Xie Lin left the Prefectural Office, but rather than return to his private residence, he headed south along the riverside path.
He passed through a narrow alley, then turned into a deeper lane.
At its dead end stood an utterly unremarkable black-lacquered wooden door.
He raised his hand and knocked three times, one long knock followed by two short ones.
Moments later, the door opened, and a young servant in blue poked his head out.
Seeing Xie Lin, he hurriedly stepped aside and said softly,
"Lord Xie, the master has been waiting for you for some time."
Xie Lin nodded slightly and stepped over the threshold.
The residence had three courtyards. It was not spacious, but its furnishings were elegant and refined.
A few tall bamboo stalks grew in the front courtyard, their sparse shadows slanting across the moonlight.
In a side hall, dancing girls from Jiangnan moved to the music.
The main hall in the central courtyard blazed with candlelight.
A man of about thirty sat in a Grand Tutor's Chair, holding a tea cup. As Xie Lin entered, he rose at once, cupped his hands, and asked with a smile,
"Dao'an, why did you summon me at night?"
This was Shen Mingxuan, Shen Duan's nephew by clan kinship and the proprietor of Suzhou's Everlasting Abundance Firm.
Suzhou Prefecture had dozens of grain merchants, great and small, but only the Everlasting Abundance Firm held the lead.
Seven or eight out of every ten grain transactions on the market passed through its hands.
And the reason the Everlasting Abundance Firm had put down roots in Suzhou and stood unshaken
Was not Shen Mingxuan's ability alone, but three pillars:
Shen Duan stood at court, He Yanming stood in the prefecture, and Xie Lin devised its strategies.
Seeing Shen Mingxuan adopt