making them much faster in escape than Dong Bai. Moreover, since she was not very important, the two servants from the Shen family pretended to chase for a while before returning to report that they had not caught up.

After arranging matters outside, Shen Shuren took the debt contract and the prepared documents to negotiate with Dong Bai again

The sign at the entrance will not be changed for the time being

The servants naturally did not dare to disobey and immediately formed a circle as instructed by the young master

The Dong Liang family helped Dong Bai bear her external debts. Once her mourning period is over, all the remaining houses and heavy weaving equipment of the Dong family embroidery workshop will be allocated to Dong Liang. She herself will also marry Dong Liang's son as his wife

After several consecutive literary gatherings, the last one was around June 10. Shen Shuren even invited Zheng Hongkui from the Zheng family, and also extended an invitation to Zheng Sen, who had just been brought to Suzhou by Zheng Hongkui.

Whether the embroidered items can be sold is something she has no confidence in, nor has she ever hoped for it. She merely stitches mechanically out of instinct, as if this could temporarily help her forget her worries and not think about the pile of unpaid debts.

After doing thorough research, it was delayed until June 15, which was also the fourth day after Zheng Sen was deceived and taken to Suzhou

With Zheng Sen being young and full of vigor, his loyalty to the court surpassed that of his father, Zheng Zhilong. Shen Shuren enjoyed pleasant conversations with him, and it did not take long for Zheng Sen to become accustomed to discussing any perplexing matters with this new elder brother.

Shen Shurencai quietly concealed his identity and, accompanied by several subordinates, arrived at the northern part of Kunshan City, by the shores of Yangcheng Lake, where he found the Dong Family Embroidery Workshop

Dong Bai then temporarily set aside her worries and continued to stay at home for a few more months

Shen Shuren was taken aback, as he had not yet adapted to this feudal moralistic way of thinking

Debt collection? Which creditor is it? Uncle Liang said he would bear all the debts from outside for us, didn't he? He mentioned that he would carry them until my mourning period is over, and I have already agreed to him. By then, this estate will all belong to him. How could he...

Now he realizes that it is merely due to the burden of family reputation, and he is too lazy to care about it any further

However, just after stepping out the back door and walking a few dozen paces, several individuals emerged from the corners of the walls on both sides. The man at the forefront was tall and had long strides, quickly catching up to the young girl with small feet, and seized Dong Bai, rendering her unable to resist.

After the death of Father Dong, the business of the Dong Family Embroidery Shop quickly declined. However, Dong Liang established his own business and opened a new shop, continuing in the embroidery trade, which flourished.

Shen Shuren was extremely cautious, employing thugs and their servants for the task, using trackers and their servants for surveillance, with clearly defined roles, maintaining mutual confidentiality, and none were aware of the overall plan

"Doesn't Young Master Shen think this condition is too generous? I, a humble woman, am unworthy of such an offer and fear I cannot accept it," Dong Bai insisted in the end.

Upon seeing this result, Shen Shuren could not help but feel a sense of emotion, realizing that the wealthy of future generations are not afraid of their children indulging in pleasures, but rather fear their children wanting to start a business

Zheng Sen was very touched when Brother Shen hosted a welcoming gathering for him, even having his future concubine come out to perform a dance and sing. He secretly thought to himself that he was definitely going to follow this big brother.

After completing the tasks, since the Dong Family Embroidery Workshop had already become a property of the Shen Family, Shen Shuren did not hold back and expressed that it was getting late, thus he would stay at the Dong Family Embroidery Workshop that night. However, he would stay in the front courtyard while Dong Bai would stay in the back courtyard, without any infringement upon each other.

Shen Shuren waved his hand to dismiss the servants, and empathetically analyzed: "Miss Dong, we are merely here to collect a debt, why must it come to this? With your beauty, even if you were to be taken as collateral for the debt, at the very least, you could become a concubine."