Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 173
Cao Sengnu laughed and said: "Wang Canjun, as an official in the Tang Dynasty, the most important thing is to listen to the sky. This General Renshou is a romantic figure in the two capitals. As long as he takes the place of any banquet or hunting Once you open your mouth, it will take three days at least, or five days at most, and your name will be heard in the ears of the emperor, do you think it is amazing?"

"So, this General Renshou really has both civil and military skills!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "Being courteous is bound to ask for something, so why did you spend so much energy and money meeting him?"

"About the temple!"

"About the temple?"

"That's right, Wang Canjun should know that his family's uncle was originally Zhaowu Hushang. This Zhaowu was originally in the north of Qilian Mountains. He was beaten away by the Huns during the Han Dynasty and had to move westward. Later, the kings were divided into Kang, An, Cao, Shi, and Mi. Nine surnames, Shi, He, Mu, etc., are all surnamed Zhaowu, and each established a country. And the surname Cao is one of these nine surnames!"

"Oh? So, your family is also a son of a prince?"

"Wang Canjun was joking. The whole country is named Cao. How can there be so many sons of princes. Besides, my family has been in the Central Plains for five generations. Even if our ancestors are really princes, the blood has faded by now!"

Cao Sengnu laughed and said, "It's just that most of us in Zhaowu believe in Zoroastrianism. There is a Zoroastrian temple in Chang'an, but someone secretly framed it and asked the court to order the temple to be destroyed. That's why I want to marry that nobleman!"

"Is it just for Jin Renwen to say a word on behalf of the temple? Are you willing to put in so much effort?"

"Wang Canjun, you don't know something. Most of us in Zhaowu are engaged in business. Whenever we go to a place, we first go to the local Zoroastrian temple to inquire about news, stay, store property, and encounter lawsuits. The temple is destroyed, how can we Zhaowu people survive!"

It turned out that the Cao family was not Han Chinese in the Central Plains, but Hu Shang with the nine surnames of Zhaowu, that is, Sogdians.These Sogdians originally lived in the area from Zhangye to Dunhuang in the northwest of my country. They were called the Yuezhi people. The Yuezhi people were defeated by the Huns in the Western Han Dynasty and had to move westward to the Amu Darya River Valley in Central Asia.Due to its geographical location just at the crossroads of the east-west and north-south arteries of the Silk Road, the Sogdians were mostly engaged in merchants and were a famous commercial nation.

Beginning in the Eastern Han Dynasty, a large number of Sogdian merchants moved to the Central Plains through trade routes. There were settlements in cities around the trade routes such as Chang’an, Taiyuan, Luoyang, and Hexi towns. Since most Sogdians believed in Zoroastrianism, there were also Zoroastrians in these cities. temple.

According to the records of the Tang Dynasty, in these Zoroastrian temples, "Businessmen prayed for blessings, cooked pigs and sheep, played pipa and flute, sang and danced drunkenly", but in fact these Zoroastrian temples also took on the role of exchanging information, mailing letters, Social and economic functions such as storing property, entrusting funerals, judicial representation, and even mailing money. For the Sogdians who are mainly engaged in business, these temples also have the functions of exchanges, banks, lawyers, and business stations. , the business network on which it depends will be devastated.Therefore, it is not surprising that once there is news of the Zoroastrian temple being destroyed, they would run around, looking for a channel that can lead directly to the upper floors to guard the temple.

"If you say that, it makes sense. Dare I ask, how much money are you willing to pay for this Zoroastrian temple?"

"Others don't know, but if it's our Cao family, we will not hesitate to destroy the family and defend the temple!"

"Destroy the family and guard the temple?" Wang Wenzuo looked at Cao Sengnu suspiciously. The businessman values ​​money the most. Isn't this guy talking big?
Cao Sengnu saw Wang Wenzuo's thoughts, and said in a deep voice: "Wang Canjun, in my opinion, no matter how much gold, silver, silk and silk are spent, the more you use the letter, the more you use it. If you can keep the Zun Temple, one hundred thousand The golden beads in the body can be obtained with a piece of paper, so why care about those tangible things?"

"Talent!" Wang Wenzuo looked at Cao Sengnu in surprise. Isn't what he said just now the embryonic form of credit currency?Since these Zoroastrian temples have the function of depositing property and mailing letterheads, one step forward is the issuance of bills of exchange, and one step forward of bills of exchange is banknotes, and banknotes are just one step away from credit currency.

No wonder some people say that long-distance trade is the mother of the financial industry. Indeed, in ancient society, only long-distance trade has the characteristics of large capital, high profit, high risk, long-term, and long-distance. Finance is needed to share risks and raise funds.Compared with the Han people who have always emphasized agriculture over business, these Sogdians do have inherent advantages in the financial industry.

"Brother Cao values ​​justice over profit, and Wang admires it!" Wang Wenzuo grabbed Cao Sengnu's arm: "You want to meet General Renshou, right? Everything is on me!"

After finishing speaking, he immediately took a pen and paper, wrote a thousand words eloquently, said a lot of good things for Cao Sengnu, and praised the Zoroastrian Temple for helping the poor and helping the poor, advocating the good and punishing the evil, and destroying it has a hundred harms but no benefits, and finally signed his name , and untied the precious sword that Jin Renwen gave to him, and handed it to Cao Sengnu: "This sword is a gift from General Renshou. You take this sword, and he will know it at a glance!"

"Yes, yes, thank you Wang Canjun!" Cao Sengnu hurriedly took the sword and letter, and looked at Wang Wenzuo in surprise and suspicion.He went to see Jin Renwen this time, but he didn't want the other party to live in seclusion, and Du's family didn't see any visitors. Later, he learned about Wang Wenzuo's line from his uncle, so he thought about giving it a try, but he didn't expect the other party to be so enthusiastic. He even gave himself the precious sword that Jin Renwen gave him, which made him a little scared.

"You're welcome, and I won't hide it from you. I'm also quite interested in this matter of merchants. From now on, we still need to get closer!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.

"Ah?" Cao Sengnu opened his mouth wide, secretly vigilant in his heart. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, all Chinese dynasties have regarded merchants as lowly businesses. This is also the reason why Sogdian merchants can develop so smoothly in the Central Plains. In Cao Sengnu's opinion Come on, if Wang Wenzuo and other "gentry-born" officials are interested in business affairs, they are probably people like Shi Chong who block the way and rob and steal.Wang Wenzuo didn't notice Cao Sengnu's thoughts at all when he said the rise.

"Grape, I mean apple apples, you should know that, right?"

"Of course I know, but I don't know why Wang Canjun said this?"

"This grape is a good thing. The wine produced has a unique flavor, which cannot be matched by other wines. People from Tang Dynasty, Baekje, Goguryeo, Mohe and Japanese all like it. By the way, Cao Sheer, do you like it?"

"Is it okay?"

"Just okay?"

"No, no? I like it, I like it very much!" Cao Sengnu hurriedly responded. He didn't know why Wang Wenzuo suddenly brought up the topic of wine, but he just did him a big favor, so he couldn't say a few words to flatter him.

"Cao She'er, let me ask you, what is the most important thing in this business?"

(End of this chapter)