As natives of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Dai and Zhang Yanke naturally heard of the word "charitable foundation" for the first time.
But as early as the Song Dynasty, when literature was at its peak, it was not uncommon for virtuous people in the countryside to invest in the purchase of academic fields and use their output to support academies with a public welfare nature. So Zheng Haizhu explained it concisely, and the Zhang brothers who came from an aristocratic family understood it.
It is just a public welfare undertaking, improving the operation of self-produced and self-sold agricultural products into capital operation, and using the income to maintain the academy, so that it can develop sustainably like a good business.
Zhang Yanke looks playful and smiling on the surface, but in fact, in terms of business acumen, he is far more intelligent than Zhang Dai, who has a scholarly temperament.
He rolled his eyes and praised: "Okay, don't doubt people, don't doubt people, no matter how you make money, Miss Zheng can figure it out. The sage said that when you promote a good man, you should not avoid relatives. The cotton of the Han family is so good, Miss Zheng Even if you use this money to ask Mr. Han to buy cloth and resell it, as long as the accounts are clear, it will be fine. Isn’t that right, brother?"
Zhang Dai pursed his lips with gentle eyes and said to his younger brother: "It's rare for you to speak so measuredly, that's good."
Zheng Haizhu has always been interested in high hats from men. After putting them on, she will only enjoy herself by looking in the mirror and delaying her business.
She immediately picked up Zhang Yanke's words and said seriously: "We have good cotton in Songjiang that we can get, and I heard that there are many unique skills in Shaoxing, such as lamp art. Are you familiar with the lamp-making masters?"
Zheng Haizhu asked this question, naturally it was not a mistake.
Zhang Dai, the most famous prose writer in the late Ming Dynasty, wrote about Shaoxing's lantern festival in works such as "Tao'an Dream Memories", which became famous in Jiangnan.
Sure enough, Zhang Yanke patted the stone table and said proudly: "That's nature, the gardens of Suzhou and the lanterns of Shaoxing. Our Shanyin County has good bamboo and skilled people, so what kind of fairy lanterns can't be made? I'll go to Nanjing Confucius Temple I’ve seen the lantern festival, and it seems that they are all ordinary works, and they can’t be compared with the lanterns made by my family.”
Zheng Haizhu said happily: "Then when the kindergarten opens, I will send two masters to teach the children to make lamps. Breaking bamboo paper does not require brute force like blacksmithing, and girls can also learn it. If it is done well, I will ask Eunuch Liu, maybe it can be transported to Yuegang and sold to foreign merchants. The court asked us to order lanterns, and we used small money to support the school, while the court officials went to sea and used the foreigners' big money to support the border guards. The country's gate. Doesn't this put our Ming Dynasty's products, manpower, and craftsmanship to good use?"
"Hey, this is a good idea. When I return to Shanyin in a few days, I will help you organize it." Zhang Yanke agreed wholeheartedly.
Zhang Dai on the side still looked calm and said slowly: "Miss Zheng, in addition to sending the lamp-making master, I also want to send you some books. Girls cannot take the imperial examination. It is indeed more important to have skills at hand while being literate. But Young people from poor families can take scientific examinations, and there may be future cabinet ministers among them. Would you consider using a big room to store books and inviting children from poor families to study?"
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, yes, the stove should be burned when it is cold. If he invests in a potential stock, he will have strong support for his future work.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Dai's ideas were not so businesslike.
"Miss Zheng, think about it, if they could read books decently in your aunt and nephew's kindergarten when they were not even students, and they would not have to suffer the eyes of bookstore owners because of their shyness. Remember this good relationship. Even if they will not wear red robes in the future, but they were treated well when they were humble, they may treat others as well as they can."
Hearing this, Zheng Haizhu was truly impressed by Zhang Dai's honest and kind morale. He clasped his hands and praised: "If it hadn't been for the young master's reminder and gift of books, how could a commoner woman like me have imagined it."
After the three of them agreed on a delivery time at the ticket number, the Zhang brothers took their servants, hired a carriage, and went to the county government office to visit Sister He.
Zheng Haizhu hurried to Han Mansion to face the new troubles she might have to face.
Today, Hu Guihua from the dye house confessed that the Hui merchant named Hu who was responsible for the murder was actually the cousin of Yang, the third daughter-in-law of the Han family. The uncle who came to the house to socialize with Han Zhongwen a few days ago.
…
The back house of Han Mansion is indeed in a turmoil at the moment.
In the flower hall of the inner house, Mrs. Yang, who was in the third room, was half-slumped on the armrest of the chair, covering her face with a handkerchief, crying like a rooster crowing, one long and one short.
The third young lady, Han Xiying, stood behind the chair, lowering her eyes and saying nothing. She only gently patted her mother's back, lest she would stop crying.
The mistress of the house, the second mistress Qian, sat across from her, looking at her grandparents with an embarrassed look on her face.
The second wife's aunt, Mrs. Liu, suppressed her subtle thoughts of gloating over misfortunes and acted as a half-commander.
First, he sent the housekeeper Lao Peng to the restaurant to call the second master Han Zhongwen back, and then told him that something big had happened. The third grandma was seeking death.
Then she ordered a young boy with quick legs to invite the doctor, and she went to sit in the hall behind the screen wall in the outer courtyard. If any girls from the wealthy gentry family of Songjiang came to visit, she could stop them and not look at the Han family. Go lively.
When Han Zhongwen hurriedly stepped into the door of the house, Mrs. Liu hurriedly greeted her and reported: "Master, after my uncle's servant told me about this matter, the third grandma burst into tears. Uh, but the girl has not been seen yet."
Han Zhongwen glanced at his concubine who had the words "Master, I am so smart" hanging on his forehead, and said calmly: "Thank you for your hard work. Stay here for a while. If there is too much noise coming out, just Close the door of the house. If A-Zhu comes back, ask Lao Peng to bring him to my second grandma and me."
"Hey, I know, I know." Mrs. Liu responded, but she felt a little lonely in her heart, and then she couldn't help but feel worried.
The people around the eldest lady have made such a big mistake, but the master is not angry?
Could it be that the speculation that Third Grandma told me was true? Could it be that the master has really taken a fancy to the little boy named Zheng who is young, strong and capable of getting things done? Not only can he give birth to children, but he also has big feet. In the future, he can accompany the master when he goes out to discuss business?
Mrs. Liu was silently panicking here. In the flower hall on the other side, when Han Zhongwen stepped into the flower hall for the first time, his head exploded.
Sister-in-law Yang rushed up, pointed at Han Zhongwen and said: "Second brother, look at it, I have asked you to donate an official position to my cousin a long time ago. Your Songjiang Mansion is a poor place like this. We Huizhou merchants are asked to pay taxes and donate officials, so what can the Nanmanzi magistrate do for the superiors? You don’t know whether you are lazy or have other agendas, and you are turning a deaf ear to my words!"
Han Zhongwen seemed to be used to the shrew-like image of his sister-in-law, and said calmly: "My third daughter-in-law, this time, my uncle has indeed committed a murder. Even if he is the son of the chief minister of the cabinet, don't worry about his own exams." Whether it is an official who came here, or an official who was bought with money, they cannot escape the law of the country."
"Fart!" Yang said hysterically, "Do you think I am ignorant because I am a housewife? If my cousin had an official status, that seventh-grade sesame official in Shanghai County, would he dare to detain my brother? The most he would dare to do is to Send a summons to the Huizhou Guild Hall. A resourceful man like my brother would naturally know to leave by boat right away!"
After Yang finished yelling, he glanced sideways at the flower pot shelf. Zheng Shoukuan, who was protected by Han Ximeng behind him, was looking at him with disdain.
This afternoon, a servant of Mr. Hu, Mr. Yang's cousin, rushed to the Han Mansion, saying that Mr. Hu was taken away by the Shanghai magistrate because he masterminded the murder of businessmen from the same town and blamed it on the nuns of Jiulian Nunnery.
That day, Zhang Dai was brought to visit Han Mansion by Zheng Haizhu. Although Yang was not invited to accompany her, she later stared at her sister-in-law Qian and asked her what had happened. At that time, she even sarcastically said: "Hey, there is no grandma in our Han Mansion. Madam, there will be a female judge among the servants."
Unexpectedly, his cousin Mr. Hu was actually the main culprit of this incident.
Yang's wife has been a resentful wife for a long time, and her brain has become a lake. She thinks about problems like a urinary tract. What she thinks about is not how her cousin could do such a shameful thing out of jealousy of her colleagues. Instead, she immediately hates Zheng Haizhu for being too meddlesome. Nosy.
She immediately went to the garden and found Zheng Shoukuan who was tidying up the flowerbed. She slapped her head and covered her face with him.
Han Ximeng, who came after hearing the news, pulled his third aunt away. It was the first time in his life that he disobeyed his elders. He had a pink face and was greeted by Yang several times before his sister Han Xiying came to rescue him.
At this moment, Han Ximeng saw that Yang, in front of the whole family, not only said nonsense words that challenged the national law, but also rushed to anger a half-year-old child. Suddenly, the emotion of protecting the calf was once again ignited, blocking Zheng Shoukuan. In front of her, she scolded Ms. Yang: "Third Aunt, do you still have any sense of right and wrong? My uncle is killing people outside, do you want to kill people in our Han family?"
Yang had always bullied her sister-in-law, Qian, for being a soft persimmon, but she was a little afraid of her upright eldest niece, and now she was even more intimidated by her aura.
After being stunned for a moment, he sat down on the ground and cried to the second master, Han Zhongwen: "Your Han family is a devil's pit that eats people without spitting out their bones. I am in Huizhou, and I can't find any good family. Han Zhongwen, what are you doing for me?" Business, you tricked my parents into marrying me to your crazy brother. Over the years, my life has been worse than that of a eunuch’s wife. Thanks to my cousin, who doesn’t hold grudges, he often comes to buy cotton from your Han family. . I didn’t expect that this would fall into the hands of a humble servant from your Han family whose origins are unknown.”
"Shut up!" Han Zhongwen couldn't bear to listen to these vulgar words. He stamped his foot fiercely, pointed at his sister-in-law and said, "The Ming Dynasty has laws and regulations. If my uncle does evil things, he will be dealt with by the government. Azhu helps the government to destroy the family. Eucalyptus, I have lived up to the trust of my friends, thank you for your innocence, and there is nothing wrong with the laws of nature, people, and the country."
Han Zhongwen almost choked with anger, so he stroked his chest to calm down, and continued: "As for my Han family, yes, Zhongyu went to become a foreign monk, and he did treat you badly in terms of marital ethics, but you ask yourselves, what happened after he left? In three years, have we asked you whether you want to reconcile. If you are willing, all your dowry will be taken away, and the Han family will give you another ten thousand taels of silver. Xiying can stay in the Han family and marry from my Han family. , I, the second uncle, divided the family property into three, and the dowry I gave her was definitely not even half a penny less than Ximeng’s. Third daughter-in-law, you were unwilling at the beginning. You said I wanted to drive you away and take Zhongyu for yourself. share of the family property.”
Having said this, Han Zhongwen sighed and sat down on the chair tiredly.
After a short pause, he said in a deep voice: "My third daughter-in-law, since you hate my Han family to the core, what happened today is just an introduction. Let's separate the family. My Han family's ancestral hall is in Hangzhou, and there is no clan leader in Songjiang. I Then send someone to your natal family in Huizhou to invite someone who can make the decision, and we will go to the state capital together to draw up a deposit and settle the property. We are all tens of years old, so we can handle the matter calmly."
The hall fell into an audible silence.
Yang seemed to have gone crazy and exhausted all his strength. He didn't even care about losing his dignity in front of the servants. He just sat on the ground in a daze, occasionally letting out weak sobs.
Han Ximeng bit his lip and stared angrily at this unreasonable little aunt.
Han Xiying walked over slowly, behind Mr. Yang, and saluted her second uncle with a guilty look on her face, then she hugged her mother's sleeves and said softly: "Mom, it's winter and the ground is cold. If you get sick from sitting down, I will what to do?"
The second mistress, Mrs. Qian, also stood up quickly, came over to help her sister-in-law, and begged her to give face to the head of the Han family.
Seeing this situation, Han Zhongwen thought that as the head of the family, he had made his statement and left the remaining matters to the female students.
Just as he was about to go to the main hall of the outer courtyard to have a cup of tea to calm down, he saw the housekeeper Lao Peng running into the courtyard in a hurry.
"Master, Ma, General Ma is here, and he's here with Azhu."
…
Between the threshold and the screen wall of the Han Mansion's gate, the setting sun casts the shadows of Ma Xianglin and Zheng Haizhu on the blue brick floor.
The young general looked calm, and at the same time he definitely felt that the woman beside him was not embarrassed, and was just quietly thinking about her own thoughts.
Ma Xianglin likes the atmosphere at the moment.
Miss Azhu could stand side by side with him so relaxedly, as if General Ma did not exist.
This on the contrary means that alienation, vigilance, embarrassment, nervousness and other blunt situations have nothing to do with them.
Just a moment ago, when Ma Xianglin waited for Zheng Haizhu outside the Han Mansion, he clearly saw her face solemn.
Of course Ma Xianglin knew the reason, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed in Han Mansion.
"Hey General Ma, why don't you go into the yard?"
Han Zhongwen greeted him eagerly.
Ma Xianglin greeted me with a smile: "The lady of your house is in the hall. It's not convenient for me to go in. It's okay. Miss Azhu is greeting me. The matters I came to discuss today originally had to be checked by Miss Azhu."
Han Zhongwen immediately turned his head and asked Aunt Liu, who was working diligently on guard in the outer hall, to go back to the inner house. When he led Ma Xianglin into the hall, he already said in a sincere tone: "To be honest, general, there has just been a commotion in the house. Well, who can It occurred to me that the culprit whom A-Zhu accompanied Eunuch Liu to uncover was actually my sister-in-law’s cousin. Mr. Hu has always had business dealings with Mr. Han. Now the flower hall is abuzz with excitement. Mr. Han is being rude. Can I ask the general to speak here? Ah Zhu, please don't go in yet. Don't worry, a person like Ximeng who protects the calf will not get into trouble if he keeps his guard up."
Listen to the gongs and drums, and listen to the voices.
As soon as Han Zhongwen said these words, Ma Xianglin smacked the other person's tone and knew that Miss Azhu had not met a dim master of the house, and her thoughts of escorting her today could be put aside for the time being.
He then said bluntly: "Mou Ma has two things to do. The first is to send a message for Eunuch Liu. Miss Azhu explained the Zhangrong and Songjiang cotton handkerchiefs that I saw the day before yesterday very well. My father-in-law was right. You guys first Make a thousand handkerchiefs. Although the people I brought are guest soldiers, the court respects them and will not let me return to Sichuan for the time being. Next, I will transport a batch of raw silk and satin to the Weaving Bureau to be sold in Yuegang, Fujian. It is a good time to try I'm selling those handkerchiefs of yours, so this job is very urgent, Master Han has taken the trouble, and Dingyin will send someone to deliver it after my father-in-law returns to Suzhou tomorrow."
Han Zhongwen was overjoyed.
Songjiang has a bumper cotton harvest this year, and Huizhou merchants are collecting cloth at very low prices. He has recommended velvet and cotton handkerchiefs, but Huizhou merchants feel that this new silk-cotton blend is a bit expensive, and it is neither red nor blue. A lake that is neither yellow nor yellow is located in one place. It is not elegant enough. The common people will find it too expensive and the rich will find it vulgar. It will definitely not be sold well.
Unexpectedly, it was the eunuch supervising the Weaving Bureau who finally decided to accept the goods and try to sell them to a foreign merchant.
This really made the Han family proud.
Han Zhongwen then turned to Zheng Haizhu, the hero, and said: "I will tell Lao Peng to adjust the construction period of several orders. First, ensure the handkerchief Liu Eunuch wants. You must keep an eye on the weaving workshop. Every handkerchief belongs to my Han family." sign."
Zheng Haizhu nodded repeatedly.
When she met Ma Xianglin outside the Han Mansion, he had already said straight to the point that he was here to place an order, but he also added a sentence at the end: Jiulian's wife, Eunuch Liu said that the real murderer was an in-law of the Han Mansion, I Come and see if you are in trouble.
To Zheng Haizhu's ears, General Ma's words were indeed filled with concern, but there was no ambiguity or even greasy content. They were so frank and stopped just right, allowing her to feel a sense of warmth without any burden or resistance.
Therefore, at this moment, Zheng Haizhu looked at Ma Xianglin without hesitation and said: "Don't worry, General Ma, we will definitely earn this foreign exchange for the Lord."
"What is foreign exchange?" Ma Xianglin and Han Zhongwen asked almost simultaneously.
"It's the money in the hands of merchants. I heard it from a missionary from Haojing when I was in Zhangzhou."
Zheng Haizhu's weaving is very natural. Gradually instilling the vocabulary of future generations into the people of this world is always a way to gradually change their concepts.
"Oh," Ma Xianglin digested the word for a while and said, now learning and applying it, "The second thing Ma will talk about today is to help your house earn foreign exchange."
