Entering the tea room, Ou Jiuyan looked at Chai Rong and Qin Shu beside him and asked, "Who are these two?"
"These two are friends I met in the capital. They are my own people. Uncle Ou, don't worry about talking to me. It's okay."
Ou Jiuyan took off his hood, revealing a large bruise on his chubby left cheek. "Yueran, you have to save me!"
Kang Yueran was extremely surprised, "Who did this?"
"It was Lu Peng who beat me! He came to my house and told me to take out all my cargo ships and form a partnership with him in shipping. I asked him why he wanted to partner with me when he already had the Ye family's fleet. He didn't tell me the reason, just that it was for my own good. When I disagreed, he slapped me."
He approached Kang Yueran and whispered, "Yueran, during the New Year, you speculated that the emperor would intervene in maritime transport. I think this is probably true. My steward said that Lu Peng is targeting merchant ships at the docks."
Kang Yueran frowned. "Zhuo Limin is such a smart guy, why did he send such an idiot? Or did he deliberately let the merchants know so that they would give up?"
Ou Jiuyan pulled up his sleeves and started crying. "My grandfather built the wharf and established the fleet. I feel so sorry for him to just give it away for nothing!"
Kang Yueran panicked, "Don't cry, don't cry, this may not be a bad thing."
Ou Jiuyan stared at him with wet eyes, "What do you mean? Is there any way? Yueran, you have to save me!"
"Since the imperial court has set its sights on your dock, why not be generous and offer it to the court in partnership? Let the court set up a government office specifically for maritime transport, and let your son get a position there."
"A dock and a dozen cargo ships for an official position? That's not worth it!" Generally speaking, the highest official in a state is a fourth-rank governor, and besides, his son couldn't possibly be the highest-ranking official in the maritime transport department. At best, he'd be a sixth or seventh-rank official. It's just not worth it!
Kang Yueran drank the tea and said, "Of course it's more than that. It's easy for the court to set up a government office, but when it comes to doing business, you are an expert. If you want to go by sea, you have to prepare goods such as porcelain and silk first; when the cargo ship returns, you have to sell pearls and spices.
If you partner with the court, you help the government buy goods and then sell them. If you only add 10% profit to the two, it will be very lucrative."
"This 10% profit, even if I make two trips, is still not as good as the profit I make from one trip with two boats. How can it be so good?"
"The imperial court has already established a government office, but can it still tolerate merchants illegally transporting goods by sea?"
Ou Jiuyan's eyes almost widened. "What do you mean? Yueran, you can't give such advice to the court. You're going to cut off everyone's path. The merchants will tear you apart alive. Besides, Dayong has more than just Anzhou with sea transportation."
Kang Yueran smiled bitterly, "I know this will anger the public, but this is the only way forward. With the benefits of sea transportation, the national treasury will probably be a little more relaxed."
Ou Jiuyan covered his mouth with his hands and whispered, "Prince Ping hasn't become the emperor yet, what if..."
Qin Shu was good at martial arts and had good hearing, so she heard clearly what Ou Jiuyan said. She looked at Kang Yueran, wanting to know how Kang Yueran would respond.
Kang Yueran burst out laughing. "I still have some popularity in Anzhou, so I won't be torn apart alive. As for other places, I won't leave Anzhou anyway. If they want to fight me, then come!"
After a long while, Ou Jiuyan shook his head and said, "Yueran, I really can't see through you."
Kang Yueran suddenly smiled. "If I petition the court to allow the merchant's son to take the imperial examination, do you think the merchant will still hate me?"
"Many sons of wealthy merchants also participate in the imperial examinations. However, if the court can issue a clear decree, the status of merchants will be greatly improved. I think the merchants will not hate you anymore. But you should also know that the court officials will definitely not agree easily."
"I've only pointed out a general direction. There will undoubtedly be many complications if we implement it in detail. The court officials of Dayong are all capable people, so let them do what they want. If I anger the emperor or the merchants, it won't be my fault."
Merchants have a low status, and although they cannot stop the court's decrees, it is not difficult for them to cause trouble for the court in private.
Ou Jiuyan smiled and said, "So, you have a specific method?"
"There is a way, but... Uncle Ou, since it won't be torn apart, are you willing to risk the wrath of the world and have it recorded in history books..."
"Stop it, I wouldn't dare. You're the only one who dares to do that."
Kang Yueran said pitifully, "That pier is yours."
How about we switch? Ou Jiuyan wanted to say it, but he was too embarrassed to say it. "Give me some time to think about it! I'm leaving!"
"Haven't we discussed this yet?"
"You've already thought it through, so just do as you wish. The imperial court has set its sights on my docks, so I have to hand them over no matter how reluctant I am. You won't let me suffer any loss."
Kang Yueran stopped Ou Jiuyan who was about to stand up and go out, "Don't be impatient, everything requires an opportunity, I have to make full preparations before I can take action.
Uncle Ou, just pretend you don't know about this. I'll go find Lu Peng and I guarantee he won't dare to make things difficult for you. Just do what you should do and pretend you never came tonight."
"Okay!" Ou Jiuyan put on his hood and hurried out the door. He had to leave quickly. If he didn't leave, he would definitely be plotted against by Kang Yueran, the little fox.
After seeing Ou Jiuyan off and returning to the teahouse, Qin Shu asked, "Do you really want to give advice to the court? From what that old man said, it won't be good for you." She didn't understand business and didn't quite understand what he said.
"Talk to the court!" Kang Yueran looked at Chai Rong, "I'll go to the capital with you. Can you help me arrange a meeting with the emperor?"
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