Optimus One Pillar of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 171 Chapter 160 Eight Really Became a Corrupt Official

After discussing important matters with Emperor Jiajing, Wang Daoqiu went to the Housekeeping Office in Xiyuan.As soon as he took office in the household department, he immediately learned from the good example of a certain organization and called his juniors together so that everyone could get to know each other first.Then he pretended to criticize the former corruption offender Wang Gao, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, and expressed on behalf of the new leadership of the Ministry of Revenue that he firmly supported the imperial leadership with Emperor Jiajing as the core leadership and resolutely fought against the bad guy Wang Gao.Liars are puppies, pull the hook to prove it.

After finishing this set of falsehoods, Wang Daoqiu asked the people from the household department to study and understand the spirit of the higher-level documents in groups, self-examination and self-correction, and write their own experience of anti-corruption and honesty.Wang Daoqiu himself designed the prototype of the first silver coin of the Ming Dynasty.

After hanging out in Xiyuan until sunset, Wang Daoqiu came home from get off work.As soon as he left the Xiyuan Gate, he was grabbed by Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo. Zhu Xizhong said that he would take him to Yuxiang Tower for a drink. A banquet was held in Yuxiang Tower by the nobles from Beijing to welcome Wang Daoqiu to join the Ming Dynasty. Xunchen’s team.

Although Wang Daoqiu knew about these Ming Dynasty nobles, it was a lie that they served wine to welcome him into the group, but their intentions for those places in Shandong were real.But Zhu Xizhong was Duke Chengguo, and he is now the talker of the honorable ministers in Beijing.Wang Daoqiu had just been granted the title of Marquis of Zhongyong by Emperor Jiajing, and now he was also an honored minister with a title.This means that from now on, he, Zhu Xizhong, will be Wang Daoqiu's group leader.

When I first joined the group, I was dragged by the group leader to get to know the brothers in the group. Although they had some agenda, it was really unjustifiable not to go.So Wang Daoqiu asked one of his bodyguards to go to his home to inform him that he would not go back for dinner tonight.Then he followed Zhu Xizhong to Yuxiang Tower.

When I came to Yuxiang Building, today the whole place was taken over by the honored ministers in Beijing. The servants and guards ate downstairs, and the masters ate upstairs.

As soon as Zhu Xizhong led Wang Daoqiu upstairs, a group of nearly a hundred dukes, marquises, earls, and princes came around and rushed to say hello to Wang Daoqiu. Their words of praise for Wang Daoqiu were like the roar of the Yellow River. Water, continuous and never ending.In this atmosphere, Wang Daoqiu naturally kept spouting all kinds of polite words from his mouth.

After a period of Zhonghua's typical hypocrisy and lively politeness, Zhu Xizhong ordered the shopkeeper of Yuxianglou to serve wine and food.

After drinking for three rounds and cooking for five flavors, you lie to me, and I lie to you for socializing.On behalf of the nobles of Ming Dynasty, Zhu Xizhong expressed to Wang Daoqiu their strong desire to participate in the construction of the new countryside of Ming Dynasty.

Everyone is a social person and understands procedures. After saying what he wanted to do, Zhu Xizhong called a boy over and gave Wang Daoqiu a stack of gift lists.He also said that these were all honorable ministers, welcoming Wang Daoqiu to join the organization as a meeting ceremony. There was no other meaning. Wang Daoqiu did not accept them because he looked down on them as honorable ministers and wanted to withdraw from the group.

Zhu Xizhong is an old hooligan, and his lies are full of affection.However, Wang Daoqiu had hints from Emperor Jiajing anyway that he didn't make money from the gifts of the nobles.

So as soon as Zhu Xizhong finished speaking, Wang Daoqiu gritted his teeth, slapped the table and stood up, first clasping his fists in a circle and saluting.Then he said very proudly: "Since it is the kindness of our ancestors, it would be disrespectful for this junior to refuse. Thank you, thank you very much."

"it is good"

"it is good"

"Loyalty and bravery"

…………

Wang Daoqiu accepted the gift directly without a word of refusal, which made all the honorable ministers who had been thinking about it suddenly cheer and be ecstatic.After all, according to the glorious tradition of the Han people, if you bring a gift to ask someone to do something, and they accept the gift, it means that the thing you asked for will be accepted.

So now Wang Daoqiu didn't shirk at all, so he accepted the gift.The honorable ministers at the scene seemed to feel that they had obtained the ten thousand hectares of fertile land in Shandong.So they are very happy now, and the more they look at Wang Daoqiu, the more pleasing they are.

Zhu Xizhong was even afraid that Wang Daoqiu would regret it, so he directly ordered the servant to ask the guards downstairs to follow him and quickly deliver the gifts sent by the nobles to Wang Daoqiu's home.At this time, Wang Daoqiu was also afraid that his family would misunderstand after the gifts were delivered, so he stood upstairs, called his bodyguard, and asked his bodyguard to go home with the gift-givers.And asked them to go back and tell their father Wang Zhaowen that everything would be discussed after he returns home.

After Wang Daoqiu had finished harvesting the ceremony, Zhu Xizhong first made a bunch of false claims, reiterating the friendship between the two parties and the importance of mutual benefit.Then he beat around the bush and brought the topic up to those lands in Shandong.

If he had known that this was their main topic, Wang Daoqiu was not surprised, so he skipped the false ones, stood up and went straight to the topic, and said loudly: "Do you know the thoughts of seniors and juniors? It's human nature! Today I'm kingly Qiu has also received the emperor's grace and is now a marquis. From now on, we are all on the same side and we should help each other."

"Okay, okay, Marquis Zhongyong said it well. We ministers are one family, and we should help each other. Come on, everyone, pick up your glasses. Let's drink to Marquis Zhongyong's loyalty."

"it is good"

"it is good"

……

Zhu Xizhong was happy when he heard that Wang Daoqiu had included himself in their group of nobles, thinking that Wang Daoqiu was a high-ranking official, a close minister of the emperor, and the benefits that Wang Daoqiu's group would bring to them.So as soon as Wang Daoqiu finished speaking, he stood up and showed off to Wang Daoqiu, and called on the nobles to drink with Wang Daoqiu.

And those nobles, at this time, also had the same idea as Zhu Xizhong, wanting Wang Daoqiu to take them to make a fortune and become well-off together.So as soon as Zhu Xizhong finished speaking, these nobles stood up holding their wine glasses, echoing Zhu Xizhong and wanting to toast to Wang Daoqiu.At this time, the atmosphere was very lively.In this atmosphere, Wang Daoqiu had a drink with nearly a hundred honorable men of the Ming Dynasty, and then he pressed his hands down to signal the honorable men to sit down. He still had something to say.

Today's talk has come to this point, and these nobles also know that Wang Daoqiu should talk about the key points next.So they all sat down obediently and listened to Wang Daoqiu's words in silence.

After all the nobles sat down, Wang Daoqiu continued: "I know that all the seniors want to buy some land in Shandong and pass it on to future generations. But forgive the rudeness of the juniors, I don't understand. The seniors always Keeping an eye on those fields, thinking about renting them to tenant farmers to collect some rent every year, isn’t this a little too promising! If an acre of land is rented to tenant farmers to grow crops, it means a good year, not counting floods, droughts and natural disasters. How much rent can we collect per acre of land in a year?”

"Everyone, you all know that if you buy land and rent it to tenant farmers, you won't be able to collect much rent this year, and your food will be ugly, and you will always be scolded behind your back. So seniors and juniors think you are taking your money to buy it in Shandong Land, if it is to collect a few rents from tenant farmers every year. Then I would like to advise you, you might as well deposit all your money in the Royal Bank to earn interest, then at least the income will be guaranteed during droughts and floods, right?"

Wang Daoqiu's words revealed that investing in agriculture and making money by collecting land rents has a short cycle of low returns and long periods of time, and it is also widely criticized on a moral level.

All the distinguished nobles also feel the same way. They have been working as charterers for generations and have been scolded behind their backs, but in fact they have not earned much.For example, in the land near the capital, one acre of irrigated land near the river costs 30 taels of silver, while ordinary dry land also costs [-] taels of silver.But what about the land rent?

These lands in the north can only be planted once a year, and the normal yield per mu is only about 150 catties. Even if you collect half of the land rent, it is 25 catties, which is half taels in silver.It will take at least 30 years to pay back the land purchase price of twelve thirty taels. If droughts and floods are included and there is no rent to collect, it will take about [-] years to pay back the land purchase.

The current interest rate for a three-year deposit at Daming Royal Bank is [-]%, which means that the money deposit bank is conservative and can recover its capital in more than ten years.After thinking about it this way, buying land and collecting rent is really not as good as depositing money in a bank and earning interest!
The reality is too cruel. It is obviously not cost-effective to buy land and invest in agriculture.So when Wang Daoqiu mentioned this, the nobles immediately changed from the excitement just now to eggplants beaten by frost, with their heads drooping.

Seeing that these nobles were withered, Wang Daoqiu, who wanted these nobles to use all their wealth to develop modern industry and mining before they died, changed his tone and encouraged them: "Seniors, buy land. You can't make much money just by growing crops. If you use the money to open mines and factories, that's a hugely profitable business. To be honest with you, when the overall situation in Shandong was settled, His Majesty gave me a secret decree and asked me to The unowned land in Shandong must be explored clearly, which ones have minerals underground, and which ones have no mines underground. Before this is clear, the land must not be resold to others."

"After receiving His Majesty's order, I started to visit Yanzhou, Jinan, and Qingzhou. The focus of my exploration is the area near the Imperial Laiwu Smelting Institute. I think there should be a large iron mine nearby..."

Next, Wang Daoqiu described the process of discovering multiple mineral deposits in Shandong based on the information in the library. He used a description of a treasure hunt adventure to vividly deceive all the Ming Dynasty nobles and turn them into each other. You are so expensive, I wish I could take this guy with me now and go to Shandong to get those hoes.

After boasting about his treasure hunting process, Wang Daoqiu continued: "To be honest with you, His Majesty has now decreed to build an iron smelting plant as big as Nanjian River in Jeju next to the Shandong Grand Canal. This Jeju canal and Wenshui and Sishui. In the future, iron ore from Laiwu will be transported to Jeju through Wenshui. Coal from Yanzhou and Lanling will also be transported to Jeju through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Sishui."

"Today, the emperor has asked Eunuch Lu to supervise the selection of people to replace Eunuch Yang Jinshui at the Nanjianhe Iron and Steel Plant. He has asked Eunuch Yang Jinshui, who has experience in steelmaking, to go to Jeju to prepare for the construction of a new iron plant. Nanjianhe Iron and Steel Plant You should all know how much money you make. That’s a few 10 taels of silver a month, and several million taels of silver a year! Let me ask you, if all the land under your name is added together, you can earn 100 taels a year. Ten thousand liang of rent?"

The Nanjianhe Iron and Steel Plant is a golden rooster that can only lay golden eggs. For Nanjianhe Iron and Steel Plant, all the nobles of the Ming Dynasty have long been envious.Seriously, if it wasn't for them not being able to offend Emperor Jiajing, these nobles would have gone to all kinds of tricks to rob the steel factory in the morning.

So now that Wang Daoqiu mentioned the terrifying money-printing ability of Nanjianhe Iron and Steel Plant, the nobles were even more frustrated, and they also felt that they were just collecting so many rents all day long. This was really stupid. I'm old.

So as soon as Wang Daoqiu finished speaking, Zhu Xizhong said to Wang Daoqiu with a frustrated look: "Zhongyong Hou, we all understand what you said. It is indeed more profitable to open a mine and set up a factory than to collect rent. Even if it is like Tongzhou Like the industrial zone, if you rent land to merchants to set up factories, the rent collected will be ten times that of renting to tenant farmers. However, the emperor is keeping an eye on those mines, and he will not give them to us. And that We don’t know how to open a factory! We, the people, have been collecting rent for generations. Just like the Tongzhou Industrial Zone, if you, Zhongyong Hou, hadn’t taken the lead in doing it, we wouldn’t have known how to do it.”

"Mr. Cheng Guo, what you are saying is so unprogressive. As the saying goes, nothing is difficult in the world, as long as there are people who are willing. Let's do this, Gong Cheng, if you don't have the guts to do it, then lend me your money. I'll do it. I'll give you a penny of profit, starting from the second year, and you'll have to pay it off every year before the Chinese New Year. Mr. Cheng Guo, what do you think of this?"

How about it?not so good!Zhu Xizhong knew Wang Daoqiu's ability to make money.So now Wang Daoqiu is willing to lend him Zhu Xizhong's money at a penny of profit. Zhu Xizhong immediately understood that Wang Daoqiu must have a big project that can make a lot of money.

So as soon as Wang Daoqiu finished speaking, Zhu Xizhong didn't mention the interest rate that Wang Daoqiu just mentioned. Instead, he excitedly pulled Wang Daoqiu's arm and asked anxiously: "Zhongyong Hou, do you have anything that can make a lot of money now?" Big projects, come on, come on, Marquis Zhongyong, tell me, tell me."

"Okay, Cheng Guogong, today I, Wang Daoqiu, join our Ming Dynasty nobles on the first day, so I will give our Ming Dynasty nobles a meeting gift now. As you all know, iron ore and iron smelting The Emperor will never give in to the factory. But what about those coal mines, limestone mines, and small and medium-sized gold and silver mines? The Emperor now occupies millions of taels of profits from the Nanjianhe Iron and Steel Plant a year, plus the seven-year-old Tongzhou Trade City The profit of Tongzhou Industrial Zone is [-]%. These three items together can earn tens of millions of taels of silver every year. If you wait a few months and the iron factory in Jeju is built again, then you say, the emperor? How much money do you earn every year?”

"Marquis Zhongyong, are you saying that the emperor is making a lot of money now, and the emperor may no longer be interested in the small business of tens of thousands taels, or more than a dozen or 20 taels a year?"

"Of course! Mr. Cheng Guo, I will not hide this from you. This morning when I reported to the emperor on Shandong's mineral resources at the Longevity Palace, the emperor only talked about iron mines and iron factories. As for other mines, the emperor only asked me After I told the emperor that those gold and silver mines were not big, the emperor did not mention those mines again. I tried to ask the emperor whether those mines could be sold. , and the Emperor did not refuse. So I think the Emperor has no intention of mining those mines himself, but intends to sell them."

"The emperor only mines iron ore and intends to sell other mines. Do you really mean what Marquis Zhongyong said?"

"Don't be serious. Mr. Cheng Guo, you can hand the sign to the emperor tomorrow. You will know after asking the emperor in person. Moreover, Mr. Cheng Guo, there are not only mines in Shandong, but also Henan and both sides of the Huaihe River, which are right next to him. But they are all major cotton-producing areas. If we build another industrial zone like Tongzhou there, focusing on cotton spinning, Mr. Cheng Guo, tell me, will it be profitable?"

(End of this chapter)