Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 564: Chapter 491 If the Marquis wishes to listen to music, I can help the Marquis pick a few girls!

Simply put, the position in charge of the Imperial Commerce Bureau is both official and commercial. If managing assets for the Imperial Commerce Bureau, it equals to being a manager of a state-owned enterprise; if providing or selling goods for the bureau, it equals to being a partner of a state-owned enterprise.

The establishment of the Imperial Commerce Bureau also brought quite a shock to the merchants of Da Rong.

After the petition from the Ministry of Personnel was submitted, many merchants from the Capital City began to take action.

Even Luo Shang, who had just moved to the Capital City, sought out Yang Zhenshan.

In the tea room of the back hall of the Marquis Mansion, Luo Shang poured tea for Yang Zhenshan, ”Marquis, about the Imperial Merchant matters!”

He looked at Yang Zhenshan with a face full of expectations.

The head of the Imperial Commerce Bureau, even if it’s just a nominal position, is fatally attractive to merchants.

Yang Zhenshan picked up the tea and sipped it lightly, smiling, ”There’s no rush for this matter; the decision lies in His Majesty’s hands, being anxious is useless.”

”But...”

Luo Shang wanted to say something else, but Yang Zhenshan cut him off, saying, ”Your advantage is the glass business, His Majesty will consider this, beyond that, there’s nothing you can do, and I can’t help either!”

What is the essence of the Imperial Commerce Bureau?

The glass industry!

Glass workshops and six major distributors.

There are currently only two glass workshops; one in the Capital City, under the control of His Majesty, and one in Chongshan Town, belonging to the General Mansion.

The advantage of the six major distributors is that they have a complete sales channel. They can sell glass to every prefecture in Da Rong.

It’s somewhat inappropriate to say ’the channel is king’ here, but if replaced with other merchants, just establishing a complete sales channel would take at least a year and a half.

Emperor Yanping cannot wait that long, and nor can the Ministry of Revenue.

”So I just wait?” asked Luo Shang.

”Just wait! There should be news very soon!” Yang Zhenshan smiled.

Luo Shang finally felt relieved, they chatted for a while longer, and then Luo Shang left.

While Yang Zhenshan sat in the tea room and thought for a while, he still wrote a petition.

He naturally wasn’t doing this for Luo Shang, but for Chongshan Town.

The General Mansion of Chongshan Town could not afford to lose the income from the glass workshop, without it, next year’s General Mansion would go bankrupt.

Emperor Yanping should understand this, but Yang Zhenshan still needed to submit a petition to remind him, lest Emperor Yanping overlooks it.

On the other side, after Luo Shang left the Marquis Mansion, he was ready to head home.

His family, the Luo family, had already moved to the Capital City, but as merchants, they obviously did not qualify to live in the western city, so the Luo family’s residence was in the East City district.

While Luo Shang was heading home, four martial artists dressed in black blocked his path.

”Is that Old Master Luo in the carriage?” the leading martial artist asked calmly.

Luo Shang lifted the curtain of the carriage, looking at the others with confusion, ”Who might you be?”

”My master wishes to meet Old Master Luo, please come with me,” the martial artist said.

Luo Shang’s expression changed slightly; this clearly wasn’t an invitation but more like an abduction.

”May I ask which noble wishes to see me?”

”You will know once Old Master Luo arrives!” the eyes of the martial artist became sharp.

Luo Shang got down from the carriage; these people daring to block the way obviously had strong backing.

In the Capital City, where nobles abound, he could easily run into someone he can’t afford to offend.

In this situation, other than obediently complying, he had no other choice.

”If I follow you, would it be alright to let them return home to report safety?” Luo Shang signalled his accompanying servants with his eyes.

The two servants behind the carriage had already quietly stepped back a few steps.

The martial artist glanced at the servants with disdain.

”You may.”

Immediately, Luo Shang got into the carriage prepared by them and went off.

The servants exchanged looks, then quickly turned and ran towards the Jing’an Marquis Mansion.

In the study of the Marquis Mansion, just as Yang Zhenshan finished writing the petition, Wu Hai knocked on the study door.

”Come in.”

”Marquis, Old Master Luo has been taken away!” Wu Hai reported.

Yang Zhenshan raised his head in surprise, ”Who took him?”

”I don’t know, the accompanying servants said it was four martial artists, and they looked pretty fierce,” Wu Hai explained.

”In broad daylight, they just took him away!” Yang Zhenshan found it almost inconceivable.

Indeed, the Capital City is a place where the powerful gather; however, to say that the Capital City has poor public security might provoke a swift response from the Twelve Camps and Shuntian Prefecture Government.

The people daring to abduct someone in broad daylight must possess significant status.

After all, who doesn’t know Luo Shang is associated with me, Marquis Jing’an.

Is this directed at Luo Shang, or at me!

Yang Zhenshan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”Let Wu Zheng find out who took Luo Shang away!”

”Yes!” Wu Hai replied, and hurriedly went to find Wu Zheng.

Wealth moves the heart!

How substantial are the interests involved in the glass business? Yang Zhenshan is only too aware.

It’s normal for someone to target Luo Shang’s head.

But who could it be?

...

Chunman Building is a well-known brothel within the Capital City, a legitimate one, not one of those places of ill repute.

Although ’brothel’ is a polite term for where courtesans conduct business, not all pleasure districts can be called brothels.

At least there must be a star standard to be titled a brothel! Those vulgarly called whorehouses or even dens merely offering fleshly transactions do not deserve the name.

The ladies of Chunman Building sell arts, not their bodies. Each lady is cultured from a young age, possessing a unique skill, excelling in music, chess, literature, or painting beyond ordinary people, and they are stunningly beautiful belles.

These talented and beautiful ladies naturally attract numerous scholars and refined guests to listen to music, watch dances, and discuss poetry and odes.