"All right, stop standing on ceremony. I haven't even taken office yet, and this brat isn't my subordinate!"
Li Gang said as he opened the food hamper and took out the braised beef.
Even in this era, beef was not something ordinary people could afford, let alone the penniless Li Gang.
"Uncle, you're already in Mingzhou, why bother sending a calling card? You should have just stayed at my residence," Han Mo said casually as he helped Li Gang place the food from the hamper onto a large rock.
"Your residence has female family members. How could I stay there? Besides, I have this young man with me," Li Gang said, pointing to his son.
"I heard you were ill on the way, Uncle. Are you all better now? Didn't I send you fifty taels of gold? Why are you..."
Seeing the pale and gaunt faces of the father and son, Han Mo couldn't help but let out a wry smile. After dealing with the personnel documents from the Ministry of Personnel, he had specifically asked someone to send them fifty taels of gold, fearing they would lack travel expenses. However, he hadn't expected them to end up like this...
"Do I look like I'm sick? You don't know how miserable the people in Shu are..."
As Li Gang spoke, he couldn't help but sigh. Hearing this, Han Mo finally understood. It was clear that the gold must have been used to buy food for the disaster victims!
"Uncle, even if you're helping the disaster victims, you should still keep some travel money. What if your illness worsens on the road?"
Although he knew his words were futile, Han Mo couldn't help but say them again.
"I don't have your Midas touch, boy. All I can do is pinch pennies from my own meager earnings! This beef is good, and this drunken white fish is also excellent!"
Li Gang said, unabashedly picking up his chopsticks and starting to feast.
"Don't just stand there, don't be shy with this kid!"
Seeing his son standing by hesitantly, Li Gang directly handed him a pair of chopsticks. He and Fan Zheng Guo were close friends, and the Fan family was related to the Han family. Therefore, when Li Gang interacted with Han Mo, he felt no reservations.
"Uncle is right, Brother Han. You don't need to be polite with me. I doubt the vegetarian meals in the temples have any meat," Han Mo said with a smile, looking at the somewhat shy Li Zong.
"In that case, please excuse my rudeness!"
Since even Han Mo had said so, Li Zong could only awkwardly accept the chopsticks. Han Mo, fearing that the father and son would go hungry, had specifically ordered enough food for five people. It wasn't until the food and wine in the hamper were nearly finished that Li Gang finally put down his chopsticks with a look of lingering satisfaction.
"I must say, you're doing an impressive job as the Coastal Defense Commissioner. I've seen the Mingzhou city, and at your age, the restaurants in Mingzhou are still packed with customers, and there are barely any beggars inside or outside the city. I truly want to ask you how you manage to be such an official?"
After eating his fill, Li Gang slowly poured himself a cup of wine, took a sip, and then spoke.
"You flatter me, Uncle. In fact, I haven't done much. I've merely reclaimed a path of survival for the common people from the mouths of those profiteering merchants!"
"What do you mean?"
The father and son had not been in Mingzhou for long, and they couldn't fully grasp the intricacies of the city.
"It's quite simple. In the past, the silk fabrics, lacquerware, and porcelain produced by the common people could only be sold to businesses owned by the major noble families. They would then resell these items to the foreign merchants."
"And now?"
Li Zong, who had eaten his fill, couldn't help but ask again.
"Now, the rules of the Maritime Trade Bureau have changed. The common people can sell all their products directly to the Maritime Trade Bureau at prices set by the bureau, and the bureau will then resell them," Han Mo explained with a smile, looking at Li Gang's questioning gaze.
"So, the right to price goods returns to the hands of the court? Those profiteers can no longer exploit the common people?"
Li Zong hadn't fully understood what was going on, but Li Gang had already grasped Han Mo's scheme here.
"Exactly! If they want higher profits, they can go exploit those foreigners. After all, if they are not of our kind, their hearts will surely be different. Rather than causing hardship to our own people, it's better to let them harm those foreigners!"
"Hahahaha, well said, 'If they are not of our kind, their hearts will surely be different!'"
After hearing Han Mo's words, even a gentleman like Li Gang couldn't help but laugh heartily. Hearing Li Gang's laughter, Han Mo finally felt a great sense of relief.
"I also heard that a large ship will be arriving at the dock in the next few days, and the Maritime Trade Bureau is currently recruiting laborers?"
After listening to Han Mo's explanation, Li Zong finally understood what was going on. Although it was a bit inappropriate to be asking so many questions on their first meeting, the opportunity was too rare, and he couldn't help but ask again.
"Yes, that's correct. A few days ago, we received a message via carrier pigeon. The large fleet responsible for the spice trade is about to return to Mingzhou!"
"Spices? How much?"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Li Gang's eyes lit up. In this era, the court needed disaster relief, the court needed to wage wars, and money was needed everywhere. The arrival of spices at the dock meant a large influx of copper coins into the Maritime Trade Bureau!
"I haven't calculated the exact amount yet, but there should be about fifty to sixty ships of thousand-ton capacity. The remaining ships are still being loaded. However, please do not reveal this information for now, Uncle."
"Fifty to sixty ships? How much of that belongs to merchants, and how much to the court itself?"
After hearing Han Mo's words, the wine cup in Li Gang's hand fell to the ground with a clatter. He grabbed Han Mo's hand almost frantically. Fifty to sixty thousand-ton merchant ships carrying spices, at current market prices, how much copper money would that fetch!
"All the ships returning first are court vessels. The civilian ships are still being loaded at this time," Han Mo said, a sly smile appearing on his face. The price of spices was at its peak now. By taking advantage of this opportunity to complete the Maritime Trade Bureau's tasks for the year, he could then free up his energy to tackle other matters!
"Hiss—"