Ma Youlu didn't know that he was going to be in bad luck.
He has considerable experience in dealing with officials. No matter how arrogant the officials are on the surface, they talk about being honest and doing official business.
Just get on the flower boat, play boat girl, and collect money. He will be put to good use immediately.
Ma Youlu raised his hand and said, "How dare students call themselves brothers and sisters with Chang Qianhu? All the expenses for today's flower boat are mine."
Chang Feng made a "please" gesture: "We Jin Yiwei are all warriors, without the twists and turns of literati. We are straightforward."
"Today we all eat at the same table and drink from the same pot of wine, and we are brothers."
"When the night gets late, I go to the upper cabin and play with those boat girls. In addition to being brothers, I can also be brothers-in-law!"
The four looked at each other and laughed: "Hahaha!"
After three rounds of drinking. Chang Feng said: "Actually, I admire wealthy businessmen like Ma Huishou. You are a capable person."
While Ma Youlu added wine to Chang Feng, he said: "Scholar farmers, industry and merchants, businessmen are the last. Your words make me feel ashamed."
Chang Feng said, "That's wrong. Don't you businessmen be responsible for the bulk of the taxes in the southeast?"
"Without you, the tea produced by tea farmers and the cloth woven by silk workers cannot be sold, and they cannot be turned into white silver or yellow copper coins. Where will the court collect taxes?"
Ma Youlu burst into tears: "The superior said this. It makes the students want to cry."
"Since the Hongwu Year, the government has regarded merchants as boring gourd jars to save money. As long as the government uses money, they will use a sledgehammer to smash the boring gourd jars to get silver."
"You must also know the fate of Shen Wansan, the richest man in the early Ming Dynasty."
"It's rare for a distinguished official like you to speak a few words of justice for us businessmen."
Chang Feng smiled and said: "Brothers are drinking and having fun together. You can't cry. You have to laugh! Ma Hui is the leader. I have an unkind favor."
Ma Youlu said sternly: "Whether students go up the knife mountain or go down the frying pan, the difference is only one sentence."
Chang Feng waved his hand: "Why should I ask you to go up to the knife mountain and go down to the oil pan? That's it. Our officials in the capital are no more wealthy than local officials."
"To be honest, you see, I live in Hangzhou with a family of five and six. In the capital, my family is so poor that even my father-in-law's pants are exposed!"
Ma Youlu said: "The superior is joking. Ling Taishan is the Minister of Taichang Temple and a third-rank official of the imperial court. How can he wear pants that expose his buttocks?"
Ma Youlu spilled the beans.
Chang Feng was secretly shocked: It seems that Ma Youlu has already checked all my details.
On the surface, Chang Feng still had a smile on his face: "Haha, Brother Ma, my brother is very poor anyway. I don't dare to take bribes. I'm sorry to the Emperor."
"I wonder if Brother Ma can take me to do business."
Ma Youlu immediately patted his chest: "No problem. You use these two thousand taels of silver as share capital and buy small shares. I guarantee you a profit of more than 600 taels every year."
Chang Feng said: "You mean, I return these two thousand taels to you?"
Ma Youlu shook his head slightly: "No! You take two thousand taels to become a shareholder. I will advance you 50% of the seven-year profit. It's almost two thousand taels. You can just take this box of silver back to Beijing."
"In addition, I will send someone to Beijing every year to give you the remaining 50%, 300 taels of profit."
Chang Feng was shocked: No wonder Beijing officials like to protect the gentry of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
According to Ma Youlu, I didn't spend any money. After taking two thousand taels of silver, he will receive another three hundred taels of "business profits" every year in the future.
Is there any more profitable business in the world than this?
Chang Feng didn't know that merchants have used this method to win over officials since ancient times.
If you want to give away money, you can always find a reason. And it looks reasonable and legal from the beginning.
Chang Feng smiled and said: "How embarrassing is this? It means that I don't contribute any money, so I get profit for nothing."
Ma Youlu showed his knife at this time: "If our business encounters trouble, I will not be able to bear all the consequences if I go to Beijing and say hello to the local government."
Chang Feng asked: "Jockey Club Chief, what kind of business are we doing? It's so profitable."
Ma Youlu kept it secret: "Shangchai, as the saying goes, cats have cat lanes, dogs have dog lanes, and chickens don't pee. Each has its own lane."
"Don't ask what the student's path is. Just wait and get points."
Chang Feng was afraid that asking questions in a hurry would arouse Ma Youlu's suspicion. He said: "Well, then I will wait for Brother Ma to help me get rich from now on!"
Everyone had a good drink. After drinking, we went to the upper cabin of the upstairs ship.
There are five boat girls on this boat. Chang Feng, Liu Baihu, and Ma Youlu each have one, and Fatty Xu has two.
Although the upper cabins have separate rooms. But their shoes are on a shelf. It can be considered as a shoe brother.
Early the next morning, Liu Baihu and Ma Youlu were leaving.
Chang Feng said: "If you have something to do, go and get busy. We have finished our errands and have nothing to do. We will stay on the flower boat for a few more days."
"The West Lake boat girl is really a wonderful thing in the world. We will have to enjoy it for a few more days."
Chang Feng had a look on his face when he said this.
Liu Baihu and Ma Youlu looked like "We are all men, I understand."
Ma Youlu said: "Even if you stay on the flower boat for half a year, the expenses will be all mine."
Fatty Xu was tired last night. I slept until noon and didn't get up until noon.
After getting up, he found Chang Feng.
Fatty Xu said: "I'm talking about Master Chang. Back in Yongning City, Zhao Sanhu confessed that Ma Youlu was also one of the Japanese traitors."
"If you accept his money, aren't you afraid that something will happen in the future and you'll be left unscathed? Are you going to get on a Japanese pirate ship too?"
Chang Feng said: "Fat man, come with me."
The two came to the deck of the flower boat.
Chang Feng said: "When we first got on the boat last night, there were at least six people on the shore staring at us."
Fatty Xu's expression changed: "Who is so brave and dares to stare at Jin Yiwei? This mother is really playing tricks in front of Guan Gong!"
Chang Feng said: "It doesn't matter who is watching. What matters is that we took money from Ma Youlu last night and became brother-in-law with him. All the people who were watching on the shore were withdrawn this morning!"
Fatty Xu patted his head and said, "Ah! I understand! Master Chang, your plan is called 'Void and Submissive'."
Chang Feng nodded: "Yes! Let me tell you. There must be a lot of people in Hangzhou watching us. I have to make them let down their guard first, and then implement the plan to punish the traitors!"
Fatty Xu was a little anxious: "What's your plan? Tell me quickly."
Chang Feng smiled slightly: "The mountain man has his own clever plan. Don't ask the donor."
Let's say that Ma Youlu got out of the flower boat and returned to the Chamber of Commerce.
Dozens of gentry and wealthy businessmen were already waiting there.
Ma Youlu sat at the top and took a sip of tea.
A gentleman asked: "How's it going, Mr. Hui?"
Ma Youlu smiled and said: "I originally thought he was Bao Qingtian. Unexpectedly, he is no different from an ordinary official."
"Having said that, Hangzhou is a gentle town and a tomb of heroes. Even if a man of steel and iron bones comes, our West Lake spring water will soften him!"
"Oh, what about the celebrity next to the emperor? The celebrity is also a human being. Even if he is a human being, he cannot escape the word greedy for money and lust."
"He took my two thousand taels without telling me. He also agreed that I would give him a profit share of three hundred taels every year."
"We will have another backer in Beijing from now on!"
(End of chapter)
