"Wang Tianze, the Minister of Revenue?"
Liu Xuan sat dejectedly in the chair, his whole being in a state of numbness and helplessness.
Even now, he still can't forget what happened at noon today.
This feeling intensified to the extreme, especially after learning that the man who had remained calm and indifferent throughout was Wang Tianze, the Minister of Revenue of the current dynasty.
Uncle Bai nodded emphatically and sat down next to Liu Xuan.
He pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice: "Everyone knows that Cui Renshi is the prime minister with absolute power and has had an extremely smooth life. But few people mention Wang Tianze. Do you know why? In fact, in terms of the length of time he has served in the court, this Minister of Revenue has served even longer."
"Both of them served the Daqing court during the reign of the late emperor. Cui Renshi was already prime minister more than ten years ago. Even before that, he was already famous. It can be said that he has had a smooth career. But Wang Tianze is different. During the reign of the late emperor, he was just an insignificant figure who was not valued by others for most of the time. It was not until more than ten years ago that he entered the Ministry of Revenue and was later promoted to vice minister for his meritorious service."
"Wang Tianze didn't become the Minister of Revenue until the end of the reign of the late emperor; he worked his way up through the ranks."
After hearing Uncle Bai's explanation, Liu Xuan became somewhat puzzled.
"Uncle Bai, since Wang Tianze worked his way up step by step, why does he suddenly have such high prestige in the court? It seems that even other ministers are quite respectful in front of him."
Uncle Bai couldn't help but smile. "That's because he did enough for the Empress, and he steadfastly supported her ascension to the throne."
Having said that, Liu Xuan understood.
With the Empress's support, Wang Tianze's status would naturally be very high, unmatched by anyone else.
But if that's the case, then haven't I offended the other party this time?
Liu Xuan's expression turned serious, and he couldn't help but look at Uncle Bai, wanting to seek the old man's opinion.
"Don't worry, a mere Minister of Revenue wouldn't go so far as to target the Liu family over such matters. It's Lord Yuan, who has been helping you all along, who might be in trouble."
"Really not?" Liu Xuan asked with great concern.
Daqing did not value commerce, and merchants had a very low social status.
This applies to both the Liu family and the Wan family.
It would be too easy for someone in power to deal with the Liu family. Unless they have someone else protecting them, they simply cannot hold out for long.
"No, unless Tang Huan is determined to deal with us!"
Uncle Bai confidently gave an answer.
Tang Huan?
Liu Xuan thought of Tang Huan, whom he had seen at lunch. At that time, Tang Huan did not seem to show much hostility, and did not even have much interaction with him. In the end, Tang Huan even left some alone time for Liu Xuan and Wan Xin.
It seems he's just offering support, not trying to get involved.
Looking back now, perhaps he simply wouldn't bother doing it.
I had long heard that Tang Huan was highly regarded by the Empress, and now that he could easily get a Minister of Revenue to intervene, there was no doubt about it.
Liu Xuan realized that he had underestimated this great poet.
"What was the final conclusion you reached with Wan Xin? Was it just a compensation of one thousand taels of silver?"
Uncle Bai suddenly asked Liu Xuan a question.
Liu Xuan nodded in affirmation, "Yes, and Wan Xin agreed."
Uncle Bai pondered for a moment and said, "No, you have been making things difficult for Wanfuji for a long time, almost half a month. Wanfuji's losses are definitely more than that. Send three thousand taels of silver to Wanxin to put this matter to rest and try to show goodwill to the other party."
After saying that, he added, "In addition, we need to send some benefits to Tang Huan as well."
Liu Xuan frowned, not understanding why Uncle Bai would give away so much extra silver.
This already exceeds the benefits the Liu family seized from the Wan family during this period. If so, then the actions of the past two weeks have been a complete loss.
Uncle Bai said firmly, "We must do this. Showing goodwill is not only to the Wan family, but also to Tang Huan, who is the most important person."
A person who is on good terms with the Minister of Revenue and is also highly regarded by the Empress is someone the Liu family should try to curry favor with, no matter what.
If he could connect with Tang Huan after severing ties with Yuen Woo-ping, then everything would be worthwhile.
"Tang Huan is an official, he might not accept the money you send him. You need to carefully consider what exactly you should give him..."
A matter that was extremely serious for Wan Xin was resolved the day after Tang Huan returned to Beijing.
The troublemakers near Wanfuji suddenly disappeared, and the Liu family's inns and restaurants directly found excuses to close their doors to customers.
This directly led to a sudden resurgence in business at the nearby Wanfuji, which even surpassed its previous levels at one point.
The next day, Liu Xuan personally brought several boxes of silver and solemnly apologized to Wan Xin in front of many people.
This story quickly spread to a small circle, and many people were interested in the story between these two young masters.
But very few people knew the truth, and almost no clues were leaked.
However, a piece of news gradually emerged from Liu Ming's group, who had previously worked for Liu Xuan: Wan Xin had once brought Tang Huan to the Liu family's celebration banquet, and this matter was most likely related to the Poet Immortal.
"How much was given away?"
Inside the mansion, the cold faded, and Tang Huan lay back on the familiar armchair as usual.
Wan Xin, who was standing next to him, said, "Three thousand taels, and he apologized in front of many people. It seems that he is trying to make amends to me and wants to cooperate with Wan Fu Ji."
"He didn't seem like such a smart person that day. Could it be that someone was giving him pointers? Luckily, not all the members of the Liu family are idiots, otherwise they would have to think long and hard before they wanted to cooperate."
Wan Xin tentatively asked, "Are we just going to let this go like this?"
Tang Huan countered, "You accepted their money and their goodwill, so since they've shown enough sincerity, then forget it."
After a moment of silence, Wan Xin spoke up, "Lord Tang, I have brought the three thousand taels of silver that the Liu family sent. It's outside the mansion. I'll have someone bring it in for you later."
Wanfuji's business was affected for half a month, resulting in some losses.
Wan Xin was grateful for Tang Huan's initiative in standing up for him, and he didn't want Tang Huan to do it for nothing, especially since he had sent a generous gift to the person in the Ministry of Revenue for it.
However, Tang Huan directly rejected the suggestion.
“It’s only three thousand taels. You should take it back with you. Those old folks in your family don’t support you, so put this silver in front of them and tell everyone that you’re not lacking.”
"And what about you, sir?" Wan Xin pressed.
"Me?" Tang Huan couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, after you received the compensation from the Liu family, I received mine as well. Although they didn't send me any money, they did send me quite a few things that I was interested in, and I'm very satisfied with that."
"You can entrust part of the Fenjiu business to the Liu family. You can decide how to handle it yourself. You can make a small profit from them, and I believe they will not refuse."
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