prosperous age

"No, no, no, Lord Wei, the salary you're offering is too low."

"One hundred and fifty taels of silver a year is not a small amount, and I will give you a bonus of three hundred taels of silver for each building completed."

In the private tea room, Wei Guangde and Mario began to discuss his treatment and his benefits.

Yes, it's about discussing.

Wei Guangde planned to keep the master and apprentice on his side and prevent them from having the opportunity to help others build houses.

Furthermore, he wanted to keep a close watch on all the craftsmen involved in the construction.

Well, his goal is to build a construction company for the Ming Dynasty.

They've already planned to develop real estate projects in major cities of the Ming Dynasty, so it's not surprising that they'd take on another construction company.

There isn't actually a need to build too many of these Western-style buildings.

A few are enough for a city.

However, his first priority is to dominate the market. He will dispatch buildings in order of their economic prosperity based on the current economic level of each prefecture, with the most economically prosperous prefectures being the first to build buildings.

Because he was unsure whether the common people of the Ming Dynasty, or more specifically the scholars, would accept it.

It should be noted that the architecture of the Ming Dynasty was still mainly gardens and pavilions, and it would take time for people to accept houses with a structure like Western-style buildings.

Just as he was discussing wages with Mario, Zhang Ji arrived with several stewards from the manor. They were the experts in business negotiations for the Wei family, and they managed all the business in the manor.

This is what it means to specialize in one's field.

With their arrival, Wei Guangde naturally gave up his seat, letting these people discuss things with Mario and his apprentices while he drank tea on the side.

Before long, Lu Bu also rushed over, handed a booklet to Wei Guangde, and then stepped aside.

This is a journal brought back by the mission, recording information collected by Italy, including the income situation of Italians at that time.

Well, it must be admitted that the records in the notebook exceeded Wei Guangde's imagination, because even among ordinary people at the bottom of society, the income gap was enormous.

The above records show income disparities between various Italian city-states, but what surprised Wei Guangde most was that within the same city-state, for example, the wages of soldiers and workers differed by more than twenty times.

Most workers would receive a few small silver coins each month, called Akche silver coins, which were minted by the Ottoman Empire, their neighboring state.

At this time, due to the influence of the Ottoman Empire, Akche silver coins circulated almost throughout the entire Mediterranean coast.

The soldiers who were to fight, even the ordinary soldiers, earned as much as fifty Akche silver coins per month.

There was also a corresponding conversion. The delegation collected Akche silver coins, weighed them, and then converted them into Ming Dynasty coins. The Akche silver coins were similar in quality to Ming Dynasty silver coins, but weighed less than a Ming Dynasty one-qian silver coin.

Even so, it can be calculated that the monthly income of an Italian soldier was about three taels of silver, and nearly forty taels a year.

They also noted the existence of a large number of unofficial mercenaries in various European countries, whose income was two to three times that of soldiers.

The European countries are largely similar, with farmers and urban residents having very low incomes, while soldiers, especially mercenaries, have very high incomes, even far exceeding those of the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty's Nine Garrisons.

However, the journal records mercenaries as "desperate outlaws" and "bandits".

Wei Guangde quickly flipped through the notes, but found no record of the architects' income. Although the notes recorded the income of fur workers, textile workers, and even construction workers, it was only a few silver coins a month, less than one tael of silver in the Ming Dynasty.

From this perspective, the income of ordinary people in European countries at that time was indeed far lower than that of people in the Ming Dynasty, by a very large margin.

Meanwhile, the negotiations between the steward and Mario and his apprentice were also progressing quickly. According to the income of the Ming Dynasty's master craftsmen, Wei Guangde's offer of 150 taels of silver per year was not low, but it was clearly still not enough to satisfy Mario and his apprentice's appetite.

Their final offer was 300 taels of silver per year, plus a 300 tael bonus for each completed building, which they didn't care about.

"Do as they say, and write the contract right away."

Wei Guangde spoke up.

Zhang Ji nodded and immediately had someone begin writing the contract.

However, another problem arose at this point: the interpreter could speak, but lacked writing skills.

So they quickly sent someone to the Four Barbarians' Pavilion to invite people.

The steward of the Wei family began to argue word by word about how the contract should be written, while the interpreter who came from the Siyiguan (Foreigners' Bureau) racked his brains to translate it into Latin.

Thanks to their previous signing of diplomatic relations with the three countries, the Siyiguan (a secretariat) was familiar with the process. The group huddled together and carefully translated the agreed-upon terms.

After all, the signatory was Grand Secretary Wei, so they dared not be negligent; otherwise, if there were problems with the contract, they would be in big trouble.

"The exclusivity clause means that he can only design and build houses according to our requirements and cannot accept invitations from other people."

Seeing that the general contract was complete, Wei Guangde gave his instructions.

“We pay them to do things our way. Even if others have building requirements, they can only contact us, not bypass us to contact them directly.”

Do you understand what I mean?

Wei Guangde said to one of the stewards.

"I understand, I understand."

The manager nodded hastily.

Such exclusive clauses have actually been quite common in the past. With the prosperity of commerce in the Ming Dynasty, commercial competition was inevitable, and various methods were constantly emerging.

However, ordinary employees don't usually consider these things, and who are they anyway?

Even if someone were to try to poach someone from Grand Secretary Wei's residence, they would need to have the audacity.

However, since Wei Guangde made the request, they naturally had to comply and include this clause in the contract.

Finally, the contract was completed, but Wei Guangde did not sign it. Instead, he gestured to the steward of the manor to sign his name.

Of course, Grand Secretary Wei couldn't leave his name on such a contract, which reeked of money; it could only be done by someone from his household.

"Give them the money. Give each person in the Siyiguan five taels of silver, and do the rest as usual."

Wei Guangde said to Zhang Ji.

They negotiated with Mario and his apprentice for half a day, by which time the moon was already hanging in the treetops, and none of them had eaten dinner yet.

After ordering food and drinks to be prepared, Wei Guangde called Zhang Ji aside and instructed him, "Go to the Ministry of Works and recruit a group of young craftsmen. They will work with Mario and his team to build houses. They need to be quick-witted and learn their skills."

All craftsmen have to sign a 20-year contract. The government pays them wages, and their wages will be increased based on their abilities.

The contract must include a clause stipulating that if the employee leaves, they must pay one hundred times their wages in compensation.

Wei Guangde was responsible for adding the ideas he had to Penguin Day, while Zhang Ji arranged everything else. "Remember to re-establish a chamber of commerce, and have everyone sign up for that chamber of commerce. In the future, we will build houses specifically for your residence."

Wei Guangde planned to wait for the design plans of the Western-style buildings in Beijing to be released, and then take a closer look. Perhaps he could make it possible for him to live a slightly more modern life in the Ming Dynasty.

There are also villas; a combination of classical gardens and villas seems to be no less impressive than a wooden building.

However, everything will have to wait until this Western-style building in the city is completed.

Wei Guangde spent half a day making a fuss here, so the news naturally couldn't be kept secret.

In fact, the Embroidered Uniform Guards already knew about this matter before the yamen was closed, but the surrounding area was guarded by the Wei family's guards, so the Embroidered Uniform Guards' spies could not get up.

Of course, after the event ended, the people from the Siyiguan (Four Barbarians' Pavilion) went back home, and the news could no longer be kept secret.

Wei Guangde, the Grand Secretary, hired two craftsmen who had traveled to the East and brought back with him from the mission. He hired them to build a large house in the city, in the style of European architecture.

Without signing, Wei Guangde worried that someone might try to sabotage the process.

Now that Mario and his apprentice have signed the agreement, he has nothing to worry about.

It's worth mentioning that Mario and his apprentice came here with the Ming Dynasty delegation, not at the invitation of the delegation, but as part of a Ming Dynasty ship's journey to the East for sightseeing and exploration. Although they stayed at the Huitongguan, they were not employed by the imperial court.

Otherwise, even if Wei Guangde signed the contract, it would be invalid.

Of course, there is another figure who can influence this contract, and that is the emperor.

If he refuses to acknowledge the deal and insists that Mario and his apprentice build him a European palace, Wei Guangde has no choice but to comply.

You can't expect him to act on the emperor's orders. That might be possible in Europe, but the king's power isn't absolute.

But in the Ming Dynasty, forget about it.

However, Wei Guangde was not entirely without options. The inner court could hire the Wei family's merchant guild to help build palaces, and he would settle accounts with the Grand Chancellor Feng Bao.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew, it meant the imperial family knew, so Wei Guangde had nothing to fear.

Even those ministers in the court, whether it was Zhang Juzheng or Zhang Siwei, he had ways to deal with them.

What he was most worried about, and what was most difficult to deal with, was actually the group of nobles in the capital.

Well, these people have a keen sense of smell. Wei Guangde gave them some advice several times, which diverted their attention away from the past land and salt permits, and they began to learn how to do business.

Of course, in the process of doing business, some bullying and monopolistic practices are inevitable.

Thanks to the influence of the powerful and wealthy, businessmen without strong connections could only accept their misfortune.

Meanwhile, businessmen with connections would naturally gather people in the officialdom and contact their fellow townsmen or classmates in the Censorate to impeach them.

In the past two years, nothing much has happened locally, but there have been many more memorials impeaching nobles.

In previous years, we would only serve about ten portions a year, but now it has increased to thirty or forty portions.

These people are a bit like a leech; once they're stuck, they're hard to get rid of.

From doing business to taking a stake, they relentlessly pursued the idea of ​​becoming a shareholder in Wei Guangde's business.

Well, he has a good eye; it seems like all the projects he invests in make a lot of money.

In the past, when they saw Mongols, all they thought about was taking their heads, bringing them back as a reward, and earning ten taels of silver.

Now, when people see Mongolians, the first thing they ask is if they have any wool to process.

In the past two years, the Mongolian Chamber of Commerce has seen its wool textiles sell extremely well in northern Ming Dynasty, and its products have even entered the southern market. In places like Suzhou and Hangzhou, wealthy households have changed their winter clothing from cotton-padded coats to woolen coats.

Of course, those with status and position still prefer to wear fur.

Having just started another chamber of commerce, Wei Guangde had a premonition that these people would soon take action, probably sending several dukes to his residence with silver, asking to become shareholders.

The problem is that he really can't refuse these local bullies.

Despite his great reputation, Wei Guangde can accomplish many things that others simply cannot do with a single post.

But don't forget, this post shouldn't be shown to others easily.

Once you take it out, you'll be tainted by karma, and you can't wash it off later.

Therefore, when it came to business matters within the chamber of commerce, Wei Guangde simply stood behind the scenes, relying mainly on these small shareholders to handle things.

These people wield knives, and sometimes they are more effective than the government.

During this waiting period, Wei Guangde received another letter from Zheng Luo of Xuanfu.

As expected, the Third Daughter was unwilling to remarry Huang Taiji, which forced Huang Taiji to postpone his ascension to the throne.

The matter has already been reported to Huang Taiji and San Nianzi by their respective letters and delivered to Xuanfu.

Zheng Luo's memorial, along with the two men's documents, was sent to the capital, along with this letter.

Previously, Wei Guangde had written to inform them how to handle this matter. In order to show the seriousness of the court, they naturally could not make a statement casually and pass the buck to the capital.

Upon seeing the letter, Wei Guangde knew that the cabinet would likely deal with this matter the next day.

Sure enough, the next day, the memorial from Xuanfu was sent directly to the office of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng.

Then, Zhang Juzheng summoned all the cabinet ministers and showed them the current situation in Mongolia.

Everyone had already been warned, so no one was surprised.

"I think we should do as we said before, report this to the palace and ask for the imperial approval, and then send someone to persuade Third Sister."

Zhang Siwei spoke first, expressing his opinion.

Shen Shixing, of course, would not object. He had also thought about Wei Guangde's proposal repeatedly these past few days and could not find any reason to object.

So, amidst Zhang Juzheng's coughing, Wei Guangde picked up his pen and began drafting the proposal.

"Ahem, so who exactly should be sent this time?"

Zhang Juzheng spoke again.

"It is best to keep this matter confidential, especially since it involves a private promise to Third Sister. It cannot be written in the draft or the official approval document. Therefore, I suggest that Governor-General Zheng Luo of Xuanda handle this matter."

The lady is currently camped not far from Xuanfu, presumably because she is worried that Huang Taiji will use force against her.

With Xuanfu as her backing, she felt more confident, and it also made it easier for Governor Zheng to travel.

Wei Guangde spoke up.

He had hinted to Zheng Luo that it was best to keep this matter to a minimum, so it was not advisable to entrust it to others.

"However, even if Governor Zheng intervenes, Third Sister may not believe it is a promise from the imperial court."

Zhang Juzheng hesitated.

"Then let Governor Zheng take the imperial decree and bestow upon her the title of Lady Zhongshun."

Wei Guangde spoke up, "If she is smart, she will understand that the court's decision not to bestow the title of Princess Consort of Shunyi upon her separately from that of the Prince of Shunyi is to treat her differently from the Prince of Shunyi."

"Alright, then add it to the draft vote."

Zhang Juzheng began to speak.

"No need, I will send it directly to the Qianqing Palace and ask His Majesty to approve it."

Wei Guangde said.

The cabinet should try to remain as inconspicuous as possible in this matter and push the blame onto the emperor.

As for persuading the Third Sister to remarry, although it is not in line with Han culture, it is, after all, a traditional custom of the Mongols. Generally speaking, the teachers would not pay attention to it, at most they would curse her as a "beast" behind her back.

"At Xuanda University, Shandai, you must write to Zheng Luo to inform him of the seriousness of the situation. There must be no mistake."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and finally nodded.

Formulating a plan and implementing a plan are two different things. It involves controlling the details and requires careful consideration.

After leaving this place, Wei Guangde did not return to his duty room, but went directly to the Qianqing Palace.

In the afternoon, an imperial edict was issued: "In accordance with Mongolian tradition, the Prince of Shunyi shall be appeased, and his consort shall be granted the title of Lady Zhongshun."

An imperial envoy set off with the imperial edict, while Wei Guangde's guards had already gone to Xuanfu with a letter.

Just when Wei Guangde thought he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, Liu Shouyou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, came to visit again.

"Something's happened in Japan." (End of Chapter)