The Fu Mansion is located in Xishui Lane, southeast of Linjiang City.
Almost all the houses here are large and deep courtyards, and the residents are all rich and famous people along the river.
It is not prosperous, but very heavy.
Senior Official Fu and Junior Official Fu boarded the carriage, with Chunxiu accompanying them. Yi Yu, the foreign affairs steward, had already prepared everything necessary for the trip. Ten carriages, accompanied by fifty guards, made for a spectacular sight as they sailed through Xishui Alley.
Mr. Fu and Mr. Fu sat opposite each other, with a slightly apologetic look on his chubby face.
"I originally promised your mother that I could remarry. She agreed to it, saying that it would give me a companion in my old age... But she also said it would be best not to have another child. She was worried that if I married a new wife and had a son, I would no longer love you, or that my new wife would bully you if she had a son."
Fu Xiaoguan smiled calmly, and Fu Daguan quickly added: "Your aunt is pregnant. This, this is an accident. The Fu family will definitely be handed over to you in the future, so don't worry."
"...Dad, you think too much."
"What?"
"I mean, the family is so big, the more people there are, the better. You're in good health, in fact, you can give me more brothers and sisters."
Fu Xiaoguan believed that the situation where the first, second and third wives would fight to the death for the family property as described in the opera would happen, but what he hoped more was that the family could prosper. As for struggle...struggle makes people progress, and there is nothing wrong with it as long as the degree is controlled.
Of course, he wouldn't participate because it would be pointless.
What he needs to do is to grasp the balance and ensure that the Fu family has enough talents available, instead of like now, when the old man needs to go in person to visit the farmers during the holidays.
Officer Fu turned around and stared at his son. "Do you really think so?"
Fu Xiaoguan nodded. Fu Daguan took a deep breath and continued, "But... when you found out that my concubine was pregnant, you almost tore down the entire courtyard! You even threatened to kick Qi out of the house."
Uh, Fu Xiaoguan slapped his forehead, "I can't remember some of the things in the past, but this is what I think now."
Official Fu sat up straight, exhaled slowly, turned his head to look out the window, and whispered, "If Yunqing is still alive, my son... has grown up!"
Yun Qing is naturally Fu Xiaoguan's mother, and there is still a vague impression of her in the depths of Fu Xiaoguan's memory.
Fu Xiaoguan bowed his head and said, "After this trip, I want to go and pay my respects to my mother."
"Of course, of course. Your mother will be delighted."
After a fragmented conversation between the father and son, Fu Daguan was certain that his son had not become stupid, but had become more sensible, intelligent, and steady.
This change came so quickly that Fu Daguan thought he was dreaming several times and he couldn't adapt to it for a while.
Fu Xiaoguan was not very natural either.
This was the first time he had talked so much with someone, and it made him a little tired.
The tiredness comes from the change of identity. In the past, he was more focused on thinking, calculation and action, but now what he needs to do is communication and the business cooperation that will definitely come in the future.
This is not his area of expertise, but since he was born in a landlord family and will be in charge of such a huge family business in the future, he must change himself.
It would be difficult for him to change the living habits of the past ten years in a short time.
It seems like a good start now. I can communicate smoothly with this strange father. However, I am not used to the way of speaking yet, so some words come out of my mouth unintentionally. Mr. Fu always asks, what does this mean?
"What are our family businesses?"
"It's mainly land. Lots and lots of land. And... there's a small business in Linjiang. It's not a grain merchant, but Yu Fu Ji, which your mother used to run. It's still running, but the scale hasn't expanded."
"Yu Fu Ji? Not Xu Fu Ji?"
"Although your mother's last name is Xu, she actually named herself Yu Fu Ji—your mother said, 'A family with a legacy of prosperity will bring blessings to future generations.' Of course, she thought a lot about it, and it was actually all for you. She was worried that you'd be bullied by your stepmother after she was gone. This was impossible, but she did it anyway."
Fu Xiaoguan's image of his mother's face gradually became clearer. All mothers in the world have good intentions. He was deeply touched, but he could never repay her. So, he decided to open Yu Fu Ji, just to fulfill his mother's long-cherished wish.
"Where have you seen Xu Fuji? What does he do for a living?"
Fu Xiaoguan smiled and shook his head. "It's a small shop that sells... candy."
"Oh, our Yu Fu Ji sells wine. There's a winery in the lower village. The masters there were all hired by your mother back then. We're going to the lower village on this trip too, and I'll take you to see it then."
Fu Xiaoguan nodded, was silent for a moment, and asked, "Is there any trouble with that matter?"
"It's not a big deal. The nobleman is still in Linjiang. He's reportedly here to discuss business with several major merchants in Linjiang, including Zhangji and Quji... Mainly cloth and grain merchants. Linjiang's silk is excellent, and its grain production is quite high. I just don't understand why a woman would be the one to handle such a thing."
"What is your identity?"
"The second daughter of the current Minister of Revenue, Dong Shulan. I've heard from the heads of several families lately that this noblewoman is quite resourceful. She doesn't use her status to pressure others, but her words and actions, intentionally or unintentionally, hint at her selection of imperial merchants. For over two hundred years since the founding of the Yu Dynasty, imperial merchants have mostly been from the south of the Yangtze River, but this time, they've chosen the north of the Yangtze River... It's a little unclear what's true, but everyone agrees it's probably true. So, the noblewoman has been very busy these days, and I think she's forgotten about your matter."
Official Fu did not say a word about what he had done.
In the pleasure boat named Hongxiuzhao on the Qinhuai River in Jinling, the capital, Huqin master Hu read the handwritten letter from Fu Daguan, was silent for a while, sighed, and then wrote a letter to the Minister of Revenue and sent a jar of fragrant wine that had been treasured for ten years.
Then Minister Dong read the letter, drank a cup of wine, and handed a note to his daughter Dong Shulan.
The note read: If it's nothing serious, just let it go.
Linjiang is quite far from Jinling, and the note arrived a little late. Dong Shulan's men had already taken action, but Dong Shulan frowned for a moment after seeing the note. He also sent people to the Fu Mansion to inquire. He learned that the reckless young master named Fu Xiaoguan was still alive. Knowing that the young master was just a playboy in Linjiang, he no longer took it to heart.
Coupled with Fu Daguan's management of the Linjiang officialdom, the matter has now been calmed down.
"That noble man is no ordinary person. At just the age of 15, he's able to control such a major event and navigate among these veteran merchants with ease... This is the heritage of a wealthy family. My Fu family has a long and arduous journey ahead of us."
"She has the background of the Shangshu Mansion and the Imperial Merchant Cake..."
"No," Senior Official Fu waved his hand, interrupting Junior Official Fu. "Though these established merchants fear the government, when it comes to their own interests, as long as they don't violate certain rules, the government can't do anything to them. As for the imperial merchants... that's what they truly care about. Originally, several major cloth and grain merchants had agreed on a base price, working together to share a share of the profits, but now it seems this nobleman has gradually opened up a gap. I heard that the negotiated cloth price has dropped by 15% from the original base price, and the grain price has also dropped by 10%."
In his previous life, Fu Xiaoguan had never done business, so these things sounded quite interesting. He asked, "Is this about winning over some and suppressing others?"
"That's about it. It's all about psychology. As long as the benefits are huge, there's no such thing as a solid alliance. It's human nature. From the same pot of porridge, some people want a bowl, some want a basin, and some want to take the pot away too. You see, that gives the porridge seller a bargain."
Fu Xiaoguan pondered for a moment. He understood this simple truth, but he didn't use this way of thinking to think about business problems. This was his own problem, and it brought him back to the core issue of changing his thinking.
"It's been over two months and this noble hasn't left yet, which means she hasn't met her expectations. But she hasn't been talking to merchants these days. Instead, she's been meeting with Linjiang students and hosting a poetry gathering. It was held at Linjiang Academy a few days ago, and more than half of Linjiang's talented scholars attended. It's been hailed as a Linjiang grand event. However, this has truly embarrassed Banshan Academy."
Seeing the puzzlement on Fu Xiaoguan's face, Fu Daguan chuckled, "Great... This is a really great move!"
"What... does this mean?"
"Linjiang's four major cloth merchants are Zhang's, Qu's, Liu's, and Huang's. Zhang's is the largest and the head of the Linjiang cloth merchants, and the initiator of this negotiation. However, the Linjiang Academy is backed by Liu's, while the Banshan Academy is backed by Zhang's."
Fu Xiaoguan suddenly realized, "This is to suppress Liu Ji and step on Zhang Ji, and set up the chariot and horse."
"Yes, a move made in silence, a thunderbolt where there's no rain. This is a trick Zhang Ji has taken. It all depends on how Zhang Zhice responds... In my opinion, the alliance Zhang Zhice established has been broken. It's time for each side to take their own turn. If so, the price of cloth should be reduced by at least 30%."
Fu Xiaoguan nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What about the grain merchants?"
"The three major grain merchants in Linjiang are Yang's, Fan's, and Yao's. It seems that the nobleman hasn't had much contact with the grain merchants, and has mainly focused on the cloth merchants. If the cloth merchants fail, the grain merchants will naturally collapse. This is a bit exaggerated. After all, the imperial merchants have large volumes and need some precious goods to supply the royal family. There is certainly profit, but the pricing power is something that the nobleman must control."
"Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys?"
"That's about it."
“Why don’t we sell our own food?”
Official Fu laughed, with an expression of immense pride on his fat face.
"Linjiang is a vast country, and of the ten percent of grain available, my Fu family alone owns 20 percent, while the remaining 80 percent is shared by tens of millions of households in Linjiang... My family isn't a grain merchant, so naturally there are grain merchants who come to buy the grain. Although I don't set the price of grain in Linjiang, I do have an influence on it."
Fu Xiaoguan frowned and asked, "How much land do I have?"
Senior Official Fu turned around, opened a box, and took out a booklet. He handed it to Junior Official Fu and said, "During this ten-day journey, all the fields I saw along the way belong to my family."
Fu Xiaoguan was very surprised. He held the booklet without opening it and asked, "If that girl... that noble person came directly to you, how would you respond?"
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