My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 27 Money Laws Don’t Work

Manager Huang immediately said:
"Yes, of course we have it. I'll have someone bring it to you right away."

After a while, Manager Huang returned to the flower hall with a stack of paper.

Su Ze took a look and found that Manager Huang was indeed a smart man. He knew Su Ze's financial situation and his personality, so the stationery he brought was just ordinary stuff on the market, but it didn't look too shabby.

With his astuteness, it's no wonder that he can do so well among his fellow townsmen in Suzhou.

Manager Huang said:
"Please reply, Su Hanlin. The Guild Hall will send people to deliver the replies to the residences of all the gentlemen one by one."

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh that Manager Huang's professionalism was no less than that of the chief secretaries of leaders he had met in later generations.

He definitely had to reply to the post. Fellow villagers were an important part of interpersonal relationships. It would be unreasonable for Su Ze not to express his gratitude to his fellow villagers who were so enthusiastic.

Su Ze wrote down his new address and expressed his gratitude to his fellow villagers.

After dealing with this matter, Su Ze asked again:

"Manager Huang, does this guild hall sell any seeds?"

"Seeds? Hanlin Lang, it's impossible to farm in the capital. If you want to buy seeds, you have to go to the market outside the capital, or buy them from farmers."

Su Ze was a little disappointed. It seemed that the guild hall was not omnipotent.

But at this moment, Manager Huang suddenly said:
"By the way, a few days ago, Lord Shen asked me to collect cotton seeds from the north. I happened to buy a batch from a merchant in Northern Zhili. Do you want any, Hanlin Lang?"

"Cotton seeds?" Su Ze showed a surprised expression. He originally just wanted to grow some food, but when Manager Huang mentioned cotton, he remembered that such an important economic crop as cotton could also be improved.

Lord Shen? Isn't that Shen Shixing?
Why does Shen Shixing need seeds?

Manager Huang said:
"Hanlin Lang, you've forgotten that Lord Shen's Taishan Wu family is a famous cloth merchant in Suzhou Prefecture. It seems that the Wu family heard that there are good varieties in the north and wanted to bring them to Nanzhili for cultivation."

Su Ze then remembered that at that time, cotton was grown in many places in Jiangsu.

In his previous life, Su Ze once heard from his friends in the Ministry of Agriculture that until the 1990s, there were still many fertile fields in Jiangsu that were used to grow cotton. Jiangsu was a major cotton-growing province for a long time.

The reason is of course very simple. Cotton, an economic crop, has been a pillar industry for export and foreign exchange earnings for a long time.

The origin of cotton cultivation in Jiangsu was the Kapok Promotion Office established in Jiangnan during the Yuan Dynasty.

The Yuan Dynasty promoted cotton planting and weaving industries in Jiangnan in order to take advantage of Jiangnan's human and resource advantages in exchange for profits from overseas trade.

Since the Yuan Dynasty, many fertile fields in Jiangnan have been used to grow cotton.

The cotton industry in Songjiang Prefecture is no less large than the sericulture industry. For example, Xu Jie's Songjiang Xu family has mostly used the land they have acquired over the years to grow cotton.

The reason is simple: growing cotton is more profitable than growing grain.

In reality, there may not be a national policy to convert rice to mulberry, but converting farmland into cotton fields in the Jiangnan region has always been a major trend.

The Wu family in Songjiang wants to transform into the cotton cloth industry, which is also a very far-sighted transformation.

According to historical development, the maritime policy of the Ming Dynasty would soon change from Zhu Yuanzhang's policy of "no ship allowed to go to sea" to limited opening of ports for trade, which is known in history as the "Longqing Opening of the Sea".

The opening of the seas naturally requires trade, whether it is silk, cotton, porcelain or tea, all of which will generate astonishing profits and flow to the southeast region. Whether it is the Songjiang Xu family or the Songjiang Wu family, the family of Shen Shixing's wife, they invested heavily in the cotton industry at this point in time. If there is no trick, Su Ze does not believe it.

In recent years, the call for relaxing maritime bans has gradually gained popularity in the court. It is not known whether these families have smart people with keen business acumen, or whether they received the news from the court in advance.

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This kind of political and business connection cannot be severed in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.

Even this kind of thing is not considered illegal in this era.

The biggest business dividends are policy dividends, and only businessmen who are closest to the decision-making center can reap these dividends.

However, this incident reminded Su Ze of the "Longqing Opening of the Sea" event.

The Japanese invasion during the Jiajing reign had been quelled, but smuggling activities in coastal areas were still difficult to eradicate.

The so-called "Longqing Opening of the Sea" was actually just a recognition of smuggling in the southeast region, turning the ocean trade that could not be banned into trade in designated ports that could be supervised by the court.

I can also take advantage of this incident. If I can find an opportunity to become the first person to initiate the "opening of the sea", it will be very helpful for my career.

Moreover, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were both cabinet ministers who supported the opening of the sea.

His task was to [achieve a "close" relationship with a cabinet member]. Su Ze naturally planned to improve Gao Gong's reputation. Staying consistent with Gao Gong on this matter would also improve his relationship with Gao Gong.

Su Ze decided to pay attention to the court's recent discussions on maritime bans and find an opportunity to submit a petition requesting the opening of the sea.

Manager Huang ordered his men to bring a bag of good seeds, and he said to Su Ze:

"As far as growing cotton is concerned, the north is better, and the cotton seeds in the north are naturally better."

Su Ze nodded. Cotton can be grown in a wide range, from tropical to frigid zones.

But no matter what variety of cotton it is, it is generally cold-resistant, afraid of waterlogging, and light-loving.

In fact, the north is more suitable for growing cotton than Jiangsu.

Moreover, the Yuan Dynasty vigorously promoted cotton, established Kapok Promotion Offices in various places, and spent a lot of effort to improve the agricultural technology of cotton cultivation in the north.

Su Ze asked doubtfully:
"In that case, why not grow cotton in the North and then ship it to the South for spinning?"

Manager Huang said:
"That's exactly how it was. Every year, when the southern grain was brought to the capital, they would always take something back with them. Cotton was the best ballast cargo. During the reign of the late emperor, the merchants in Songjiang Prefecture did the same. Every year when the grain arrived in the capital, the guild halls were bustling with activity. Merchants would buy a lot of goods in the capital and then rent ships to transport them back to Jiangnan."

"At that time, there were vast cotton fields around Northern Zhili."

Su Ze didn't expect that the commodity economy of the Ming Dynasty was more developed than he thought, and that his idea had actually been implemented for a long time.

He asked doubtfully, "Growing cotton in the north and weaving cloth in the south is a win-win situation. Why don't they do it this way?"

Using Jiangsu's best farmland to grow cotton was actually a huge waste. Su Ze couldn't understand why merchants in the south chose to grow cotton when there was plenty of land in the north suitable for it.

Manager Huang gave an answer that Su Ze did not expect:
"Because the northern currency system is not accepted, it is really impossible to do business."

(End of this chapter)