[Red House] The First Imperial Merchant

Chapter 38 Empty Glove White Wolf

Xue Pan investigated before setting up the Hongmen Banquet. Among the eight, Hou Yujia was the most senior, and his ancestors often kept secrets for generations, but all the merchants in Ludi and even Radius respected the Hou family and followed the Hou family.The so-called king of thieves is captured first, Xue Pan intends to take this Hou Yujia as his target.

Hou Yujia is the patriarch of the No.80 three generations of the Hou family. He was 28 years old and became the patriarch. He married Fan Laode, a local scholarly family. Such a combination was interesting in the Daqing Dynasty.Although Mr. Fan is not an official, he is a well-known Qingliu in the local area. His ancestors once gave birth to a prince and Taifu. Although his family background has been decadent in the past few generations, his character is very good. Such a Qingliu can marry his talented daughter to a merchant. It was also unexpected.

After four years of marriage, his wife had nothing to do, and Hou Yujia did not take a concubine. Until the age of 26, his wife finally became pregnant, but her life was not good, and she left shortly after giving birth to her daughter.Now that two years have passed, Hou Yujia is not marrying his stepmother, but has only recruited the maids from the palace to raise his daughter-in-law, and devoted himself to the shopping mall. As far as Xue Pan knows, this Hou Yujia's property has entered the south and has taken root. Deep and rich.

"Everyone, Xue is late and has been waiting for a long time."

There was a sound from the back of the living room. The eight people looked around and saw a young man in a dark blue robe under the dim candlelight. The young man was holding a pot of things in his hand. The fragrance could be smelled even from a distance with the lid covered. The self-proclaimed Xue is probably the master Xue Pan Xue who set up the Hongmen Banquet.

The eight merchants got up and saluted one after another.Xue Pan put the basin on the table, and the faint fragrance filled the living room, "Everyone, sit down, I invite you to come here today, and I have prepared some bouillon and dishes, but I think you are all very rich. It’s because I can’t look down on the things on the table, so I have to cook a dish myself.”

One of the chubby men with a shy belly smiled and said, "Master Xue is so polite!"

After entering the seat, Xue Pan took the main seat, and saw that the other seven people tacitly left the seat on his left to Hou Yujia, and on the right was the fat Liu Cai who had just spoken, nicknamed Liu Youqian.Xue Pan stood up to refill wine for everyone, but Hou Yujia stopped him and said, "We are all merchants, how dare we bother Mr. Xue to condescend and pour wine?"

Xue Pan turned back and smiled, "I invite everyone here today to ask for something. I am originally a businessman, so I don't want to condescend."

The eight of them were all big eaters and drinkers at the dinner table, and their courtesy was impeccable. Hearing what Xue Pan said, they naturally didn't want Xue Pan to pour the wine. Liu Youqian on the right took the jug and said cheerfully: " Mr. Xue just made fun of us! What status do you want and what do you want! We rough people, I am afraid that Mr. Xue will not be able to do it if we ask for it!"

"Brother Liu didn't listen, so how do you know it can't be done?" Xue Pan asked with a smile.

The jug was handed over to Liu Youqian, Liu Youqian smiled cheerfully, filled up the wine for everyone, and didn't answer the conversation, but the three sitting across from each other cheerfully exposed Liu Youqian's short stories and made fun of each other, The seemingly mutual blackness really blocked Xue Pan's mouth.

Seeing this, Xue Pan practiced Tai Chi, and said: "Come and eat vegetables, this food is cold." First he picked up the chopsticks and put the bitter vegetables on Hou Yujia's plate, "Brother Hou, try it, I'm used to it. Changing the fish and meat to this one has a different taste, I see that every household in the city uses this dish, I am afraid it tastes good, let a few of you try it first."

Hou Yujia ate it with his chopsticks and said, "It's delicious."

The other seven people moved their chopsticks when they saw Hou Yujia, and then picked up the bitter vegetables with the chopsticks. Liu Youqian swallowed it bitterly and then pulled his throat. They really don't know how good it is!But from the exchange just now, I also know that Mr. Xue is not easy to get along with, so I swallowed the food in my mouth gulpingly, and took a sip of the rice wine, but the taste of the rice wine was as light as water, and I couldn't help but look away. When I arrived at the fragrant pot in the middle of the table, I didn't know what was cooking in it?

For the rest of the time, as if the dinner was really a dinner, Xue Pan talked about which of the four dishes was delicious and how to make them, but the lid of the fragrant dish was never opened. Four dishes for nine people with a pot of roasted sweet potatoes to eat is clean, don't you eat?Xue Pan picked up the food himself, and asked with great concern if the food was not to his liking?I've heard that XX is rich, so I'm afraid this dish won't catch my eye.

The food was used up, and the never-touched dish in the middle of the table was cold, and the fragrance was weak.Liu Youqian offered to leave, but Xue Pan didn't stay, he just said coolly: "It's getting late, the road is bad, Brother Liu, watch your step, don't trip."

When Liu Youqian heard Xue Pan's secret threat, he could only smile and said, "Hey! Just kidding, I want to sit down and talk when I see the adults are friendly today." This time he stayed again.

The nine of them kept chatting nonsense until the clock rang outside and it was three o'clock in the morning. They were all veterans and no one wanted to pierce the paper on the window first. When they asked directly, it turned out that Xue Pan was not as good. What they meant was talking nonsense all the time. Liu Youqian was so sleepy that his eyelids drooped and his mind was buzzing. When Xue Pan just arrived at the dinner party, he made it clear that he wanted to trick them, but it turned out that there was no rush .

No matter how good the patience is, Xue Pan's constant harassment and threats made her feel irritable. In addition, the dinner was not good, the smell was not enough, and the sleep was not enough. Pan smiled inwardly, as if he hadn't seen it, he just brought up an irrelevant topic again.

"Do you all know Lord Yan's new policy?" Xue Pan asked.

Hou Yujia has never been unable to see through the time, this Xue Pan has changed his thinking a few times since meeting him, so he can only nod along at the moment, "I know, who knows about Master Yan's land reform in Daqing?"

"Oh?" Xue Pan pretended to be confused, and said, "I thought the business reforms were the most important concern of you guys, but this is just gossip, and the imperial court has not announced it yet, so let's talk about it, brothers, so don't spread it!"

Merchant reform? ! ! !

The news was like water pouring into the frying pan, and the eight people who were full of complaints and wanted to put a sack on Xue Pan and beat him up suddenly woke up, and Liu Youqian couldn't help asking first: "Master Xue, how do you change this business reform? Don’t let the tax increase again?”

When it comes to the commercial taxation of the Daqing Dynasty, everyone from the big merchants to the peddlers hates it. It is really too much.In order to curb the development of commerce and increase taxation, so as to ensure the favorable development of agriculture, this method, not to mention the Daqing Dynasty, even the previous dynasties did the same. What is the poll tax, commodity tax and customs duty? Several people immediately remembered the new tax law promulgated a few years ago after the commercial reform, and suddenly felt that Xue Pan was as innocent as a ghost monk from hell.

Hou Yujia, who was sitting still, couldn't sit still anymore, and took the initiative to add a glass of wine to Xue Pan, and said with a smile: "Master Xue, do you have any inside information?"

"Yes." Xue Pan nodded and did not answer the conversation, looking at the cold basin on the table, as if he had just discovered it, and said, "Oh! Why did no one touch the dishes I cooked for you! "He took the initiative to open the lid, and the stewed chicken inside had solidified, and the greasy one was not as fragrant as before, and it was appetizing just looking at it. "It's a pity for this pot of stewed chicken. No matter how good the stew is, no one of us can appreciate it. It's a pity when it's cold and tasteless. Oh, it's over, it's over now. It's too late to start!"

Scanning around the audience, Xue Pan pointed out: "This merchant is just like the stewed chicken on this table. If you seize the opportunity, whoever sees it will act quickly, and there will be more in your mouth and stomach. Those who started late were anxious and could only stare at the chicken-eaters, but there was nothing they could do! Who told him to be unhappy at the beginning? Everyone said that was the reason?"

The big guys are all smart people, and they knew what Xue Pan was alluding to when they heard it. Hou Yujia expressed his position at the moment, saying: "It also depends on whether the chicken in the pot is worth chopsticks. If the chicken is sick, the stomach will not be worth the loss. , Mr. Xue, I don’t know what kind of chicken you stewed for us?”

"Of course it's a good thing." Xue Pan stopped playing riddles, and talked to Chen Ken: "The disaster victims in Lu land are struggling to survive, and the current emperor values ​​it very much, otherwise he would not have sent the second prince here, but the disaster relief money was robbed. Now send me the first two, I have no food, no silver, what can I do with one empty hand? However, as entrusted by the Holy Majesty, even if I, Xue Pan, die, I will not be able to fail the Holy Majesty and the disaster victims in Ludi. Please come today, Xue Pan knows that everyone is a big family with a kind heart, and when the drought first broke out, several of them donated food for disaster relief, Xue really admired it, so we came to get together."

Liu Youqian sighed and said: "My lord, when the disaster first broke out, before the imperial court sent people, the eight of us didn't raise the price of rice in the whole city, and the food was sent, but it was a drop in the bucket. Look at this land. How many disaster victims? The wealth accumulated by our ancestors cannot be wiped out by us, right? I know you are in trouble, sir, and you are not the only one who is in trouble!" He covered his face and cried with choked sobs.

Xue Pan watched Fatty Liu acting coldly, don't think that he didn't see the shrewdness of those small eyes when it was dark, but he just wanted to be a white wolf, and he got news from him for nothing, and he couldn't be beautiful.

"The Daqing Dynasty has been poor all year round, and the money for disaster relief has been lost this time. Although I have written to ask for another money, I am afraid that the treasury will be empty and I will not be able to get it out." Xue Pan sighed and asked, "Do you know why Master Yan first proposed agricultural reform? And haven’t proposed commercial reforms for a long time?”

Fatty Liu stopped crying and said, "Agriculture is fundamental."

"On the one hand." Xue Pan nodded, coaxing: "In the eyes of the people of Daqing, farmers sweat and work hard, but they are not as rich as slippery and treacherous businessmen. Since ancient times, businessmen have not had a good image, and most of them are profiteers, etc. Wait, Mr. Yan wants to improve the current business tax. As long as he proposes it, he will be refuted. I am afraid that even the Holy Majesty will not support it. Why? The taxes you pay go to the national treasury, but why is the treasury still empty? One layer is peeled off, and there is not much that is actually handed over. Mr. Yan is determined to reform because he has seen the twists and turns. The tax law is clear and single, and he wants to promote the commercial development of Daqing, but who is the typical positive when Mr. Yan proposes reforms? What about model merchants?"

Xue Pan tapped the table with his fingers, and it seemed to be knocked into people's hearts, "Xue let go today, everyone will spend money and food today, and tomorrow will inevitably have a few people. It just depends on whether they are willing to eat chopsticks."

Hou Yujia saw this person clearly, and pestered them all night just to get the eight of them to contribute money and food to help the disaster relief, and he drew a big cake and waited for the eight of them to talk about it. He is a descendant of Jinling Emperor Shang.

The three people sitting opposite couldn't wait any longer, fearing that the good opportunity would turn into that solidified stewed chicken. They looked at Hou Yujia, and one of them said, "Master Xue, as a native of Lu, I would like to give you [-]- ---"

"Brother Li, wait a minute." Xue Pan interrupted, took out the memorial from his bosom, took out a brush, dipped it in ink, and said: "Today, Xue will write down the righteous deeds of the saints, and let the people of the world Let's also look at some benevolent businessmen." Regardless of ancient times or modern times, as long as you get favored by the superiors, the business road will be unimpeded, and it will be more profitable than advertising. "By the way, Brother Li, how much did you just say?"

"Fifty, 50 taels of silver and one hundred shi of rice." Changing the number temporarily, Brother Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Xue Pan who was brushing the records. His name is about to meet the Holy Spirit?

The author has something to say: Early today! 【Good night~~