I'm really not doing business

Chapter 694 caused great damage to traditional culture

Xu Guangqi's family was very wealthy. His grandfather and father were both merchants. However, when the Japanese invaded, all the houses and assets in Xu Guangqi's family were burned down. Xu Guangqi's father had to give up business and become a farmer, supporting himself by taking classes in farming and gardening. His grandmother and mother spun and weaved from morning till night, regardless of the season.

Xu Guangqi was devoted to studying, hoping to pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his family. His family gave him all their savings, hoping that he could make great progress in his studies. If he had developed according to the established trajectory, he would have failed the imperial examination in his twenties and would have become a poor scholar, teaching everywhere to make a living. However, as he studied harder, his family became richer and richer.

It is better to rely on your father to work hard than to work hard on your own.

The east wind of the Ming Dynasty's opening of the sea blew to Songjiang Prefecture. Seeing the east wind rising, Xu Guangqi's father planted cotton cloth on all his land. After the ban on raw silk came into effect, he immediately sold all his land, built a workshop, and began to weave silk.

Before Xu Guangqi passed the imperial examination, his father had successfully struggled to enter the Songjiang Ocean Trading Company and became one of the company's maritime merchants. Xu Guangqi's family underwent earth-shaking changes during the Wanli period. His life was no longer just about having no worries about food and clothing, but could even be said to be well-off.

Which of the shipowners of Songjiang Ocean Trading Company is not extremely wealthy?
The Xu family now has many industries, not only in Songjiang Prefecture, but also in Nan Ya. There are 37 weaving workshops alone, producing cotton, linen and silk fabrics; 23 garment workshops, selling clothes, shoes and hats for everyone from the powerful and wealthy to the poor and laborers; there are also seven umbrella workshops, three brick kilns, and so on.

Their family's property has far surpassed that of their grandfather. To describe its scale and status specifically, it is probably that their property can enter the emperor's field of vision, and he will receive the same scrutiny as when he slaughters pigs during the New Year.

By the time Xu Guangqi passed the examination for a scholar in the ninth year of the Wanli reign and the examination for a juren in the tenth year of the Wanli reign, his family no longer needed him to pass the examination for a jinshi to bring honor to the family.

At the end of the 12th year of the Wanli reign, Sun Kehong called on the powerful and wealthy in Songjiang Prefecture to pay donations to vaccinate the civilians and soldiers with cowpox. Sun Kehong directly took out 50,000 taels of silver and also let his sons and nephews take on the menial business.

Medicine at that time was still one of the arts, because there were many charlatans who cheated people. Sun Kehong supported the court's decrees with his own actions, and Xu Guangqi's father also took out a sum of money and let Xu Guangqi go to Huimin Pharmacy to learn, on the grounds that many skills are always good. Mainly, Xu Guangqi's father did not believe that a small vaccination method could curb the plague of smallpox.

At that time, Xu Guangqi came into contact with medicine.

Smart people learn things quickly, and Xu Guangqi quickly learned how to vaccinate against smallpox.

The abundance of life gave Xu Guangqi more freedom to make choices. His goal now was no longer to become a Jinshi, but to become a Doctor of the Imperial Academy of Studies to explore the cognitive boundaries of the unknown world.

Xu Guangqi had made some achievements in mathematics, geometry, astronomy, mapping, and even firearms. He became friends with Galileo and they shared similar interests.

Unlike Xu Guangqi who had no worries about food and clothing, Galileo was now living under someone else's roof and was thrown away by Philip II as if he were a nuisance.

Felipe admired Galileo very much, just as Isabella I admired Columbus and used her own private money to support Columbus' adventure, and just as Charles V admired Magellan and did his best to provide Magellan with the necessary ships and sailors for the ocean voyage.

Isabella I and Charles V were both kings of Spain. The returns from these two insignificant investments were the glory of the British Empire. Felipe II valued Galileo's persistence. He felt that this was another great discovery, just like Columbus and Magellan. However, due to pressure and questioning from the Vatican, Felipe had to let Legazpi take him away.

Felipe's original plan was to build the Royal Academy of Sciences in imitation of the Ming Emperor. Felipe read all of Legazpi's travel notes and had a vague understanding of the power of man to change nature. He wanted to build a temple of science in his palace to attract talents from all over the West.

However, the Vatican did not approve of it and it ultimately could not be done.

As the guardian of the Holy See, Felipe was caught in a dilemma.

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is the embodiment of wisdom. I have read the travel notes written by Legashi. In the past thirteen years, the prophet does not seem to have made any wrong decisions. Every new policy he implemented has been very successful. Is the prophet's goal to occupy the world? I think it can be achieved in less than thirty years." Galileo asked curiously.

"Ah? Hahaha." Xu Guangqi laughed happily.

The Emperor of Ming Dynasty was a very simple man. His Majesty always narrowed his own definition. He only wanted to be a good Emperor of Ming Dynasty and had no idea of ​​dominating the world. Ming Dynasty did not want to be the overlord of the earth as the price to pay was too high.

"No, your majesty's goal, the Wanli Reform, can actually be summed up in eight words: to enrich the country, strengthen the military, and ensure a stable and prosperous life. This is your majesty's only goal." Xu Guangqi waved his hands and said.

Galileo said with some worry: "By the way, Xu, if I pass the examination to become a doctor of science, do I need to stand up and toast His Royal Highness? I heard that Li Yashi used a long article in his travel notes to describe the drinking culture of the Ming Dynasty. I am not very good at drinking. Will this affect my future development?"

In the West, some priests who are self-disciplined are always ostracized. In Galileo's view, not being able to drink in the Ming Dynasty would also lead to such ostracism. This was one of Galileo's small concerns.

Galileo had yearning, curiosity and fear about future life.

Xu Guangqi shook his head and said, "Maybe not. It's very difficult to get on the table, let alone toast His Royal Highness Prince De. You may not even see him on weekdays, unless you have made great achievements, then you can toast whenever you want."

"In the Ming Dynasty, if you study the infinite principles of all things, you will be slandered and opposed by Confucian scholars. These Confucian scholars are roughly equivalent to the Church in the West. But I think the doctors of the Study of Things should not have many banquets because they are really busy."

Before Xu Guangqi passed the examinations to become a scholar or a juren, he was extremely disgusted with these kinds of social relationships. But after he passed, he realized that he had thought too much. When he was just a scholar, he was just a bean sprout and it was difficult for him to even get on the table, let alone toast. After he passed the examinations to become a juren, no one invited him because his family was a notorious merchant in Shanghai who offered tribute to the emperor.

"Why would Confucian scholars oppose the study of the principles of all things?" Galileo was a little puzzled. The concept of Confucian scholars seemed to be quite complex and all-encompassing.

Xu Guangqi thought for a moment and said, "The beginning was forgotten, and the end was also forgotten. In short, it caused great damage to traditional culture."

"Ah? In my opinion, the Wanli Reform, including the study of the infinite principles of all things, has brought vitality to the Ming Dynasty, the Celestial Empire. This vitality is visible to the naked eye. The Ming Dynasty's 88-spindle cotton spinning wheel can produce 50 times more cotton cloth than in the past. How can this be a huge destruction of traditional culture?"

"Shouldn't it be promoted? Otherwise, how would the world know about the exquisite silk and the reasonably priced and beautiful cotton cloth of the Ming Dynasty?" Galileo didn't understand. Many things in the Ming Dynasty seemed a little strange to him, a barbarian.

"That's true, but who knows? I haven't read their articles carefully. Let them talk." Xu Guangqi spread his hands. He didn't care about these rumors. He just wanted to tell Galileo that it was difficult for him to understand the traditional culture of standing and toasting in the Ming Dynasty, because these Confucian scholars regarded the Doctor of Gewu as a heretic.

The drinking table culture excludes all those who seek to serve the emperor and study the mysteries of all things.

Xu Guangqi and Galileo left Huimin Pharmacy. They were on the same route. Xu Guangqi was going to his home in Nanjing, while Galileo was going back to Siyi Pavilion in Nanjing. He could rent a house in Siyi Pavilion for two cents of silver per month. It was very expensive, but it was the only place he could go, unless he could save enough money to buy a house, which was very difficult.

It is said that there was a family to the east of the old Baixia Bridge. The wife was as beautiful as a flower, but the husband was ugly and short. All because the husband worked in the government office, those vagrants did not dare to harass them. But one day, the pretty lady took a bamboo pole to open the window on the second floor, but she did not hold it firmly, and the pole slipped and landed on the headscarf of a passerby.

The pretty lady exclaimed in surprise, bowed deeply, and said apologetically: "It was a mistake, please don't blame me, sir."

The bamboo pole fell right on Xu Guangqi's head. When Xu Guangqi raised his head, he saw the charming woman.

"It's okay." Xu Guangqi waved his hands and put down the bamboo pole. He said to Galileo in doubt: "Galileo, why does the bamboo pole not fly up to the sky, but fall down? Is it because there is a force that is pulling the bamboo pole down?"

"According to the research of the Institute of Gewu, tides are definitely not caused by the Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun. The recent acceleration and deceleration of the Earth's apogee causes the sea water to vibrate. Because the tidal cycle is very stable, sufficient observations have proved that the tides are affected by the moon and the sun. Do you think it is the same force?"

"A force that we cannot see or touch, but it really exists. This can explain why the earth is a sphere, but people on the back of the earth do not fall off."

"Your idea is great!" Galileo's eyes lit up, and he looked at Xu Guangqi with excitement and said, "We all know that the earth is spinning at a very fast speed, but people are not thrown out. It is because there is some kind of downward force!"

"We need a lot of calculations to prove this idea."

Xu Guangqi and Galileo became more and more excited as they talked, and headed towards home. The pretty lady went downstairs, took a bamboo pole, and looking at the figure going away, she could only say, "What a handsome man."

When the Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun was on inspection, he saw a Southern Yamen that disappointed him greatly, a Southern Yamen where rituals and music were in disarray, and he also saw a Southern Yamen that was thriving.

Rites and music are morality and law, and are the social order and good customs. The Nan Ya was soaked in silver and became what he saw. He witnessed many scenes that made him feel sad.

When the elder of the family passed away, before the body was even cold and buried, four brothers started fighting over the family property. Four families who had no worries about food and clothing became restless over three taels of silver.

Human trafficking is illegal, but most of them are disguised as charity organizations. Poor people who can't afford food can't stop crying, but they still send their children to charity organizations. Then some wealthy people go into the charity organizations and select the children they like to be servants, slaves, child brides, or even eunuchs.

The husband is lazy and gluttonous, and his wife is forced to work as a prostitute in a private brothel, where she is bullied by passing yamen clerks and street bullies. But the husband is not angry, and tries to please them in every way. He then brings customers home, and if there are no customers, he beats them up, just because he earns less pocket money.

In order to beg, some "parents" broke their children's legs, put them in a bag, and then begged on the street with their hands. However, they could only earn a dozen coins a day. Then these "parents" took the money roughly and threw away two or three bran-flour steamed buns. The bran is the chaff produced when millet is ground into rice. In the past, the military ration "Guangbing" also contained a little bran. Later, the emperor also ate Guangbing, which resulted in the lack of bran in the Guangbing.

But all these beggars have in their hands bran, which is the kind that can make your throat ache if you eat it.

Zhu Yijun saw too much ugliness and even wavered at a certain point. He wondered if the new policies he implemented were too hasty and had resulted in too much silver pouring into the Ming Dynasty in a short period of time. Morality and distribution could not keep pace with the influx of silver, which led to this scene that he could not bear to watch.

But Zhu Yijun's slight hesitation soon dissipated, because the Yingtian Governor Li Le who was accompanying His Majesty told His Majesty that the situation was even more chaotic before.

When he first arrived at Yingtian Prefecture as the prefect, there were bandits lurking on every few streets in the city. Dozens of vicious cases of murder in the streets occurred every year. In order to fight for territory, street fights broke out in broad daylight. These desperate criminals in street fights would even use firearms, including all kinds of bird guns.

"In July of the third year of the Wanli reign, at the Wuman Bridge over there, someone launched three crossbows. Your Majesty, they were crossbows the size of a bed, one person tall, with three blades in front, one for a spear, three for a sword and arrow. The three crossbows fired, and more than 40 people died in the street on the spot. They were all villains in the fight." Li Le said with lingering fear.

"What the hell? A crossbow? A crossbow appeared in a street fight? Why don't they go to Japan to become the king?" Zhu Yijun said in amazement.

Li Le said with lingering fear: "That's right, I am also scared."

Your Majesty may think that the Southern Court is a bit messy, but Li Le feels that the security in the Southern Court is the best in the past few decades.

"I remember now, there was a gate-blocking knife cart at that time. I sent a petition to the Southern Court to ask if this was a rebellion?" Zhu Yijun really remembered that he had indeed received such a petition, but at that time he was beating the Dongyi and Beilu, so he had no time to pay too much attention to it. (A gate-blocking knife cart is a kind of city defense device used to defend the city after the city gate is knocked open.)
If he could bring out a powerful weapon like the bed crossbow, it would be more than enough for him to become the king in the village wars in Japan and make a name for himself.

Zhu Yijun continued to inspect the Southern Yamen. After Li Le's explanation, Zhu Yijun truly realized the changes in the Southern Yamen. The Southern Yamen has both good and bad sides, such as the crowded market, the children running around, most of whom are wearing shoes, and not straw sandals, and the newly repaired hardened roads, with camphor trees as the roadside trees, which have fewer insects.

Of course, there were also very obvious signs of preparing for the inspection. Chen Lin reported to the emperor and nearly 600 million kilograms of garbage were cleaned up.

"Feng Bao, tell me, what's going on? There are just a few boiled green leaves, and you grabbed a handful from the stall at Caishikou. The vegetable farmers at Caishikou were too lazy to chase you. For just these few leaves, you charged 138 wen? Or Wanli Tongbao?!" Zhu Yijun was strolling around and came to Fuxi Tower.

Seeing that it was time for dinner, Zhang Hong was preparing lunch for His Majesty in Fuxi Tower. Zhu Yijun suddenly had an idea and took a look at the menu, which surprised the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty who had just spent 40 million silver coins.

"This is not boiled vegetables, this is white jade and green bamboo." Feng Bao said with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Even if the king of heaven comes, it will only boil the green leaves. What's the white jade and green bamboo? What about this dish? The white radish is cut and pickled. You charge 168 coins for it. What is it called? A gathering of heroes?!" Zhu Yijun pointed to another dish, which contained pickled radish cubes.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the name!" Feng Bao said with sweat all over his forehead. He didn't know which eunuch had done it, but he brought the usual menu of Fuxilou!
"Huh!" Zhu Yijun let out a breath and told himself to calm down. He looked at Zhang Hong and asked, "How much do these four dishes and one soup cost today?"

Zhang Hong bowed his head and said, "Thirty-eight coins, Your Majesty. I am Your Majesty's luxury official. Today's four dishes, one soup and rice cost thirty-eight coins."

The extravagant official is the eunuch who pays for the emperor's meals. Before poisoning the emperor, the extravagant official is poisoned first. Often the emperor's extravagant official is the eunuch he trusts the most, and he is also responsible for the emperor's meals.

"Feng Bao, is my imperial farm too expensive?" Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao. Fuxilou didn't kill him, but the knife killed others, so it was okay.

Feng Bao immediately said loudly: "How can it be expensive!"

"Your Majesty, the guests who come to our Fuxilou are all distinguished guests. If the food is cheap, will anyone still eat here? I have never forced them to eat here. The more expensive the food, the more people will eat here! Your Majesty, we really can't lower the price, we can only raise it. This is all about the atmosphere, and the food is expensive!"

Feng Bao advised the emperor to interfere less in the matter of business. If the goods were really sold at a low price, who would come to Fuxilou?
"Then let's do this. Even if the imperial estate doesn't make money, someone else will, right?" Zhu Yijun thought Feng Bao was right. Fuxilou was high-end. High-end was the main thing about this thing. It didn't seek to be the best, only the most expensive.

"Your Majesty, please enjoy your meal." Feng Bao said with a smile on his face after seeing Guan. Your Majesty has always been like this and never interferes in areas that he is not good at.

The imperial farm contributed one million silver taels of treasury income to the emperor every year, and this huge sum of silver was earned in this way.

The Wanli Reform was in full swing, and the Nine Battalions in Zhejiang mutinied. In the end, the court classified them as entering the city to suppress the bandits and maintain everyone's dignity. Only the former Zhejiang Governor Wu Shanyan and the human traffickers were injured.

But the big hole dug by the Ninth Battalion had always been repaired by Shen Shixing. Finally, nearly a year after the mutiny, the hole was filled by Shen Shixing.

Shen Shixing, the Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel who was in charge of the Songjiang and Zhejiang provinces and concurrently the Zhejiang province, was preparing for the inspection with the prefect of Hangzhou.

Your Majesty's itinerary is to move from Yingtian Prefecture to Hangzhou Prefecture, then go north from Hangzhou Prefecture to Suzhou Prefecture, enter Songjiang Prefecture for a final inspection, from Songjiang Prefecture to Yangzhou, and return to Beijing by the same route.

Songjiang Prefecture was the next stop of the Ming Emperor. Shen Shixing really tried his best to prepare for the inspection, striving to have his humiliating rank demoted three levels and restored to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel when he met the emperor.

Otherwise, the joke of a fifth-rank official being the governor of two places would be somewhat shameful.

In Hangzhou Prefecture, even the rat holes were completely dug out.

"Prefect Yan, why don't you take a leave and go back to your hometown to visit? I can grant you three months, not six months!" Shen Shixing looked around and finally looked at the last link, the somewhat evil Yan Shixuan.

Yan Shixuan's passive ability is a bit too scary. Shen Shixing is worried that Yan Shixuan will cause some trouble.

Yan Shixuan shook his head and said, "My parents are in good health, why should I ask for leave?"

"Will you please?" Shen Shixing said with a complicated expression, "I've granted you leave, and you're still talking nonsense!"

"I have a lot of things on hand. Who will do it if I ask for leave? His Majesty will be here soon. Many things seem to have been done, but they still need to be checked carefully, such as the suppression of bandits, the trade routes, and the canal from Ningbo to Hangzhou. All of these need careful preparation." Yan Shixuan spread his hands and refused to ask for leave.

Yan Shixuan knew that this was a good opportunity for advancement. After meeting the emperor, His Majesty would say that he had done a good job. He would not dare to say that his career would be smoothly promoted, but at least no one would make things difficult for him. His career would no longer be like crossing the Flaming Mountain in the dog days of summer without even a place to shelter from the sun.

He is not stupid.

"I'll do it for you, you can go back home with peace of mind." In order to drive Yan Shixuan away, Shen Shixing even took on all the work himself.

"No, that won't do. Your Majesty has gone to Hangzhou and specifically requested the Hangzhou prefect Yan Shixuan to receive you. I will not ask for leave. Governor Shen is a man of heaven, and we are just mortals. This opportunity is hard to come by." Yan Shixuan used the emperor to pressure Shen Shixing. Even if Shen Shixing is a man of heaven, can he be greater than Your Majesty?
He, Yan Shixuan, can’t leave!
"Oh." Shen Shixing scratched his head. Blocking someone's progress was equivalent to killing their parents. Having said that, he couldn't force them any further. He could only hope that Yan Shixuan would stop using his magical powers. He really couldn't continue to inspect the two places as a fifth-rank official.

"Whether they are people in heaven or not, they are all your Majesty's subjects." Shen Shixing was rather disgusted with the term "people in heaven".

Yan Shixuan was silent for a long time before he said, "Governor Shen, do you know what ordinary people are?"

"What?" Shen Shixing asked with a frown.

Yan Shixuan exhaled and said, "In the past, when the Japanese invaded, General Qi and General Yu led their troops to attack Cengang. Cengang is easy to defend but difficult to attack. At that time, the Japanese pirates occupied Cengang. If General Qi and General Yu wanted to take Cengang, they would have to sacrifice their lives."

"At that time, some people complained that this battle was too difficult to fight, and General Qi admonished them: Difficult? A battle that is hopeful and winnable will definitely not be our turn. If we are asked to fight, it is definitely a battle that we have no hope of winning. Winning a battle that is hopeless is considered a skill and gives us a chance. Is it difficult? But it is not difficult and we will not be our turn."

"At that time, Hu Bu Tang's government troops just picked up what was available. The hard battles were fought by General Qi, General Yu, and Sima Tan Lun."

Yan Shixuan felt that Hu Zongxian was being unfair. Why were the tough tasks always borne by General Qi and General Yu? When it came to rewarding people for their contributions, the merits and demerits of General Qi and General Yu were just offset, while those guys who had done nothing took away the credit.

As time went by, Yan Shixuan gradually realized the unfairness of Hu Zongxian. This was the best result Hu Zongxian could achieve.

If Hu Zongxian did not distribute the credit in this way, those bastards would dare to hinder Marshal Qi and Marshal Yu. Not only would they engage in internal fighting, but they would even dare to betray Marshal Qi and Marshal Yu.

Rewards and punishments are clearly defined? There is no such thing as justice in this world!
"You are scolding me." Shen Shixing thought about it for a while and immediately understood that Yan Shixuan was mocking him in a subtle way. He, Shen Shixing, was a heavenly man who was trying to steal the credit, while Yan Shixuan was an ordinary man who was doing the work.

"I dare not, I dare not." Yan Shixuan waved his hands repeatedly. He was not mocking Shen Shixing. If he was mocking someone, he would not say it so obviously. He was just telling the truth.

When the Nine Camps of Zhejiang were in turmoil, Yan Shixuan was gambling with his life. But when Shen Shixing and Chen Lin rushed to Hangzhou with the navy, they were not gambling with their lives, but came to quell the rebellion. They had strong and brave soldiers, powerful horses, and sufficient firearms.

The credit for the nine battalions of Zhejiang entering the city to wipe out the bandits and handling the whole matter was earned by Yan Shixuan at the risk of his life. He must show his face in front of His Majesty and cannot let Shen Shixing, the man in heaven, snatch all the credit away.

He will definitely not ask for leave!
"Governor, something has happened." The lawyer hurriedly ran into the West Flower Hall of the Hangzhou government office and said anxiously, "Something big has happened."

Shen Shixing looked at his master, almost unable to catch his breath. He frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"That group of people on the canal started fighting, and seventeen people died." The lawyer wiped the sweat from his forehead and said breathlessly. He had run all the way here.

"Tell me what the situation is." Shen Shixing stretched out his hand and scratched his head with a little trembling. If he injured a few people, he could cover it up for now. After His Majesty left, he would catch them all in one fell swoop and show them what official power is.

This time someone has been beaten to death, so there is no way to cover it up, and we have to report it to the emperor.

Reinstatement? With Yan Shixuan around, Shen Shixing would never be able to be reinstated!

Hangzhou, Zhejiang is the starting point of the Grand Canal, and the entrance to the canal is right on the Qiantang River. Two gangs were born around the canal ports to transport grain. One was the Zhuzuo Gang, which was mainly composed of people from Wenzhou and Hangzhou, Zhejiang, also known as the East Zhejiang Gang; the other was the Hakka Gang, whose main members came from northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu, and Luzhou.

After the grain was transported by sea, these gangs that made a living by transporting grain not only did not die out, but grew larger and larger. As more and more ships appeared on the canal and the transport capacity of the grain was released, the canal, which was responsible for the flow of goods between the north and the south, became more prosperous.

The Zhuzuo Gang and the Ke Gang often fought for territory, but this was the first time since Shen Shixing came to Hangzhou that a dozen people had died.

It would have been better if nothing had happened earlier or later, but it happened just when His Majesty was on a southern tour and was about to arrive in Hangzhou, which made Shen Shixing somewhat overwhelmed.

"This has nothing to do with me." Yan Shixuan waved his hands repeatedly. He was somewhat unconfident. Could he really win?
"It really is related to Prefect Yan." The lawyer explained the reason.

Yan Shixuan issued three orders to deal with the Cao Gang, with the aim of curbing the size of the Cao Gang and eventually completely eliminating them, making the Cao Gang a microcosm of the long river of history. The Cao Gang used all their strength to fight, and this fight broke out in order to gain benefits.

Yan Shixuan closed down all the brothels in the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal and built several cotton spinning workshops under the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau to accommodate these women.

The Cao Gang was badly damaged, and the Ninth Battalion did not dare to attack the government office and kill the culprit Yan Shixuan, so they could only compete with each other for interests.

(End of this chapter)