"Alright, no need for the flattery. You should get back to your work. By the way, the fleet brought back some spices from Jiaozhi on their return. Head to the docks later and take a cartload for the children to try."
"Many thanks, my lord!"
This was truly an unexpected joy. Upon hearing Han Mo's words, Li Yueyang's face lit up with happiness. Frankincense, cinnamon, and other spices from Jiaozhi were hard currency in the market. Especially at this time, with the Pu family's decline, the market's craving for spices had reached its peak. This cartload of spices was worth at least tens of thousands of guan. All the money he had painstakingly gathered earlier had been spent, and with this, his dire financial situation could finally be alleviated.
"You go ahead and tend to your business!"
After a few more pleasantries, Li Yueyang left Han Mo's residence in high spirits.
"You've just managed to get some spices, and you're already giving them away so casually!"
As soon as Li Yueyang left, Zhe Yourong walked in from outside.
"It's just a little bit of spice, no rush. We can always get more whenever we want. Let's wait for the prices to climb a bit more. The Maritime Trade Office's first transaction should be a resounding success, shouldn't it!"
Han Mo stretched lazily as he spoke.
"Really?"
"Of course. Once Mr. Shao and the others have secured enough grain, we'll start preparing for the spices."
Han Mo estimated that a round trip to all the Nanyang countries would yield around five to six hundred thousand shi of grain. Anything more would have to wait a few months. At their current pace, this would take at least another two months. By then, the rebellions in the six southeastern circuits should have been completely suppressed. With clear routes, trade would be much safer. With such a buffer period, even any remaining inventory on the market should be mostly depleted. With strong demand on one side and their artificially controlled limited supply on the other, it would be difficult for prices not to skyrocket.
"But do we have enough ships?"
Zhe Yourong's eyes brightened at Han Mo's words.
"No need to worry about that. Once they yield, we'll have plenty of time to consolidate."
The remaining three major families, though not as powerful as the Pu family, together possessed a considerable number of ships. While their businesses hadn't overlapped much before, things could change drastically under Han Mo's new rules. Spices were not only in high demand within the Song Dynasty but also extremely scarce in Goryeo, Wa, and Jin. The Jurchens, in particular, hadn't had much need for spices previously, partly due to a lack of resources and partly because they were too poor. Under the oppression of the Liao Dynasty, they were at the very bottom of society. Survival was a struggle, let alone spices. But now, things were different. With the Liao Dynasty's decline, the enjoyments of the Jurchen nobles were no less than those of the former Liao nobles. Even the envoy from the Jin Dynasty, during the negotiations to annihilate Liao, specifically requested three hundred jin of spices in the state gifts. Although Wanyan Aguda lived a simple life, his generals and nephews had already begun to indulge in fine wine, delicacies, luxurious clothing, and beautiful women. War brought endless suffering, but it also opened up new avenues of wealth for countless merchants.
"Here's a letter from home, do you want to see it..."
As she was speaking, Zhe Yourong suddenly changed the subject.
"A letter from home?"
Han Mo looked at Zhe Yourong with a hint of surprise.
"From Mengzhou..."
Under his gaze, Zhe Yourong added, "Mengzhou."
"It doesn't really matter if I read it or not..."
Han Mo's former self had no sense of belonging to his family in Mengzhou, let alone his soul, which had transmigrated from the future. If his father had paid him any attention, he wouldn't have ignored him until now. His son became the top scholar, and his father hadn't even sent a letter. When his son got married, Han Jiayan traveled a long distance to send him off, yet his father made all sorts of excuses to avoid coming. Apart from sending money every year, Han Mo couldn't even recall what his father looked like.
"Perhaps Father has his own difficulties..."
Seeing the expression on Han Mo's face, Zhe Yourong quickly said in a soft voice.
"Since you've brought it, there's no harm in looking."
Han Mo smiled and opened the letter with an indifferent expression. As he read, his expression grew increasingly grim.
"Did something happen?"
"You read it yourself!"
Taking a deep breath, Han Mo placed the letter on the table before him with a cold smile.
"What does Wang Boyan want? What does a Judicial Registrar have to do with the deficit in thezhou yamen?"
Even though Zhe Yourong's temper had changed significantly after following Han Mo, she couldn't help but slam her hand heavily on the table after reading the letter. Although the letter contained only her cheap husband's side of the story, based on the charges brought against him by the new Mengzhou Prefect, Wang Boyan, it was clear that this was utter nonsense! A Judicial Registrar was merely a civil official who handled miscellaneous tasks within thezhou yamen, primarily responsible for verifying the correctness of legal clauses in documents submitted from above. For a mere eighth-rank official to embezzle hundreds of thousands of guan in copper coins from thezhou yamen was preposterous!
"Do you think he, Wang Boyan, is an idiot?"
Han Mo sneered disdainfully.
"Then what is it? Is Wang Fu making a move?"
Zhe Yourong asked tentatively.
"All this talk about Mengzhou is just to force my hand and expose the Cai family's affairs. Wang Fu and Cai Jingdu are already locked in a life-or-death struggle. At this critical juncture, why would he divert his attention from Cai Tao to drag me into the fray? Does that seem reasonable?"
"Then if it's not him, who is it? Isn't Wang Boyan Wang Fu's man?"
Zhe Yourong's eyes widened again.
"No matter who it is, since he dares to extend his claws, don't blame me for being ruthless and making him suffer a painful lesson!"