First Prince of Ming Dynasty

The two talked about the situation in the north for a while, and the only threat to Daming was still there. No matter how declining Mongolia was, it was still an important force in the world.

Then we got to the point. Chen Youzong was not only the imperial envoy, but also Zhu Biao's intermediary for communication with the world's major merchants and families.

If you can't even get close to Chen Youzong's relationship, then naturally you don't have the qualifications to do anything with the prince. This is why Chen Youzong's position in the court has been a little aloof in the past two years.

Zhu Biao put down his teacup and said, "I've heard in the palace that the Chen Mansion is more lively than the Imperial Palace during the New Year. From New Year's Day to now, there are always cars and horses running like a dragon."

Chen Youzong smiled and said: "It's not just the horses and horses that are like dragons, the storehouses in my house are already full of four, and the gifts are still being sent in a steady stream. There are so many rare treasures from all over the world, I have opened my eyes."

Zhu Biaozhi sighed after hearing the words: "The prosperity of the world is all for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit. It is not easy to deal with these people, and Yu Aiqing's reputation as a scholar has also been damaged. It has been hard work."

Chen Youzong shook his head: "It's my duty to serve His Highness, and it's also my blessing. It's just a few sour words from a rotten scholar, what's worth it."

Zhu Biao didn't say any more when he heard the words. He was kind to Chen Youzong, and now he married his daughter-in-law, so his interests have long been integrated. I have to say something to comfort and comfort, but I don't need to say too much. .

The gifts received by Chen Youzong were all for Zhu Biao, and they would be sent to the palace sooner or later. In fact, these two people don’t care about this stuff. The Chen family’s wealth has been passed down for more than a hundred years. The future is bound to have the world.

Zhu Biao may be short of food and people, but he will never be short of the so-called rare treasures. Those are the most useless things to him. A few years ago, he liked calligraphy and painting calligraphy and calligraphy by famous Tang and Song dynasties. Now he is busy with government affairs. I don't even bother to take a look.

There is only a small hobby of playing with jade ornaments, and the most outstanding jade craftsman in Ming Dynasty has long been summoned by the emperor to Beijing for the use of the prince alone.

"I've read the list, but that's all. I have to ask Ai Qing about which one is successful and which one is not."

Chen Youzong pondered for a moment and replied: "Every family and account has generous gifts. If you really want to go into details, it's impossible. You can only look at it from the business gang where it belongs."

The reason for the formation of business gangs is actually very realistic. It is to keep warm. Scholars, peasants, businessmen, businessmen who go out to buy and sell in any dynasty, they are often treated unfairly on the way to do business, and some local officials and local gangs will exploit them in various names. .

"Nowadays, wechat merchants are the most sincere and powerful. Your Highness also knows that the Baojie Valley in Huizhou, the mountains are close to the original foot, the fields are barren, and the production is extremely thin, resulting in more merchants. There is still some connection with the Holy One."

Zhu Biao raised his eyebrows when he heard the words, and the latter sentence was the key point. After a little thought, he remembered that when his father and emperor sent his troops to Anhui, the great merchant Jiang Yuan offered to offer one hundred thousand taels for safety.

At that time, the army's salary was scarce, so no matter what, they had to get the money to help the army. Jiang Yuan took the initiative to donate the silver to save the twists and turns, and also made an impression on other wealthy merchants, so this kind of love is there.

Zhu Biao asked: "What is the history of the micro-business?"

Chen Youzong stroked his beard and said: "She inkstone, Hui ink, Chengxintang paper, Wang Boli pen, these four treasures were often tributes in Tang and Song dynasties, and they are still today. Any literati with a little money will buy this one. Set up the facade."

Zhu Biao glanced at the pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk in front of him and said: "I am afraid that the four treasures of the study are not suitable for sea trade. Dongying and Korea may snap up them, but other countries outside the vassal are not available."

Chen Youzong was silent for a moment, Zhu Biao said thoughtfully: "Just say what you have, here you and I are the only ones, so why should you be taboo too much?"

"Jianghuai salt dealers are mostly micro-merchants, owning thousands of ships..."

"Private salt?"

"It was half official and half private at first, but according to Jiang Yuan's son, now they are all in exchange for the salt they obtained from Kaizhong France."

Zhu Biao knocked on the desk thoughtfully: "Credible?"

Chen Youzong didn't dare to vouch for it: "I only know that since His Royal Highness visited the Li family in the south the year before last, all the salt smugglers in the south of the Yangtze River have disappeared."

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment and said: "Let them hand over 500 ships to the Water Transport Commander's Office, and another 300,000 shi of grain to send to Hangzhou. This matter is past the past, but if they commit family raids again."

"promise."

This is the price to be paid. Presumably they have already prepared for it. The salt industry has made huge profits but there is a risk of family raids. Maritime trade is also violent. Although there is also the risk of shipwreck and death, the whole family will not be wiped out.

Chen Youzong continued with his expression unchanged: "Then there are Shanxi merchants. In recent years, due to the opening of China and France by the imperial court, the fortunes of several wealthy merchants in Shanxi have doubled. In Taiyuan, Pingyang, Ze, and Lu, the wealthy merchants are the best in the world, not dozens of them. Don't dare claim to be rich."

Zhu Biao knew that Shanxi merchants wanted to join the sea trade because they heard that the imperial court was about to stop opening China and France, so they were so urgent. Their camel fleets did not dare to stop.

"Okay, 300,000 shi of food and 200,000 taels of silver, let them prepare their own fleet to go abroad, and how much they can eat depends on how much appetite they have."

If you want to eat the first crab with the imperial court, you will naturally have to pay a price. Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, sea trade has been cut off. No one knows what is going on overseas, and there are Japanese pirates rampant in the coastal waters. Without the imperial navy to protect them, they will go out to sea. fat sheep.

There are also Fujian merchants behind, and they don't need to spend too much, because they are really ancestral skills in maritime trade, with extremely rich experience, and the navy has to rely on them in many places when they go to sea.

With several regional merchant gangs, dozens of large firms, and the number one naval force, this is basically Daming's first attempt at the sea.

It seems that the merchants account for the majority, but in fact they are not as good as the imperial court. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are a drop in the bucket. How many silk and porcelain weaving companies in the world are government-owned, and the productivity of the imperial court far exceeds that of the merchants. too much.

What's more, no one can deny the business tax that should be collected after the return of the trade. Zhu Biao never worried about whether the sea trade would lose money. What he worried about was that the sea was ruthless. A piece of rootless duckweed.

Zhu Biao discussed with Chen Youzong for more than an hour before Chen Youzong left. After he returned to the mansion, he had to convey the prince's will to each household. Various arrangements and a rough division of interests still needed to be discussed.

Zhu Biao drank three times hot tea at the moment, and his forehead was a little sweaty. Fugui carefully fanned him with his sleeve, looking forward to being recognized but afraid of being scolded.

Zhu Biao ordered indifferently: "There is a fan in the Qinglong wooden cabinet on the left side of the side hall, go and get it."

"promise"

The eunuchs often used spices on their bodies, and Fugui used only ordinary ones when he first took office. Zhu Biao smelled a little pungent, and soon Fugui came back, fanning him gently.

"The servants are not well served, and they will be punished when they go back."

Zhu Biao leaned on the chair and closed his eyes to rest his mind. After a long time, he said: "Go back and ask Liu Jin carefully."

Joy flashed in Fugui's eyes, what he was most afraid of was that His Highness would ignore his orders, in that case he was not prepared to keep him by his side forever.

What Zhu Biao was thinking at this time was whether he should squeeze the wealth of the wealthy merchants. Just now, he asked for some, but in fact it was very little. Yes, they don't even hurt their bones when they get together.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to forget it. With this amount of silver grain and looking for it elsewhere in the second half of the year, next year it will be easy to return the million-dollar grain of the Jiangnan family.

The businessmen were relieved by relying on the loose policy at the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty and the low business tax. There is no need to be so eager to squeeze. Less blood, lost a lot of property.

Wait for the sea trade to be smooth before raising the business tax. Of course, the restrictions that should be imposed should be more stringent. The collusion between government and business must be restricted and prevented. Power and wealth can’t be left to them. Daming is not a businessman’s Daming.

Zhu Biao sighed, beating the child has to wait until he grows up, it is not good to beat him to death now, Lao Zhu only started beating his son when he was six or seven years old.

…………………