Zhu Yihai specially went to Queen Zhang's place to have afternoon tea.
He has been very busy recently. The New Year has just passed, but everything is complicated. However, Concubine Chen made an exception when she gave birth to a prince and directly named him King of Qin. Concubine Chen also added the title of noble concubine. There was another happy event for the queen. Zhu Yihai came to visit after hearing the news.
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Liu Chao has changed into a scarlet robe and been appointed as the new eunuch of the palace and the eunuch of the internal affairs department. He is still the first eunuch in front of the emperor.
Originally, Zhu Yihai had decided that eunuchs could not pass the sixth rank, but after thinking about it, he changed it to the fourth rank. This way they could also wear scarlet robes, which would not cause them to drop too much at once, but they were restricted to the third rank.
Wearing a purple robe.
Liu Chao had a very peaceful mind and even took the initiative to tell the emperor that all the godsons he had recognized before were no longer related.
"Choose a loyal, filial and sensible man to take over, and he will be your heir in the future." Zhu Yihai was very satisfied with the Liu Dynasty, but reforming the eunuch system was not a personal matter.
Just like Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, reused eunuchs such as Gao Lishi. Gao Lishi was indeed loyal and capable, but the emperor's reuse of eunuchs to intervene in state affairs was a bad start. Therefore, after the Anshi Rebellion, eunuchs' intervention in politics became a common practice in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
It’s a nightmare that won’t go away. Several emperors of the Tang Dynasty died at the hands of eunuchs.
"My son, please see your father!"
Zhu Yihai's eldest daughter brought Xiao Wu to pay homage to the emperor. This daughter had always been frail and sick, and even had asthma. She had been taking medicine to support her, but she was very sensible and filial. Her biological mother died young, and now Empress Zhang is taking care of her, even Xiao Wuning.
Wei was also taken care of by the Queen herself.
The queen now has a one-year-old daughter and is pregnant again.
"It's better to let Ruan Bin help take care of the two of them." Zhu Yihai was talking about Ruan Lizhen. She had given birth to several children, had experience in raising children, and was also very talented.
When the queen was pregnant, she had a severe reaction. She vomited when she ate and lost a lot of weight.
She held the little princess in her hands and said with a smile, "Ruan Bin also comes to my concubine's place every day. The children also like her very much, and I like them even more. But there is no need to send her to Ruan Bin's place specially. I can support her here."
Okay, your majesty doesn’t have to worry about their sisters, I will take good care of them, and the two of them like Xiaosi very much, and Xiaosi also likes them."
The princess born to the queen was the fourth, and Zhu Yihai named her Ning Xuan. Ning Wei was older than her, but because Xiao Si was born early when he adopted her, Zhu Yihai simply gave Ning Wei the fifth rank and raised her as his own.
Zhu Yihai looked at the two girls and realized that he really liked Xiaosi. Although Xiaosi was being held by the queen, he still stretched out his little hands to play with the two of them, making him giggle.
The eldest princess Xiu is weak and thin, but Xiao Wu has grown a lot stronger. Even though her head is still big, her hair is much shiny. This girl is not so afraid of people now, she speaks well, and even learns etiquette.
It's pretty good.
Seeing Zhu Yihai coming, she rarely showed off her little girlishness, so she ran up to Zhu Yihai and acted coquettishly, asking him to hug her.
On the contrary, the eldest princess is very sensible, so sensible that it makes people feel a little pitiful.
Zhu Yihai then held Xiaowu in his left hand and the eldest princess in his right hand, placing them on his knees.
The queen holds Xiaosi in her arms.
Such a rare and warm scene like an ordinary home made Zhu Yihai even a little surprised.
Now he has a son and six daughters, two sons who are missing, an adopted daughter, and three concubines who are pregnant. The royal family is also very prosperous.
Uncle Kuaiji and uncle Zhang Guojun also came to visit my sister today.
He saw that the emperor was there, and he looked a little scared.
"What is the third brother busy with recently?" Zhu Yihai asked with a smile. Zhu Yihai was quite polite to this uncle, but he didn't get used to it either. He originally went south and married Yuan Fei's sister from the Zhang family's hometown, that is,
Zhang Guojun's sister is now Queen Zhang, which can be regarded as a political marriage.
The powerful local Zhang family in Ningbo was very willing to marry their daughter into the royal clan. King Lu was also a prince after all, and was arranged by Hongguang to guard Taizhou. This could be regarded as a powerful marriage.
At that time, Zhu Yihai had fled from Shandong and had no foundation in the south. Naturally, he was willing to marry the Zhang daughter to gain local connections and financial support.
Even the house he lives in Ninghai, Taizhou, was given by Zhang, not to mention the money for daily expenses, etc.
At the beginning of the army, Zhu Yihai also borrowed a large sum of money from Zhang Guojun, and also borrowed a lot of Zhang's men. In short, he could be regarded as having the merit of following the dragon.
But Zhang Guojun is a bit of a playboy. He likes to talk and talk, but has no practical ability. He just has high ambitions and low abilities, and he also likes luxury and good food.
After gaining some support, he became a little swollen. He stretched out his hands randomly and accepted gifts randomly. Zhu Yihai didn't get used to it and beat him several times. Later, he simply refused to let him become an official.
Zhang Guojun was a little dissatisfied at first, but later he was afraid of being punished.
Fortunately, Zhu Yihai is not that kind of ruthless person. Although he beats people and cleans them up, as long as Zhang Guojun stops and admits his mistakes and repent, he will have other plans.
Zhang Guojun lost his official career, but Zhu Yihai also showed him another way and arranged for him to develop in the industry and commerce field.
With his status as uncle of the state, the emperor's personal guidance, and the fact that Ningbo's Zhang family was already a powerful family, it has grown rapidly in the past two years.
Zhu Yihai has many profitable royal properties, and he even asked Zhang Guojun to provide money to become a shareholder and take off with him.
It is said that Zhang Guojun is very rich now, and there are rumors that he is worth millions.
"To answer your Majesty's question, I have been mainly busy with pawnshops and banks recently. The two imperial edicts of abolishing the Yuan Dynasty and reforming the Yuan Dynasty have a great impact on this business, and all places must adapt and adjust."
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, pawn shops and money shops were very large and well-known financial institutions. In the pawn industry, Huizhou merchants accounted for half of the country, and they were the only one.
In the bank and shop industry, there are nine major merchant gangs, led by Zhejiang merchants, which are divided into Ningbo Gang, Shaoxing Gang, Hangzhou Gang, Songjiang Gang, Zhenjiang Gang, etc. Zhejiang actually has several major merchant gangs in the bank industry.
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Among them, the Ningbo Gang is even more famous. They are inherited from father to son and have a long history. Next to Qi Ya, most of their employees are from the same hometown. They are introduced first. Unless they are very knowledgeable people, no outsiders are needed.
Their banks and shops are very trustworthy and have a good reputation.
Zhang Guojun's family used to run a money shop, pawn business, and also engage in maritime trade, etc., and they were well-known landlords. Now, with the help of their relatives' status, especially the Zhang family's property, Zhu Yihai's internal funds have invested in it, and this business has become even more popular.
, and now he has become the leader of the Ningbo Gang.
This is also due to Zhu Yihai's intentional support. As long as Uncle Guo's family can operate according to the law, he is of course willing to support his own people. The money he invested in the Zhang family was not much, but the returns he brought were very high.
"I heard that you intend to eat the ginseng brought by the North Korean mission?" the emperor asked.
Zhang Guojun knew that he could not hide it from his brother-in-law, so he said truthfully, "These Koreans carry a lot of personal information in private, and I can't eat it alone."
"If you are short of money, I can ask the Young Master to help you with the money for turnover. However, you can talk to them about the specific details. We can get this batch of ginseng together before selling it."
The North Korean mission paid tribute and brought eight thousand kilograms of ginseng, ten taels per kilogram, which was directly worth eighty thousand taels of silver.
However, this was only their tribute. Each member of their mission was allowed to carry eight packages of ginseng, each package weighing ten kilograms. This time, there were 200 members of the official North Korean mission, so they also carried sixteen thousand kilograms privately.
In particular, the ginseng they carry is of higher quality and older. It is divided into two grades, the top grade of 25 taels per catty, and the treasures of 50 taels per catty, both of which are better than the tributes.
This batch of goods is about 10,000 jins and 25 taels, and 6,000 jins and 50 taels, with a total value of 550,000 taels.
This is a welfare policy provided by the King of Korea to the members of the mission. In fact, it is not just North Korea. Missions such as Japan and Japan come to pay tribute, and they also bring goods privately. Before the Ming Dynasty, they also sent members of the mission to North Korea and Japan.
Carry cargo.
There are actually rules for how much each person brings.
For example, a guard with a low status in the North Korean mission can also bring eight bags of ginseng, but in fact this is just a quota. He cannot afford eight bags of rare Korean ginseng, so in fact, the owner of the goods is someone else. They
You can get many benefits by enjoying this cargo-carrying quota.
Ginseng with a total value of 550,000 taels was the largest private trade cargo carried by the North Korean mission this time. They brought it as tribute and were exempted from tariffs, etc., and the profits were extremely high.
Although the price of this top-quality ginseng is high, there is no need to worry about sales. Korean ginseng is very popular in several East Asian countries. Even if Zhu Yihai resells it to Japan, he can make a lot of money.
Of course, such a large order requires so much money at once, and not everyone can afford it.
Uncle Guo took a fancy to this batch of goods, so he didn't eat it alone, but joined forces with many people, including the queen's uncle Mao Youlun, who was from Xiaoshan, Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
The Mao family was also a famous noble family in the Ming Dynasty. Mao Youlun himself was a Jinshi. Later, he used the reputation and property of the Mao and Zhang families in Ningbo and Shaoxing to recruit rebels. He fought against the Qing Dynasty from Longlong and made many contributions. Now he is also the commander-in-chief of the town and has been awarded the title
Baodingbo.
Several nephews of Mao Youlun are very famous. Mao Qiling and Mao Wanling are called Jiangdong Ermao, while Mao Qiling, Mao Xianshu and Mao Ji are called Zhejiang Sanmao.
The four brothers of the Mao family all joined the army with Mao Youlun. The four intellectuals gave up their writing and joined the army, and they became famous for a while. In particular, Mao Qiling became literate at the age of four and ranked first in the boy examination at the age of thirteen. He was called a child prodigy by the examiner Chen Zilong.
Now all four brothers are Hanlin.
The Zhang family is richer than the Mao family now, but the Mao family is better than the Zhang family in terms of official career.
From the palace to the scholar's family, everyone loved ginseng. The concubines in the palace usually liked to take ginseng, thinking that it could beautify the skin and prolong life and replenish qi and blood. The emperor would always carry ginseng with him wherever he went.
Not to mention a house of bureaucrats and gentry, if you give birth to a child, you must prepare ginseng in advance.
The price of ginseng produced in Liaodong is very high, especially that produced in Changbai Mountain. The Koreans classified ginseng into three grades, while in the Ming Dynasty it was even classified into five grades.
There are also status restrictions on the use of different levels of ginseng. Those top-level ginseng cannot be used by those without status, even if they have money.
But Zhu Yihai didn't pay attention to this. As for ginseng, use it if you have the money. He let the royal family manage ginseng.
The eight thousand kilograms of ginseng that the Koreans paid tribute this time belonged to the tribute trade. They paid tribute and Zhu Yihai gave it back. It was actually a kind of transaction, just in the name of tribute.
In the past, during the Ming Dynasty, tributes belonged to the emperor, but now Zhu Yihai stipulates that the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Neiku jointly participate in the tribute trade, and the income is divided in half.
Out of eight thousand kilograms of ginseng, the Shaofu Superintendent can get four thousand kilograms.
But who has too much?
You must know that ginseng has always been a royal monopoly in the Ming Dynasty. In the past, it was traded with Jurchens and Koreans, and then sold at a fixed price. The price was entirely decided by them.
The first to fifth grade ginseng is basically sold at double the price.
Yes, doubled, sometimes several times.
For example, the ginseng paid as tribute by North Korea cost ten taels of silver per catty, but in the Ming Dynasty it sold for fifty or sixty taels of silver per catty. Sometimes the price even increased because the amount of ginseng obtained decreased.
The purchase price of first-class ginseng is fifty taels, but it can be directly sold for more than 100 or even more than 200 taels.
In addition to fifth-grade ginseng, there are even diced ginseng (hollow ginseng with only skin) that costs sixteen taels per catty, minced ginseng that costs eight taels per catty, and reed ginseng that costs four taels per catty.
For example, in the past years of Chongzhen, due to the war outside the customs, especially after the surrender of North Korea, the Jin Dynasty stopped paying tribute to ginseng. Later, the Ming Dynasty blocked the Hou Jin Dynasty and prohibited trade, which caused the source of ginseng to disappear, and the price of ginseng in Beijing continued to rise.
This time the North Koreans sent 24,000 kilograms of ginseng at once.
Of course, no matter how much ginseng you have, you don’t have to worry about it as long as you have a monopoly. Anyway, in the past, the Ming Dynasty was a monopoly. Except for the palace’s own use and the emperor’s reward, the rest were priced and some were sold in Beijing. The rest were sold in Beijing.
It is sent to various places for salt transportation, weaving, banknote customs and other local yamen for sale.
It is said that in the early Ming Dynasty, ginseng was actually not expensive. During the Jiajing period, the lowest-grade ginseng was only three taels of silver per pound. The Jurchens and the Koreans were still competing to pay tribute to ginseng to the Ming Dynasty. They even fought for the right to collect ginseng and pay tribute.
Fight.
By the beginning of Chongzhen, the price had risen to sixteen taels of silver per catty.
As the production of natural wild ginseng declines, the price naturally rises, especially the efficacy praised by the people, which makes it deified. In addition, Japan highly respects ginseng and rushes to buy a large amount of ginseng every year, which leads to the supply to the Ming Dynasty.
There are less and less ginseng, so the price is getting higher year by year.
If you get ginseng now, you can earn several times the profit, at least double the net profit, not the gross profit.
Originally, Zhang Guojun was not eligible to buy ginseng. Although it was carried privately by North Koreans, Zhu Yihai had already relaxed many restrictions on this.
"These 16,000 kilograms of ginseng are not much, and I don't think the Zhang family can eat them. It's better to let the Shaofu Superintendent come forward to negotiate with the Koreans about the purchase price of this batch of ginseng. After negotiating the price, they pack it up and buy it, and then
Officials from the DPRK and China, as well as local gentry, if they are willing, can subscribe at this price."
The king of North Korea knew how to give the members of the envoy a lucrative benefit by asking them to bring eight packages of ginseng to the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yihai planned to share some benefits with everyone.
The inspector of Shao Fu ate half of this batch of ginseng, and the remaining half was divided into two thousand catties each by Zhang and Mao's family.
The remaining 6,000 kilograms will be shared among everyone, and different subscription quotas will be allocated to them according to their titles, grades, etc.
If you buy it, you will make a profit, if you sell it, you will get a huge profit.
This is giving money.
The only condition is that after participating in their group purchase, apart from personal use or giving away, if they are sold, they must be sold at a uniform price and cannot be sold at random prices or disrupt the market.
Zhang Guojun had a toothache after hearing this.
I originally wanted to eat this batch of ginseng with my uncle Mao's family. It only cost a few hundred thousand taels of silver, which I could scrape together. I could make double the profit if I resold it. Who wouldn't do this business?
But now the emperor wants to monopolize the majority, so forget it, and actually wants to share the remaining half with everyone.
I feel distressed, but I dare not refuse.
After all, without the emperor's permission, they wouldn't even be qualified to buy these ginseng.
"Everyone listens to your Majesty."
Zhu Yihai nodded, ginseng is not so expensive. There are many behind-the-scenes pushers, and Zhu Yihai is happy to promote it. Anyway, ordinary people cannot afford ginseng, and the high price will not affect others.
He was not worried about the money being stolen by the North Koreans, because the Ming Dynasty did not buy ginseng directly with silver, but bartered it.
The price of Korean ginseng is high, and the price of silk and porcelain tea from the Ming Dynasty is also high.
And when the ginseng was in Zhu Yihai's hands, he resold it again and got more money, so let alone dozens of taels of silver per catty, no matter how expensive it was, he was not afraid.
Ten thousand to twenty thousand kilograms of ginseng is actually not much for the entire Ming Dynasty.
If a Beijing official distributes several kilograms or tens of kilograms, he will make a profit of tens of taels and hundreds of taels if he sells it to others. If he uses it for himself, it will also be equivalent to paying tens of hundreds of taels less in cost.
Of course, the emperor still got the big head.
Shaofu Temple took half of the 8,000 jins offered as tribute. Now the 16,000 jins are taken, and another 8,000 jins are taken. The actual total is 12,000 jins.
This batch of ginseng can earn at least three to four hundred thousand taels of silver.
No wonder the Tatars had such strict control over ginseng harvesting outside the customs in history. They also had to issue ginseng tickets, and you could only go to ginseng with the tickets. There were also quantity restrictions, etc. It was really too profitable. It is said that by the late Qing Dynasty, one pound of ginseng
It can be sold for one or two thousand taels of silver.
He is now thinking that the Tatars must have a lot of ginseng in their hands. Should they send some businessmen to Liaodong to smuggle ginseng back with the Tatars?
There must be a lot of ginseng reserves in Tatar now, but there is no market for it.
If the silver is exchanged for ginseng through smuggling, even if the Tatars get the silver, it will be of no use to them if it cannot be eaten or drunk. The more silver they exchange, the more they will increase prices, increase inflation, and raise food prices.
Value etc.
Of course, it is also possible that the Tatars took the money and asked the eight imperial merchants and traitors to smuggle grain to them. But now Shanxi, Shaanxi, and even Henan and Shandong are like this. If the eight Shanxi merchants have the ability, where will they get grain?
This year the Tatars will definitely suffer from a more serious famine. When they were outside the customs, they used to have eight taels of silver and one stone of rice. With the situation this year, during the lean period, it is estimated that eighteen taels of silver and one stone of rice are possible.
Zhu Yihai thinks this is a good idea.
It just so happened that the Ming army reopened the Dongjiang River and even penetrated into the middle and upper reaches of the Yalu River. The Zhenjiang Fort was rebuilt. Then it would be no problem to send people to smuggle ginseng.
Of course, Tatars may not be willing to exchange silver for ginseng, but they can try.
They can't keep all the ginseng for themselves, and they can't eat it as food.
Zhang Guojun sat there, looking at the emperor carefully and secretly, and found that the emperor's mouth actually raised, smiling slightly, he couldn't help but secretly feel frightened, what evil was the emperor's brother-in-law holding back?
Or are you dissatisfied with him and want to deal with him again?
This smile made him feel hairy all over, feeling that he should not be tempted by this ginseng and step into it rashly.
"I resign!"
Zhang Guojun quickly ran away.
"Well, you should go to the Young Master to discuss this matter in detail. Just work harder. If it works, I will reward you with a subscription of 500 kilograms each for two grades of ginseng."
"Long live thanks."
Sixteen thousand kilograms of ginseng was given, but in the end Zhang Guojun only got one thousand kilograms. However, Zhang Guojun hurriedly thanked him and ran away. He felt uncomfortable after staying with the emperor for a long time.