When Yang Tiansheng first visited Xu's house, he had briefly explained Zheng Haizhu's origins to Xu Xinsu, and also mentioned the background of the weaving eunuch Liu Shimin. Therefore, Xu Xinsu did not show surprise when she saw that the person who came to pay New Year's greetings on behalf of Yan Siqi was a woman.
But the local snake style still needs to be dealt with.
Xu Xinsu's communication style with a connotation of overlooking gradually appeared under the shallow exchanges in the quiet sea.
After passing through the circular drainage channel whose bottom was paved with cobblestones, Xu Xinsu said calmly: "Miss Zheng, this is a humble house, the place is small, it's ridiculous."
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Zheng Haizhu looked up at the courtyard in front of him. A whole piece of off-white granite was used as the steps or wall base. The upper part of the wall was made of red bricks. The dovetail-shaped roof was also made of red tiles. The door pillars, porches, and windows were all made of red bricks. It is a typical southern Fujian mansion style mansion that uses exquisite wood carving.
She pursed her lips and praised, "Your house is so elegant."
After careful consideration, when approaching the main island of Xiamen by boat, none of the government offices Yang Tiansheng pointed out on the deck had such a grand appearance.
This Xu Xinsu is very high-profile in Xiamen.
After entering the door and passing the screen wall, Xu Xinsu did not go to the main room. Instead, she led Zheng's aunt and nephew and Yang Tiansheng to the big room in the east wing, where he first showed off his collection of calligraphy and calligraphy.
"I heard that although Miss Zheng, like Xu, is from Fujian, her business is mainly in southern Zhili. Xu has collected several paintings of the Wumen School of Painting in Chinese and Hui Ming, and asked Miss Zheng to taste them."
Zheng Haizhu caught a glimpse of a strange look in Zheng Shoukuan's eyes and knew that his nephew was mocking the arty Xu Xinsu for pronouncing "Wen Zhengming" as "Wen Huiming". She quickly stopped him with her eyes and responded to Xu Xinsu: "Ashamed, ashamed, I am a Although the businessman had a school in Songjiang and was lucky enough to have Dong Xuanzai and Dong Gong write inscriptions, he was usually too busy running around the docks in the north and south, and he really had no time to dabble in such elegant things as calligraphy and painting. Since Mr. Xu is good at this, the whole house Every piece of treasure must be a treasure."
With Xu Xinsu's level, he certainly didn't know that Dong Xuanzai was Dong Qichang, let alone Dong Qichang's status in the current world of calligraphy and painting appreciation.
As soon as he heard Zheng Haizhu casually mentioning "there is a school" and "running docks all over the north and south", he couldn't help but continue to suppress this little woman.
Xu Xinsu stared at Zheng Haizhu's hand pointing to a South Sea coral and smiled, "The beads on Miss Zheng's ring finger are too small and not worthy of the girl's style. In the first month of the first month, the girl sent a boatload of generous gifts. Xu Xinsu I will give the girl a string of southern pearls in return, don’t hesitate. Long Zai..."
Following Xu Xinsu's greeting, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy in brocade robes came forward.
This young man named Xu Yilong is Xu Xinsu's eldest son. In the center of the wooden plate he was holding, there was a string of Hepu pearls of considerable diameter. Not only were they lustrous and translucent, but each one was close to a perfect round shape. In ancient times, when the modern technology of cultivating seawater pearls with cores had not yet been developed, they were particularly valuable. So rare.
Zheng Haizhu didn't pretend to refuse, showing the amazing smile that a woman doesn't have to hide when she sees beautiful jewelry. She reached out to pick up the Hepu beads and wore them around her neck generously. She thanked Xu Xinsu and lowered her eyes to look at what she was looking for. Wearing a pearl finger.
After a moment, she raised her head, stared at Xu Xinsu and said: "My pearl is indeed small, but its origin is not small. This is an eastern pearl, produced in the Jurchen Ula tribe in the Northeast. More than a year ago, I accompanied Liaodong The daughter of the Li family returned to Hetuala to visit relatives. Nurhachi, the Khan of Jianzhou, gave me this dongzhu to express her gratitude. There are also big dongzhu, but according to the rules of the Ministry of Construction, only the king of Khan and the beile of each banner can wear the big dongzhu. , so the one you gave me weighs less than half a penny."
Xu Xinsu frowned upon hearing this.
He was the agent of Li Dan, a Chinese businessman from Japan, and an aide to Yu Zigao, the current commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty. Although he was on the southeast coast, he was no stranger to the movements of tribes such as Jianzhou Jurchen, which bordered both Korea and the Ming Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, the woman in front of me had also been in the world of Liaodong.
Zheng Haizhu said with indifferent contempt: "Of course, Mr. Xu is right. The gold and precious things that the Tatars value, if we talk about the beads themselves, are indeed not worth mentioning compared with the southern beads of our Ming Dynasty." . The old chief Nurhachna fought with me in Fushun during the Ming Dynasty and returned with a disastrous defeat. Those northern Tatars are actually the same as the red-haired tribesmen from the west. If Mr. Xu wants to listen, give me a cup of tea. Moisten your throat and I'll tell you sir."
After Zheng Haizhu finished speaking, he thought to himself, that's about it. This kind of back and forth between each other showing off their muscles as well as their backgrounds, although it is an unavoidable confrontation on the scene, should be stopped in moderation, otherwise it will be boring.
We are not on a blind date, so stop testing each other and listen to me quickly and get to the point, isn’t it nice?
As for Xu Xinsu, after all, he was a person whose name would go down in history, and he was not an ordinary man who was obsessed with feeling superior. He also knew that when this woman came to pay New Year's greetings today, she must come to talk on behalf of Yan Siqi.
Xu Xinsu then put on a sincere attitude and said cheerfully: "Let's go have tea."
…
The second time Xu Zhai entered the library in the courtyard, after the servants served tea, Xu Xinsu retreated, leaving only his son Xu Yilong and his bodyguards.
Zheng Haizhu glanced at the bodyguard who was wearing a black net scarf, a Ming-style straight jacket, and a serious face, and asked Xu Xinsu: "Japanese?"
"Young girl has good eyesight, how can you tell?"
"The one on his waist is the Muramasa sword, right?"
"Well, yes. Don't worry, girl, he can't understand Hokkien."
Zheng Haizhu smiled: "It doesn't matter if you understand. Today, I am not going to speak ill of Japanese people."
Xu Xinsu sipped her tea and said meaningfully: "Since the Yu Jiajun took control of Fujian, the Japanese rebellion has become a thing of the past."
Zheng Haizhu said bluntly: "Yuegang has been switched, and the imperial court has not allowed transactions with Japan. If Mr. Xu hadn't been the go-between for Leader Li and General Yu, I'm afraid there would still be trouble with Japanese pirates. However, Brother Yan has been running Taiwan for two years and is now starting to produce goods." For deerskin and cane sugar, there are already Japanese ships coming to buy goods from Beigang.”
Xu Xinsu continued: "Well, I just looked at the cane sugar. The whiteness is excellent. The Japanese should be able to pay a high price."
While he was speaking in agreement, he was actually thinking quickly about the meaning of Zheng Haizhu's words.
It was obvious that this young woman was indeed Yan Siqi's confidant and knew that the Japanese Chinese businessman Li Dan and the Ming Dynasty general Yu Zigao controlled the smuggling routes of Sino-Japanese sea trade. So she said that without Li and Yu, the Japanese maritime merchants would turn into Japanese pirates who invaded the border by force.
But at the same time, what she meant was that Yan Siqi had regrouped in Taiwan and began to resume business dealings with the Japanese.
After Xu Xinsu learned about what Li Guozhu had done, she actually had sympathy for Yan Siqi, and began to plan her own future path. Yan Siqi did not kill Li Guozhu out of Li Dan's affection. This ruthless and arrogant second generation ancestor of the Li family would one day take over his father's business. When the time came to cleanse his father's old generals, he would not be able to kill him. What will happen to Xu Xinsu?
Therefore, Xu Xinsu began to focus his efforts on Yu Zigao. He built such a large house in Xiamen, saved most of his property in Yu Zigao's bank, and brought his eldest son Xu Yilong to Xiamen. This was all to show Yu Zongbing that he intended to return to southern Fujian.
However, at present, Yan Siqi was appointed by the imperial court as a chieftain in Taiwan and also engaged in maritime trade, which always slightly collided with General Yu's financial path.
When Xu Xinsu's mind was racing, she heard Zheng Haizhu continue: "But Mr. Xu, Brother Yan and I all feel that businessmen must pay more attention to the ethics of the world. When Brother Yan was in Hirado, he mainly traveled to Ningbo Shuangyu Hong Kong and the Nanyang Spice Islands, although he now occupies Taiwan and has a letter of appointment from the imperial court, he also understands that his fast son cannot reach for the wrong bowl. Please make sure to report this to General Yu, Mr. Xu."
Xu Xinsu looked at Zheng Haizhu, then at Yang Tiansheng, and said seriously: "Since you have opened the skylight here, Xu will not say any secret words. Tea, Chong'an Buge, Zhangzhou velvet, porcelain, cane sugar, these five things, please Yan Xuanfu gets out of the way."
Zheng Haizhu said: "Yes. The tea we make in Taiwan is called black tea. It will not be sold to Japan. The buyers are foreigners and the roads in Liaodong. As for cane sugar, both Taiwan and Fujian are suitable for growing sugar cane. Fujian's sales Give it to Japan, and sell it to the Hongyi and Frankie people in Taiwan. If Japanese ships come to Taiwan to buy cane sugar in the future, we will refuse it."
Xu Xinsu nodded.
Next, the two talked about asking Japan about the quota for buying copper. In the last years of Wanli, in addition to silver, there was still a larger proportion of copper coins circulating among the people. Therefore, Yu Zigao wanted to ask the Japanese to buy copper and mint copper coins privately. Zheng Haizhu knew how to discount the efficiency and credibility of the Ming court, so he also used Yan Siqi to store copper blocks from Japan and make firearms for later use.
After such an item is discussed, each other's sphere of influence will be clearly defined.
Since Yu Zigao and Yan Siqi were both military attachés of the imperial court, it was naturally impossible for them to establish a written agreement or leave evidence for the smuggling agreement. Therefore, it was entirely based on the oral agreement between the two agents, Xu Xinsu and Zheng Haizhu.
As Xu Xinsu talked, she felt from the bottom of her heart that she had not misjudged Yan Siqi when he was in Hirado, Japan. Yan Siqi was indeed generous and gave away a lot of benefits, trying his best to show his respect for Yu Zigao, a local leader like Yu Zigao.
The Zheng family in front of her could also be regarded as Yan Siqi's partner. She was very attentive and kind, and took the initiative to talk about her friendship with the Donglin School in Jiangnan. Xu Yilong, Mr. Xu, wanted to go to Jiangnan to become a disciple.
Xu Xinsu came from a humble background. She has made a lot of money over the years, but she is still a merchant after all. He knew very well how important the honors obtained through the imperial examinations were in the Ming Dynasty, so he naturally expected his son to take this path. The Zhejiang-Zhizhi area had always been a gathering of talents and Jinshi. If his son could really go to Jiangnan, he might really be able to make a career. The future of officialdom is coming.
Xu Xinsu did not hide her envy of the square scarf on Zheng Shoukuan's head, and said to her son Xu Yilong: "Azai, if you go to Songjiang to study in the future, don't embarrass me, let alone cause trouble to Yi Gou."
"Yi Gou" means "aunt" in the Hokkien language.
Zheng Haizhu secretly thought that when it came to taking his son to Songjiang to take the imperial examination and not to serve as a hostage for Yu Zigao in southern Fujian, Agent Xu finally became really enthusiastic, and even his aunt recognized him on his behalf.
Historically, more than twenty years later, Zheng Zhilong's son Zheng Chenggong became a disciple of Qian Qianyi in Nanjing. Zheng Haizhu was inspired by this and saw Xu Xinsu showing his yearning for the identity of a scholar, so he mentioned this weight in the negotiation.
In this time and space she traveled to, young Zheng Zhilong has become her right-hand man in business in Songjiang. I wonder if there is still a chance to go to Japan to marry the daughter of the Tagawa family and give birth to Zheng Chenggong. And Xu Xinsu entered into a cooperative relationship with Yan Siqi very early. I wonder if she can avoid being killed by Zheng Zhilong like in the original history.
Zheng Haizhu only felt through personal experience that these big figures at sea who were cold and mercenary in history books actually had the fear of being in the turmoil of the times. Why not start from their needs and find opportunities to join forces and coexist with each other?
Just when Xu Xinsu thought that the negotiation was coming to a happy end, Zheng Haizhu brought up the most important issue of the trip.
"Mr. Xu, Xiamen and Taiwan are closely related. We make money together and defend against enemies together. Brother Yan, he wants to attack the Hongyi people with General Yu. The greed of the Hongyi people is no less than that of the Frankies. If they don't give They just look at it and see that Ming Dynasty’s Penghu Island and even the North Island of Taiwan will become the second or third Manila.”
