Southwest of Beijing, the site of the original Wang Gong Factory.
Zheng Haizhu, Lu Xiangsheng, and Huang Zongxi got off the sedan.
Zheng Haizhu raised his eyes and looked around, quite surprised.
In the large courtyards of Wang Gongchang, the gray walls are painted the same yellow as the temples, and the surroundings of the houses also show a scene of lush flowers and trees.
It turned out to be a restaurant with a Zen-like elegance.
The young Huang Zongxi also looked at it curiously, and said to Zheng Haizhu: "Aunt, my father said that this was originally a place where armor and weapons were made and gunpowder was mixed for the imperial court?"
Zheng Haizhu nodded and pointed to the building with its eaves slightly peeking out in front of him on the right: "Yes, that's the Gunpowder Yard. Half a year ago, General Ma and I were almost killed there."
"Daddy..." Huang Zongxi suddenly called.
Huang Zunsu walked out of the courtyard, met Zheng Haizhu's surprised gaze, and explained: "Don't you recognize this place? The gunpowder warehouse became a vegetarian restaurant. It was He Gong's idea. The imperial court moved Wang Gong's factory to
Once outside the city, He Gong persuaded the Minister of Industry to move these dozen people into large and small courtyards and changed their uses, with a lobby and elegant rooms, specifically for the business of pilgrims."
Zheng Haizhu smiled.
It turns out that it has become the "tertiary industry" of the Ministry of Industry.
This He Shijin is indeed true to history and has a strong desire to make money.
At this time, it was the end of the afternoon, and the sun was warm. People who had finished offering incense and making wishes at the nearby Chengen Temple and other Zen temples and temples were pouring into the vegetarian room. Among them were many men who looked like they were scholars in their clothes and conversation.
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However, Huang Zunsu had no intention of shying away and led the way openly, leading Zheng Haizhu and others to the lushly forested Yage.
The young Huang Zongxi had a touch of joy on his face. His father was worthy of his admiration. He was also an official of the Donglin faction, but his father was not influenced by those old-fashioned people and was alienated from Aunt Zheng.
After entering the private room on the second floor of Yalu and starting to observe the exchanges of words between several adults, Huang Zongxi's admiration extended to the "He Gong" sitting above him.
He Shijin, who is entering his forties this year and is a doctor in the Maintenance Department of the Ministry of Industry, like his father Huang Zunsu, shows great respect to Aunt Zheng.
In Zheng Haizhu's heart, as the conversation between the guests and the host deepened, the last trace of anxiety and wariness dissipated.
He Shijin only exchanged a few words with Zheng and Lu briefly. He did not mention the criticism Zheng Haizhu had received recently from the Donglin faction, nor did he talk about his fellow villagers' friendship with Lu Xiangsheng. Instead, he quickly got to the point - talking about money.
He has the attitude of cherishing time like gold and only talking about practical things.
Compared with the Songjiang switch situation that Huang Zunsu talked about, the amount of information Zheng Haizhu gave He Shijin seemed to be more to his liking.
Because, although Songjiang Prefecture in this time and space has changed the course of history, it is still under the absolute sovereignty of the Ming Dynasty. Like Fujian Yuegang, it is relatively easy to manage. What Zheng Haizhu exported to He Shijin was Guangdong, Macau in the south and Macau in the north.
Business data on the border between Ming and Mongolia.
Before Zheng Haizhu went to the banquet, Huang Zunsu had already explained that when the "attack" case against Prince Zhu Changluo occurred in the palace, He Shijin, as a member of the official line, had a very tough attitude and jumped out like a soldier rushing into battle.
, grabbed Concubine Zheng and her brother Zheng Guotai and insisted that the Zheng family harmed the prince in order to support Prince Fu Zhu Changxun in winning the throne.
Therefore, after Zhu Changluo ascended the throne, he cared about this Donglin native who had been mobilized from the official group and served as the deacon of the Ministry of Industry, no less than Zhao Nanxing, Yang Lian and others.
The new emperor not only listened to He Shijin's suggestion to delay the construction of other palaces outside the three inner palaces, but also intended to promote his official rank faster and transfer him to Guangdong as governor.
Historically, this man of action, He Shijin, who, like Zhang Juzheng, was concerned about the Ming Dynasty's revenue-generating business, did serve as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and reported to the court in black and white, requesting the establishment of additional sales tax and customs tax in Guangfu, so as to enrich Liao's pay.
Offsetting the increase in distribution to farmers. He Shijin's move to request an increase in commercial taxes also effectively refuted the view of later generations that "Donglin would only oppose commercial taxes, and only Wei Zhongxian and Eunuch Wei would make money for the Ming Dynasty."
At this time, Zheng Haizhu, who realized that He Shijin's official career was obviously progressing faster than in history, decisively said to the middle-aged minister in front of him: "He Gong, I heard that the Zhenglan Banner plundered Xuan Dakou Wai last year.
Later, the imperial court ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to set up a special subject for Liao's wages. At that time, all the talents in each government would be allocated to fill the Liao's wages. This time when the younger generation came back from Shanxi, he knew that the farmers there had been overwhelmed by natural disasters.
On the other hand, in Haojing, Guangdong, the Frankies set up many artillery factories there. They used the copper shipped by Japanese ships to make guns and cannons, and sold them to the fleets of various countries traveling between the East and the West, making a lot of money.
Why do we sit back and watch foreigners make huge profits without paying any taxes in our Ming Dynasty?"
He Shijinsheng had a serious face. When he talked about the court's lack of money, he became more serious and said in a deep voice: "Mrs. Zheng is right. I just heard Huang Xiandi talk about the tariffs of Songjiang Customs and the price of ship guides. In my Ming Dynasty,
In this country, the money that the Frankies pay to the imperial court is not even one-tenth of what I, the merchants of the Ming Dynasty, do. Isn’t this the greatest shame in the world!"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Not only do we have to ask the foreigners to collect business taxes, but also the land rent has to be increased. There are so many shipyards in Haocheng, and now our Ming Dynasty is only used by the French people called Portugal. The Spanish French people, the Netherlands,
The Red-haired Fans, and the English, who are now also beginning to have fleets going to sea, are not all worried about squeezing in the sea traders? If the Portuguese are unwilling to increase the land rent, why doesn't the court open a public tender, and the one with the highest price will get it.
"
"Tendering?" He Shijin thought this term was very new, and after Zheng Haizhu explained it briefly and comprehensively, he understood it.
"Also, financial licenses must also be chartered," Zheng Haizhu continued. "Whether it is Guangfu or the border between Ming and Mongolia, it is cross-border commerce. The distance is long and the payment is large. So when I went to Chahar last year, I
He took Shanxi merchants who had nothing to do with the Jurchens and suggested that they open billing accounts to transfer money for merchants. This is called "finance". In fact, the insurance companies opened by my nephew in Zhenjiang and Beigang, Taiwan are also financial.
I would like to write down the details of the business in a book for the two masters. Today I only insist on one point. The financial business of Daning Town in the north and the financial business of Guangfu in the south must be in the hands of Ming Dynasty. The foreigners want to issue invoices.
It's not impossible to buy a license, or an insurance company. You have to ask our Da Ming to buy a license. Every entry and exit has to be invoiced and paid tax to our Da Ming. Every year, you have to pay a supervision fee to the local governor's office. If there are any criminals who commit crimes, they will be charged.
Fine, stop business."
He Shijin listened to the woman's rapid-fire talk. Although he couldn't understand some of the vocabulary, he could understand the general idea clearly.
This is in line with his idea, which is similar to increasing the "over-tax" item in commercial taxes.
Moreover, what this woman said was very down-to-earth. I think she can raise a servant-like army in Chongming and maintain such a large expense. In addition to the camp fields, like the warlords in Liaodong, Southwest and other places, the profit from business is a big one.
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He Shijin's face relaxed and he said to Huang Zunsu: "Thank you for the introduction, dear brother. I have benefited a lot from Mrs. Zheng's advice today. Don't worry, Old Huang, I will be busy at the Ministry of Industry for at least half a year before I go to Guangfu.
If Tianjin Customs suspends the construction, you go to rebuild Daning Town’s money, and I will keep an eye on it for you.”
Huang Zunsu cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Brother He. If Daning builds a wharf like Haojing where merchants gather, taxes and duties will increase, and the tens of thousands of taels of operating expenses will surely come back soon."
Zheng Haizhu considered that since He Shijin and Huang Zunsu discussed their respective career arrangements, they no longer avoided being a woman outside the sect, so he said bluntly: "Two gentlemen, please allow me to say another word. Daning is now being rebuilt from ruins.
, if Mr. Huang takes over Daning, and he has the blessing of Long Live Lord to allow General Ma to station there, and don’t look at the desolate land outside the Great Wall, the start may be smoother. And in Guangfu where Mr. He is going, various forces are already entangled.
The master needs more capable assistants."
He Shijin understood the meaning of the woman's words: "Mrs. Zheng, are there any young talents of the nephew's generation that you would like to recommend to me?"
Zheng Haizhu glanced at Lu Xiangsheng first, and then said: "If we talk about young talents, Lu Juren can be regarded as a dragon or a phoenix. It's just that he has not yet passed the imperial examination and has not yet obtained an official position. The younger generation has only a nephew who is a businessman.
At the age of 18, I am still doing my job, and I no longer have any thoughts of becoming an official. But I did see a man in Shanhaiguan before, who looked like an official, and he happened to be from the Ministry of Industry."
"Oh? Which one is it?" He Shijin looked interested, "In Shanhaiguan? He shouldn't be from my camp and repair department, right?"
Zheng Haizhu took a moment to observe what was happening and was convinced that there would be no conflicts between superiors and subordinates between He Shijinying and the person he wanted to recommend.
"He Gong, that man is a new scholar. After completing his term of observing the administration of the Ministry of Industry, he became a recorder. Coincidentally, he is also from Guangdong. He came from Guangxi and is very familiar with the customs of Guangdong and Guangxi. His name is Yuan Chonghuan."