Gao Ju knew that as long as he nodded, he would become a leading figure in Guangzhou's business community. In recent years, the most powerful Chaoshan businessmen, Guangbang businessmen, etc. in Guangzhou have all had to raise their noses. This is the second thing - the key is that from now on, I will be a person with the "official status" of the Song Dynasty
When businessmen accumulate wealth to a certain extent, they will pursue political power. Without political protection, wealth cannot last long, let alone increase in value.
When Gao Ji made his fortune, he relied on Eunuch Yang as his backer, and he got to where he is today step by step. Now that the Ming Dynasty is in decline, he can no longer survive. The Australians are here to recruit him - if he climbs this high branch, he will be the real winner from now on. "Cong Long's Minister", the future future of the entire Gao family is immeasurable...
But once he got this job, he was tightly tied to the same boat as the Senate. This makes people who have spent most of their lives in the Ming Dynasty feel a little hesitant to hold him high.
"How is it?" Zheng Shangjie looked at his face, which looked like he wanted to eat secretly but was afraid of making fishy fish. He smiled and said, "What do you think of the high official?"
"This...this..." Gao Ji took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the sweat on his forehead, "Thank you to the Senate and the chiefs for their support, but this matter is too big, please bear with me, bear with me, think about it... …Think about it…”
Zheng Shangjie smiled sweetly: "Okay, okay, I know that Mr. Gao needs to be careful about this matter. I won't wait for your reply today."
"Thank you, Director Zheng, for your understanding." Gao Zhang unconsciously lowered his voice in a low voice.
"You're welcome. Please come over here. There is one more thing." Zheng Shangjie said.
Gao Ji breathed a sigh of relief: "If you need anything, please just ask me. Gao will definitely help."
"There is an old friend who wants to meet you." Zheng Shangjie smiled.
"Oh? Who is it?" Gao Ju was trembling. He only had "Wen", "Wang" and "Xiao" as his old friends in the Senate. I just heard that the three of them all held high positions in the Senate. Even the real senator rarely saw them, and I didn't even dare to think about it.
"You'll know it when you see it." Zheng Shangjie stood up and said, "Come on, let's go this way."
He raised his head high and followed Zheng Shangjie to the door of the room where the words "Conference Room" were hung. Zheng Shangjie opened the door and looked in, but saw a person sitting behind the long table. When he saw him coming in, he stood up and responded. He had short hair, a tall figure of more than six feet, and was wearing a hoodie that reached to his knees and a soft hat behind his back. , the "Australian robe" with a belt around the waist - exactly the same as the "Kun Man" who appeared in his backyard seven years ago, even his appearance seems to have not changed!
"Shopkeeper Wen!" Gao Ji couldn't help but exclaimed.
Wen Desi smiled, nodded, raised his hand and said, "His Majesty, how are you?"
"Shopkeeper Wen!" Gao Ju was so excited that he didn't know what to say. Seven years ago, he, Wang and Xiao appeared together in the backyard of his home, and his life changed dramatically. Without the Australian goods they brought, he would be just one of the many foreign merchants on Haopan Street. How could he become the leader of foreign merchants in Guangzhou?
It is not an exaggeration to say that they are the lucky stars in his life. Although Gao Ji had been very close to Guo Yi and others over the years and was considered the number one "agent" of the Australians in Guangzhou, he never thought of meeting Wen Desi and others because he had heard from people at Guangzhou Station. , Wen, Wang, and Xiao all hold important positions in the Senate, and they are rarely seen by ordinary people, let alone a mere merchant.
Now that the Senate has swept across Guangdong, it is so powerful that it has a vague tendency to compete in the Central Plains. There is a huge difference between myself and them. Although he could not help bragging about "what happened when Elder Wen was in trouble" and "Old Wang fell in love with our son Colgate at a glance"...but he never thought about these three people. The elder can still remember the friendship he had when he did business with him. "Noble people tend to forget things." This is a matter of course for Gao Zhi, who has long been familiar with the warmth and coldness of human relationships.
Therefore, although there were rumors that Wen Desi would come to Guangzhou to serve as the "Guangdong Zhizhi Envoy", Gao Ji was not in a hurry to find a way to meet him. He is now a high-ranking official, handling the government affairs of a province. How can he easily see people when the affairs are complicated? Not to mention Guangdong, even in Guangzhou, there are countless people who want to see him. Asking for a meeting on your own will inevitably mean "reminiscing about old friendships". But is this big shot willing to "reminisce about old friendships" with you? Is he happy to remember those days? Friend of the poor and the humble", this must be a question mark. Isn't it a big mistake to make the other party unhappy first by asking for a meeting without mentioning the "old feelings" without first understanding the other party's attitude?
In contrast, he would rather work on people like Liu Xiang and Zheng Shangjie who are both "county officials" and "current managers."
Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Wen—no, Elder Wen would actually summon him in private! For a moment, he raised his head high and felt five emotions: Chief Wen was dressed in this way to receive him, which obviously meant "not forgetting the past relationship and remembering the old friendship forever". Gao Zhang couldn't help but burst into tears when he thought of how the first person in the Senate, who was known as "Mr. Wen", had to submit to a mere merchant of his.
After living for more than fifty years, this was the first time that Gao Ji shed tears in front of others. Over the years, he has been traveling in the business world and official circles, from governors and chief envoys to prefectural and county officials. Considering his huge wealth and the support of Eunuch Yang behind him, he can still live up to his reputation, and even more so at the wine table. You should never call yourself a brother or a brother. But who has ever truly respected him? They all regard him as a fat sheep that can be harvested at any time.
Just as he was so excited that he didn't know what to say, Wen Desi had already come to him and stretched out his hand: "What? You don't recognize your old friend?"
He raised his head and said: "I don't dare, I don't dare," he quickly wiped away his tears and said, "Shopkeeper Wen - Chief Wen, I don't know what to say!"
"Sit, sit," Wen Desi asked him to sit down, and he also sat down, sighing: "Come to think of it, it's been seven years since I last saw you! The past when we came to your backyard to do business with you , as if it’s still in front of you!”
Gao Ji hurriedly said: "The common people were ignorant and did not understand the majesty of the Senate. They actually competed with the Senate for every penny. It is really a crime worthy of death..."
Wen Desi waved his hand and said: "Where, where. We are talking about business. Besides, we ourselves were not much better at that time. We sneaked into your backyard and you didn't treat us as robbers. It was already rare. !" He laughed loudly and handed over a cigar.
Hearing that he was not afraid to talk about the past, Gao Ji felt more at ease. He quickly took the cigar and said respectfully: "Without the Australian goods brought by the leader, how could this villain achieve such a big situation today? It's all I admire the kindness of Chief Wen, Chief Wang, Chief Xiao and the Senate.”
Wen Desi nodded with a smile: "You don't have to be too modest." He took out a match, struck it, and wanted to light a cigarette for him. Gao Zhang was so surprised that he didn't have time to think too much, so he hurriedly put the cigar up. Only when he exhaled the first puff of smoke did he feel that he was really Meng Lang: "Lighting cigarettes and passing water is what the servants do. How could I be so confused that I dared to smoke?" He couldn't help but said in fear: "I don't dare, I don't dare, I'll bear it..."
Wen Desi shook out the match, threw it in the ashtray, and said: "You have contributed to our Senate and the Song Dynasty!" He emphasized the pronunciation of the three words "meritorious", "Without you, we I don’t know how many detours we will have to take and how many setbacks we will encounter. Our Senate will never forget this!”
These words were so shocking that his eardrums were buzzing. He never dreamed that Wen Desi would say such words to him. Suddenly, I felt mixed emotions in my heart. I was happy and worried at the same time. I quickly said: "Chief Wen...you...have given me the award. I am just a businessman. Although I have done a lot of business with the Senate, I still use my capital to make profits. Where can I go?" Dare to say it’s meritorious.”
"Doing business is also a credit. Who said that seeking profit from capital is not a credit? I think businessmen should account for more than half of the credit for the prosperity of Guangzhou." Wen Desi also lit a cigar for himself, "Without businessmen, Can Guangzhou be known as 'the most prosperous place in the south'?"
"Yes, yes, that's what the chief said!" Gao Zhou nodded excitedly. He had never heard such clear "business-oriented" words from a Ming Dynasty man before, and he immediately felt like a confidant.
Wen Desi continued: "Not long after Guangzhou was restored, the market has recovered, but it is not active enough, and there are still many shortcomings that need to be eliminated. It's just that we don't know much about the situation of Guangzhou's business community, and we need more support from the business community. You are We are old partners in the Guangzhou business community, so don’t be content to sit behind others!”
Gao Ju hurriedly said: "As long as Gao is useful, I will definitely help!"
Wen Desi nodded, and the two talked for a while before Gao Zhou stood up to leave. Before leaving, Wen Desi said to him: "You need to worry more about the business world in Guangzhou!"
Gao Ju moved and replied: "Thank you very much, Chief Wen, for your support. Gao will definitely go through fire and water, even if I die!"
It was already afternoon when we got home, and the third aunt was waiting for a table of wine and food, looking anxious. Gao Ji's wife stayed in Xiuning's hometown, and it was his third concubine who took care of the housework in Guangzhou.
I saw him come back looking fine. The third aunt just breathed a sigh of relief and complained: "I would like to say that I will be back before noon. Since I am coming back late, why not send a boy back to say it first! It will make everyone worried."
"I never thought that there would be an unexpected encounter today." Gao Ju said with a smile.
"What adventure?" The third concubine was waiting for him to change, while she sent the maids to get him some water to wash his face, and asked the servants to take down the dishes and reheat them.
"I met an old friend." Gao Zhi took out the half-length cigar from his sleeve, "Bring me my rosewood worship box inlaid with treasures."
After getting the worship box, he ordered the third aunt to carefully wrap the half of the cigar in tissue paper, wrap it with red thread, and then put it into the worship box. (To be continued.).
