Wang Changgeng always had a quick mind, so he quickly understood what Liu Quexian meant, and patted him on the shoulder: "You are so powerful. Other gentry saw nothing but profits because of the new policy of canceling preferential treatment and exemption." If you don’t cut expenses, what you see is the opportunity to increase profits, and you have to expand your business.” Lan.
"Knowing the people's diseases and relieving their difficulties is what is taught in books, and I apply what I have learned. Whatever the people need, I naturally have to do. The demand for cotton cloth increases, so naturally I have to produce more cotton cloth."
Liu Quexian said with a smile.
Wang Changgeng asked again: "How did you come up with the idea of making money from rural households first, and then money from city dwellers?"
"I learned from Kaifudo. He can organize rural households and common people to surround the urban gentry. I can also use this method to do business, all for the benefit of the people."
Liu Quexian replied.
Wang Changgeng nodded as if he had some understanding, and then asked: "What do you want me to do?"
"You pay money to partner with me." Lan
"It costs a lot of money to buy a lot of cotton."
Liu Quexian replied.
Wang Changgeng laughed: "How can I have money?"
"You don't have money, but you can borrow money!"
"You are the grandson of Wang Fuxian, and you know a lot of wealthy gentry. Nowadays, these wealthy gentry have strict restrictions on the interest rate of Qingmiao Loans due to rent reduction and interest rate reduction. They are worried that they have no place to lend loans with higher interest rates. If you introduce me to them, Let me borrow their money, and with your guarantee, they will definitely be willing."
Liu Quexian said.
After hearing this, Wang Changgeng thought for a while and said, "Then I want to take 20% of the shares!"
Liu Quexian nodded.
Wang Changgeng was overjoyed and said: "Well, after the New Year's Eve, in the name of going to Beijing to study at the Imperial College, I will take you north to meet some of the major cotton producers in the north!"
After saying that, Wang Changgeng added: "I can't stay here for a long time, because it is the 30th New Year's Eve, and my family requires that I must go back before dark, so I can only say goodbye."
Liu Quexian therefore said goodbye to Wang Changgeng, and only had the New Year's Eve dinner with Laidi and a group of maids.
And on New Year's Eve.
When everyone in the Ming Dynasty was having New Year's Eve dinner, the Jin Yiwei who had been deployed in Nanzhi in advance also began to arrest on a large scale the Nanzhi people who had instigated the civil uprising behind the scenes and robbed business travelers, and even smashed, looted, burned, raped and plundered. Righteous people.
Because only at this time will these powerful people gather together with their families, and even those who study abroad will come back early. Lan
After all, this is China’s timeless tradition.
Except for those who are officials or soldiers, there is no one who will not go home to celebrate the New Year.
Therefore, arresting people at this time is the most reliable and the least likely to miss someone.
Jin Yiwei even specially sent an undercover agent in advance to take advantage of the fact that these powerful right-wing households were busy with the Chinese New Year and needed a lot of part-time workers. He sneaked in under the pretext of doing part-time labor and found out which manor these wealthy right-wing households would spend the New Year at. , or will the whole family celebrate the New Year in Beijing?
Therefore, on New Year's Eve, a large number of Jin Yiwei who had been dormant in advance suddenly emerged from many streets and alleys and rushed towards the place where these powerful rightists gathered at a certain point.
"Step aside!"
"Get out of the way!" Lan
"Jin Yiwei takes someone!"
…
When Wang Changgeng returned to the city, he saw a large number of Jinyi guards holding torches, running towards him, and shouting at him and the passers-by on the official road.
Wang Changgeng had to ask the boy to stop the carriage to one side and get out of the way.
At the same time, Wang Changgeng saw with his own eyes that a large group of royal guards stopped at his home to discuss the marriage of his sixth daughter, the official Gu Bingren.
Peng!
Then, Wang Changgeng saw with his own eyes that the door of the Gu family was knocked open by the Jin Yiwei. A large number of Jin Yiwei rushed in and arrested everyone on sight. Lan
"We have to break off the engagement!"
"We must break off the engagement immediately!"
Wang Changgeng was so frightened that after thinking this, he hurriedly ran back on foot and explained the matter to his father when he returned home.
At this time, the entire Gu family was listening to a play and eating delicacies in the lobby.
The whole room was filled with people covered in silk and pearls.
The house is even more brilliantly lit, and there is a dazzling array of gold and jade items.
And soon, a domestic slave came in and reported that the Jinyi Guards had come to ransack the house. Lan
Gu Bingren was so frightened that he stood up in shock. Not long after, he saw a large number of Jin Yiwei breaking in.
Among them, Bai Yiqing, who was responsible for copying the Imperial Guard Qianhu, also came in with the imperial edict: "According to the decree, Gu Bingren, the official inspector, failed me and colluded with the officials and bandits in the court to instigate civil unrest with the intention of obstructing the New Deal and causing chaos in our country. , and the whole clan will be confiscated for treason!"
"how come?"
"How could the court know?"
Gu Bingren murmured.
Gu Bingren was confused for a while, then he suddenly understood and cursed: "Wang Yuanyu, Shenwu County, you shameless people, you must have betrayed my Gu family!"
"Arrest him!" Lan
Bai Yiqing only gave an order at this moment.
Then, two guards in golden uniforms came and took Gu Bingren away, and forcibly tore off the jade ring on Gu Bingren's thumb. Gu Bingren's thumb was covered in blood, and he screamed in pain.
"You hawks and dogs treat Jin Gentry like this! It's absolutely disgusting!"
The imprisoned Gu Bingren had just come out in shackles and was walking on the white snow. In the heavy snow, he saw Ma Weiming, who was an official in Nanjing, also being escorted out.
Gu Bingren couldn't help shouting: "Mr. Ma! Were you also arrested?"
"Of course yes!"
"Those heartless and shameless people betrayed us. Even the private garden I just bought in Nandu was known to Jin Yiwei, and even my New Year celebrations in Nandu were known. Otherwise, how could Jin Yiwei have done it with his own strength? Find out where I am celebrating the New Year so quickly!" Lan
Ma Weiming replied loudly, and then cried bitterly and said to Gu Bingren: "Gu Gong, we shouldn't, shouldn't be such a standout! Now we are getting the advantage of those people who are willing to work with the imperial government to eat us. , we also have to beg them to take in our female volume! Woohoo!"
"Gu Shibo!"
At this time, Wang Changgeng suddenly came over, and after escorting him with a piece of silver from the Jinyi Guards School Captain, he got a chance to talk to Gu Bingren alone.
Taking this opportunity, Wang Changgeng said to Gu Bingren: "My father has burned the letter discussing the marriage. My father wants to forget about this marriage. I also ask Shibo not to mention it again. As compensation, our Wang family will When the time comes, the sixth girl will be bought into the house and she will continue to be raised as a young lady. The nephew will also treat her as a biological sister. This will also prevent the sixth girl from being sold to a farther place in the future. If she stays in her hometown, she will always be better than It's better to live in a foreign country, and she won't be too wronged in my home."
Gu Bingren nodded, and Wang Changgeng had no choice but to hold his hand up and said with tears: "Please tell your Majesty, I would be very grateful! In addition, tell him that the temple fields of Mingyuan Temple in the west of the city are actually my Gu family's fields, and they were presided over by me. The domestic slave is the nurse brother of the sixth girl, and the fields there are entrusted to your Wang family to take care of. It can be regarded as the cost of raising my sixth girl and the dowry for my future marriage."
In ancient times, Buddhist temples and Taoist temples mainly served as a trust for many wealthy gentry.
Therefore, Gu Bingren was able to arrange some property for his daughter at this time. Lan
Wang Changgeng was ordered by his father to come here for this reason. He bowed his hand and bowed in return, then hurriedly left in a carriage.
Gu Bingren couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh, looking at the snowflakes getting bigger and bigger, and the two long rows of torches stretching to the end of the sky, and said: "You really got these rats for nothing!"
In any case, Ma Weiming, Gu Bingren and other powerful people who were behind the scenes were finally jailed.
And this also dealt a serious blow to the gentry whose homes had not been confiscated, including gentry from other provinces except Nanzhi.
As a result, they all confirmed the court's determination to implement the New Deal, and they did not dare to do anything outrageous anymore. They only instigated other gentry to do it, which made them a lot more honest.
In many places, it is said in the lunar calendar: "When a traitor plays with a household, he will be on guard, and the wind of invasion and debt will be less likely to stop."
This also makes the resistance to the subsequent promotion of the integrated payment of grain and errands by officials and gentry across the country very small. Lan
However, the number of gentry who worshiped Buddhism suddenly increased a lot. According to Hai Rui News, the number of Buddhist temples increased greatly in the Susong area of Nanzhi, and it became a common practice to donate land and build temples and nunneries.
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