Chapter 305 What can I teach you, brother?

All the feudal lords have offered real money to save the market, and the stock market has stabilized. However, the case of Caijiagou is very involved.

A large number of officials in Qian'an County and Yongping Prefecture were dismissed or demoted, and many officials were also dealt with in the capital.

Chen Rong, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, was demoted to Yongping Prefecture as the magistrate, and Chen Shiqing, the former magistrate, was demoted to Qian'an County as the magistrate.

Two months passed in a blink of an eye, and on this day, Zhu Qizhen had a sudden whim and wanted to visit Yongping Mansion.

The case of Caijiagou has a great impact on the New Deal. If it is not handled properly, it will be very difficult for Yongping Mansion to turn around.

As for Chen Rong, demoting him to Yongping Mansion is also to give him a chance to atone for his crimes. If he does well, he can return to Beijing. .

It is only a day's journey from the capital to Yongping Prefecture.

Chen Rong got the news and rushed to greet him.

As a result, they waited and waited, but they were in vain. It was only later that they found out that the emperor had arrived in Qian'an County for a private visit in a micro-service.

Chen Rong hurried again and came to the Qian'an county government office. Just as he saw the county magistrate Chen Shiqing was also shocked, as if he hadn't expected that the emperor would suddenly come to inspect the work.

After reading all kinds of files in Qian'an County, Zhu Qizhen asked, "It's not bad from the data point of view. What industries are the small and medium-sized workshops mainly concentrated in now?"

Chen Shiqing replied respectfully: "Back to the emperor, at present the most are brick and tile factories, cement factories, carpentry shops, and blacksmith shops."

Zhu Qizhen looked at the sky again. It was just past noon and there were at least two hours before sunset.

"You two put on your casual clothes and go out with me for a walk!"

Chen Rong was stunned immediately, and quickly persuaded: "Your Majesty, the ministers did not prepare in advance, and there are not many servants who can be mobilized right now. In case you encounter bad people and hurt your dragon body..."

Zhu Qizhen interrupted him: "You mean, the law and order in Yongping Mansion is extremely poor, and I will be in danger?"

"No, no... I never meant that!"

"Then what's the point, hurry up and change your clothes, let's go now!"

Zhu Qizhen did not go out with much fanfare this time, only Cao Nai, the chief assistant of the cabinet, and Fan Zhong, the commander of the guards, were by his side.

There is also Yuan Bin, who brought some secret whistles for protection.

Chen Shiqing led the way, and everyone walked along the embankment. From a distance, they saw chimneys emitting black smoke.

It turns out that this place is rich in clay, so many kilns were built.

Everyone came to the nearest kiln, and soon, a man dressed in a Confucian shirt and a scarf came to greet them in a hurry.

This person behaved politely, but after all, he was a little excited when he saw him, and said: "Student Xia Wenhui greets Sheng Gong!"

When Zhu Qizhen heard that this person claimed to be a student, he was a little surprised.

"Why, you are still a scholar?"

Xia Wenhui smiled and said: "It's ashamed to say that the student has studied hard for more than ten years, and he only got selected as a scholar, which is an insult to the lintel."

When Cao Nai heard the words insulting the lintel, he immediately became curious.

Although it is not a rare title to be a scholar, it can be regarded as a reputation after all, and such a person says that he has humiliated the lintel, which means that this person must be a descendant of a famous family.

So he stepped forward and asked, "Where is your ancestral home?"

"Master, the student's ancestral home is Changsha Mansion."

Cao Nai's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Changsha Mansion, surnamed Xia, are you a descendant of Grand Master Xia?"

Xia Wenhui still had a polite smile on his face, and replied, "Exactly."

The Taishi Xia that Cao Nai spoke of was Xia Yuanji, an important minister in the early Ming Dynasty.

This person is a Juren in the Hongwu period. He was recommended by his hometown to enter Taixue, and he was selected to be banned by Zhongshu Province. He experienced the Hongwu, Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, and Xuande Dynasties. .

It's no wonder that when Xia Wenhui mentioned that he was a scholar, he said with a face of shame that he had insulted the lintel.

Cao Nai showed a gratified smile, and said: "Mr. Cao has an article. I have read it and benefited it a lot. I didn't expect to meet his descendants here today."

Xia Wenhui said: "Our ancestors were important ministers of the court. My father was once the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple in Nanjing. It is extremely ashamed that he has learned nothing in the generation of students."

Zhu Qizhen didn't like to see their appearances, so he asked: "Xia Wenhui, you are from Changsha Mansion, why did you come to Yongping Mansion after running so far?"

Xia Wenhui replied respectfully: "Returning to the emperor, since the imperial court implemented the new policy, the students planned to abandon their studies and go into business. It happened that some fellow villagers were doing business in the capital, so they went out with them. Later, they talked about a marriage in Yongping Mansion. Since then And settled down at home."

Zhu Qizhen nodded, and asked again: "Is that kiln factory yours?"

Xia Wenhui said: "Exactly."

Chen Rong on the side shook his head again and again, Xia Yuanji was well-known, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a heir to the family of poems and books.

Now his grandson has opened a kiln factory here. This... is really an insult to the family. If Xia Yuanji is alive, he will die of anger.

Zhu Qizhen became interested, and continued to ask: "What does this kiln factory do?"

Xia Wenhui said truthfully: "The main thing is to burn bricks. Now that the population is increasing rapidly, many people need to build houses. In addition, there are also many projects in the county that need to use these bricks. Many newly built workshops and kilns are very important for bricks. The demand is also great. So the students recruited craftsmen here to set up this brick kiln!"

"The bricks produced by students are mainly red bricks. The firing of red bricks is more difficult than green bricks. It needs clay, shale, coal gangue and other raw materials. The advantage is that a large amount of coal gangue can be consumed, and the quality is not good. explain."

His tone was very calm, and he didn't seem to care about other people's eyes.

Obviously these days, he has seen this kind of strange look a lot.

Zhu Qizhen nodded, and let Xia Wenhui take him for a walk. The kiln factory occupies a large area, and a large amount of raw materials such as clay, coal gangue, and shale were brought in. Then the craftsmen began to crush and mix water to prepare Make mud, and then make adobes one by one with the tools of inverted mold.

The next step is firing. There is a chimney in the kiln, and the chimney is full of smoke. Once you enter the kiln, there will be a heat wave.

Zhu Qizhen turned around and asked again: "How many bricks can you burn here in a day?"

"Back to the emperor, the output of one kiln is 2 yuan, and the student here has two kilns, which is 4 yuan."

"Can they all be sold?"

"There is no need to worry about sales, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the supply exceeds the demand."

Zhu Qizhen became more and more interested, and asked again: "How much is the monthly profit?"

Xia Wenhui thought for a while, and then said: "The profit depends on the specific situation. There are many orders at present. After deducting the raw materials and labor costs every month, the net profit of each kiln can reach 500 taels of silver. Two kilns are 1000 taels."

Zhu Qizhen was secretly surprised, 1000 taels a month, wouldn't it be more than 1 taels in a year?
And it's all pure profit!

It's just burning a brick, but it's so profitable?
Suddenly, Zhu Qizhen had an idea, such a profitable business, is it possible that the imperial court also set up an official kiln...

Thinking of this, he asked involuntarily, "How much does your kiln cost to build?"

Xia Wenhui knew everything: "Actually, there are not many. The main reason is to apply for land from the county. The county does not sell land, but only rents it. For example, the monthly rent of this kiln here is 100 taels. Not too much. As for the cost of building the kiln, it’s not that big, within 1000 taels, it can definitely be built, and the main cost is the monthly salary of the workers.”

"As long as the kiln is built, the rest will be easy to handle. Of course, this business will last for a long time, after all, it depends on quality and credit. Brick kilns are not difficult to do business. The threshold is very low, and word of mouth is particularly important."

While talking, I saw him pick up a stacked red brick casually.

"The bricks here are all labeled with names. Because of the good quality, word of mouth has spread. Many people are in demand for bricks. There are not other kilns nearby, but most of them are still willing to come to students to buy bricks. .”

Zhu Qizhen took a closer look and found that there were inscriptions on the brick, which were obviously carved in the brick mold when the adobe was made.

"In this way, if your kiln continues to expand in scale, you must make a fortune!"

Xia Wenhui smiled and said: "Your majesty is joking, if the business is to be expanded in the future, students will no longer build brick kilns. Although the selling price of red bricks is higher than that of blue bricks, the profit is meager after all, and there are too many brick kilns now. The students here have already trained a group of potters, and if they build kilns again, they may try to make ceramics."

Zhu Qizhen listened, and said with a smile: "There are clouds in the art of war, soldiers are impermanent, and water is impermanent. The same is true in business. You can't always stick to one method. You are doing well. I am afraid that you will make a lot of money in the future." Silver. As the saying goes, if you are poor, you will be good for yourself, and if you are rich, you will benefit the world. When you become rich in the future, remember to take care of the local people."

Xia Wenhui hurriedly saluted: "According to the auspicious words of the emperor, the students should do their best."

As soon as Zhu Qizhen spoke, where his eyes fell, he saw a waterwheel standing far away along the river.

"You still have a waterwheel here?"

Xia Wenhui replied, "It's mainly for drawing water."

Now Zhu Qizhen is very interested in these folk tools, so he stepped forward to look carefully, and then said: "This waterwheel is not good, it is too old."

At this time, Chen Shiqing, the county magistrate, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is right. This is a waterwheel from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and it is still in use today."

Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and said: "The root of the waterwheel lies in the shaft. Does your waterwheel often need to be repaired, especially the shaft, which is easy to break. Not only that, but the propeller fan also needs to be replaced frequently."

Xia Wenhui looked surprised, and said, "Yes, yes, that's it!"

Zhu Qizhen looked at Chen Shiqing and asked, "Are all the waterwheels here like this?"

Chen Shiqing nodded: "Basically the same."

"Go back to the Academy of Sciences, find Belin, and ask him to send someone to remodel you."

"This...isn't necessary..."

Chen Shiqing suddenly felt overwhelmed. What kind of place is the Academy of Sciences? It specializes in the study of new technologies and methods. Wouldn't it be overkill for someone to modify the waterwheel?

Zhu Qizhen is very serious: "If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools. The efficiency of production tools is very important. Why is it unnecessary?"

These words may be confusing to others, but Xia Wenhui understands them.

Better tools can bring greater output and lower costs. People who do not run workshops will say such words, but these words are actually only used to talk and talk with others. In the debate, only those who have actually run a workshop can deeply understand the weight of this sentence.

At this time, with a solemn expression, he looked at Zhu Qizhen with admiration, and he couldn't help sighing secretly, how could this emperor understand everything?

Chen Shiqing didn't dare to refuse any more, and said: "I will go tomorrow!"

It's getting late, so the investigation will come to an end.

Behind Zhu Qizhen, Chen Rong, who had been neglected all this time, glanced at the smoking brick kiln, snorted disdainfully, and seemed to be talking to himself: "If Master Xia knows that his descendants are here , talk all day long, if you are ashamed, you will be ashamed to death."

Chen Rong is different from Xia Wenhui, he was born as a Jinshi, let alone a scholar, even if he is a scholar, he can't get into his eyes.

Seeing that the emperor valued a talented merchant so much, he felt dissatisfied suddenly.

He used to be a heavenly official of the Ministry of Officials, but was demoted here to be a magistrate. He was already full of resentment, but now his status is even worse than that of a merchant. Is there any reason?
You know, I am a scholar-bureaucrat with a strong root, what is a scholar-bureaucrat?
Scholar-bureaucrat is not just a profession, but a sacred embodiment!
These people monopolize public opinion, they also monopolize power, and at the same time, they also monopolize morality.

That is to say, when a group has mastered public opinion and power, they have their own moral standards after holding public opinion and power.

For example, what kind of person is noble and what kind of person is noble.

Therefore, Chen Rong's sharp words almost drove Xia Wenhui directly to the lowest level of morality.

Xia Wenhui stopped, whether this sentence was light or not, he just heard it.

He turned his head and glanced at Chen Rong.

Chen Rong's face was full of disdain, even if he was demoted to the magistrate, it was not comparable to an ordinary businessman.

That strong sense of superiority was already evident on his face.

If other people are scolded, they will either smile awkwardly, or walk away in shame with their heads down. After all, they are the magistrates, and they think highly of you by scolding you.

But Xia Wenhui is different. What is a magistrate?
His grandfather was the dignified Minister of the Household Department, a veteran of the Five Dynasties, and was chased by the court as a grand master.

His father was the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple in Nanjing.

The Xia family is a veritable family of gentry. How can people who come from such a family swallow their anger?

Therefore, he suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice, "Dare to ask this lord, what can I teach you?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the temperament of a scholar came out.

When Zhu Qizhen heard the movement, he looked back curiously, why did he suddenly start arguing?

I saw Chen Rong's face was dark, and in front of him, Xia Wenhui was neither humble nor overbearing, looking at him.

In fact, Xia Wenhui didn't know the magistrate. On weekdays, the biggest official he had ever met was the county magistrate.

Today, when he saw the attitude of the magistrate Chen Shiqing towards this person, he knew in his heart that this person must be a high-ranking official.

But so what?
The emperor didn't say anything, so why are you pointing fingers at me and ridiculing me?
(End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like