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When Zhao Junchen asked for the "guarantee deposit" from the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants, the superficial reasons were certainly very sufficient. For example, the money was proof of the strength of the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants, and it was used to regulate the behavior of the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants. For example, this money should be used as the start-up capital of United Shipping Company, etc.
However, in this era, there is no concept of deposit yet. Zhao Junchen has already investigated in detail the real strength of these Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants who joined the United Shipping Company, and there is no need for a deposit to prove; Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants joined the United Shipping Company Whether there will be violations in the future cannot be restricted by just tens of thousands of taels of silver; as for the start-up capital of United Shipping Company, it does not require so much money.
In the final analysis, many high-sounding reasons and meanings are all fabricated by Zhao Junchen. Zhao Junchen's real purpose in asking for "deposits" from Hui and Zhejiang merchants was just to come up with a sum of money as soon as possible to pay Emperor Deqing and his wife Hundreds of officials in the imperial court proved their achievements in rectifying commercial taxes in order to gain more support and block the criticism of some political opponents!
Therefore, Zhao Junchen's move to ask for "guarantee deposits" from Huizhou and Zhejiang businessmen can be said to be unfair. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is using power for personal gain. He originally thought that they would resist and be reluctant, but he did not expect that Huizhou and Zhejiang would be reluctant to do so. The merchants did not even blink when they paid the deposit. Not only did they pay the "deposit" in full, but they were also afraid that they would not have enough money. They repeatedly asked Zhao Junchen that the amount of the "deposit" could be further increased. When they paid the "deposit" After depositing the deposit, they didn’t even ask for a receipt from the Accounts Department!
It seems that the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants mistakenly thought that Zhao Junchen was asking for a bribe from them in the name of "deposit", so they did not care about the name and use of the money, as long as Zhao Junchen was willing to accept it, and they were afraid that the money would be given to someone else. .
However, when it came to the joint shipping company, Zhao Junchen had bad intentions. He planned to take advantage of the opportunity to control the power of Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants, and set many traps. He was already thinking of turning his back later, so Zhao Junchen did not intend to accept the Huizhou-Zhejiang merchants' power. Zhejiang businessmen pay too many bribes, otherwise their leverage will fall into the hands of Huizhou and Zhejiang businessmen, and their reputation as corrupt officials will also be damaged.
Yes, corrupt officials also have their bottom line and criteria. A qualified corrupt official must have the excellent quality of "having a short mouth when eating others and short hands when taking advantage of others". Taking people's money and eliminating disasters is the most basic requirement. "Be honest and honest" An inconspicuous middle-level official like Jiang Qian can do this kind of thing, but a court official like Zhao Junchen cannot do this kind of thing. Otherwise, Zhao Junchen's reputation as a corrupt official will be completely destroyed. It will be even more difficult to find someone to cooperate with.
Therefore, although the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants did not ask Zhao Junchen about the name and purpose of the money, nor did they ask the Ministry of Household Affairs for a receipt, and even secretly increased the amount of money, Zhao Junchen acted in a business-like manner. He solemnly explained the meaning and specific uses of "deposit" to the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants, distributed receipts from the Ministry of Accounts to them, and even returned all the extra money given by the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants.
It's a pity that when faced with Zhao Junchen's upright official style, the Hui and Zhejiang businessmen all showed obvious regret.
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Let’s not mention the process of asking for a “margin”.
After the thirty-seven Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants paid the so-called "deposit" in full, Zhao Junchen suddenly had a huge wealth of nearly five million taels of silver in his hands.
After receiving the money, Zhao Junchen did not deposit the money into the treasury, but immediately went to the palace to see Emperor Deqing.
After all, although Zhao Junchen did not intend to accept bribes from Hui and Zhejiang businessmen, he never stopped bribing Emperor Deqing himself.
Naturally, Zhao Junchen had to give this money to Emperor Deqing.
With such a large amount of money, Emperor Deqing will definitely trust the future prospects of United Shipping Company more, and his support for Zhao Junchen will be further increased. When Shen Changmao and others criticize Zhao Junchen in the future, Emperor Deqing will also Will proactively take care of maintenance.
The most important thing is that now, the cabinet vacancy is pending, and Emperor Deqing's attitude is extremely critical, which directly affects Zhao Junchen's future plans. However, Emperor Deqing seems to have other plans, which makes Zhao Junchen a little unsure, so Zhao Junchen is now The most important task is to find out the true thoughts of Emperor Deqing. After Emperor Deqing received foreign money, he was often in a good mood and easy to talk to. After Zhao Junchen handed over the money to Emperor Deqing, he was also in a better mood. It is easy to find out the true thoughts of Emperor Deqing.
With this idea in mind, Zhao Junchen immediately went to the palace to ask for an audience with Emperor Deqing, and was quickly summoned by Emperor Deqing.
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"Your Majesty, Zhao Junchen, pays homage to your Majesty. Long live your Majesty!"
Emperor Deqing still summoned Zhao Junchen in the imperial study. After Zhao Junchen stepped into the imperial study, he habitually put on a jester mask and bowed to Emperor Deqing humbly.
"Come on, there's no need to be polite." Emperor Deqing seemed to have guessed Zhao Junchen's intention. With a smile on his lips and a gentle expression, he raised his hand and said, "I heard that the Hubu Yamen is busy piloting the boating business now. Why did he come so suddenly? Am I here? But because of the pilot boat trip?"
After Zhao Junchen got up, his face was full of flattering smiles, and he said: "Your Majesty is wise and knows everything. Nothing can be hidden from your eyes. I came to see your Majesty this time just to test the boat trip."
Emperor Deqing asked: "Oh? Is it possible that the pilot ship line encountered some problems?"
The smile on Zhao Junchen's face grew thicker and he said: "Thanks to your great blessing, your majesty, although the matter of pilot boating is complicated and complicated, it has finally been settled! I have been with thirty-seven powerful people The powerful Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants signed an agreement, and the imperial court provided preferential policies, and they provided money, manpower, and ships to jointly form a joint shipping company."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Emperor Deqing did not show much surprise on his face, but he asked: "Thirty-seven Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants? Didn't you say there is only one pilot shipyard? How can there be thirty-seven?" Seven businessmen from Huizhou and Zhejiang?"
Emperor Deqing was naturally well aware of Zhao Junchen's little moves. Ever since Zhao Junchen was ordered to rectify commercial taxes and select a shipping company to conduct a pilot project, Emperor Deqing never summoned Zhao in private even though it was related to the overall situation of the court. Junchen asked about the progress precisely because Emperor Deqing knew that the "pilot boat trip" proposed by Zhao Junchen was by no means simple, but wanted to take the opportunity to make a big splash. Emperor Deqing avoided private contact with Zhao Junchen during this period. By acquiescing to Zhao Junchen's small actions, he also took the opportunity to get rid of responsibility, so as not to be dragged into the water by Zhao Junchen and have to endorse Zhao Junchen in the future.
Zhao Junchen naturally understood Emperor Deqing's thoughts, but since Emperor Deqing pretended to be unaware, Zhao Junchen could only cooperate.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen explained to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, these thirty-seven Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants have now joined forces to establish a shipping company. This shipping company is strong and willing to cooperate with the court's policies. It is the pilot shipping company." The best choice, so I chose this boat shop as a pilot."
Then, Zhao Junchen explained all the details of the combined boat trip to Emperor Deqing in detail.
Although he had already received the news, Emperor Deqing was still a little shocked after hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation. He felt that Zhao Junchen's actions were greater than imagined and the impact was far greater than expected.
However, on the surface, Emperor Deqing looked indifferent and seemed to trust Zhao Junchen's plan. He just laughed and shook his head and said: "You know how to be clever, I know your plan is not that simple. , this is not just about selecting one shipping company for a pilot project? It is clearly thirty-seven shipping companies! It’s just that these thirty-seven shipping companies have become one family on the surface... If the officials in the DPRK and the Central Government find out about this matter, I am afraid it will cause a stir. There has been a lot of criticism, and you will inevitably be impeached again, which really doesn’t give me any peace of mind.”
Seeing that although Emperor Deqing was blaming him, he had no intention of objecting, Zhao Junchen frankly admitted his little thoughts and said: "I have no choice but to do this. Everything is to reverse the corruption of the imperial business tax as soon as possible." The current situation is that if only one shipping company is selected for the pilot, the results will be too slow, and it is easy to be blocked and sabotaged privately. Now that there are 37 shipping companies united in one place, not only will the results be achieved faster, but those in North Korea and China who are opposed to the business will also be able to It’s also not easy for colleagues in tax rectification to make things difficult…”
Having said this, the smile on Zhao Junchen's face became more flattering, and he said: "I also know that after these little actions of yours are known to all officials, they will definitely be impeached and criticized. However, after all, I just took advantage of the loophole, and there is no such thing as If you disobey the imperial decree, you will naturally have reasons to refute them... not to mention, your majesty will support me..."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen carefully watched the change in Emperor Deqing's expression, as if he expected Emperor Deqing to agree to support him.
However, Emperor Deqing did not respond to Zhao Junchen's expectations, but asked noncommittally: "Speaking of which, if thirty-seven powerful shipping companies are united in one place, their strength will probably be even more amazing. The imperial court will hand over the preferential tax-free policy." If you give it to them, I'm afraid it's a step too far. You are specifically responsible for this matter and must handle it carefully. If trouble occurs, I'm afraid it will be difficult to clean up."
Then, Emperor Deqing asked again: "Speaking of which, you just said that the matter of this shipping company has been settled. Do you have specific statistics on the true size of this shipping company? How many ships, how many people, and how many people do you have?" silver?"
Zhao Junchen took out an account from his pocket and handed it to Emperor Deqing through the eunuch Zhang De, and said: "Those thirty-seven Hui and Zhejiang merchants all actively cooperated and added all the shipping companies under their names to the In order to enhance the strength of the new United Shipping Company, many Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants temporarily spent large sums of money to purchase a large number of ships to expand their share in the United Shipping Company. In this way, the strength of this United Shipping Company Naturally, it is extremely rich, with a total of 54 giant ships of more than 1,000 stone, 671 large ships of more than 500 stone, 1,677 medium-sized ships of more than 100 stone, and 1,677 medium ships of less than 100 stone. There are 1,152 small boats, but there are still insufficient skilled crews, and they need to be expanded. There are more than 6,000 people in total; the money invested is sufficient, with a total of 11 million taels of silver!"
"There are so many? Such a powerful shipping company is probably not inferior to the imperial water transport fleet. Coupled with the exemption policy given to them by the imperial court, wouldn't it mean that they would monopolize the shipping business of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River Waterway? ?”
Looking at the accounts in his hands and listening to Zhao Junchen's detailed report, Emperor Deqing became even more shocked.
Zhao Junchen replied: "This is exactly the goal of my plan. Only by allowing this shipping company to monopolize the shipping business of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River Waterway can those smuggling shipping companies be defeated, and the imperial court's commercial tax corruption situation can be reversed." .”
Emperor Deqing nodded calmly, but secretly made up his mind that after Zhao Junchen achieved results, he would find an opportunity to hand over the affairs of this joint shipping company to a certain "Emperor Party" official, so that A behemoth must not fall into Zhao Junchen's hands for a long time!
Although he had the idea of "picking peaches" in the future, Emperor Deqing appeared to have great trust in Zhao Junchen and nodded: "If this is the case, it will benefit the country and the people. You always do things well." Be serious and cautious, know how to advance and retreat, and be measured. Although this matter is of great importance, I feel at ease if I leave it to you to handle it."
While speaking, Emperor Deqing had already turned to the last page of the account.
Then, a certain number on the account aroused the interest of Emperor Deqing.
Emperor Deqing asked: "What does the deposit here mean? How come there is as much as five million taels? And I think this part of the money is not the investment of Hui and Zhejiang merchants in the shipping company, but is listed separately."
Seeing that Emperor Deqing finally noticed this, Zhao Junchen immediately explained: "Your Majesty, the so-called 'guarantee' was specially proposed by me. I thought that after these Huizhou and Zhejiang businessmen cooperated with the imperial court, their every move They are all related to the reputation of the imperial court, so they must have a mortgage. Therefore, based on the scale of their investment in the United Shipping Company, a deposit of at least one hundred thousand taels of silver was collected from them. Only after they paid this part of the deposit, they could If they can prove that they have enough strength to cooperate with the imperial court, when they plan to withdraw from the joint shipping company in the future, this part of the deposit will naturally be returned to them. However, if they do anything illegal while joining the joint shipping company, the imperial court will not only They will be kicked out of United Boat Lines, which will result in the forfeiture of their security deposits as punishment.”
Emperor Deqing nodded and said with emotion: "You are thoughtful, but these Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants are indeed as rich as the legends. The deposit of five million taels of silver was taken out as soon as I asked. Although I am the emperor, , but not as rich as them."
Zhao Junchen smiled softly and said: "These deposits are one of the reasons why I asked to see His Majesty today. I believe that after the formal establishment of this pilot shipyard, the Ministry of Revenue and the Hui and Zhejiang merchants will not only cooperate with each other, but also supervise each other. Therefore, if this part of the deposit is handed over to the Ministry of Accounts, it may be inappropriate, and those Hui and Zhejiang merchants may not be convinced. Therefore, I think it is best to leave this part of the deposit to your Majesty's internal funds. Your Majesty, you are the world's treasure. Co-owner, the credibility and prestige is much higher than that of the Ministry of Household Affairs. If this part of the deposit is handled by internal funds, I think those Hui and Zhejiang merchants can also feel at ease. I also know that this is somewhat against the rules, but I don’t have anything better. There is no other way, so I can only ask your Majesty for help."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's request, Emperor Deqing was immediately happy.
Emperor Deqing knew that Zhao Junchen's move was ostensibly to ask him for help, but in fact it was a benefit to himself.
After all, these five million taels of silver are seemingly unusable, but in fact if the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants plan to continue to cooperate with the court for a long time, this part of the silver will not be recovered at all. If the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants do not follow the rules and violate the rules, When doing things, this part of the money will be confiscated, and then it will legitimately become internal money, so after Emperor Deqing receives this money, he can use it with confidence.
Although Zhao Junchen often bribed Emperor Deqing, such large bribes were extremely rare.
Therefore, Emperor Deqing was naturally in a good mood.
Emperor Deqing's face was full of reserve, as if he was really helping Zhao Junchen, and he said slowly: "Since you are in such a difficult situation, then these five million taels of silver can be put into internal funds for the time being."
At this point, Emperor Deqing seemed to have thought of something, and added: "These Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants can pay so much deposit, which is obviously strong and sincere. From this point of view, it is necessary to rectify the business tax through pilot ship lines." There is a lot to be done about the rotten status quo! Although Junchen, you have played some tricks during this period, but it is forgivable after all, it is out of public interest... Don't worry, in the future, if a minister comes to trouble you because of the pilot ship line, I will Naturally, I will protect you."
Obviously, after Emperor Deqing received the benefits, he reciprocated the favor and finally decided to fully support Zhao Junchen's position on this matter.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Junchen looked happy on the surface, but secretly felt that Emperor Deqing was stingy.
Compared with the benefits of five million taels of silver, the reward given by Emperor Deqing was really insignificant - Zhao Junchen could solve the difficulties caused by the officials by himself, and Emperor Deqing's support was just the icing on the cake.
Of course, the five million taels of silver originally came from Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants. Zhao Junchen gave it to Emperor Deqing. In fact, it was just a loan of flowers to offer to Buddha. It was not a big loss.
However, Emperor Deqing was now in a very good mood because of the extra money of five million taels, and Zhao Junchen's goal was achieved.
Next, we need to take the opportunity to find out Emperor Deqing's true intentions regarding the vacancies in the cabinet.
So, Zhao Junchen reported again: "Your Majesty, I have one more thing, and I want to ask for your holy will."
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Ps: Well, a 5,000-word chapter!
…(To be continued.)
