Rule over Ming Dynasty

Kong Ju's eyes seemed to be spitting fire as he glared at Wu Sanlang fiercely.

Although the other party's financial resources are indeed stronger than his own, his ancestors were just selling sesame cakes. Such a nouveau riche is not even worthy of carrying shoes for the Kong family.

What about now? This upstart dared to openly offend him and actually protected these two people of unknown origin.

"Kong Ju, please make way for my two distinguished guests!" Wu Sanlang sensed the threat in Kong Ju's eyes, but stated his position without fear.

This luxurious teahouse was actually quite spacious, and the two young men could have gone around it, but Wu Sanlang asked Kong Ju to make way for the two young men to pass.

It is not difficult to see from these words that Wu Sanlang attaches great importance to these two mysterious young men. At least he is willing to offend the 62nd generation grandson of Confucius in order to please these two mysterious young men.

The guests present were all smart people. They immediately realized that these two mysterious young men seemed to have some background, and Wu Sanlang might know their background.

But some people just shook their heads slightly. Wu Sanlang didn't have much contact with these two mysterious young men, at least they had basically no intersection in public.

Kong Ju was no longer able to think calmly at this moment. He immediately raised his index finger and said angrily, "Wu Sanlang, we'll see!"

Originally, he didn't take anyone seriously. Now, not only did the two young men not give him face, but an upstart whose ancestors sold sesame cakes actually threatened him, making him on the brink of exploding.

If it were in Qufu area, he would definitely take extraordinary measures to make sure these three people never see the sun tomorrow.

Boom!
When leaving, Kong Ju saw an exquisite red jade ornament in front of the door. He immediately picked up the red jade ornament in anger and smashed it to the ground.

This……

The distinguished guests present looked at each other in bewilderment at this scene.

Although they were also very curious about the identities of the two mysterious young men, they would respect their personal wishes. However, they did not expect that the 62nd generation grandson of Confucius would be so uncultured.

It was said that many of those present were nouveau riche, but this 62nd generation grandson of Confucius looked more like a rough guy.

"Haha... a tiger son of a general, a dog son of a saint, his 62nd generation grandson of the Kong family is the worst of the worst!" A sturdy middle-aged man made a ruthless comment as he watched Kong Ju angrily throw things and leave.

Although Confucius is revered by people all over the world, his descendants, far from inheriting the saint's good genes, are worse than the previous generation and always do evil things by relying on their status as descendants of Confucius.

Kong Hongxu, Duke of Yansheng and the 62nd generation grandson of Kong Ju, illegally tortured and raped more than 40 women in Shandong, and strangled four innocent people to death.

Such beastly behavior came from the descendants of Confucius, and this is just one example.

This is exactly the case. Although many scholars love the descendants of Confucius, they do not have a good reputation among ordinary people.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all just now! To show my humility, I have to take out my treasures from many years today!" Wu Sanlang ignored Kong Ju who was leaving and immediately began to host the tea party.

"Haha... this is a blessing in disguise!"

"This metaphor is inappropriate, but it seems there is still so much to say!"

"Mr. Wu is a famous tea collector, but I wonder what kind of tea he will bring out this time?"

……

The guests present knew that Takesabu-chan loved tea very much and they were always amazed by the tea he prepared. Now that they learned that he was going to take out his treasures, their eyes lit up.

"I have sent someone back to the room to get tea, but we are talking business here! The fur business has become increasingly saturated, and I have gained some popularity over the years. I wonder if there are any business opportunities in the country?" Wu Sanlang seemed to be a man who would not get up early without profit, and he also raised his dilemma.

Although fur is a very good business, more and more people are now involved in it, especially since he has learned that the imperial court may launch an immigration campaign.

After all, the domestic demand for fur is limited, and the current business is obviously not as profitable as it was in the early days. In addition, he has accumulated a large amount of cash, so he wants to make new industrial investments in the country.

According to past experience, textile factories are a business that is sure to make money, but this business has spread across the coastal cities of the Ming Dynasty, and it is almost impossible to make a profit again.

"If you want to invest in domestic industry, then you should naturally invest in the steel industry!" A little old man sipped his tea and expressed his own views.

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately echoed by several people around.

Wu Sanlang knew that the other party was a shrewd businessman, so he immediately asked humbly: "Mr. Lu, why do you say that?"

"Our Ming Dynasty has formulated a basic national policy to build a strong transportation country. Railways are now being built in various places. Moreover, new-style buildings now require steel. There will be no problem with the sales of steel in the next ten years!" Mr. Lu said with great confidence.

The other person was slightly moved, but still asked in confusion: "Is it too late to enter now?"

"Haha... We fur merchants have always been known to be getting rich nouveau riche, but the domestic fur market is only worth a few hundred thousand silver dollars. But do you know how much the Ministry of Revenue spent on purchasing steel last year?" Mr. Lu blew away the hot steam from the teacup and asked a question.

The people present looked at each other in bewilderment, having never known the data in this regard: "Mr. Lu, how many are there?"

"Five million silver dollars!" Mr. Lu took a sip of hot tea and reported a number.

As soon as these words were spoken, the people around them gasped. This was ten times the value of the fur trade.

Mr. Lu put down the teacup in his hand and looked at the surprise of the people present: "These five million silver dollars may seem like a lot, but we all underestimate the domestic transportation demand! Take the Beijing-Tianjin Railway as an example. Now the annual operating income is already two million taels. Not only has it already earned back the investment of that year, but it has also become the biggest golden egg. Now the market of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway has reached 10 million silver dollars!"

Not to mention the distinguished guests present, even the young man named Zheng who had been a bystander cast a shocked look.

Just at this moment, Takesaburo's tea was served.

"Mr. Lu, this is my treasure. Are you satisfied with it?" Wu Sanlang was already attracted by the steel industry, and immediately returned the favor with enthusiasm.

Mr. Lu was a little old man in his fifties, and he was a bit mysterious. “This Longjing tea is really top-grade. Do you need to make it so mysterious?”

The guests present were all tea lovers. They immediately came forward to watch, but soon showed disappointment.

This oolong tea is certainly not bad, it is indeed top quality, but it is still a little different from their expectations. After all, they did not expect that Wu Sanlang's collection would be of this quality.

"This tea comes from the village of the Tea Princess, and..." Wu Sanlang saw the reactions of the distinguished guests present, but suddenly smiled mysteriously and said.

Mr. Lu's eyes widened, as if he wanted something and said, "When the emperor went to the south of the Yangtze River, it was mentioned in his imperial writing that this is the best tea tree in the West Lake?" When Hongzhi went to the south of the Yangtze River to promote the order to abolish silver, when he arrived at the last stop in Hangzhou, he went to Han Youying's village specifically because of his concubine Han Youying.

On a whim, I wrote a poem for a tea tree growing on a rock: "It holds fast to the green mountain, its roots are in the broken rock. It remains strong despite thousands of blows, no matter which direction the wind blows."

The value of that strangely shaped tea tree soared and it became the most valuable tea in the entire Ming Dynasty and was also known as the best tree tea in the world.

Although the tea from this tea tree does not taste top-notch, with the empowerment of Emperor Hongzhi, it has become the world's best tea.

"Mr. Lu, you are really knowledgeable! This tea has a unique taste. I got some of it from my eldest brother. It may be difficult to get this tea again in the future!" Wu Sanlang gave an affirmative answer, revealing a trace of reluctance at the same time.

Since Emperor Hongzhi is deeply loved by the world, people are now imitating Zhu Youtang's actions.

Because Emperor Hongzhi ate grilled fish, grilled fish restaurants have become a popular food in China. Because Emperor Hongzhi loved fishing, fishing is now the number one sport in China.

When Emperor Hongzhi went to the south of the Yangtze River, although it cost a lot of money, it actually stimulated a huge consumer market, and people in the south of the Yangtze River were eager to imitate the emperor's diet.

"Hahaha...we're in for a treat!"

"I have been looking to buy it for a long time, but the price is too high!"

"I'm not afraid of the high price, but I'm worried that I might buy a fake product!"

……

The enthusiasm of nearly thirty distinguished guests present was ignited. In front of the tea produced from the tea trees that the emperor once highly praised, everything else was nothing.

Although a tea party is about tasting tea, it is actually mainly about chatting, especially business exchanges.

Nearly thirty people present were all businessmen who earned a lot of money through trade. They could be said to be the people who stood at the forefront of the Ming Dynasty's opening up to the outside world.

After learning the origin of Longjing tea, the young man named Zheng was worried that he would not get a share, so he took the initiative to come over and want to taste the Longjing tea that the emperor had praised and tasted.

"My dear little brother, I think we have met somewhere before?" After drinking the Emperor's Tea happily, Mr. Lu suddenly squinted his eyes and looked at the young man named Zheng.

The young man named Zheng had a faint smile on his face, but he shook his head slightly to deny it.
"No, although I am forgetful, I think we must have met somewhere. Excuse me, may I ask your name?" Mr. Lu looked at the facial features of the young man named Zheng carefully and said with certainty.

The people present were very interested in the young man named Zheng, and couldn't help but secretly admire Mr. Lu's indirect approach.

The young man surnamed Zheng still had a smile on his face, but he uttered two words softly: "Zheng Hua"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.

Zheng Hua, this is an extremely common name, it seems that there are countless Zheng Huas in the Ming Dynasty. The key is that the other party's voice is very sharp, obviously a eunuch.

The current Emperor Hongzhi clearly prefers eunuchs when it comes to the selection of candidates for the Governor-General's Offices in the oceans.

As early as the beginning of his accession to the throne, in order to seize military power from the Empress Dowager, he sent twelve eunuchs to take over the twelve battalions under the pretext of preventing a coup d'etat.

It was when the Twelve Riders appeared that the situation in the capital changed instantly, and it was also the real moment when Emperor Hongzhi came to power.

Although the emperor initially appointed Xu Shiying, the son of the noble Duke Dingguo, as the Governor-General of Donghai, the subsequent Governors-General of Nanyang, the Indian Ocean, and the Americas were all eunuchs.

The current Governor-General of America is Zheng Yong, and he has his own helpers around him, including eunuchs from the palace sent by the emperor himself.

Eunuchs in the country may be insignificant, but eunuchs who can be sent overseas by His Majesty must be of great importance. Even if they are not close to the emperor, they are also people that the Governor-General of America relies on.

That's right. When this young eunuch opened his mouth, everyone took him seriously, knowing that he was someone they could not afford to offend, or at least they could not provoke him.

"It turns out to be Eunuch Zheng. Please forgive me, my eyes are indeed blurry!" Mr. Lu realized that he had recognized the wrong person and quickly apologized.

Zheng Hua kept smiling and shook his head gently: "It doesn't matter! I just heard you say that we can return to the capital comfortably by sailing north. What's going on?"

"Of course it's because we have railways in the Ming Dynasty!" Mr. Lu said proudly when he heard this.

The young man who called himself Yuanzhou suddenly blurted out: "The Beijing-Tumen Railway has been completed?"

"The little brother seems to be no ordinary person!" Mr. Lu knew that the young man who called himself Yuanzhou had left the Ming Dynasty for several years, and he couldn't help but look at him deeply.

The Ming Dynasty is changing with each passing day. Even people who have left for a few years will feel unfamiliar when they return to the Ming Dynasty.

When railways were springing up everywhere, the railway from Beijing to the Northeast had been completed, and the terminus of the Northeast was the Tumen River port.

This port is located in the northwest of the Sea of ​​Japan. If their Dongwang lands here, they can take a steam train directly to Beijing.

Just when everyone was having fun, the sound of footsteps was heard outside.

Kong Ju returned and led the deputy captain in from outside. He suddenly pointed at Zheng Hua and Yuan Zhou and said, "Captain Li, these two people with unknown origins must be Inca spies. Please arrest them!"

This……

When the people present heard this criticism, they couldn't help but look at each other.

If we say that the greatest pain suffered by the Ming Dynasty overseas was undoubtedly the Inca Empire, the American general Su Can became greedy and led his subordinates to replace the Inca emperor and crowned himself as the new generation of emperor.

Later, the throne was passed to his son Su Ren, who was also a very courageous emperor. While continuing to expand the territory, he also severed ties with the Ming Dynasty by closing the country to the outside world.

However, Su Ren and several of the crowned kings were born in China after all. In recent years, there have been rumors that they wanted to contact their relatives in China, and even tried to bring their relatives to the Inca Empire to enjoy the good life together.

Take the Northern King Liu Tao as an example. Through layers of operations, when the route between Tianjin and Daming City in America was opened, he actually sent his wife and children to the Inca Empire, which also became a hidden pain for the Ming Dynasty.

Now Kong Ju accused the two men of being Inca spies and wanted to kill them. (End of this chapter)