Domineering Daming

Zhu Xu carried the lanterns and wandered around curiously. The fireworks were lit everywhere, wandering around at will, which made him extremely happy.

At the same time, on the other side of the street, Yang Huaizhong, who had hurried back from the south, didn't feel the ease and joy of the Lantern Festival at all, and walked quickly into a restaurant.

Just as Yang Huaizhong walked up to the second floor, a man who looked like a servant greeted him and said, "Master Yang, please, Master Fan has been waiting for a long time."

Yang Huaizhong frowned, nodded solemnly, and followed the boy into a private room.

"Treasurer Fan."

When Yang Huaizhong entered the door, he raised his hand and said, seeing a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy beside him, he quickly said: "The little shopkeeper is also here."

There were two people sitting in the room, one was a middle-aged man, slightly fat, with ordinary facial features, the kind of person who would never be noticed in the crowd.On the other hand, the young man next to him, with dark complexion and piercing eyes, looks like a sharp-minded and exquisite person.

The middle-aged man picked up the teapot and said with a smile, "Shopkeeper Yang, please sit down."

Yang Huaizhong looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and sat down opposite him.

Yang Huaizhong took the teacup and touched his lower lip in a symbolic way, and before he could ask a question, he said, "Master Fan, except for the sea business, we have lost money in all other businesses, and the losses have been very serious."

Fan Da’s shopkeeper’s name was Fan Jinxiong. Hearing Yang Huaizhong’s words, his expression remained the same, and he said, “Well, before I came here, I had calculated this with several other companies. I lost a piece of water transportation, and Zhangjiakou’s side has also changed. It’s the most profitable. Both sides of the company are losing money, and this year, Shanyou only lost 100 million taels, which is considered good."

Yang Huaizhong looked at Fan Jinxiong's face, and hesitantly asked, "Treasurer Fan Da, what do those companies mean?"

Fan Jinxiong looked at Yang Huaizhong's expression, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, shopkeeper Yang. We have cooperated for so many years, and we can trust your ability. Our failure was only affected by the change in the court, and no one blames you."

Yang Huaizhong heaved a sigh of relief. Shanxi merchants always like to hold groups. His Yang family is not big. His role in it is a broker if it sounds good, but it's an errand runner if it sounds bad.If he is not trusted by these big shopkeepers, he will have nothing.

Fan Jinxiong glanced at the young man beside him, and said, "Yongdou, tell shopkeeper Yang about the troubles we are encountering now."

Upon hearing this, Yang Huaizhong quickly raised his head to look at the young man on his left.

There was a smile on Fan Yongdou's dark face, he looked very pleasing and easy to get close to, and he said deliberately slow: "Master Yang, first of all, it is water transportation, the food, private salt, tea, and cloth that the Jin people need can't come from here." It was transported from the south. We have used many methods, but the water transport is full of checkpoints everywhere, and it is difficult to get through it completely. The transfer of land is not talking about fire consumption, but time-consuming and safety. The Jin people are already very dissatisfied, saying that we can Be trustworthy, many of the businesses that were entrusted to us have also been changed. Just for this item alone, the combined loss of our family has exceeded 800 million taels! In addition, it is Zhangjiakou, and now the imperial court is extremely strict. The Feng family was ransacked, and many people dare not touch it again. We have lost even more in this area..."

Yang Huaizhong had already heard about it before, but he didn't know that Feng's house had been ransacked, so his face darkened.

The Feng family is much larger than the Yang family, and has been in business since the early Ming Dynasty. The sum of all the branches may be worth more than 300 million taels!

Shanxi merchants, whether it is water transport or Zhangjiakou, are all shady or outrageous businesses. Once they are found out, it is normal to ransack their homes and exterminate their families.But also because of this, the profits are so huge that they can't stop.

Yang Huaizhong was silent for a long time, looked up at Fan Jinxiong and said, "Treasurer Fan, then, how do all the shopkeepers make their decisions?"

Fan Jinxiong glanced at Fan Yongdou, and said after deliberation: "We have already checked, whether it is Water Transport or Zhangjiakou, it is now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Households, and we have also inquired about the chambers of commerce you mentioned before, and it is said that they are households. Minister of the Ministry, Fu Tao's."

Because recently, the changes in the court have been too drastic, which has greatly affected them, and Yang Huaizhong naturally does not know who the servant of the household department is.

Minister of the Household Department, King Hui, Queen, after such a series, Yang Huaizhong suddenly realized, looked at Fan Jinxiong and said, "I have heard rumors that the Huimin Chamber of Commerce will belong to Zhang Guogong, and now it seems that it is true!"

Fan Yongdou said: "It should be true, but this Mr. Fu seems to want to eat alone."

Yang Huaizhong remembered the scene when he went to Zhou Jianyu to talk about water transportation, his brows froze, and he remained silent.

This Mr. Fu has a profound background, and all his businesses are unique, and it is difficult for outsiders to get in. Unlike them, all his business is beheading.

Fan Jinxiong looked at Yang Huaizhong, his eyes were calm, with an irresistible momentum, he said in a deep voice: "The water transportation must be opened up, and Zhangjiakou must also be straightened out, no matter how much it costs!"

Yang Huaizhong looked surprised, and said: "Master Fan Da, that Mr. Fu, I'm afraid he is not a good talker, and he may not like to participate in our business."

Fan Jinxiong nodded indifferently, and said: "We have to try no matter what. If this continues, except for the business in the southeast, the business in the north and Tatars will be impossible to do. We can't afford to lose, and we can't lose it!"

Yang Huaizhong understood that this was probably not Fan Jinxiong's idea alone, but it represented the thoughts of most Shanxi merchants.

Shanxi merchants are a very united group, and the businesses they do are very similar. Since the early Ming Dynasty, most of them have been related to the border. This is the lifeblood and must not be broken!

He thought for a while, stood up and said in a deep voice: "Okay, then I will visit Fu's mansion tomorrow and meet Mr. Fu."

Fan Jinxiong thought about it for a while, and said to Yang Huaizhong thoroughly: "Go and test it first, as long as you can let him hold his hand high, you can open it at will under 500 million taels."

This is a blatant waste of money.

Yang Huaizhong's face changed again. Although Shanxi merchants are huge and have rich family resources, it is not easy to take out 500 million taels at once. It should be done by everyone.

This means that their Shanxi merchants are really in big trouble.

Chapter 177 Advice to Song Kangnian

The three of Zhu Xu were still strolling around, enjoying it so much that they had no intention of going back even though the palace gate was about to be closed.

The Shangyuan Festival is really very interesting. Unlike the festivals of later generations, it is purely spontaneous among the people and does not endow it with other attributes.Along the way, Zhu Xu changed lanterns, tasted snacks, played lantern riddles, robbed boats, set off firecrackers and so on, almost without stopping.

Cao Wenzhao and Cao Huachun are much calmer, they have been protecting them cautiously.

There were crowds of people in front, and the lights were like dragons. Cao Wenzhao looked at it from afar and said with a smile, "Your Highness, let's go and set off the lanterns."

"Okay, buy a few more lanterns."

Zhu Xu was eager to try, and with three lanterns in his hand, he walked quickly to the river.

There are people on both sides of the river, and there are already many lanterns floating on the river. The white lotus is against the background, as if dotted on the black mirror, swaying, it is really beautiful.

Walking along the river, many young women with young apricots and young girls in the blooming season squatted by the river, pushing flower lanterns, playing shyly and laughing endlessly.

Looking at it, Zhu Xu couldn't help but sigh, "Tsk tsk, it's nice to be young."

Cao Huachun and Cao Wenzhao knew Zhu Xu very well, and they were able to resist His Highness Hui's strange words, so they pretended not to hear them, and followed with a large circle of lanterns.

"Auntie, are we going home?"

"Yeah, it's so late, if you don't go back, the master will be angry."

"Auntie, my sister and I haven't had enough fun yet, let's play for a while, and we haven't read the literature yet..."

"Okay, learn from your sister and be a quiet and virtuous woman..."

A middle-aged woman and two eleven or twelve-year-old girls came up to meet Zhu Xu and the three of them.

Zhu Xu blinked, stopped and looked back, thinking to himself, "The little girl who didn't speak just now looks familiar."

Cao Huachun and Cao Wenzhao were taken aback for a moment, looked at Zhu Xu and said, "Your Highness, what's the matter?"

"It's okay." Zhu Xu turned his head, quickly found an empty place, and pushed the lamps in his hand into the river.

"Make a wish, make a wish."

Zhu Xu waved to the two people behind him, then looked at the lantern solemnly and began to make a wish.

Cao Wenzhao and Cao Cao looked at each other. Shouldn't this wish be to go to the temple?

Zhu Xu chattered for a while, then turned to look at the two of them and said, "Don't you believe it? Let's go and find the master to figure it out."