Chapter 60 Famous

[60] Famous

Li Jingfang said, "The name of this person my brother said is Yao Fan. His family has gone abroad to make a living as early as the Shunzhi period. The business is all over the countries of Thailand. He is a family of the sea merchants. His family now specializes in business among the Western countries. Now that the Qing Dynasty is gradually enlightened, he sends him back to China to do some trade in order to seek Development.

Our brother traveled with him all the way, and he gained a lot every day. Yao Fan has a deep study of the politics, economy, military, culture and history of the western countries. He has studied business in the western countries and is profcient in English and German. It can be seen that he is used to dealing with foreigners and has a good understanding of foreigners.

If these words are said by others, Ding Baozhen is mostly skeptical. If Yao Fan says them himself, Ding Baozhen can basically conclude that this person is a liar. But you should know that in the world, every time the same words are said by different people, the effect is different. The status of the Li family is enough to make Ding Baozhen believe six or seven points.

Sure enough, Ding Baozhen's eyes lit up: "Oh! Is there such a person? As expected, there are a lot of talents in China. Now I am preparing for the Shandong Machinery Bureau, and there is a shortage of talents who are proficient in foreign affairs! I invited Xu Jianyin before. His father, Xu Shou, is famous. He once built the first steamship in the Qing Dynasty in Anqing, and translated many books that are urgently needed for foreign affairs.

Li Jing said proudly, "Brother Yao Fan is well-informed and will not lose to Xu Jianyin. As for the translation, his Yao family has compiled the history books of the Western countries overseas. These books are exquisite. Unfortunately, his family is used to being a businessman. He compiles these books for his own pastime. He has lived overseas for a long time and does not make friends with China, so that the collection of books never flows out.

Ding Baozhen was also happy to hear Li Jing's words and said, "It's so good. I also have Shangzhi Academy here. In addition to writing subsets of classics, it also translates the astronomy, geography and arithmetic of the West. If Yao Fan can read foreign language, I will guarantee him to do it!"

Li Jingfang laughed and said, "Uncle Ding, you underestimated Yao Fan. His family is huge and has strong assets. How can he look at a good at translating books? I think he is not willing to give him a general office."

Li Jingxuan, who had been silent before, suddenly said, "I remember that Brother Yao said that he was the eldest son who wanted to inherit the big business of the family and was not interested in any career."

Ding Baozhen said disappointedly, "It turns out that Yao Fan is a complete businessman. When this country employs people, he is complacent with small profits. It doesn't matter if such a person is not seen."

Li Jingshu said urgently, "Uncle Ding, that's not the case. I talked with Brother Yao and felt that he was ambitious, but he was not willing to be a small official."

After saying that, Li Jingshu slid down from the mahogany chair regardless of etiquette, ran into the back hall, and said, "Uncle Ding, wait a minute. I'll show you his Yao family's translation."

Li Jingfang said awkwardly, "My second brother recently talked about the contract with Yao Fan. Uncle Ding is not surprised."

Ding Baozhen smiled and said, "I'm about to see what kind of Western history books his Yao family can compile. How can they blame the scriptures?"

When Li Jingshu asked his family to bring up the book sent by Yao Fan, Ding Baozhen was shocked to see it.

These days, readers have a kind of inner obsession and primitive worship of books. Most of them have a hobby of receiving books, especially different versions and beautifully framed books. Rich people face good books, even if they already have good books at home, they have to receive another edition, often just because they are beautifully printed or like the font of this edition.

Ding Baozhen is a scholar and a civilian official from an orthodox imperial examination, so he can't avoid vulgarity at all. When he first saw the bright and luxurious copperplate paper, gorgeous color illustrations, and rigorous trimming, he subconsciously had the idea of receiving books.

In front of the three members of the Li family, he didn't have time to read it carefully. He looked at the spine of the book, picked out a book, and opened it directly from the middle to read it. He was attracted by reading only one page. After turning three or five pages, he liked it more and more, he said, "Where is Yao Fan at this moment? I want to see him."

Li Jing said proudly, "What does Uncle Ding think of this book?"

Seeing that Li Jingshu was a little forgetful, Li Jingfang quickly interrupted and said, "Uncle Ding, even if Yao Fan is not an official, with his overseas relations, there is a lot to do."

A fragment of memory suddenly flashed in Ding Baozhen's mind. He pulled out his attention from the seductive color pages in the book and thought to himself: "Yao Fan...Yao Fan... seems to have heard of this name..."

Ding Baozhen thought hard and remembered something in less than a moment!

The other day, Shandong's inspector and political envoy Hu Zhen came to see him, saying that he had received a letter from Guo Weizhong, the governor of Jiangxi. The letter said that he was guarding Wei Guofu in Qingdao, Jiaozhou, Sun Maowen, and Liu Ziming, a customs inspector, colluded with the owner of a local Wannian pawnshop called Wannian, and smuggled with Yao Fan, an overseas businessman!

At that time, Ding Baozhen's reply to Hu Zhen was basically cautious, to the idea that: "As a vassal Taiwan, it is your job to assess the rule of officials, but if you only listen to Guo Weizhong's words, I'm afraid it's inappropriate not to strictly investigate the folds. Besides, even if it is verified, there are three officials in that case. Once it is pulled out, it may be a string. In case, if it becomes a nest case, after it is spread out, you and I in charge of Shandong's officialdom will not look good. You can't overturn a boatman with one pole. You should carefully pick one out and beat it.

Besides, there is a guard Wei Guofu involved in this. He is a military officer under the government office of Deng Lai Dao. Deng Lai Dao will be Zhou Jue En, the younger brother of Zhou Jue Rong, the commander-in-chief of Shandong. Even if you beat him, you should not be involved. Otherwise, if you involve the Zhou brothers in, it is equivalent to beating Li Hongzhang in the face. Do you have a grudge against Li Hongzhang?

By the way, you should think about it yourself. In short, I, Ding Baozhen, will not participate in it.

Huzhen was born as a Jinshi and started as a county magistrate in Shandong. He has been the governor of grain roads in Shandong for many years. Of course, he understands this truth. He just wants to see Ding Baozhen's attitude and whether Ding Baozhen deliberately protects these officials.

Besides, Li Hongzhang is the governor of Zhili and the Minister of Trade of Beiyang. He has his minions all over Zhili's Shandong officialdom, which can be said to be full of power. My brain is not broken, but I don't want to go to this muddy water.

Guo Weizhong is a supervisor, or he is still far away in Jiangxi. How can he support the shock? As the saying goes, giving you a favor is to sell face. If you don't sell your face, you have no way.

The only unpleasant thing about Huzhen is that he didn't get a penny before and after! After coming out of Ding Baozhen, he thought, "The petty official is greedy, and the collusion between officials and businessmen is human nature. If he is not greedy, how can he be a fart official? Therefore, this case naturally cannot be fooled as suggested by Guo Weizhong.

Besides, those people dare to smuggle under the eyes of Li Hongzhang, the Beiyang minister in charge of five-mouth trade. You said that it is absolutely impossible without Li's back #jing, in case Li Hongzhang is involved... Over the years, the imperial historian Wu Yu, Yan Jingming and Liang Dingfen have gone one by one, biting them like a moth to the fire. Li Hongzhang can Have you lost a hair? On the contrary, these imperial historians of impeachment were all dismissed by the old Buddha.

These days, as long as Li Hongzhang is involved, the old Buddha must turn a blind eye and may have to issue an order to scold himself. However, it is still necessary to moderately beat these minor officials and let these minor officials know what the rules of filial piety to superiors are. As for Guo Weizhong, who is far away in Jiangxi, whether he is happy or not, is it none of my business?

By the way, Ding Baozhen thought of this and immediately asked, "Is this Yao Fan doing business in Qingdao?"

Li Jingfang said, "How did Uncle Ding know that he was operating in Qingdao?"

Ding Baozhen smiled and said to himself, "It turns out that Yao Fan is Yao Fan. This grandson's braid is now in my hand. If I don't slip away, I'm afraid he still doesn't understand.

As he was talking, Fubo came in. He gave a gift to Ding Baozhen and reported to Li Jingfang, "Yao Dong's family sent someone to inform him where he was staying, and it was on the east side of the Niangniang Temple in the west of the city, and the Zaofan business name was."

Ding Baozhen frowned when he heard the words, "Zhaofan Company?"

Li Jingshu was stunned and said, "Oh, Brother Yao's character Zaofan is taken from Fan, which means to take peace in the morning and go to sea in the morning."

Ding Baozhen shook his head and stopped talking, but he was very dissatisfied. He said that this guy's word must have been obtained in the West. He didn't know anything about it. It was a crime to call him a meal. There was a sound of rebellion here. He really stayed in the foreigner's land for a long time and forgot his original.

But Ding Baozhen was relieved to think that Yao Fan was proficient in foreign affairs. He knows how difficult it is to find a person who is proficient in foreign affairs these days, and he also knows that a stupid name can't hide a person's talent.

Thinking that not long after Ding Baozhen was a Jinshi, he returned to his hometown of Pingyuan, Guizhou because of his mother's illness. Soon, he encountered the Taiping Army and came to attack the city. Ding Baozhen, who was born as a landlord, hated the flat field policy of the Taiping Army to the bone. He took out his family's savings and recruited 800 people. From then on, he embarked on the road of Yiwen Yiwu. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, this was a prosperous road.

In the world for more than 50 years, Ding Baozhen has seen countless people and countless things. He has learned countless lessons and experiences from his experience. One thing is that he knows very clear that no matter what his surname is and what he looks like, the most important thing is to have real talent and learning. As for the man's political tendency, just by looking at his family, it can be seen that the businessman's son wants money, the gentry's son wants money and land depends on officials, so they don't want to be officials. All they care about is the size of the official position. As for the poor people with mud legs... they are all unreliable! Ding Baozhen thought.