Chen Kan and Huang Duan left the cave and left Baiyun Tower. They didn't talk much along the way.
Huang Duan was confused because he was scolded by Zhang Sanfeng. After all, he was also a parent official in Guangzhou, with hundreds of thousands of people under his rule. He could be called a frontier official, but he was rejected by an old Taoist priest, saying He is in vain to be a state official.
However, the old Taoist priest was too old and he could not refute.
I really can't be happy.
Chen Kan heard something different from Zhang Sanfeng's words and was thinking frantically about what Zhang Sanfeng meant.
He had a hunch that Daomen must have something to appeal to him, something he couldn't refuse.
Back in Baiyun Tower, the more Chen Kan thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Seeing Huang Duan still sulking there, Chen Kan couldn't help but pull him.
Being pulled by Chen Kan like this, Huang Duan couldn't care less about being angry and asked in a low voice: "Master Marquis, what's wrong?"
Chen Kan looked thoughtful and asked casually: "Master Huang, today you invited Master Zhang to the Baiyun Tower for a banquet. Was it your own impromptu decision, or was it someone who instigated it in your ears?"
Huang Duan was stunned, frowned and said, "What does the Marquis mean by this?"
"I just have some guesses in my mind, please tell Mr. Huang."
After pondering for a moment, Huang Duan recalled: "It was a master next to me who found out the news about Master Zhang digging a cave in Baiyun Mountain from somewhere."
Chen Kan hummed, then asked: "What else?"
"The Marquis also knows that Elder Zhang is the one who refused to obey the emperor's six edicts after all.
Since I know that Immortal Zhang is digging caves under my rule, it is naturally impossible to turn a blind eye.
But I am responsible for the affairs of a state on weekdays, so I really can't spare the time to visit him.
It just so happened that the Marquis' fleet was going to be stationed in Guangzhou this time. I thought that since the old Shenxian Zhang was from outside the country, it would be a courtesy to invite him to the banquet in the name of the Marquis.
Who could have expected that the famous Immortal Zhang all over the world would actually be..."
Huang Duan's reasons were quite sufficient, at least Chen Kan couldn't find any fault.
Not to mention that Emperor Taizu had issued edicts to Zhang Sanfeng to enter the palace six times, but Zhang Sanfeng refused to obey them. Emperor Taizu not only was not angry, but praised Zhang Zhenren as a real immortal.
Let's just say that while His Majesty was building Beijing, he was also overhauling Wudang Mountain. He even selected a site at Tianzhu Peak of Wudang Mountain to build a pure gold hall to worship Emperor Zhenwu. This shows that His Majesty attaches great importance to Taoism.
Based on this alone, it was impossible for Huang Duan to turn a blind eye to Zhang Sanfeng's existence.
"Hmm~"
Chen Kan was just about to nod in agreement, but the next second, he was stunned on the spot as if struck by lightning.
"Your Majesty is overhauling Mount Wudang, Your Majesty is overhauling Mount Wudang..."
After muttering unconsciously, Chen Kan suddenly closed his eyes in pain.
Because he suddenly realized that His Majesty had not only overhauled the Golden Palace of Taihe Palace in Wudang Mountain, but also the White Pagoda of Huangmiao Xiantong Temple in Mount Wutai, and even built the Dabaoen Temple in Nanjing.
Chen Kan couldn't help but tremble when he thought that His Majesty was building these palaces and temples.
"No wonder, no wonder, no wonder, no wonder His Majesty is so generous and merges the inner treasury into the national treasury..."
Chen Kan said three times: "No wonder." He couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
"I thought it was His Majesty's conscience who discovered it. It turns out that's the case. It turns out that's the case..."
Noticing Chen Kan's strange behavior, Huang Duan couldn't help but feel confused.
Chen Kan looked so lost, as if his wife had run away with someone?
"Master Hou, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Huang Duan asked cautiously, which immediately brought Chen Kan back to reality from his meditation.
Shaking his head subconsciously, Chen Kan said absently: "It's nothing. Since we have eaten and met each other, Mr. Huang, let's say goodbye from now on."
Huang Duan: "?"
Huang Duan was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed. What does it mean to have food and meet noodles?
Here, hasn’t the banquet started yet?
But Chen Kan did not say anything more to Huang Duan. He stood up and cupped his hands towards him and said, "Thank you for your hospitality today, Mr. Huang. Mr. Huang is busy with official duties, so I won't bother you anymore. Mr. Huang will return to Beijing to report on his work in the future." I will never return with Mr. Huang again until he is drunk."
Chen Kan's attitude was extremely determined, which made Huang Duan feel a little dissatisfied.
I just finished doing you such a big favor, but you ran away in the middle of the meal and didn't even talk about business. What's the point?
Taking a deep breath and suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart, Huang Duan frowned and said, "Master Hou, is there anything wrong with Huang's poor hospitality?"
Chen Kan couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart.
He guessed some things, but he couldn't tell others. If something went wrong, he couldn't bear the consequences.
But Huang Duan was a nice person, so Chen Kan thought about it and decided to remind him.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Kan suddenly came close to Huang Duan's ear and whispered: "Master Huang, it's better not to use the master next to you anymore."
Huang Duan raised his head, and the dissatisfaction in his eyes suddenly turned into doubt.
"Master Marquis, can you explain it clearly?"
Chen Kan shook his head and whispered: "If Mr. Huang believes in me, let the master go back and forth wherever he goes. That master is not something Mr. Huang can afford."
Huang Duan's brows furrowed even more tightly, but he did not continue to ask.
Chen Kan's words were straightforward enough. Even if he had doubts, he could only think about it after he went back.
After coming back to his senses, Huang Duan bowed his hand to Chen Kan and stopped trying to persuade Chen Kan to stay. He asked, "Master Marquis is going to the Hengfeng. Do you need me to ask someone to guide you?"
"Thank you!"
Chen Kan responded, Huang Duan waved to the door, and called a servant over to give some instructions.
Having done what he should do, Chen Kan didn't stay any longer. He stood up and left the table, gave instructions to a group of assassins under his command, then left Baiyun Tower and went down to Baiyun Mountain. He followed the officer leading the way towards the location of the Hengfeng. go.
Chen Kan left in a hurry. He urgently needed to go to the Hengfeng to confirm his suspicions.
Once the speculation comes true, a terrible earthquake is likely to occur in Ming Dynasty.
Huang Duan sent Chen Kan to the foot of Baiyun Mountain, got on the carriage, and ordered the driver: "Go back to the government office."
Chen Kan's behavior today was very abnormal, and the words he reminded him before leaving made him very uneasy.
To think that he, a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, a prefect of a state, and a high official in a feudal territory, could not afford a master.
The meaning contained in this is self-evident.
He felt that he might have been involved in a huge whirlpool unintentionally, and that this whirlpool was related to Zhang Sanfeng.
...
...
Guangzhou is a big city, but Hengfeng Hao is also very big. Backed by the big tree of Houfu, and with the benefits of sea trade, Hengfeng Hao has jumped from a small business in the capital in just a few years. It has become one of the top companies in Ming Dynasty.
Hengfeng Street in Guangzhou City, this street is the property of Hengfeng Hao.
The entire street covers dozens of industrial chains including aquatic products, foreign trade, department stores, restaurants, and shipping. Its scale and variety of goods are comparable to Xizhimen Street in Beijing.
Therefore, the location of the Hengfeng is easy to find.
Of course, the crew of the Hengfeng knew that Chen Kan's fleet would arrive in Guangzhou today as early as three days ago, so they were prepared to welcome Chen Kan early.
As soon as Chen Kan got off the government carriage, a beautiful face came into view.
It was Yun Niang who had been looking forward to Chen Kan.
Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar face, Chen Kan opened his mouth, but his thousands of words finally turned into one sentence: "Yun Niang, long time no see."
Hearing this, water mist quickly appeared in Yun Niang's eyes, but then disappeared again.
After all, she is not a little girl, but a strong woman who can be counted among the entire Ming Dynasty.
After experiencing the initial panic, he quickly walked up to Chen Kan with a group of stewards and clerks, and saluted Yingying: "I have met the Marquis."
A group of stewards behind her said in unison: "I have met the head of the family."
"Everyone is free of charge. Just do whatever you have to do. At this level, I'm just passing through Guangzhou and won't be able to stay long."
Chen Kan raised his hand to help him. The group of stewards looked at each other and dispersed.
Not long after, only Yun Niang and a few maids and boys were left on the street.
"Let's go in and talk."
Chen Kan greeted Yun Niang and took the lead into the main building of the Hengfeng.
As for the manned carriages of Shacai and Fu Yamen outside the door, Yun Niang would naturally arrange for someone to hand over them.
The main building of the Hengfeng is not big. After all, it is only used for office discussions. It is usually taken care of by a group of stewards.
Yun Niang led Chen Kan into the room, turned slightly sideways and stretched out her hand towards Chen Kan: "Master Marquis, please follow me upstairs."
Chen Kan nodded and followed Yun Niang to the private room on the second floor.
After the maid serving in the private room served tea to the two of them, she stepped back and exited the private room, closing the door for them.
Chen Kan looked around the elegant room, holding the teacup and thinking carefully about the opening remarks.
Now the relationship between him and Yun Niang is a bit awkward. In name, Chang Ning has brought her into the Hou Mansion, and Yun Niang is his wife, but in fact, the two of them are not very familiar with each other.
In other words, Chen Kan was not familiar with Yun Niang.
After a long silence, Yun Niang was the first to speak to break the awkwardness.
"Master Marquis, is your trip to Nanyang going well?"
Chen Kan came back to his senses, put down his tea cup, nodded and said, "Fortunately, everything went well."
Yun Niang nodded and picked up the kettle to refill Chen Kan's tea. Chen Kan pursed his lips and asked, "Has there been any trouble at home these days since I've been away?"
"No, Her Royal Highness the Princess is in charge of the house. Her Royal Highness the Emperor's Grandson and Hua Shi'er had a fight over who would take care of Xiao Ning'er. Hua Shi'er lost. Later, Hua Shi'er united with the Prince of Han and took Xiao Ning'er with her. Ning'er ran back to Nanjing, and Her Royal Highness the Princess had to take Her Royal Highness the Crown Prince to chase her back to Nanjing."
Hearing Yun Niang talk about the situation of these little guys, Chen Kan couldn't help but smile on his face, and couldn't help laughing and scolding in a low voice: "These little bastards are just fooling around, aren't they?"
Chen Kan smiled, and his mood relaxed a lot unconsciously.
When Hua Niang talked about these things, a smile appeared on her face unconsciously, and then she shook her head and said, "That's nonsense. Little Ning'er is only a little over a year old. When the news reached my ears, I almost died of fright. .”
Chen Kan laughed and cursed, but did not continue to condemn the little guys.
They were all disciples he brought up. Chen Kan knew very well how capable they were. Xiao Ning'er would be safer with the three of them than staying in the Hou Mansion.
"So, now the Hou Mansion has moved back to Nanjing?"
"Yes, I moved back to Nanjing, mainly because of the Queen Mother's wishes. The Queen Mother misses the emperor's grandson and the Crown Prince of Han, and also misses her granddaughter. Her Highness the Princess chased her to Nanjing, and then she no longer had any intention of returning to Beijing."
Yun Niang began to tell Chen Kan about the current situation in the Hou Mansion. Chen Kan nodded frequently and occasionally asked questions, and the relationship between the two of them unknowingly became much closer.
After saying this, more than half an hour passed.
Chang Ning returned to Beijing, but Chen Kan didn't have any objections. He left the capital to develop in Beijing mainly to avoid entering the whirlpool of competition for reserves.
Now that the title of the grandson of Emperor Zhu Zhanji has been determined, Zhu Gaochi's position as prince is ironclad. No matter how Zhu Gaoxu jumps up and down, Zhu Di cannot change him to be the prince.
Besides, all the foundations that need to be laid in Beijing have been laid, and all the arrangements that need to be made have been laid out. It would be nice to go back to the capital and live there for a while.
Anyway, Zhu Di will move the capital to Beijing sooner or later, and it will be the same when he follows Zhu Di northward.
After talking about family affairs, Chen Kan began to ask Yun Niang about the current situation of the countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty.
Yun Niang has traveled all over the country in these years, and he knows much better than Huang Duan about the situation around the Ming Dynasty.
This is also the reason why Chen Kan didn't ask Huang Duan at the banquet.
Huang Duan is an official, but he is only a local official. He has no access to many information about the central government.
Yun Niang is different. Yun Niang is doing business as a noble.
The most important thing for merchants is to understand the situation in neighboring countries so as to determine where there is profit.
Many big merchants are even better informed than the imperial court.
After a while, Chen Kan pieced together a rough idea from Yun Niang's story.
However, Chen Kan did not analyze the planning process against these countries in front of Yun Niang. He had more important news to confirm.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Kan asked: "Yunniang, do you know how many palaces and temples the imperial court has built across the country in recent years?"
Yun Niang was stunned and couldn't help but laugh and asked: "Master Hou has always ignored religious matters, why is he caring about these things now?"
Chen Kan shook his head and said, "It's hard to elaborate on the reasons. If you have any information about this, please tell me everything."
Hearing the hidden meaning in Chen Kan's words, Yun Niang couldn't help but frown slightly and whispered: "But is there something fishy about this matter?"
"not sure for now."
Yun Niang is a family member, so Chen Kan can't hide it, but it's still in the speculation stage, and he can't directly say that this matter will affect the Hou Mansion.
When Yun Niang heard Chen Kan's ambiguous answer, she didn't ask too many questions. She just nodded and said: "Now our cement business is all over the Ming Dynasty. Most of the cement used in the palaces and temples built by the imperial court needs to be made by our family, so I, concubine I know a little bit about it, but the specific amount needs to be checked in the ledger."
"Okay, let's look for the account book and make sure."
Chen Kan made the decision immediately.
Yun Niang was stunned again: "Now?"
"Yes, now."
Although Chen Kan didn't pay much attention to family affairs, he also knew that Fuzhong's account books were archived at headquarters across the country, mainly for the convenience of reconciliation.
In a big city like Guangzhou, where there is a headquarters, there is naturally an archive.
Chen Kan gave the order. Although Yun Niang didn't understand it, she still decisively carried out Chen Kan's order.
All the accounting offices of the Hengfeng were quickly summoned and inquiries began.
Chen Kan's goal is very clear. He only needs accounting books for the supply of cement for the construction of temples and temples in various places. Generally, businesses have separate accounting books for individual customers.
So soon, Chen Kan got what he wanted - more than two hundred ledgers.
Each ledger represents a temple or Taoist temple.
In other words, since Zhu Di came to power, he has successively ordered the construction of more than 200 temples and palaces throughout the Ming Dynasty.
"Strange~"
Yun Niang opened a few accounts casually, and her expression suddenly became strange.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Kan leaned over and reached out to take the account book that Yun Niang was flipping through.
Yun Niang replied: "Most of these account books are from half a year ago, and some are even from a year ago."
Chen Kan asked doubtfully: "Is there any problem with this?"
"There is a problem. Our account books are generally kept in real time, and the longest cycle will not exceed three months. This is because information reconciliation takes time during the journey. And these account books are very old, which means that the court These temples under construction have not purchased cement from us for half a year or even a year."
Yun Niang looked puzzled. The imperial court had built no less than 200 large and small palaces across the country. There was no reason not to use cement, a cheap and practical material.
Chen Kan reacted quickly, and his face suddenly darkened.
This shows that his guess came true.
It is impossible to build so many temples in such a short time. If these temples no longer purchase cement, there is only one possibility, and that is to stop construction.
The reason for the suspension of work is also very simple. Zhu Di no longer continues to contribute money to support Buddhist and Taoist sects in building temples and temples. Monks and Taoists have no money, so they naturally stop building.
Chen Kan couldn't help but take a deep breath when his suspicions were confirmed.
In the fourth year of Yongle, Zhu Di took the initiative to merge the bank controlled by the inner treasury with the treasury and handed it over to the Ministry of Accounts for operation. At that time, Chen Kan thought that Zhu Di was going to start a new round of purges in the court.
But after waiting for a long time, there was no movement in the court, and Chen Kan no longer paid attention to this matter. He just assumed that Zhu Di was aware of the dangers of having the inner treasury in the hands of the royal family.
But now, Chen Kan finally understood.
Zhu Dina was not aware of his conscience at all, but was stabbing him secretly. However, this knife did not stab at the court, but at the heart of Buddhism and Taoism.
If Chen Kan guessed correctly, Zhu Di had stopped financial support for these palaces and temples as early as two years ago.
And these temples and temples were able to persist until half a year ago when they stopped buying cement from the Hou Mansion, entirely because they used their own money in the past year and a half.
And now, their own money seems to have bottomed out.
This is a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy. Zhu Di's real goal is not to respect Buddha or Taoism, but to focus on the hidden population and land of Buddhism and Taoism.
As early as the Zhizheng period of the Yuan Dynasty, Buddhism and Taoism controlled a large amount of land and population.
In order to avoid disaster and taxes, many people had no choice but to donate their land to Buddhism or Taoism. They took the initiative to become lay disciples of Buddhism or Taoism, cultivating land for the sake of food and clothing, and some even fled directly to Buddhism.
The most famous person among them is Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor.
But these lands and populations are not included in the imperial court's land register.
During the Hongwu period, Buddhism flourished even more because Taizu had become a monk in Huangjue Temple.
The Buddhist scum throughout the Ming Dynasty took advantage of this opportunity to amass wealth crazily. Land, gold, silver, and population were all accepted. They even took advantage of the indiscriminate issuance and depreciation of the Ming Dynasty's treasures to make large amounts of usury.
Many people could not repay the temple's usurious loans and had no choice but to commit themselves to slavery or use their land to pay off their debts.
The situation of Taoism is actually similar, except that Taoism is a local sect after all, and it does many things much more implicitly.
This situation gradually improved during the Jianwen period.
Because Baochao had been reduced to waste paper during the Jianwen period, the credit of Baochao was completely ruined among the people, and the people returned to the original way of bartering.
Since it is bartering, skipping money, the temples and Taoist sects will have no chance to profit from it.
But by the Jianwen period, Buddhism and Taoism had already made a lot of money, and there were countless properties and people hidden under the banners of Buddhism and Taoism.
The land and population were enough for them to live luxuriously for several lifetimes, so they gradually slowed down the pace of making money.
After thinking about this, Chen Kan felt cold all over his body.
Zhang Sanfeng's words, looking back now, are more of a warning than a warning.
Zhu Di's grand renovation of palaces and temples gave people all over the world the illusion that he respected Buddhism and Taoism.
Then at a critical moment, they withdrew funds from Buddhism and Taoism, giving them a blow.
If the imperial court no longer builds these palaces and temples, will the Taoist gates and Buddhist gates continue to be built?
If it is built, Buddhism and Taoism will not be used for production. Where can we get the money to clean up such a huge mess?
If you don't build it, everyone in the world will be watching. If you stop building it halfway, your prestige among the people will definitely fall to the freezing point.
Therefore, Buddhism and Taoism can only bite the bullet and continue to build.
But as it was being built, problems arose.
I don’t have enough money, what should I do?
Without production, we can only sell land and people.
The only buyer in the world who could afford so much land and so many people was the imperial court, and Zhu Di was the only one.
Therefore, Zhu Di was able to buy back these fields and people from Buddhism and Taoism at a very low price.
But how could they be willing to let the land and population that sustain their luxurious life fall into the hands of the imperial court?
So looking for trouble is a sure thing.
What made Chen Kan desperate was that they did not dare to trouble Zhu Di, so they chose him as a soft persimmon to pinch.
The first person who came to him was Zhang Sanfeng, who was the representative of the Taoist sect.
Chen Kan could already predict who the next one would be. It was either Master Yuantong who had cooperated with him in annihilating the White Lotus Sect, or it was Dao Yan, an old bastard.
As for why Chen Kan was found, it's better to guess. Chen Kan is trusted enough by Zhu Di, Chen Kan can make money, and Chen Kan still has something in their hands.
