Zhanfu.
Zhan Yuquan was somewhat complacent.
At that time, Zhu Gaoxu, the king of Han Dynasty, supervised the country's governance and held a tasting meeting.
It was also at that tasting meeting that the imperial court reformed the salt tax system, and a group of wealthy businessmen spent a lot of money to compete for the salt distribution rights and agency rights in a certain place.
Wang Fuguang spent a lot of money to conquer Yangzhou.
Wang Wenxian was ingenious and took away Yingtian.
Zhan Yuquan, on the other hand, was unconventional and won Beijing.
You must know that the capital of the Ming Dynasty was in Yingtian at that time, and Beijing was not yet called Beijing, but Peking.
Although there have always been rumors that Emperor Yongle was planning to move the capital to Peking, they were just rumors and there was no evidence.
However, Zhan Yuquan himself is a bold and cautious person, so he emptied his wealth and chose to take a chance.
Facts have proved that Zhan Yuquan really made the right bet.
The imperial court really moved the capital to Beiping and designated it as the new capital of the Ming Dynasty!
As a result, Zhan Yuquan, a Peking salt dealer, has become a hot businessman in the capital!
In addition, long before the imperial court moved the capital to Peiping, Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu had been based in Peiping for many years. During this period, Zhan Yuquan just followed the footsteps of the Han prince and supported the Han prince in developing industry and commerce, and also made a lot of money from it.
Now the Prince of Han suddenly became the crown prince of the dynasty, and soon after he directly ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, becoming the Wude Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
All previous investments paid off at this moment.
Even though Zhan Yuquan could not meet His Majesty the Emperor because of his status as a businessman, everyone had to look up to Zhan Yuquan based on this old relationship. Even Nie Xing and Nie Shizun, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, were Zhan Yuquan's good friends.
Thanks to his foresight back then, Zhan Yuquan's business has been going smoothly over the years, and he has already accumulated a strong family fortune.
He finally understood that his choice to follow Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu was definitely the most correct decision he had ever made in his life.
It was just that not long ago, Crown Prince Zhu Gaoxu called on them to go to South Zhili to develop industry and commerce. Zhan Yuquan led the northern business group to kill South Zhili, but encountered desperate resistance from the southern merchants. Even though Zhou Chen, the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, finally intervened, the two sides Choosing a win-win cooperation model will inevitably lead to some conflicts and rifts.
Therefore, Zhan Yuquan was very unhappy and simply withdrew his capital and returned to Beijing, not bothering to learn from those idiots.
I responded to the prince's call, provided my own money, technology and experience, and traveled thousands of miles to the south to help you develop industry and commerce. However, you fools are resisting and making things difficult for you because of some petty profits. Isn't this deliberately disgusting?
Even the clay figurines are still angry. How can Zhan Yuquan endure such unfair treatment over and over again, plus he still provides money to others?
Moreover, he is now older. He has worked hard for most of his life and accumulated a strong family fortune, so Zhan Yuquan no longer has the intention to continue struggling.
Now he just wants to spend his old age in peace, train a few outstanding children to participate in the scientific examination, and change the humble fate of the merchants of the old Zhan family for generations.
At that time, he purchased the salt distribution rights and obtained a quota, which allowed him to recommend outstanding children of his family to study in the Imperial College and even take scientific examinations.
It's just that the child was incompetent. He didn't learn any good things like knowledge and talent, but he learned a lot about idleness and artyness. He didn't even pass the provincial examination and wasted this quota.
So Zhan Yuquan decided to spend a lot of money to hire teachers and teach the children of the clan in person with them. Even if he spent money to clear the way, he would still create an official.
Only when the descendants of the clan join the court and serve as officials can the old Zhan family be able to change the fate of the family and avoid having to be humble merchants for generations!
Just as he was enjoying his bright future, the housekeeper of the Zhan Mansion hurriedly walked in.
"Master, something happened."
"The Liu family in West City, the Song family in Dongcheng, the Zhang family in Nancheng... they all came here, asking to see the master!"
Hearing this, Zhan Yuquan frowned.
These are all big merchants in the capital, either selling grain, rice and noodles, or selling wine and opening restaurants. Although their net worth is not as rich as Zhan Yuquan's, they are still considered to be number one figures.
Because the Ming Dynasty had a distinct class of scholars, peasants, workers, and merchants, each had its own circle.
Zhan Yuquan, a salt dealer in Beijing, has undoubtedly become the backbone of merchants in the Beijing area. The merchants often get together to reminisce about the past and discuss cooperation with each other. They can be regarded as fair-weather friends.
It's already late at night. These guys come to the door uninvited and suddenly come to ask for a meeting. I'm afraid something big has happened!
Zhan Yuquan didn't have time to think too much and immediately asked the housekeeper to invite the people in.
When the merchants saw Zhan Yuquan, they immediately started crying anxiously.
"Brother Zhan, you have to save us this time!"
"Yes, Brother Zhan, those people are simply crazy!"
"Mortals suffer when gods fight. We merchants are of low status. I'm afraid we will be forced to death this time!"
Seeing this situation, Zhan Yuquan was a little confused and didn't understand what happened.
It wasn't until these merchants took out the secret messages. After Zhan Yuquan read it, he immediately gritted his teeth and cursed: "Bastard! Whose dirty idea is this? It's just to push you to a dead end!"
They actually let all the shops close down in order to resist the imperial court's new policy!
What kind of joke is this?
The imperial court implements the New Deal, which is the will of His Majesty the Emperor!
You officials and gentry are fighting with His Majesty the Emperor on your own. Why do you have to drag us merchants with you?
Merchants have a humble status. Although they have a lot of money, they have no status.
This resulted in merchants having to work hard behind the backs of the powerful, and most of the profits went into the pockets of the powerful.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the powerful, merchants are just moneybags and tools to help them make money!
Zhan Yuquan learned about the current situation from their mouths, and his face instantly darkened.
"Everyone, you must not get involved in this matter!"
"Once you really do this, it will definitely offend His Majesty the Emperor. When the time comes that His Majesty the Emperor sends out guards to arrest you, those powerful people will definitely abandon you without hesitation, and they will definitely not break out into a fierce conflict with His Majesty the Emperor because of you!"
"Furthermore, merchants are nothing more than money bags in the eyes of those powerful people. Even if you abandon one group, you can support another group. So if you are involved in this fight, you will definitely become a victim and will die without a doubt. You may even be killed." It will affect our descendants!"
Hearing Zhan Yuquan's words, all the merchants panicked.
They don't understand these principles, but now the benefactor behind them has given orders. If they don't act according to the orders, they will offend the benefactors behind them, and they will also cause misfortune!
This is the tragedy of merchants!
Although they usually live a life of luxury and fine food, their low status is always their most fatal flaw!
Once they are targeted by others, or offend the benefactors and nobles behind them, they will become miserable scapegoats and victims, and they will die without knowing how!
Zhan Yuquan was so angry that he didn't want to change the status quo of merchants being humble, otherwise he wouldn't have devoted himself to training the children of his clan to take part in the scientific examination.
"Brother Zhan, what should we do now?!"
"Now you have to make a choice, whether to believe in His Majesty the Emperor or to believe in the powerful people behind you!"
Zhan Yuquan gritted his teeth and looked at the merchants.
"If you believe His Majesty the Emperor, then at least you still have a way to survive!"
