Chapter 216 Fang Ruolan's uncle
saw Su Ze frowning, and Sun Zhixian could only hold out a finger and said:
"Jie Yuangong, if it doesn't work, just 10%. You pay one hundred taels of silver, and I will give you ninety taels in private. How about that?" ? No more!"
Su Ze didn't expect that he would suddenly become an evil gentry and a local tyrant. He said:
"The eldest master opened his mouth, and Su Mou naturally pledged to donate. It's just that the eldest master said that low prices hurt the people, and Su Mou was very interested. , please give me some advice."
Sun Zhixian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Su Ze was willing to donate money.
Sun Zhixian did not win the imperial examination until he was 30 years old. After failing the two examinations, he filled the vacancy. Like Hai Rui, he started as an academic official and served successively as chief registrar, county magistrate, and county magistrate. He has been an official in several counties and can be said to be an official veteran with rich grassroots experience.
He stroked his goatee and told him the reason why grain prices were so low and harmed the people. Su Ze naturally knew that it was due to deflation due to insufficient money supply, but he didn't expect that Sun Zhixian in front of him could also think of this.
Sure enough, the Ming Dynasty did not lack talents. Su Zegao had already given Su Zegao a good look at Sun Zhixian's ability to find out why Qian Huanggu was cheap.
It can be seen from his words that this magistrate Sun really understands finance.
It's a pity that just because he couldn't pass the Jinshi examination, Sun Zhixian could only wander around among minor officials, and he didn't become the county magistrate until he was fifty years old.
"Sir, if Su is willing to pledge a donation, the one hundred taels of silver will be returned to me as eighty taels as mentioned before. It will be regarded as my contribution to the county government."
Sun Zhixian looked at Su Ze in surprise. I was even moved to tears. As expected of Mr. Xie Yuangong, he really understood the righteousness!
Su Ze looked at Sun Zhixian again and said, "I heard that the eldest gentleman once served as an official in Guangzhou?"
Sun Zhixian nodded and said, "Before I came to Nanping, I served as the county magistrate of Chaozhou Prefecture."
Su Ze said, "I heard that Guangzhou Prefecture They don’t like to grow food there, and they mostly buy food from the sea?”
Magistrate Sun said in a low voice: “That’s true over there in Guangfu.”
Compared with Fujian, Guangdong as a whole is further away from the imperial court and is more concerned about the abolition of the sea ban. serious.
The Portuguese openly did business on the island, and there were even French merchants who went deep into Guangzhou to purchase raw silk.
With such prosperity, more fields in Guangfu were planted with cash crops, or they simply worked in workshops.
There is even a grain import trade in the Guangfu area. A large number of merchant ships transport grain from Nanyang, and then sell these low-priced grains to local people to pay taxes and serve as rations. The local people raise silkworms or grow sugar cane and other cash crops to sell. money.
Su Ze asked again: "I heard that there are still people in Guangfu who go to Nanyang to open up wasteland?"
Sun Zhixian sighed and said: "There are so many good fields in Nanyang. The fields in Java and Luzon can produce four crops a year just by planting rice. There are indeed many Cantonese people going south to farm, especially in Luzon. It is said that there are as many as 10,000 immigrants from Fujian and Cantonese." As expected, the
news is similar to what I found. Starting from the middle of the Ming Dynasty, people in Guangdong and Fujian began to have The organized immigrants went to Southeast Asia, and the nearest island, Luzon, was the first destination of immigration.
"Why don't these immigrants go to Penghu?"
Sun Zhixian said: "What about this? Penghu is indeed closer to Fujian and Guangzhou, but the imperial court set up an inspection department in Penghu to prohibit people from landing. Even if some people went to the island to open up wasteland, it would still be impossible. "
Penghu is mountainous and not as fertile as the land in Luzon. Another reason is that the local people in Luzon don't know how to plant, and they don't know the value of the land. They often sell the land for a small profit. Listen, It is said that there are large landowners in Luzon who own thousands of hectares."
Su Ze wrote this down and then said goodbye to Sun Zhixian.
With Su Ze taking the lead in donating, the local squire in Nanping coyly paid for it. The Sun Magistrate was also very trustworthy and returned the eighty taels of silver to Su Ze on the day Su Ze donated. .
After that, the county government was busy for a few more days. Lin Chaoqing, who worked in the county government office, informed Su Zetong that Sun Zhixian collected the money for autumn grain at the last moment and finally completed the task of collecting autumn grain.
In December, Su Ze returned to Changning Guard, and Lin Mojun received another letter from Yu Dayou.
The letter stated that Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong had been executed by the court. Yu Dayou was depressed in the letter. It was obvious that he did not agree with the court's approach.
Su Ze also sighed. The deaths of Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong were the result of the increasingly fierce struggle between the two parties in the court.
People like Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong who have not joined any party are gradually losing their space in the court.
Yandang wanted to promote one of his own people to take charge of the fight against Japan, and Qingliu also wanted to promote one of his own people to take charge of the fight against Japan.
Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong made the mistake of not taking refuge with anyone, so no one helped them speak when they were falsely accused.
The intensity of the political struggle has increased, and everyone has to join a group to keep warm, either joining the Yan Party or Qingliu.
Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong were killed, and all the men in the family were sent to the side. Yu Dayou said in the letter that the generals in Zhejiang pooled some money to manage the servants, hoping that a few people from Zhang and Li's family would die on the way.
Su Ze felt a little uncomfortable after reading the letter. Some people said that the intensity of political struggles in the Ming Dynasty was not high. In fact, political struggles of this level abounded. Countless ministers were killed in the Ming Dynasty, not to mention those who were captured and imprisoned by the Jinyi Guards and died tragically in the Ming Dynasty. In prison.
Moreover, after political struggles failed in the feudal era, they were often executed, with as many as 80-year-old mothers and 10-year-old children implicated.
Yu Dayou also talked about the new situation in Zhejiang in his letter.
Hu Zongxian was promoted to the right to be the censor of Zhejiang Province. Although he did not have the title of governor like Zhang Jing, the imperial court had granted Hu Zongxian the right to military affairs in southern Zhili, Zhejiang and Fujian.
Hu Zongxian ordered Yu Dayou to be stationed in Taizhou, under the control of Tan Lun, the prefect of Taizhou, and responsible for the prevention of Japanese pirates in Taizhou.
Yu Dayou also mentioned a general who was transferred from Shandong to Zhejiang and was responsible for defending the Second Prefecture of Ningbo and Shaoxing near Taizhou. Yu Dayou felt like old friends at first sight with this general Qi, and the two often discussed the art of war.
From General Qi Shen's mouth, Yu Dayou also learned about the military situation in the north. Anda's border violations were even more serious, and he even went into Datong Mansion to kill officials of the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Jiajing decreed that anyone who answers his question would be given 10,000 taels of silver and given the title of count.
However, the situation in the north is still deteriorating day by day.
Closing the letter, Su Ze sighed. The people who suffered the most during the war were the common people. According to Yu Dayou's letter, Zhejiang, which was once prosperous, was now "starving everywhere" and the people were "naked and their families had no property."
Lin Mojun said: "Yu Shibo also mentioned bird muskets in his letter. Yu Shibo believed that bird muskets are more powerful than bows and arrows. The new Governor Hu has already reported to the court and asked for the manufacture of bird muskets." Su Ze was not surprised. The battle
ended Today, it would be strange if the Ming Dynasty did not pay attention to advanced weapons such as blunderbuss.
Since the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, the Ming army began to gradually equip bird guns, but Su Ze was not worried about the combat effectiveness of the Ming army after equipping bird guns. Weapons and equipment are only one aspect that determines the outcome of a war. In wars, the side with advanced weapons and equipment is never bound to win.
There is no need to explain the military’s poor logistical support, corrupt weapons manufacturing industry, and backward military technology and tactics.
The thirty-fourth year of Jiajing was finally coming to an end, and it was almost the end of the year. Su Ze finally remembered that he still had a fiancée in Quanzhou Prefecture, so he set off from Changning Wei with gifts to give New Year gifts to his future mother-in-law.
This time, of course, we still took the sea route, but the New World was too eye-catching. Su Ze chose a lucky ship. This was the remaining trophy on Dong'ao Island. It was originally supposed to be a certain maritime merchant in Fuzhou, but was later robbed by King Lu. Incorporate into the fleet.
Since he was visiting Fang's family, Su Ze also brought the book boy Fang Aizhu with him.
After returning from the last provincial examination, Su Ze saw that Fang Aizhu was smart and could write and do calculations, so he arranged for him to be the shopkeeper of a shop in Nanping.
Fang Aizhu's ability was indeed good and he kept the store in an orderly manner. Su Ze also paid him dividends as agreed.
Carrying new rouge from the rouge shop, new dyed cloth from the dye house, and some Nanping specialties, Su Ze set out on the road to Quanzhou Prefecture.
From Changningwei to Quanzhou City, you only need to drive along the coastline. There are no wind and waves along the way. You will see Quanzhou Port in less than five days.
Quanzhou Port was the first foreign trade port in the Southeast during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was once one of the most prosperous cities in the Southeast.
The Southern Song Dynasty court was not good at everything, but maritime trade was very developed. Quanzhou Port was the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. The Southern Song Dynasty court relied on the benefits of maritime trade to survive for more than a hundred years.
Su Ze looked at the dilapidated scene of Quanzhou Port and felt that it was a pity that such a good port was wasted like this.
Quanzhou is one of the areas with the strictest sea ban. Since the implementation of the sea ban in the Hongwu Year, all Quanzhou ports have been demolished and all the houses ten miles along the coast have been bulldozed.
The Ming court also ordered the ships anchored in Quanzhou Port to be scuttled and blocked, thereby destroying a natural harbor.
Quanzhou Port, where Qianfan once passed, now has no trace of fishing boats. Su Ze can only dock at a small port near Quanzhou, then pull the gifts onto a truck and enter Quanzhou City.
Approaching Quanzhou City and seeing the towering city walls, Su Ze lamented the decline of this famous city.
The rise of Fuzhou Port was also one of the reasons for the decline of Quanzhou. The Ming Dynasty designated Fuzhou Port as the port for Fujian's tribute trade. All tribute ships had to dock at Fuzhou Port. The Municipal Shipping Department, which had been established since the Tang and Song Dynasties, moved from Quanzhou After moving to Fuzhou, Quanzhou lost its official navigation rights.
And in Zhangzhou Yuegang, not far from Quanzhou, the smuggling trade was in full swing.
After Longqing opened and closed, Mingting also chose to open and close in Yuegang, which made Yuegang surpass Fuzhou Port and become the largest port in Fujian.
Under the squeeze from the south and the north, even smuggling ships are reluctant to use Quanzhou Port.
The decline of port trade also made Quanzhou increasingly depressed. Su Ze walked on the stone roads paved during the Tang and Song Dynasties. There was no money to repair the bumpy roads, and the trucks pulling goods were bumpy and falling apart.
However, there are many ancient buildings in Quanzhou City. Su Ze saw a Tang Dynasty-style Buddhist temple, a Minnan-style Mazu Temple, and even many exotic buildings.
With Su Ze's [religious knowledge], he could identify that there were Nestorian and Manichaean temples among them. Sure enough, Quanzhou was once China's most important port to the outside world.
However, although the port trade has declined, Quanzhou's commerce is still very developed. The style of Quanzhou has been inherited from the Song Dynasty. Almost all the houses along the street are shops. These shops also sell goods at the door, making the already crowded stone street even more crowded.
Before the Tang Dynasty, almost all commerce had to be conducted within designated "cities". During the Song Dynasty, commodity trade flourished and "street shops" appeared. In the Qingming Riverside Scene, we can see that all streets are shops for trading.
But by the Ming Dynasty, the commodity economy had regressed compared to the Song Dynasty. Nanping and Fuzhou were similar to commercial street models.
It means that a main road is filled with shops, or a special market is formed in a place with convenient transportation.
Quanzhou still inherited the "street shop" form of the Song Dynasty, and unlike Nanping, the rich in Quanzhou preferred to live in a convenient city, rather than the gentry living outside the city like Nanping.
Mrs. Li's natal ancestors were also wealthy, otherwise they would not have provided Fang Ruolan's uncle with education.
After the Fang family and the Li family became prosperous over the years, the Li family's old house was also renovated. Su Ze walked into an alley under the guidance of Fang Aizhu. The concierge announced that it was his future uncle who was visiting and immediately introduced Su Ze into the house.
Because most of the rich people are crowded in the city, the houses of wealthy people in Quanzhou are not big. However, after entering, Su Ze discovered that the Li family's house was not actually small. It was just hidden in the downtown area. From the high wall, Can't see what's going on inside.
I have really become a rich woman. If future generations can have such a villa in the downtown area, they will be from a top wealthy family.
Su Ze was thinking as he walked into the front hall. The Li family actually built an exquisite garden between the two houses.
Su Ze continued to walk towards the main hall where guests were waiting, but heard Mrs. Li's voice in the main hall.
"You said you didn't want to continue the imperial examination, so that's it! Now your brother-in-law has resigned from the position of Imperial College for you! Li Zhi, what do you want to do! How about selling this ancestral property tomorrow?" Su Ze shrank his neck, Fang Aizhu
said Hearing Mrs. Li roar like this, he was also frightened, and the two of them stopped at the edge of the main hall.
A middle-aged man said: "Sister, I really can't stand the rotten scholars in the Imperial College. I want to travel around and improve my knowledge." "
Study? You don't study and study, that's all! You don't take care of the family's property. Throw them all to me, and the neighbors say I miss my ancestral property!" The
middle-aged man said with a playful smile: "My sister has always been in charge of the house. These people are talking nonsense, my sister, don't argue with them, the family business has become more and more prosperous in recent years. , isn’t this all the result of my sister?”
“Shit! That’s the result of your brother-in-law’s growing official position!”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“You refuse to go to school, and you don’t want to take care of the house, your brother-in-law wrote The letter asked you to go to Suzhou to help him organize banknotes,
but you are not willing to go." "How do I know about banknotes? I can't help even if I go there. If you ask me, my future nephew-in-law is not going to go after the Chinese New Year. Did the Imperial College report? Then the Imperial College has nothing to learn from, wouldn't it be better to let him help his brother-in-law?"
Su Ze knew the identity of the person who spoke to Mrs. Li. He was the uncle Li Zhi whom Fang Ruolan often mentioned.
(End of chapter)