Chapter 9 0009 [Revealing Wealth]
Seeing Zhu Ming asking about the wealthy families, Zhang Guangdao chuckled: "There are only two upper-class households in Baishitou within a radius of 20 miles, and both of them are named Bai. One lives in Shangbai Village, and the owner is called Lao Bai Yuanwai; the other lives in Xiabai Village,
The head of the family calls him Xiaobai Yuanwai."
"Which surname Bai has a better reputation?" Zhu Ming asked again.
Zhang Guangdao said: "The one in Shangbaicun Village wanted to show off his face, but at least he didn't push his neighbors to death."
Ju Ming understood instantly that both families named Bai were not good, but the one in Shangbaicun at least had some bottom line.
Zhu Ming cupped his hands and said, "Please ask Brother Zhang to help lead the way."
Zhang Guangdao showed great enthusiasm and threw the salt he bought to Lu Wang and Ding Dafang, and took Zhu Ming and his son upriver with his bare hands.
As for Lu and Ding, while helping to look after the salt, they continued to stay in the market town and sell chickens and ducks.
The further away from Baishitou, the less fertile farmland along the river, and the area of barren mountainous areas increases. Private houses are scattered at the foot of the mountain, all thatched houses with earthen walls. Not only do people live in poverty, but they are also sparsely populated.
During the period of Wang Anshi's political reform, Hanzhong's population peaked, but it has declined year by year since then.
"Thirty Wen...Fifty Wen...Oh, don't leave!" The shopkeeper's tone became anxious.
Zhu Guoxiang, who was watching horses on the street, saw his son walking out of the shop and asked, "How is it?"
In fact, Hubi did not become famous until the Yuan Dynasty, and it was not yet mature during the Song Dynasty.
The waiter actually had evil thoughts in his mind and came up with an idea: "It looks like we are two strangers. Why don't we ask Brother Bai to lead someone to follow us and grab the horse and pen at night?"
Zhu Guoxiang stood outside the shop watching the horses, and Zhu Ming went in with a brush.
In addition, many county registrars in the Song Dynasty also served as county lieutenants and were also responsible for catching thieves (in order to save wages, the chief registrar and county lieutenant were often the same person, and only needed to pay the salary of one official position). If the county magistrate did not
He likes to take charge of affairs, and the hearing of many daily cases is also handled by the county magistrate and the chief registrar.
Zhu Ming took the Hubi back and left. The shopkeeper shouted: "Wait a minute, I'll take a look again."
The shopkeeper said: "This is a good pen, but I don't know how to price it."
Zhu Guoxiang asked: "What should I do?"
After walking for about 40 minutes, the terrain opened up again, and a large number of tile-roofed houses suddenly appeared. They were all the houses of the Bai family. The largest mansion belonged to the main family, and the nearby houses belonged to the same family.
In this white market, prices are much lower, and you can indeed buy a writing brush for five cents. However, a higher-quality writing brush also costs dozens of cents.
"Thanks for the reminder." Zhu Ming thanked him.
Zhang Guangdao accompanied his father and son back to the market. Lu Wang and Ding Dafang's poultry were also sold out.
In a big city like Kaifeng, the most rubbish brushes cost about ten cents.
The old janitor and the young servant obviously didn't know much about the goods, and they didn't believe that a writing brush was worth hundreds of dollars.
"Bang!"
Seeing that the father and son were dressed in rags and smelled slightly of rancidity, the old man thought they were beggars and closed the door of the house again without saying a word.
"It's also a way." Zhu Ming nodded and said.
Ju Ming said: "After we traveled through time, my memory seems to have gotten better. I can blurt out many details of the information I checked in the video before."
Things are a bit embarrassing. What if Hubi was not famous during the Northern Song Dynasty?
Zhu Guoxiang thought carefully: "When I bought a pen, the salesperson in the mall seemed to say that Hubi was famous in the Tang Dynasty. He also quoted Bai Juyi's poem, "Pick a cent out of millions." Hey, how could I remember this poem?
?”
Father and son Zhu Ming and Zhu Guoxiang turned from beggars to liars in an instant.
Changming Yaqian also worked as an errand for the government, but the nature was completely different. He signed up to do things on his own initiative.
The house door was closed again.
The pawn shop owner obviously had never heard of the name Hu Brush, so he took the brush and asked: "Pawn to death or alive?"
Zhu Guoxiang was forced to take two steps back by the stick, holding the Hu brush and saying: "We are not beggars, we are businessmen passing through this place. This brush is a high-grade Hu brush, worth hundreds of dollars. The old white man will definitely like it when he sees it."
Ju Ming turned around and bowed, his attitude was ambiguous.
After sending the three people to the ferry to board the boat, Zhu Ming and Zhu Guoxiang went to the pawn shop.
I have no choice but to keep knocking on the door.
Zhang Guangdao pointed to the side of the mansion: "Go through the side door. Don't go through the main entrance because you will feel uncomfortable."
The two turned back, but Zhang Guangdao remained at the same place and did not take the opportunity to take the thin horse away.
Because Ju Ming's clothes were in tatters, the shopkeeper was initially careless. But after carefully tasting it, his eyes lit up quickly, and he put down the brush without saying a word: "A bald pen, without any mess, is worth five cents."
The County Registrar, a ninth-grade official, seems to have little sense of existence, but to the people in the countryside, he is already a great figure.
The father and son came to the side door of the Bai family's mansion, the high-walled courtyard, and the door was closed.
Ju Ming said: "The gatekeeper doesn't know the goods, so he has to contact the old white officer face to face."
They are not officials, but they are like officials. They do not receive wages and have long-term cooperation with the government. Including collecting taxes and arranging corvee labor, they are all assisted by Changming Yaqian. If something goes wrong, they do not need to pay compensation, and they can also contact the government
Get the oil and water together.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "I see there is a pawn shop in the market, why not go to the pawn shop and ask about the price."
When collecting taxes on summer grain, cloth was often collected.
Take Yangzhou as an example, it has three counties: Xingdao (Yangxian), Zhenfu, and Xixiang. At its peak, the population of the state was about 300,000, and most of them lived in Xingdao County. Today, the total number of main households and customers
, there are still 250,000 people left.
Ju Ming turned a deaf ear and walked further and further away with his father.
"Puff puff puff!"
Ju Ming has already understood that the transaction partner he is about to face is a retired county clerk, a powerful figure who must be respected by people from all over the country.
There are six Hu pens in total, all of which are New Year gifts for relatives and children. They are exquisitely crafted and valuable. Although they are not top-grade, each pen is worth hundreds of dollars.
Just when he was about to knock on the door, Ju Ming suddenly asked: "In which dynasty was Hubi famous?"
The store clerk chased him out and asked, "Is that valuable?"
Zhang Guangdao said: "You talk and act differently from ordinary people. You are definitely not ordinary people. They are mostly educated people who have read books. There are many good men in our village, but we are short of those who can read and write. My brothers will definitely like it when they see it.
."
Zhu Guoxiang shook his head: "I don't know."
"Things are rare and valuable." Ju Ming said.
"Brother Zhang is in love with the wrong person." Zhu Ming was still noncommittal. He didn't want to go into the mountains and become a bandit for the time being.
Ju Ming said: "The contents of the packaging box cannot be exposed. Although it is printed in traditional Chinese characters, it contains manufacturer information."
Zhu Guoxiang knocked on the house door.
Zhang Guangdao's smile became weird: "In the past few decades, we have only been able to ruin our family by growing tea. Where can we make a fortune? At that time, the imperial court canceled the Li Zheng errand and replaced it with the round chai yamen activity. No other family dared to go, Bai Bai
There were two brothers in the family who were so courageous that they went to work as Changming Yamen. They were appreciated by the magistrate and within a few years they became prosperous."
Xixiang County is the poorest, with a maximum population of 50,000 to 60,000.
The three major powers of taxation, justice, and law enforcement are integrated into one. To the villagers, they are the emperor of the country!
Sichuan belongs to an independent economic zone, including the Hanzhong area, and iron coins are used instead of copper coins.
Zhu Guoxiang turned to look at his son, Zhu Ming shook his head and sighed, and all of them retreated from the distance.
"What are you afraid of? When we come to Baishitou, the dragon will be coiled and the tiger will be squatting." The waiter said, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips.
Ju Ming said: "It's strange. My father and son are so down and have nothing to offer. Why does Zhang's brother keep inviting me?"
The young servant picked up the stick and said fiercely: "If you don't leave, I will fight in the future!"
Zhu Guoxiang cupped his hands and said, "Thank you."
"That's Lao Bai's wife," Zhang Guangdao said, pointing to the mansion. "He has a grudge against Xiao Bai's family downriver, but the two families are brothers."
Zhu Guoxiang stuffed the packaging box back into his backpack and asked his son: "Only sell one?"
The price for a Hu pen was five cents, and Zhu Ming almost laughed out of anger.
"A Hu brush, please give me a price." Zhu Ming took out the brush.
The shopkeeper shook his head: "Don't act recklessly. The horse's buttocks have been burned, which may have erased the official seal. The young man still has weapons on his body. He looks like a desperado at first glance."
After a while, the door of the house opened, and the doorkeeper was an old man.
Everyone had a bowl of noodles at the market. Zhang Guangdao paid for the meal and then parted ways.
If you are a lower-class household in the fifth class, you do not pay taxes individually, but seven households are organized into a group and collect a piece of silk cloth to hand over to the government. The families of the lower-level households are very poor, and they may not be able to afford the silk cloth.
To get money, you can only sell grain to exchange for money and then buy cloth to pay taxes. At this time, you have to find a money and grain exchange shop.
Before leaving, Zhang Guangdao cupped his fists and said, "If you two have figured it out, go to the village to find the Tian brothers, and Tian Er will take you into the mountains."
Moreover, many of the county chief registrars in the Song Dynasty were Jinshi or academic officials. If you want to be promoted from a civil servant to a chief registrar, you must have the support of a senior official. I am afraid that in addition to marrying your daughter as a concubine, you may also give many gifts in private.
money.
Ju Ming said: "Keep your guard, there will always be someone who knows the goods."
In the Song Dynasty, the two-tax law was implemented, that is, summer grain and autumn grain were collected.
Zhang Guangdao smiled and asked, "Can't you get in?"
This is a comprehensive store that not only does pawn business, but also sells rice and exchanges money and grain.
Zhang Guangdao continued: "In addition to the old white official, my grandfather and I were both long-term officials, and our family was very familiar with the government. He became a gray-clothed official when he was more than ten years old, and later became a serious literary scholar when he became the magistrate of the new county.
He gave his daughter to the county magistrate as a concubine, and she actually became the chief registrar of Xixiang County."
Ju Ming did not put the brush back on the counter, but held it with his hand and approached the shopkeeper.
"Keep this in mind, little brother." Zhu Ming cupped his hands and said.
Perhaps the old janitor was tired of knocking, so when the door opened again, there was a servant holding a stick.
The shopkeeper looked at it for a while and said, "I made a mistake just now. This pen is of decent workmanship and is worth twenty copper coins!"
The pawn shop was too dark and had no reference value. Zhu Ming picked up his brush and left.
"Whatever, let's give it a try," Zhu Guoxiang said.
Of course, the above data do not include those who have fled hiding in the mountains.
"If you can trust me, I will show you the horses and you can go sell the pens yourself," Zhang Guangdao said.
Ju Ming shook his head: "It's not ordinary black!"
After the father and son took a few steps, Zhang Guangdao shouted: "If you can't get in, you can follow me back to the mountains. My brother likes to make friends with good guys."
The young servant scolded: "Get away from those beggars, don't even look at whose house this is!"
Zhang Guangdao smiled even more happily: "Come back to the mountains with me and count balls. How can you easily see me outside the old Bai team?"
"What if you die? What if you live?" Ju Ming asked.
Zhu Ming couldn't help but glance at Zhang Guangdao and thought to himself, I'm a stranger, why are you telling me this grudge relationship?
Zhu Guoxiang asked: "I see there are many tea mountains here. Did the Bai family make their fortune by growing tea?"
The shopkeeper has already chased him to the door of the store: "Seventy cents, this is worth seventy cents!"
The shopkeeper turned back to the shop and said: "In pawnshop business, it is not about robbing people. Don't rob people at every turn. These two strangers seem to be at the end of their rope. If they starve them for a few days, they will come to pawn them with their brushes.
."
The waiter muttered something, seemingly unwilling to do so.
He thought about it, but he couldn't help it, so he secretly left the pawn shop and came to the street, running towards a thatched house outside the market.
The shopkeeper saw this and sighed: "Alas, young people still don't have enough character. They have to suffer a little in order to make progress."
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!