Not long after Zheng Haizhu returned to Songjiang from Zhenjiang, Zheng Zhilong also returned from Yuegang when the Chinese Valentine's Day was approaching.
Contrary to Zheng Haizhu's expectation, although Yan Siqi, with Liu Eunuch's early operation, had obtained the ship's guide from Taiwan to Yuegang via Penghu, and had also taken away a large number of goods such as tobacco bags, embroidered fans, and two-toed socks in an open and honest manner, but In the end, the net profit from this batch of goods was only five to six hundred taels, which was far lower than the two to three thousand taels that Zheng Haizhu estimated.
Zheng Zhilong was obviously very frustrated with this figure: "Sister Azhu, it's not that Brother Yan is undercounting you, it's that the tax collected by the banknote customs along the way is too harsh. Brother Yan used to be a smuggler at sea, and he is not responsible for the inland banknote customs." The exploitation is unclear, and the price promised to Japan is too low. However, he has already calculated the agreed profit of 50-50 points, and another 30-70 points of profit, so you have 70% and he has 30%, but even so, your share is only a few hundred. two."
As soon as he said this, Zheng Haizhu understood.
Last year in the twelfth lunar month, I followed Eunuch Liu and Ma Xianglin to Yuegang to sell goods to the imperial court. We all took the Weaving Bureau's big ship and the sea route was smooth and majestic. Which navy along the coast would be blind and dare to ask the slaves of Long Live Lord? Collect taxes.
This trip is to sell your own goods. Now you are not a Japanese pirate. How can you take the sea route without paying taxes?
You can only go south from Songjiang to Zhangzhou by inland waterway shipping and land route. You have to pass through countless tax and bank checkpoints along the way, peeling off layers of skin and flesh, leaving only the bones.
Zheng Haizhu then comforted Zheng Zhilong: "Since you have surrendered to the imperial court, you have to pay taxes when passing through the banknote customs. It's a good idea to try it in person this time. I will know for sure. If Songjiang opens and closes like Yuegang, my transaction will be How much more money can you make if you spend the same money to buy a sailboat?"
Zheng Zhilong took out a second silver note: "Sister Azhu, last time Mao Chengbei gave you the 800 taels, you gave it to Brother Yan Daishan Saltworks for emergency purposes. This time, the eldest brother also returned the 800 taels. You. But..."
Zheng Haizhu took the banknote and was curious about Zheng Zhilong's hesitation: "But what?"
"Well, Brother Yan said that he couldn't afford the principal of the new goods. Many brothers in Hirado Port learned that he was being recruited by the imperial court in Taiwan, and they left Japan one after another. Twenty ships have arrived. , including the family of six to seven hundred people. The Seraya people on Wen's side are getting along well with them, but the cost of buying seeds, farm tools, spinning machines, and cattle from Zhangzhou has suddenly become huge..."
When Zheng Zhilong said this, Zheng Haizhu interrupted him with a smile: "It is a good thing to have strong soldiers and horses. How can I blame Brother Yan for not continuing to prepare goods in partnership with me?"
Zheng Zhilong scratched his head: "But we only have more than one thousand taels of cash on hand."
Zheng Haizhu teased him: "You have been following your uncle since you were a child. You are used to seeing Li Dan and others doing big business, but you think a thousand taels of silver is a small amount."
After finishing teasing, he asked Zheng Zhilong seriously: "Yiguan, you are so young, any path is good as long as you take it seriously. Whether you want to stay in Jiangnan or want to go to Taiwan to find Brother Yan, I support you. .”
"Sister Azhu," Zheng Zhilong said resolutely, "of course I want to stay here. I want to work with you in Mao Chengbei's shop in Hangzhou and the insurance company here. Brother Yan has us to lay the foundation for the mainland. If he fights hard, he won't be alone overseas."
Zheng Haizhu said with a smile: "Okay, then let's fight for some energy. Don't always think about asking Brother Yan for money with your palms facing up. Let's not rush to cash out these more than a thousand taels of silver for goods, and wait for Songjiang News about the switch. You have come back at the right time. You and I will go to see Magistrate Zhuang and Mr. Huang in the next few days."
…
In the government office, Magistrate Zhuang checked and collected Zheng Zhilong's neatly bound banknotes, turned over a few sheets, sighed, and handed them to Huang Zunsu: "It's tough, Miss Zheng and Mr. Zheng have to pass the banknotes honestly this time. For seven or eight thousand taels of goods, I earned 10% profit, and 50% to 60% paid taxes."
Huang Zunsu sneered: "It's enough if they all join the Ministry of Household Affairs..."
Say half and leave half, everyone who listens will understand.
Zheng Haizhu said: "Zhuangfutai, Mr. Huang, Yuegang can pay one hundred thousand taels to the inner government just by selling ship guides every year. If Shanghai County switches it on and off, the number of ships coming will not be less than that of Haicheng County. This is just to go to Haicheng County." From the inner government. When merchants gather, the money collected by Songjiang Chaoguan will also increase a lot."
Zhuang Yumin rolled his eyes and calculated: "Last year, I paid 80,000 taels of gold and silver to the inner government, 50,000 taels of silver to Taicang, the Ministry of Husbandry, and 1,500 taels to the Ministry of Rites."
Seeing the opportunity, Zheng Haizhu said: "If our sellers can leave the port in Shanghai County, the tax I paid at the local currency customs on this trip will be offset by two or three times of assessments from the Ministry of Rites. This is just me as a vendor."
Zhuang Yumin loved hearing this.
He still has expectations for his career, and he has never dreamed of joining the cabinet. I believe that Huang Zunsu sitting next to him is the same as himself.
Giving Banzai and the Ministry of Household Affairs more money would be good for everyone's promotion.
"Old Huang, you are an excellent penman. It's better to draw up a plan for me. I'm afraid it will be too slow to rely on Eunuch Liu alone to blow the wind. The Huangpu River has been dug, but I don't believe it. I can only open the sea. He did it in Zhangzhou, Fujian."
Huang Zunsu also wants to open the sea as soon as possible.
Over the past year or so, he had seen with his own eyes that Zheng Haizhu, a little girl from the common people, had accomplished many things. As a proud elite of the Donglin School, he was sometimes amazed and sometimes stunned.
Sometimes he went to Yingtian Mansion on official business, and during official dinners, he even began to dislike those colleagues who were only interested in exchanging court anecdotes, palace secrets, and even intrigue experiences.
Including some people who are also from the Donglin School.
As Huang Zunsu watched with cold eyes, they only talked about factions and did not look at right and wrong when things happened.
The spittle and spray are so passionate and colorful, but they only add fuel to the current situation and do not provide help to the common people.
Huang Zunsu did not want to study hard for many years and eventually become such a weak official who was harmful to the country but useless.
At least, with this opportunity, he can work hard to make the treasury have more money, make it easier for merchants to do business, and make Songjiang more prosperous.
Walking out of the duty room of Magistrate Zhuang, Huang Zunsu said warmly to Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, Zong Xi didn't dare to tell me, but he told his mother several times that he wanted to study in your school."
Zheng Haizhu said with a smile: "Mr. Yao took him to watch Mr. Lu take Gezhi classes a few times, and he became fascinated. Recently, he often went to see Mr. Lu forging iron and making gun barrels. Mr. Huang, don't worry, I told Zong Xi, It is better to read the Four Books and Five Classics carefully. In the future, if you become a Jinshi or become an official, it will not prevent you from studying firearms, war, geometry and arithmetic. Xu Hanlin is a role model."
Huang Zunsu's eyebrows moved: "My wife went to see the Xu family's wife before and learned that Xu Hanlin was going back to his hometown to visit relatives in early autumn. Did she inform you?"
Zheng Haizhu nodded knowingly: "Mr. Yao said it early, so in the past two days, we asked General Qi to train the military masters of the family and test-fire the muskets that Mr. Lu and the Zhenjiang blacksmith had finished. Xu Hanlin came to see it."
Then he pointed to Zheng Zhilong beside him and said: "Yi Guan has been working hard this time. He also went from Yuegang to Haojing to get the blueprint of a spindle cannon. Master Ge and others from Danyang, Zhenjiang, are blacksmiths, but they have ancestral copper and iron." The combination of the formula is just right for thinking about the barrel."
Huang Zunsu looked at Zheng Zhilong and praised: "Awesome, you can get this."
"Thank you, Mr. Huang, for the compliment. I grew up in Haojing and knew that the Frankies had a cannon factory there. This time it was also luck. It happened that one of the bright craftsmen was bullied by the Frankies. In the face of the fire, the little flower After paying some money, he gave me a rough sketch."
Huang Zunsu patted Zheng Zhilong on the shoulder and said to Zheng Haizhu: "When Xu Hanlin arrives in Songjiang and I go to see him, I will explain the Shanghai switch in detail and ask him to write a letter after he returns to Beijing to see if he can add some firewood." , I will mention the firearms for you first. The reason is that if Songjiang Mansion is opened and closed like Zhangzhou Yuegang, the responsibility for coastal defense will be even heavier. Jinshanwei and Wusong Port cannot be without guns. Then, you Let’s go ask Xu Hanlin and talk in detail.”
Zheng Haizhu likes Huang Zunsu's increasingly obvious official style. It is not greasy, but he is skillful in how to find people within the system and how to promote the completion of business.
She then took advantage of this moment to mention something she had been thinking about for a long time: "Mr. Huang, the geometry teacher in our school said that Xu Hanlin had a beloved disciple, his surname was Sun, and his given name was Shangyuanxiahua. He was also obsessed with Western learning, especially Ai. Participate in the study of fire attack methods in Western warfare. Wouldn't it be great if we could invite Songjiang? Xiang Sheng and Zhilong are both juniors, just starting out. Xiang Sheng will have to take the provincial examination next year. After all, the imperial examination is his The right path."
The last sentence made Huang Zunsu feel comfortable.
This was the second time today that Zheng Haizhu expressed his interest in the imperial examination in front of him, just like praising Lu Ban that being a carpenter was the most honorable thing in the world.
The corners of Huang Zunsu's mouth twitched upwards: "Sun Yuanhua, this man is very famous. He is from Shanghai County. He is very talented and Gao Sihui. He was admitted to the imperial examination five years ago. However, he was closely associated with the missionaries, which delayed his ability to become a scholar. After missing the target twice, I have decided to join Xu Hanlin’s sect now.”
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, that's right, the timeline is correct, I want this person too.
Sun Yuanhua, in the late Ming Dynasty, how many people were in the second rank of officialdom by being a scholar instead of being a Jinshi?
What's more, when he came as governor later, he treated Liao generals well. If there was a scandal of internal fighting in the late Ming Dynasty, such as Guan Ning's cavalry beating Dongjiang War Spirit, it's not hard to blame him for his misjudgment.
Xu Guangqi's disciples, sympathizers in Dongjiang Town, and hawks fighting against the establishment of slaves. How could such people not come into my bowl?
Zheng Haizhu then looked at Huang Zunsu sincerely: "Then please ask Mr. Huang, and also ask Xu Hanlin for help. Mr. Sun can come and give me some advice."
…
There is a hint of coolness in the wind.
Even close to the blacksmith, Lu Xiangsheng felt that his forehead and cheeks were no longer hot under the gentle breeze of early autumn.
Lu Xiangsheng was waiting at the door and first saw two children coming in from the main house of Fuyuan.
Due to the promotion of his mother Yao, Huang Zongxi has become a fan of Lu Xiangsheng, who is good at both civil and military affairs.
This seven-year-old boy now wants to become Mr. Lu's personal follower and try all kinds of interesting experiments with water, fire and war with him.
"Brother Lu, this is Xu Huizhen. The "Elements of Geometry" used in the school was written by her grandfather."
In Songjiang dialect, grandfather is called "Aye", and "bishou" means translation.
Xu Guangqi's granddaughter, Xu Huizhen, saluted Lu Xiangsheng gracefully, her eyes already glued to the blunderbuss in his hand.
"Mr. Lu, you blunderbuss, do you still use a match rope to light a fire?"
She has just turned nine this year, and her voice still has an obvious childishness to it.
Lu Xiangsheng was stunned by the baby voice and asked curiously: "Miss Huizhen, is there any other ignition method?"
"What Huizhen said was a flint-hair gun."
Zheng Haizhu's voice sounded.
Behind her, Huang Zunsu and Zheng Zhilong accompanied an elder into the courtyard.
The old man was in his sixties, with half-black beard and hair. He was thin, not even as tall as Zheng Haizhu, but his eyes were as bright as torches in his deeply sunken eye sockets, and his nose was slightly aquiline, making him look quite shrewd. .
Fortunately, he had a kind smile on his face, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and lips were stretched upwards, and his air of immortality covered up the sharpness of an eagle.
Lu Xiangsheng guessed that this was Xu Guangqi and Xu Hanlin, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.
Xu Guangqi, who returned to Jiangnan from the capital to visit relatives, met Zheng Haizhu and her friends for the first time today.
However, in the spring, through the help of his daughter-in-law Gu Lanjie, Xu Guangqi sent his assistant who had translated "Elements of Geometry" with him to come to Zheng Haizhu's school as a teacher.
After his assistant took up teaching, he wrote a letter to Xu Guangqi, praising the new school in Songjiang.
After the little granddaughter Xu Huizhen saw her grandfather, she was like a little oriole with a sweet chirping sound. Starting from Miss Zheng teaching her to draw the Virgin Mary as the Goddess of Mercy, and the Exodus as the Queen Mother of the West rising into the sea, Miss Zheng’s All the deeds were discussed once.
Xu Guangqi, a civil servant who advocated "opening your eyes to see the world" but was not tolerated by his conservative colleagues, was quite surprised to learn that such open-minded young people had begun to appear among the people in the south of the Yangtze River.
Xu Guangqi was neither a party nor a group in the government, and disliked party strife. Fang Congzhe, the leader of the Zhejiang Party and the current chief assistant, used the Beijing-Chaobao method to exclude and suppress a large number of Donglin Party civil servants last year, which made Xu Guangqi very disgusted.
When Huang Zunsu came to see him when he returned to Songjiang this time, he did not dwell on the grievances of the Donglin faction. He only frankly and pragmatically explained the urgency of opening and closing Shanghai Port like Yuegang.
Xu Guangqi was very impressed by Huang Zunsu, a disciple of Donglin and a new recruit in the eunuch.
Therefore, after Huang Zunsu gave him some encouragement, Xu Guangqi readily asked him to accompany him to see the firearms research and development in Zheng's school.
At this moment, Xu Guangqi saw that Lu Xiangsheng, a younger generation, was just like Zheng Haizhu, with a good temperament and an even stronger love for talents.
He enthusiastically took the blunderbuss from Lu Xiangsheng's hand, pointed at the fire door and said: "My friend Matteo Ricci, a Thai-Spanish friend of mine, once mentioned that some people in the West have modified the matchlock to fire with stones. He once invited people from his hometown to The parishioners searched for the drawings for him, but unfortunately there was no response, and Matteo Ricci passed away. I just mentioned this matter to Miss Zheng. She said it sounded like a Sui man striking a stone to make fire, so he gave him a name first, Sui. Shoot the blunderbuss."
