Chapter 79 – Honest Admission
Yu Tang was elated.
She didn’t expect Pei Yan to be this easy to talk to. Even after she fabricated such a story that she herself didn’t believe, Pei Yan actually told her the information she sought without asking further questions.
Thinking about their first encounter, although he misunderstood her to be deceiving the pawn shop with a fake item, but once he found out that she was threatening Lu Xin with the Pei family’s name, he only reprimanded her with a few words. At the Yu family’s country estate, when she was being pursued by those ruffians, he rescued her immediately. And after seeing someone from the Yu family coming, he left without uttering a word. This showed that he was only outwardly cold and indifferent, but was in fact a helpful person.
Yu Tang felt that she understood Pei Yan better now.
He was the representative of the Pei family. His status was far from ordinary, so if he was friendly to everyone and didn’t act aloof, wouldn’t everyone swarm to him like flies begging for favors? Should he help or should he not? Some people would show their gratitude, remembering the kindness they received from the Pei family, such as their family. However, most people upon seeing that help was so readily available, would feel that it was just a simple matter, and thus expect your help every time. If it was not given, they would be filled with resentment.
In her previous life, such things occurred frequently.
It was thus necessary for PeiYan to have a means of self-preservation.
Prior to this, Yu Tang felt that Pei Yan was too arrogant in his treatment of those people who respected him, but now she didn’t feel that way anymore.
She was full of gratitude and quickly replied him, “Yes. I’ll remember it.”
Looking at her gaze that was bright and shining with hope, illuminating her entire face, he felt as though he was seeing the little white dog that his mother raised. Every time it saw him, it would look at him with such trust and anticipation… PeiYan couldn’t help but twist his lips.
Didn’t Yu Wen say that she’s rather smart? So why is it that she believes everything that he says? Just look at her doe-like eyes; no wonder Yu Wen couldn’t refuse her requests and let her run amok.
Pei Yan frowned and felt that he had to help Yu Wen keep this young lady in check.
He asked, “Your family is planning to invest in a fleet together with Master Wu? Has the fleet been decided? How much silver are you going to invest? Or do you intend to sell the goods instead?”
As Yu Tang listened, she was overcome with emotion and wanted to kneel down before Pei Yan.
This was exactly the information she had been desperately searching for! Judging by PeiYan’s words, he seemed to be familiar with all of this?
This opportunity was too good to be missed!
Without thinking twice, Yu Tang hurriedly replied, “I haven’t decided whether or not to join in with Master Wu as I’ve only just gotten to know of this. As you may know, our family is in the lacquerware business, so we don’t know much about the sea trade. My eldest cousin said that we have to inquire carefully about it.” She added deliberately, “I’m uncertain if he would be able to find out anything though. We’re not familiar with anyone in Hangzhou except for Second supervisor Tong.”
If you have a question, just ask! Why are you finding so many excuses?
Pei Yan casted Yu Tang a sidelong glance.
His displeasure was clearly visible.
Yu Tang’s heart lurched abruptly, hastily recalling their conversation.
Could it be that Pei Yan preferred people to speak bluntly?
This may very well be the case!
He meets and interacts with so many people on a daily basis, so of course time is precious to him. If everyone speaks to him in such a tactful and ambiguous manner, he would likely go bald trying to guess their intentions.
Thinking of this, Yu Tang couldn’t help but look up at the top of Pei Yan’s head.
Pei Yan’s hair was jet black and dense. Nearer to the roots, the hair was unruly as it stood out, coarse and hard. According to those gossipy aunties, such a person usually suffers from a bad temper. Based on her experience, people with bad tempers were usually more kind-hearted.
These thoughts flashed across her mind as she spoke intuitively, “If Third Master is not in a hurry to return, I would like to take this opportunity to ask if you have any recommended fleets of ships or merchants in Hangzhou City?”
There were many different ways to participate in the maritime business. Some would directly invest their silver in a fleet of ships, others would invest in shares of those large merchant stores, which were usually in the form of goods.
Pei Yan’s expression improved slightly.
He did not want to waste his time on such trifles.
It was good that Yu Tang could put forth her request directly.
He answered, “Those merchants in Hangzhou boast that they are in the best city in the Jiangnan province and thus are extremely conceited. They pride themselves on being suppliers to the imperial family. The maritime business is just a casual pastime for them. If your family is interested, you should go to Suzhou City. There are many people in the maritime business there. It is home to several of those prominent stores, like the Four Seas Silk House, First-grade Spice Store and Jingde Porcelain Firm. They all have frequent dealings with the fleets in Ningbo. However, I’m not quite clear on the specifics. If you wish to learn more about the current situation of the fleets, you should ask your elder cousin to consult with Pei Man later.”
Such valuable information was obtained with little to no effort on her part!
If it wasn’t for the bad timing and her social status, she would already have knelt before Pei Yan.
“Okay!” Yu Tang felt that Pei Yan had really been a great help to her, so she nodded profusely, looking for a chance to repay Pei Yan in some way.
Pei Yan saw that she was obediently listening to him and felt better. He further advised her, saying “I will inform Pei Man of this, so you can find him directly” and instructions to that effect. He got into the carriage that came to pick him up and left for his home.
Supervisor Tong immediately came over and said worriedly, “What were you discussing with Third Master? It seems that Third Master was in a relatively good mood!”
Yu Tang immediately praised Pei Yan and told Supervisor Tong about the information that she had just obtained from Pei Yan.
Supervisor Tong was amazed.
Pei Yan was not the easiest person to talk to, and so for him to treat Lady Yu so well, showed that he had a great deal of respect for Yu Wen and thought quite highly of the Yu family.
“That’s wonderful!” Supervisor Tong was afraid that Yu Tang didn’t understand how lucky it was to receive Pei Yan’s advice, and thus added. “When third master was little, he often travelled with Grand Elder Pei when he was young, and at an early age, he passed the imperial examination. His knowledge, perspective and insight is truly exceptional, so if that is what he says, you should tell your elder cousin to find Chief Steward Man as soon as possible. “
“I’ll remember it!” Yu Tang repeatedly thanked Supervisor Tong and went home happily.
Yu Yuan knew that Yu Tang happened to meet Pei Yan and requested Pei Yan’s advice on their family’s business. He was overjoyed but also a little overwhelmed. He prepared himself mentally and mustered up some courage before he went to see Pei Man.
Pei Man had already received instructions from Pei Yan, so naturally, he shared everything he know. Yu Yuan was able to form a general understanding of the situation in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and even learned about the ships in Fujian and Guangzhou.
After Yu Yuan returned home, he kept lamenting to Yu Tang, saying “Previously I couldn’t understand why other families could do such big deals and grow their businesses to such an extent, and our family could not. Now it seems that our family is really lightyears apart from those distinguished families. I have set my goals a little lower. If I can find a way for my children to study, expand my business to Hangzhou City, and set a good foundation for my children, my life will be complete.”
A new-born calf isn’t afraid of the tiger.
But once taught, one becomes timid.
Yu Tang stifled her laugh. She asked “So are we investing together with Master Wu?”
Yu Yuan said, ” Not only should we not invest, but we too need to discourage Master Wu as well.” Speaking of this, he lowered his voice and said, “Allegedly, the fleet of ships over at Ningbo was a temporary team set up to compete with the Four Seas Silk House in Suzhou. According to Chief Steward Pei, caution must be exercised.”
Four Seas Silk House? Didn’t PeiYan mention this earlier?
She deliberated for a moment and said, “Isn’t the Four Seas Silk House a supplier for the imperial family?”
They had many branches, and the branch in Hangzhou was right next to the Pei family’s pawnshop, which Yu Tang had a vague recollection of.
In her previous life, the Four Seas Silk House was consistently ranked as the best fleet in Jiangnan. It was only following the rise of the Jiang family that their family sharply declined. Before that, the merchants who fought head to head with them all suffered losses.
“That’s the one.” Yu Yuan also had a vague impression of them. He nodded, “Four Seas Silk House is one of the largest merchant families in Suzhou. They organised several fleets to depart in quick succession, and all of them returned safely. Owing to their consecutive successes, they earned a vast fortune which caused their competitors to grow envious, which made them unite to form this fleet.”
“We have to inform Master Wu.” Yu Tang said tersely, “Master Wu treats our family well and has helped us several times, so we can’t just stand aside and watch Master Wu’s savings go down the drain.”
Yu Yuan shared the same opinion. He quickly left to find Master Wu.
Master Wu was moved to invest by his cousin, and it wasn’t something that can be easily refuted with some words from Yu Yuan. However, Pei Yan’s name made him restrain himself. Originally, he intended to invest 5,000 taels of silver, but now he lowered it to 1,000 taels.
His cousin was extremely upset, but in the end, the fleet left and failed to return. His cousin had lost his entire family’s fortune and was in dire straits. This caused him to be drenched in cold sweat, and from then on Master Wu resolved to listen to Pei Yan and became his most loyal advocate in Lin’an City, which no one had expected.
As for Yu Yuan, he departed for Suzhou City and started inquiring about the maritime business to see if there was any good opportunity for their Yu family to invest. Meanwhile, Yu Tang hired someone to investigate the Peng Family. Comparing the current information with her past knowledge, she felt that the people behind the Li Family were most likely to be the Peng Family.
This reminded Yu Tang of something.
After Li Duan married Gu Xi and had a son, Madam Lin felt that her grandson’s status had become even more distinguished. She wanted Li Duan’s eldest son to marry the Di daughter from the Peng family. Gu Xi felt that the girl was still too young, and could not discern her character accurately and thus did not want to arbitrarily agreed to a marriage between them. She advised Madam Lin, saying “The Peng family and the Pei family are competitors. If we tie ourselves to the Peng Family, the Pei family would definitely be unhappy. Why don’t I find an opportunity to visit the Pei family’s Grand Madam and get a feel of the Pei family’s opinion first?”
Subsequently, this matter was dropped.
Was it because Gu Xi used this issue as an excuse to dissuade Madam Lin? Or did the Pei family have an issue with it?
But one thing is for certain.
The Peng family and the Pei family were not on good terms.
Did this happen during this time? Or was there something that happened afterwards that caused the rift? Yutang wasn’t sure.
The easiest way of course, was to ask PeiYan directly.
But would Pei Yan tell her?
Yu Tang felt some trepidation.
She recalled the events in her previous life.
In her previous life, didn’t she too felt that she would live, age and die in the Li family? But she was unwilling to resign to her fate. She actively resisted it, and fought hard to change her life. At last, she left the Li family with her head held high.
It’s useless to just strategize in your head without giving it a try!
Yu Tang decided to wear her usual male attendant garbs and went to see Pei Yan.
Chapter 79 – Honest Admission
Yu Tang was elated.
She didn’t expect Pei Yan to be this easy to talk to. Even after she fabricated such a story that she herself didn’t believe, Pei Yan actually told her the information she sought without asking further questions.
Thinking about their first encounter, although he misunderstood her to be deceiving the pawn shop with a fake item, but once he found out that she was threatening Lu Xin with the Pei family’s name, he only reprimanded her with a few words. At the Yu family’s country estate, when she was being pursued by those ruffians, he rescued her immediately. And after seeing someone from the Yu family coming, he left without uttering a word. This showed that he was only outwardly cold and indifferent, but was in fact a helpful person.
Yu Tang felt that she understood Pei Yan better now.
He was the representative of the Pei family. His status was far from ordinary, so if he was friendly to everyone and didn’t act aloof, wouldn’t everyone swarm to him like flies begging for favors? Should he help or should he not? Some people would show their gratitude, remembering the kindness they received from the Pei family, such as their family. However, most people upon seeing that help was so readily available, would feel that it was just a simple matter, and thus expect your help every time. If it was not given, they would be filled with resentment.
In her previous life, such things occurred frequently.
It was thus necessary for PeiYan to have a means of self-preservation.
Prior to this, Yu Tang felt that Pei Yan was too arrogant in his treatment of those people who respected him, but now she didn’t feel that way anymore.
She was full of gratitude and quickly replied him, “Yes. I’ll remember it.”
Looking at her gaze that was bright and shining with hope, illuminating her entire face, he felt as though he was seeing the little white dog that his mother raised. Every time it saw him, it would look at him with such trust and anticipation… PeiYan couldn’t help but twist his lips.
Didn’t Yu Wen say that she’s rather smart? So why is it that she believes everything that he says? Just look at her doe-like eyes; no wonder Yu Wen couldn’t refuse her requests and let her run amok.
Pei Yan frowned and felt that he had to help Yu Wen keep this young lady in check.
He asked, “Your family is planning to invest in a fleet together with Master Wu? Has the fleet been decided? How much silver are you going to invest? Or do you intend to sell the goods instead?”
As Yu Tang listened, she was overcome with emotion and wanted to kneel down before Pei Yan.
This was exactly the information she had been desperately searching for! Judging by PeiYan’s words, he seemed to be familiar with all of this?
This opportunity was too good to be missed!
Without thinking twice, Yu Tang hurriedly replied, “I haven’t decided whether or not to join in with Master Wu as I’ve only just gotten to know of this. As you may know, our family is in the lacquerware business, so we don’t know much about the sea trade. My eldest cousin said that we have to inquire carefully about it.” She added deliberately, “I’m uncertain if he would be able to find out anything though. We’re not familiar with anyone in Hangzhou except for Second supervisor Tong.”
If you have a question, just ask! Why are you finding so many excuses?
Pei Yan casted Yu Tang a sidelong glance.
His displeasure was clearly visible.
Yu Tang’s heart lurched abruptly, hastily recalling their conversation.
Could it be that Pei Yan preferred people to speak bluntly?
This may very well be the case!
He meets and interacts with so many people on a daily basis, so of course time is precious to him. If everyone speaks to him in such a tactful and ambiguous manner, he would likely go bald trying to guess their intentions.
Thinking of this, Yu Tang couldn’t help but look up at the top of Pei Yan’s head.
Pei Yan’s hair was jet black and dense. Nearer to the roots, the hair was unruly as it stood out, coarse and hard. According to those gossipy aunties, such a person usually suffers from a bad temper. Based on her experience, people with bad tempers were usually more kind-hearted.
These thoughts flashed across her mind as she spoke intuitively, “If Third Master is not in a hurry to return, I would like to take this opportunity to ask if you have any recommended fleets of ships or merchants in Hangzhou City?”
There were many different ways to participate in the maritime business. Some would directly invest their silver in a fleet of ships, others would invest in shares of those large merchant stores, which were usually in the form of goods.
Pei Yan’s expression improved slightly.
He did not want to waste his time on such trifles.
It was good that Yu Tang could put forth her request directly.
He answered, “Those merchants in Hangzhou boast that they are in the best city in the Jiangnan province and thus are extremely conceited. They pride themselves on being suppliers to the imperial family. The maritime business is just a casual pastime for them. If your family is interested, you should go to Suzhou City. There are many people in the maritime business there. It is home to several of those prominent stores, like the Four Seas Silk House, First-grade Spice Store and Jingde Porcelain Firm. They all have frequent dealings with the fleets in Ningbo. However, I’m not quite clear on the specifics. If you wish to learn more about the current situation of the fleets, you should ask your elder cousin to consult with Pei Man later.”
Such valuable information was obtained with little to no effort on her part!
If it wasn’t for the bad timing and her social status, she would already have knelt before Pei Yan.
“Okay!” Yu Tang felt that Pei Yan had really been a great help to her, so she nodded profusely, looking for a chance to repay Pei Yan in some way.
Pei Yan saw that she was obediently listening to him and felt better. He further advised her, saying “I will inform Pei Man of this, so you can find him directly” and instructions to that effect. He got into the carriage that came to pick him up and left for his home.
Supervisor Tong immediately came over and said worriedly, “What were you discussing with Third Master? It seems that Third Master was in a relatively good mood!”
Yu Tang immediately praised Pei Yan and told Supervisor Tong about the information that she had just obtained from Pei Yan.
Supervisor Tong was amazed.
Pei Yan was not the easiest person to talk to, and so for him to treat Lady Yu so well, showed that he had a great deal of respect for Yu Wen and thought quite highly of the Yu family.
“That’s wonderful!” Supervisor Tong was afraid that Yu Tang didn’t understand how lucky it was to receive Pei Yan’s advice, and thus added. “When third master was little, he often travelled with Grand Elder Pei when he was young, and at an early age, he passed the imperial examination. His knowledge, perspective and insight is truly exceptional, so if that is what he says, you should tell your elder cousin to find Chief Steward Man as soon as possible. “
“I’ll remember it!” Yu Tang repeatedly thanked Supervisor Tong and went home happily.
Yu Yuan knew that Yu Tang happened to meet Pei Yan and requested Pei Yan’s advice on their family’s business. He was overjoyed but also a little overwhelmed. He prepared himself mentally and mustered up some courage before he went to see Pei Man.
Pei Man had already received instructions from Pei Yan, so naturally, he shared everything he know. Yu Yuan was able to form a general understanding of the situation in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and even learned about the ships in Fujian and Guangzhou.
After Yu Yuan returned home, he kept lamenting to Yu Tang, saying “Previously I couldn’t understand why other families could do such big deals and grow their businesses to such an extent, and our family could not. Now it seems that our family is really lightyears apart from those distinguished families. I have set my goals a little lower. If I can find a way for my children to study, expand my business to Hangzhou City, and set a good foundation for my children, my life will be complete.”
A new-born calf isn’t afraid of the tiger.
But once taught, one becomes timid.
Yu Tang stifled her laugh. She asked “So are we investing together with Master Wu?”
Yu Yuan said, ” Not only should we not invest, but we too need to discourage Master Wu as well.” Speaking of this, he lowered his voice and said, “Allegedly, the fleet of ships over at Ningbo was a temporary team set up to compete with the Four Seas Silk House in Suzhou. According to Chief Steward Pei, caution must be exercised.”
Four Seas Silk House? Didn’t PeiYan mention this earlier?
She deliberated for a moment and said, “Isn’t the Four Seas Silk House a supplier for the imperial family?”
They had many branches, and the branch in Hangzhou was right next to the Pei family’s pawnshop, which Yu Tang had a vague recollection of.
In her previous life, the Four Seas Silk House was consistently ranked as the best fleet in Jiangnan. It was only following the rise of the Jiang family that their family sharply declined. Before that, the merchants who fought head to head with them all suffered losses.
“That’s the one.” Yu Yuan also had a vague impression of them. He nodded, “Four Seas Silk House is one of the largest merchant families in Suzhou. They organised several fleets to depart in quick succession, and all of them returned safely. Owing to their consecutive successes, they earned a vast fortune which caused their competitors to grow envious, which made them unite to form this fleet.”
“We have to inform Master Wu.” Yu Tang said tersely, “Master Wu treats our family well and has helped us several times, so we can’t just stand aside and watch Master Wu’s savings go down the drain.”
Yu Yuan shared the same opinion. He quickly left to find Master Wu.
Master Wu was moved to invest by his cousin, and it wasn’t something that can be easily refuted with some words from Yu Yuan. However, Pei Yan’s name made him restrain himself. Originally, he intended to invest 5,000 taels of silver, but now he lowered it to 1,000 taels.
His cousin was extremely upset, but in the end, the fleet left and failed to return. His cousin had lost his entire family’s fortune and was in dire straits. This caused him to be drenched in cold sweat, and from then on Master Wu resolved to listen to Pei Yan and became his most loyal advocate in Lin’an City, which no one had expected.
As for Yu Yuan, he departed for Suzhou City and started inquiring about the maritime business to see if there was any good opportunity for their Yu family to invest. Meanwhile, Yu Tang hired someone to investigate the Peng Family. Comparing the current information with her past knowledge, she felt that the people behind the Li Family were most likely to be the Peng Family.
This reminded Yu Tang of something.
After Li Duan married Gu Xi and had a son, Madam Lin felt that her grandson’s status had become even more distinguished. She wanted Li Duan’s eldest son to marry the Di daughter from the Peng family. Gu Xi felt that the girl was still too young, and could not discern her character accurately and thus did not want to arbitrarily agreed to a marriage between them. She advised Madam Lin, saying “The Peng family and the Pei family are competitors. If we tie ourselves to the Peng Family, the Pei family would definitely be unhappy. Why don’t I find an opportunity to visit the Pei family’s Grand Madam and get a feel of the Pei family’s opinion first?”
Subsequently, this matter was dropped.
Was it because Gu Xi used this issue as an excuse to dissuade Madam Lin? Or did the Pei family have an issue with it?
But one thing is for certain.
The Peng family and the Pei family were not on good terms.
Did this happen during this time? Or was there something that happened afterwards that caused the rift? Yutang wasn’t sure.
The easiest way of course, was to ask PeiYan directly.
But would Pei Yan tell her?
Yu Tang felt some trepidation.
She recalled the events in her previous life.
In her previous life, didn’t she too felt that she would live, age and die in the Li family? But she was unwilling to resign to her fate. She actively resisted it, and fought hard to change her life. At last, she left the Li family with her head held high.
It’s useless to just strategize in your head without giving it a try!
Yu Tang decided to wear her usual male attendant garbs and went to see Pei Yan.
