Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 138 Tofu Xishi, master the core technology

The so-called guarantee system,
simply put,
That is, every time a ship comes, Guangdong Customs will designate a merchant to be the guarantee.

Hongshang is a fully authorized third party designated by Guangdong Customs.

The merchants have the final say on taxes and product prices.

Any trouble caused by foreign ships and foreigners will be the responsibility of the merchants.

The British businessmen were so tempered that they lost all right to speak.

until,

Pan Kali, the new leader of the East India Company, wanted to fight with the Guangdong Customs in order to fight for the right to "free trade".

by the way,
At this time, every British businessman who came to Guangzhou was from the East India Company.

This behemoth has a huge appetite for commercial profits.

After all, as long as the Oriental tea silk porcelain is shipped back to the mainland, it will be 125% of the profit.

Very popular, never unsaleable.

……

The silk shipped from the Jiangnan region became a victim in this way.

because,

This business is based on credit first and payment later.

Because Guangdong Shisanhang is a red-top businessman, his status is aloof.

The big silk merchants in the south of the Yangtze River often competed to give them goods on credit.

Payment can only be obtained after successful export.

In the words of later generations,

Businesses with too long billing periods carry uncontrollable risks.

The big silk merchants in Jiangnan,

It was such a big deal, and for more than half a year, I didn't get even one tael of payment.

Below are the weavers, raw silk suppliers, and banks,
They all lost their patience and chased after me to ask for payment.

The cash flow is cut off, and no matter how rich the big business is, it cannot survive.

This thing is too complicated to explain, so I won’t explain it.

Anyway,

This is an opportunity to cause trouble.

And at the end of the letter,

Fucheng mentioned a small incident. Back then, there was a gangster who wreaked havoc in many provinces and was wanted by the Ministry of Punishment. He killed countless people and stole goods.

He may have become a monk in hiding in Suzhou Prefecture.

The confession came from a death row inmate in Chaozhou Prefecture Prison.

This person was once the thief's confidant, but later they parted ways.

2 years ago,

He once met his former boss in Suzhou Mansion, but he didn't dare to come forward to recognize him.

Because I'm about to die,
So he revealed this information as a trade, in exchange for a pot of soju and a roast chicken.

……

"Something happened to Fucheng." Li Yu put down the letter and said to Du Ren.

"what happened?"

"British merchants and Guangdong Customs are fighting, and the customs tax will be gone. Guangdong Customs is the emperor's southern treasury, and it is short of several million taels. How can Qianlong tolerate it?"

Du Ren nodded:
"Where is the court going to look for help?"

"Thirteen merchants, as well as all the supervision of Guangdong Customs, will share the money equally."

"That's a neat trick."

Both of them couldn't help but laugh,

Because Qianlong really focused on fairness when doing things.

They don’t recognize their relatives, they turn against each other and they don’t recognize anyone.

all the mistakes,

They all belong to me, not to me.

A moment ago, I could reward you.

The next moment, I can belittle you.

A typical Machiavellian emperor.

Fucheng was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so naturally he didn't dare to complain too much.

But in the letter,

You can also see his anger and fear.

The average number of general merchants in the Thirteen Banks is 25 taels each.

And his father, as the branch supervisor of Chaozhou, shared 5 taels.

There is a sentence in the letter,

You can figure out the weight of this 5 taels.

"My father lamented that half of his hard work would be like a mud cow sinking into the sea, and there would be no hope of ever seeing the sun again."

……

Appointed as Chaozhou branch supervisory committee member,

Put aside the courtesy, squandering, and some favors.

This 5 taels is almost half of the savings, which is very reasonable.

"Ayu, I think this is a good thing. Remind him that his position in the emperor's mind is like a walking piggy bank."

"I think so too."

"By the way, I have some news to tell you. Suzhou Weaving is about to be re-appointed."

"Ok?"

For the position of Suzhou Weaving, after Fucheng's father was convicted and resigned, it took several months for the imperial court to select a person, who was still a close servant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

result,

As soon as this person took office, he fell ill.

Then he lay in bed for a long time and was never cured.

A good-looking man has lost only 70 pounds.

He invited countless famous doctors from Jiangnan, but to no avail.

In fact, it is a serious acclimatization.

This person was born in Zhili and grew up in Zhili.

Never been to the south,

When he took office,

It happens to be the plum rain season in Jiangnan, which lasts for a long time.

From eczema, it progressed to sores on my back, dizziness, fatigue, and inability to walk.

"The news from Wang Shenxian is that the court is considering new candidates. This news costs me 100 taels."

"Not expensive."

Li Yu is very proud now. With the 140 million taels of silver as his backing, he speaks very loudly.

But looking at the speed, this money will take a year at most.

……

After Li Yu thought about it for a moment,
Write a letter and seal it with wax.

Delivered through the post system.

It is natural to seize this opportunity that can benefit the Qing Dynasty.

With the help of Guangdong Customs and the name of Suzhou Government Office,

Private matters are handled publicly, which is very convenient.

he hoped,
Fucheng was able to seize the opportunity and return to Suzhou weaving.

As long as you can achieve this goal, it's worth spending any amount of money.

big deal,
Brothers join forces to get a few more fat sheep.

I have a gun, you have a seal,

It is in line with the survival rules of the Qing Dynasty.

Not to mention, Guangzhou's Thirteenth Line was so rich that even if one family was destroyed and turned into a Twelfth Line, it would not affect the prosperity.

……

10 days later,

Chaozhou Prefecture, after Fucheng received the letter,

I almost knocked over the Four Treasures of the Study.

However, after he calmed down, he felt that this was an opportunity.

He ran to the study to discuss with his father.

As banner men from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they all understand the truth.

For people like them, the emperor's likes and dislikes are the only criterion for appointing officials.

Other standards do not exist.

"Father, I think what Brother Li said is right. The Emperor is short of money, and whoever can get enough money will be inclined to the Holy Heart."

"As a father, I understand, but it's crazy to take Thirteen Lines to ransack your home without the consent of the Guangdong Customs Supervisor. Isn't it crazy?"

Thirteen lines,
It can be said that he was the richest businessman in the Qing Dynasty, even more than the salt merchant.

Behind these people, there are more or less big bosses.

Not all the money earned belongs to oneself.

Instead, a large part of it should be allocated as a tribute to the military ministers, princes and nobles.

"Father, do you think it's easier to handle foreigners or thirteen people?"

"No need to ask, of course it's thirteen lines."

"What will be the consequences of killing one of them?"

"The Guangdong Customs is furious, and the princes and military aircraft in the capital will also bear grudges."

"But we are servants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not scientific officials."

Fu Cheng's father was shocked.
Then he nodded and sighed:
"Yes, except the emperor, who can touch the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"What's more, the Minister of Household Affairs and your Excellency are also the Minister of Internal Affairs."

……

Fucheng father and son,
I'm really tempted and ready to give it a try.

He spent tens of thousands of taels on Heshen, and then killed a thirteen-row fat pig to honor Qianlong.

The Chinese New Year is coming soon, so it makes sense to celebrate by killing a pig to enrich the dining table.

but,

Which pig to kill, whether it is because of the cabbage harvesting or because it is too slow to grow fat, needs to be carefully considered.

Chaozhou Prefecture has separate customs and limited force.

I'm afraid I need to borrow a sharp knife to prevent the pigs from struggling to resist when they are being killed.

Everything was considered in Li Yu's letter.

You can borrow Raiji's escort and wear the clothes of a tax collector.

These people are all good players and are best at surprise operations.

Fortunately, Fucheng and his son came from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and had little legal awareness.

If it were another official who came from the imperial examination, he would probably scold such a bastard suggestion.

3000 miles away,

Li Yu stood at Xujiang Pier and said to Du Ren and Fan Jing:
"My old friends, as long as you are a lonely minister, the road will be narrow. Their road will be narrow, and our road will be wide."

"Slowly, they will realize that I am the only one who is really good to them."

"Master is wise."

……

"How is Luo Zhi doing with Duan Yingwu of Taihu Hall?"

"Currently the evidence is relatively thin, with only the confession of a Jinshan businessman named Dong. The chain of evidence is not perfect."

Li Yu turned his head and looked at Fan Jing:

"He has no weakness?"

"According to my current research, this person is not corrupt or party-minded. He is a rare honest official."

"Where's your family background?"

"I came from a poor family. My mother grew vegetables and my wife weaved. My daily food was just vegetables and tofu."

"real or fake?"

"It's true."

Du Ren also testified promptly:

"I was in the Chief Envoy Si Yamen, and I also heard Mr. Zhu say that he was a true gentleman."

Li Yu took a breath:
"What a white lotus."

And asked again:

"How hostile is his attitude towards us?"

Fan Jing frowned and said:

"This person does not accept dividends and refuses to pay tribute. He once publicly remonstrated with Lord Zhu and demanded that the Dongshan regiment training be cancelled. Oh, by the way, he is currently in the southern section of the canal, responsible for supervising the dredging project."

Li Yu sneered and said:
"Send someone to the Taihu Hall to apply for the mountainous areas on both sides of the regiment training camp to be brought under the command of this training general."

"Tell the coolies in the southern section of the canal to go on strike." Fan Jing was stunned and asked excitedly:
"For what reason?"

"Duan Tong knows that morality is corrupt, and the coolies are not angry."

……

Du Ren, Fan Jing’s eyes widened,

Looking at Li Yu, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Do it."

Fan Jing took the order and left in a hurry, preparing to give Duan Tongzhi a try.

To talk about it,

Li Yu is no longer what he used to be now. Half a year ago, he would have resorted to violence.

But now, the situation is different.

Official battles,

Avoid using assassination methods.

Anyone who flips the table or breaks the rules will be feared by everyone.

As for Li Yu, he has not yet reached the point of imitating "Huang Chao".

He is still accumulating strength, enduring, and developing.

The cement supply chain, the joint operation of coal mines and iron ore mines in Changxing County, has not yet been realized.

These two items,
Crucial to the rebellion.

He told everyone at the keynote meeting:

"Once these two projects are successfully put into production, they will have the strength to challenge the Qing court."

"Otherwise, given the flat terrain of Jiangnan and the endless supply of Qing troops, the Li family army is destined to be annihilated."

For the smooth implementation of these two plans,
Liu Wu, the navy commander, and Liu Qian, the intelligence chief, are both stationed in Changxing.

One squats in the mining area, and the other is good at dancing in the county town.

On the lakeside not far from the mining area, among the reeds,
There is also a behemoth hidden, the Taihu Ghost.

when necessary,

No matter the cost of force, kill all enemies in your way.

……

The Grand Canal goes south from Hengtang Town to Shihu.

There are 400 coolies working on dredging every day.

This is the closest place to Taihu Hall.

Therefore, Duan Yingwu, as the chief officer of Taihu Hall, was appointed as Duan's supervisor.

Magistrate Huang, in order to make the fold beautiful,
To be more convincing, all subordinates were assigned supervisory tasks.

Of course,
Most people just show up by name and don't come to the construction site at all.

Because there are people from Weigtang watching.

In the middle of winter, wouldn't it be nice to sit in the house and warm yourself by the fire, reading in red sleeves?

Duan Tongzhi is an outlier;
Wearing an official robe, he rushed to the construction site every day.

Inquire about the progress of the project and care about the safety of the coolies.

Dredging rivers is a strenuous job with certain risks.

The Grand Canal is no ordinary river fork;
There is no way to block both ends. Drain the water and dig out the mud.

The only way is to put down the mud board on the boat.

On both sides of the shore, 100 coolies stood on each side pulling fibers.

After the silt is loosened,
Part of it washed into the big lake with the current.

This behavior is very inefficient.

There are also some people who use strong large baskets to weigh rocks and sink them to the bottom of the river.

Fasten strong ropes to the ship,

Then hoist the sail and paddle forward until the basket sinks deep into the mud.

After the ship cannot move,
Move the ballast stones to the nearby empty ship.

Using buoyancy, pull out the basket.

Digging out a thick basket of mud,

This is not trash, this is treasure.

The people around were waiting eagerly.

Whenever silt is dumped on the shore, it is immediately emptied.

Spread it in your own fields to increase soil fertility.

I will regret missing this kind of benefit without spending money for 30 years.

Duan Tongzhi is a kind-hearted bureaucrat.
He did not ask for a penny from the people, letting them take it for themselves.

Looking at the busy people in the cold wind, he sighed:

"The people of our Qing Dynasty are suffering."

……

Before sunset, one hour,
The foreman came over to report the progress, his eyes twinkling.

Duan Tongzhi didn't take it seriously either.

Change out of official robes, put on ordinary clothes, and walk home.

He found that the coolies were in small groups.
They were also whispering and saying something.

His eyes would glance towards him from time to time.

He shook his head, thinking it was an ignorant commoner who didn't know etiquette.

Higashiyama,

There is a spontaneous market at the entrance.

The peddlers and butchers are here to drum up business.

He is still the same,
2 pounds of green vegetables, 1 piece of tofu.

As usual, I bought this tofu at a widow's stall.

Nickname, Tofu Xishi!
It's not that he doesn't know how to avoid suspicion,

But this is the only one selling tofu in the market, and the business is very good.

Ordinary people can buy it, and even imperial officials can buy it.

only,
There is something wrong with the atmosphere today. The people buying and selling vegetables nearby lowered their heads and squinted their eyes.

He peeked at himself and pretended to be busy.

Tofu Xishi’s eyes clearly didn’t dare to look at herself.
With his face covered, no other expression could be seen.

He randomly wrapped a piece of tofu and turned around as fast as he could.

……

Duan Tongzhi looked at the tofu with a corner missing and couldn't help but shake his head:

"Putting a boat, blacksmithing, and grinding tofu are the three hardships in the world."

"That's all."

he just left

The old lady selling rice next to her bounced her little feet and ran over and asked:
"What did he say?"

"Duan Guanren said that tofu and beauty make life miserable."

Grandma’s eyes flashed, and she told the man next door who was killing the fish:

"Duan Guanren said that the bean curd grows like a drum."

After hearing this, the fish killer threw away the half-scaled fish and ran to the cake seller opposite:

"Guanren Duan said he wanted to cover it up."

"What are you covering?"

The man pointed at his moon and raised his brows.

"Hey hey, I see."

Look at the tofu Xishi again, still standing in front of the stall.

this woman,
My husband died early, and with a baby and no relatives, life was not easy.

Later, I set up this tofu stall.

Making tofu is hard work, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

It did support a family.

People around me say that beauty is more important than beauty.

Because when she goes out to the stall, she always covers her face with a veil.

But the clothes were a little loose.

Every time I lean over to cut the tofu, there is a slight bloom.

Guests flocked to the place.

……

Over time,
Tofu Xishi, who has mastered the core technology, has made a name for himself and successfully persuaded another competitor to quit.

A small local monopoly advantage has been formed.

But today, I encountered rumors and slander.

I don’t know which family is responsible for killing a thousand people and chewing gossip, spreading it everywhere:

Duan Tongzhi had an affair with Tofu Xishi,

I walk every day just to eat some tofu along the way.

quickly,

A version with added ingredients is also out.

The reason why Duan Tongzhi is dark and thin is because he gets up at 2 o'clock every day to help grind tofu.

Grind and eat at the same time,

Before the rooster crows in the morning, leave secretly.

obviously,
These rumors were spread by Fan Jing's people.

It took a few green skins and took half a day to complete.

Next, the audience will actively help spread the gossip.

Human nature is so
I am keen on such inspiring stories. As for whether they are true or false, who cares.

……

Li Yu solemnly wrote another page in his diary:
Official battles are different battlefields, and swords and guns are useless.

If the other party criticizes you with facts.

Discussing the matter as it stands and refuting it point by point is already at a disadvantage.

Never prove your innocence.

When you find another way,
Use the three inches below the navel to pour the moral sewage on the other party.

This move has proven successful time and time again, especially for honest officials who value their reputation.

Rumors are not afraid of being outrageous, absurd, and explosive.

People who eat melons don’t care about the truth or falsehood, they only care about the content of the story.

quickly,

The rumor spread like a plague.

Inside the Taihu Hall,
Many colleagues were so excited about it that they even went out to buy a piece of tofu.

I praised it greatly after I came back.
Tongzhi is discerning. Although Doufu Xishi is a widowed resident girl, she has a different taste.

Due to long-term grinding, his body is strong.

Coupled with the steam hitting your face, it's extra delicate.

……

Duan Tongzhi had no time to get angry before he received even more terrible news.

The 400 coolies under his command went on strike.

Under the leadership of the foreman,
He quit working on the pretext of depriving himself of food and molesting his husband and his family.

The foreman led a group of people,

I found a place where I could get some sunshine and shelter from the wind, and lay down lazily.

Duan Tongzhi, who came after hearing the news,

I was stunned, first offered my condolences well-meaningly, and then my emotions broke out.

Pointing at these people and yelling:
"Don't your consciences ache?"

"Have I ever treated you unfairly?"

The foreman smiled:

"Don't talk about conscience."

"We have asked someone to deliver the complaint against you to the prefect's Yamen."

Duan Tongzhi was stunned.

After a while, he finally figured out the taste.

Someone was preparing to attack him.

After understanding the key, he no longer bothered with these coolies.

Instead, he went straight to Fucheng.

I went to Magistrate Huang and the Chief Minister Zhu to state my innocence.

……

(End of this chapter)