Win the Ding 1617

"What? You want to pull our family into this business?!"

The days around the New Year's Eve always go by so fast, and it's the 28th of the twelfth lunar month in a blink of an eye. It's time for the most grand event of the year in Ningyuanbo Mansion, the end of the year. ..

The so-called end tooth is just a traditional Chinese festival in southern Fujian, the "end" of a year's activities for businesses, and the "prelude" of ordinary people's Spring Festival activities.Every year on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month or the second and sixteenth day of the lunar month, it is the day for businessmen in southern Fujian to worship the god of the earth, which is called "tooth making".The first tooth to be made on December 1 is called the "head tooth"; the tooth to be made on December [-] is the last tooth to be made.On this day, ordinary people’s homes will burn the earth’s gold to worship the god of virtue (that is, the land god), and they will also set up benches in front of the door for offering five-flavored tail teeth banquet bowls, and burn sutras and silver paper to worship the foundation. Lord (worship of the foundation of the house).All businesses will also feast their employees today to reward their hard work in the past year.Jinjiang, Fujian Province has always maintained the activity of Wei Ya Day.But Shou Han gave it another meaning, besides eating and drinking, it turned it into an annual summary and commendation meeting.

Those who have made outstanding contributions in various fields, no matter whether they are workers, peasants, soldiers, scholars or businessmen, are eligible to sit proudly at the Wei Ya Conference and accept the toast from Shou Han.Not to mention the toast, there is a ceremonial officer next to him who recites the achievements and contributions of the person aloud. The deeds of these people will be listed one by one in the New Year's special issue of Nanzhong Business Daily published after the New Year.This kind of honor, for an ordinary person, is no less than the name badge on Lingyan Pavilion.

Outside the Yin'an Hall of the royal palace, a huge tent that can accommodate more than a hundred tables of banquets has long been set up. The servants of the mansion are constantly coming in and out, arranging tables and chairs, arranging seats, and arranging cups and plates.

Inside and outside the palace, there is a festive style of decorating with lights and festoons.

The entire city of Hue.It is a scene of flowers blooming brocade and fire cooking oil.

"On New Year's Day, the bucket handle is returned, Taiping celebrates the New Year, and the door god pair is attached to it. The rich family man, the clothes and hats are neat. Just change the robe. Ladies, see the festival. Carry a basket and carry a basket. He sells melon seeds. Peanut magnolia slices. Little people, see the money you earned on behalf of the new year. Earn money to buy some pranksters. He bought it. Glass horns and snare drums are used as bamboo horses, with funny faces. At night, there is a continuous sound of ping-pong, ping-pong; , come and go to return the gift. This one says congratulations. That one says dare not, the Chinese New Year is auspicious, and a lot of money will be made."

This poem written by Feng Menglong originally described the scene of the New Year during the Wanli period. However, many eunuchs and guards who accompanied Wang Dehua to Hue clearly saw this scene of peace and prosperity inside and outside the city of Hue.

Cuju, flying a kite, buying flowers.Buying fireworks, playing chess, throwing pots, playing liquor cards, playing horse cranes, and playing Shuanglu are full of lively scenes everywhere.Only the wharf and the port are still busy in full swing. The incoming and outgoing goods are transported by coolies to the warehouse by rail car, or shipped from the warehouse to the wharf for loading onto the ship.

In the village, lively activities such as lions and dragon lanterns are being planned for the New Year.There are endless debates about which one will dance the big lion and which one will dance the young lion.

Some of the guests who were invited to participate in the final event have already settled down in various posthouses in the city.However, according to the officials of the Ministry of Rites who followed Wang Dehua to issue the decree, many of the people who came here should not have appeared on such a grand occasion!

"Hey! The sage said, "Scholars, farmers, businessmen, and farmers are farming and harvesting food, that's all right, but why don't you invite those who have cultivated and studied the family? Instead, you invited the so-called big farmers and good farmers to come to the meeting?? What's more? As lowly craftsmen, but those who smelt iron and steel, build utensils, and burn porcelain, dare to come to the banquet?!"

"That's right! People who are well-educated are on the same level as farmers who farm the fields, and artisans who build boats, smelt iron and burn porcelain. It's just like the so-called black hand who holds the plow and holds the wat, but the flesh-eating vermilion lip eats the pot!"...

"Hush! Silence! Eunuch Wang, Ning Yuanbo, Zheng Zongbing and others are drinking tea and enjoying the flowers in the small flower hall over there. Don't you want to lose your head?!"

On the flower hall, Wang Dehua, who was an imperial envoy, took off his flying fish suit and changed into plain clothes. He and Shou Han and Zheng Zhilong, who were also dressed in plain clothes, faced each other to taste tea and enjoy flowers. Of course, the tea grown by Zheng Zhibao in Fujian, Guangxi and Taiwan It will not be offered for the prince to taste.

Shou Han clapped his hands lightly, and several guards lifted a huge tray.The red lacquer platter is full of various fruits from Nanzhong, which are not enough to attract Wang Dehua's attention. Since arriving in Hue, he has been feasting every day. These various fruits are delicious. I'm a little bored.However, a few thick moso bamboo tubes in the middle of the wooden plate caught his attention, especially the tops were pasted with red paper with different characters written on them.

Some have black characters written on them, some have round characters written on them, some have Huai characters written on them, some have Gui characters written on them, and some have tribute characters written on them, and so on.

"Could it be rice in bamboo tube?" Wang Dehua Shouhan invited him to eat Siamese-style bamboo tube rice a few days ago, which is to put freshly harvested fragrant glutinous rice and various meat ingredients in fresh bamboo tubes into a charcoal fire and roast them until cooked. Open the tube, the fragrance of glutinous rice, the delicious ingredients, and the fragrance of the bamboo tube are mixed together, and the taste is lingering on the tip of the tongue.

Wang Dehua was thinking wildly, but he saw that the guard ordered the man to open a bamboo tube, and carefully poured the contents and soup into a sea bowl that was as thin as paper and as moist as jade.Suddenly, a fresh scent of lychees came out.

Wang Dehua was stunned by the scene in front of him!As a top eunuch among the eunuchs, he naturally eats and wears everything. It can be said that he has eaten what Chongzhen has eaten, and he has eaten what Chongzhen has never eaten!But he knew that he would rather fight with the Lord than fight with the sky.I know that in Lingnan and Nanzhong, lychee is not a rare thing.But there are lychees in the cold winter months, which is really shocking!

Looking at the bright red lychees in front of him, Wang Dehua hesitated.

"Uncle, what does this mean?"

"Elder-in-law, please taste it first and see how it tastes." Zheng Zhilong peeled off the red skin of a lychee with a sincere expression on his face, and put the crystal clear flesh on the food plate in front of Wang Dehua's eyes with a small spoon.

The lychee juice exudes a sweet and fragrant taste in the mouth, which makes Wang Dehua eat with a smile on his face.

"Ah! The so-called Lingnan people who eat [-] lychees a day are willing to grow up. In order to win the smile of Concubine Yang, Tang Minghuang spared no effort in manpower and material resources to transport lychees. Our family was still complaining when we were studying, so we are so unsympathetic to the power of the people. Sure enough, there is the way of the Anshi Rebellion. Thinking about it now, it’s worth it!”

"Father-in-law, if the two of us ask him to do the fresh fruit business in Nanzhong and Lingnan, what do you think?"

"What? Uncle, are you making fun of our family?"

Wang Dehua quickly sobered up from the initial shock, what a joke!From Nanzhong to Guangzhou, it will take a few days of rough seas.And then shipped to the capital.Let alone lychees, even the cores of lychees are about to rot!Also use it to make money?

"Then, in the capital. In the palace, in the mansions of princes and ministers, if you want to taste this product, what should you do?" Shou Han intentionally pretended not to know it, in order to increase his status.The act of leading the snake out of the hole made Wang Dehua realize the huge benefits of this project.

"I don't know about others. However, Taishi Cai was my fellow villager in Fujian back then. He liked to eat lychees. In order to be able to eat lychees in Kaifeng Mansion, my sage senior also took great pains." Zheng Zhilong on the side cooperated tacitly with Shou Han The problem.

The method developed by Cai Jing and Taishi Cai was used until the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty.Cai Taishi came up with the idea of ​​transplanting the lychees that had formed small plants into pots every year.Then it is sent to Tokyo, where it is picked and eaten when it is ripe, but the lychee tree dies after it is done. (Does this method look familiar? Yes, in Zhou Xingxing’s "Wu Zhuangyuan Su Qier", his local rich father did this. In order to eat lychees in Beijing, he simply took a lychee The lychee trees were loaded onto trucks and transported to Beijing!) However, due to the war at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it is unlikely that they would be moved out of Mount Fujian.Moreover, the cost of migrating and creating Mt. Fujian is too high, and most people can't afford it. Since Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, hundreds of lychees were sent to the capital every year to form small stalks. In a year, there are [-] to [-] lychees in Beijing.

Therefore, even though Wang Dehua's mind was filled with the flashing light of the silver dollar, he still knew very well how to transport the lychees, which were extremely difficult to store and transport, to the capital?

"Elder-in-law, if Ben Bo has a way to transport the lychees to the capital in the winter and lunar months, how much do you think it should be?"

Shou Han peeled a lychee and chewed it in his mouth, with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"If Uncle can transport this item and various fresh products and fruits produced in Nanzhong, Lingnan, and Fujian to the capital in such a quality, I dare not say anything else. Eight taels of lychees, one silver dollar is an absolute conscience price! I'm afraid All the civil and military ministers in the city, rich businessmen and tycoons all say that Uncle Zhai has a kind heart!"

Wang Dehua was not polite either, he spit out a lychee core in a small silver plate, and gave a price casually.

Eight taels of lychee is one silver dollar, these eight taels are half a catty.Instead of the eight taels we are used to!

Such a price is also called the price of conscience, which shows the importance of technological innovation.

"Okay, father-in-law, the starting price of this lychee is according to what my father-in-law said, eight taels of lychee is one silver dollar!" The guard ordered the man to take the bamboo tube with black and blue characters written on it, and explained to Wang Dehua after opening it. Dao: The ones with black characters are black leaves, and the ones with blue characters are orchid bamboos. Both of these are relatively durable, and they will also be the main brands for export in the future. First, let my father-in-law try it to see how it tastes.

Next, he gave Zheng Zhilong the Fujian Chenzi lychee with the purple characters to taste, and the cinnamon-flavored lychees with the osmanthus characters and the Huai lychees with the Huai characters to give to the guards and they distributed them to the eunuchs who were waiting on the sidelines. , Let's taste one or two together.

Finally, the guard held up a bamboo tube with the word tribute in his respectful and respectful hands and said: "This is hanging green, and it is a tribute to the capital. Naturally, we are not allowed to overstep. However, today is different. As a minister, you must first taste the taste of this thing for your father."

After speaking, Shou Han opened the bamboo tube, and while distributing hanging greens to Zheng Zhilong and Wang Dehua, he said to several nearby guards: "Come on, let's all taste the hanging greens first!"

Zengcheng Gualui lychee is a famous species of lychee just like Putian’s Chenzi lychee.These two kinds of lychees were tributes in ancient times.Especially Zengcheng Guagulu, known as one Guagulu and one grain of gold, the peel is four parts slightly green and six parts are red, with a green line running through the body of the fruit, hence the name "Gua Lv".The pulp is crisp and has a slight fragrance. Peel off the skin and wrap it in non-wet paper.

Eating Zengcheng hanging green lychees in his mouth, despite the tenderness, crispness, sweetness, and fragrance spreading in his mouth, Wang Dehua nervously calculated in his mind that if these lychees were transported to the two capitals of the north and the south, he would earn a lot of money in one winter. How much silver do you take?

"It's not just lychees. Bananas, sugarcane, citrus, mangosteen, durian, rambutan, etc. produced in Nanzhong, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian can go to the capital all year round!"

In this way, the money is still less?Wang Dehua was already dizzy from the silver dollars flying around in his mind, and he simply didn't calculate how much silver he could earn.However, he knows.Don't talk about such a precious lychee.It is citrus, sugar cane, bananas and other fruits that can be found everywhere in Nanzhong and Lingnan. Due to the war, the traffic between the north and the south was blocked.Even in the palace, only the favored concubine Tian Gui could occasionally see tangerines as fruit on the table when she was alone with the emperor because of her family relationship, and the rest might not be able to see them even with Queen Zhou. .

However, he is Chongzhen's most trusted and central servant after all.Although my mind is full of silver dollars.But still kept a trace of clarity: "My lords, with such great love, our family is naturally ashamed of being disrespectful. However, our family is the emperor's servant, and we must consider the emperor's priority in everything we do. I don't know the two How does your lord think about the emperor?"...

"Also, what the two adults said is so wonderful, I don't know how long it will take to get from Nanzhong to the capital? Even if there is an excellent storage method, these fresh goods cannot be delayed for a long time."

What a great character!What a loyal eunuch!Shou Han secretly sighed in his heart, if the officials of Ming Dynasty were people like Wang Dehua and Wang Chengen, they would be greedy for money, but they would not forget their roots.If you want to come to Daming, you won't suddenly collapse like a building.

In the face of the temptation of such huge benefits, he does not forget his master, and does not forget to consider specific technical issues such as transportation and storage. Such a person is rare even among the many famous officials who have left their names in history. .

Zhang Zhidong, who built the Hanyang Iron Works and left his name in history, made similar stupid mistakes when he built the iron works.When Zhang Zhidong was the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, he reported on the construction of an iron smelting plant in Guangzhou, citing figures, indicating that Guangdong produced a lot of iron, and the purchase of foreign iron would cost a lot of money. He petitioned to order large furnaces and machinery in the UK.During the process, Zhang Zhidong was transferred to the governor of Huguang due to the preparation of the Luhan Railway. Li Hanzhang, who succeeded the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, reported that Guangdong did not produce much iron and could not set up a factory. Zhang Zhidong asked the iron factory to move to Hubei, which was later Hanyang. Steel Plant.Zhang Zhidong's report on the situation of iron production in Guangdong was pure speculation, and he knew nothing about foreign ironmaking methods, so he rushed to buy back two ironmaking furnaces, regardless of whether they could be used.The owner of the British factory said that the samples of coal coke and iron sand had to be sent to Britain for testing before deciding on the design of the furnace for ironmaking based on the quality.Zhang Zhidong actually replied: "China is so big, where is there no good coal or good iron? But it is okay to buy a share from the British owner." This kind of money slaughter is shocking to the world.The British side designed two furnaces according to the iron-making method used in the UK and shipped them here. The coal of Maan could not be coked, and the iron of Daye was not suitable for this type of furnace, which became a joke.On the issue of the location of the iron works, Zhang Zhidong's domineering ignorance and narrowness can be seen even more.At that time, iron ore was discovered in Daye, and some people suggested that the ironworks should be located in Daye. Zhang Zhidong said: "Daye is far away, and it is inconvenient to take care of it. If it is built in Hanyang, I will still see the chimney of the iron factory." Let the Governor-General see the chimney, the ironworks was built at the foot of Guishan Mountain, which caused a lot of trouble later.Hanyang Iron and Steel Works cost 300 million taels of silver. Zhang Zhidong’s improper site selection cost more than 30 taels of landfill. The cost of ordering machines in the UK was also more than 30 taels. Adding up the two, it was used to build the factory Two-tenths of the cost.So great is the cost of ignorance.In the 20th year of Guangxu, the products of Hanyang Iron and Steel Works entered the market, and the losses over the years were astonishing. By the 24th year of Guangxu, the accumulated losses had reached more than 100 million taels.This mess had to be handed over to Sheng Xuanhuai to clean up.Take this example to generalize the rest.

If Zhang Zhidong had the brains of Wang Dehua and others, instead of making the mistake that Qingliu usually loves to make, Han Yeping Company would not be controlled by the Japanese through loans.

"Elder-in-law, please don't worry! I have a flying clipper boat, and the speed of this boat is far beyond people's imagination. If you go from Hue to Guangzhou, you can get there in a short time. If you go to the capital and Tianjin, you can get there in ten days."

Speaking of this, Zheng Zhilong is very proud to carry out literacy activities for Wang Dehua in front of him, and at the same time show off the technology and shipbuilding level of the Southern Guangdong Army.

"As for your majesty's matter mentioned by the father-in-law, a certain family has considered it in this way. According to the rules of the various municipal bureaus, it is worth a tax rate of [-]% and sent to the inner treasury of the palace. Uncle’s son-in-law, Zheng Sen, is doing all the cooking. I also hope that after returning to Beijing, the father-in-law will ask the emperor to reward him with a fame and family background!”

Speaking of the tax rate of the Shibo Department, Wang Dehua's heart moved even more. This time he went south, he saw the huge benefits of the tariffs collected by the Shibo Department and the Customs. Won't get relief?

But this matter is not mentioned here, it can only be mentioned to the emperor after returning to Beijing and seeing the emperor.

"Eunuch, please rest for a while, and invite him to the table when the banquet begins in a short while."

Back in the room where he was staying, several young eunuchs knelt down in front of Wang Dehua.

"Slave please ask father-in-law to hand over this matter to slave!")

ps: Continue to ask for a monthly pass!