Chapter 20

A small interlude was like a gentle breeze stirring the curtains, and then everything returned to its usual calm.

Due to Liu Yuanshan's personal recommendation, his nephew Liu Quan naturally took extra care of Ye Yu. Not only did he quickly obtain official certification, but under the operation of Magistrate Liu Quan, the production of the uniforms for the state officials and clerks was entrusted to Ye Yu for supervision.

This tremendous benefit was something Ye Yu had never anticipated. He had only opened a small private dye workshop, which was not even significant in Qingliu County, let alone in the entire Chuzhou. Now, Liu Quan had given him this lucrative task, which left him feeling both honored and surprised.

Since ancient times, there has been a vast difference between officials and clerks. Officials, appointed by the Ministry of Personnel after being selected by the imperial court, have ranks and are recorded in the Ministry of Personnel, whether they are selected through the imperial examination or recommended.

Apart from the imperial court, there are very few "officials" at the local level; most are clerks hired by various departments. In essence, these people are managers not registered in the official records. They do not receive salaries from the imperial court but are paid by the local government.

Because these clerks and officials have low status, their official attire cannot be compared to the court officials' uniforms.

Therefore, the uniforms worn by the local officials are mostly handled privately by the local government. As the Chuzhou Magistrate, Liu Quan had the authority to choose the merchants to produce these uniforms.

Although there are no explicit regulations, this task is usually supervised by the state officials and merchants. Now that Liu Quan has entrusted this task to Ye Yu, it is a tremendous favor.

Despite the involvement of interests, many people have expressed dissatisfaction. However, Liu Quan firmly opposed all objections, leaving everyone with no choice but to remain silent.

When this news reached Pan Yue's ears, he found it incomprehensible. He never expected that a young boy could have such influence on the Chuzhou Magistrate.

After calming down, Pan Yue thought of Liu Yuanshan. The relationship between Liu Yuanshan and Liu Quan was no longer a secret among the merchants who were well-versed in the political arena.

However, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't understand why the Liu family would support Ye Yu so strongly. In his understanding, Liu Yuanshan had never been fond of Ye Yu.

Although the profit from this task was not significant, the long-term cooperation with the government would provide an intangible guarantee for the Pan family's business.

The Pan family had sought this agency multiple times but had never achieved it. Now, they never expected that Ye Yu, whom they had never taken seriously, would benefit from it.

Pan Yue's anger towards Ye Yu was unknown to Ye Yu. After taking on this task, he was busy with the dyeing and weaving in the workshop.

He knew this was a great opportunity for a turnaround. Although the number of clerks and officials in the state and counties was not large, it was an excellent opportunity to build his brand. Imagine if the officials wore cloth from his workshop; the promotion and influence would be immediate.

In the following months, Ye Yu spent his days shuttling between the dye workshop and the clothing shop. According to the specifications and pre-orders sent by the government, the small clothing shop was also busy.

Now, with Ye Yu providing a steady supply of fabric, the Su family's clothing shop had hired many tailors and was working day and night under Su Quanzhong's supervision.

At this point, Ye Yu realized the backwardness of the clothing shop. He had an idea to introduce sewing machines from the future to this era.

However, he quickly dismissed this thought, scolding himself for being too eager. With the current situation not yet stable, there was no need to add more trouble to himself.

To make his fabric more popular, Ye Yu carefully considered and decided to use modern business strategies, such as labeling the fabric to facilitate word-of-mouth among the people.

He thought about the label for a long time, and during this period, the Su family's father and daughter also proposed different ideas. Finally, Ye Yu named the fabric label "Zhonghua"!

"Zhong" means the center, and "Hua" means the beauty of clothing!

Ye Yu was enthusiastically managing his dye workshop, hoping that his fabric business would, like its name, gain fame throughout China in the near future.

However, everything has its ups and downs. On the day of the first winter, the dye workshop welcomed an unexpected visitor.

A group of people burst into the dye workshop, specifically looking for Ye Yu. The leader was a young man in his twenties, with a rather unappealing appearance, short and stocky, with a sharp face and a monkey-like jaw.

Upon entering the workshop, he intimidated the many dyers and shouted, "Quickly bring out your boss!"

The dyers scattered, and the foreman, Li Daniu, calmed the scene and rushed to the accounting office.

At this moment, Ye Yu was reviewing the accounts at his desk, with the accountant, Su Tai, standing by his side.

"Hmm! The sales of fabric have increased significantly recently. It seems that the government's endorsement is really effective..." Ye Yu said with a smile, holding a teacup.

"Boss, you are absolutely right. Since the shopkeepers of the four counties and eighteen shops learned that our workshop was designated by Magistrate Liu, they have all come to place orders and negotiate supplies. Although the demand is not large, it is gradually opening up the market!" Su Tai reported with a serious expression.

Ye Yu gently put down the teacup and rubbed his forehead. "The demand from these shops is not large because we are not big enough. This workshop is too small. Once we complete the task assigned by Lord Liu, it's time to expand! Uncle Tai, you have worked hard these days!"

"Boss, this is what Su Tai should do! As you said, the workshop should expand. Our 'Zhonghua' brand fabric is already in high demand..."

Su Tai, now in his forties, was a distant relative of Su Quanzhong. Ye Yu could not manage every aspect of the workshop, so he asked Su Quanzhong to send Su Tai to help.

Since entering the workshop, Su Tai has been diligent and hardworking, handling all matters except for the dyeing techniques. Ye Yu felt he had not made a wrong choice.

"Boss, something is wrong!" Just as they were talking, the foreman Li Daniu rushed in, his voice urgent and loud.

Ye Yu was not too concerned about Li Daniu's sudden intrusion, but Su Tai frowned and scolded, "Li Daniu, I have told you many times, why are you so disrespectful?"

Li Daniu seemed to realize his mistake and awkwardly wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, hesitating, "Boss, I..."

"Never mind, Daniu, what's the matter?" Ye Yu waved his hand, signaling Li Daniu not to panic. He knew Li Daniu well and understood that he would not be so anxious unless it was an emergency.

"Chengshe has brought a group of people into the workshop, specifically looking for you, Boss..." Li Daniu's eyes showed a hint of fear when he mentioned "Chengshe."

Ye Yu noticed Li Daniu's fear and was puzzled. He didn't understand who this "Chengshe" was, as the name alone seemed to make the robust Li Daniu fearful.

Ye Yu turned to Su Tai, who also looked frightened, and asked, "Who is this Chengshe?"

Upon hearing Ye Yu's question, Su Tai bowed slightly and explained respectfully, "Boss, you may not know, but Chengshe is a notorious thug in this county. His real name is She Tongcheng. He gathers a group of delinquents to bully and extort people. The shops in the city pay him to avoid trouble..."

So, it's a gangster! After Su Tai's explanation, Ye Yu understood who Chengshe was. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Does the government not regulate him?"

"Alas, Boss, Chengshe is the brother-in-law of the county magistrate. Who dares to provoke him? County Magistrate Liu intends to eliminate this gangster, but he is very cunning and leaves no evidence. He also uses threats to make people dare to be angry but not speak out. Boss, why don't we send someone to the city to report this to Lord Liu to prevent any unforeseen events?"

Su Tai's suggestion made sense, and Ye Yu nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea. To prevent any unforeseen events! Xiaotian, go to the city!"

"But, Master..." Guo Xiaotian, who had been silent, showed concern due to Ye Yu's decision.

"Don't worry, a thug won't be a problem for me. Go quickly and come back quickly! Daniu, push me out to meet this Chengshe!"

...

Li Daniu pushed Ye Yu's wheelchair out of the accounting office and into the reception hall.

Ye Yu looked up and saw Chengshe with one leg resting on a chair, surrounded by many henchmen. He did not show any fear but instead bowed and smiled, "May I ask what brings you here?"

She Tongcheng glanced at Ye Yu with a sideways glance, the toothpick in his mouth moving continuously. He coldly snorted, "You are the boss here?"

"Indeed!"

"Then you should know my rules. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that your workshop will continue to operate here!" She Tongcheng, with his right leg raised high, threatened with a smile.

Ye Yu did not refuse but calmly asked, "How much do you need?"

She Tongcheng held up three fingers and coldly smiled, "Three thousand taels!"

Sigh!

She Tongcheng's words shocked Li Daniu and Su Tai. Three thousand taels was not a small amount. The workshop's business was thriving, but selling the entire workshop would only yield this much.

She Tongcheng's demand was clearly unreasonable.

"Gold?" Ye Yu touched his chin and asked with interest.

"Boss... you..."

"..."

Ye Yu's question not only confused Li Daniu and Su Tai but also stunned She Tongcheng.

He then turned around and stared at Ye Yu, laughing heartily, "You really know how to talk! If you can provide gold, I won't be polite. But with your shabby workshop, do you have it?"

"Of course! I can make the dyers in my workshop eat and drink until they excrete thirty taels of gold each in three days. There are over a hundred people here, so we will have more than three thousand taels..."

Pfft!

Su Tai was the first to react. If he were not so reserved, he would have burst out laughing.

She Tongcheng also realized what Ye Yu meant and, enraged, threw the toothpick in his mouth at Ye Yu, pointing at him and threatening, "Don't refuse the offer! Otherwise, don't blame me for giving you a taste of my power!"

...