Reborn Regent of Ming Dynasty

With this solemn promise, Master Li has a bottom line in his heart.

On the other side of Fushan, of course, there has been a compliment long ago.People from the Chamber of Commerce have contacted him several times.Linqing, Jinan, and Huguang, several places are thousands of miles apart, but they are already connected together by an invisible network.Master Li is a person in the net, and he is very aware of the power of this big net, and he is also very impressed.

He knew that the closing time was coming.

From the layout of Huguang, to the meeting of wind and clouds, Zhang Pu, Liu Zeqing and others, involved in the court, related to the overall situation of Liaodong, and then looking back at Shandong and Linqing, I don’t know if there is any change underneath!

Thinking about myself and others, most of them came out of Shaoxing, and they were connected with each other, thinking that everything in the world's officialdom was under control.All matters, big or small, can be resolved by exchanging letters in private, and it is only now that I understand that compared with the superiors who really have a big heart, a big pattern, and great wisdom, my group of masters is really far behind went! [

When he came out of the governor's yamen, two men in gray clothes came over immediately, one was empty-handed, crossed his hands to say hello, the other led a healthy mule, and the man first asked: "Master, can you ride a mule?"

"Yes, I know they are waiting, so let's go!"

"Okay, little people serve Master Shi."

The two men waited for Master Li to get on the big green mule, one in front and one behind, at first they walked slowly, and then walked like flying, leading the healthy mule also walked quickly, the three met at dusk, from When Fuqian Street made a detour to the west archway, they saw a group of guards of honor passing by, so they stopped and waited.

Master Li was anxious, but luckily the guard of honor passed quickly. I don’t know which clan it is. When crossing the market, they don’t talk much about pomp, and it’s over in a hurry. When you meet a dignified clan uncle, you won’t be asked to wait for half an hour. Strange.

"It's the second master's Yuan Suiyi."

"About coming back from the palace..."

The two attendants only said one sentence, then shut their mouths and stopped talking.

However, Master Li knew that people in the Fushan system would call Zhu Enshang, the general of the town, Zhu Erye or Second Master, Second Master, with a sense of intimacy and informality.

It seems that Zhu Enshou is the one who is qualified to discuss friendship with Zhang Shouren as a friend, without much involvement in specific matters and without much conflict of interest.

When the Fushan Camp was in Jinan City that day, Zhang Shouren was just a guerrilla general. To be honest, he was not very popular among the military officers, except that he was one rank higher than the Qianba who could not lead the battalion. Having established friendship with Zhang Shouren, it is true that he knows people with insight, and he has no views of sects. He can be regarded as a rare and modest gentleman in the clan.

Because of this, after Zhang Shouren left for such a long time, people who are closely related to Fushan still have three points of respect for Zhu Enshang.

A little twists and turns passed quickly, and the three of them continued to move forward, turning from the west archway and walking for a long way, only to see bird-clothed deep alleys, full of courtyards, and the shabby houses of ordinary people. The gatehouses are completely different. Although they cannot be said to be jade buildings with carved railings, they are also deep courtyards of Zhumen, with a grand layout, which is naturally different from ordinary dwellings.

But Master Li knew that Fuqian Street and around the two archways of Wangfu were the places where officials and clans lived, and the main people living here were businessmen.

According to the rules of the early years of the Kingdom, merchants were not allowed to wear silk, sit in cars or sedan chairs, or wear silk shoes... There were a lot of anti-orthodox rules. In the south of the Yangtze River, people can wear unicorn clothes, python clothes, yellow and red. In the past, scholars and common people were not allowed to wear clothes and colors.

As for the door, there are rules in the first place. Sixth-rank houses use black doors and silver rings. If you go up, you can use three or five rooms, and if you go up, you can use rich doors. Like etiquette and clothing, various rules constitute the foundation of this huge empire.

Originally, the boundaries of Jinan prefecture, because there were more pro-vassals, and the folk customs were more conservative than Jiangnan, the merchants were very restrained even if they were rich, and did not dare to be too ostentatious.

Now it is completely different from before!

In just two years, the number of well-to-do businessmen in Jinan Fucheng has increased by more than ten times!There are newly opened commercial firms everywhere. The original large commercial firms have become behemoths with a capital of several million. There are also dozens of medium-sized commercial firms with a net worth of hundreds of thousands. There are hundreds more merchants in Jinan Prefecture. [

If you have money, of course you will build a large house and build a living room. This is human nature.

The entire square in front of me and the two nearby squares are mostly lived by businessmen, row upon row, very rich.

But the place Li Shiye and others rushed to was not a private mansion, but a very conspicuous building where the square center was located.The wall stretches for miles, and most of the street is surrounded by a building, but inside the courtyard wall made of blue bricks is just one building after another, all of which are tall brick and stone houses, similar to paved buildings. Warehouses are not like other people's houses. There are more than a hundred buildings built side by side.

On the street, people come and go, most of them are driving horses and horses and mules, and most of them are dressed as businessmen, buddies, and apprentices. When Master Li and his party walk among them, they are inconspicuous.

Because of his status, it is not easy for Master Li to come here. Chen Guang has only been here twice in the past two years.I looked at this place now, but I can see that the people are densely populated, the people who come and go are in a hurry, the clothes are luxurious, and even the assistants are full of red faces. Many merchants from other places come to ask for valuable goods, and get a two-finger-wide receipt. After that, he left calmly, without the slightest worry.

The gates are all open, there are no thresholds on the stone steps, and there are a lot of people coming in and out, all of them are focused on their own affairs, that kind of vigorous vitality and rushing every second counts, even when the governor's yamen receives an urgent order from the court. Can't.

This is the headquarters of the Jinan Zhongjun Patriotic Chamber of Commerce, including the council, executive committee, business group and other institutions. In addition to coordinating the relationship with the government and the local government, it is also responsible for coordinating internal conflicts among merchants, formulating regulations, and entrusting goods , storage of silver and many other functions.

This chamber of commerce has been quite influential in the entire Ming Dynasty... Of course, it means that in the business world, no matter whether it is in the north and south, or as far as Quanzhou in the south, the Jinan chamber of commerce has attracted the attention of many businessmen. □, organize yourself, with clear rules and order, which is an unparalleled attraction for businessmen who most desire order and stability.After only two years of hard work, except for Jinan, Qingzhou, Denglai, and Dongchang, where there are chambers of commerce of various sizes, the rest of the places are still dominated by dental shops and guild halls, etc., and the chambers of commerce have not fully bloomed. , promote it.

The reason is also very simple... No local official would allow this kind of thing to appear under their noses, not to mention that merchants can also control business groups. Although every city has volunteers and regiments, the nature of the chamber of commerce is similar to these two. Cities, maintaining law and order, guarding against bandits, guarding warehouses, etc., but without the intervention and management of the government, a group of businessmen who are scattered in the sand can hold together. It is not necessary to think about how dangerous this matter is. He is not Zhang Shouren, There is no need to bury nails in various parts of Shandong, and there is no such thing as Zhang Shouren's financial resources and wrists to really control and influence merchants. After two years of hard work, the originally expected four-sided flowering did not come to fruition. It also made Zhang Shouren realize very clearly that based on what he saw, it was impossible for the so-called sprout to appear on the land of Daming.

Can the flowers of capital be irrigated on the conservative land?

How can it be?

This kind of statement is a joke. The big businessmen and weavers in Suzhou can spend hundreds of dollars. Except for being exploited by officials, all the money they earn is used to buy land, or it is melted into big silver and buried in the ground. Shanxi merchants, Huizhou Businessmen, all of them.

The vitality of Jinan, Jiaozhou, Laizhou and Dengzhou is only due to one person. Many businessmen know who this person is, and Zhang Shouren's influence and decisiveness among the businessmen come from this This kind of recognition and respect does not only depend on Fushan's capital and powerful force.

"Master Li is here, I have been waiting for a long time."

After detouring through the lobby and the second hall, in front of a building made of blue bricks similar to a warehouse, Qin Dongzhu of Lifenghang took the lead, and the other dozen businessmen with the status of executive committee members of the chamber of commerce stood in front of the door, and Li When the master entered the door, everyone bowed their hands in greeting.

"Every proprietor, there is no need to be too polite." Master Li knew that businessmen like to be straightforward, so he said directly: "Master Futai has made up his mind that no matter what happens in the city, he will stand by the side of the Chamber of Commerce."

After two years of tempering by the executive committee of the chamber of commerce, Qin Dongzhu was a little more decisive and resolute than before. Looking at the crowd, he said in a deep voice: "The imperial court has appointed Liu Zongzhen as the general soldier of Shandong. We have nothing to do with it, but who is behind this incident, who doesn't know?"

"Brother Qin, you don't need to say much." Dongzhu Li, who was in the "Three Good Business", was once said to be cowardly and fearful. A fast shift leader of a government office would dare to knock on his door for money, and more or less he would always get some money.The last time there was an incident in Jinan and the establishment of a business group, Li Dongzhu was trembling all over, and he was scared to death.But at this time, he has a decisive look on his face: "Masters, the current situation is supported by the general, and it is also the result of our own hard work. No matter who comes to snatch it, we will shoot it!" Damn... that's it, what do you guys think?"

"The court's decree has been issued. It is certain that Liu and his subordinates will enter the inner city. I heard that Zhang Tianru in Taicang is also in the city. This matter may have something to do with him."

"A scholar from the south has many things to do."

"This kind of people read a few books and think that the affairs of the world are in their hands. It's ridiculous!"

"Since everyone agrees, it will be considered unanimously approved by the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce." After everyone expressed their views, Qin Dongzhu said to Master Li: "Please come to Ni Futai, we will not sit and watch others manage Jinan Mansion How to do things, the chamber of commerce already has a plan, and at the critical moment, I will ask the Futai to take action." [