novelAbuy Chapter 301 New Circle
Chapter 301 New Circle
The tea room was very bright and spacious, with a maritime chart hanging in the center, the author of which was unknown.
The four walls were lined with mother-of-pearl inlaid cabinets from Korea.
The tables and chairs are antique in style, made of solid materials, and crafted with exquisite workmanship.
"Have a seat," Fei Xiong said, pointing to a chair.
Shao Shuyi said politely twice and sat down, with Tie Niu standing behind him, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
While the two chatted casually, the servant brewed tea and brought it over.
The tea was Jianning's Dragon and Phoenix Tea, prepared very meticulously, with milky white foam floating in the white porcelain cup.
Shao Shuyi picked up the cup, took a sip, and praised, "Good tea."
Fei Xiong smiled and said, "This was brought back from Fuzhou by a ship two years ago, weighing no more than five catties in total. Since you know your stuff, have a couple more cups." Shao Shuyi thanked him and chatted casually with Fei Xiong about Shanghai's local customs while drinking tea.
Before long, more guests were brought over. Fei Xiong introduced them: one was Liu Ba, the ship manager, who was very likely to be piloting one of the two ships, Ma Jia or Ma Yi; the other two were Zhou Min, the prefectural magistrate of Songjiang Prefecture, and Hu Guangyan, a merchant who specialized in the trade of spices.
"They're all our own people," Fei Xiong said simply after introducing them.
Shao Shuyi understood that he had been drawn into a circle, but he didn't know whether it was the Fei family's core circle or a lower-level circle—well, he would have to ask Little Chili to find out.
After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation turned to the situation in Jiangnan.
Judge Zhou Min sighed and said, "Although the Huashan bandits have been wiped out, with the Prince of Zhennan's army dispersed, the bandits who had previously gone into hiding will likely return. The other day, when I went to Yixing Prefecture on official business, the clerk there said that there were bandit boats lurking in Taihu Lake, and they had just robbed merchants. Why doesn't the Prince of Zhennan wipe out these bandits as well?"
"The government troops are unreliable." Hu Guangyan sighed. "The garrison troops are mostly empty positions. How many capable soldiers can a commander of a thousand men pull out? When it really comes down to it, we still have to rely on wandering knights, gangsters, salt workers, and wealthy commoners."
As he spoke, he glanced at Shao Shuyi: "I heard those people in the back room are Shao's retainers? They look quite capable."
Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "Merchants traveling the world have no choice but to employ some people to watch over their goods."
Hu Guangyan laughed and stopped asking questions. He then started talking about things overseas: "In mid-July, my family's boat came back from Tuta with 8,000 catties of pepper. As soon as it landed at Liujiagang, it was divided up. A catty of pepper is worthless over there, but here, even the best quality pepper can't be bought for more than ten strings of cash. Even pepper that has been soaked by the waves can be sold for a few strings of cash."
Shao Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "Does Master Hu also own a boat?"
Hu Guangyan waved his hand: "I don't have a boat. I borrowed Fei Gong's boat."
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly: "I see."
Judging from the looks of it, Hu Guangyan and Fei Xiong have a special relationship. They are probably business partners in the spice industry for many years, and Hu is a top wholesaler and distributor. Fei Xiong picked up his teacup, slowly blew away the foam, and then looked at Shao Shuyi, saying, "Your Majia and Mayi ships aren't old, they're relatively new, with good keels and are stable. Liu Ba inspected them and said they can sail for another ten years or so without any problems. This time when we go to Tuta, I'll have Liu Ba personally escort the ship, along with his relatives and in-laws. If we encounter any small groups of pirates on the way, we'll have a fighting chance."
"With Steward Liu here, there will be no problem." Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Ba.
Liu Ba didn't say much, he just nodded.
Hu Guangyan, however, became interested and said, "Little She, you don't know, do you? Tuta is a place where merchant ships from all over the world gather. Pepper, cloves, and cardamom from the south, ivory and rhinoceros horn from Champa, and sappanwood and tin from Siam are all piled up in the warehouses on the shore. Our silk and porcelain are transported there, and it's a business with a profit margin of over ten thousand yuan. Last year, Fei Gong's ship that returned made a net profit of 20,000 ingots."
Shao Shuyi feigned surprise: "Such high profits?"
Everyone smiled but remained silent upon hearing this.
Shao Shuyi rose and bowed, saying, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Lord Fei. However, I am new to maritime trade and do not understand many of the rules. I leave everything to you, sir."
"Then it's settled." Fei Xiong waved his hand and said, "Liu Ba, the ship must reach Chepu to wait for favorable winds before the fifth day of the tenth month. Once everything is loaded, we'll set sail on the eighth."
Liu Ba responded.
At this moment, Judge Zhou Min interjected, "Lord Fei, I've heard that things have been a bit unsettled at sea lately?"
Fei Xiong nodded and sighed, "That Cai Luantou, he actually refuses to surrender, I don't know what he's thinking. Recently he's started plundering the local areas, and Wen'er Road, which is near the sea, has suffered a lot because of him."
"Isn't Cai Luantou from the state? How come he's causing trouble in the village?" Zhou Min asked in surprise.
"Who knows what he's thinking?" Fei Xiong said helplessly. "Perhaps he saw that many people on the shore were helping the government deal with him, so he decided to give up. Actually, these are minor matters. This year he robbed many grain transport ships, causing panic in Wenzhou, Qingyuan, and Shaoxing. The provincial government is also in a bind and doesn't know what to do."
Everyone sighed upon hearing this.
Shao Shuyi discreetly observed each other's expressions.
Fei Xiong was genuinely worried. After all, this was seizing the grain transport ships, threatening the livelihoods of the grain transport officials. The ship owners were already struggling; the grain transport was supposedly a "government-procured service," but the freight rates had remained unchanged for decades, making it a losing proposition. Losing money was bad enough, but now they had to risk their lives? It was clear that the grain transport system was further crumbling, and it was uncertain how much grain could be transported next year.
Judge Zhou Min was simply uneasy about the chaotic situation. As an official of Songjiang Prefecture, he was uneasy about the hijacking of the grain transport ships, but that was all. Hu Guangyan and Liu Ba seemed even more worried than Fei Xiong, probably because it involved their own interests. Cai Luantou was clearly not just robbing grain transport ships; he had encountered merchant ships, and if he could win a fight, he wouldn't mind taking one too.
"Perhaps we should train some guards and clerks," Hu Guangyan suddenly blurted out.
Fei Xiong didn't respond.
Zhou Min glanced at him, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but didn't.
Hu Guangyan chuckled awkwardly, said nothing, and only glanced at Shao Shuyi.
Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting to him.
He was also powerless to help with matters at sea. He hadn't even resolved his "commercial dispute" with Li Da-weng, which had dragged on for three years, making him hesitant to venture south to find salt, let alone confront the more powerful Cai Luan-tou.
Of course, if Cai Luantou dares to come ashore, he is not afraid and can beat him so badly that even his own parents wouldn't recognize him.
However, the lucrative profits from maritime trade were too tempting for him to resist.
Fei Xiong earned 20,000 ingots from just one ship? How many ships does he own? How much money did he earn in total? And then there's the story of a maritime merchant who sold gemstones to the imperial family for 140,000 ingots. Is there any more profitable business in the world? That was 140,000 ingots decades ago, when the purchasing power of paper money was much stronger than it is now. Now that he's entered this path, he's not going to back out no matter what.
The two boats made money and returned, then they invested it all in one go.
As the saying goes, "Add to your position when you have a profit, go all in with heavy positions, trade frequently, and you'll be rich sooner or later!"
"Little Tiger, how's your Wu-Yue Grain Guild going?" Fei Xiong suddenly looked at Shao Shuyi and asked.
Shao Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled and said, "You've heard about it too, Master Fei? It's just a small-scale operation, enough to give our colleagues some support." "Hmm," Fei Xiong replied noncommittally. "Wuxi is a place with many grain merchants, and the waters run deep. Now that you've gotten involved, do it well. As for Changzhou Road, if there's anything I can do to put in a good word for you, just say the word. The deceased elder brother of Shou Tong, the Darughachi of Changzhou's Wanhu Prefecture, Tu Mian Dai, had some dealings with me in my younger days. Back then, Shou Tong was just a child, and he often went out with us."
Shao Shuyi bowed again to express his gratitude.
Some connections in officialdom, you'll never know unless the person directly involved tells you.
Shao Shuyi only knew that Fei Xiong's first official position was the magistrate of Xuancheng County, but he really didn't know much about his subsequent official career.
"From Shanghai," Fei Xiong pondered for a moment, then said, "Never mind, we'll talk about it when we need you later."
Shao Shuyi was somewhat surprised, so he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
Fei Xiong glanced at Zhou Min.
Zhou Min cleared his throat and said, "Shao She is unaware of the situation. The world is in turmoil these days, and Songjiang Prefecture is not entirely peaceful either. A while ago, Zhang Sanniu, a remnant of Zhu Dingbo's gang, fled from Suzhou to Huating. He found some old acquaintances at the saltworks and began selling smuggled salt. Subsequently, he got into a fight with the chivalrous Li brothers. In broad daylight, he attacked and killed Li Caijie in the street. The prefect was furious and was unable to apprehend him."
Fortunately, those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. At the end of August, Zhang Sanniu was killed by Caijie's younger brother, Jimao, leaving no descendants in his family.
A few days ago, a bandit known as "Divine Traveler" in Shanghai County clashed with Li Jimao, resulting in several attacks and deaths on both sides. This "Divine Traveler" appears to be a subordinate of the newly emerged bandit leader Ximen Qing, and the two have a blood feud that is irreconcilable. The entire Songjiang Prefecture has been thrown into chaos. The prefect is deeply worried, but much of the Songjiang Wanhu Prefecture's troops have been redeployed to Shaoxing and Qingyuan, making it impossible to eradicate the bandits. He remains troubled to this day.” Shao Shuyi was speechless upon hearing this.
Could it be that the Liangzhe Transport Office and Songjiang Prefecture were not communicating? Or was the person going to the sand quarry contacting him privately behind the transport office's back?
Shao Shuyi pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He could only go along with Zhou Min's words and say, "If you have any requests, please just say so. Even if we can't catch Ximen Qing, it's still possible to have someone pass on a message and mediate between them. The Prince of Zhennan is inspecting the various routes in western Zhejiang. At this critical juncture, it's indeed not advisable to cause trouble."
Zhou Min gave him an approving look. With such talent and keen insight, he was worth cultivating, and it wouldn't be in vain that Fei Gong had given him such a helping hand.
He said vaguely, "I'll talk to you in detail later."
Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in a gesture of understanding.
The group drank tea for a while longer until a servant came to report that the banquet was ready, before they moved to the flower hall.