Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 177 Business Experience

Zhang Mansion.

When the Zhang brothers returned home, Chai Meng did not go with them to visit Zhang Luan that day. Instead, he made an appointment to visit Zhang Luan the next day, which meant that he was officially hired as a tutor in the Zhang family.

"Second brother, I'm telling you that you're not capable. You just open your mouth and ask for five thousand taels of silver. Don't you have any idea about silver? Five thousand taels. Even if you ask for five thousand taels of silver, they won't give it to you."

After Zhang Heling returned home, he was extremely sarcastic and was filled with a sense of superiority as he had the upper hand in intelligence... He finally managed to show his "foresight" in front of his brother, but I'm afraid he will brag about it for a month.

Zhang Luan came out of the study upon hearing the noise, stared at his two sons and asked, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day! Where is the money?"

Zhang Yanling stepped forward and took Zhang Luan's hand, raised his head and asked expectantly: "Dad, I want to start a business with my elder brother. Will you support us?"

"Doing business?"

Zhang Luan's face looked unhappy, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he shouted at Zhang Heling, "Boss, go to the inner courtyard first and reflect on yourself! I have something to discuss with your brother."

Zhang Heling looked wronged and asked aggrievedly, "Dad, he was the one who made trouble today, why are you yelling at me?"

"Believe it or not..."

As Zhang Luan said this, he was about to go find something with a weapon to beat someone up.

Seeing this, Zhang Heling ran away.

Zhang Luan then called Zhang Yanling to the main hall and said calmly, "Son, you have grown up now, but the most important thing for you is to study. You will definitely achieve great things in the future. Don't just focus on doing business. That path... I am an experienced person, so I will tell you this... It is not easy to walk."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, I will be the emperor's uncle in the future. What's the point of studying? Do you still want to take the imperial examination? Have you ever seen a relative pass the imperial examination? Even if I pass the palace examination by chance, what kind of official position do you think the court will assign to me? It's totally unrealistic..."

Zhang Luan said: "That being said, it is always a good idea to read more. You may be able to find a job in the Jinyiwei in the future. It depends on whether your sister is favored in the East Palace."

Zhang Yanling continued to smile and asked, "Dad, are you afraid of paying the capital?"

"Nonsense!"

Zhang Luan scolded, "If you grow up a few years, to sixteen or seventeen, and have a family, and really want to go out and do business, your father will let you do it, but now... you have never had any business experience, and our Zhang family is now at the cusp of the storm. Wouldn't it be ostentatious if you go out like this?"

Zhang Yanling said, "I didn't ask you to pay for it."

"Oh, no money?"

Zhang Luan felt much better when he heard that he didn't have to pay for it. He pouted and said, "How can you do a bird egg business when you have no money?"

Zhang Yanling was shocked: "Dad, you are a gentleman, and now you are the Minister of the Honglu Temple, how can you speak so rudely? When I said I wanted to do business, I actually wanted the Huizhou merchants to provide us with capital, and we would invest in them with technology, and we would take the majority and they would take the smaller share, that's all."

"..."

Zhang Luan instantly felt that his IQ was insulted.

Before his cheap father could get angry, Zhang Yanling explained: "After the money arrives, I will open a workshop and make some things that are ahead of this era. Then I will use the connections of Huizhou merchants to help us sell them."

Zhang Luan asked, "Why would the Huizhou merchants give you money?"

"Because our family has the background of the Eastern Palace."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "They don't take it seriously now, just wait until after September this year..."

"What happened after September?"

"At that time... Dad, what do you think?"

Zhang Yanling looked very secretive.

Zhang Luan immediately thought of what was going on, took a deep breath, and asked in doubt, "Did...did that...person with great magical powers tell you?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Why do you care who said that... As the future father-in-law of the emperor, it is not easy for me to do business in person. How about letting my elder brother and I try our luck?

"Even if there is a deviation, it is just the two little ones at home fooling around outside. At most, you will be held responsible for not disciplining them properly. It will not harm your reputation or even your interests."

Zhang Luan glanced at his youngest son and said, "You are a thoughtful person...but what do I need from you?"

"Dad, you don't need it, but the prince does."

Zhang Yanling said meaningfully, "If you want to win the crown prince's trust and make him rely on you more and more, what's the best way?"

Zhang Luan's mind was no longer able to catch up, and he stared at his son blankly. "Besides strategy, there's money!"

Zhang Yanling answered his own questions and then asked an enlightening question: "Dad, you might as well put yourself in his shoes. If the prince ascends the throne, his office is controlled by the ministers, the imperial edict cannot leave the palace, and he can't even speak with confidence... At this time, if someone is behind him to provide him with money continuously, he can do anything he wants. At that time, won't he rely on our Zhang family even more?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Son, there are not so many good things in this world. You are doing business, do you want to be rich enough to rival a country?"

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, even if I tell you now how profitable my future business will be, you probably won’t understand.

You will understand later what science and technology mean as the primary productive forces.

"We don't have that much money, but the Huizhou merchants do."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It's not an exaggeration to say that they are rich enough to rival a country, right? If they cooperate with us, they won't have to bribe anyone in the future. They can just bribe the prince and the future emperor directly. We have provided them with such a channel, so why not do it?"

……

……

After talking with his son, Zhang Luan felt terrible.

There was a person in the main hall, sometimes laughing, sometimes sad, and sometimes closing his eyes and thinking seriously about something.

Obviously, with his life experience for most of his life, he could not have imagined that his family would be in such a good situation today. If he was a little more shameless, he would think that he was leading his family well, but through his communication with Zhang Yanling, he now completely believed that it was all his youngest son who brought about such a huge change in the family.

"Master, it's time to eat, what are you doing here?"

Jin walked into the main hall and looked for a long time. Her husband didn't even notice her presence, so she couldn't help but ask curiously.

Zhang Luan looked up when he heard the voice, and said with a dark face: "My husband is thinking about something here, please don't disturb me."

Jin said nonchalantly, "The girl is about to become the Crown Princess, why don't you quickly ask someone to clean up the house... Humph, you said that the house will be full of guests in the future, but now it seems that no one is trying to curry favor with us."

"You do not understand."

Zhang Luan still looked mysterious, shaking his head and saying to himself, "Yanling has been different in the past six months..."

Jin originally wanted to take away the tea bowls and other things on the table, but when she heard this, she couldn't help but look up at her husband, meaning, aren't you talking nonsense?
"I mean, I don't know what's in the second brother's head. He always has some weird ideas. He wants to help his sister choose the crown princess, and he wants to help the crown prince. Now he wants to do business and even partner with Huizhou merchants. Wow, he's finally got it."

As Zhang Luan spoke, there was still a hint of pride on his face.

Look at the good son I taught!

Jin said, "Master, are you going to let Yanling go out and make trouble?"

"How can this be considered nonsense?"

Zhang Luan was a little anxious and argued, "Madam, don't you think I am giving the two brothers a chance to perform? Although the prince is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, his current position is not very stable. If there is any accident in the future, we will not be able to be relatives by marriage."

Jin's face turned unhappy when she heard this, and she said depressedly: "With such a big reputation, our family's situation has not changed at all... Isn't it just marrying off a daughter? At most, the betrothal gift is a little more."

"It's different. Very different!"

Zhang Luan shook his head: "I am an official now, a fourth-rank official. How could you imagine this in the past? Didn't you see that even the people in the mansion are very respectful to me? Now his second uncle has not left the capital yet. I guess he wants to wait until the wedding is over before returning home.

"I heard that on the day of our daughter's wedding, all the relatives and friends of Hejian Prefecture who have some connection with the Zhang family will come to the capital to congratulate her. They are all here to curry favor with me. How glorious is this?"

Jin said, "They are all poor relatives, what's good about them?"

"Humph! Even my poor relatives didn't want to bother with me before."

Zhang Luan crossed his legs and said proudly, "At least now they are asking me to be proud in front of them. This is my lifelong wish, and now it has finally been half achieved."

"What about the other half?"

Jin asked curiously.

After being married for many years, she still doesn't know what ambitions her husband has.

"Of course, I want to be a proper official, be able to influence the government, be respected by others, and even better, get a title of nobility. However, everything has to wait until the crown prince ascends the throne. The road ahead is long and arduous, and I will strive for it..."

(End of this chapter)