The Pei family's business was extremely large, encompassing both maritime and ashore operations; wherever business was profitable, they had their trading posts.
Yuzhou is a coastal city, and the Pei family's business encompasses almost all the connections in the sea. The port in Zongyang County, which is currently booming, is still under construction, but the Pei family has already spent tens of thousands of taels of silver to smooth things over, thus securing the most advantageous position and resources.
Although Yuzhou's development is far less prosperous than that of Jiangnan and other places, it is an indispensable and important gateway for maritime shipping. Moreover, it has a vast territory. In recent years, the imperial court has begun to pay attention to Yuzhou. The port under construction in Zongyang County is a testament to the imperial court's attitude. It is the largest port among all the coastal cities.
Pei Guangnian wasn't too worried about Fu Qiyuan's attitude. The Pei family was no longer the same as before. In recent years, their influence had spread to the capital, and their backers were not something that a mere Minister of Works could control. Even if Fu Qiyuan was the top scholar in this imperial examination and a protégé of the emperor, if he really offended the Pei family, it was uncertain who would win or lose.
Fu Qiyuan hadn't expected Pei Guangnian's nose to be so sharp, able to pinpoint Jiang's Private Kitchen and Jiangshan in the first instance.
Pei Guangnian himself never expected that his nephew would be defeated by this young girl.
It was common knowledge throughout Guyang County that Manager Jiang's shop had been burned down, and it was also common knowledge that the group of vicious thieves had been imprisoned by the newly appointed magistrate. Anyone could find out by asking.
As a businessman, Pei Guangnian was naturally interested in a shop like "Jiang's Private Kitchen." The shop's unique business ideas and unusual dishes made him even more curious about the owner.
Jiang Shan, who was the apparent manager, personally received Pei Guangnian.
The moment Pei Guangnian saw Jiang Shan, his eyes narrowed sharply.
In a flash, fragmented clues pieced together a web, capturing all of Pei Guangnian's emotions.
The person my nephew has to deal with from beginning to end is a woman, a woman who is entangled with Fu Qiyuan.
But this woman suddenly became the manager of Jiang's Private Kitchen. The nephew's first attempt failed, and he was defeated by this woman. So, he launched a second attack and set fire to the shop.
My nephew must have underestimated this woman's methods and how much Fu Qiyuan cared about her. He failed repeatedly and was eventually captured alive by Fu Qiyuan and imprisoned.
The only thing that could warrant the personal protection of a young county magistrate could not be this booming shop. It could only be the young, beautiful, intelligent, and capable woman in front of us who runs the shop. No wonder!
"Boss Pei? Boss Pei! If you don't say something soon, I'm leaving. I still have to greet the guests, I'm very busy!" Jiang Shan sat down opposite Pei Guangnian, but the guest across from him did not speak for a long time.
The man stared at her intently as soon as he saw her. Although it was very rude, there was nothing about it that made her feel uncomfortable; he seemed to be just overly frightened.
Pulled back to reality by Jiang Shan's crisp voice, Pei Guangnian's eyes flickered. He cupped his hands in greeting and said with a hint of self-deprecation, "My apologies, please forgive me, Manager Jiang! I truly did not expect the renowned Manager Jiang to be so young. Please forgive any offense I may have caused!"
Jiang Shan smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Mr. Pei, you're too kind. It's just a way to make a living, nothing to brag about."
Pei Guangnian smiled as he looked at the radiant young woman before him, quickly calculating in his mind before making a decision.
Strike the snake at its vital point; if we can win over this woman, Fu Qiyuan will likely be able to retreat without a fight.
He has plenty of connections when it comes to business, and with the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce's reputation, he's not afraid of attracting unwanted attention.
"Vice President of the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce?" Jiang Shan's beautiful eyes widened, and a thousand thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.
Chongqing... Sanlang is still waiting for her to open Jiang's Private Kitchen in Chongqing!
"Yuzhou, what a wonderful place!" Jiang Shan sighed softly, his thoughts drifting.
Pei Guangnian stared intently at Jiang Shan's expression and said in a friendly tone, "I am not very talented, but I can still speak a few words in Yuzhou. If Manager Jiang has any needs, I will certainly do my best to help!"
Jiang Shan's thoughts drifted far away, not keeping up with Pei Guangnian's pace. She was thinking that Guyang County was just a small county in Yuzhou, and Jiang's Private Kitchen was only taking its first step here. She wanted to take the second step, the third step... One day, she would make Jiang's Private Kitchen flourish throughout the entire Qing Kingdom!
She wants to be the big boss of the "Number One Private Kitchen" chain store nationwide!
Pulling himself back from his daydreaming reverie, Jiang Shan took a sip of water as if to cover up his thoughts, and belatedly said, "Yuzhou... it's a great place! I definitely have to go, and I'll definitely visit Boss Pei when I get there!"
In the next private room, Fu Qiyuan had a gloomy face, his fingertips gripping the lid of his teacup tightly, his dark eyes staring intently at the wall as if trying to bore a hole through it.
Zheng Wu stepped forward, gently pried his hand open, poured him a cup of tea, and said, "Sir, the Pei family's power is not to be underestimated. They have already seized the initiative in Zongyang County. Once the port is built, it will be very difficult for us to squeeze in!"
Fu Qiyuan glanced at Zheng Wu out of the corner of his eye and said expressionlessly, "You want a piece of the pie too? You have the background to compete with the Pei family? You think you're so confident just because you own a few restaurants and inns? Show me your cards!"
Zheng Wu stiffened, rubbed his hands awkwardly, and said with a bitter expression, "Sir, please don't make things difficult for me. Such a big piece of meat, who in business wouldn't want to take a bite? I don't have any great skills. The Jiangnan region is fertile and prosperous, and I can serve you faithfully. But in Yuzhou, I have no connections. Please give me your instructions!"
Fu Qiyuan withdrew his gaze with a half-smile, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and then said sternly, "Tell your master that I don't care what methods you use, you must cut off the Pei family's connection in the capital! Three years, I only need three years. I want Jiang's Private Kitchen to be a household name in the capital! Your master wants to make money, I'll grant him that wish, I have only one condition: I want Shan'er to replace the Pei family and become the richest man in Yuzhou!"
Zheng Wu nearly spat out his tea. Forgetting his composure, he exclaimed, "Sir, you really have audacity! I've run all sorts of shops for so many years and never dared to dream of becoming the richest man in the area. You really are…!"
"Shanmei has only invested three hundred taels so far! Just three hundred taels! I can help Shanmei open a shop in Yuzhou, but have you considered this? Is the richest man in Yuzhou made of paper? Would he just stand by and watch someone take his territory without doing anything? Does Shanmei have money? Do you, a mere county magistrate, have any connections? What do you have to take down the richest man in Yuzhou? Just your words?"
As Zheng Wu spoke, he grew increasingly angry. Disregarding social hierarchy, he sat down in front of Fu Qiyuan, picked up the teapot, and poured the tea into his mouth.
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