Han Mo was indeed a bit surprised. He hadn't realized what was wrong with his plan.
If everything could be implemented according to his plan, he had already meticulously deduced how much money each step of the plan could yield and what could be achieved. How could there be any fatal flaws?
"You overlooked one thing!"
Seeing Han Mo's furrowed brow, Han Jiayan suddenly spoke.
"What did I overlook? Please, honored grand-uncle, enlighten me!"
"Do you know why the total annual income of all the Maritime Trade Offices is less than a million guan?"
"I haven't really thought about that. Isn't it because those eunuchs are too greedy?"
Han Mo asked, puzzled.
"You absolutely must not underestimate these eunuchs. Do you think these eunuchs are incapable of anything other than making money? If you think so, you are gravely mistaken!"
Although there was no one else present, Han Jiayan lowered his voice as he spoke.
"Indeed, many eunuchs in the palace only know how to make money, completely obsessed with wealth. Even Liang Shicheng cannot escape this tendency when it comes to accumulating wealth. However, among the junior eunuchs sent to various parts of the country, there are quite a few talented individuals!"
"Then, according to what you've said, honored grand-uncle, why is the revenue of the Maritime Trade Offices so low?"
"That's because all businesses related to foreigners have already been monopolized!"
After hearing Han Jiayan's words, Han Mo couldn't help but gasp in shock.
It seemed he had indeed oversimplified the matter.
"Then, who are the people who monopolize these businesses?"
After a moment of silence, Han Mo took a deep breath and asked again.
"The eight great families, Qian, Zhou, Huang, Pu, Wang, Zhang, Yu, and Cai, have almost completely monopolized all businesses with foreigners. The money the Maritime Trade Offices earn each year is merely a pittance they offer as a token of respect to the Emperor..."
Hearing this, even Han Mo couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Now he understood that whether the Maritime Trade Offices were profitable or not was entirely controlled by these powerful families.
If he wanted to succeed in this endeavor, it would be like snatching meat from someone else's bowl!
As for other families, Han Mo might not be very familiar with them, but the Qian clan of Wuyue was no joke!
Even though the Wuyue Kingdom had been extinguished for nearly a century, the hidden influence of the Qian family was not comparable to ordinary families!
After all, they were a family that had produced an emperor. Even after surrendering to the Northern Song Dynasty, their influence in the Liangzhe Circuit remained unparalleled.
"Then, if that's the case, honored grand-uncle, is there no hope of accomplishing this?"
With a wry smile, Han Mo looked at Han Jiayan again.
"You don't need to be overly pessimistic about this. If it were before, you would naturally have no chance. But now it's different. Don't you forget that there is a war going on there!"
Hearing Han Jiayan say this, Han Mo seemed to understand his meaning. The old man wanted him to use the enemy as a tool!
"Honored grand-uncle, just doing it like this..."
"As long as your methods are clean enough, there's nothing that can't be done!"
As Han Jiayan said this, the sharp glint in his eyes receded, and he returned to his gentle and refined demeanor.
"Han Mo accepts your guidance!"
Letting out a long sigh, Han Mo said directly.
"Alright, you are a clever child. Many of these people are accustomed to being wild. It's fine for you to reason with them, but if reason doesn't involve bloodshed, they won't listen!"
"Thank you for your guidance, honored grand-uncle!"
The implication of "involve bloodshed" truly opened Han Mo's eyes.
This was the son of Han Qi!
The world regarded Han Jiayan as gentle and refined, but it was only today that Han Mo realized how truly profound his grand-uncle was!
If not for the restrictions of his identity as a consort, his achievements might not have been inferior to those of his elder brother, Han Zhongyan!
"Alright, I've said all I needed to say today, and you've eaten and drunk your fill. You should go back and rest. There's nothing pressing these few days, so stay here and conserve your energy!"
Seeing that Han Mo had understood his intentions, Han Jiayan nodded with satisfaction and waved for him to leave.
After walking out of the Han family's living room, Han Mo couldn't help but exhale a long breath of stale air. The eight great families, Qian, Zhou, Huang, Pu, Wang, Zhang, Yu, and Cai, it seemed his trip to Jiangnan would be quite busy!
"Brother Mo, the old master has arranged your courtyard in the back garden!"
"Mm, lead the way."
Although only a few months had passed, the servants in the princess's mansion no longer dared to show any disrespect to Han Mo!
"Why have you drunk so much? You reek of alcohol. You should go wash up first; you're almost suffocating me!"
As soon as he returned to his room, Zhe Yourong couldn't help but complain.
"You know as well as I do that in such an occasion today, I couldn't control things!"
Facing Zhe Yourong's complaints, Han Mo could only feel speechless.
"Alright, alright, I know you're in a difficult position. I've already had someone prepare bathwater for you. You should go wash up first!"
Seeing Han Mo's crestfallen face, Zhe Yourong said with a smile.
"By the way, did they bring back the manuscripts I left on the desk?"
As he was about to leave, Han Mo suddenly asked.
"They were brought back, but they are all in the boxes. You'll have to find them yourself if you want them!"
Zhe Yourong spoke while pointing to a box placed by the bedside.
"As long as they weren't lost, that's fine. These are treasures!"
Hearing Zhe Yourong's words, Han Mo finally felt relieved and turned to go to the adjacent room to wash up.
After a hasty bath, even Han Mo felt genuinely drowsy.
Yawning, he returned to his room. Zhe Yourong had already sorted all the manuscripts and placed them on his desk. At this moment, she was holding a stack of manuscripts and sitting in a nearby chair, engrossed in reading.
"I wonder if they can get a few more candles. With just one candle, aren't you afraid you'll blind yourself?"
Seeing her engrossed appearance, Han Mo couldn't help but say with a smile.
"Those monks are too detestable! They deserve it; they are all being suppressed by those Daoists."