Su Hao was a member of a state-owned unit in his previous life. He did things and made money from the perspective of the unit. This led to him being accustomed to doing things in this way of thinking after coming to the Ming Dynasty.
In later generations of state-owned units, there is a saying of "generating income". The so-called income generation means to perform some social services in the name of the unit. The money earned belongs to the unit and can be used to pay remuneration to employees or to cover expenses.
Expenses related to employee welfare such as dormitories and public-funded travel.
This kind of income generation in later generations of units is protected by fiscal policies. As long as enough management fees are paid to the superior units, then the unit leaders can have the final say on how to distribute it.
In the Ming Dynasty, it was a different story. According to the unspoken rules, no matter the county government or each house, they could do something to generate income. The superior units basically turned a blind eye and closed one eye. But unspoken rules
After all, rules are just unspoken rules and are not legally protected.
When each department makes little money, no one will pursue this kind of behavior. Even the Central Committee of the Ming Dynasty knows that the provincial capitals, prefectures and counties have their own small treasury, and they understand that when the water is clear, there will be no fish.
But this is only for small money. If a county office can earn tens of thousands of taels of silver a year, then the county government, government office, chief secretary and other leading departments at all levels may not be able to remain calm.
In this matter, Su Hao was new here and didn't understand the rules, while Dai Qi had never made a lot of money before, so he didn't have this awareness at all. Now, both of them have understood the truth, and what happened in the workshop
, we can no longer do it as Su Hao originally imagined.
"Old Dai, in your opinion, what should we do about our affairs?" Su Hao asked.
Dai Qi said: "Master Su, I think, since you have such a unique skill, why don't you open a business of your own to do business and make money? Like Mr. Li who opened a pickle shop, he just has a little pickle-making skill passed down from his ancestors. His
The pickles are more delicious than others, and as a result, you have a lot of money. Master Su, your talent is more than ten times higher than that of Yuanwai Li. If you open your own business, wouldn't it be easy to become a rich man? By then, whether it is
The county magistrate or the county magistrate are all guests of your house, who wouldn't respectfully call you Su Weng?"
"Su Weng..." Su Hao felt goosebumps all over his body. I'm only 17 years old. How can I be called Weng? He also knew that in the late Ming Dynasty, the titles in the market were very confusing.
Rich people, no matter how young they are, will still be called "a certain old man" or "a certain old man", just like "a certain president" or "a certain director" in later generations.
However, the plan mentioned by Dai Qi gave Su Hao an inspiration. The money earned from doing things in the name of the factory belongs to the county government, and anyone can ask for it. If you can't grab it, you may simply
Destroy the trouble so that no one can make any money. Since there is such a big trouble, why not just run it yourself. Anyway, doing business is very common in this era.
In Chinese tradition, the status of various professions is arranged in the order of "scholars, farmers, industry and merchants", and businessmen are in a very, very discriminated position. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang even stipulated that farmers could wear silk clothes, and
Businessmen are not allowed to do so, which shows their contempt for businessmen.
However, with the development of the economy, by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the status of merchants had been greatly improved, and the previous policies to suppress merchants had long existed in name only. Merchants lived in luxury houses, wore silk clothes, ate delicacies, and pampered famous prostitutes.
, spending money like water. This luxurious lifestyle not only attracted a large number of farmers to abandon farming and engage in business, but even scholars who always prided themselves on being noble also began to abandon Confucianism and join business.
If we push forward 100 years, Dai Qi would have been reprimanded for persuading a scholar like Su Hao to go into business to make money, thinking that this was an insult to a scholar. But by the Wanli period, people who said such things would
It's very normal. Even if the scholars don't say it with their mouths, they are still envious of the businessman's reputation.
Another reason why Dai Qi would make such a suggestion to Su Hao is that he found that Su Hao was far more realistic than other scholars. At least in terms of promoting Han's stove, it can be seen that Su Hao did not hide himself at all.
The pursuit of money.
"Old Dai, if I open a business of my own, can the county government give me permission?" Su Hao asked Dai Qi for advice.
Dai Qi said: "Master Su, you are the master hired by Hanzhi County. If you open a business by yourself and be the shopkeeper, of course it is not appropriate. If word spreads, Hanzhi County will be disgraced. But if someone else is the shopkeeper, you will only invest in it."
, then it doesn’t matter. There are so many officials in the county government, who doesn’t have a few percent shares in an outside company?”
"I've been taught a lesson." Su Hao bowed to Dai Qi and expressed his gratitude. He was also a person with a very high IQ. When Dai Qi said this, it would be unreasonable if he still didn't understand what to do.
"The things that Master has to do can be divided into two parts. One part needs to be done in the name of the county government. For example, the current promotion of Han's stove and the transformation of Lengshui Field mentioned by Master, it may be difficult to do it under a business name.
To make a difference, such things should continue to be done in the workshop. But the other part can be done in the company. If these things are to be used by people in the workshop, just give them a bonus, and everyone will do it.
I miss you, Master Su." Dai Qi continued.
"Haha, how about the other people in the workshop? We can talk about it later. As long as I open this business, I will definitely leave 10% of the shares for you, Lao Dai. You must not refuse then."
Su Hao laughed and settled the interests under Dai Qi's name first. Dai Qi had worked in the county government for more than 20 years and was very familiar with the relationships between his superiors and subordinates. Such a person would be very useful to Su Hao.
, so he did not hesitate to give Dai Qi 10% of his shares. Now Su Hao was very short of useful people, so he had to use this method to tie as many people as possible to his chariot.
"How can this be done? How could I, Dai, be so virtuous? How dare I take Master's shares?" Dai Qi pretended to decline.
Su Hao smiled and waved his hand and said: "This matter is settled. If this business is to be run in the future, your guidance, Secretary Dai, is indispensable."
"Dare Dai disobey your order?" Dai Qi replied, this was half-heartedly accepting the shares given by Su Hao.
After agreeing on the next step, the two of them had nothing to discuss. After a hasty meal, they left the restaurant and went to visit three other officials in the county government except Han Wen. These three officials all
Instead of living in the county government office, they rented a large house in the county town. Officials like them are promoted or transferred every few years, so there is no need to buy a house locally.
County Prime Minister Wang Qi, Lord Bo Wang Fengshao, and Dianshi Wang Yixue received Su Hao and Dai Qi in their mansions respectively. The interview process was very similar:
After the guests and hosts were seated, the leader first spoke highly of Su Hao's achievements when he went to the countryside to dig wells. At the same time, he asked Su Hao to guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and to make persistent efforts and make new achievements. Then, the leader would make a decision on the next work of the workshop.
Important instructions, and I would like to express my sincere concern for Su Hao's personal work and life.
Afterwards, Su Hao naturally reviewed his major mistake of not being able to ask for instructions from his leaders, and expressed that he would thrive under the guidance of all leaders in the future.
The atmosphere of the talks was very friendly and harmonious. Of course, it was inevitable that both the host and the host would have their own hidden agendas and test each other's intentions. After the talks, Dai Qi would often leave later than Su Hao. As for him and the leader,
What was said in private and what was exchanged with each other is not open to outsiders. Su Hao only knew that when the leader and Dai Qi walked out of the living room side by side, the smiles on their faces were obviously much brighter.
This is paying protection money. In fact, there is no difference between officials and gangsters. It's just that the former appear more dignified when collecting protection money. Su Hao thought to himself.
By the time he came out of the last official's house, it was almost Haishi, which is equivalent to around 9 pm in later generations. Standing on the street, Su Hao asked Dai Qi: "Old Dai, what do you think I did today?"
How was the night?"
Dai Qi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he had to answer: "Master is indeed a talented man, he talks and laughs freely, he is suave...well, he endures the humiliation and bears the heavy burden."
"Enduring the humiliation and bearing the burden...isn't this too exaggerated?" Su Hao said.
"It's a minor slip of the tongue." Dai Qi said, "But Master, we went to visit these Shangguan tonight. I dare not say how many. At least within a month, no one in the county government will pick on us again."
It’s a problem. If Master wants to open a business, it’s better to hurry up.”
"I understand, thank you Lao Dai. You should go back and rest early." Su Hao bowed his hand to Dai Qi and staggered home.