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World's First Traitor System (274)
🕑 Added 2024-08-27 17:00:03 +0000 UTCChapter 274 - The Junior Grand Secretary
Three days after the Banquet of Benevolence, Fan Li received an invitation to meet with Yan Shifan. However, the meeting place wasn't the Yan residence. After all, the true master of the Yan household was Grand Secretary Yan Song.
With Fan Li’s current identity as a Chu merchant, he wasn’t qualified to meet with the Great Ming’s Grand Secretary, even though he had recently dined with Emperor Jiajing.
Imperial grace was one thing, but the rigid social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants was another.
The meeting was arranged at one of Yan Shifan’s private estates.
The Junior Grand Secretary had many such estates, one of which was called the Rivers and Mountains Pavilion, rumored to have been built as a replica of Fan Li’s own Rivers and Mountains Pavilion in the Great Chu.
As Fan Li arrived at the estate, a familiar sight greeted him.
"Damn it! Am I back home?"
Yan Shifan's Rivers and Mountains Pavilion was a smaller version of his own.
There was a miniature mountain range, a small lake, and a two-story pavilion.
The layout and design were almost identical.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Yan Shifan's boisterous laughter echoed from the pavilion.
Fan Li looked up and bowed. "Junior Grand Secretary."
"Come, come! Let us speak upstairs."
Yan Shifan gestured for Fan Li to ascend. His demeanor was surprisingly friendly.
Fan Li climbed the stairs to the second floor, where Yan Shifan was already seated in the main seat.
His posture was casual, a beautiful woman nestled in his arms. Although her beauty couldn't compare to Xue Susu's, she was still strikingly attractive.
"Manager Fan." The moment Fan Li was seated, Yan Shifan couldn't wait to speak.
"I have received the Fan Clan Trading Company's application for the first batch of new products. Upon inspection, everything is in order. I have approved their entry into the Great Ming.
I have also personally arranged for a shop on Qianmen Street to be dedicated to your company's new products. Manager Fan, are you satisfied with these arrangements?"
Yan Shifan beamed with pride and anticipation.
Pride, because only he, in the entire Great Ming capital, could arrange these matters with such efficiency.
Anticipation, because if Fan Li was astute, he would surely offer something in return.
After all, no one in the Great Ming dared to take advantage of the Junior Grand Secretary’s generosity without offering something in return.
As expected, Fan Li was incredibly tactful.
He adopted the demeanor of a humble merchant. "The Fan Clan Trading Company is eternally grateful for Junior Grand Secretary Yan’s kindness. Without your grace, we wouldn’t be able to operate in the Great Ming."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Yan Shifan burst into laughter once more.
That was all he needed to hear. Based on his experience in receiving bribes, he knew that within a few days, the Fan Clan Trading Company would offer him a substantial gift as a token of their gratitude.
He couldn't wait to see what they would offer.
Yan Shifan turned to his servants. “Why are you all standing around like fools? Can’t you see Manager Fan is my guest? Bring the wine and food! Summon the musicians! Let the entertainment begin!”
Within moments, the Rivers and Mountains Pavilion was transformed into a lively scene, reminiscent of the charity auction on the Smoke and Waves Pleasure Barge.
Fan Li, however, was secretly amused.
How ironic!
His own Rivers and Mountains Pavilion was a place of great importance in the Great Chu, handling countless memorials, intelligence reports, and affairs of state.
But Yan Shifan's Rivers and Mountains Pavilion was nothing more than a pleasure den, a place for indulgence.
The only difference was that Yan Shifan was the sole guest, and all the women present served him alone.
“Come!” Yan Shifan raised his wine cup, his mood clearly excellent. “To the Fan Clan Trading Company’s expansion in the Great Ming! May you earn mountains of gold and silver! I offer my congratulations in advance.”
Fan Li rolled his eyes inwardly. Mountains of gold and silver? Surely the Junior Grand Secretary expected to receive a substantial cut?
It seemed Fan Li’s initial "bribe" at the charity auction hadn't been enough. Yan Shifan wanted more.
Fan Li had guessed correctly.
Yan Shifan chuckled and retrieved an account book and an abacus. As he skillfully manipulated the beads of the pure-gold abacus, the music stopped.
Only the rhythmic clicking of the abacus echoed through the pavilion.
Click!
Click, click!
Click, click, click!
After every few clicks, Yan Shifan glanced at Fan Li with a sly smile.
The smile seemed to be saying, “You’re making quite a profit, aren’t you?”
Fan Li, maintaining a pleasant smile, waited for Yan Shifan to speak first.
Finally, the clicking stopped.
“Manager Fan. I’ve done some calculations. After deducting tariffs and other expenses, based on the costs and prices listed in your application, the profit margin for this first batch of imported goods is…”
Yan Shifan made a hand gesture, a number understood by both of them.
Precise!
Fan Li was secretly impressed. In such a short time, Yan Shifan had calculated the company’s profits accurately.
Indeed, even if one wanted to be a corrupt official, a certain level of competence was required.
Morality didn't represent ability. Throughout history, countless corrupt officials, dismissed as incompetent fools, had actually been incredibly shrewd!
“Junior Grand Secretary Yan, you flatter me.”
Fan Li rose to his feet, feigning a humble demeanor. “I am merely a representative of the Fan Clan Trading Company, stationed here in the Great Ming. I receive a fixed salary every month. The profits… they belong to my master.”
Yan Shifan laughed. “Indeed, indeed. I’ve made a mistake. All those profits belong to Duke Jin of the Great Chu. He’s the one making a fortune. However…”
He paused, leaving his sentence unfinished.
“His Majesty inquired today about the Fan Clan Trading Company’s substantial profits within the Great Ming. It seems a significant amount of wealth is flowing out of the country. Is there a possibility that your company’s operations are… benefiting the enemy?
Such trade, enriching the Great Chu while impoverishing the Great Ming… if a war were to break out between our nations…”
Fan Li cursed inwardly. Shameless extortion! And under such a preposterous accusation?
The profit margins for cosmetics might be high, but surely they weren't significant enough to affect the overall wealth of the two nations.
Besides, the Great Chu had been prosperous for many years. They weren’t reliant on trade with the Great Ming. This was clearly a shakedown.
Fan Li had guessed correctly. Although Emperor Jiajing’s influence was vast, he wasn’t concerned about the newly established cosmetics trade.
This entire performance was Yan Shifan's personal initiative. And his goal was indeed extortion.
Who could have imagined that the Great Ming’s Minister of Works, the infamous ‘Junior Grand Secretary,’ possessed a natural talent for accounting?
He had calculated the potential profits of the cosmetics trade within the Great Ming. The number was high enough to build several more Rivers and Mountains Pavilions.
How could Yan Shifan let such an opportunity slip through his fingers?
He fixed his gaze, sharp as a viper’s, upon Fan Li.
Yan Shifan knew that his blatant extortion would surely displease the other man. But as the saying went, “Those who commit arson and murder wear silk robes and carry bags of gold, while those who build bridges and pave roads are left with nothing but their bones.”
To make a fortune, one had to be ruthless and cunning. This was his life philosophy.
If Fan Li dared to utter a single word of refusal, Yan Shifan had already prepared a hundred ways to make him regret it.
He didn’t know that Fan Li was secretly delighted.
‘Talk about a fortunate coincidence! Only during the reign of Emperor Jiajing, with corrupt officials like the Yan family running rampant, could I have such opportunities. Yan Shifan wants to profit, and I’m willing to oblige. Isn’t this perfect?’
“Junior Grand Secretary.”
Fan Li straightened his back.
“Such a small business venture, how could it possibly be considered benefiting the enemy? However, since His Majesty has expressed his concerns, we are willing to halt the cosmetics trade immediately. But it’s a pity… Our company had another, even larger, business venture in mind. One that we were hoping to discuss with you…”
