New Shun 1730

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Listening to the familiar and accustomed Liu Yu's often "insulting" comments about them, these businessmen became happy.

When they heard that Liu Yu was humiliating them again, they felt that this was probably going to happen. Liu Yu had insulted them several times before, but after each insult, he made them rich together. The principle is similar. If I don't bring you together to make a fortune, you will harm the court, so it's better to tie them together.

After laughing, Lin Yunwen said: "We are ashamed of what Marquis Jing said. Otherwise, why don't they all say that we merchants are forgetful of their wealth?"

"It's just that in ancient times, when the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were controlling water, it was better to dredge it than to block it. If Gun could not block it, Dayu could dredge it."

"The Marquis of Whales really has the wisdom of Dayu, hahahaha..."

They wouldn't feel embarrassed because Liu Yu humiliated them, after all, he was very honest.

Unless the imperial court also banned Southeast Asian trade, they would not even be allowed to go to Southeast Asia, or they would not be able to return home as long as they went to sea. Otherwise, there is always a way to smuggle.

There are warships blocking the strait. Is it possible that we can't create a passage through the rainforest?

As long as you have more contact with Westerners, smuggling is still very simple.

Liu Yu also smiled and said: "Okay, so you know why I don't dare to guarantee too high profits, right? Even if you all know that trading with Westerners makes money, I, the guarantor, have a lot to think about. ”

"If you want to investigate smuggling, you have to build a ship. Do you think this money should be spent?"

After the humiliation, the atmosphere of the banquet became lively. Hearing Liu Yu's question, all the businessmen said: "We should build ships. Anyone caught smuggling should be severely punished. Anyway, if we buy individual stocks, we will not smuggle. Once caught, we will suffer big losses." ”

Liu Yu added: "The Dutch are building forts everywhere to prevent the locals from selling some in-demand goods to other foreigners. Do they also have to garrison this place?"

"That's natural! That's natural. The Marquis of Whales has thought it through, but I can't do it as well. Of course, I still ask the Marquis of Whales for guidance on all the rules. It's right to spend more money in the early stage."

Now that the annual interest rate of 12% has been set, no matter whether things will work out in the future, but now with the promise of 12% annual interest rate, I will follow Liu Yu's words wholeheartedly.

And these things do make sense. You can't make money by doing big business without creating a monopoly. To establish a monopoly, how can it be possible to establish a monopoly if there are no troops and warships in these days?

Liu Yu also made some calculations in his mind. The promised 12% annual interest rate would definitely be no problem as long as the negotiations with the Dutch were successful.

Once the War for the Austrian Throne is over, there will be a wave of consumption boom in Europe before the next war. Even the sugar trade will improve.

As long as the businessmen here in Dashun can be satisfied with the 12% annual interest rate.

The capital in the Netherlands must be overjoyed with the 12% annual interest rate.

As for how much stock must be raised, whether the imperial treasury should hold shares, how much of the emperor's internal funds should be taken, how much the annual monopoly fee should be, and how much the annual tax should be, these need to be added up slowly. There's no rush for now.

Now that an annual interest rate commitment of about 12% has been negotiated, Dashun's problem has been solved. The rest is the Dutch side.

Thinking of this, Liu Yu also felt relaxed and actually took the initiative to pick up the wine glass.

Everyone stood up in panic and picked up their wine glasses. Liu Yu smiled, bowed slightly, and drank the wine in one gulp, but did not say anything like wishing success.

Instead, he said: "The annual interest rate and rate of return are still a bit high after all. If the annual interest rate rate is high, the loan interest will not be low. I hope you will get rich, but I also hope that one day, the interest rate on the loan will also be high." If you can, please work hard."

When he said this, although everyone had to raise their glasses together for the sake of their official status and face, they still felt a little unhappy in their hearts.

Lower interest rates for lending means that the returns in many industries are not that high. Otherwise, just like today's Western Trading Company, which gives an annual interest rate of 12%, then if the lending interest rate is only 5%, why would the lender lend money instead of investing?

The last words were like a curse on them not to make too much money in the future.

The businessmen had no choice but to say together: "Encourage each other, encourage each other..."

As soon as the banquet ended, the leading businessmen gathered at Lin Yunwen's residence. There were so many people and it was a public place, so it was hard to say something.

There is much more to say in private.

This western and southern trade is a huge deal to them.

Lin Yunwen is also a legendary figure among these wealthy businessmen. Everyone thinks that he is a typical example of "having the right thigh".

Although this is not a good thing, most wealthy businessmen are envious and jealous of him, but there is no slander. In Dashun's environment, there is no shame in hugging someone's thigh, which is something many people dream of. In the previous dynasty, I worshiped an eunuch as my godfather, which still made me proud of my family.

Lin Yunwen came from a family that went bankrupt in business, became a Japanese teacher for Liu Yu, and then gradually became a shareholder of a Japanese trading company, and is now extremely wealthy.

Not only did he have land, but he also funded the new school's volunteer study. He also donated 500 acres of land to fund the new school's volunteer study. Now it has taken over some textile workshops, and it is no longer what it was like when the family went bankrupt.

But even so, he didn't give himself a name or a font size.

An incident happened a few years ago, which was a wake-up call for these wealthy businessmen in Songjiang Prefecture.

Some wealthy merchants not only paid for charity schools, but also donated money, hoping that their names could be included in the "Temple of Local Worthies".

The history of this Temple of Local Worthies can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period. Kong Rong, the prime minister of Beihai, once built a temple for the famous filial son Zhen Shiran. Starting from this, each place has its own Temple of Local Worthies.

This is a kind of honorary title, similar to archways.

It needs to be recommended by the local gentry circle and then nominated by local officials. It is quite glorious.

But this circle is a small circle monopolized by gentry. Among the scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, merchants are the lowest. Although they are rich, they are not people in the circle of "scholars".

A few years ago, the businessman who set up charity schools and donated money in Songjiang Prefecture was stupid. With money, he actually wanted to get rid of low-level interests and pursue some spiritual pursuits. He even thought about entering the Temple of Local Worthies.

As a result, this higher-level spiritual pursuit caused trouble. The gentry class in the local scholar circle jointly reported that he was a businessman, didn't he have a few dirty money? What qualifications did he have to be considered a local sage?

If I have money, I can donate. The court allows merchants to be included in the local sage temple. What do those scholars think?

The circle of scholars all have connections in the officialdom. Reporting one level after another, the final outcome is strict investigation and prosecution, reprimanding the officials who nominated him, and giving him a serious crime of "insulting civility".

So far, some merchants who have been floating in recent years have realized what they are.

Although they have a few dirty money, they really can't get into the circle of "scholars".

This also led to a division among the wealthy people gathered in Songjiang.

Some people think that no matter how rich they are, they are the lowest merchants, and they can't even get into the local sage temple and have no qualifications.

It's better to use all the money to buy land, farm and study, hire teachers, and let their children and grandchildren come out to be officials.

Being a businessman is not as good as being a gentry? You are rich and famous, and you can also enjoy high-level spiritual pursuits.

As long as you have money, is there anything you can't do? Buy land, become a landlord, hire a teacher, teach your children, and let your children take the imperial examination. If your children pass the imperial examination in the future, won’t the local sage temple beg you to enter?

Some people, such as Lin Yunwen, think that since you can’t squeeze into the circle of gentry, why bother? It’s better to make money honestly.

All the children are sent to new schools to learn different skills, learn more arithmetic and navigation, so that they can take over the family business in the future, or at least go out to sea to make a living.

And I, honestly, just recognize my own identity, don’t do anything like a name, and try to squeeze into the circle of scholars.

And Lin Yunwen’s identity is a bit special, and he recognized it early. The new school he funded was smashed several times. People think that you are right to donate money to charity schools, but why donate to new schools, but don’t learn the teachings of saints, so why don’t you smash it?

You want to enter the local sage temple?

Some people also quietly told him to keep a low profile. After all, he had the experience of being Liu Yu's Japanese teacher and translator, so he didn't want to be followed by others to make trouble.

Some people also said that the last incident of the Township Worthies Temple seemed to be a small matter, but in fact it was simply a conflict between scholars and merchants, and they just took advantage of the issue to make a fuss.

Some people have long been dissatisfied with the commercial habits that have emerged in Songjiang and other places in recent years. It may also be because of their dissatisfaction with their monopoly on trade with Japan, or it may be that there are experts in the court who are instructing to deal with Jing Hou and other non-imperial examination candidates.

This matter may seem small, but in fact it is putting pressure on the court, and it may even be the fuse to set off an internal struggle in the court.

How the court handles it, the moment the Township Worthies Temple incident broke out and was jointly reported by the gentry, it was destined to have only two results.

Either, there will be a big fight in the court, and those who are from the imperial examination will completely crush those who are not from the imperial examination.

Or, the court can only order a warning to remove the names of merchants from the Township Worthies Temple.

There is no third possibility. For example, the court stands on the side of the merchants, thinking that since they donated money and set up charity schools, they can be included in the local sage temple with their virtue.

If the third option is really chosen, the court will be furious.

However, the second option also means that the court still attaches importance to the merchant class.

In other words, the faction in the court that supports industry and commerce is still in power for the time being.

The court seems to be reprimanding this matter, but in fact it is showing that the faction in the court that supports industry and commerce is in a stable position.

Otherwise, it would be a simple matter of the local sage temple in one state.

The power is in the hands of the emperor. If the emperor really wants to move these people who support industry and commerce, how can this matter be resolved so easily? It is so easy to resolve, although it seems that the local sages have won, but in fact they have lost.

This kind of thing that these outsiders who are officials in the court can't understand at all and think is just a trivial matter has happened countless times in recent years.

Reporting, crying, writing newspapers to satirize, and writing blood letters to oppose are all obvious.

Those who use the trivial matter of the Xiangxian Temple to stir up trouble are all shady.

Some people can understand it, and some people can't.

Lin Yunwen can't understand it, but there are people behind him who are guiding him. He also understands that because of his background as a Japanese translator for Liu Yu, he has no other choice.

After the Xiangxian Temple incident, people who choose to continue to be businessmen like Lin Yunwen prefer Songjiang Prefecture, which has a relatively stronger business atmosphere, and don't want to leave here at all.

They are not those people in Nanyang, and they don't need any means like moving to Maoling. Many people still spontaneously left their hometowns and settled their families here.