Fu Xiaoguan did not mention the specific situation of the Ministry of Commerce.
He was afraid that he would scare away the first subordinate he recruited!
But Li Cai was very happy. A brand new department, half a level higher than the six departments, didn't this mean a bright future!
I have finally met a noble person in this life, and all I have learned finally has a stage to display.
The foul air that had been stagnating in his chest for a long time suddenly dissipated, and he seemed to have undergone a baptism, becoming full of vigor and vitality. This made Fu Xiaoguan look at him with new eyes.
Could it be possible that this man, in his middle age, could really have a second spring of love?
But what is he excited about?
By the way, he didn’t know that the Ministry of Commerce now only has one official office. The establishment of those laws, the implementation of those laws in the Yu Dynasty, and the establishment of commercial bureaus in various prefectures, counties and counties of the Yu Dynasty after the establishment of the laws, as well as the subsequent follow-up, supervision and summary, etc., all these trivial matters, let him deal with them first.
Naturally, he didn't know much about Li Cai, but Dong Kangping did.
So after coming out of the imperial study today, he asked Dong Kangping, but Dong Kangping was determined not to let this man go. That's right, he held the imperial sword of His Majesty in his hand and decided to kill the father-in-law first.
As for whether Dong Kangping would be angry...what could this father-in-law and son-in-law be angry about?
When the food and wine were served, Li Cai took the lead in picking up Xishan Tianchun and poured a glass of wine for everyone.
He raised his glass and said to Fu Xiaoguan, "From now on, I will be Master Fu's man. I promise Master Fu that I, Li Cai, will follow Master Fu's lead and will never let Master Fu down. This humble servant toasts Master Fu a glass!"
"Good..." Fu Xiaoguan raised his glass and said, "The Ministry of Commerce is newly established. It has many tasks to do and a long way to go. It is of great significance. With Brother Li Cai's business talent, I believe you will be able to realize your ambitions!"
Li Cai's blood boiled, and he felt that Mr. Fu was his mentor. After they both finished the glass of wine, he poured another one and sat down, his heart pounding with excitement.
Afterwards, Li Jindou introduced his other three sons to Fu Xiaoguan. Fu Xiaoguan's eyes became brighter and brighter. Damn, the whole family is full of talents!
He was suddenly overjoyed, but did not show it on his face.
The people at the table were eating and drinking, chatting casually. During the conversation, Fu Xiaoguan suddenly asked Li Jia, "Master, how is Xinglongtang's income this year?"
Li Jia was startled and quickly replied, "Since the beginning of this year, Xinglongtang's profits have totaled 1.218 million taels, a 10% increase over last year."
"Oh..." Fu Xiaoguan nodded slightly, as if thinking about something, and then asked, "Why is the pawnshop business so good?"
Li Jia was silent for a moment and looked at Li Jindou, who nodded imperceptibly.
"The pawnshop is doing good business, naturally because there are so many people pawning their things. To be honest, sir, the Yellow River flooded again this year, and many families living on both sides of the Yellow River moved to Shangjing. The number of people moved here is double that of last year."
"They came to Shangjing, naturally wanting to settle down there. But living in Shangjing is not easy, and it takes a lot of money to settle down here. So they pawned a lot of the things they brought with them, but in the end, they redeemed very little."
Fu Xiaoguan listened very carefully. He didn't know that the Yellow River had flooded again this year. Wouldn't that mean many people on both sides of the Yellow River would be displaced again?
Since it did not cause any unrest, it seems that the court's disaster relief efforts were effective.
He put the matter aside and heard Li Jia say, "Many merchants come to the capital, but business has its ups and downs. Many people don't make any money, but they still need to eat and drink, so this group of people is also a source of profit for the pawnshop."
"Even for local residents of Shangjing, perhaps they're losing money on their business, or perhaps they need money because of a family disaster. Generally speaking, a good pawnshop business isn't a good thing."
The Li family did not explain, but Fu Xiaoguan understood what they meant.
Unless a person is in a desperate situation, it is impossible for him to pawn the property left by his ancestors.
The good business of pawnshops only means that people are having a hard time and it reflects the message of economic depression.
Fu Xiaoguan also asked Li Wan about the business of Yuding Tower, and Li Guan about the business of Huichuntang.
Yudinglou sells jewelry and jade, and its profits have dropped by 20% compared to the past.
Huichuntang is a century-old pharmacy, and its business has increased by 15% compared to the past.
Li Jindou also listened quietly, looking at Fu Xiaoguan from time to time. He thought to himself that although Mr. Fu was a scholar, he was very interested in these business data that could not be made public. He was truly a different kind of young man.
And Fu Xiaoguan's questions were not without purpose. A glimpse of the whole picture gave him a deeper understanding of the Yu Dynasty's economy. Secondly, he developed a strong interest in all the people in the Li family.
He wanted to recruit these people and have them serve Xishan Industries, especially the Sitong Money House that was about to open.
But he did not mention it at this moment. Anyway, Yu Wenjun would ask Queen Shang for Li Jindou tomorrow. If he could capture this old man, his three sons would naturally not be able to escape!
The banquet was enjoyed by both the host and the guests. At the end of the hour of Xu, the banquet ended and Li Cai sent Fu Xiaoguan back home. When he returned, the light in Li's study was still on.
He walked in and saw his father and three brothers sitting there drinking tea.
"I originally thought Master Fu came here to discuss the pilot program in the six counties." Li Jindou frowned slightly and continued, "Of the six counties, only Yao County and Pingling Quyi have opened workshops. Pingling Quyi has just begun construction, and the investment in these three places all comes from Fu Xiaoguan's own Xishan industry."
"The new policy was proposed and spearheaded by Fu Xiaoguan, but the current situation is clearly very passive. Although His Majesty has issued the policy, merchants around the world are still waiting and watching. This is naturally not the situation Fu Xiaoguan wants to see."
"So, when he extended an olive branch to the second brother, I thought he wanted my Li family to invest in a business to set an example. But he didn't mention it, but we had to take action, so..."
Li Jindou took a sip from his teacup and looked at his fourth son, Li Guan. "Tomorrow, submit your resignation as the head of the Qin family. After the new year, go to Gong County, Henan Prefecture, and invest in a medicinal material base. I will give you 300,000 taels of silver as initial capital to build up your reputation. You must also intentionally or unintentionally brand it as Fu Xiaoguan."
Li Guan was stunned and asked, "Is it really necessary to get so close to Fu Xiaoguan? Does he have another identity?"
"Don't overthink it. Just do as Dad says. My Li family really needs a business. With Fu Xiaoguan at the helm, this new policy seems very promising. This way, we can not only do Fu Xiaoguan a favor, but also take advantage of this trend to see if we can take the Li family to the next level."
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