Heavens above, earth below, can you stop tormenting me like this!
"Third brother, Lord Han is a guest from afar. We shouldn't be standing at the entrance. Please invite His Lordship in to sit!"
Seeing Qian Lang starting to get lost in thought again, the old butler quickly said in a small voice.
"Yes, yes, yes, how could I forget this? Lord Han, please come in! Please come in!"
Reminded by the old butler, Qian Lang finally came to his senses. He realized he might have lost his composure a bit too much.
"I've long heard of Your Lordship's unparalleled talent. I wonder if Your Lordship has any new works recently?"
After personally escorting Han Mo into the main hall of the Qian family and after the servants had served tea, Qian Lang asked with a smile again.
"This... being in officialdom, one's hands are tied. Where would I find the time to write poetry and couplets..."
Han Mo felt truly awkward being asked this. At this moment, he really couldn't tell if this fellow was feigning ignorance or was genuinely foolish.
Given his status today, and his deliberate visit to the Qian family, did this fellow not know his intentions? Or was he putting on an act here with him?
"Third brother..."
Seeing the slightly embarrassed expression on Han Mo's face, the old butler reached out and nudged Qian Lang's arm again.
"Cough—cough—cough—"
After a few dry coughs, Qian Lang finally regained a little sense.
"I'm not one for beating around the bush. I've come here today for a business matter that I wish to discuss with Brother Qionglin. I'm just not sure if you can make decisions for the Qian family!"
"Business?"
At this remark, Qian Lang suddenly became very serious.
"May I know what kind of business Lord Han is referring to?"
"Brother Qionglin, please!"
Han Mo smiled, then took out a small ball of thread from his sleeve.
"What is this?"
After taking the ball of thread from Han Mo's hand, Qian Lang's brow immediately furrowed.
"This is cotton yarn used to weave white cotton cloth?"
Indeed, after examining it for a moment in his hand, Qian Lang actually recognized it.
"That's right, Brother Qionglin is truly knowledgeable!"
Han Mo was quite pleased with his discernment.
After all, in this day and age, cotton yarn was a true rarity.
"Does Your Lordship have a large supply of goods, or the method for producing cotton yarn?"
Qian Lang's eyes suddenly became shrewd, and he sat up straight, staring intently at Han Mo.
"I know that you have likely been trying to figure out how to produce cotton yarn all these years, right?"
Han Mo smiled, but instead of answering his question, he retorted.
"That's right, there's no need for lies in front of a true sage. Not only us, but actually, all the major families are holding their breath at this time, wanting to figure out the production method for this item. However, this thing is different from silk..."
"If I say I have the complete set of production methods and want to cooperate with the Qian family, are you able to make that decision?"
Han Mo smiled, then tapped the table in front of him with his finger.
"How does Your Lordship wish to cooperate?"
Qian Lang's pupils contracted, and his gaze towards Han Mo was filled with admiration.
"The technology for weaving this cotton yarn can be given to you, but I need you to support me in another matter!"
Han Mo smiled, then directly threw out his bargaining chip.
"Please speak, Your Lordship!"
"I want a copy of all the nautical charts in the Qian family's inventory!"
Upon hearing Han Mo say this, Qian Lang couldn't help but gasp.
"Your Lordship has a rather large appetite..."
Nautical charts, though they may not seem like much.
The problem is, in this era, on the vast ocean, there have never been any coordinates.
Without nautical charts, even with large ocean-going ships, setting sail would still be a dead end.
After all, the sea is not like land. Without nautical charts to guide the way, no matter how experienced the captain, they would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of death.
Although the Qian family did not have a fleet that sailed directly out to sea, their inventory of nautical charts was the most complete among the major families.
After all, their family had produced an emperor in the past.
Although they later surrendered to the Song Dynasty, all the secret treasures of the imperial palace were preserved.
If one were to speak of it, even those four families that specialized in maritime routes would not have more complete nautical charts than the Qian family.
If Han Mo could obtain these items, he would likely be able to assemble his own fleet in no time!
"At the current market price, one bolt of white cotton cloth sells for more than five times the price of equivalent silk. Even if the price of this item drops in the future, it should still be comparable to silk. This Great Song Dynasty is a beast that devours gold. If the Qian family can master this cotton yarn technology first, with your Qian family's influence, the annual profit would definitely not be less than five million guan!"
Han Mo smiled, then spoke again.
"But how do I know if what Your Lordship says is true?"
After a moment of silence, Qian Lang asked again.
"Just because my surname is Han and my given name is Han Mo! Moreover, not long from now, I will be promoted to the position of Grand Coordinator of Maritime Trade for the Southeast Circuit!"
Han Mo replied with a touch of arrogance.
"Hahahaha! As expected of the Great Song's foremost scholar!"
Qian Lang's pupils contracted. Although he felt that what Han Mo said was somewhat unlikely, thinking that the man before him was the Great Song's foremost scholar made even himself a little uncertain.
"The Qian family's land is all used for planting mulberry and hemp, so there isn't much land available for planting cotton..."
Although he desperately wanted to believe Han Mo's words, as a businessman, he was ultimately the one in charge of the Qian family's commercial affairs in Mingzhou.
After careful consideration, Qian Lang still spoke.
"Half of the Han family's land in Xiangzhou can be used to plant cotton. Furthermore, if the merchant ships returning can bring back a large amount of grain from Champa, I can also persuade the people of the entire Neihuang county to use half of their land to plant cotton!"
"If I can provide eight hundred thousand shi of grain annually, can the lands of Linfu and Fengsan prefectures also be used to plant cotton?"
Hearing Qian Lang say this, Han Mo burst into laughter.
The Qian family had invested a large amount of copper coins in cotton yarn research over the years, but they had not achieved any significant results so far.
As for how much profit this thing could bring, no one understood it better than they did.
He naturally understood what this fellow Qian Lang was calculating.
On one hand, this was a test of Han Mo. On the other hand, this fellow wanted to pull Han Mo into the water with him, and then use Han Mo to deal with the remaining major families.
"The grain in the three prefectures is a matter of vital importance. Provide grain first, then switch to cotton, and pay for the next year's grain annually!"