I studied in modern times

Chapter 716 Zhao Xu: Making money is the most important thing
Li Erhu followed the servants of the Tian residence to the back room and paid his respects to the old man Taishan.

When he got up and looked around, he saw that the room was already full of merchants.

They were all cloth merchants in the city of Bianjing, and many of them were well-known figures.

His Taishan, Tian Qi, the head of the Bian Jing Cloth Shop Guild and the owner of the Tianjia Cloth Shop, the largest cloth merchant in Bian Jing City, sat at the top.

"My dear son-in-law is here..." Tian Qi is only about ten years older than Li Erhu. He looks quite wealthy, but his eyes are quite shrewd.

He smiled and said to Li Erhu, "My dear son-in-law, please come closer and talk."

"Yes!" Li Erhu stepped forward nervously and asked in a low voice, "Master Taishan, I am looking for my son-in-law to come to your house. Do you have any errands?"

Tian Qi said: "There is an important matter. I and the gentlemen present here are worried about it. We need to find a trustworthy person to handle it..."

"After much thought, I and the other gentlemen all believe that my son-in-law is loyal and reliable and will definitely be able to take on this important task!"

He narrowed his eyes and asked softly, "I just wonder if my dear son-in-law is willing to contribute to my Bianjing Cloth Shop Guild?"

Li Erhu suddenly came to his senses, and felt a chill on his neck. He immediately bowed and said, "My son-in-law is just a poor man, and he is always dull. I am afraid that he is not capable of taking on such a big responsibility!"

Every guild in the city of Bianjing is ruthless.

These guilds monopolized the market and controlled the food, clothing and daily lives of the people in Bianliang.

Even Kaifeng Prefecture had to give some face to the major guilds and consult with them on many issues.

Although he was not in danger of being controlled by others, he did not dare to offend them easily.

How can such a guild be good?

How can it be!

Of those who died from falling into the Bian River in the city of Bianjing every year, how many of them really fell by mistake?
No one can tell.

But the mighty Bian River is indeed an ideal place to kill people and dispose of bodies.

In Kaifeng Prefecture alone, there are hundreds of unidentified corpses reported found in the Bian River every year.

There are countless more that were swept away by the Bian River, drifted downstream, and even fed to fish and shrimp.

Tian Qi listened to Li Erhu's excuses, but he was not angry. He still spoke softly, "Don't be afraid, my dear son-in-law!"

"I am going to give you a huge fortune and a virtuous son-in-law..."

The others present echoed, “Yes, yes!”

"Nephew Erhu grew up under our care and is as kind to us as a family member! For matters of wealth and honor, we can only trust Nephew Erhu!"

The more these people said this, the more scared Li Erhu became.

I just felt that the place where I was was not a wing room at all.

But it was the tiger cave in the wilderness.

The owners of the cloth shop guild who were sitting there were like big insects with bloody mouths opened wide, drooling at him, wanting to eat him!
Just as he was about to decline, Tian Qi said, "My dear son-in-law, please don't rush to refuse. Let me talk to you..."

Li Erhu swallowed his saliva, and couldn't refuse, so he could only say: "I am willing to listen to Taishan's advice."

Tian Qi asked, "When you came, did you see those looms in the yard?"

Li Erhu cupped his hands and said, "Report this to Taishan. My son-in-law has seen it."

Tian Qi then slowly said: "That loom is not an ordinary loom! It is called 'Grandmother's Cart'. The emperor of the current dynasty ordered the Military Equipment Bureau to make it specially for the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday celebrations as a national gift to celebrate her birthday on Kuncheng Festival!"

"It is said that in order to build this car, Shen Kuo, who specialized in making military equipment, extracted a remarkable truth from the profound teachings of the saints."

"Then, with this principle in mind, we gathered skilled craftsmen, went through countless hardships, and spent countless amounts of money before we finally built this 'Grandmother Chariot'!"

This is also the current official statement.

The emperor was extremely filial, and in order to show his filial piety, he ordered Shen Kuo to create an instrument that was "unprecedented", "beneficial to the country and the people", and "worthy of Kunde" as a gift for Kuncheng Festival.

Shen Kuo, following the sage's principle of "investigating things to acquire knowledge", summoned skilled craftsmen to create the "Taimu Chariot" in a bureau that specialized in manufacturing military equipment, and presented it to the emperor before the Kuncheng Festival.

The emperor was overjoyed when he saw it, and exclaimed, "This is exactly what I wanted!"

After watching the spinning process on the Taimu wheel, he said with emotion: "With this Taimu wheel, there will be no more difficult yarn to spin in the world!"

"The Empress Dowager Kunde will surely sprinkle rain over the nine states with this chariot, so that all women in the world will be blessed with rain and dew!"

To be honest, I didn't believe this official statement at first.

What is Taimu car?

It looks weird, what good can it do?
At least the ministers who received the gift, both civil and military, regarded the imperial spinning wheel as a sacred object. They enshrined it in their own ancestral halls and used it as a decoration to embellish the family's glory.

Until these past few days...

Things started to change.

Tian Qi paused and continued, "I, Taishan, have also been blessed by the imperial court, and the two palaces have treated me with favor, and have been granted two imperial carriages..."

"I, an old man, have the audacity to borrow these two imperial carriages from Taishan."

"Looking at what they can do, it is truly miraculous. One person with one wheel can spin in one day the same amount of yarn that would have taken four or five weavers two or three days to spin in the past!"

"The yarn it spins is thin, long, strong and usable. It is indeed top-quality yarn!"

When Li Erhu heard this, he was already trembling.

Because he knew what his father-in-law Tian Qi wanted him to do?
As expected, Tian Qi said, "My dear son-in-law, this is the overwhelming wealth I talked about with you!"

"You can take this cart back home, my dear son-in-law. Have someone disassemble it, examine it carefully, and then make a similar cart... and use it to spin yarn and weave cloth..."

"In this way, the son-in-law will surely make a lot of money!"

"My colleagues in the Bian Jing Cloth Shop Guild will be able to continue their business because of this!"

Li Erhu's body began to tremble.

He was trembling with fear and was about to refuse when Tian Qi coughed lightly a few times.

Then, several sturdy figures appeared at the door of the wing room.

These people bowed collectively: "We will listen to the orders of the host!"

Li Erhu broke out in cold sweat just by listening to these people's voices.

Because he recognized these voices, they were all the desperate criminals kept by Tian Qi.

Many of them were even the dragons who crossed the river and came to Bianliang from the mountains of Shang and Luo last year.

In the past, these people robbed and killed people in the mountains and did not take the government seriously at all.

Now that he has come to Bian Jing, it is like a vicious dragon running into a small pond.

The heroes who were originally in the city of Bianjing were instantly beaten by these vicious bandits to the point where they could not take care of themselves.

Li Erhu raised his head and looked at Tian Qi pitifully.

Tian Qi smiled and said, "My dear son-in-law, I'm not trying to embarrass you."

"This kind of secret cannot be spread to others, otherwise there may be disaster for the whole family!"

"Therefore, please forgive me, my dear son-in-law!"

He stood up, and his whole demeanor suddenly changed.

"Now that my dear son-in-law knows about this, he can no longer refuse!"

"otherwise……"

"I can only learn from the Marquis Wu who shed tears and executed Ma Su!"

The Bian Jing Xin Bao's edition of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms on the first day of the first lunar month had the following chapter titles: Ma Su refused to advise and lost the city of Jieting; Wu Hou played the zither to ward off Zhongda.

There are two famous scenes in one chapter.

Zhuge Liang executed Ma Su with tears in his eyes and used the empty city plan to scare Sima Yi away.

As a result, in the city of Bianjing, everyone from high-ranking officials to peddlers were discussing and talking about it.

The fastest-reacting site, Wa Si, even started to arrange operas. It immediately caused a sensation and gained the first wave of traffic.

But it was precisely because of this that the introduction and praise of cotton cloth in the Bian Jing Xin Bao the next day caused such a huge response!

This was Song Dynasty’s first advertisement, and a series of large-scale brainwashing advertisements, and the effect was surprisingly good.

Therefore, the story of executing Ma Su with tears and the empty city plan are now known to everyone in Bianliang City, including women and children.

Li Erhu understood immediately.

This is a trap. Whether he comes or not, listens or not, he can't escape it.

Because the guild leader and other important figures have already chosen him.

Because he is only good at business, but he does not have a strong background and no reliable backers.

At the same time, he is also a member of the guild, and his wife, children, and parents are all under the control of these people. They are not afraid that he will make trouble, and they are even less afraid that he will be dishonest! But...

but……

This Taimu chariot was an imperial gift bestowed by the emperor.

and……

According to Tian Qi, it seems that the cloth in the cloth shop of Lingjinyuan is now all woven with the yarn spun by Taimu.

What do people think of the current officials?
Quite similar to the wise rulers of Han and Tang dynasties!
And the official of the time also proved this with facts.

Anyone who offends him, even if he is a figure like Wenquxing, will be demoted to a remote military state!
Yaojun Wuchen, kill him if I say so!

The noble families will have their property confiscated if they say so!
Even the sons of the emperor's relatives and prime ministers were sent to the Imperial College, ostensibly to "be influenced by the teachings of the sages again."

In fact, it is house arrest or even confinement!

But even though he did these things, the families of the people involved had to sing praises to the emperor for his benevolence and generosity and thank God for his grace.

and so……

If Li Erhu violates taboos, he will offend the majesty of heaven.

That day the emperor was angry...

According to the storytellers in Wazili, blood was flowing and millions of corpses were lying on the ground!
I'm afraid his parents, wife, children, brothers and sisters will all die without a burial place.

Even relatives and friends of the clan might be implicated, and would not be able to take the imperial examinations or serve as officials for three generations.

He was even exiled to a distant state or to Lingnan!
It's true that if you hide your head, you will be cut by the sword; if you stick your head out, you will also be cut

Tian Qi looked at Li Erhu and said nothing. He was annoyed: "My dear son-in-law, you are so rich and powerful now, why are you so timid?"

"This isn't like you!"

As he said this, he walked forward and patted Li Erhu on the shoulder: "What difficulties do you have, my dear son-in-law? Just tell me!"

"As long as I can do it, I will definitely do it for my son-in-law!"

Li Erhu swallowed his saliva. He really didn't want to get involved in such a disaster.

But he had no choice!

People are under the eaves and have to bow their heads!
He knew that if he refused, his wife, children and parents might not even be able to survive tonight.

He could only look sad and say, "I feel ashamed to receive Taishan's kindness. I will do my best to live up to his reputation!"

"Good son-in-law!" Tian Qi laughed: "You are indeed my good son-in-law!"

"Don't worry, dear son-in-law." Tian Qi said, "I have invited your wife, children and parents to my house and have asked someone to take good care of them."

"I am just waiting for my good son-in-law to accomplish this great task, and then I will take them back to enjoy happiness!"

……

Zhao Xu leaned against the soft couch in the quiet room of Funing Palace, half-closed his eyes, and listened to Shi Deyi's report.

"Everyone, Tong Guan reported that he has found out the details of the Malabo Kingdom!"

When Zhao Xu heard this, he sat up straight and asked, "How is it?"

"I would like to inform you that Tong Guan sent someone to approach the Srivijaya interpreter accompanying the envoys from Malapa. The interpreter said that this was indeed a delegation from Malapa."

"Why did they want to come to the Song Dynasty to pay tribute?" Zhao Xu asked.

In his previous life, in the third year of Yuanyou, an envoy from the Kingdom of Malabo arrived in Bian Jing for the first time and paid tribute to the Song Dynasty. In fact, it was a commercial delegation that came under the guise of paying tribute to seek to establish commercial and trade relations with the Song Dynasty.

"It is said that the news of Prime Minister Zhang's expedition to Jiaozhi last year was spread to the country of Malabo through merchants from Champa and Zhenla. The ruler of that country learned about the Great Song Dynasty and that it was the Celestial Empire...so he admired our dynasty and sent envoys to pay tribute!"

Zhao Xu chuckled.

I didn't believe a single word of Shi Deyi's translation.

Because Zhao Xu knew what kind of behemoth was behind the Malabo Kingdom!
It was a great empire spanning Asia and Europe!
The so-called Black Caliphate by the Tang people is the Abbasid Dynasty in modern history!

Its exchanges with China began a long time ago, but came to a temporary halt when the Silk Road was cut off.

Although the current Abbasid dynasty is riddled with problems, the so-called caliph has long been sidelined and reduced to a puppet.

Such a huge empire was torn into pieces, with various forces coming and going, one after another.

However, the Black Caliphate dynasty had one characteristic - it attached great importance to business!
Even now, the warlords in the country are acting independently and the country is in chaos. The Abbasid dynasty is as chaotic as the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

However, these forces are unanimous in their emphasis on external affairs, especially on commercial trade routes to the East.

So, there must be a deeper motive.

Zhao Xu held his chin and recalled some things.

Things from his previous life.

He remembered that in the third year of Yuanyou, envoys from the Malabo Kingdom came.

In the third year after the envoys from the Malabo Kingdom returned, in the sixth year of Yuanyou, the envoys from the Fulin Kingdom came to pay homage.

The so-called Florentine Empire, Byzantium, and Eastern Rome are them.

So the question is, why did the Byzantines and the Arabs come to the Song Dynasty one after another?
Related to the world pattern and changes.

The corners of Zhao Xu's mouth slightly lifted, and he murmured in modern Mandarin: "I remember... the Crusades!"

Ten years later, the First Crusade was launched.

The stars, the moon and Christ will begin a two hundred year long battle in Jerusalem.

But before that, the European countries had already begun the Crusades in their own countries.

If Zhao Xu remembered correctly, this period of history was called the "Reconquista" by people on the European continent.

It is certain that before the Crusades, the European countries would first wipe out the Arab strongholds that hindered their eastward expedition.

Therefore, a decisive battle must have taken place or is about to take place in Europe in the next few years.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xu did not study much of the history of the Western Middle Ages.

As for the Crusaders, I have played the game and know a few things about them.

that is it.

However, he immediately laughed at himself and said, "Even if I knew, what can I do?"

How many miles apart are we?

Even if you want to stir up trouble, it's beyond your reach!
and so……

Let’s make money first!

Making money is the most important thing!

Let these wars take place thousands of miles away.

So Zhao Xu picked up the pen and wrote the imperial edict in this quiet room: Instruct the Ministry of Rites and other relevant officials to provide convenience to the envoys of the Kingdom of Malabo and allow them to trade with merchants at the Duting Posthouse.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Xu continued to instruct: Order Kaifeng Prefecture to send people to strengthen the surveillance of overseas countries in Duting Post Station, and prevent the envoys of overseas countries and their entourage from having the possibility of coming into contact with Chinese laws and regulations and tea and silkworm seeds.

He also ordered Jia Zhongmin and Zhang Yu to send people to check the gifts and commercial goods of the envoys from various countries before they returned to ensure that no prohibited items were found.

Although Zhao Xu is a person who supports free trade, recognizes the market economy, and agrees that science has no borders.

but……

In his eyes, free trade means I am free and you trade.

The market economy in his mind is that your market is mine, but my market is still mine.

The science he supports has no borders, which means that foreign science and resources have no borders.
If it were the Song Dynasty's turn, it would be absolutely unacceptable.

After all, the Song Dynasty really did have silkworm seeds and tea trees that were golden gooses.

Since the Han Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties have been the same as Zhao Xu.

Tea seeds and silkworm seeds are strictly protected.

Foreign diplomatic missions coming to China will be subject to strict restrictions and can only operate under the supervision of the government.

When they leave the country, they need to be strictly checked.

Classics and books are the most important among them!
If it was not granted by the emperor, then the delegation would not be able to take away even a piece of paper when leaving the country!
After writing this, Zhao Xu handed the Yuan Dynasty paper to Shi Deyi and said, "Take it and send it to Kaifeng Prefecture. Tell Cai Jing and others to act according to your order."

Well, doing business and exchanging what we have, Zhao Xu welcomes it.

However, outsiders are not allowed to take away any of China’s classics, especially those related to science and technology, as well as various economic crops unique to China!
Of course, the classics of sages such as Confucius and Mencius are not restricted.

But the question is, apart from the countries in the East Asian cultural circle, who wants these things?

(End of this chapter)