Pan Qi came from an ordinary background, but he was an extraordinary person. He had a very difficult experience in getting rich in his early years, and he did not lose his shrewd nature even after he became successful.
He made a lot of wealth through trade with the British East India Company, but the interpersonal cost he paid for the monopoly of trading rights with the East India Company was also an astronomical figure in Liu Chongwen's view.
If there is any disaster or major natural disaster in the world, Pan Qi will definitely donate money.
If the imperial court wants to fight a war, Pan Qi will also provide money to help the army.
If a certain high-ranking official or dignitary has a birthday or happy event, he will definitely give generous gifts.
Whenever money can play a role, Pan will never be absent.
This cost is not ordinary.
However, he succeeded. Not only did he earn a lot of money through many cooperations with Britain through the trade of silk and tea, but he also managed very good interpersonal relationships.
The most important thing is that he also trained a family of scholars, and the Pan family produced serious Jinshi scholars. This created an important prerequisite for the Pan family, a family that made a fortune as a businessman, to remain in the Qing Empire for a long time.
This is something that many Thirteenth Group colleagues are very envious of Pan Qi.
Having accomplished this as a businessman, everyone felt that Pan Qi had achieved perfection.
But what Liu Chongwen also knew was that Pan Qi didn't think it was complete.
Not only did he operate industries and acquire real estate in the Qing Dynasty, he even extended his hands abroad. He is one of the few Qing businessmen in this era who has invested in industries abroad. Businessmen like him who operate industries at home and abroad together, Even among the thirteen lines, there were only a few people.
He had been to Luzon when he was young and could speak and write Spanish, Portuguese and English. Although his accent was not standard, it did not affect communication. This was how he was able to establish a relatively friendly relationship with the British East India Company. One of the reasons.
All in all, Liu Chongwen was full of admiration for Pan Qi.
Therefore, he did not intend to hide what he encountered on Luzon Island, but planned to tell Pan Qi and make up his mind to Pan Qi.
However, Liu Chongwen didn't know that the first thing Pan Qi did after seeing him was to ask him a question.
"Old Liu, from your perspective, what kind of person is Zhao Xuening?"
Liu Chongwen was greatly surprised.
"How did you know that I met Zhao Xuening?"
"The English told me so."
Pan Qi took a drag on his cigarette and said slowly: "Not long after you left, my friend from England came to Guangzhou to purchase. He told me that England had signed an agreement with Zhao Xuening from Lanfang State and formed an alliance. Zhao Xuening assisted The English drove away the Dutch and French forces and succeeded."
"I see, there is such a thing."
Liu Chongwen nodded and said: "I asked why Lan Fangguo suddenly launched an attack on Luzon and chopped off the heads of the Governor of Franji. It turns out that this is the case."
"Now, the entire Southeast Asia can be regarded as the sphere of influence of the Lanfang Kingdom. Neither the Dutch nor the Francois are their opponents. The English must also rely on the Lanfang Kingdom to protect the safety of their routes."
Pan Qi blew out a puff of smoke and said: "Zhao Xuening, his identity is unknown, his origin is unknown, only his name is known. This is a major mistake for me. If such a hero is easily offended, it will be very detrimental to me."
Liu Chongwen knew what Pan Qi meant.
So he completely repeated what Zhao Xuening had said to him before to Pan Qi. After hearing this, Pan Qi took a few puffs of cigarette.
"This person's background is definitely not simple. He is most likely from a family of officials."
"I also think that this man has extraordinary conversation and knowledge, and it seems that he has read books at first glance, but whose family is he?"
Liu Chongwen whispered: "He even cut off his braids and had short hair, which directly violated the imperial court's order to shave his hair, and more importantly...his flag."
Pan Qi raised his eyes and looked at Liu Chongwen.
"What flag?"
"A red flag. In the center of the flag is the sun. However, in the sun's halo, there is not only the sun, but also... a moon."
Liu Chongwen took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Pan Qi: "I secretly copied this in Manila. It is said that this is the national flag of Lanfang Country and was designed by Zhao Xuening himself."
"this…………"
Pan Qi took the piece of paper and looked at it. His originally casual expression tensed up instantly, his eyes widened. Then he immediately put the piece of paper to the candle on the table next to him, lit it directly, burned it, and then looked at it seriously. Asked Liu Chong.
"Have you ever shown this piece of paper to anyone else?"
"No, it's well hidden and has not been shown to anyone."
Liu Chongwen shook his head repeatedly: "But Zhao Xuening didn't hide anything when he raised the flag in Manila City. It was all over the city. Many of our people saw it. Of course, they don't necessarily know what it means, but..."
"Gather all the people who have seen it and test them to see if they understand. If they understand, ask them to keep silent about it. If there are any who are not tight-lipped, you know what to do."
A fierce look flashed in Pan Qi's eyes.
He has traveled around the world for so many years, and to be able to reach this position, his hands are naturally not too clean. In this man-eating country, if you don't have any skills on your hands, you will be chewed up and swallowed in minutes, even the bones. Not a single scum is left.
Liu Chongwen, as Pan Qi's old follower for decades, naturally knew what Pan Qi meant.
He felt a chill in his heart and nodded immediately.
"I know."
"Um."
Pan Qi took a few more puffs of cigarette, and then whispered: "There were rumors among the people that when the Qing army went south, many people from the Ming royal family lived in the south, and many people sailed to sea without knowing their whereabouts, even those who were still in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, there were many rumors that Emperor Jianwen fled to Nanyang, and later Chengzu sent people to the West just to find traces of Emperor Jianwen."
Liu Chongwen traveled all over the country and naturally knew similar rumors.
"These are all rumors. No one knows whether they are true or not. It has been so long and anything can happen. Is there any meaning?"
"But as long as there are these rumors, it is enough. There are so many true and false news, and there is real news among them. There are many descendants of the former Ming Dynasty royal family, how can they be exterminated?"
Pan Qi said slowly: "If this Zhao Xuening is really a descendant of the Ming Dynasty royal family..."
"Then why is his surname Zhao?"
"I remember someone once said that when Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty, the slogan he shouted was that the sun and moon would reopen the Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty royal family..."
"The surname is Zhao!"
Liu Chongwen asked in surprise: "Could it be said that this Zhao Xuening is really a descendant of the Ming Dynasty royal family?"
"Otherwise, why would he paint a bright and clear character on the flag of Lan Fangguo? Is this because he is afraid that others will not know his thoughts? Forget about illiterate people, but as long as a scholar sees this flag, what will happen to him? Can’t you see it?”
After Pan Qi finished speaking, he took a few puffs of cigarette, exhaled it forcefully, and was silent for a long time.
Then, he looked at Liu Chongwen.
"He said those words and asked you to pass on the news from the imperial court to him. He said that he wanted to guard against the imperial court. If not, he also wanted to collect intelligence from the imperial court. He was thinking about when to launch the Northern Expedition! This man has great ambitions!"
"Northern Expedition?"
Liu Chongwen recalled Zhao Xuening's tone and his expression when he talked with him. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Pan Qi's idea was correct.
So he asked: "Then, what should we do? Should we tell the court about this?"
"Tell the court?"
Pan Qi sneered: "If you tell the court about this, the first thing the court will do is to take action on us, interrogate our relationship with Zhao Xuening, and use the money from the Thirteenth Bank for the military expenses of the southern expedition to Lanfang, then It has been many years, and you still don’t understand the methods of today’s emperor?
To survive under today's executioners, whether you can do things is secondary, and whether you obey or not is the most important. The emperor is old and does not want to cause trouble. If we cause trouble and offend the emperor, don't talk about me, the third-grade official I bought. , even if it’s a first-grade one, they still have to confiscate their homes and exterminate them!
In our line of work, we must deal with the court, but we must also maintain a certain level. It is okay to give gifts, but we cannot send this kind of news to them. Know that they have never regarded you and me as one of their own, just as a useful dog. That's it. Do you need a reason for a man to beat a dog? "
Liu Chongwen thought about Hongli Yujitianxia's handling methods and glorious achievements for more than forty years, and swallowed.
"Then...should we block the news?"
Pan Qi narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.
"It is difficult to blockade. That is to say, Lanfang Kingdom has not come to Guangzhou to openly trade, and we have no trading companies here to trade with Lanfang, so it is difficult to be known. But Luzon is very close to Guangzhou, and it will never be discovered. impossible.
It could be as short as one or two years, as long as three to five years. Someone will definitely tell the government about this discovery. As for how the government will react, that is not something we can decide. This matter is serious. If the court knows about it, there is no guarantee that it will not happen. We started a war, but no matter what, this matter has nothing to do with our colleagues in the literary world. "
"I know that."
Liu Chongwen nodded and said: "Then what should we do about this matter? Should I follow Zhao Xuening's request to me?"
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PS: I ate a bowl of chicken noodle soup, added eggs and three slices of luncheon meat, and was satisfied, so I’ll add another chapter~
