Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 215 Things in Zhejiang
That night, Xu Xinlan came to see Lin Hai, and the two of them sat down in the signing room.

"Dong Weng, have you brought the money that Mr. Pan Du and Mr. Li asked for?" Xu Xinlan asked hurriedly when she came up. It seemed that she had been a little anxious recently.

The two people he was talking about were Pan Ruzhen, the governor of Zhejiang, and Li Shi, the weaver of Suhang. The two people asked Lin Hai for bribes under the guise of celebrating his 9,000th birthday. Wei Zhongxian's birthday was on the 30th of the first lunar month, and now he only has half of his body left. It’s been months.

"Don't worry, Master Xu. Since I said I would give it to you, I will naturally give it to you..."

Lin Hai had already replied to Xu Xinlan, saying that he would bring money to Zhoushan after the new year. He continued: "It's just that this money cannot be given in vain. Mr. Pan Du has to do something for me."

"Dong Weng, Master Pandu is the governor of a province after all. Is he afraid that we can't negotiate terms?"

"Of course I know this..."

Lin Hai sat on the Taishi's chair, holding a tea bowl and said slowly: "In this case, you tell him that Lin discovered a large gold mine overseas and wants to recruit 50,000 people from various coastal prefectures in Zhejiang to mine, and ask him to do it for him. I’ll just make it easier, this should be okay, right?”

Chongming's immigration recruitment process has been going on for several months. By the end of last year, a total of more than 6,000 households had been recruited, which was still more than 3,000 households short of the path drawn by Shen Tingyang. Now the number of people signing up is obviously much lower.

"Dong Weng, I'm afraid I need to give you some more benefits." Xu Xinlan pondered for a moment before replying.

Of course, he is not really trying to be a big name. Mainly after the 80th chapter, it will basically be unfinished. His newspaper cannot be run for the time being, so he has to keep some good stuff, otherwise wouldn't he be scolded?

"Look at your potential. If you can't offend her, why can't you hide from her?" Lin Hai cursed with a smile, and then said, "There is nothing going on here in Zhejiang. I plan to send you to Nanjing."

"Master Xu, anyway, you know my purpose, which is to recruit a large number of immigrants from the various prefectures along the coast of Zhejiang. This matter must be done by Mr. Pan Du to inform the officials of each prefecture. Just do it for me. It’s up to you to decide how much benefit you will give to Mr. Pandu. My only requirement is that you do it quickly and I won’t hesitate to spend more money.”

Lin Hai's words were sincere. Xu Xinlan was convinced that he was there, and immediately nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, Dong Weng, I will go to Dinghai to find Master Pan Qi tomorrow morning."

"How many episodes of "A Dream of Red Mansions" has been released? How are sales now?" Lin Hai asked about this first as usual after seeing Ruan Mei.

"How proud is Marshal Yu?" Lin Hai was a little surprised when he heard this. It turned out that Xu Xinlan had a back-up plan.

Lin Hai said and added: "These immigrants went to Dongfan not only to farm, but also to recruit soldiers. I told my brother Zun in Xiamen that this year I plan to attack Zheng Zhilong from Dongfan overland to prevent this guy from always hiding in If you don't come out of the bay, as long as Zheng Zhilong is destroyed, the southeast coast will be in your hands. Are you afraid that there will be no money left?"

Xu Xinlan's words are certainly not groundless. Pan Ruzhen, as the initiator of the establishment of a shrine for Wei Zhongxian, was only ranked third in the eunuch rebellion case during the Chongzhen period, and was eventually dismissed to serve the people. This shows that this person is not very popular with the Donglin Party. He held a grudge, but Wu Chunfu, Yu Zigao's relative, was directly executed.

"Dong Weng, that's 200,000 taels of silver!" Xu Xinlan exclaimed when she heard this. He knew that Lin Hai's recruitment of people to Dongfan was actually for farming. To spend 200,000 taels of silver to recruit 50,000 people to farm the land, that's not Blood loss?

"There is no need to worry about this Dong Weng. It's the first time he speaks, and we naturally have to give him face. If he wants to ask for so much next year, we will have to ask Marshal Yu to come out and say a few words."

Xu Xinlan resigned to Lin Hai. Lin Hai looked at his back thoughtfully: Mr. Xu is very resolute in his work and is familiar with all kinds of civil affairs. It would be quite suitable for him to be in charge of household affairs in Dongfan.

"Oh? Such a result?" Lin Hai was a little surprised when he heard this. The average order of 100,000 yuan was beyond his imagination. Isn't this a big deal and a break for a few months?
"The rest of the manuscript will not be given to the Taoist in straw clothes for the time being." Lin Hai continued.

"This... Sir, Taoist Cao Yi has good archery skills. I am afraid that she will be in a hurry and give me an arrow to pierce the heart..."

In fact, Pan Ruzhen did nothing to offend the Donglin Party. He was from a wealthy family in Tongcheng, and he had friendships with some Donglin Party members. His granddaughter even married Fang Yizhi, one of the four sons of Fushe. As for the matter of establishing a shrine, it was simply because this person saw that Wei Zhongxian was becoming more and more powerful, so he rushed to flatter him.

"You tell him that as long as the miners are in place, the big gold mine will be able to produce 200,000 taels of gold by the end of this year. After excluding the cost, I can make a net profit of 60,000 taels. Then I will share half of it with him." Lin Hai moved his head on the back of the seat. He leaned back and narrowed his eyes.

After Xu Xinlan left, Lin Hai called Ruan Mei over again. He also brought a message to this kid years ago, telling him not to give gifts everywhere in the first month of this year, and to wait for him in Zhoushan.

"It's a blessing to give a gift to Shangguan. Mr. Pan Du and husband Li asked me for money. Didn't Master Xu urge me to give it in his letter?" Lin Hai chuckled when he heard this, "Besides, since they know that I have a lot of money, If I don’t give him a gift at the end of the year, won’t he take the initiative to ask for it?”

"That's it." Lin Hai tapped the armrest of the seat with his fingers. After a long time of fussing, it turned out that he had a more powerful backer in the Eunuch Party. It was a pity that the Eunuch Party was about to fall. Otherwise, he would have been holding the Xu family's lap. Developing one's own strength is also a good way.

"Sir, this book has been published for the sixtieth time. It has sold almost 100,000 copies, which is enough to compete with "The Biography of the Madam"."

"Very good." Lin Hai was not polite to him. According to his next plan, there was not much time left for him to recruit immigrants.

"That's natural. Marshal Yu's relatives are nine thousand-year-old confidants." Xu Xinlan twitched her beard and said proudly, "Don Weng didn't know something. Mr. Pan Du is actually not a confidant of Eunuch Wei. If he hadn't initiated the plan last year, He is nine thousand years old and has a shrine. I am afraid that Eunuch Wei cannot even remember his name. "

"Go to Nanjing?" Ruan Mei was really anxious this time. He and the little Taoist nun Miaozhen were in the midst of an affair. Wasn't this going to cut his heart?
"That's right, there is an eunuch named Cao Huachun in Xiaoling, Nanjing. Although this person is temporarily in trouble, he will have great fortunes in the future, and his power will not be much worse than that of the nine thousand-year-old man today..." Lin Hai started to act like a magic stick again. Okay, this kid Ruan Mei is very into this.

He went on to say: "As you say, adding icing on the cake is not as good as giving someone timely assistance. The reason why I sent you to Nanjing is to make friends with Eunuch Cao when he is in trouble. Once this matter is done, it will be considered a great achievement for you. What reward do you want?" You can bring it up now!”

"Yes, sir!" Ruan Mei was surprised when he heard this. He had never heard Lin Hai say this to anyone before. This alone showed the weight of this matter.

"Speaking of which, what reward do you want?" Lin Hai was a little worried about Ruan Mei's money running away. The nature of this guy's work is a bit like skirmishing, and he lacks effective supervision methods, so it is necessary to first Discuss rewards.

"Um... Sir, if this subordinate has settled this matter, can you arrange a marriage for me?"

"It's easy..." Lin Hai was mid-sentence when he suddenly felt something was wrong. If he made this request crookedly, it would still be understandable. Is Ruan Mei, a handsome guy like that, worried that he won't be able to find a wife? Lin Hai saw through the essence of the matter in an instant: "Did your boy hook up with a maid from some house, and the master didn't allow it?"

"It's not a little maid, it's a little Taoist nun..." Ruan Mei was a little stunned when she heard this, but it seemed that she was truly moved.

"Are you talking about the Miaozhen beside Taoist Cao Yi?" Lin Hai still remembered the name of this little Taoist nun. The main reason was that the little girl scolded Xie Sanbin like a grandson. Her mouth was really impressive.

"Yes..." Ruan Mei admitted a little embarrassedly. After all, hooking up with a monk is not a glorious thing.

"Okay, I understand. As long as you handle the matter in Nanjing, I will take care of it for you."

Lin Hai mourned for a moment of silence in his heart for Waizui. This guy is still talking about the little Taoist nun, but Ruan Mei has already hit the home run first. This is the difference between an ugly guy and a handsome guy.

"Thank you, sir!" Ruan Mei was overjoyed when she heard this.

"Don't thank me too much. You have to get things done in Nanjing first, otherwise I will ask Taoist Cao Yi to marry that little Taoist nun to Waizui..."

Lin Hai made a joke and then said: "After you arrive in Nanjing, you can open a shop. Don't be too deliberately close to Mr. Cao. I also brought someone here to help you. His name is Zheng Xiaobao, who is from my father-in-law's house. Relatives, you two will get to know each other later.”

Zheng Xiaobao is also a first-class person like Ruan Mei, and his family is richer than Ruan Mei. When he was young, he studied at a crooked school for several years. Lin Hai decided to let him go to Nanjing for some experience, and in the future he could set up a capital office on the banks of the Qinhuai River.

"Yes, sir! When will my subordinates leave for Nanjing?"

"There's no rush for now. There's one last thing to do in Zhejiang. You can follow me to the Simen Xie family in Yuyao first."

Compared with the Wu family in Zhoushan, Shanyin County, who only became famous in the Ming Dynasty, the Xie family in Simen has a well-documented family history. The word "Xie" can be traced back to "Yan in front of Wang Xietang in the old days".

Xie Qian, a great scholar during the Hongzhi, Zhengde, and Jiajing years, was the forty-third descendant of Xie An. This family has been a member of the family for more than a thousand years. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a prime minister and a man who listened to politics twice behind the curtain. The Queen Mother, the line of family inheritance is very clear, and it is not a random attempt to follow the ancestors.

However, since the prosperity of "three Jinshi in one discipline, and two Dingjia in one discipline" during the Hongzhi period, the Xie family's career in Simen has been deteriorating in the past hundred years, so much so that Xie Qian's grandsons have begun to vigorously engage in high-risk overseas trade. In the end, the house was burned down by a maritime merchant because of his default, which became the trigger of the Jiajing Japanese pirates.

To this day, among the thousands of legitimate children of the Xie family in Simen, there is only one Jinshi, Xie Bingqian, the current magistrate of Jianyang, Fujian Province, the hometown of books. Therefore, the Xie family has joined forces in various places to consolidate the family's power.

Compared with the Zhoushan Wu family, which was still a top wealthy family ten years ago, the Simen Xie family's power in Zhejiang Province is far inferior, so Lin Hai's trip went very smoothly. Xie Zhengqian, the head of the Xie family's overseas trade, personally received him he.

This person doesn't look like a young man who has been drained by alcohol and sex, but his body and behavior are quite a bit like a practicing family member. When he came up, he praised Lin Hai for his skill in running the army, and said that he also loved military affairs. He usually enjoyed shooting and hunting, and he was pretty good at archery right now.

No matter whether what he said was true or not, it at least showed that the Xie family valued Lin Hai's trip. They had obviously deliberately collected relevant information about Lin Hai and knew very well about his defeat of Zheng Zhilong in Fujian.

The subsequent business negotiations also went smoothly. The price offered by the Xie family for raw silk hair was similar to the price offered by the Wu family in Zhoushan. They also agreed to Lin Hai's request for no deposit and full payment of money and goods.

In the end, Lin Hai said that he wanted 1,500 loads of silkworms, of which 500 loads were seven-mile silk produced in Nanxun Town. Xie Zhengqian also stayed with him for lunch at home. During the dinner, he kept drinking, and the host and guest parted happily.

When she came out of Xie Zhengqian's house, Ruan Mei said to Lin Hai: "Sir, I think the Xie family is good, much better than the Wu family in Zhoushan who look down on others."

Obviously, even Ruan Mei, who ran errands for Lin Hai, was treated much better by the Xie family than the Wu family. However, the powerful servants of the Wu family in Zhoushan never looked at him seriously. .

However, Lin Hai thought it was too early to draw a conclusion. He looked at the Xie family's large-scale clan ancestral hall and felt a sense of wonder. In front of it were two archways authorized by the imperial court, which were engraved with "Dongshan Bingxiu" and "Taifu" respectively. The words "Liu Fang".

After a while, Lin Haicai replied to Ruan Mei calmly: "That's hard to say. The first time I went to see Mr. Ren Wu, he was also very polite."

At this time, in the capital city of Shaoxing, Master Ren Wu was entertaining Li Shi, the weaving eunuch of Suhang at home.

Recently, Master Ren Wu has been in the limelight in Zhoushan Wu family for a while. Inspired by his fourth brother's dirty tricks, he went to Pan Ruzhen and Li Shi successively and encouraged these two powerful men to attack Lin Hai, the big fat man. The sheep asks for bribes and hopes to get a cut of the profits.

The two bosses followed Shan Ruliu and asked for bribes, but in the end they only paid verbal praise to Master Ren Wu. On the other hand, after the fourth master Wen learned that his concubine and the eunuch were getting closer and closer, he directly wrote a letter to the fifth master Ren to sever the relationship between brothers, and used thunderous means to take back the recently deceased old man. Share his business.

Fourth Master Wen has been in charge of the Wu Mansion's business for nearly twenty years. As soon as he took action, Wu Mengren's able men and women rebelled one after another. Even his cousin Ma Cong in Dengzhou defected to Fourth Master Wen.

Wu Mengren was completely offended by this. He simply went to Li Shi, hoping that the damn eunuch would take back the property for him, and promised to give him 50% of the shares.

What kind of person was Li Shina? The weaving eunuch in Suhang was a foreign missionary from the Li Jian, and he was of the same rank as the eunuch Bingbi, but he was favored more than him. As soon as he made a move, it was like one force defeating ten. Mr. Wen handed over all his properties including Zhejiang Silk Tooth Shop and the Grand Canal Distribution Network in despair. He also took his wife and daughter back to his hometown in Zhoushan to live in seclusion. .

Wu Youfu's eldest son, Wu Mengming, the former deputy governor of Fusi of Jinyiwei North Town, also returned to his hometown with his fourth brother. The entire mansion Wu Dui left in Shaoxing Fucheng belonged to his concubine Wu Mengren.

Master Ren Wu has made a comeback this time. During this Chinese New Year, many young people from the same clan came to him, hoping to beg for food from his hands. At the same time, many in-laws of the Wu family came to give him gifts, and Master Ren Wu became the most handsome son of the Wu family in Shanyin.

But Lin Hai didn't know all this. After he negotiated this year's raw silk trade with the Simen Xie family, he went abroad and returned to Dongfan.

(End of this chapter)