A knife in love

Chapter 1148

Li Qiufeng finished speaking, but Zhang Shi laughed out loud, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.Li Qiufeng was startled, and said in his mouth: "Why is Zhang Yuanwai laughing? Could it be that Zhu is wrong?"

Zhang Shi shook his head, suddenly stopped his smile, and said in a deep voice: "Zhang is just laughing at Brother Zhu for taking himself too lightly. With Brother Zhu's talent and martial arts, it is too inferior to be a businessman selling Shu brocade. Right now Mr. Zhang has a big deal in hand, and if Brother Zhu is interested, Mr. Zhang is willing to make a fortune with Brother Zhu. After this deal, I dare not say how much, at least Brother Zhu can earn 8000-[-] taels of silver."

Hearing what Zhang Shi said, Li Qiufeng deliberately pretended to be taken aback, and said in a trembling voice: "This, is this a joke? How can there be such a good business in the world that can earn so much at once?"

Seeing that Li Qiufeng looked nervous, but his eyes were full of greed, Zhang Shi felt more relieved.He only heard him laugh and said: "Brother Zhu, do you think Zhang is a person who talks nonsense?"

Li Qiufeng shook his head and said: "Based on Zhang Yuanwai's words, deeds, and demeanor, he must be a gentleman who keeps his word and is cautious. I just don't understand that Zhu and Zhang Yuanwai only met for the first time. Why did Zhang Yuanwai do this?" Give Zhu such a big benefit?"

Zhang Shidao: "Brother Zhu is right. We just met for the first time today, and we have only known each other for more than an hour. It stands to reason that Zhang shouldn't be married to Brother Zhu like this. It's just seeing Brother Zhu teach those arrogant warriors with his own eyes, but let Zhang was overwhelmed. Just now I chatted with Brother Zhu, and admired Brother Zhu's character even more, so I intend to invite Brother Zhu and Zhang to make a fortune together."

When Zhang Shi said this, he paused for a while, glanced at Li Qiufeng, and then said: "Zhang may as well tell the truth. This time, this business with Brother Zhu is not only beneficial to Brother Zhu, but also very beneficial to Zhang." Great advantage. If you make it clearer, in fact, Zhang has been looking for a suitable person these days to partner in this business, but unfortunately he has not found it. God pity, brother Zhu suddenly appeared today, it really helped Zhang. Very busy."

Li Qiufeng showed embarrassment, and said: "Thank you Zhang Yuanwai for valuing Zhu so much. It's just that Zhu was ordered by his father this time to come to the south of the Yangtze River to see if it's feasible to sell Shu brocade, and he didn't bring much money with him. Zhang Yuanwai wants to do business with Zhu, I'm afraid Zhu won't be able to come up with money for a while..."

Seeing that Li Qiufeng was worried about money, Zhang Shi didn't doubt that Li Qiufeng had other plans.So without waiting for Li Qiufeng to finish, Zhang Shi waved his hands again and again, and said in his mouth: "Brother Zhu, you think too much. You don't need Brother Zhu to pay a penny for this deal, it's all on Zhang."

Li Qiufeng pretended to be surprised, and said in a trembling voice: "This, this is not very good, is it?"

There was a strange light in Zhang Shi's eyes, he leaned his body forward, and said to Li Qiufeng: "What Zhang values ​​is Brother Zhu's talent and martial arts. This trip is somewhat risky, if Brother Zhu is willing to do this with Zhang This transaction, we will earn this money!"

At this moment, Li Qiufeng had vaguely guessed Zhang Shi's intention, but his face was still full of surprise.He pondered for a moment, and then said: "I don't know what kind of business Zhang Yuanwai wants to make?"

Zhang Shi retracted his body and sat firmly on the stool.He observed his words and saw that although Li Qiufeng was hesitant, he faintly showed an expression of eagerness to try.So Zhang Shi made up his mind, stopped being anxious, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Li Qiufeng thoughtfully.

When Li Qiufeng was on duty in Jinyiwei, he participated in the trial of Jinyiwei South, Beizhen Fusi, Criminal Department, Dali Temple, Five Armies Governor's Mansion, and Shuntian Mansion many times.Zhang Shi is cautious in his words and deeds, and has outstanding intelligence. He is not an ordinary person.It's just that compared with those corrupt officials, thieves, and treacherous villains, they are far behind.Therefore, Li Qiufeng has already guessed Zhang Shi's intention by observing his words and demeanor.He deliberately pretended to be eager to try, just to confuse Zhang Shi, so that he would not be suspicious of himself.Seeing Zhang Shi's confident appearance at this moment, Li Qiufeng looked anxious, and opened his mouth several times to speak, but finally swallowed it back.

Seeing Li Qiufeng's anxious look, Zhang Shi knew that he had been persuaded by him, and was secretly happy.He coughed and said in his mouth: "Brother Zhu, this time the business is to transport a batch of goods to Fusang. As long as the goods are handed over to the people of Fusang, everyone can make a fortune."

Li Qiufeng's complexion changed, and he said with some hesitation: "Mr. Zhang, although I have only arrived in Ningbo today, I have heard people say that the imperial court's sea restrictions are extremely strict. Except for ships issued by the Municipal Bureau of Ships, no sails are allowed to enter the sea. If you violate the imperial court's order, it is a felony, and you might not even be able to keep your head..."

When Li Qiufeng said this, he deliberately put on an awkward look, and didn't continue talking.Zhang Shi giggled, stood up, walked a few steps in the pavilion, and said, "Brother Zhu, look at my house, how much money will it cost to build?"

Li Qiufeng was taken aback, turned his head and looked around, thought for a moment, and then said: "I'm clumsy, I don't know the real amount of money spent on building this house. But this house is of such a scale, I'm afraid it's not 1 yuan. For two silver coins, it is absolutely impossible to build something like this."

Zhang Shi smiled slightly, and said: "To be honest, this house, including the land, cost me a total of 110 seven taels of silver."

Li Qiufeng let out an "ah", but did not speak.He didn't pretend this time, but the amount of money made his heart tremble.

Zhang Shi said in a deep voice: "Brother Zhu, when I mentioned this, I didn't mean to brag about myself in front of you. To be honest, my Zhang family started out as a private salt seller, and I'm somewhat similar to Zhang Shicheng who rioted in Hangzhou back then. Later, the ancestors accumulated some silver, and stopped doing private salt business, and became the boatmen who transported the government's grain. But after a year of hard work, the net profit was only seven or eight hundred taels. For major events such as the difficult battle and the change of the civil fort, the court tax is getting heavier and heavier. Even if our Zhang family doesn't eat or drink, we can't build such a big house."

When Zhang Shi said this, he sat back on the stone bench and continued: "More than 30 years ago, when an ancestor of the Zhang family was transporting food for the court, he met the eunuch in charge of the Bosi Yamen in Ningbo City. This ancestor was cautious. , the eunuch in charge valued him very much. So after the errand was over, the eunuch in charge went to find the ancestors of the Zhang family, first tested it, and found that the ancestors of the Zhang family were worried about the little money they earned every year. The eunuch in charge Then he told the ancestors of the Zhang family that there was a big deal, and I don't know if the ancestors of the Zhang family were interested. The ancestors of the Zhang family were naturally overjoyed, so they asked the eunuch in charge what he wanted him to do. Then the eunuch in charge confessed his intentions.

"It turned out that the eunuch in charge had colluded with the officials of Ningbo Prefecture and some big businessmen to do business with the Fusang People's Congress. At that time, the Daming Sea was strictly prohibited, and private ships were not allowed to go to sea. The eunuch in charge teamed up with officials and businessmen, and borrowed official ships in Some uninhabited deserted islands outside the sea traded with the Fusang people and gained huge profits. Later, the imperial court noticed that, in addition to sending spies from Jinyiwei to Ningbo to investigate and defend, they also strictly ordered the Fujian Navy to send sailors to patrol the sea and capture them. People who go to the sea to trade with Japanese pirates without authorization. The official ships under the administration of the Shibuyamen and Ningbo Prefecture are too eye-catching, and they are easily captured by the navy in the sea. They dare not go to the sea to do business with the Fusang people. In this way, The income of eunuchs in charge, officials of Ningbo Prefecture, and big businessmen in Ningbo City and other places has dropped sharply. As the saying goes, people die for money, and birds die for food. These people feel worse than killing them if they have no income. Anxiety in the heart, and the desire to kill.

"Someone gave an idea to the eunuch in charge, saying that the official ships are eye-catching, and you can no longer go to sea on official ships. It is better to hire civilian boats and pretend to be fishing at sea, taking advantage of Jin Yiwei's spies and navy ships. At that time, he sneaked out to the sea to trade with the Fusang people. After the steward listened too much, he was overjoyed, and immediately sent someone to inquire about the news of the boat owners on the wharf. Finally, he concluded that the boats of the Zhang family were the most suitable, and called the ancestors of the Zhang family to question them. The ancestors of the family were worried about the lack of income, so they agreed with the eunuch in charge. From then on, Zhang Jiaming started the tea business on the surface, and secretly sent a large ship to do business with the Fusang people at sea under the command of the eunuch in charge and other officials. The deal. Although most of the money was taken by the eunuch in charge and the officials of Ningbo Mansion, the Zhang family also made a lot of money. After decades, they finally accumulated a fortune of ten thousand and built this house."

(End of this chapter)