There are many flowers and trees in the small courtyard, and the scent of sandalwood is thick.
Shen Liuniang made Zhu Zhen a cup of tea.
"Your Highness is back so early?"
"Well, there was a temporary change, so I came back first." Zhu Zhen picked up the tea cup and took a sip. In this kind of environment, people are also a lot more polite.
"I have something to discuss with you."
"It seems that His Highness is preparing for a big fight." Shen Liu Niang's eyebrows were full of color.
"Oh, how did you tell?" Zhu Zhen glanced at her and asked.
"His Highness is different from before. He looks energetic and full of energy." Shen Liu Niang pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Thinking about His Highness's age, it is natural that he has to do something in his career."
"Oh, hahaha, you dare to make fun of me." Zhu Zhen was stunned for a moment before he understood, and couldn't help laughing: "I am indeed planning to do something, I wonder if Liu Niang would like to help me?"
"There's no problem with both arms." Shen Liu Niang nodded without hesitation.
"Okay." Zhu Zhen then told Shen Liuniang about the general situation of the Shipping Department, and then asked her: "I heard that the Shen family originally made their fortune through maritime trade?"
"Not entirely." Shen Liu Niang briefly told the history of the Shen family's fortune:
"My family was originally from Nanxun Town, Wuxing. There was a plague one year, so the whole family moved to Zhouzhuang. At that time, the plague and war continued, and Zhouzhuang suffered a severe population loss. Our family opened up wasteland and reclaimed the land that had lost its owners and tenants.
In this way, he accumulated a lot of land. Then he improved it and built water conservancy projects to turn the unused land into fertile land.
"By the time my grandfather Wansangong inherited the family business, the Shen family already owned thousands of hectares of fertile land. The grain produced was sold to those maritime merchants, who then transported it to the north. But my grandfather was always unwilling because the maritime merchants
Relying on their monopoly on shipping, they kept the purchase price very low, and they made a big profit."
"Then he can build his own boat and transport grain to the north to sell it," Lao Liu said smartly.
"My grandfather thought so at first, but the sea was controlled by the six large merchants at that time, and the shipping department was in their hands. Even the navy of the Yuan Dynasty had long become their minions. So there were only six large merchants and the merchants who relied on them.
, only then can we go overseas, and the rest of us have no chance.”
"My grandfather's various attempts ended in failure, but he was a very far-sighted and resilient man. Once he identified the path of sea trade, he would pursue it no matter what."
"How did he get through?" This is what Zhu Zhen is most concerned about.
"After careful study, he found that Lu Deyuan, one of the six great merchants at that time, was old and had no heirs. Several nephews were also waiting to eat the food and wine bags of the family." Shen Liuniang continued:
"My grandfather tried to make friends with Lu Deyuan. It happened that Lu Deyuan had already wanted to quit. However, no one in the family could hold a big position, and he was eager to find a helper who could help him run his business. After the two of them had done business together several times, Lu Deyuan
I think my grandfather is the person I need.
"My grandfather worshiped him as his adoptive father and inherited his maritime business. He accumulated enough capital through shipping grains, then built large ships, expanded the fleet, and expanded his business to Southeast Asia and the West. From then on, my family's wealth grew widely.
So much so that there were rumors that my grandfather had dug up a cornucopia."
Shen Liu Niang spoke clearly and clearly, and soon presented the history of Shen Wansan's fortune in front of Zhu Zhen.
"I understand." Zhu Zhen nodded and asked, "Are the six major merchants still there?"
"She should be gone, right?" Shen Liu Niang said uncertainly: "These things were all told by my father before he was alive. The slave family has been in Hongwu for a long time. Then the Shen family was moved to Fengyang, and now they are all ruined. It has nothing to do with the sea anymore."
"In addition, there is the Gu family who have suffered the same thing as us, and they seem to be among the six big businessmen." Shen Liuniang recalled: "The head of the Gu family is called... Gu Yuanchen. When he was in Fengyang, he often went to my house, and I don't know if he is still there. What?"
"Gu Yuanchen." Zhu Zhen wrote down this name because Old Liu also mentioned him. And Old Liu also mentioned another person. "Where is Yin Shaozong?"
"I only heard about him from my father. I heard that his family has been sailing huge ships across the ocean for generations. He should be one of them. But I don't know where he is now, whether he is dead or alive." Shen Liu Niang said uncertainly:
"Then there are the Tang family in Shanghai, the Zheng family in Songjiang, the Ni family in Qingyuan, the Cao family in Fushan, and the Xie family in Hangzhou...I heard that these seemed to be big merchants in the late Yuan Dynasty, but which ones were among the six major merchants and which ones were not? It’s unknown.”
After speaking, she quickly explained: "Actually, even in the Yuan Dynasty, the theory of the six maritime merchants was not popular, especially since each of them often kept secret about their identities."
"Yes." Zhu Zhen nodded, expressing his understanding. Being on the run at sea, being lawless, not only has a bad reputation, but is also often associated with the underworld. Naturally, a wealthy family who has passed down poems and books will not admit it even if they do it.
"These are all gossips that I heard from my family members when I was young. They cannot be accurate." Shen Liu Niang emphasized again.
"Then investigate it clearly!" Zhu Zhen said in a deep voice: "Who are the leaders of Jiangsu and Zhejiang maritime merchants now? How do they operate, and how deep are they in collusion with Japanese pirates?"
After a pause, he asked quietly: "Is there any collusion with the officers and soldiers...and, is there a protective umbrella in the court?!"
"Yes..." Shen Liuniang hurriedly responded, but also wondered: "I can count on Jinlianyuan, I'm afraid I won't be able to get the information His Highness wants."
"Yes." Zhu Zhen nodded and asked, "Jinlianyuan, can you go away?"
"We are already on the right track. It doesn't hurt to walk away for a while." Shen Liu Niang said.
"That's good." Zhu Zhen thought for a moment and said: "I brought an old man named Wang Dayuan back to Beijing. He is very familiar with the situation at sea, but he has not been to the sea for many years. I am going to let you be my representative. , go with him to investigate the issue just mentioned."
"The slave family knows." Shen Liu Niang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that there were experts.
"You go to Changshu, Suzhou, Taicang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Ningbo to see with your own eyes the real situation of maritime merchants in those places. Just report back before the end of the year." Zhu Zhen stared at her intently and said:
"This matter is of great importance, you must be careful!"
"Understood." Shen Liuniang responded hurriedly and seriously.
"In addition, I will give you a Xiaoqi escort to keep in touch at all times. If you are in danger, you must seek help in time without fear of exposing your identity." Zhu Zhen also instructed.
"Yes, yes." Shen Liuniang couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled: "Your Highness really thinks about us servants."
"I'm just afraid that it will delay the business." Zhu Zhen coughed awkwardly, stood up and said, "Nothing else, I'm leaving."
He had to go and see if Deng Qianhu had completely disarmed him.
