Emperor Kangxi sent me to marry

Guihua City is too small.

But Haifeng just likes it to be small.

Small means there is a lot to be done;

Being small means that the residents here are limited, and her orders can be conveyed to everyone very directly, regardless of status.

Fei Yanggu, who was recuperating in Shahukou, had very vaguely told her in advance not to have high expectations for this place.

Only by actually walking along Dabei Street, the main thoroughfare that runs through the center of the city, from north to south can we truly understand what it means to say "the city is three miles long and more than three feet high."

It will take at most 10 minutes to finish the walk.

Just...not much bigger than the Bird's Nest National Stadium.

If you climb up to the four corners of the city wall and any turret, you can clearly see the inside and outside of the city.

This small city, which was just expanded in the 30th year of Kangxi's reign, has a "convex" shape. The west, south, and east sections of the city wall are all about 500 meters long. The north side is slightly convex because part of the old city wall left by the previous dynasty has been retained. Small piece, not much, only about 100 meters.

During these three days, Haifeng quietly rode a carriage and traveled all over the streets inside and outside the city.She is particularly confident about the future development of this city.

The territory within the city walls was mostly occupied by officials, military officers, and nobles. At best, it was neat and quiet; at worst, it was like a stagnant water.

Just like Beijing.

Outside the city walls, it's quite different.

Vibrant, rich, and growing wildly.

The building of the house was indeed a little less organized, but fortunately the roads were built horizontally and vertically, and shops and residences were built along the roads.Easy to recognize and count.

Like Zhangjiakou and Shahukou, livestock trading is the most prosperous here.Shanxi merchants preferred hard-working camels. On the humps of thousands of camels, they loaded needles and threads, tea bricks, cloth and other things that the grassland herders could not make. They exchanged them for wool, animal skins, horses, etc., and then sold them to the hinterland of the Central Plains. .

Repeatedly, the profit can be tenfold.

Of course, the risks are also great.

Goods were robbed and traders never returned. In Guihua City, you can hear about it every now and then.

Everyone is risking their lives to gain business opportunities.

Three days later at noon, the time was exactly the same. Haifeng invited all the Shanxi merchants in the city to come again to listen to the account report from the shopkeeper Wu Da of the Tianyuan Hao.

"Princess Empress Mingjian: There are now 97 large and small shops in Guihua City. No matter what kind of business they do, the common people have gone to ask. I have recognized that there are 51 coal mines in my family. I dare to say that I have never opened one or made a fortune. There are [-] families with money. There are [-] families left. The head of the family has gone out, and the young man is not clear about it; there are also things that are not familiar with the common people and are not willing to talk about it. All these are written in the account book. "

Zhang Shun took the account book from shopkeeper Wu Da.

Haifeng drank a cup of milk tea slowly and was not in a hurry to ask shopkeeper Wu to stand up.

"I vaguely remembered that 42 guests came today. Even if there is no real estate in Guihua City, we have invited all the salesmen who carry a pole to walk around the streets. It turns out that there are so many people in Guihua City, isn't it? A businessman from Shanxi?"

"No, no, when it comes to business people, at least seven or eight out of ten people are from Shanxi. The weather is good now, and it's time to go to Kulun and Kyaktu. Otherwise, the weather will turn cold and we won't be able to get food on the way. After eating, you can't come back. Many of you have gone out of the city on their last trip to survive and are no longer here. The apprentices in the shop don't dare to replace the shopkeeper and come to eat at the princess's table."

"Oh? That day Yuanhao, don't you do this business?"

"Do it, do it. In the early years, the peasants also pulled the camels themselves. Now, it is the two sons who go for the peasants."

"For the sake of your two sons being quite filial, get up."

"Thank you, princess."

Shopkeeper Wu knelt for a long time, his feet were numb, so he stood up carefully, stumbling, and sat down in his seat.

Haifeng looked at the faces of every Shanxi businessman.

As expected, someone who dared to do business on the knife's edge was very courageous. She met the eyes of more than a dozen people.

"I have invited you all here for two things. Let me talk about the first one first: I intend to open a business in Guihua City. Let's make a deal with you."

This sentence was like a stone thrown into the water. Although no one dared to ask questions out loud, they began to exchange glances and even exchanged opinions in their sleeves using the unique communication method of traders.

Suddenly, a Shanxi businessman sitting at the farthest table stood up and asked loudly:
"I wonder what kind of business you want to do, princess?"

"Good question! The business I want to do is a bank that uses money to generate money. It is not a gold shop, a silver house, a bank, or a bank, but a bank! This is a business that has never been done by anyone since ancient times. . As long as it is related to transactions and money, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can come to your door and ask the bank for advice."

"The common people dare to ask: We have worked hard and traveled thousands of miles to exchange for goods, but before we even got there, they were robbed by dozens of masked gangsters. We reported it to the general's palace, but we could never recover it. , I can only admit that I am unlucky. Princess, can you help us solve this difficulty?"

Haifeng waved his hand for the man to sit down, then asked about shopkeeper Wu Da who was sitting nearby.

"Is there such a thing?"

"I don't dare, I don't dare to deceive the princess. Yes. However, if you take a trip to the grassland, you will gain more than you lose. Otherwise, Guihua City would not be able to have so many shops and porters in just a few years. There are many generals, Also, I am already old, and the common people are ignorant and just leave it alone."

"Control, you have to take care of it! Isn't this the only thing that needs to be taken care of?"

As soon as she said this, noisy conversation finally broke out in the banquet, and the atmosphere became more and more exciting.

This is the issue that businessmen are most concerned about. As long as this security issue can be solved, the business in Guihua City can be the icing on the cake and continue to grow bigger and stronger.

Haifeng stood up, and the discussion at the table suddenly stopped.

"After the bank opens, in addition to other things that ordinary banks can do, such as cross-regional exchanges, deposits and loans, it will also provide insurance for everyone."

"Insurance?"

"Insurance, what is it?"

"I haven't heard of it, have you heard of it?"

“I have been doing business for more than ten years and I have never heard of it!”

Haifeng took his time and waited for them to finish their heated discussion before continuing to explain.

"This is nothing new. There are missionaries from the West in the court. According to them, the West mostly does maritime business. If the ship sinks and the owner loses all his money, he will immediately turn into a white body, and those who come and go with him will It would also take a huge toll on their vitality. About 30 years ago, there was a city called London in the West. There was a fire and half of the city was burned to the ground. After going back and forth, they figured out such a thing as insurance. Insurance means protection; insurance means protection. Difficult and dangerous.”

"Could it be that this insurance can protect businessmen from difficulties and dangers?"

"That's right, exactly! Just like the shopkeeper Wu Da at my disposal. He wants to transport goods worth 3000 taels to Kyaktu. He only needs to pay 150 taels and buy an insurance at my bank. Along the way, the Tianyuan's cargo was robbed, burned, fell into the river, and swept away by the wind. As long as he failed to transport it to Kyaktu and returned to Huacheng empty-handed, the bank immediately paid 3000 taels in cash. No one can be deceived. In this way, he can at least get his money back."

Shopkeeper Wu quickly stood up from his seat, straightened his posture, and knelt down as before.

"How dare common people ask for losses from the hands of the princess?"

"I am not doing good deeds. After the compensation is paid, your 3000 taels of goods will no longer be yours, but the bank's property. I will come forward and urge the Yamen to search for it. If it can be recovered, I will continue to go to Chacha. Whether Ketu is sold or used for other purposes has nothing to do with the Tianyuan Hao."

These smart people from Shanxi understand clearly what the princess plans to use to make money.

If 3000 taels of goods are shipped out and sold on the grassland, and then the furs and other goods are transported back peacefully, and transported to Taiyuan or the capital, they can still be worth around 2 taels.When ordinary people like them encounter robbery, they go to the government and ask for help from officers and soldiers to recover it. Even if they pay heavy bribes, they may not be able to recover it.

The princess is the emperor behind her back. She said she wanted to get her back. How dare the Yamen ignore her and run an errand?

Nothing happened, she made 150 taels in vain without any effort;

Even if something goes wrong, she can find a way to make up for the 3000 taels.

No loss whatsoever.

Amazing.

There are businessmen who are quick-minded and good at numbers. They use their inner abacus to calculate how much profit this "insurance" and "bank" can make every year.

The crowd gradually returned to calm, Haifeng changed his tone to a more serious tone, and asked Zhang Shun to close the door.

"The second thing is my wish and the emperor's decree. Everyone, please kneel down and accept the decree!"

"Yes!"

Tables and chairs were frequently pulled and moved back, and harsh scraping sounds on the ground could be heard in the reception hall one after another.

The fresh faces just now were all close to the ground. When Haifeng looked around, there were only hats of various colors and braids of different lengths.

Power is truly addictive.

Haifeng usually doesn't like to be knelt down, but this action, at this moment, means that she will reverse the fate of tens of thousands of people in this city and this land.

Whether they want it or not, she can use the power in her hands to force the merchants to submit.

"The title given to me by the emperor is Ke Jing. I am asked to be careful and careful to keep this place peaceful. However, as soon as I came here, I heard a lot of dirty things. Since this place is not peaceful, I must put things in order. , can you be worthy of the title bestowed by Khan Amma."

"The grassroots are guilty."

"Well, there are too many crimes. I have made five major rules: [-]. disorderly lending and exploitation of large profits; [-]. exploiting mineral deposits privately without suing the government; [-]. secretly changing weights and missing a pound; [-]. forming gangs , to exclude outsiders; fifth, to seek only profit and to put human lives at risk. Which one of them is wrong? I have wronged you. Come, you can complain to me!"

No one dared to say anything, so Haifeng named Tianyuan, told Zhang Shun to take action, and slapped shopkeeper Wu Da ten times in the mouth.

"Do you know why I hit you? Tell yourself!"

"Yes! In addition to the coal mine matter, the grassroots people also used wine to get a few of them drunk. A few herdsmen took advantage of them not paying attention and took away the weight of the sheep by [-]%."

"anything else?"

"Also, there is one more thing. Oh, the Tianyuan Hao is placed on the grassland to make loan sharks and loan sharks."

"It is not a sin to make loan sharks. You make eight cents of interest, settle it on a daily basis, and the interest is compounded. After three months of accounting, you took away more than 200 sheep from the herdsmen to pay the debt. When the document was first established, the Mongolians who were bullied could not understand it. In Chinese characters, write 50 more taels for the agreed principal. Is this the case?"

"Yes, yes."

"Slap you in the mouth ten times, is that serious?"

"Not heavy, not heavy."

"You know what's going on. I have listened carefully to this: the bank will open at the entrance of Dashizi Street outside the South Gate in five days. If you want to borrow money for business, you will get three cents of interest, calculated on a monthly basis. There are also special facilities for relieving the poor. A small amount of loan sharking, up to [-] taels, with a profit of one penny, calculated annually. I don’t have the time to check the books of each house. When the bank opens, the loan shark contract in your hand will be turned into waste paper immediately. . After you go back, you can figure it out yourself."

Brother Ten is right. Although Ruixiangfang's low interest rate is good, it cannot bear the financial burden of the entire capital.

But in such a small naturalized city, it would be easy for Haifeng to monopolize it.

It doesn’t matter whether it grows wildly or capital is ruthless.

You all have to stop and get on the right track!
"Those who don't know are not guilty. General Fei Yanggu has never given any orders on how to do business here. I will forgive you for being ignorant. According to the example of Tianyuanhao getting slapped ten times, I will give them all to myself. Start beating. Once you're done, you can go home. Is anyone coming to the Fan family?"

A man kneeling behind Shopkeeper Wu immediately kowtowed and replied.

"Caomin, Fan Dacheng is here."

"I conducted an open and covert investigation and found out that although you are attached to Tianyuan, you rarely do business that goes against your conscience. There is no need to fight. Go back now."

Shopkeeper Fan slapped his right cheek hard and ran away quickly.

The rest of the people followed suit, and the one who felt that he usually worked honestly just smacked his lips and left.Most of the forty-odd people left first in a sparse manner; most of the rest had their faces swollen with force before they dared to get up and say goodbye.

Shopkeeper Wu Da never dared to move. When everyone else left, he was the only one left, shivering on the ground.

Haifeng was still thinking about cleaning up the place so that he could go back to the backyard to play with her daughter's toys, so she signaled to Zhang Shun and pulled shopkeeper Wu Da up to talk.

"Even if Guihua City is full of Shanxi people, even if it is under the jurisdiction of Shanxi Prefecture, it was the Mongolian Alatan Khan and Sanniang Zi Na Yanchu who worked hard to create it 130 years ago. Don't forget, this place is still It’s called Sanniangzi City. What’s wrong with women’s houses? Without a city built by women’s houses, how can you live in Guihua City, eating delicious food and drinking spicy food? Isn’t it your mother who gave birth to you and raised you? Isn’t she a woman? ?”

"Princess, please spare your life, common people will never dare to talk nonsense again!"

"Get lost. I'm tired of seeing you."

Zhang Shun looked down upon Shopkeeper Wu's weak hands and feet, so he called two of his men and dragged him away.

"Master is really a living Buddha. If we take him seriously for talking nonsense and blaspheming the princess, he will be thrown into prison and imprisoned for a year and a half, which is considered a light crime."

"If you lock him up, you have to waste the government's food. Those are all taxes paid by the people. Tell that Wang Ershangzi. I got the news well. The person who asked the question just now arranged it very cleverly. As he said I hope that as long as he handles errands for me and returns to the city, the next leading company will be his Ji Sheng Tang."

"Hey, this servant is going now."

Five days.

In five days, the bank will open.

She will be the first person in Chinese history to sell commercial insurance.

In this city built under the leadership of women, a golden age led by women is about to begin!
The author quotes the literature notes for his own use, so you don’t have to read them:
1. The data on the area of ​​Guihua City and the length of the city wall mainly come from "Gu Feng Shi Lue" written during the Xianfeng period and "Guihua City Old Streets and Alleys" published by Inner Mongolia University Press.

2. Although the number of shops in Guihua City has not been found, there are 81 commercial houses recorded in Shahukou during the Kangxi period. From this, it can be deduced that Guihua City will not be lower than this number;

3. What marked the birth of modern commercial insurance was the Pisa policy in 1384.

According to this policy, a shipment of woolen products worth 600 philolines was shipped from the port of Valencia to the port of Pisa.

In order to protect against possible risks, the guaranteed interest rate is set at 4%.

4. The commercial crimes appearing in the article are all based on historical data and literature.But it was mainly concentrated in the late Qing Dynasty (it is also possible that no records were left at that time.)
5. Guihua City was built in the sixth year of Longqing in the Ming Dynasty (1572 AD).

The third lady who presided over the construction work was named Mrs. Zhongshun in the Ming Dynasty. She is a very legendary historical figure.

He married four times in his life, and he was both the leader of the Tumut tribe. The last time he married was when he was over sixty, he married his grandson Bu Shitu.

For a long period of time, she was the actual person in charge of the Tumut Ministry.