retaliate

Ma Hongzhongshun brought him to discuss business matters with his partners. Ma Xi was worried about him and wanted to go with him.

"The businessman stinks of copper, it doesn't matter if he stinks for his father, and you must not be allowed to get involved."

Ma Hongzhong resolutely refused to let him go, and asked before leaving, "Are you really sure about this imperial examination?"

Ma Xi thought for a while, "There should be!"

"Should?" Ma Hongzhong thought that even the most outstanding scholars in Guanzhong didn't dare to say yes, but it would not hurt his son's self-confidence, so he said, "It's easy to learn."

After leaving the Imperial College, Ma Hongzhong went to find his business partner, Shang Yue.

Shang Yue is in his 40s and looks quite stable.

"Why did you come to Chang'an?" Shang Yue greeted him with a smile, "Come on, let's talk at home."

"Come and see my son, and I'll find you to talk about something by the way."

The two went in to serve tea, and Ma Hongzhong said: "The old man has sent people to investigate everywhere recently. Last year, slaves were released in various places. Those slaves either borrowed money to buy land for farming, or started small businesses, or went to do other things... ...there is a sudden increase in the demand for goods everywhere..."

"Speaking of which, although His Majesty's move is a bit cruel to the rich and powerful, it is beneficial to the merchants." Shang Yue said with a smile, "It's not that the old man is mocking you."

"Hehe!" Ma Hongzhong said, "Businessmen from all over the world are expanding their businesses, so there are more and more goods coming in and out. But the original car and horse shop is smaller, and the good and the bad are mixed. The old man thought that he would just do the car and horse shop business. But , if we want to do it, we have to make it big, and we have to be eye-catching at the same time..."

"In a few years, the business of the chariot and horse dealership is bound to be booming, but what about after a few years? After this group of slaves settle down, the exchange of goods will inevitably decrease. Old horse, the chariot and horse dealership has invested a lot. Think about it, pulling a cart Horses, carriages, hired coachmen...the cost of raising horses, and a group of guards, otherwise you will encounter thieves halfway, and you will lose both people and goods. If the business is deserted in a few years, we can't afford it!"

Shang Yue was a little worried.

Ma Hongzhong smiled, "You are just worried about the future, right?"

"To tell you the truth, brother, His Majesty is too ruthless, and his attitude towards us wealthy merchants is not very friendly. The old man is worried that it will become more difficult to do business in the future."

"This old man is different from you." Ma Hongzhong said: "You see His Majesty's methods are cruel, but what this old man sees is His Majesty's actions are polite and dignified. If you say that you are suppressing the powerful families in Guanzhong, has Your Majesty ever violated the law and the overall situation?"

Shang Yue shook his head, "Impeccable."

"Accordingly, His Majesty wishes he could take over the powerful clans in Guanzhong, but why did he keep us? Isn't it just that the rules don't allow it? Your Majesty can suppress himself to do things, this is Mingjun!"

Ma Hongzhong said confidently: "I am confident that this business will get better and better. Don't believe me? Think about Northern Xinjiang and Taiping."

Mentioning Taiping really lifted Shang Yue's spirits.

Taiping has already become the commercial pearl of the Northland, and it is also the gathering place of workshops.

Some people say that the commercial tax in one county of Taiping can crush the commercial tax in Chang'an.

"Then..." Shang Yue pondered.

After a long time, he slapped his thigh, "That's it!"

"Hahahaha!"

Ma Hongzhong laughed loudly, "Hurry up and get some food and drink, you and I will get drunk together today."

The two of them were in a good mood and drank happily. It didn't take long for Shang Yue to drink so much that his eyes turned red, and asked, "Your son seems to be in the Imperial College? Let him come to the house to talk to the old man if he has something to do. Half of the son is raised."

"I don't need you to support the old man's son." Ma Hongzhong said with a smile, "Da Lang is going to take the imperial examination in the spring."

"Oh! Do you remember that he was going to the Imperial College not long ago? It's too early." Shang Yue clamped a piece of lung.This is the dish of Shu.After the land of Shu was conquered by the emperor, the emperor once said: Shu people are optimistic and courageous, and should not be trapped in a corner. Later, I will make people rebuild Shu roads so that Shu people can travel all over the world.

This remark encouraged the Shu people, and many of them immediately followed the emperor's triumphant army to the inland.Many people found jobs in Chang'an because of this. For example, Shang Yue's family hired a cook from the Sichuan region. The dishes he cooked made Shang Yue quite satisfied, and his salary was increased twice.

Ma Hongzhong was not happy when he heard it, "Da Lang is outstanding in learning, and he will definitely pass this subject."

"Haha!" Shang Yue laughed and said, "If he can pass, I will let you get half of the shares!"

Judging from the scale of the two people's plans to invest, the benefits brought by half of the shares are not small.

"It's a deal!" Ma Hongzhong raised his glass.

Shang Yue squinted at him, "What about you?"

"This..." Ma Hongzhong hesitated. Although he loves his son, he also knows that Ma Xi's studies are not as good as those of those well-educated people.

"Why, dare not?" Shang Yue teased.

If it was in the past, Ma Hongzhong would definitely realize that this is a method of provoking generals, but today he drank too much wine, his blood surged, and he slapped the table, "If it doesn't work, I will let you halfway!"

"A word from a gentleman!" Shang Yue raised his hand and leaned towards Ma Hongzhong.

"Hurry up and whip!"

Snapped!
Two people high-five and swear!

That day, Ma Hongzhong got drunk, and after returning to Nilu, he fell asleep until dawn the next day.

He clutched his forehead, and the conversation with Shang Yue yesterday went out in fragments. After drinking a few cups of hot tea, those memories were slowly linked together.

"Half share?"

Ma Hongzhong patted his forehead, "Shang Yue is aggressive, what a fool!"

But once a word is spoken, it must be hard to follow.

Ma Hongzhong sighed, "This is the first lesson the businessman taught me!"

Before going back, the father and son went out for dinner, but Ma Hongzhong never mentioned this matter.

"Take a good exam!" Ma Hongzhong left.

The atmosphere in the Imperial College before the exam was very strong.

The territory of the Tang Dynasty is huge, and many candidates need to follow the local officials to Chang'an several months in advance. Compared with them, the students of the Guozijian can be said to be waiting for work at leisure.

Ma Xi is studying hard, while the upper echelons of the Guozijian are planning for the future.

"Your Majesty means that Datang will go out in the future, and at the same time as going out, the propaganda must keep up."

Ning Yayun just came back from the palace and brought the emperor's instructions to the Imperial College.

"What do you mean?" An Ziyu asked.

"Your Majesty got the news that Luo Luo seems to be ready to move. Don't you know His Majesty's temperament? But whoever dares to show his teeth to Datang, he will not only knock out all the teeth of that person, but also rush into that person's house and fight until he is let down." That person no longer has the ability to threaten Datang."

"To be able to talk about the destruction of the country so freshly and refinedly, the cultivation level of the head teacher is even more amazing." An Ziyu twirled the ruler on his fingertips and flew up, amidst the whistling sound, there was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

"Cough cough!" The old man coughed dryly, "Your Majesty said, to make money with kindness, you must convince people with virtue. Do business first, and at the same time as doing business, someone must take the culture of Tang Dynasty, pay attention, it is culture, and It’s not about ability, someone has to spread the Tang culture to other places.”

"What does this mean?" Everyone was puzzled.

"What does His Majesty call this...cultural influence."

"Well, it's also an errand." An Ziyu said: "Going out of the Tang Dynasty to do such things is very risky. If those nobles know about it, they will definitely not send their children here again. Good thing."

As for metaphysics... look at the eyes of the professors, they are clearly flocking to them!
"Headmaster, I want to go!"

"Yeah! How can we stand still on such matters?"

These clubs all want to go out and travel. As for danger, where is there no danger in this world?
"Aren't you afraid of death?" Ning Yayun asked.

"Not afraid!"

"There must be a reason for such enthusiasm!"

"Isn't this traveling with public funds? Master, you spent money on digging and searching. We want to go out and go around. The little money you give can't even afford food. If this is arranged by the court, it must not be Bad money."

"That is, otherwise His Majesty will not have the face to enter the Imperial College again."

"Exactly!"

An Ziyu was a little dazed, and asked slowly: "Teacher, do you feel uneasy?"

Ning Yayun nodded, "Your Majesty seems to have lit a fire inside the metaphysics."

……

"Ignite the fire from the hollow point!"

In the harem, the emperor was teaching Li Laoer how to light a fire.

"It's going to be empty below!"

"Oh!" Li Laoer took a firewood and poked it under the pile of firewood, and picked it up.

Freshly lit fires were flying everywhere.

The emperor's head was full of black lines, and Li Laoer's face was innocent.

The prince laughed beside him.

Fugui got a firewood on his forehead and was barking wildly.

The swordsman distanced himself from it in disdain, but he was actually a little afraid of Mars.

The queen covered her mouth and smiled, "Don't worry about it, lest someone call for fire."

"I am teaching Erlang to survive in the wilderness!"

The emperor turned around resentfully.

Originally, I wanted to teach how to roast meat by the way, but now there is no need, the queen ordered the kitchen to prepare roast lamb, which is so fat and tender that the index finger will be tempted.

During the meal, the emperor asked the prince about his homework and his opinion on the imperial examination.

"Most of the people who pass the imperial examination every year are the children of families with a long history. I think...it's not good." The prince has followed the emperor for a long time, and he has many ideas in common with the emperor.

"That's right!" The emperor put down his chopsticks, and said with dark eyes, "The imperial examination was supposed to give the lower classes a chance to rise to the next level, but it has become a carnival for the children of meat eaters. This is contrary to the original intention of the imperial examination."

"Aye, those people's families are profound, even if they are not very educated, but they are rich and powerful, and they can hire brilliant gentlemen for their children alone. In this way, most of the children who pass the imperial examination are naturally their children."

This is contrary to the emperor's political philosophy of suppressing powerful families.

"Think slowly." Seeing that the father and son were thinking, the queen quickly interrupted, "The meat is going to be cold."

"Oh!" The emperor smiled, "Eat and eat! I'm already arranging this matter."

After dinner, someone came to report.

"Someone collected Chunyu's body."

"Give it to them." The emperor didn't think whipping the corpse would relieve his hatred.

On the second day, Liu Qing went to the palace alone to see the emperor and asked for instructions about this year's imperial examination.

"How many candidates are there in this year's imperial examination?" the emperor asked.

"The imperial examination was stopped last year, and this year there are more and more people."

Last spring, the emperor suspended the imperial examinations on the grounds that many candidates could not arrive in time because of the war.

"Most of those candidates have arrived in Chang'an and are gearing up for the start of the exam. I heard that the children of those families have said that this year they will at least take [-]% of the places to pass."

Liu Qing was a little annoyed.

"Really?" The emperor's smile made Liu Qing think of the word mysterious.

"It's not good to dream in broad daylight!"