Chapter 863 Jizi Juan Xue Biao’s Ambition
There were no twists and turns on Fang Youdu's side. After Feng Ziying and Fang Youdu brought it up, Fang Youdu also asked about the situation of the Xue family and quickly agreed.
Although it is said that Fang Youdu's parents are both present, the saying that an eldest brother is like a father becomes even more obvious after Fang Youdu clearly leaps into a dragon. Fang Youdu's big promise is almost a foregone conclusion. This is also The second wife of the Xue family, who was almost crushed by the Mei family's divorce, could finally feel proud.
Fang Youdu was awarded the title of Supervisory Censor of Shandong Province, which was considered a very good arrangement among the top three Jinshi.
According to the grade of the second-class Jinshi who has completed his three-year political observation period, he will rise three or four levels (from the seventh grade) to the original grade (three grades if he stays in Beijing, and four if he is transferred abroad). According to the rules of the grade (eighth grade) rising up to two or three levels (third level for external release, second grade for Beijing official), Fang Youdu can be regarded as a supervisory censor of the seventh grade, and he is in Shandong, which has the best conditions in the North. , so Fang Youdu was very satisfied.
Of course, Fang Youdu also knew that being able to stay in the Metropolitan Procuratorate and even Shandong Province was inseparable from his various performances in compiling "Internal Reference" and Feng Ziying's support to him, so when Feng Ziying proposed to serve as Xue Biao's When he proposed marriage, he agreed without much hesitation.
Of course, Feng Ziying didn't hide it from him. She bluntly said that she would soon marry Xue Biao's cousin, the first daughter of Xue's family, as the first wife of the second wife of the Feng family. This was also the main reason why Fang Youdu nodded readily, otherwise a descendant of an imperial businessman, He would still have to struggle for a while if he wanted to marry his biological sister, who was born as a Jinshi and now had a bright future as a censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, even if Feng Ziying came to make peace.
After solving this problem, Feng Ziying feels much more at ease. It can at least offset the impact of the Mei family's withdrawal from the Xue family. While the concubine in the Shuntian Prefecture has withdrawn from the marriage, she is getting married to her biological sister, the censor of the Shandong Province of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, in the capital. In this circle in the city, nothing can be hidden from anyone, and everyone can even quickly dig out all the details behind it.
It's nothing more than that the Mei family now looks down on the Xue family, but the Xue family is related to the Feng family and is married to Fang Youdu, who is obviously close to Feng Ziying.
Now Fang Youdu's Fang family can't really be called a Fang family. At least Fang Youdu's brother or son can't be called a Fang family until Fang Youdu's brother or son has a scholar, at least after he is born in Juren and obtains an official status. It belongs to the Fang family in Shexian County, and it takes at least three generations before poetry and calligraphy can be said to be passed down from family to family.
Seeing Xue Biao and Xue Baoqin supporting their mother Cui who came out to express their gratitude, Feng Ziying was also startled and quickly avoided the gift, "Second aunt, brother Biao, sister Qin, why are you like this? The same goes for my second uncle and our Feng family. As fate would have it, the Feng and Xue families are still supporting each other, and my nephew is doing this as he should. Wouldn't this be a way to hurt my nephew?"
"Brother Keng, they say no thanks are given for a great favor. The second wife of the Xue family is in such a situation now. They are used to the harsh world. It is all thanks to brother Keng that he made such a marriage for brother Biao. Everyone in the Xue family remembers it. This kindness,..."
Mrs. Cui was also chattering, and her eyes were red. Aunt Xue, Xue Pan and Baochai beside her were also trying to comfort her, but they all had smiles on their faces.
This matter finally came around for the Xue family. Not only did the second bedroom have an explanation, but more importantly, it also offset the impact of Xue Baoqin's withdrawal from the Mei family to the entire Xue family. Some kind of In a sense, Baochai has also stabilized his identity.
Seeing that Ms. Cui was emotionally unstable, Aunt Xue and Bao Qin took the initiative to help Ms. Cui into the house.
After helping her mother in, Bao Qin came out and wanted to thank Feng Ziying again together with Xue Biao, but was stopped by Feng Ziying.
"Okay, Brother Tao, I'm just a matchmaker. If Brother Tao doesn't have the ability and Uncle Fang doesn't like him, no matter what I say, he won't agree." Feng Ziying waved her hand, "The Fang family Although he is not a heirloom of poetry and calligraphy, Uncle Fang has been studying since he was a child. He also has a younger brother who is also studying and has just passed the scholar examination. Her sister is also well-educated and sensible, so I mentioned it to Uncle Fang..."
Although Feng Ziying said this, Baochai, Baoqin and Xue Biao all knew that without Feng Ziying's relationship, how could the Fang family marry the Xue family? No matter how capable Xue Biao was, they didn't know it, and this Bao Qin has just been divorced, and the reputation of the Xue family has been damaged. Fang Youdu is still the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. How can he be willing to marry you, an imperial merchant, the Xue family?
"Brother Feng, I will keep your kindness in mind, and I will never dare to disappoint Brother Feng's expectations. However, I am really not good at studying. During this period of filial piety, I also took the county examination in Jinling and failed..." Xue Biao There was nothing to hide in front of Feng Ziying. It was true that he was not good at studying, and there was no point in hiding it, especially from Feng Ziying.
“Well, what are your next plans?” This was also a question, and Feng Ziying had to ask clearly.
The Xue family can get money by donating an official position, but donating an official position also involves filling the vacancy, and not only is it difficult to get a good position, but there is also an upper limit for donating an official position. It belongs to the end of the contempt chain in the officialdom. Basically, a sixth-grade official is ceiling.
Either doing business, which is the strength of the Xue family. They were originally royal merchants, and they still have connections in all aspects, but their reputation may not be that great.
"Brother Feng, I have considered that donating an official position may be a way, but I feel that with my temperament, it is really inappropriate to be an official of that level. In terms of age and experience, I am afraid that I will not be qualified, but But I don’t want to make a living like Fengrunxiang anymore.”
Xue Biao spoke very seriously, but Feng Ziying became interested and motioned for him to take a seat.
Baochai and Baoqin were also very surprised by this. Xue Biao had never mentioned such a thing before. Now it is logical that they are about to get engaged, but their thoughts should be on this. Why did they suddenly think of this?
“Brother Ta, what are you going to do?” Baochai asked curiously.
Xue Biao will be seventeen this year. He is only slightly younger than Baochai. Like Baoqin, he followed Xue Jun around since childhood, so it is difficult for him to calm down and study.
Feng Ziying also felt that Xue Biao might not be able to study, but if he didn't study, if he didn't want to donate to the government, and he didn't want to continue running a traditional business like Fengrunxiang, what else could he do?
“I heard that the imperial court is strongly encouraging the opening of routes from Shandong to Liaodong, North Korea, and Japan. I hope to open up a new route. I want to give it a try.” Xue Biao hesitated, obviously taking into account the pressure from his family.
She is about to get engaged. She is young, but she has to learn from those businessmen to venture overseas. The sea is unpredictable. A storm may destroy the ship and kill people. Moreover, opening a new route means having to fight with those who have always been there. There are also many uncertain risks in foreign contacts with foreigners who have never interacted with each other. That is why Xue Biao wants to get support from Feng Ziying.
Before Feng Ziying could speak, Baochai and Baoqin were anxious, "No!"
"Brother, is it as simple as you think overseas? Your brother Feng also mentioned to me that many overseas routes have never been tried before. Reefs, storms, savages, and epidemics can all kill people. "You are the only second wife in the Xue family. If something goes wrong, are you going to let your aunt give the white-haired person a black-haired one?" Baochai said flatly.
Baoqin also followed: "Brother, I can do everything according to you, but this is not possible! My mother is not in good health, but you are going to take this risky move. Not to mention other things, my mother alone can't survive... "
Xue Biao laughed, "Sister, sister, I am not taking risks like you said, I am saying that I want to shift our Xue family's business to this aspect. It turns out that the Xue family's shops and farms are not very prosperous now. In fact, in theory it is good to run silk factories and tea farms, but we will definitely not be able to compete with those who have been doing this for many years. Before coming to the capital city, I found someone to explore Nanzhi, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang. You know, the number of tea farms and silk factories in Zhejiang, Nanzhi and Jiangxi has increased dramatically in the past year, all of which are aimed at sea trade. However, Nanzhi, Zhejiang and Fujian have already had a fixed group of people in the sea trade. It’s very difficult to intervene, so I thought about whether I could start from Denglai’s side..."
Feng Ziying became interested. He didn't expect that Xue Biao actually had his idea brought to Denglai. He had to say that the other party still had some sense.
"…, the sea trade in Shandong, Liaodong and Beizhi has always been in an untapped state. It can even be said to be almost non-existent. It was originally a sea ban, and later it was a Japanese invasion. In addition, the sea trade tradition of the North is far inferior. In the south of the Yangtze River, taking Shandong as an example, its sea trade volume is probably not worth 20% of the South China Sea, and even less than half of Zhejiang. However, the imperial court needs the sea trade of Shandong and Liaodong to develop to ensure the security of Liaodong. At the same time, North Korea and Japan will also be the imperial court in the future. I am a sea trade partner, so I think this should be an opportunity..."
Feng Ziying didn't believe that this alone would make Xue Biao so interested. Xue Biao should have been preparing for a long time before, and it was definitely not a whim.
“What else?” Feng Ziying nodded and asked.
Xue Biao hesitated for a moment, "My younger brother heard that Zhongshu Ke was interested in changing its name to the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Commerce was interested in rewarding those who had made contributions in opening up routes that were of great significance to the imperial court with military merit, even if it was particularly important at first. Contributors can be awarded titles by the court,…”
Feng Ziying suddenly realized that Xue Biao had taken a fancy to this. No wonder Xue Biao was a little shy before, but now he made his attitude clear after being forced.
(End of this chapter)