When Kang Wanwan, Fang Wenzhen and Zhang Han returned, they saw that Meixiang Tower was completely different. The biggest change was that it became brighter, almost as bright as day.
Originally, prostitutes' houses along the Qinhuai River only hung a few red lanterns.
Dim lighting can easily create a first-class hazy and ambiguous beauty, and can also cover up the flaws on the girls' faces, making it more difficult for the benefactor to spot them. This is the case when looking at beauties under the lamp.
But at this moment, the inside and outside of Meixiang Building are filled with brightly colored lanterns.
There are also Yiding in armor standing all the way from Yanqiaotou to Meixiang Tower.
The three of them walked to the gate of Meixiang Tower, and as soon as they handed over the name card, the little eunuch in charge of welcoming guests immediately shouted in a unique high-pitched voice.
"Yangzhou Jin Shen Kang Shao Jing Gong,"
"Fang Wen Zhen Gong, a Jin gentry in She County,"
"Zhang Hangong, the Jin gentry of She County, has arrived!"
Kang, Wanwan and the others were immediately flattered.
Although the three of them have already bought the official status of Yuanwaiguan, they can be regarded as Jin gentry from a logical point of view. They can barely put on the airs of Jin gentry in front of ordinary people, but they really dare not claim the title of official, and the real Jin gentry
I would never look at them seriously, but just regard them as a family of merchants and philistines with a bad reputation.
Therefore, the three of them were really flattered that they would suddenly be honored as Duke by a father-in-law of the inner court.
The seven young masters including the scholars who were standing in front of the eunuch to "welcome the guests" even took a bite of shit. They felt very happy. How many merchants are worthy of being crowned eunuchs?
But no matter how happy you are, you have to bow your hands.
"Kang Gong, Fang Gong, Zhang Gong, please come downstairs!"
A smile that was even more embarrassing than crying appeared on Shizi's face.
The scholar is really sad. I am just sad that I have to stand like a boy at the small door of Meixiang Building to receive guests. What makes me even sadder is that there is no Kang Wanwan among the businessmen we respect?
Then the matter of taking someone else's man as a concubine is a big deal.
As expected, Kang Baiwan showed us a good look and walked by.
Watching Kang Baibao and eight people go downstairs, Chen Zhenhui complained loudly: "Your Majesty, why are you hosting a banquet for such a group of philistines who smell like copper? It's so annoying."
"No." Maoxiang also echoed loudly.
"We should treat you Gu Gaosheng members to a banquet."
Wu Yingji also said: "I'm wrong. In the future, it will be you, Zhang Chan, who will support Xiao Ming's backbone, but rather businessmen and philistines such as Kang Shaojing and Fang Wenzhen."
…
A private room on the seventh floor of Meixiang Building.
Chongzhen said to his two sons: "Your Ming Dynasty's future taxes and industry will be supported by those merchants. In that regard, these Gu Gao are counting on them. What's the use of him formulating the rules for renaming?
Because there are always fewer solutions than easy ones, and if there are rules that are less tolerant, those people can find loopholes."
"So professional things must be left to professional people."
"Anything that involves money should be left to merchants."
"Those merchants are born to deal with money. When it comes to profit calculations, there are people who are smarter than us. They can use every penny of the court's money effectively without us watching."
Speaking of that, Chongzhen gave another example: "For example, regarding water transport, Emperor Taizu sent Xu Da to the Northern Expedition. Before he became Emperor Zuwen, he had seven expeditions to Mongolia. At that time, there was a governor's office for water transport, but Taizu and Chengzu never
There has never been any shortage of food!”
"What do you rely on? It's not about opening up the Chinese law, it's not about merchants. It's precisely because there are no salt merchants that you, Xiao Ming, have the most financial resources to transport the least grain to the border towns, ensuring the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains and the Seven Expeditions to Mongolia.
supply of military rations.”
"I came here because of the excessive spending on salt and the dereliction of the Central Law. The capital and border towns can only rely on water transportation for food. From then on, your Xiaoming border towns and capital have a narrow supply of food! Why is that? That's because of water transportation
The efficiency is so high that the imperial court can even transport half as much food as merchants with the same financial resources!"
Zhu Cixiang said: "The disadvantages of water transportation are indeed minor. My father also suffered from them in Xuzhou. Lu Zhenfei also suffered from the efficiency of water transportation, so he bypassed all the governments in the south and directly purchased grain from grain merchants.
On the contrary, it angered these people. If my father had come to help in time, I would have been dismissed and returned home long ago."
"So," Chongzhen said, "when the Northern Expedition comes, if we hope that the procurement and transportation of grain, wages, and baggage will be transported by water, it is more reliable to rely on merchants to bear it."
Regarding that point, the real name period has been fully proven by history.
Using red-top merchants to manage food and wages is indeed less efficient than the government.
This is not the case for Hu Xueyan to You Zongtang and Sheng Xuanhuai to Li Hongzhang.
Since there are no ready-made successful examples, Chongzhen has no reason to study.
A battle of immortals like Qidu Chishui is something that special people can learn, but it is difficult for officials to supervise business operations.
Zhu Cixiang frowned slightly and said: "But if merchants value profits and righteousness, will they pass off inferior goods as good ones? For example, for military rations, will we buy moldy rice and wheat and pass it off as high-quality rice? Or for firearms, will we secretly withhold iron?
Material? So that the blunderbuss or artillery built will not explode? I thought it was just a precaution."
Chongzhen nodded: "Xun'er is right to worry, so we still need to set standards for merchants."
Zhu Cihong said: "Setting standards? When father talks about setting standards, does he mean setting rules?"
"It's the same." Chongzhen said, "The rules are for people, and the standards are only for goods. For example, when purchasing military rations, we cannot set a very clear standard for the food. It must be free of impurities such as stones and mouse droppings.
It must be moldy and rotten, etc. Another example is firearms. Clear standards cannot be set. The inner diameter of the barrel must be the same. The explosion rate of the same batch of firearms must be more than a few. etc. It must meet the standards of the imperial court. It must be
You may even be fined for changing merchants.”
Zhu Cijiong said: "You can't set standards for merchants, and you can't set standards for officials and craftsmen. In the same way, you can't set clear standards for water transportation before the governor's office has shipped troops. Is this going to solve the problem?"
"It's useful." Chongzhen shook his head and said, "Leave the affairs to the merchants. You only need to inspect the goods before determining the standards. Instead, you need the court to manage the people. But leave the affairs to the government agencies like Caoyun Yamen. In addition to inspecting the goods,
He also needs to manage people, and talent is the most difficult to manage, so it is often difficult to manage it well, so the efficiency of doing things is high."
In the final analysis, it is not the difference between purely government-run and government-supervised and privately-run.
The smallest difference between the two is not that one is a driving force without profit and the other is a driving force without profit.
In order to pursue profits, businessmen will try every means to save costs and improve efficiency, but without the driving force of the government, officials are less likely to consider saving trouble, reputation, and harmony among colleagues, and working together.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition and Zhu Di's Seven Expeditions in Mongolia were not short of food. However, since the water transport yamen was eliminated, the food supply in the capital and northern border towns was narrow and abundant. Therefore, the quality of firearms purchased from merchants was quite good, but since the war in the inner court
Before the Bureau and the Ordnance Bureau of the Ministry of Industry built their own Tiger Crouching Cannon, Folang Machine Cannon and Hongyi Cannon, the quality became very worrying, and as time went by, the quality became more and more worrying.
Zhu Cixiang said without thinking: "So, it's all human factors?"
"Yes, in the final analysis, it's all about human factors." Chongzhen nodded, "It's the same with governing a country. As long as the problem of official governance is solved, all other problems and personal problems will be problems."
"For example, if the Ming Dynasty did not have a large team of honest, self-disciplined and capable officials, would there be such a thing as Piao Shen?"
"Another example is taxation. There must not be a large team of honest, self-disciplined and capable subordinates. Will we still collect taxes?"
"If every penny of the tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty can be fully collected, and if every penny of the tax money of the Ming Dynasty can be put to practical use, there will definitely be no such thing as people being displaced and forced to rebel, and there will be no slave creation.
Chance to sit down!"
Zhu Cijiong scratched his head and said: "As long as you manage the officials well, you can manage the country well? So it seems to be very difficult?"
"Oh, is it difficult?" Chongzhen patted Zhu Cijiong's big head hard and said, "People's hearts are like water and people's movements are like smoke. Talents are the most difficult to manage! They are still big now. When they grow up before,
You’ll understand if you do.”
While the eight father and son were talking, Wang Chengen stepped back and reported, "Your Majesty, all the young merchants have arrived."
"Okay!" Chongzhen immediately stood up and walked out of the private room with his two sons to the front corridor of the seventh floor.
Meixiang House is the lowest-end brothel in the entire city of Nanjing. It doesn't have a small courtyard on the side facing the Qinhuai River.
The courtyard occupies a quite small area, and there is a stage in the middle of the courtyard. It is very famous during the singing and opera times, but it is the quietest time and the time when the oiran is chosen.
At this time, hundreds of merchants had not yet gathered in the front yard of Meixiang Building.
Seeing the eight Chongzhen father and son appearing under the cloister, the merchants hurriedly avoided the banquet and knelt down, while the common people were waiting to kowtow to His Majesty.
"Pingsheng!" Chongzhen raised his hands and said with a smile, "They are specially invited by me. They are distinguished guests. They have to kneel, so please sit down."
After hearing this, the merchants took their seats one after another, but they only sat half-full.
Chongzhen said to Zhu Cixiang again: "Xun'er, I'll leave the next thing to him."
"I accept the decree." Zhu Cixiang's face flushed red. He bowed deeply to Chongzhen first, then turned around and stomped up the stairs to the stage in the front yard.
"General Xiaohan" with a small voice quickly took his place.
"It's early, so let's get back to the topic."
In addition, Zhu Cixiang learned a lot about Chongzhen's behavior. No matter what he did, he would definitely do these meaningful chores, and let's talk about the meaningless chores.
"I guess you haven't guessed some clues yet."
"Yes, there is a mistake. The reason why my father invited Xiaojia here is."
"The name is for one thing, to raise wages, or to raise wages."
"Right now, your Xiaoming frontier army is engaged in a small battle with the Jiannu slaves in Xuzhou. It is in urgent need of funds, so we have to rely on the generosity of everyone here. Of course, no matter how worried I am, they will definitely let their donations to the imperial court go to waste.
