Episode 68
Here you go. -Alright.
This way.
Goodbye. -Alright. Goodbye.
Master.
You came. -Show me...
...this month's account. - This way, please.
Mr. Du.
Mr. Shen.
Mr. Du. -Business seems good.
I'm assured now.
I'm just getting by.
Mr. Shen, let's go to a quiet place to talk.
Let's go upstairs.
This way.
Mr. Shen, something has been giving me a headache lately.
The prince needs to report to the Ministry of Revenue.
But, the mechanical textile bureau suffered a huge loss.
The account won't look good.
Isn't the prince leading the Ministry of Revenue?
That shouldn't matter.
Yes.
But, the account book has to be presented to...
...the emperor and empress dowager.
Please sit down.
So, after much thought...
...I concluded that there is only one way.
We'll transfer some money from Ri Chang He...
...to the mechanical textile bureau.
We'll return the money when the textile bureau profits.
Mr. Du, I was checking the account with the shopkeeper...
...right before you came.
Yes. It's true that Ri Chang He made some profits.
But, Long Sheng He takes half of the money.
Also, after deducting the money spent on...
...gifts for the prince...
...and other officials as well as social expenses...
...not much money is left.
But, this bank is still doing much better than...
...the mechanical textile bureau.
Mr. Du, I really don't have so much money.
Mr. Shen.
You're a clever person.
But, you're unwise.
The profits of the mechanical textile bureau...
...directly affects the prince's performance.
Which between your money and the prince's reputation...
...is more important? - The latter of course.
Yes. -But, the problem is...
...I really don't have so much money.
Shen Si Hai.
Are you poor-mouthing?
I dare not. -Yes.
If the mechanical textile bureau...
...doesn't receive the money within 7 days...
...you'll receive an imperial order.
Master, Shopkeeper Pu just came to report back.
The 1 million taels Mr. Du demanded for...
...has been transferred to the account of the textile bureau.
Ri Chang He is even more shod of cash now.
It can't be helped.
Master, there's something I must say...
...even though I shouldn't say it.
Mr. Du is asking for too much. At this rate...
I want 100 rolls of gray goods and 200 rolls of coloured cloth.
200 rolls of fine twill. Fill the rest of the space...
...with some dong quai.
Mr. Xiao.
Hello.
Is everything ready?
This way.
Mr. Shen.
This way. Yes, this is fine twill.
So far, be it in terms of production volume or profits...
...Jingyang Textile Factory...
...has surpassed the old textile bureau.
Anything else?
Well, Wang De Gen told me that...
...a few more workers of the textile bureau went to him...
...and said that they want to work for us.
Why? -The mechanical textile bureau...
...hasn't paid their workers for months.
Chun Xing, bring me the report of...
...the mechanical textile bureau.
This is the report they submitted to the court...
...in the last quarter. Look. They made a lot of money.
If they can send so much to the court...
...how come they can't pay their workers?
This isn't right. I know how many customers they have...
...and their market share.
They have been losing money since half a year ago.
So, someone is making up for their loss.
It can only be Shen Family's Ri Chang He.
How is Shen Family doing?
Ri Chang He has been issuing deposit vouchers lately.
What's a deposit voucher?
Alright. Please line up and come in one by one.
Come in one by one. You will surely get to buy some.
Excuse me.
Please line up. You will surely get to buy some.
This is the one. -Let me see.
If you deposit 10 taels, you can get this voucher.
A month later, you can exchange this voucher in...
...any of their shop in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an...
...for 12 taels.
That's such a good deal. -Yes.
That's why they are all fighting for this.
Look at my sweat and you will know...
...how difficult it was for a person of my size...
...to get hold of this.
Why is Shen Si Hai doing this?
He must have resorted to this because he is short of cash.
He's using Ri Chang He's money...
...to make up for the textile bureau's loss.
Of course he's shod of cash.
Master.
Master. -Shopkeeper Pu.
The textile bureau needs 200,000 taels, right?
But, we can't even fork out 20,000 taels.
What happened?
We've a deficit of 2 million taels now.
I thought we got 2 million taels from selling the deposit vouchers?
That merely solved the problem temporarily.
We need to pay 2.4 million taels next month.
Can you make some adjustments?
I could adjust back then because the hole was tiny.
But now, the hole is too big to cover.
Master, what can I do?
Shopkeeper Pu.
What's the matter? -Master.
A customer just transferred 2 million taels over.
Who? -I don't know.
The customer only left behind a stamp.
Thank god. You may retire.
Master, we are saved.
Good.
With the 2 million taels of cash...
...we don't have to worry about anything.
Yes. -Master.
Do we continue to sell the deposit vouchers?
Yes. Continue selling it.
But, we've already taken a breather.
Can't you see?
The deposit vouchers can bring Ri Chang He fame.
Fame will attract customers.
Look.
The merchants are all stafling to transfer their...
...extra cash to Ri Chang He.
There are three decoders in Shaanxi Telegraph Office.
They all studied telegraphy in Tianjin.
Among the three, Li Da Zhong is an upright and kind person...
...while Zhang Si Yuan is a loyal and honest person.
But, Wang Ji Gao gambles and visits brothels frequently.
I heard that he's getting by with loans.
Xiao Wu, I need you to befriend Wang Ji Gao...
...by all means. You may spend as much as neccessary.
Madam Ying, I... How can I befriend a man like him?
You're not just going to befriend him.
You need to become his best friend.
There's such a good deal?
Sometimes, it's just plain good luck.
Will it be a trap? -Boss, I've checked personally.
The raw silk is good and the price is lower than the market price.
It's good and cheap.
Boss, the price of Zhejiang's raw silk...
...rose a lot this year.
Raw silk in Hubei and Hunan is sold out.
If we purchase on our own, the price won't be the same.
I'll meet that merchant from Guangdong first.
This way, Mr. Du.
This is a snack of Jingyang, crystal cake.
Try it. -Alright.
The taste is good.
Mr. Du.
If you buy my raw silk, you'll definitely make money.
I'll be frank.
If it isn't because I'm urgently in need of cash...
...I wouldn't sell my raw silk.
To be honesL...
...it pains me to sell my raw silk to you.
I do need raw silk.
But, I don't need 5,000 packs. I can only buy half.
But... That's not good.
If you want it, please take all 5,000 packs.
If you take 2,500 packs, who can I sell the rest to?
I really can't take so much.
Alright. Mr. Du, I've a suggestion.
If you take all 5,000 packs...
...I'll give you a commission of...
...5 taels for every pack of raw silk.
We sold 2,500 packs of raw silk to Claude last year.
He'll probably want 3,000 packs at most this year.
5,000 packs is too much.
We can store the remaining 2,000 packs.
Raw silk can be kept for 1-2 years.
We'll need to fork out at least 1 million taels.
No. The risk is too big.
No, Mr. Shen. Think about it.
We can make at least hundreds of thousands taels.
Ri Chang He finally has a chance to take a breather.
We'll get into deep trouble if we run out of cash by then.
What are you afraid of? We have the prince's support
If we really run out of cash...
...I'll ask the prince to use the spare cash...
...from the Ministry of Revenue.
Will the prince agree?
Just leave it to me.
I'll talk to the prince personally.
Master.
Master, we received a telegram from Shanghai.
Is it from Claude?
Yes.
What did he say?
He said that the raw silk futures in...
...London Stock Exchange has increased to 17 shillings.
He wants us to prepare 4,000 packs of raw silk for him.
What are you waiting for?
In this case...
Alright. We'll take all.
That's the right decision.
Mr. Liao.
Madam Ying, Shen Si Han...
...bought all 5,000 packs of raw silk.
Is the transaction completed? - Ri Chang He paid the full amount.
What about the commission of 25,000 taels?
Ming Li took it.
Thank you, Mr. Liao.
You're welcome, Madam Ying. I shall excuse myself them.
Fu Lai, escort Mr. Liao. -Yes.
Please come with me, Mr. Liao.
It's time.
Father. Wu Pin.
The conflict between Wu Family and Shen Family...
...will be concluded soon.
Withdraw all the cash we deposited in Ri Chang He.
I'll go right away.
We've received all 5,000 packs of raw silk.
If everything goes well, we'll make a fortune this year.
I'm not worried about the rest.
But, Ri Chang He is really shod of cash.
You just have to issue more deposit vouchers.
We can't simply issue deposit vouchers.
Master!
Master. -What's the matter?
The shopkeeper wants you to go to Ri Chang He quickly.
Did something happen? -I think there's a problem.
Alright. I'll go immediately. -Yes, master.
What's the matter? -I don't know.
I don't think it's a small matter.
Will the prince's money in Ri Chang He be safe?
Don't worry. It should be safe. - Mr. Shen, keep this in mind.
No matter what happens to Ri Chang He...
...the prince's savings in Ri Chang He must stay safe.
I know.
A customer came early this morning...
...and withdrew over 800,000 taels.
Although it's a big sum, I had to hand him the money.
So, he gave him all the cash we had.
But, at noon...
...we received telegrams from our Beijing and Shanghai branches.
Someone withdrew large sums of cash...
...from them as well this morning.
How much was withdrawn? -2 million taels in total.
This is fishy. -That's why...
...I sent someone to tell you to come quickly.
Who withdrew the cash? -We don't know.
They deposited their cash as anonymous account holders.
How much cash do we have left?
Only 5,000 taels in total.
How many people are aware of this?
So far, only the shopkeepers are aware.
We need to be very careful.
Shopkeeper Pu. -Yes.
Send a telegram to our shopkeepers...
...in Beijing and Shanghai.
Yes. -Firstly...
...keep this news a top secret.
Secondly, try to buy time...
...if customers come to withdraw money.
But, don't reveal that we're shod of cash.
Secondly, collect as much as possible...
...the money we loaned.
Yes. I'll get it done at once.
Housekeeper Huo. -Master.
Send a telegram to Xingyue Trading.
Tell them to contact Claude...
...and ask him if we can complete the transaction now.
We can offer a lower price or even make a small loss.
But, Claude must pay us the cash immediately.
Understood.
Also...
...how much cash do we have in our shops?
I think we have a total of around 3,000 taels.
Tell them to gather the money...
...and send it to Ri Chang He quickly.
Yes, master.
Tell them not to worry about this.
This is common in running a bank.
I'll go at once.
Madam Ying, we have withdrawn all cash...
...we deposited in Ri Chang He.
How much of their deposit vouchers do we have?
Those due are worth 22,000 taels.
Those that aren't due are worth 5,000 taels.
Go and exchange them for 22,000 taels tomorrow morning.
If Shen Family can't pay up...
...sell the vouchers worth 5,000 taels at a low price.
Remember to do it at the same time at all three places.
Ensure that Shen Si Hai is unable to attend to all sides.
Alright. -Also...
...send someone to keep an eye on Shen Si Hai.
We're already doing so. -Madam Ying.
Xiao Qu. -Wang Ji Gao sent us a letter.
He said that Shen Family sent Claude a telegram...
...and requested to complete the transaction immediately.
As you instructed, he intercepted the telegram.
Very good. Tell him that...
...I've deposited 3,000 taels in his name.
After he sends a reply to Shen Si Hai tomorrow...
...he'll receive 5,000 taels.
Alright. I understand.
Where's my cash? -Right.
It's been days. -Calm down.
If you still don't pay up... -Calm down.
It's been so many days. When can I exchange for cash?
Soon.
Shopkeeper Pu.
Someone came to exchange vouchers for cash. Should we?
How much? -1,000 taels.
1,000 taels? -Yes.
Is it due? -It's due since 3 days ago.
Give him the money. -Wait.
Master. -Master.
Don't give him the money.
But, how can we refuse to honour...
...due vouchers? -It's fine if it's 30-50 taels.
But, 1,000 taels is too much. -Master.
Master. Shopkeeper Pu. Another customer came for cash.
How much? -500 taels.
That's a total of 1,500 taels.
Alright. Don't honour the deposit vouchers yet.
Just say that the person in charge is away.
Tell them to leave their addresses and we will deliver...
...the money tomorrow. - Alright. I'll do it at once.
Master.
How's it? Do we have a reply from Claude?
What's wrong?
Claude says he doesn't have so much cash.
He can't pay in advance. He also added that...
...he lost a lot of customers this year...
...due to the success of sericulture in Europe.
So...
...he'll only need 2,000 packs of raw silk at most.
Didn't he order 4,000 packs? How can he go back on his word?
This westerner...
...is a scoundrel who has no credibility!
Sorry. I'm so sorry. Please come again tomorrow.
The person in charge is away. - Mr. Shopkeeper, do me a favor.
Can't you do me this favour? -Thank you.
What's wrong with Ri Chang He?
It's been 3 days and they still won't honour my voucher!
Yes. I'm the same. My family is urgently in need of money.
You need cash? You need to think of something yourself.
Does anyone want my deposit voucher from Ri Chang He?
I'll sell it cheap for cash! -How much?
Look. I deposited 500 taels. So, it's worth 600 taels once due.
I'll sell it to you for 550 taels.
Mine is worth 600 taels too. I'll sell it for 500 taels. Deal?
I'll sell it for 450 taels. -Alright.
440 taels. -What's wrong with you?
Why are you competing with me? -Don't push me!
I need cash urgently! What are you doing?
I need cash too! -I'm the same! Can you go away?
I need money too! -I'll sell it for 300 taels!
300 taels! -300 taels!
Me too! -Who wants it?
300 taels! -Master. Shopkeeper Pu.
Everyone is saying that Ri Chang He is going bankrupt...
...since we can't honour our vouchers. What should we do?
Master, what should we do?
How come the news spread so quickly?
I've no idea either. -100 taels!
50 taels! -100 taels!
50 taels! -Master!
Many people came to exchange vouchers for cash! What do we do?
Master!
People are selling our undue vouchers outside.
Vouchers worth 10 taels are sold for as long as 7 taels!
Master.
Master, someone must be behind this.
You finally noticed?
What should we do?
How many vouchers are due?
If we add up vouchers from all three places...
...these vouchers are worth around 20,000 taels.
How much cash have we managed to collect?
We tried our best and only collect 3,000 taels.
Then, Housekeeper Huo brought 2,000 taels over.
Yes. -What time is it?
It's past noon.
Alright.
Honour all due vouchers.
But, tell our staff to stall for time.
Close the bank once it is past 1 p.m...
...and tell them to come again tomorrow.
Tomorrow? But...
...will this work?
I can only get help from Mr. Du now.
There won't be a problem...
...once we receive aid from the prince.
Alright. I'll do it at once.
Master. -Master.
Mr. Du came.
Bring him over quickly. -Go.
Mr. Shen.
Mr. Du, you came just right. I was about to go to you.
Sit down. -I heard the bank is in trouble.
Yes. Please sit down.
The prince ordered me to withdraw all the money...
...he deposited in Ri Chang He.
Mr. Du, Ri Chang He is currently facing a scheme.
Our opponent came prepared. They are determined to topple us.
I've been dealing with this problem for 2 days.
But, our opponent spares us no mercy.
I'm at my limit.
We can only save the situation if you and the prince help us.
But, what do you want me to do? -Firstly...
...identify the mastermind behind this.
Secondly, ask the prince to gather 2 million taels of cash...
...to help Ri Chang He to make it through this ordeal.
Mr. Shen, because of the Tiger Spirit Division...
...the prince spent a lot on weapons, rations and salaries.
He's not as wealthy as before.
He can't fork out so much cash to aid you.
Didn't you say that the prince leads the Ministry of Revenue...
...and that he can use the money from the ministry...
...if we run out of cash?
Wait. Did I say that?
You said it to me in person!
If you didn't say that, I wouldn't buy so much raw silk!
Listen. I just received news.
We can't sell this much of raw silk this year!
Mr. Shen, calm down.
Even if I really said that...
...how can you expect me to produce...
...2 million taels so quickly?
Fine. Tell me. When can you give me the money?
About 3 months later. -That won't do.
I need it latest by tomorrow.
That's definitely impossible.
If you can't give me 2 million taels of cash...
...how about 1 million taels?
500,000 taels?
Why don't you hand me the money the prince deposited first?
I'll think of something for you later.
I can't produce the money.
Mr. Shen, you know the prince's temper.
If he wants the money, he won't take no for an answer.
Mr. Du, Ri Chang He is in the middle of a crisis now!
I really don't have so much cash.
If we can make it through the next few days...
...I'll do as the prince says. -That won't do.
The Tiger Spirit Division is having some problem...
...and the prince is very anxious.
But, I don't have the money!
But, aren't you giving out cash for the vouchers outside?
If I don't honour the due vouchers...
...the consequence will be worse than this!
If you have cash for that, why can't you pay the prince?
Ri Chang He doesn't even have enough cash for the vouchers!
Can't you see?
I... Our workers are trying to stall for time...
...to assure the people. Mr. Du.
Mr. Du. -Mr. Du!
Mr. Shen, you have some guts to disobey the prince!
Mr. Du.
The prince holds half of Ri Chang He's shares.
If Ri Chang He goes bankrupt...
...the prince will lose a lot in his annual income.
Enough said. Give me the prince's money first.
The prince deposited 100,000 taels.
But now, we...
We only have 8,000 taels at most. -Yes.
Give me as much as you have!
Shopkeeper Pu!
Yes!
Coming! -Master.
Coming.
Master, I...
Give them...
...all the cash we have. -But...
What about the people outside who came with their vouchers?
Close the bank early.
Master, that will get the bank into trouble.
Just do as I said! - Just go, Shopkeeper Pu.
Alright, Mr. Du. Please come with me.
Master, are you alright?
Come again tomorrow. -We're really sorry for this.
Come again tomorrow. -We're closed.
Gentlemen, we're sorry.
We're closed. -What's wrong with Ri Chang He?
You all promised to honour the vouchers!
Are you out of money?
Will you honour the vouchers or not?
Buddy, can you give me my money first?
Buddy, I beg of you. -Sorry. We're closed for today.
Come tomorrow. -Will we get the money tomorrow?
What if we can't get our money?
Please return. It's pointless to stay here.
We're closed today. You've to wait until tomorrow.
Shen Si Hai! I know you're inside!
Come out! Come out and give me my money!
Come out and give me my money!
Master.
They left with...
...all cash?
Yes.
I'll go to the few banks that have business dealings...
...with Ri Chang He like Tian Cheng Heng...
...Bao Feng Long and Zhengtong Bank.
If they are willing to help...
...we'll still have hope.
Master, don't take the front door. Use the back door.
Master.
Wait. Stop.
Move.
Mr. Shen, since you asked, of course I have to help.
But, 200,000 taels isn't a small number.
I can only hand it to you soonest by tomorrow.
Thank you, Shopkeeper Lin. -You're welcome.
Mr. Shen, how may I help you?
I'm looking for Mr. Qin. - Alright. Please wait for a while.
200,000 taels isn't a big problem.
But, I need to ask the headquarters first.
I need their approval.
Please do it as soon as possible.
Because it's an emergency.
Please rest assured. I'll send a telegram...
...to the headquaflers right away.
But, we'll only receive a reply soonest by tomorrow.
I'll be counting on you. I'm utterly grateful to you.
You're most welcome.
I can lend you the money. But, as usual...
...the interest... - I will pay accordingly.
Sure. I'll do some calculation immediately...
...and deliver the money to you tomorrow.
I'll be waiting for you tomorrow.
After Shen Si Hai walked out of Ri Chang He...
...he went to Tian Cheng Heng, Bao Feng Long and Zhengtong Bank.
These three banks have good relationships with Shen Si Hai...
"especially Zhengtong Bank.
They copied Shen Si Hai...
...and issued a lot of deposit vouchers as well.
We've a lot of cash dealings with Tian Cheng He and Bao Feng Long.
I remember that we have savings in Tian Cheng He.
Many of our agents have accounts in Bao Feng Long.
That's good.
My dear.
Did I wake you up?
I wasn't asleep anyway.
Do you know who the mastermind is?
No.
I've no time to think about that either.
Don't worry. If we can make it through tomorrow...
...I'll find this person...
...and make him pay dearly.
Can you make it through tomorrow?
"Han Chang Hang' Bao Feng Long and Zhengmng Bank.“...
...all agreed to lend me money.
But, the money will only come in tomorrow.
Once I receive the money, I can surely make it through.
That's good.
Hopefully, nothing goes wrong while I wait for the money.
My dear.
No matter what happens tomorrow...
...I'll be right beside you.
Our family will always be here for you.
My dear.
All these years...
...I haven't been able to give you a good life.
I've only made you live in fear and anxiety.
I'm sorry.
My dear.
Why are you talking as though we are strangers?
If I really manage to make it through tomorrow...
...I must really ask myself...
...if all my struggle and hard work...
...is worth it.
Is the money I made...
...wor1h my sacrifices?
My dear, it's alright if we don't have money.
As long as we're all together as a family...
...money doesn't matter.
I've been chasing after money for so many years...
...and today...
...I finally understood the meaning of this.
Let's go in.