Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Chapter 481 Merchants Conference, all merchants are worried! (Subscribe!!)
Troublesome?
Working hard?
Too tired?
Can these words be used to describe the prince consort?

Although Guo Zi was a core member of the Prince Consort's Party, he knew Ouyang Lun quite well.

"Ahem, is what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really talking about, 'The Prince Consort'?"

Guo Zi asked cautiously.

"Of course it's Brother-in-law Ouyang!" Zhu Biao nodded firmly, "Do you have any doubts?"

"No, no, how dare I doubt the Prince Consort!" Guo Zi shook his head again and again, "In fact, I have already thought so. The Prince Consort is indeed a hard-working person."

"Haha, it seems that my analysis is correct!" Zhu Biao said with a smile: "In the past, we all misunderstood Brother-in-law Ouyang. Although he looks idle, this is just the surface. The real Brother-in-law Ouyang has paid too much for the Ming Dynasty!"

"If it weren't for this, how could the Ming Dynasty have developed into what it is today!"

"After all this hard work, Brother-in-law Ouyang's health has collapsed."

"Hmm?" Guo Zi asked in confusion, "Your Highness, I think the Prince Consort is in good health. He can eat, sleep, run and jump."

"That's because you don't understand." Zhu Biao patted Guo Zi on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I thought the same as you at first, until today when Brother-in-law Ouyang and I came out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony together, Brother-in-law Ouyang almost fainted. After asking him carefully, I found out that Brother-in-law Ouyang kept staying up late and working hard to think about various national policies. Brother-in-law Ouyang seemed to be in good health, but he had already been drained!"

"If you can't rest well, you might be in danger of losing your life, or even die young. Maybe that's why Brother-in-law Ouyang often gives people a lazy and sleepy feeling!"

"Is it true?" Upon hearing this, Guo Zi quickly put away his doubts and instead became really worried about Ouyang Lun.

Ouyang Lun is the soul of the Prince Consort's Party. If anything happens to Ouyang Lun, it will be an absolute devastating blow to the Prince Consort's Party.

"Of course! Do I have to lie to you about this?" Zhu Biao looked at Guo Zi and said dissatisfiedly: "Sir Guo, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the right-hand man of Brother-in-law Ouyang, but you didn't find these problems. You are really suspected of dereliction of duty!"

"That shouldn't be the case!" Guo Zi shook his head. "The last time I washed your feet with your husband, the masseur praised your husband for being in great health. But I am weak and need to take some supplements."

"Can you believe the words of a foot-washing technician?" Zhu Biao said unhappily, "I want to ask you, the national policies proposed by Brother-in-law Ouyang, are these something that ordinary people can think of?"

"Of course ordinary people can't do that!" Guo Zi shook his head firmly.

"That's right. Brother-in-law Ouyang thought of something that ordinary people couldn't think of. What does this mean?" Zhu Biao asked again.

"What does it mean?"

"Of course it shows that Brother-in-law Ouyang is not an ordinary person, but he is a mortal like us, but his brain thinks differently from ours. His body simply cannot bear his thoughts. Once used too much, it is only a matter of time for the body to have problems. This is why so many geniuses die young, because they overuse their brains and work too hard!" Zhu Biao said very solemnly.

"Your Highness, what the Crown Prince said makes sense!" Guo Zi cupped his hands, "Now it seems that we, the subordinates, have not cared enough about the Prince Consort!"

"Since Lord Guo has understood, I will not say anything more. Brother-in-law Ouyang has already come up with a solution for us. Now it's up to us to execute it!" Zhu Biao carefully took out the memorial written by Ouyang Lun and waved it in front of Guo Zi, then quickly put it away. "The solution is recorded on it. This is the hard work of Brother-in-law Ouyang. I will keep it well!"

"Now all you have to do is notify those merchants to come to our merchant conference!!"

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will definitely get it done!" Guo Zi said with some concern, "But I am not sure that all these merchants can come."

"Don't worry about this. Brother-in-law Ouyang wrote it very clearly in the memorial. As long as we tell the merchants that it is profitable, and this is a conference held by the imperial court, they will definitely come back under coercion and inducement!" Zhu Biao said confidently.

"Your Highness is wise, I admire you!" Guo Zi bowed.

"Brother-in-law Ouyang is wise. Say it again!" Zhu Biao corrected.

"Your Highness the Prince Consort is wise!" Guo Zi could not help but smile bitterly and immediately started to speak again.

"That's right. Brother-in-law Ouyang has already contributed a lot to the Ming Dynasty, and he has been doing so silently behind the scenes. I absolutely cannot snatch the credit from him!" Zhu Biao said seriously.

Two things happened next.

First, the news that the court was going to convene a merchants' conference spread from the capital to all parts of the Ming Dynasty. The news that has been revealed in advance is that the merchants' conference is specifically for businessmen to come to the capital for a meeting, and they must be businessmen with a certain strength, status, and prestige. In other words, if you get merchants to go to the capital to attend the merchants' conference, it is equivalent to getting the recognition of the court!
Such an honor is naturally extremely important to businessmen.

As the news spread, merchants all over the Ming Dynasty began to feel excited.

Beijing, heaven and earth.

In the luxurious private room.

Four wealthy people were lying on single beds, and in front of each of them there was a young and beautiful technician massaging and washing their feet.

These four people are none other than the famous figures in the Daming business circle today.

From left to right are Mao Youde, former business leader of the Mao family and number one sweet potato merchant, and now the director of the State-owned Assets Management Department of the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty; Li Si, a big businessman in the private construction industry of the Ming Dynasty and the general manager of Evergrande Group; Liu Dongqiang, editor-in-chief of the People's Daily of the Ming Dynasty and the general manager of the Ming Dynasty Nadu Express Transport Company; and the last one is Zhou Bao, the manager of the Ministry of Clan Affairs and the personal servant of the son-in-law Ouyang Lun.

"Brother Mao, Brother Zhou, please say something!" Li Si asked anxiously.

Mao Youde smiled and said, "Li Si, didn't you invite us out to wash your feet? Why is there something else going on?"

Zhou Bao nodded. "Just wash your feet, why discuss things?"

Li Si almost cried when he heard this, "Brothers, you are of course not in a hurry, but we are like ants on a hot pot!"

"Some time ago, those Confucian scholars were causing trouble everywhere. Nine out of ten construction sites I was in charge of were shut down. Life was so hard. To be honest with you two brothers, if it weren't for the prince consort who dealt with Confucianism in time, I would have almost died!"

"Now that the Confucianism issue has been basically resolved, the construction sites I'm working on have started one after another, and I've also received several orders to build schools. Now the court is calling for a business conference. Is there any trap here?"

After saying that, Li Si looked at Liu Dongqiang beside him, "Old Liu, stop washing your feet and say something! We are both treating each other to a foot wash, you can't let me do all the talking alone!"

Liu Dongqiang slowly opened his glasses and said, "Brother Li, if Brother Mao and Brother Zhou are willing to talk, they will definitely tell us. We can't be too anxious."

Mao Youde and Zhou Bao both smiled when they heard what Li Si and Liu Dongqiang said. "Brother Zhou has been with the Prince Consort the most, so he must know everything the best. I'd like to ask Brother Zhou to tell me about this. I'm listening just like you two!" Mao Youde said with a smile.

"Master Mao, that's too serious. I am indeed with the master, but in terms of understanding this matter, I am afraid none of us can compare to you!" Zhou Bao slowly said, "You are the head of the State-owned Assets Management Department, in charge of all state-owned and private enterprises across the country. I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Guo called you over immediately. Is that true?"

"The Merchants' Conference is now hosted by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Guo. I don't need to tell you why they asked you to come over. Those present are all brothers, so you don't need to hide it."

"Otherwise, we would be wasting the kindness of Boss Li and Boss Liu in inviting us to wash their feet."

Swish--

Li Si and Liu Dongqiang immediately looked at Mao Youde.

"Brother Mao, it turns out that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Guo have come to see you!"

"We have been asked by many friends to find out about this matter. If we don't clarify some things, we will not be sure about it!"

"I heard that the Merchants Conference is going to discuss something called 'advertising fees'. Many of my colleagues are worried that this is the imperial court's plan to impose new taxes on us merchants."

"The Ming Dynasty's economic situation has just improved a lot. Many merchants rely on loans from the silver cabinet to continue to develop. If new taxes are levied, it will be fine if the amount is small, but if the amount is too large, it will force us into a dead end!"

"Brother Mao, you were a businessman before, and now you're a civil servant, you can't just ignore us!"

Listening to what Li Si and Liu Dongqiang said, Mao Youde's face became serious.

"This is sheer nonsense. Who told you that this 'advertising fee' is a tax?"

"Huh!? Isn't it?" Li Si and Liu Dongqiang asked in confusion.

"Of course not! This thing can really help you!" Mao Youde said in a deep voice: "The previous Confucian Rebellion did have a great impact on the economy of the Ming Dynasty, but it has passed. The court does not owe you anything!"

"Don't forget who made you what you are today. Don't say that the advertising fee is not a tax. Even if it is a tax, you should pay it obediently! Instead of coming to the court to negotiate conditions!"

Zhou Bao also said, "The master often says that we should learn to give back to society and the people after we take from them!"

Hearing this, Li Si and Liu Dongqiang looked nervous and nodded repeatedly.

"Brother Mao and Brother Zhou are right!"

"Please rest assured that we will never forget our original intention and will report to the society and the people whenever we have the chance."

"I recently received an order to repair a school. I don't make any money from these projects, and I even lose money on them, but the quality is definitely the best."

"We deliver to every place, even the most remote places, just to meet the needs of all people."

Mao Youde nodded slowly, "The Prince Consort knows all the things you have done, otherwise you wouldn't be where you are now."

"Regarding the Merchants Conference, you can rest assured to attend. The effect of this conference will definitely not be worse than the last one for foreign merchants!"

"We feel relieved with Brother Mao's words. After all, the person who notified us this time was an official from the Ministry of Revenue, and we are a little unsure about his impartial attitude." Li Si nodded.

Liu Dongqiang also said: "Following the footsteps of the Prince Consort over the years, we have made a lot of money and even our status has been greatly improved, but there are many people who are jealous, and we are afraid!"

"How can I not understand your concerns? The Prince Consort asked me to take charge of the State-owned Assets Management Department because he wanted you to rest assured. As long as you do business honestly, you will make more money in the future!" Mao Youde said with admiration, "The Prince Consort is the smartest person I have ever met. He was the one who proposed this business conference. Don't you trust him?"

"Of course we trust the Prince Consort, but we heard that he will not show up this time. Plus, they have to discuss something called 'advertising fees', and it's related to newspapers. Confucianism is in the hands of newspapers, and it's easy for them to control us businessmen!" Li Si muttered.

"Li Si, you are really becoming more and more timid. You get so nervous at the slightest sign of trouble. You were not like this before. When you were in Northern Zhili, you dared to think and act. You had no problem building the Great Wall and even going to the grassland to build a trading city. But now..." Mao Youde said unhappily.

"Brother Mao, you know that I was born a carpenter. If it weren't for the time when the prince consort was in charge of Northern Zhili, I, Li Si, would not have the opportunity to make a fortune. Now I have a family and a career, with elderly parents and young children to take care of. If I take a wrong step, there will be no recovery. The waters in this capital are too treacherous. Even the prince consort has fallen into danger several times. I..." Li Si whispered.

"With the prince consort here, what are you afraid of!" Mao Youde said in a deep voice.

"Boss Mao, please don't talk about Boss Li. Don't talk about Boss Li. When I first came to the capital, even I, Zhou Bao, was scared at times. It's human nature to be afraid and cautious!" Zhou Bao said slowly.

With Zhou Bao's words, Mao Youde said nothing more.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou, for your understanding."

Li Si said gratefully.

"Speaking of newspapers, as the editor-in-chief of People's Daily, newspaper sales have been increasing. We can't let anything go wrong at this critical moment!" Liu Dongqiang became nervous.

"How much can you make just by selling newspapers?" Mao Youde said with a smile: "Anyway, we are not outsiders, so I will just say some words!"

"The most important point of this business conference is to make newspapers earn more money, much more money than selling newspapers. Maybe you two, Boss Li and Boss Liu, will cooperate with each other often in the future!"

Um! ?

When Li Si and Liu Dongqiang heard what Mao Youde said, they were stunned.

"Brother Mao, I'm in the construction business and Lao Liu works in the newspaper business. These two things have nothing in common!" Li Si looked confused.

Mao Youde smiled slightly, "The newspapers of the Ming Dynasty have now become a part of people's lives. People who can read and write basically buy a newspaper, and even those who cannot read will go to teahouses to listen to storytellers talk about newspapers."

“This shows the importance of newspapers!”

“Is the publicity effect very good?”

(End of this chapter)