Taoyao Order

"Your great-grandfather grew up in your maternal grandparents' house, and your great-great-grandmother also came from a scholarly family and taught your great-grandfather to read since he was a child.

It's just that the laws of the Xuan Dynasty were different from those of our Zhou Dynasty. At that time, the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce was very strict, and children of merchant families were not allowed to take scientific examinations to become officials.

However, your great-grandfather was very talented and had a photographic memory since he was a child. His talents, learning and virtues were extremely rare. Your great-great-grandmother did not want to give up on his mediocre life, so she used her father's family to be familiar with the governor of Hangzhou at that time and changed the household registration certificate for your great-grandfather. It is said that your great-great-grandfather’s household registration is unknown and he died young when he was living abroad. Your great-grandfather followed your mother and settled in Hangzhou.

At that time, the government was in chaos, wars continued, people were displaced, and many people often died in foreign lands. Such things were not uncommon.

As a result, your great-grandfather escaped from the confinement of being the son of a merchant and was able to take the scientific examination and become an official, hoping to benefit the people.

But with the change of dynasties, your great-grandfather’s dreams and wishes eventually died.

When the Zhou Dynasty was first established, except for important positions in the court, all local officials, both large and small, were basically retained in their posts. Later, they were gradually replaced from top to bottom. The household registration albums of the common people were only copied once, and because the documents were quite There were many, and copying was troublesome. There were more refugees at the beginning. Therefore, the original master also followed the provinces, and many ancestral origins were also erased. It was regarded as a new dynasty starting over.Refugees live wherever they are naturalized. Therefore, the Chu family in Hangzhou and the Chu family in Panyu are already two families in their household registrations and have no connection with each other. "

After hearing this, Chu Ping finally felt a little relieved, and then said: "So, the Chu family in Hangzhou is not involved in anything related to smuggling.

In this case, why does the Chu family have business in Panyu?Do the two Chu families have any business dealings? "

Chu Yuanshan was surprised by Chu Ping's sensitivity, but he didn't know whether it was his own guess or someone who told him.

Chu Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, the Chu family cloth shop in Panyu was opened by me when I went to Panyu."

Chu Ping stared at Chu Yuanshan and said, "So, the Chu family does have business dealings with the Chu family in Panyu?"

Chu Yuanshan nodded: "Yes."

Chu Ping said anxiously: "Grandpa, don't the money earned by our Chu family's shops in Hangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin, and the Zhuangzi below be enough for our lifetime wealth? Why should we risk losing our heads to go with him? Going back and forth with the Chu family in Panyu?"

Chu Yuanshan frowned and said: "What do you know? Our Chu family's business in Hangzhou had just started, and everything was incomplete. In Hangzhou, where there are many sewing and cloth shops, there was not much room for it.

Your great-grandfather had a hard time building up his business. At that time, the imperial court was fighting against Xuandao for many years and was in urgent need of ships and warships. At that time, the Panyu Chu family became very powerful and prospered among Panyu trading houses.

At that time, on the one hand, your great-grandfather did not allow us to become officials in the first place, and on the other hand, the Zhou Dynasty allowed industrial and commercial students to participate in scientific examinations, so there was no need to deliberately avoid suspicion and draw a clear line with the Chu family in Panyu. For the sake of our family’s vitality, I went down far. Panyu, after a lot of effort, knocked on the door of the Chu family in Panyu, and had business dealings with the Chu family. Because of his relationship with the Chu family in Panyu, he gained some light, and bought a shop in Panyu. Some trade routes.

At the beginning, the Chu family in Panyu was extremely prosperous and unparalleled, and they had no idea of ​​smuggling. This was all decades later...Xuandao was recovered, the imperial court's law prohibiting the sea was gradually falling apart, and the descendants of the Chu family were greedy for money. , so these activities gradually began. "

Chu Ping vaguely heard some clues: "Then why did my parents suddenly go to Panyu this time and haven't come back for so long?"

Chu Yuanshan pondered again for a moment, and then said: "Because during the Chinese New Year, a ship from the Chu family going to the South Sea sank, and all the goods on the ship were lost."

Chu Ping was shocked: "What does this have to do with us?" Chu Yuanshan said: "The Chu family in Panyu suffered heavy losses, so they were unable to pay the money to buy goods from the Chu family cloth store."

Chu Ping was puzzled: "Normally when buying goods, don't you just pay the money and deliver the goods with the other hand? Since we have sold the cloth and collected the money, what does it have to do with us whether they sink the ship or not?"

Chu Yuanshan looked at Chu Ping, as if he was wondering whether he could tell everything to his eldest son and grandson. He wanted to take the imperial examination and become an official, so he didn't know as much about the family business as his younger brother Chu Kuo. Originally, Chu Yuanshan wanted to help his grandson rise to the top, so it would be good for the two brothers to go into business and the other into politics.

But Chu Ping noticed the clues so early. After all, he is a member of the Chu family. He can hide it for a while, but it doesn’t matter if he knows it. People have to go through some wind and rain before they can grow up: "The silk they brought with them when they went to sea, some Eighty percent of it comes from our family.

Therefore, the price of each trip can only be paid to the Chu family after returning from the sea and bringing back the silver.

Therefore, the Chu family's accounts of comings and goings in Panyu are huge.Nor do they share accounts with the shops nearby.

This time the ship sank, our Chu family in Hangzhou also suffered heavy losses. "

Chu Ping said quickly: "Since there is such a big risk in smuggling, let's let my parents take advantage of this incident to draw a clear line with the Chu family in Panyu. The Chu family has enough money now, so it's better to do it as soon as possible It’s better to get out.”

Chu Yuanshan slowly returned to the Grand Master's chair behind the desk and sat down: "Your father said the same thing. He is timid. He has long wanted to wash his hands of Panyu Bu in a golden basin, but your mother didn't allow it.

One thing is that the Chu family has been deeply involved, so they suddenly stopped for fear of suspicion.Furthermore, the harvest from this road is huge, and your mother cannot let go of half of the Chu family.

Besides, we don’t earn the money, and there are a bunch of people chasing after us. It’s better for us to take the money and open a porridge factory or almshouse than for them to use the money to do evil.

Thirdly, the imperial order to ban the sea is now relaxed, and many ministers are writing to open the sea ban. If you can join the court as an official, you can also help implement this policy. By then, the Panyu Chu family will no longer be considered smuggling. "

Chu Ping said: "The imperial court changed the laws. It is true that after the laws were changed, going to sea was an ordinary merchant ship. However, the transactions before the imperial laws were changed were still smuggling. This is impossible to argue with.

I went to Panyu and persuaded my mother to stop the business with the Chu family in Panyu. "

Chu Yuanshan frowned and said: "I said, the affairs of the Chu family in Panyu will not involve our Chu family in Hangzhou.

As far as we are concerned, they are just selling silk fabrics to the Chu family. As for whether they are used for smuggling or making clothes for our own family, we have no control over this.

If what happened to the Chu family in Panyu was exposed, then only the nine tribes of the Chu family in Panyu would be wiped out. The vendors who sold salt to their family would not be implicated, and everyone who did business with their family would not be held accountable. "

Chu Ping looked at Chu Yuanshan with firm eyes: "As my grandfather said, according to the court's laws, there is still room for gambling on this matter, but in terms of moral conscience, this is all self-deception!

It’s not that we don’t know the purpose of their silks. We clearly know that they use these cloths and silks for smuggling. We just don’t report it or draw a clear line with them. Instead, we collude with them and seek personal gain from them. Grandpa How can one achieve peace of mind and deal with it calmly? "