Does the shopkeeper mean that private ships are not allowed to go to sea because the Ming Dynasty treasure ships sailed away?
In his impression, part of the goods on the treasure ship came from taxation, and more came from local procurement. Even in forbidden seas, ordinary people's tea could only be sold.
The sea ban prohibits private overseas trade. Why is there a backlog of tea?
Watching the shopkeeper pack the tea, Duan Tianming took out ten taels of silver from his pocket and handed it over.
Holding the silver in his hand, the shopkeeper looked excited, as if he hadn't seen silver in a long time.
"Shopkeeper, your business is not good here?" Xiao Chen asked calmly.
"Alas, there are no tea merchants here now, so what kind of business can there be? The government started to purchase the tea leaves just after they were picked, and the price was very low. Many tea farmers were unwilling to sell, and in the end no one wanted any money.
The heavier the tea becomes, the lower the price becomes, and the lower the price becomes, the lower the price becomes, and the lower the price becomes, and the lower the price becomes, and the lower the price becomes, the more the tea becomes heavier, and the vicious cycle continues, and in the end the tea leaves fall into one’s own hands.”
The shopkeeper sighed and said.
"It shouldn't be. The imperial court doesn't have to purchase a large amount of tea every year. Sometimes it can't even be purchased. How can you say that the government won't want tea in the end?" Xiao Chen asked in confusion.
"Young Master is not a local, is he?"
"No, I came to Hangzhou to visit relatives and took a look on the streets." Xiao Chen said.
"Just saying, how could the young master ask this? I don't know about other places. In our Hangzhou Prefecture, a small part of the government purchases are used by their dignitaries to give gifts to each other. And the tea that is handed over to the court requires old tea. One is
The price was low, and they made a profit from it, and then handed over the old tea to the court, indirectly expressing their dissatisfaction with the forbidden sea."
"What do you mean by the shopkeeper, Hangzhou Prefecture represents tea merchants?" Xiao Chen couldn't help but ask.
Such an approach is no longer working for the court, but for the benefit of the tea merchants. As a local government office set up by the court, taking the salary from the court, but rebelling against the court, this group of people has been benefited by these big businessmen.
.
"Shh." The shopkeeper made a gesture to silence him.
"Young master, it's fine if you know these words, but you must not dare to say them out. In our Hangzhou Prefecture, although this is a matter that everyone knows, if you say it casually, you will still be arrested and imprisoned. After all, Yangzhou Prefecture is a government government
Yamen, they don’t like others to poke trouble behind their backs,” the shopkeeper said in a low voice.
"According to what the shopkeeper said, wouldn't the tea farmers be starved to death one by one?" Xiao Chen started to feel like exploding in his heart.
"No, all the old tea will be purchased by the Wang family, but the price will be much lower. Alas, good tea must be kept for a year or two and then purchased after becoming old tea, which is a embarrassment to the common people. Originally,
Jiangnan is a land of plenty. As a result, the people can only have enough food and clothing every year, so what does it have to do with being rich?" The shopkeeper sighed again.
"Shopkeeper, the Wang family you are talking about is a wealthy family in Hangzhou Prefecture?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Young master, you don't even know about the Wang family? This Wang family is the largest family in Hangzhou. Most of the tea and silk business are controlled by the Wang family. Merchants from other places also do business with the Wang family in partnership," the shopkeeper said.
"So, a large amount of silk and tea in Hangzhou are all stored in the Wang family?" Xiao Chen asked with the corner of his mouth raised slightly.
"The Wang family controls the lifeblood of the entire Hangzhou economy. As long as they are willing, they can make the entire Hangzhou market out of stock overnight."
"Such a big family, making a living by doing business, are they hoarding goods like this, waiting for the price to rise next year? According to the shopkeeper, the market price of this tea is not getting better every year. Doesn't it mean that the more they hoard, the more the price drops?"
Although Xiao Chen doesn't know how to do business, he still understands that goods can only generate profits through movement. The bigger the Wang family, the greater the consumption. Goods can only go in but not out. In the end, what can we do to maintain the normal operation of the family?
"Haha." The shopkeeper laughed, "Young master, you have forgotten that every time the imperial treasure ship goes to sea, it will purchase a large amount of goods, and this time is when the Wang family clears out the warehouse. I don't know about other things, but the tea industry alone is very low.
Buy it at a reasonable price and sell it to the imperial court at a normal price. The profit in this process is no less than what you earn from overseas trade."
"The Wang family also has overseas trade?" Xiao Chen was surprised again.
The imperial court has banned the sea for many years, and the Wang family seems to be secretly violating the imperial ban and conducting maritime trade.
"Of course, otherwise, why can't the silks in Hangzhou be collected this year?" If it weren't for the fact that Xiao Chen bought ten taels of tea, the shopkeeper probably wouldn't want to say anything.
Judging by his dress, he must be a young man from a wealthy family. How come he doesn’t know anything about these common sense things in Hangzhou? He still needs a little explanation from others.
As if feeling that the shopkeeper was a little irritable, Xiao Chen smiled and said: "Shopkeeper, how much tea do you have left with the tea I just bought?"
"What? Young master, do you still need it? I still have about a hundred catties." Hearing the business, the shopkeeper smiled again.
"I won't negotiate the price anymore. I'll give you another fifty taels of silver and pack it all for me." Xiao Chen said generously.
"Young Master is a man of good taste at first sight. The quality of my tea is second only to the first batch of new tea in spring every year. You are generous, so I cannot be stingy. I will give you a big package of these 110 kilograms of tea leaves right away."
While smiling, the shopkeeper started to take action.
"Shopkeeper, you have a little bit of tea. I want to buy some more, where should I buy it?" Xiao Chen began to test.
"To be honest, sir, my tea is produced at home. No one else has tea of this quality except tea farmers." The shopkeeper said with a proud smile as he worked.
"Can the shopkeeper introduce it to me? I want to buy some from the tea farmers?"
The shopkeeper stopped what he was doing and looked at Xiao Chen suspiciously: "Sir, do you want to sell tea?"
"No, I have many friends, so I just bought them as gifts." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"That's good." The shopkeeper started working again.
Xiao Chen was a little confused. Why was the shopkeeper so nervous when he bought some tea?
"Shopkeeper, is it illegal to buy tea from tea farmers in Hangzhou Prefecture?"
"Illegal as it is, if you drink a small amount, no one will care about you. However, if you want to buy a large amount of tea, you have to be careful. The Wang family does not allow anyone to buy this kind of tea in their territory." The shopkeeper said in a low voice.
"Why is this? Are they so overbearing?"
"The Wang family is waiting for the tea to be aged, so they buy it at a low price. If the young master buys it in large quantities, I'm afraid he will be sued," the shopkeeper said.
"If you offend the Wang family, you will be prosecuted? Is it possible that the government is run by the Wang family?" Xiao Chen laughed.
"The Wang family and our Hangzhou magistrate are related by marriage." The shopkeeper said calmly.
