Chapter 94: Establishing the Jiangzhou Brewing Bureau

At Shen Manor, in Stream Garden, on Cloud-Rising Terrace.

“Master, the lord has arrived!” Moonchaser said as she hurried into the study to report to Lu Jin.

Lu Jin froze for a moment. Was he really this anxious? He had only mentioned it yesterday, and today he had already come storming to the door.

“Where is he now?” Lu Jin asked.

“He is on the floating terrace.”

Lu Jin led Moonchaser and Little White to the floating terrace, where Shen Hao and Shen Yanxi were already waiting. He quickly stepped forward and called out, “Father.”

“Come, sit down. Tell me about what you said yesterday. If you cannot make yourself clear, just see how I deal with you,” Shen Hao said.

The old man had quite a temper. It seemed he would have to say something today whether he liked it or not.

“Father, you saw it yesterday as well. We have created a new brewing method that can produce liquor far stronger than what existed before, so I wanted to discuss with you whether it could be manufactured and sold on a large scale.”

Lu Jin did not hide anything and went straight to the point.

Before Shen Hao could answer, he motioned for Little White to bring the wine over. Then Moonchaser poured a bowl of each. Over the past few days she had grown familiar with this liquor as well.

“Father may taste the others first,” Lu Jin said, handing the bowls to Shen Hao without pressing him for an answer. Whether it would work, whether it should be done, all of that would have to wait until the tasting was finished. Otherwise, talking in the air meant nothing.

Shen Hao said nothing more and took the bowls, drinking them in turn. Lu Jin had arranged them from mildest to strongest.

“This liquor is truly potent,” Shen Hao said after drinking even the weakest one, gritting his teeth as the burn struck hard. He had actually heard a little about this over the past few days, but had not taken it seriously, thinking this son-in-law was simply fooling around. He had never imagined that something real could come of it.

“Father, that is the mildest one my husband brewed. It is the same liquor we drank yesterday,” Shen Yanxi said.

“Then what is your explanation?” Shen Hao asked. He had come to ask why Lu Jin wanted to enter commerce.

“Father, please taste the liquor first. We can speak of the rest afterward.” Lu Jin still did not answer directly, urging Shen Hao to continue.

Shen Hao did not insist and went on to try the next two. Each was stronger than the last; by the end he felt as though half his life had been taken from him. His face reddened deeply, and it took a long while before he recovered. There was no liquor like this in Great Liang, so the body's reaction was easy to imagine. Still, Lu Jin had not poured much.

Watching her father endure the heat, Shen Yanxi felt a quiet satisfaction. She had only suffered through it once, and no matter what, she would never drink it again.

“How much does this cost to make?” Shen Hao had also caught the deeper meaning. Setting aside whether this was commerce or not, if this liquor were put on the market, would any other wine even have a path to survive?

“It is still impossible to say. It has only just been made, and the process is not yet stable.”

“And what do you intend to do?” Shen Hao understood that if this son-in-law had him tasting liquor again today, it meant he wanted to make something of this. Better to hear him out first.

“I want to work with the Shen family.”

“You want to work with the Shen family?” Shen Hao said in surprise. Why did that sound so strange?

Shen Yanxi was also stunned. She had never considered this approach before. In essence, they were family. How did family cooperate?

“Yes. Father should understand perfectly the impact this liquor would have once it is sold. I want to make it big, but relying only on the Shen family and me is still not enough. So I plan to set aside a certain share and later bring in other families for joint participation. Only then will it be stable, and the Shen family will not become the target of everyone’s enmity.”

Lu Jin knew that a monopoly with such enormous demand could never be controlled by a single family. That would not be wealth; it would be a guillotine. Even the mighty Shen family could not withstand the united hostility of the other clans. Once this liquor appeared, all the other wines would become mere raw materials, and what noble house did not have a brewing business of its own? When the new liquor appeared, they would suffer severe losses and still have no chance to participate in the new industry. It was basically pushing them to the brink. Under such immense利益, what would they not do?

“At present, Great Liang’s situation is unclear. The Emperor cannot even attend the regular court sessions, and the realm is in chaos everywhere. That is why your son-in-law feels this is not the right time to enter government service. I want to do something else first, but if I am going to do it, I cannot do without capital. And as a man, I cannot turn to Father for everything. Leaving aside whether Father is willing, even the rest of the Shen family would find it difficult to explain, and I myself would not easily accept it.”

Lu Jin did not even give Shen Hao a chance to interrupt. He simply continued in his own rhythm:

“So what I want to discuss with Father is this: the Shen family can first provide the various resources needed to build, produce, and sell the enterprise and the brewery, thereby obtaining a larger initial share at relatively low cost. I will also contribute my own technology and hold a certain share. The remaining shares can then be opened to other families once the brewery has stabilized.”

Lu Jin spoke at length, while Shen Hao and his daughter listened without interruption, attentive and serious. This was not the Lu Jin Shen Hao had known before, nor the Lu Jin Shen Yanxi had known before. Though she had already heard him expound on so many astonishing pieces of learning, business and the means by which great families survive could not be mastered through a few scholarly insights alone. In an instant, stars seemed to flicker in Shen Yanxi’s eyes.

Shen Hao was also somewhat surprised, not because these ideas were especially profound, but because the Lu Jin he knew had always seemed like nothing more than a pure scholar, and his background was not particularly illustrious. Even if one considered the strange learning Shen Yanxi had spoken of before, it seemed unrelated to what Lu Jin was saying now. Yet today, the way Lu Jin looked at the problem had the unmistakable bearing of a great house. As the head of a top-tier noble clan, Shen Hao naturally knew how important it was for the great families to band together; otherwise, how could they have endured through so many dynasties?

Setting aside all those insights, Lu Jin’s calm bearing and the force of his words had once again made a deep impression on him today. Shen Hao was the master of a great family, a former Deputy Director of the Court of State Ceremonial, and had seen too many young men. He had also once been young himself. That Lu Jin could display such insight and steadiness today truly made Shen Hao see him in a new light. What, after all, could this son-in-law not do? Shen Hao had to admit that his mother’s judgment had been remarkable.

“These are my rough thoughts for now. I wonder what Father makes of them?” Lu Jin asked after finishing.

Beside him, Shen Yanxi was practically sparkling with stars in her eyes. It was not that she lacked experience; rather, she had originally worried that Lu Jin’s ideas and way of doing things would differ too greatly from the Shen family’s, creating friction between the two sides and thereby affecting their marriage. Now she felt those worries had been unnecessary.

“So what you mean is that the money, supplies, and people the Shen family provides must all be separated from the Shen family? And control would not rest with the Shen family either?” Shen Hao asked.

“Yes, Father. We need to establish an independent business that stands apart from any family. This business should belong to everyone, not to one household alone. It would not be subject to any clan’s control, and would operate and expand on its own according to its charter. Only a business that is separate from the Shen family can better cooperate with the outside world.”

“The production methods and the style of management I want to use also differ from those of the Shen family. Only by separating from the Shen family can they function properly. But that does not mean the Shen family would have no say. According to the shares, it would still be able to participate in management.”

The reason he had ultimately stayed in the Shen family was partly Shen Yanxi’s deep affection and partly the Shen family’s resources. Did he really think the centuries of accumulation by the Shen family were for nothing? If he tried to do everything himself, he would work himself to skin and bone and still accomplish very little. Shen Hao could understand all of this, and there was nothing especially mysterious in it.

“How much do you plan for the Shen family to contribute, and how much will it receive?”

“I have planned the total capital at five million. The Shen family may contribute five hundred thousand taels for a one-million share. I will contribute technology and management for a one-and-a-half-million share. Two million shares will be sold openly to the public to raise over five million taels in funds. The remaining five hundred thousand will be used to establish a labor guild, so all craftsmen and laborers in the business can receive additional income.”

“Only twenty percent?” Shen Hao said in astonishment. That truly exceeded his expectations.

“Father, twenty percent is not little. The Shen family would be buying two shares for every tael, while others would be buying one share for several taels. If we hold too much, then there will be fewer chances for cooperation. We cannot take everything for ourselves and leave the rest to drink soup. I fear they would grow enraged and smash the pot for all of us. By then, would we not lose even those twenty percent?”

“And the three-tenths are yours?”

“To be precise, mine and Yanxi’s together. Within the entire enterprise, our technology is the core, and we will also be contributing the most labor. It is only right that we hold a larger stake.”

“And if I refuse?” Shen Hao asked. Since this concerned family business, even as the head of the clan he could not act recklessly; otherwise, he would not be able to command obedience. That was why he especially appreciated Lu Jin’s businesslike attitude today.

“Does Father mean he refuses to let Yanxi hold thirty percent?” Lu Jin asked with a strange expression.

Shen Hao was momentarily stunned. Was that what he meant? Weren’t you just praising me for being businesslike, and now you are using my daughter to trap me?

“You are my son-in-law. Naturally, everything should belong to the Shen family. Why should you separately hold so much?” Shen Hao had already concluded that this son-in-law could not be kept within the Shen family’s confines, but the discussion still had to go on.

“Father speaks reasonably. I said earlier that I need absolute authority over the matter, or over the property involved. The Shen family cannot give me that, and even if it could, it would only be temporary. Father should understand that. At the same time, it is only fair that I seek independence through my own unique technology, methods, and management. If Father wishes to use righteousness to pressure me, then I fear none of this can be had at all.”

Lu Jin did not panic in the least.

“I can ask the servants about the brewing method for this liquor,” Shen Hao said, pressing him hard.

“Father is not wrong. But in that case, all you would gain is this liquor, and a son-in-law who does nothing but eat and wait for death.”

Lu Jin leaned back and simply gave up.

Hmm? From the sound of it, there was something else besides this? What did this brazen fellow mean by that?

“Then surely you cannot show your face in person yourself?” Shen Hao asked. Since he did not want to enter government service now, so be it; the situation truly was unclear, and waiting a while longer would not hurt. But going out to do trade would absolutely not do. The Shen family could not afford that humiliation.

“So I will need Father to recommend talent.”

He only knew Jiang Shaonian, and what talent could that young man’s estate possibly have that could compare with the Shen family’s?

“Even if you do not intend to enter office for now, you could at least devote yourself to the zither, strategy games, calligraphy, or painting. Why are you turning over these sorts of matters in your mind?” Shen Hao asked in confusion. The Shen family was not so poor that it needed its son-in-law to go out making money. Of course, this liquor could not simply be let go.

“I still need to look things over further. Right now I cannot give Father an answer. But on this matter alone, I can do what I am capable of, and it will benefit the family. Father has no reason to refuse.”

“Five hundred thousand is not much. Very well. The Shen family will provide five hundred thousand and take it as a gift to you both. I will also hand over the Shen family’s brewery in Jianglin to you. I want to see whether you can truly make something of this. If you fail, then be sensible and follow the family’s arrangements.”

Shen Hao could see it now: if he did not bleed a little today, he feared he would not come out ahead before these two.

The process was actually very simple. No matter how they bargained, no matter how sharp the words became, in the end they were still family. If only everything outside could be settled so easily. Watching Shen Hao walk away, Lu Jin finally let out a breath of relief. The first step was set at last.

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“The Jiangzhou Brewing Bureau?”

Shen Yi looked at the stack of papers in his hands, a little dazed. He was a collateral branch member of the Shen family and had been responsible for the family’s brewing business. He had never expected that the family head would send him here to the son-in-law yesterday. The moment he arrived, before he had even taken a sip of tea, they had thrown this thick dossier at him. The contents were a blur, impossible to make heads or tails of.

Looking at the man in his thirties seated across from him, Lu Jin quietly let out a breath of relief. If they had sent him someone in his forties, things would have been much harder. Older men might have more experience, but their thinking was already fixed. Trying to force such a person into an entirely new model would be torment for both sides.

“Yes, you can think of it that way. This newly established brewing workshop is, in effect, the Jiangzhou Brewing Bureau, and you are its chief administrator. You will oversee all affairs of the brewing bureau and answer only to me.”

Lu Jin looked at Shen Yi and said, “That booklet contains all my ideas for the brewing bureau. You can read it, and if anything is unclear, ask me at any time.”

“Let me emphasize this again: once you enter the brewing bureau, your only employer is me. It has nothing to do with the Shen family or anyone else. You are simply a man of the brewing bureau.”

Lu Jin repeated himself once more. Family ties in this age were far too strong, so he could only do his best.

“Shen Yi, remember that well. Do not lose sight of what matters most,” Shen Yanxi added from the side.

Shen Yi was briefly stunned, then hurriedly agreed. It seemed the young lady and the son-in-law truly had an extraordinary relationship.