"My lord is wise!"
Upon hearing this, the confidants before him were all beaming with joy.
Though the Maritime Trade Office was an unremarkable department, it was a truly first-rate lucrative post.
Both the sea merchants of the Great Song Dynasty and the foreign merchants from overseas engaged in oceanic trade were all under their jurisdiction.
The goods carried by these people, both coming and going, had to be appraised by them before the final tax amount was decided.
With this power, both local sea merchants and foreign merchants had to carefully curry favor with them.
The goods they carried, whether spices, rhinoceros horns,玳瑁 (tortoiseshell), pearls, or corals, were all highly sought-after commodities in the Great Song Dynasty.
Let alone the Maritime Trade Commissioner, even a minor clerk would earn tens of thousands of guan annually.
Yan Ying, the Maritime Trade Commissioner of Quanzhou, had held this position for over three years. Before coming here, he was destitute, with nothing but a skinny donkey and a tattered coat to his name.
Yet, in just three years here, his properties within Quanzhou city alone had exceeded a million guan.
This did not include the properties he had acquired over the years in his hometown and in Bianliang city.
If these were counted, his income from illicit gains as a mere Maritime Trade Commissioner of Quanzhou would be at least three to four million guan.
Unlike his predecessors, this fellow was not only astute in his corruption but also utterly unsparing in his spending.
In order to get acquainted with the great eunuch Li Yan, he had been exceedingly generous with his gifts during festivals and holidays over the years.
Just last January, the gift he presented to Li Yan was worth nearly 100,000 guan!
Although Li Yan was not as famous as Liang Shicheng and Tong Guan, he was undoubtedly a foundational figure among the eunuchs in the palace.
Especially in recent years, he had been responsible for assisting Emperor Huizong in accumulating wealth. While he himself had also engaged in underhanded dealings, he had earned the emperor's deep trust.
The Western City Bureau he oversaw had acquired over 34,000 qing of land near Bianliang alone. In less than two years, thousands of civilians were killed or maimed in the vicinity of Bianliang.
Yet, even with such turmoil, Zhao Ji continued to shield him, and virtually all impeachment memorials from the officials were directly sent by the emperor to the incinerator.
This demonstrated the immense power he wielded!
Having already established this connection, he felt no fear regarding Han Mo's arrival.
"My lord, the Maritime Trade Office is ahead!"
Upon arriving at the entrance of the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office, even Han Mo was stunned by the luxurious spectacle.
A hundred paces away from the office, a massive memorial archway could be seen outside its gates.
"This is the Maritime Trade Office?"
Looking at the tall memorial archway, Han Mo asked with disbelief.
After all, this was during the Great Song Dynasty!
The Great Song Dynasty advocated that officials should not renovate their offices. Generally, other government offices in the Great Song Dynasty were not repaired or rebuilt unless they were in a state of irreparable disrepair.
The sheer opulence of this small Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office was almost comparable to Cai Jing's mansion in Bianliang city.
"That's right, this is the Maritime Trade Office..."
"When was this office built?"
After receiving a confirmation, Han Mo felt a pang of frustration.
"The person who built this office is currently in prison..."
"Pfft—"
As soon as Han Shizhong finished speaking, Jiang Yan couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Even Han Mo couldn't help but sigh, wondering to what extent of arrogance one had to be to commit such a reckless act.
However, regardless, for Han Mo, this was truly a good thing, as having a good house to live in was certainly preferable to returning to a dilapidated shack.
"Let's go, let's go and see what kind of corrupt officials are in this Maritime Trade Office!"
Han Mo spoke as he led Han Shizhong and Jiang Yan towards the Maritime Trade Office.
"Stop right there! Don't you know this is the Maritime Trade Office? What are you people? Don't you have any manners?"
As their group approached, two constables from the Maritime Trade Office immediately blocked their path.
One of them spoke while coldly extending his right hand towards them.
"We are new here and truly don't understand the rules here. Perhaps you two could do us the honor of explaining?"
Han Mo spoke while coldly observing them.
"You don't even know the rules and you dare to come here? To enter the office, it's five guan per person. If you want to process documents, it's fifty guan per document! If you want a tax receipt, that depends on how much cargo your ship is carrying!"
"So that's how it is..."
Even Han Mo hadn't expected these people to have taken bribery and corruption to such an extent. It seemed that the entire Maritime Trade Office from top to bottom needed a good scolding.
"I don't have any copper coins on me today. Do you think this will work?"
Han Mo spoke as he took out a token from his sleeve.
"Han, Maritime Trade Commissioner of the Southeast Circuits?"
"Han, Han, Great Han, Lord..."
After reading the inscription on the token, the two constables were immediately so terrified that they knelt on the ground.
"Tie them both up. Let's go, we'll go and meet Lord Yan inside now!"
Han Mo spoke as he directly led Han Shizhong and Jiang Yan into the Maritime Trade Office.
"My lord, Han Mo is here, Han Mo is here!"
Yan Ying, who was drinking tea, was startled when his subordinate shouted this.
"What did you say? Wasn't he in Mingzhou? How did he get here?"
"We don't know what's going on, but he's already at the door!"
"Damn it, what are you dawdling for? Hurry and get me changed!"
After hearing their words, Yan Ying himself broke out in a cold sweat.
Not to mention anything else, the furnishings in his office alone were worth tens of thousands of guan.
If Han Mo were to see these, they would be fatal evidence!
It was only at this moment that he began to secretly regret.
Indeed, if a man does not plan for the distant future, he will surely face sorrow close at hand. He had enjoyed too many peaceful days, and the officials of all ranks in Quanzhou had been thoroughly managed by him, which was why he could indulge himself here without any scruples.
But now, with Han Mo suddenly appearing, it had truly caught him off guard.
"Never mind the clothes for now, quickly pack away these things, hurry, hurry!"
With his clothes only half-donned, Yan Ying began to direct his attendants to quickly tidy up the furnishings in the room.
"Lord Yan seems to be in a hurry, where are you planning to go?"