China's merchant class has been a suppressed group since ancient times. According to the traditional Confucian ethics, merchants do nothing but transport goods from east to west, and from south to north, and in exchange they can get rich clothes and jade. Food.
The food is not produced by them, but the goods are also made by craftsmen. Why can they make several times the profit with nothing?
No one is willing to study the positive role that businessmen have played in human history, and no one is willing to study the benefits of selling goods to the world on people's livelihood. Anyway, in the eyes of Confucian scholars, businessmen are a group of liars, even if there are a few righteous businessmen occasionally. , and it cannot change the overall appearance of this group.
Faced with the suppression of the business class by the entire society, businessmen could only endure the humiliation and find ways to integrate into the value system advocated by Confucianism.
Don’t you admire the pastoral scenery of picking chrysanthemums and seeing Nanshan Mountain under the eastern fence? Then let’s follow suit and buy land to build a house. Let the local owners do it.
Don’t you literati think that wealth is nothing? Then I will dig a cellar and hide all the gold and silver. Even if I die, I will not let this wealth flow.
Don't you say that the only good thing is to be good at studying? It would be better if I don't let my son study business. Let him take the scientific examination, regardless of whether he is the material or not. At worst, there is a shortcut of donating an official position.
In China, the business class has completely compromised with the bureaucracy. Even powerful businessmen like Hu Xueyan ultimately have to rely on the Hunan Army, a huge entity, to survive and develop.
It’s hard to tell outsiders how much bitterness there is in the hearts of businessmen, so Hu Xueyan burst into tears when he saw the olive branch thrown by His Majesty the Emperor today.
Not to mention that the old man in his forties was crying and hopeless, but you must know that it was the Qing Dynasty that had the most severe monarchical centralization in thousands of years. For thousands of years, the people's respect for the imperial power was unimaginable.
The idea that kings are given by heaven has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The little worry in Hu Xueyan's heart was now replaced by fanaticism. Even if the emperor took away all his property, he would not say no.
The little emperor had really experienced it, or maybe because he was at an age where it was easy to accept new ideas, he could actually tell what Hu Xueyan was thinking at a glance.
"Do you think that I just want to ask you for money? Do you think that I want to kill the goose and lay the eggs? You are wrong. What I want is not that you give me your wealth. What I want is to protect you and make you a lot of money." Then support me in training an iron army..."
"Look at how the Prime Minister's new army was trained. Didn't you first establish Lotte Foreign Company and use the huge profits from the foreign companies to equip this army?"
"My dear, you must know that I am the Lord of the Qing Dynasty in name, but the rights in my hands are pitiful. I don't even have the right to mobilize a few thousand taels of silver before I take charge... Besides, even if I take charge in the future, Now, you think all the officials in the world will listen to me."
"You are the God of Wealth in Jiangnan. You should see things in the officialdom more clearly than I do. You can all see clearly the many dirty things that I cannot see. Are those officials really loyal to me? Wrong, they are loyal to me. The money is the power of the small groups."
Zai Chun sighed, "Hu Aiqing, thanks to the master for rescuing me from that square sky, I only know today that I spent more than ten years in prison. I was tied up by lies and couldn't move."
"So I want to be independent. You also saw that I walked into the training camp to experience the new military training for myself. I want to be a pioneering and revolutionary leader who can run the army and calm the people..."
"My bodyguards have also entered the training camp. They received commendations from the Prime Minister a few days ago. My eunuchs are rushing to Sijiu City. My officer corps has begun to gather in Ryukyu. Master taught me never to hide anything. Master If I can bring out a new army that is invincible, how can I not train an iron army if I have the entire Qing Dynasty?"
"But the army has to move forward before using food and grass. You Hu Xueyan understands this. After thinking about it, I can only rely on you..."
Zai Chun smiled bitterly and said, "I have been completely disappointed in the Eight Banners and Green Camp after a few battles. I have been counting on those Han ministers and Confucian scholars, but they will only let me die in the Forbidden City learning various rules... Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, and city farmers and workers have all counted on them." No, now I can only borrow the power of your businessmen..."
Hu Xueyan was dumbfounded and his whole body trembled with excitement. Emperor Tongzhi had said this to give himself a big contribution to his support.
The little emperor has the cleanest and purest inheritance among all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. He has no older brothers or brothers. He is the only son of Emperor Xianfeng. This inheritance cannot be more legitimate.
No one can say anything about the righteousness and honor. Face is already firmly in the hands of the emperor. Now what the little emperor wants is lizi and real rights. Isn't this just and natural?
"Your Majesty." Hu Xueyan knocked his head to the ground, "How dare I not sacrifice my life? I will fulfill your Majesty's wish even if I die."
Zai Chun stood up and stretched out his hand to help Hu Xueyan, "Okay, okay, if you don't leave, I will never give up. I am definitely not the kind of monarch who only creates problems for my subordinates. In fact, I have made a plan for you..."
At this time, Da Sixi and Xiao Sixi had already brought food from the canteen, and even gave Hu Xueyan a portion.
"Master Hu, you can just have a meal. Rough food won't appeal to you, but this is what His Majesty eats every day..."
Hu Xueyan looked at the two trays placed on the table by the eunuch. He was shocked by the simplicity of the food on them: "a chicken leg, a tea egg, a spoon of roasted eggplant, a small portion of pineapple old meat, a portion of rice and a bowl of seaweed and egg droplets. Soup...Your Majesty, you eat these things every day."
Zai Chun pushed Hu Xueyan's portion over, and then took a sip of the soup. "It's a pity that there is no wine, so I can't entertain you, but the old shopkeeper will definitely entertain you tonight, and then there will be fine wine to drink..."
"What you mean is that you dislike these simple meals. You, Hu Xueyan, are also from a poor family. You could eat these meals every day when you were a child. I have never seen the suffering of the people in the Forbidden City before. You can be forgiven for saying why you don't eat minced meat. You, Hu Xueyan, let go Even though I was born as a cow, I still look down on such food."
Hu Xueyan didn't expect that he would be taught a lesson by the eleven-year-old little emperor. He was sweating profusely. "No, I mean that this kind of meal is too simple for His Majesty. I... feel sorry for you."
The emperor didn't say anything as soon as this sentence came out, but the two eunuchs, the big one and the big one, Sixi, cried. In the past, they served the emperor with more than 100 dishes. At the most humble time, he had to prepare 18 dishes, and set a full table. .
But today, the emperor ate the same meal as the big soldiers, and no leftovers were allowed. You could ask for less, but you must not waste it. If you waste two taels of food, you will be hungry for one meal and then run ten laps.
"Your Majesty, your life is hard... wu wu wu." Both eunuchs cried.
The little emperor is really big. Children can eat it when they are growing up. With high-intensity exercise every day, he can taste pickles and rice at this time.
"Xue Yan, our Qing Dynasty is very rich even when we say it is rich, and it is very poor even when we say it is poor. The people have been suffering from the war for years, and there are many people selling their sons and daughters. Now is the time for extravagance and waste."
"There are many arrogant and licentious people in the imperial court, but I don't want to be that kind of person. A meal has more than a hundred dishes and hundreds of taels of silver. Do you know which silver is enough to arm many new soldiers?"
"Let me tell you, the prime minister is arming a new army. From uniforms to weapons and bits and pieces of equipment, the total is only 200 Yingyang. I can eat a future recruit in one meal. If you don't feel sorry for me, I feel sorry for you." …”
"Even if I eat the equipment of two recruits in one day, it will be enough for more than 700 recruits in a year. I will eat up a reinforced battalion..."
At this time, the little emperor was already excited and said, "Did you know that the Prime Minister's expedition to Europe only brought 300 people? Only 300 people."
Zai Chun's roar shocked Hu Xueyan, and he finally understood that the emperor was serious. The emperor who could speak such expert words could only prove that His Majesty really wanted to cheer up.
"Holy Lord, Holy Lord... It is a blessing for all the people in the world that your Majesty can think like this. I am willing to break up my family to support your Majesty in training..." Hu Xueyan burst into tears with excitement.
Hu Xueyan didn't believe that the little emperor was acting. If an eleven-year-old child could have such skillful acting skills and deceive himself by putting on a show, then such an emperor would be more worthy of seeking refuge. His majesty's career in the future would be unimaginable.
Seeing how sweet the little emperor was eating brown rice, Hu Xueyan knew that this couldn't be a show, all of this was the emperor's true words.
"My dear, I have nothing to help you. I begged the master many times, and finally the Prime Minister ordered Jiangnan's silver coin exchange business to be contracted to you. From now on, Lotte Foreign Bank will only exchange silver coins with you..."
"You also know how popular Ying Yang contracted by Lotte Matheson is in the market. It has exquisite patterns, uniform weight, and is sturdy and durable. In the future, the business of exchanging silver coins will be provided to your Fukang Bank, and you can get 10% of the interest from it. , this is the start-up capital for your business that I will give you..."
"You want to use this money to make more money for me. How big my career will be in the future will depend on how capable you are..."
Without waiting for Hu Xueyan to express his gratitude, Zai Chun took out a bright yellow jade ring from his arms and pointed it out, "Hu Xueyan, this is the jade ring finger left by Emperor Gaozu. I will give it to you today. When you are in danger, It can save your life...and having this treasure means that you are doing things for me..."
"Within the Qing Dynasty, no one is allowed to interrogate you unless you commit rebellion and the five major crimes."
"Your Majesty..." Hu Xueyan knelt on the ground and choked with sobs. He was overwhelmed by the continuous surprises today. Being able to underwrite Yingyang's exchange rights in Jiangnan was already a big deal without any capital.
Now, even Emperor Gaozu's bright yellow ring has been awarded to him. Isn't this a gold medal for immunity from death? When did a businessman have such a political status? With the protection of the imperial power, what do I, Hu Xueyan, have to fear?
From this day on, Hu Xueyan became Emperor Tongzhi's most loyal lackey and a member of Emperor Tongzhi's secret court.
The cunning Aixinjueluo Zaichun wanted to establish his own civil and military team in a secret place invisible to others. He wanted to establish an invisible small court of his own.
One day, he will hold high the banner of justice and return to the Forbidden City with tens of thousands of iron troops. He will use his own strength to ascend the throne of power, and he will use the iron-blooded stick to transform this declining dynasty.
"What the master can do, I, Zai Chun, can do the same." This book was first published from, be the first to read the authentic content!
