After Lin Jue gets the painting, he will definitely find a way to get the map.
In their previous life, they were looking for Master Qian.
That’s why the painting in the previous life had Master Qian’s signature “Chun Shui Tang” on it, and that’s why Yu Tang was able to see through the Li family’s tricks in this life.
Now, because of her intervention, Master Qian has fled to Kyoto, and the Li family may not be able to find him.
Even if you can find him, it will take time and energy.
So who will the Li family ask to dismantle this painting in this life?
In other words, how long will you keep it in your hands and study it privately?
Yu Tang tried his best to put himself in the Li family's shoes and try to figure out what the Li family would do next. But no matter what the Li family does, what she is more eager to know now is whether there is anyone else behind the Li family? If so, who?
You know, doing business at sea is not that easy.
Most people just invest money to invest in stocks, which is the least profitable. The real money maker is the fleet. But it is not that simple to form a fleet. In addition to having ships, skilled sailors, and experienced captains, you also need to have your own dock, your own warehouse, and register with the Maritime Customs... Everything else is easy, and you can solve it with money. But two of them are the most difficult. One is to register with the Maritime Customs, which requires official connections; the other is to have an experienced captain. The former requires generations of officials; the latter requires a family background.
A family with a long history of officials can ensure that no matter who is in power in the Maritime Customs, the fleet can obtain a record and pass through unimpeded. Only a family with aristocratic background can train or have an experienced captain.
The Li family was not a family of officials, nor did they have aristocratic background. After getting the Navigation Chart, they could only find someone to cooperate with. To cooperate with them, they had to be a family that met the above two requirements.
In the previous life, the Li family and the Lin family joined forces to do business in Fujian.
Eighty to ninety percent of the partners they look for are wealthy and powerful families in Fujian.
At this moment, Yu Tang only hated his ordinary background and his narrow vision, so he could not guess which family the Li family had cooperated with in the previous life.
She thought about it but still had no idea, so she could only ask the shopkeeper Tong: "Is there such a family in Fujian?"
Although Manager Tong is knowledgeable, he does not have the ability and insight to look at the entire court and all the noble families.
He smiled and said, "There are probably not many people in Lin'an, or even in Hangzhou, who can answer your question. It would be best to ask the two elders of the Pei family!"
"The second and third masters of the Pei family?" Yu Tang had a vague answer in his heart, but he was unwilling to give up. With a lucky attitude, he still went to find Tong, the shopkeeper, first.
Tong, the shopkeeper, said with a smile, "Besides the two masters, does Miss Yu have other candidates? Gu Shen and the others must know about it, but Miss Yu is not related to them, and this kind of thing cannot be known by catching a person. Of course, the two Master Peis are the first choice."
Yu Tang smiled bitterly.
She had only seen the second master of the Pei family from a distance a few times when the old lady of the Pei family was at the funeral, and she probably wouldn't recognize him if he stood in front of her. As for the third master of the Pei family, she really wanted to find him, but he might not be willing to see her!
Yu Tang was suddenly caught in a dilemma.
Tong, the shopkeeper, gave her some advice: "How about asking your father to ask the county school teacher Shen? Maybe he knows."
Yu Tang's eyes lit up, but he was afraid that if he asked around, he would not only fail to get the information, but also make his intentions known to everyone.
"I'll think about it." She said goodbye to the big shopkeeper Tong and was about to go home. The small shopkeeper Tong brushed past her and said to the big shopkeeper Tong: "The third master is back and just arrived at the dock. Do you want to go say hello?"
"We have to go, we have to go." Tong, the shopkeeper, said hurriedly.
This is really a coincidence.
Yu Tang thought for a moment and followed Manager Tong to the dock: "I'll also go and say hello to Master Pei San. Doctor Yang Yu just left a few days ago."
Probably because of the Pei family's instructions, Doctor Yang Yu paid more attention to the examination than usual and changed the prescription for Chen. After taking it, Chen said that he felt much better.
Based on this point, Yu Tang felt that he should actively and proactively thank Pei Yan.
Shopkeeper Tong took Yu Tang to the dock with a smile on his face.
The dock was still very lively. When people saw Master Pei San, they saluted him from a distance, but he had a blank expression on his face and was very arrogant.
Yu Tang curled his lips and walked over with Tong the shopkeeper.
Pei Yan saw Yu Tang as soon as he looked up.
Her jet-black hair was tied up high on her head in a bun, and she wore a brown servant's dress that was neither new nor old. It made her skin look even smoother, more delicate and fair, and her face even more beautiful. The loose clothes made her already graceful curves look even more obvious, like the ups and downs of mountains. Not only could it not hide the fact that she was dressed as a man, but she also flaunted it, as if she was not afraid of others seeing it.
Why is she going out dressed like this again?
Yu Wen didn't care at all.
Pei Yan frowned and frowned before Yu Tang came closer. When Yu Tang came closer, he said unhappily, "Miss Yu, why are you here? Is there anything you need the help of Tong Da, the shopkeeper?"
The first time he met Yu Tang, Yu Tang was already trying to trick the manager Tong.
This little girl never comes to visit someone unless she has something to ask for.
She definitely didn't come to see Manager Tong for no reason.
Yu Tang was delighted when he heard this.
She was afraid that Pei Yan would ignore her. As long as he responded to her, she would always find a way to get Pei Yan to do her this favor.
"Master Pei San," she walked up to Pei Yan and bowed enthusiastically, "Doctor Yang Yu came to see my mother and changed the prescription. My family hasn't thanked you properly yet!"
No need to thank me.
Just stop using their family's banner to do anything that would damage the Pei family's reputation.
If it was someone else, Pei Yan would have warned the other person mercilessly, but he had misunderstood Yu Tang before, so he felt that he should forgive Yu Tang a few times as his compensation.
Therefore, even though he was dissatisfied in his heart, he still did not say anything. Instead, he looked at Yu Tang carefully.
Pei Yan then discovered that Yu Tang's eyes were very beautiful. Not only were they black and bright, but they were also very lively and seemed to be able to speak.
Just like at this moment, although she had a smile on her face and looked very lively, there was a hint of cunning in her eyes, which reminded him of the scheming fox spirits in those picture books - although he had never seen what a fox spirit looked like, he felt that if there was a fox spirit, it should look like Yu Tang at this moment.
The problem is, even if he knew that Yu Tang was plotting against him like a vixen, he had already decided to forgive her several times. He couldn't just change his mind and deal with Yu Tang right after making the decision, right?
Pei Yan took a small step back without making a sound and said, "Ms. Yu, what are you going to do?"
He looked no different from usual, but Yu Tang inexplicably caught his momentary hesitation and concession.
Yu Tang didn't know why Pei Yan had changed like this, but she felt it keenly. Ever since Pei Yan helped their family to get justice last time, Pei Yan's attitude towards her had obviously become much softer when he saw her again this time.
Is it because he realized that he had misunderstood her before?
Speculations aside, Yu Tang was unwilling to go against his sudden good luck.
She decided to seize this opportunity immediately and try to get something useful out of Pei Yan.
"Master Pei San, you are really amazing!" Maybe it was because Pei Yan was too aloof before, or maybe it was because Pei Yan's status in Lin'an City was too high, so Yu Tang couldn't compare him with Li Jun, Shen Fang and others. She didn't feel any burden when she flattered Pei Yan. Anyway, he had seen her worst look, so what else could she pretend to be? "You have such a sharp eye that you can tell at a glance that I have something to talk to you about."
Pei Yan heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her being so frank, and felt quite comfortable in his heart.
He was most afraid of others beating around the bush with him on these little things. He didn't know whether they thought he was too stupid or they wanted to appear smart in front of him. He had to spend so much time guessing about such a trivial matter, but he could see through it at a glance.
"You say!" Pei Yan said.
Yu Tang was overjoyed.
She didn't expect Pei Yan to be so straightforward.
Maybe she used the wrong method before.
Yu Tang thought about it, but he didn't hesitate to speak, "Can I talk to you alone?"
Pei Yan looked at the busy dock and felt that this was not the place to talk. But he just walked a few steps to the side, stood under an old banyan tree, and said, "Just tell me what you want to say!"
He acted as if her problems were not serious enough for him to find another place.
How proud!
Yu Tang couldn't help but complain in his heart, but when he was under someone's roof, he had to bow his head.
She asked him for something, but she didn't tell him, and there was no one better to ask for help except him.
"It's like this." Yu Tang didn't dare to complain. She was afraid that if she complained, she would lose this opportunity. She hurriedly followed him and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too low, and at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, "Mr. Wu wants to invite my father to do maritime business. The last time I went to your house, I saw that the painted glazed doors in your flower hall were really beautiful..."
She observed Pei Yan's expression.
Pei Yan listened casually, without any intention of showing off.
It can be seen that it was the old lady of the Pei family who thought those painted glazed doors were beautiful.
Yu Tang didn't say much, skipping the topic and continuing, "I just thought that you might be familiar with those merchants who sell goods from ships, so I wanted to ask you something. Which officials in Fujian have their own fleets? I want to see whose fleet is the most powerful, and see if our family should follow Master Wu to do this business."
She was talking nonsense, but Pei Yan didn't doubt it.
Yu Wen was unreliable, that was the impression he had when he found out that Yu Wen had been cheated and still needed his daughter to help him to get the money from selling the paintings; participating in maritime business was rare in Lin'an City, but in Hangzhou, many girls liked to find a fleet to participate in in order to earn some money for their own makeup and powder. The eldest daughter of the Yu family was a restless person, and knowing this, it was only natural for her to come up with such an idea.
As for whether this was her own idea or she was doing it under the banner of Mr. Wu or Yu Wen, he had decided to apologize to her anyway. As long as the benefits fell into her hands, it would be enough. He had neither the energy nor the interest to know about these trivial matters.
"Why don't you invest in the fleet in Ningbo? The fleet in Ningbo mostly trades porcelain and silk, while the fleets in Fujian and Guangzhou mostly trade porcelain and spices. Silk and porcelain are easier to trade than spices." Pei Yan said casually, and then told Yu Tang what she wanted to know, "In Fujian, the largest fleet belongs to the Peng family in Fu'an. Their family has always held a position in the Maritime Customs, and the sailors are all veterans in their twenties or thirties. So far, there has only been one accident five years ago, but that accident affected all the fleets that went out to sea at the same time, not just the Peng family. If you want to invest in the fleet in Fujian, the Peng family is the first choice."