Mr. Hu was a very smart man. He had failed in the imperial examinations many times before. Later, his family could not afford to support him and he was old, so he had no choice but to give up taking the exams again. But since he failed the exams and could not become an official, he had to think of other ways.
Fortunately, the current Governor of Fujian is a man who respects wise men and humbles himself. Having heard of his reputation for intelligence, he personally came to invite him to be his aide.
However, Liu Biping was in a high position and had great power, and there were many people working for him. He was not very prominent among them, so he had never achieved any results.
He wanted to be superior to others, otherwise he would not have been defeated in every battle.
But he also knew that even if he passed the exam at this age, he would not be able to achieve anything without the support of the court.
But it was different following Liu Biping.
In this small piece of land in Fujian, he is a complete local tyrant. No matter who it is, as long as he clings to him, he is second to none.
He has reached this age and it is impossible for him to achieve greater success. He can only follow Liu Biping and perhaps he can get some benefits in the future.
When Shen Chen came to Fujian this time, Liu Biping had been planning to deal with him since a long time ago, but he had never been able to do so. Shen Chen still escaped from Dongchang Prefecture and came all the way here smoothly.
If he could get rid of this great threat to Liu Biping, he would have a firm foothold in Liu Biping's heart from then on.
After leaving the Governor's Mansion, he went to look for someone and asked to meet Mr. Xu, a famous man in Fujian.
Xu, Liu, Chen and Wang are the four major surnames in Chengdu. Although they have internal struggles, they have always controlled the tea, silk and shipping businesses in Fujian, so their status is impregnable.
Among them, the Liu family produced a provincial governor like Liu Biping, whose status was superior to that of the other three families.
The three families were originally controlled by the Liu family and could not do anything. If the new imperial envoy strictly prohibited private ships, they would not even be able to drink soup. They had been looking forward to the establishment of the Maritime Customs by the imperial court because they thought it was profitable.
He was going to let them know now that their efforts might have been in vain.
The dishes at Xi Que Lou have always been Xu Fuqing's favorite, but now he didn't even bother to eat a bite. When he saw Mr. Hu coming in, he hurriedly stood up and bowed to him: "Mr. Hu! Please take a seat, please take a seat!"
Mr. Hu swept away the courtesy he had shown in front of Liu Biping and became a little more arrogant in front of Xu Fuqing. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying politely, "I'm sorry to have kept Mr. Xu waiting for so long."
Mr. Xu waved his hand.
Things are different now. If it were in the past, he would naturally disdain to be so attentive to a staff member of the Governor's Office, but now Fujian is about to build docks everywhere and start a Maritime Customs.
The construction of the Maritime Customs really concerns the life and death of merchants like them. Mr. Hu said that he knew the inside story, so he naturally had to be polite to Mr. Hu.
After all, it’s not so easy to curry favor with people in the Governor’s Office.
Among these four families, the Xu family has the least relationship with the Liu family.
The Xu family is of pure merchant origin. Among the four major families whose members all hold official positions, the Xu family is the most looked down upon. The other three families often exclude them. Even though the other four families often intermarry in private, the Xu family is always inferior to them.
Most of the girls he married were concubines or daughters from side branches. Even if a legitimate daughter was sent away, she could only be a concubine or a maid in the Liu family.
The Xu family has always been good people.
He smiled and waited for Mr. Hu to sit down before he sat down: "What are you talking about, sir? Sir, you are very busy, we can wait as long as we want."
He asked the waiter to come up, and with a smile, he ordered the signature dish of Xi Que Lou, and then said to Mr. Hu, "Mr. Su Wen likes to eat beef. Xi Que Lou's braised beef and charcoal-grilled beef are both famous. Mr. Hu might as well give them a try."
There is a law in the Great Zhou Dynasty prohibiting the killing of cattle, unless the cattle are sick or dead of old age. Even so, it is rare to come across such cattle. In addition, beef is expensive, so Mr. Hu may not be able to afford it on a normal basis.
He smiled and nodded. When Mr. Xu brought another box over, he stroked his beard and smiled, "What do you mean, Mr. Xu?"
There were only two of them left in the suite, so Xu Yuanwai spoke frankly, "To be honest, we just received a business worth 700,000 taels of silver... But now the court is planning to open a Maritime Customs Office. Once the Maritime Customs Office opens, the merchants in Fujian will probably have to reshuffle. I wonder if you have heard any news?"
Mr. Hu sighed, opened the box, and saw a set of dazzling colorful pearls inside. Each pearl was round and large, with bright colors. He exclaimed in admiration, and then returned the box intact to Mr. Xu, saying regretfully: "This thing is really amazing, but it's a pity that I can't afford it."
Mr. Xu was anxious, thinking that something was wrong, and asked hurriedly: "Sir, why do you say that? Did you hear some news?"
He paused, then said, "We all know that you have a say in the Ministry now. If you have any news, please inform us in advance. If you have any request, we will honor it!"
When the time was almost right, Mr. Hu closed the box and said softly, "To be honest, the Imperial Envoy is the Marquis of Pingxi, who was raised by the Prince of Linjiang. He is a playboy who doesn't listen to advice and doesn't give face to others. He has informed the Ministry and the three departments in advance before coming here. He will take charge of the Maritime Customs Office. He wants to select people from Fujian again. He said he will not consider the aristocratic families that were originally in charge."
Mr. Xu was stunned and a little surprised: "Why is this?! Our four big families have been operating in Fujian for many years. Whether it is ships or relationships, they are much better than those individual investors. Why did you give up on us and choose someone else?"
Mr. Hu glanced at him and seemed to find him funny, so he couldn't help laughing. "Mr. Xu is confused. You also know that the maritime trade is a lucrative business. The profits of porcelain, tea and silk abroad are at least several times higher than those in our Great Zhou. We know such huge profits, but doesn't the Imperial Envoy know it? Although he is a playboy, the staff and guests behind him are not fools. They all know that this is a lucrative business. How can they be willing to share it and let us take the lead? Of course, they want to leave the good things to their own people. If they support their own forces, those people will be controlled by them. Isn't it more convenient than looking for us, the ready-made aristocratic families, and it will be easier to negotiate terms?"
What he said was well-reasoned and to the point. Xu Yuanwai believed it and couldn't help asking, "If this is true, then isn't the Minister anxious at all?!"