unclear

Chapter 1449 Master Jia
However, the Statistics Department lacked a comprehensive intelligence network and a network of intelligence personnel throughout the country. Where should they begin? Seeking help from the Embroidered Uniform Guard was definitely out of the question. Tan Mingbu's order was for a secret investigation. If they could utilize the Embroidered Uniform Guard, why would they need to ask the Emperor to loosen the restrictions on the Statistics Department?

As long as we don't give up, there's always a way to overcome difficulties. The Statistics Department doesn't have an intelligence network on its own soil, but thanks to Wang Datou's foresight, it established intelligence points in several important cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Songjiang Prefecture, and Manila long ago. Even though they are far from Lanzhou, that doesn't necessarily mean they can't obtain accurate intelligence.

Why? In two words: approval!
Military factories are not food processing plants; everything from raw materials to products and personnel must be subject to strict review and oversight by relevant departments. Being located thousands of miles away, if every little thing requires traveling back and forth between Beijing and Lanzhou, things will be too late.

Liaison offices in Beijing were not a later invention; they existed in ancient times. In fact, it wasn't just special enterprises like arsenals that needed to establish dedicated offices in the capital to receive guidance from higher authorities; various provincial administrations, major chambers of commerce, and even prominent families all established similar offices in the capital under various names.

Under an authoritarian system, to achieve great power, wealth, and longevity, besides connections, ability, and opportunity, one must also closely follow the decision-making level. As the saying goes, "being near the water tower allows one to get the moon first." Learning about policy changes early, understanding the emperor's intentions, and aligning oneself with the central leadership in a timely manner are essential to avoid becoming an ant trying to shake a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

So what do the Beijing offices do in the capital? One thing: they try their best to get close to the people who can get the first information about the court's movements, then they keep their eyes wide open and their ears perked up, remembering every word they see and hear, and then use their brains to analyze and ponder, and pass on the results to their employers, heads of households, superiors, etc. as soon as possible.

But the court officials and those around the emperor weren't fools. They wouldn't just spread whatever the emperor said or what the court was planning. To get the truth out of them, you had to build a close relationship with them, visit them frequently, and extract the gold from their words and actions.

Climbing into high-class establishments frequently would invite criticism, and chatting idly in government offices was even more inappropriate. Thus, restaurants of all sizes throughout the capital became the best social venues. The larger, more upscale, better-serviced, and more private a restaurant was, the better its business would be.

Xiyu Lou is one of the top choices for entertaining guests. In addition to the exotic food and dancers, the most attractive features are the completely enclosed and independent private rooms and the six doors in the east, west, south, and north.

Hosting important guests here offers not only top-notch cuisine and beautiful women, but also the opportunity for private conversations. There's no need to worry about being overheard, nor about bumping into colleagues or unwanted acquaintances. You can leave anytime, anywhere through any door – it's easily accessible!
The person who designed all these intricacies was truly talented; they considered almost every aspect and solved it thoroughly. However, what they didn't know was that behind so many user-friendly designs lay the most inhumane core.

If the top brass of the Statistics Department wanted to, every word and action of anyone could be recorded without exception. If any special circumstances were discovered, the private room might already be filled with Imperial Guards or military police before the dinner party even ended.

"Send all the records from June to now to the department, with a focus on recording the conversation in Tingyuxuan on the third floor. Manager Pang, you don't need to wait here, go back to your post and keep an eye on things. If the receiver isn't working well, find a way to get into Tingyuxuan and adjust the direction."

Also, replace all the staff serving Tingyuxuan tonight with our own, and make sure they stay as long as possible, ideally getting drunk and sleeping in the back. I'll stay here and oversee things; report any issues immediately!

Liu Yuan is here today to personally arrange the wiretapping work. At the same time, in his capacity as the director of the statistics department, he also needs to transfer all the wiretapping records from the past few months and archive and organize them in advance.

Since being tasked with investigating the bombing, he had dispatched all available personnel. Some disguised themselves as various individuals and traveled to the scene to gather intelligence, while others remained in Beijing to review past files. After several days of searching, he had identified two prime suspects from the wiretapped files. Coincidentally, they were hosting a banquet at the Xiyu Restaurant today, which might lead to discussions related to the Lanzhou arsenal bombing, making it worthwhile for him to make the trip.

"Master, the carriage is ready." Inside Jinchengfang, Fuchengmen, at the Jia family's villa. The short, capable steward arrived at the entrance of the main hall and reminded his master through the curtain in a calm and measured tone.

"Jia Rong, come in and give me an answer!" An old voice rang out from inside the room.

"It's Master..." The butler lifted the curtain and went in, standing properly and bowing to the old man in the main seat of the hall.

This was a man who looked to be in his fifties, with gray hair and beard, dark skin, and a tall and muscular build. He was almost as tall as the steward, Jia Rong, when he was standing with his head bowed.

A pure white cross-collar top, trousers with a crotch, a brown straight-leg jacket, a black fishnet, cloth socks, and straw sandals—a standard old-fashioned home outfit. If fine cotton and subtly patterned fabrics were added, it would be the home attire of an old-fashioned wealthy person.

Since there was an old school, there must have been a new school. The main difference between the old and new schools lay in the style of clothing. Because the emperor preferred to wear short clothes, and as the reforms deepened and his prestige grew, many young officials began to follow suit, adhering to the principle of "what the superiors do, the inferiors follow."

At home, they mainly wore front-opening, narrow-sleeved tops and belted trousers. Over time, their influence spread to society, and they began to be sought after by some wealthy businessmen, becoming known as casual wear.

This Mr. Jia, whose real name was Jia Yihui, was from Jin County, Shaanxi Province, and was a landlord of considerable size in the area. However, he missed the early wave of vigorous reforms. Had he not seized the opportunity, he might still be a landlord in a remote county, toiling in the fields for a few hundred acres.
In the nineteenth year of Jingyang, the emperor personally led an expedition against the Yarkand Khanate. The army selected Lanzhou as its logistics base, and in addition to military camps, warehouses, and railcars, it also transferred its military manufacturing industry there.

The sudden arrival of so many large factories, along with a series of supporting industries, in the heart of Shaanxi, a region primarily focused on agricultural and pastoral production, is bound to cause a huge upheaval. Some people, fearing the disruption of their businesses, will keep their distance even if they lack the ability to resist. Others, more flexible in their thinking, are willing to try and accept new things.

Jia Yihui belonged to the latter category. He had a nephew's child working under Zhuque. After learning that the government was going to acquire a large amount of land near Lanzhou for factory construction, he immediately found his grand-nephew who was visiting home and inquired about what the factory was. He also asked the child about his work and life at the Snowflake Sugar Factory.

(End of this chapter)