Water Margin people

On the deck of the ironclad, the soldiers began to prepare the evening banquet. Bright red coral trees were placed on the table. Huge and beautiful shells filled with pearls as big as eggs were placed on the emerald green and blue jade tables. The entire deck of the ironclad was covered with gold coins and gold bricks.

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with it? Isn't it a bit too tacky?"

Lu You looked at Sun Lei and asked.

"No, the more vulgar the better. It would be best if you look like a nouveau riche. If you come in an elegant style, those merchants might not understand."

Sun Lei shook his head and said, you have to use different methods to deal with different people. When dealing with merchants, it is most direct to talk about money. Talking about elegance is like playing the lute to a cow. Merchants are a group of people who are obsessed with money.

"I'm afraid it will affect your majesty's reputation!"

Lu You looked at Sun Lei and said, the emperor is the supreme ruler of the world, the role model for the world, and his fame and reputation are of great importance.

"I don't care about those false reputations. Who do you think dares to say anything?"

Sun Lei smiled and said, being an emperor actually has its advantages, which is that whatever he does is right.

"Also, those beauties can be used now!"

Sun Lei reminded him that he didn't care about those beauties, but those businessmen who only had money in their eyes were very late to this point. Money and women are inseparable, and women are often money.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Lu You accepted the order.

At the Guangzhou government office, upon learning that the emperor was hosting a banquet for merchants tonight to discuss matters, the merchants went crazy and surrounded Huang Zhongfu to demand a seat.

Huang Zhongfu was very generous and allocated quotas to all merchants of all sizes in the city.

"Thank you, Prefect Huang. We will go back now to bathe and change clothes. We must be well prepared to see His Majesty!"

The merchants who got the quota quickly dispersed and went to prepare.

At dusk, merchants dressed in their best came to the port, but they couldn't close their mouths for a long time when they looked at the ships hosting the banquet.

All I saw was a bright golden light above the ship, and it looked like a golden world in the dark night. That was the light reflected from the gold.

"How much gold is this!"

The merchants were very familiar with the golden light, but they were still surprised by such a bright light.

"Everyone, come on board."

Lu You looked at the merchants and spoke.

"Thank you, sir!"

When the merchants saw Lu You in his official uniform, they all bowed to him regardless of his young age.

When the merchants boarded the ship, they realized that their ideas were too superficial. The entire deck was covered with gold, and the stone platforms were decorated with jade and gems. The various pearls and corals also stunned them. They had never seen so many beautiful coral trees even though they had eaten at sea.

"Everyone, please take a seat!"

Lu You pointed to the seats between the coral trees. These seats were arranged very elegantly. Sitting between the coral trees and the clam shells and pearls, it felt like sitting on the bottom of the sea in the dark night.

"This coral, this pearl, ours is a foot of coral, and the pearl is the size of a pigeon egg. This coral is a foot long, and the pearl is the size of an egg! The Dragon King of the East Sea's Dragon Palace is just like this, right?"

A merchant murmured.

"Keep your voice down, His Majesty is coming!"

Someone reminded them, and they sat upright, not daring to look around.

As the sound of drums and music sounded, Sun Lei, dressed in a gorgeous dragon robe, came onto the deck under the protection of soldiers in golden armor.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

The merchants shouted in unison.

"No gift!"

Sun Lei sat on the golden chair, looked at the golden table in front of him and spoke.

"Serve!"

Lu You shouted.

Two teams of beauties came in with plates of food in their hands. They were all beauties from foreign countries. They attracted the attention of the merchants as soon as they appeared. In particular, there were beauties sent by Baldwin IV of the Arab world, which made the merchants stare at them with their eyes wide open.

"Some of these specialties from outside the region, please try them!"

Sun Lei looked at the merchants and spoke. The merchants then looked at the food in front of them, which turned out to be all delicacies they had never seen before.

Seeing that the emperor knew how to use chopsticks, the merchants hurriedly started to taste the food. Although they had eaten all kinds of delicacies from land and sea, these foreign foods still amazed them.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to open up overseas markets for Qi!"

A merchant spoke boldly, and the golden-armored soldiers on both sides looked at the merchant, causing the merchant to quickly lower his head.

"Good idea, who else but him?"

Sun Lei said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, we also want to..."

The others also spoke up boldly. Although they were afraid, they were willing to sacrifice their lives for money.

"Okay, there will be a time for you to go!"

Sun Lei nodded.

"Your Majesty, when can we go out to sea?"

The merchants asked anxiously, they wanted to go out to sea and make a fortune before merchants from other places knew about it.

"It's still early. Shipping regulations haven't been issued yet. How can you go out to sea?"

Sun Lei shook his head.

"Regulations?"

The merchants' faces all changed. The introduction of regulations proved that things would become very strict.

"It's different now than before. In the past, the army was there to protect you, but now the seas and countries over there have been destroyed. It's a very safe route. Naturally, we can't do it the same way as before. We need to establish rules."

Sun Lei nodded.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to give up 70% of our profits and ask Your Majesty to let us go to sea first!"

A merchant knelt down and spoke.

"Your Majesty, we are willing too!"

The other merchants were unwilling to fall behind and knelt down to beg.

"Seventy percent profit? Is it the profit from the goods entering the port or the profit after they are sold?"

Sun Lei asked with a smile, touching his chin.

"The last profit!"

As soon as the merchants heard this, they knew that the emperor was not so easy to deceive. They did not dare to harbor any illusions and spoke directly through gritted teeth.

Merchants are naturally very clear about the benefits of going out to sea first. They can count the nautical charts, the overseas ports and the value of the goods produced, and they can also know what kind of Central Plains goods are in demand overseas. This allows them to seize the opportunity and make adequate preparations for going out to sea later.

"Okay, I'll give you one chance. Go register with Huang Zhongfu, and then register with the military."

Sun Lei said with a smile.

The merchants shouted "Long live the emperor" three times, and then they sat down with a smile. The banquet was a great pleasure for all the guests.

The merchants left reluctantly until late at night.

"Your Majesty, these merchants are really ruthless. With 70% of the final profit, they can hardly make any money!"

Lu You said.

"Businessmen, as long as there is enough profit, they can do anything."

Sun Lei smiled and said that if one wanted to completely open up the maritime trade routes, one had to let some people taste the sweetness first, and then make others jealous and follow suit.

"Okay, I'm tired too. We have to leave tomorrow!"

Sun Lei waved his hand and went to rest.

At this time, the city of Guangzhou was in jubilation. Merchants sent all their men out to prepare the goods and ships as soon as possible and then go out to sea.

"I'm really impatient. I've urged them for so long, but they kept making excuses. Now they're as anxious as an ant on a hot pot."

Huang Zhongfu looked at the list in his hand and laughed. He couldn't help but sigh that the emperor's words were worth a thousand words. (End of this chapter)