"Shen Yishi is dead."
Early in the morning, after the routine morning meeting, Hai Rui took out a letter and handed it to Wang Yan.
The letter had been sent by Tan Lun. It clearly stated his intention to arrest Shen Yishi, confiscate his household, and raise military funds. It also said that after Shen Yishi's death, a preliminary inventory had revealed that his estate was practically hollow.
There was not enough silk in storage, too few looms in the workshops, no silver in the household, and not much remained of the various shops, residences, estates, and farmland. Most of it had been sold off for cash during the earlier land purchases in the two counties.
This was awkward. Everyone had believed Shen Yishi to be the richest man around, that confiscating his estate would cover the military expenses for fighting the Japanese pirates. Yet not only was there nothing left, Shen Yishi had also left behind a pile of bad debts and dug an even bigger hole...
Wang Yan smilingly handed the letter back, using the lid of his gaiwan to skim the tea leaves from the surface. "Tan Lun truly is a good friend. He explained everything in meticulous detail, plainly and clearly."
"Wang Yongji and I were recommended to Prince Yu by him, and Prince Yu then recommended us to the Ministry of Personnel. Now that something this serious has happened in the province, he should let us know what is going on."
Hai Rui asked, "Now that the military funding has gone nowhere, even selling off what remains of Shen Yishi's property would be only a drop in the bucket. I expect their next move will be to set their sights on the raw silk from our two counties. What do you think?"
"If they want