Reborn in the last years of Kangxi
Chapter 604 The Dragon Raises His Head
Chapter 604 The Dragon Raises His Head ([-]) (Two in One, ask for a monthly pass)
Even though something was painted on the face to cover up the original fairness, it wasn't Han Jiang's, which one?
Although he knew she was so strong, Cao Yong did not agree with her reckless move.
However, now is not the time to speak up.Along with Zhao Tong, apart from Han Jiangshi, there was also a middle-aged man in his thirties who looked very kind.
Cao Yong was still thinking about where he had seen this person, but the man had already clasped his fists and bowed and said, "The villain Cheng Mengkun has met Mr. Cao. The villain is in a hurry. He has just arrived in the capital, and he has not had time to go to the mansion to greet Mr. Cao and Mr. Cao." , Master Cao, please don’t blame me. I haven’t seen you for several years, so please stay safe, sir.”
"So it's Brother Cheng!" Cao Yong cupped his fists in return, but he was a little surprised.
Before there was no rumor that Cheng's family wanted to get involved, looking at Han Jiang's family behind Cheng Mengkun, Cao Yong knew in his heart that he might have nothing to do with her.
Speaking of Cheng Mengkun, he is a direct descendant of the Cheng family, a great salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River. Cao Yong has seen it twice.
Once in the 49th year of Kangxi, when Wang Lusheng was kidnapped in Yangzhou after the Pearl Meeting, Cao Yong had borrowed someone from the Cheng family with his father's handwritten letter because of lack of manpower. It was this Cheng Mengkun who brought the guards at home.
The second time I met Xi (it was Kangxi) in the first month of 51 years, Cao Yong and his wife took office from Jiangning to Shandong. When they passed through Yangzhou, they lived in Cheng's family and were invited by Cheng's family.
The Cheng family is a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, a century-old family, not to mention rich family wealth, and inextricably linked with the court dignitaries.
When Cao's family was in Jiangning, they could transfer people from Cheng's family, and they had a good relationship with each other from generation to generation.
When the Cheng family came to the capital, it was difficult for them to enter and leave the Cao family's mansion. They were afraid that they would fall into the eyes of others.I would never think of other small merchants, doing everything possible to get involved with the Cao family.
Although Cheng Mengkun is not the head of the Cheng family, he is the younger brother of the head of the Cheng family. In the Cheng family, he can be said to be inferior to everyone but above all others.
Such an important person would not come to the capital just to have fun.
It's just that Han Jiang's came here, what is the meaning?Do you want to set up another branch, or do you want to bring Daoxiang Village in...
Cao Yong glanced at Han Jiangshi, still hesitating, when he heard Cheng Mengkun say: "Well, my lord, this is the villain's nephew...Jiang Zhongwen, begging the villain to take her to see the world, the little one A stand has been donated to him."
Who is Cheng Mengkun? Seeing Cao Yong looking at Han Jiangshi, he explained the matter clearly in a few words.
Since he said so, Cao Yong just smiled.
But in my heart, I don't know whether I should admire Han Jiang's persistence. According to her temperament, she rarely sees outsiders. It is not easy to show her face like this and get involved.
She doesn't have the shyness of an ordinary daughter, she just looks like a businessman.
She has a good appearance, but she is serious, speaks cleanly, and does not have the softness of a daughter.
Not to mention, she didn't know what was painted on her face, which made her complexion a lot darker, and with her deliberately thickened eyebrows, she really looked like a boy with a white face and no beard.
If it wasn't for the embarrassment and abnormal behavior in front of Cao Yong, most people might not recognize her as a woman.
Cao Yong was used to her serious look, it was rare to see her so embarrassed and uncomfortable, so he couldn't help but want to tease her.When the words came to his lips, he felt that it was wrong, so he swallowed again.
He thought about it, and asked, "Brother Cheng, are you planning to participate? I don't know, which bidding are you interested in?"
Cheng Mengkun bowed his head and replied: "Just now, I have paid the deposit, which is the tea ceremony in Outer Mongolia and the trade with Oros."
After all, it is a big deal. The deposit for the Mongolian tea ceremony is 30 taels of silver, and the exclusive right to sell tea outside the export for three years;
Although there were quite a few merchants who came here from yesterday to this morning, there were only a handful of them who could swallow these two merchants.Many merchants, taking advantage of the cheapness of the fellow town hall, combined their shares to bid.
At present, among the large merchants in the capital, those who have the strength to bid for these business routes are the Fang family, the Wang family of the maritime merchants, the Fan family, Wang family, and Kang family of the Shanxi merchants, the Cheng family of the salt merchants, and the Pan family of the foreign merchants in Guangzhou.
Except for Cheng's family and Rizhao Wang's family, the others are all old households of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and they are inextricably linked with the eighth elder brother.
Before getting the news that the eighth elder brother was going to the ninth elder brother's mansion, none of these big households in the Ministry of Internal Affairs signed up for bidding.
In Cao Yong's heart, he doesn't mind who wins the bid, as long as the left and right money is paid enough.
Who cares what kind of power behind him is, according to the rules, whether he is doing well or not, he will not do anything about Cao Yong.
Although Cao Yong had some ideas for making money, he never dared to call himself a businessman.
This business road is tendered out, and in the hands of these merchants, it is almost a cash cow, not to mention.
To be honest, in the past, these people were appointed to pay filial piety, but it was all in the hands of the eighth elder brother, the ninth elder brother and others, but now they are being paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Originally, he wanted to explain something to Han Jiang's family, but because his serious uncle was in front of him, it was not his turn to speak to the partner.He chatted a few words with Cheng Mengkun, then turned and entered the venue.
In addition to the subordinate officials of the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are also many subordinate officials from the other seven divisions and second courtyards.
Ma Liandao, the former doctor of the Guangchu Department, was demoted once a few years ago, and now he is the doctor of the Construction Department.
Guangchusi Langzhong, who is in charge of the six treasuries of the inner government treasury, silver, leather, and satin, is Shang Zhishun, the younger brother of Shang Zhijie, the patriarch of the Shang family.
The patriarch of the Dong family, Dong Suxin's grandfather, Dong Dianbang, is now serving as the doctor of the Punishment Department, and is in charge of the Qiaoshang Sanqi prison case.
Both the Construction Department and the Guangchu Department have something to do with this bidding, but the Punishment Department has nothing to do with it.
However, Dong Dianbang still came over with a few notes with a smile on his face.
Several senior doctors, together with He Yi, Ma Qi and Cao Yong, the directors of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the top figures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have all arrived.
Except for Yiduli and Cao Yong, the two doctors in the hall who are younger, the others are not young.
Although Cao Yong's ranking in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is lower than that of He Yi and Ma Qi, but because he was the one who started these biddings, everyone is still dominated by him.
Cao Yong ordered people to move chairs for several elders.
With Ma Qi and He Yi present, Dong Dianbang and Ma Lian asked why they would sit together, saying "Don't dare" repeatedly, and finally re-arranged seats not far away, and they sat down.
Cao Yong took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. It was already Sichu (nine o'clock in the morning), and there was still an hour and a half before noon (twelve o'clock).
The bidding starts at the beginning of the afternoon when people enter the arena, and bids begin at noon.
The three hundred guards have arrived and have guarded the alley tightly.
Merchants who signed up and paid a deposit will receive a number plate.After entering the arena, the chair corresponding to the number plate is their seat.
Ma Qi and He Yi chatted with each other, but they had different thoughts.
In addition to being the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, He Yi is also the Minister of the Ministry of Industry.He heard that there were projects from the construction department in this bidding, so he couldn't help but pay attention.
On the side of the Ministry of Industry, decades of power have been criss-crossed, making it a mess.
Many projects were done by the imperial court as if they were using money for nothing, so that those silverfish were enriching their own pockets.
He Yi has a bit of a literati's character in him, so he can't see this.
As early as the 50th year of Kangxi, he also impeached Cao Yin for building the West Garden.
At that time, many flowers and stones in the West Garden were supervised by Cao Yin in Jiangning, and it seemed that 10,000+ taels of silver were not accounted for.Because of this, Cao Yin even defended himself in a zhezi.
In the end, it was Kangxi who spoke, so that's all.
As for the 10,000+ taels of silver, it is not known whether Cao Yin was greedy for ink or whether the emperor had other uses.
Because of this, after Cao Yin came to Beijing, He Yi was a little worried, afraid that the Cao family would pursue the past.
Later, he was also calm.He has evidence, and he is not slandering someone empty-handed, so why is he guilty?
When Cao Yong entered the House of Internal Affairs, he didn't show any abnormality in his words and deeds, but He Yi was a little uncertain.
It is a clay figurine, with three elements of soil.
In this matter, where is there really such a thing as repaying hatred with virtue?Repay grievances with virtue, how can you repay virtue?
Cao Yong is so natural and easy-going, if he is not a "true" person who does not feel resentment for He Yi's impeachment;
The former is fine, He Yi is also a self-proclaimed "gentleman", and is willing to be a friend; if it is the latter, he should be more careful, so as not to be tricked by Li Zi.
It's the Ministry of Internal Affairs' bidding, which sounds decent, but as long as money is involved, it's not easy to clean it up.
Whether Cao Yong is greedy or diligent and patriotic, he has to wait and see.
He Yi has always been honest and dull, Cao Yong would not have thought of his crooked belly.
In his mind, one thing came to mind.
When merchants enter the venue, they will be inspected, lest someone with evil intentions will bring in a murder weapon and disturb the venue.
It's okay for others to say that Han Jiang's family is a daughter, so what should I do then?
Look at her face, neck, wrists, all visible places are painted with fine ash, and the clothes on her body are thick enough.However, with her character, if a man touches her, she might hit a pillar and wipe her neck immediately.
Thinking of this, Cao Yong patted his forehead, called a pen post style, and told him to go to the owner of the warehouse here to find some magnets.
Ma Qi sat on the side, talking gossip with He Yi, but he did not forget to pay attention to Cao Yong.
Listening to Cao Yong's order, he thought about it for a while, but couldn't understand the reason, and asked curiously: "Is there anything else that needs to be arranged, Mr. Cao?"
Cao Yong waved his hand and said: "It's nothing, thanks to your lords, this side is already ready. The magnet is for checking when you enter the venue later. Many of you present are famous country gentry, Some of them still have the fame of the imperial court, so it would be disrespectful to lift their clothes for inspection. A magnet attracts iron, and if someone is wearing a self-defense knife, he can also find out."
It was just a temporary idea, but Ma Qi and He Yi nodded their heads.
Even Ma Qi, who always had doubts about Cao Yong's bidding behavior, couldn't help but praise: "Cao is young, but he acts so thoughtfully, which is really rare. Even the old man, seeing the complicated people outside, did not think of this place." The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, Mr. Cao is really impressive."
He Yi also boasted: "Those who respect people are respected by others. Mr. Cao did not despise them because of their business affairs, and his behavior is quite like an ancient gentleman."
Cao Yong was so embarrassed by the compliments of the two men that he felt hot all over his face, and said with a smile: "The two adults praised me absurdly, but I dare not take it seriously. It's just a matter of business. Is it possible for the world to be a king?" Is it possible that the coast of the land is not the king's ministers. Scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen are all the people of the Qing Dynasty. They circulate the market, earn a lot of tax revenue, benefit the country and the people, and can be regarded as good people."
The sincerity of what Cao Yong said made Ma Qi and He Yi feel uncomfortable when they heard it.
Looking at Cao Yong's eyes, there is a strange look.
He is also a son of a family, look at Cao Yong in front of him, and then look at those birds with cages all over the street, there is really no way to compare.
If Cao Yong hadn't married and had children, I'm afraid these two would pull Cao Yong over to be his son-in-law.
Now, it's only a matter of secretly praising, and at the same time, he whispered disrespectfully in his stomach, the emperor is not confused yet.There is also a reason for promoting Cao Jiazi.
While speaking, the pen post style had already brought someone to bring the magnet.
There are a total of ten strips, all one and a half inches wide, more than half a foot long, and half an inch thick.
Cao Yong hadn't figured out what to use for this "security inspection" equipment, someone came to report, saying that several guards from the guard's office had arrived and were outside, and they wanted to see the general manager.
Hearing this, Ma Qi, He Yi and others all got up, Ma Qi asked: "Where did they come from, did they arrive on purpose?"
Hearing Ma Qi's question in that post, he couldn't help but want to slap himself.
What this rumor said was the word "Cao".
He hurriedly bowed and said, "My lord, the guards didn't say they wanted to pass on the decree, they only said that Director Cao's former colleagues came here specially to cheer."
Cao Yong knew that this was Nalan Fusen and they had arrived.
It was really a bit of a surprise, but also with a bit of joy, I said goodbye to Ma Qi and He Yi, and strode out to welcome them.
Ma Qi and He Yi looked at each other and sat down again, their expressions were not as comfortable as before.
Looking at the clean warehouse, there are various seats.On the two-foot-high platform, several tables, gongs, hammers and other things have been placed.
Faint voices came from outside, the officials of the House of Internal Affairs were busy, carrying money into the treasury, holding books to keep accounts, very busy.
This so-called "Procurement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs" has not yet officially started, but as far as the present is concerned, Cao Yong's credit cannot be lost.
But what is "support"?
Because when Cao Yong started to talk about this, the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the seven divisions and two treasuries below were like loose sand.Although later, due to the death of the teacher of the Cao Mansion, elder brother Sixteen took over the bidding.This made the people here dare not to obey others, but there were not many who were willing to do their best.
This credit, until now, has become Cao Yong's monopoly.
If others want a piece of the pie, they can't save face.
Although Ma Qi and He Yi didn't intend to show off Cao Yong's power, but after doing this, it made the two of them look like trash...
*
Outside the warehouse, a group of people came, none other than Nalan Fusen's Nash guards, including Nalan Fusen, He Shan, Shi Yun and others.
Everyone met each other, Shi Yun looked behind Cao Yong, and said with a smile: "Where is uncle? I have completed the task, Master Cao and Uncle Cao want to treat me to a good meal."
It turned out that the bodyguards of them took a rest yesterday and returned to Beijing from the Tangquan Palace. After entering the Anding Gate, they met Seshitu.
Seshitu was thinking about the bidding the next day, so he asked everyone to come and shake the place.
After all, wearing the skin of a bodyguard can also deceive those wealthy landowners.To save them a few dollars, I really thought I was an uncle, so I dared to speak loudly.
The matter of bidding for the Ministry of Internal Affairs has also become a hubbub these days.
Nalan Fusen and Heshan are not just colleagues with Cao Yong, they have traveled to Mongolia several times, and their friendship is not a little bit.Some of the older ones are also Hang Seng's godfather.
When Cao Yong first arrived at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the water over there was deep, so everyone was happy to go over there to help.
So, we made an appointment.
Yi Duli was still relaxed and relaxed yesterday, but today he became nervous again, holding the script of his speech and reciting it silently.
According to what he said, he had memorized everything well, but when he stood on the table, he felt that he had forgotten the words.
After Cao Yong heard this, he gave him a trick, writing part of the manuscript in lower letters on the inside of the left sleeve.In this way, when you are nervous and forget a word, you can give me a word by looking down.
Yi Duli was overjoyed when he heard the words, and immediately asked the scribes for pens and inks, and went to a secluded place to copy.
For the arrival of Nalan Fusen and others, Cao Yong was happy, but he didn't dare to talk about it lightly and seriously, which is easy to fall into the ground.
There are more of them, they can only be used as a display for everyone to see, there are imperial guards here.
If they were really instructed to work, there might be a censor's book tomorrow, impeaching Cao Yong for the crimes of "arrogance", "rebellion", and "disrespect".
Nalan Fusen and He Shan also understood this point, but they just met the adults of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then they were just spectators.
Shiyun was young and couldn't sit still. He watched Cao Yong order the magnetic strip to be tied to a two-foot-long narrow wooden board, curiously tightening it.
Cao Yong said how to use this thing, and asked the chief of the guard barracks to call the twenty guards to guard the entrance.These ten or so magnetic stripes are used for the "security check".
It was the first time Shi Yun saw this rare thing, and he was reluctant to let it go. The same guard temporarily changed his clothes and puffed out his chest to act as a guard.
It doesn't matter if he is wearing the clothes of the guard camp, how dare the guards casually wear guard uniforms and wander around in front of people?
Although he also wanted to watch the fun, but Shi Yun said nice things and stuffed him with pieces of silver, so he couldn't say anything, so he asked a clerk, and went to sleep in a corner.
After all this tossing, it was almost noon.
The officials of the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have already left, and the merchants are asked to line up in the order of the number plates in their hands, and are ready to enter the venue.
In the arena, apart from the merchant area opposite the host platform, there are also many round tables on the east and west sides. These are for adults from other departments to observe.
The time is coming, and no one from other yamen is coming. Could it be that yesterday the six officials came to pick up the post, it was just a joke?
Everyone in the House of Internal Affairs has different ideas, but Cao Yong is busy again.
The [-] auction seats that were set earlier, the [-] "donation" seats are gone, and there are still many merchants waiting to pay a deposit to get a brand.There are many people waiting for the "donation" position.
Cao Yong thought about it for a while, and said to the chief who came to report: "Add one hundred to the donated position, and each position is 800 taels of silver. For auction seats, add fifty. The first forty will be distributed in order, and the last ten will be distributed in order. Shout out, and the one who pays the highest deposit wins."
The master was afraid that he might confuse Cao Yong's order, so he repeated it, and only when he saw Cao Yong nodding his head did he respond.
He Shan was beside him, pointing to a few rows of chairs far from the front desk, and asked, "What is the donation location? Is that over there? What are the benefits? A chair can sell for eight hundred?"
"It's just a surprise. Some merchants want their nephews to follow them to see the world." Cao Yong replied.
After a quarter of an hour, the voices outside began to grow complicated.
When the former principal came back, his face was already flushed, and he was almost dancing with excitement: "My lord, my lord, the fifty bidding numbers have been exhausted. The next ten numbers, ten numbers... have been auctioned." High price... No. 240 No. 60 is 250 taels of silver... No. 80 is 2805 taels of silver... Ten numbers total [-] million taels..."
When other people heard this, they only thought that there was a lot of money, hundreds of thousands, several million taels, and they didn't know how much more.
The most shocking one was Shang Zhishun, the doctor of Guangchu Division.
You know, last year the salt and tea tax in the internal treasury came in, totaling more than 370 million taels of silver.
On Cao Yong's side, the bidding has not yet started, and the deposit and donations received have already exceeded 550 million taels.
This is just a security deposit. According to the bidding plan, the starting bid amount is three times the security deposit, and the transaction is expected to be more than five times the security deposit. How much money will be credited at that time?
After Cao Yong heard the number, he felt a lot of joy in his heart.
Even if two-thirds of the merchants failed in the auction, there would be a small 400 million silver in the treasury, and it would be able to cope with the Northwest War for a while.After the auction is successful, once the rest of the money is paid, the income of the internal treasury will definitely be much higher than that of the national treasury.
From this point of view, his 1000 million is quite impressive.
Although it's true that it's a bit pretentious to take all this money at once, but it's already reached this point, and it's nonsense to worry about it.
On the presiding stage, in addition to the table, there was also a clock that was temporarily borrowed by Nei Curry.
With the bell of "Dangdang" remembered, it was the beginning of noon ([-] o'clock at noon).
Led by the head of the hall of the House of Internal Affairs, Shi Yun led the soldiers guarding the barracks to check in turn and let everyone enter.
Ma Qi, Cao Yong and others had already hidden themselves to save everyone from kneeling and worshiping again, which made the scene chaotic.
Although many people came in, few people made a sound. Most of them took their number plates and found the corresponding chairs to sit in. It was very orderly.
When meeting old acquaintances, they don't bother to exchange pleasantries, and mostly just nod their heads.
Looking at their clothes, many of them used python satin, it seems that they donated tops to wear on their bodies.
Only when the 250 bidding seats are filled, will the 250 "donation seats" enter the arena.
Holding up the magnetic board, Shi Yun glanced at the few daggers found on the nearby tray, but couldn't laugh or cry.
On the contrary, he was born as a merchant, with a village air. This portable dagger is mostly fancy style, inlaid with gold, jade and precious stones.
Including Shi Yun, twenty guards were divided into five groups for inspection, and the speed was also very fast.
After a while, most of them went in, leaving only a few scattered people.
Shi Yun only felt his arms sore, and hoped that it would be over soon, change his clothes and go into the arena to watch the excitement.
The person in front of him was dawdling, not coming forward.Shi Yun couldn't help frowning, and waved his hands: "Hey, hurry up, don't delay your time."
The man looked at the magnetic board in his hand, then slowly stepped forward, leaned over and pulled out a dagger with a deerskin sheath from his boots, and said in a low voice, "Is this temporarily placed, or should it be confiscated?"
Due to the movement of the words, Shi Yun didn't hear clearly, holding the magnetic board, he gestured to his side, and asked, "What confiscated?"
That person was none other than Han Jiangshi. Although he looked behind for a while and knew that clothes would not be turned during the inspection, he still took a step back involuntarily.
Shi Yun saw that her expression was different, her chest was bulging, and she frowned and said, "What's there? Is there any iron, and I'll hand it over first? I'll save my trouble."
When Han Jiangshi heard the words, his face was flushed, and he almost turned around and ran away.
She stabilized her mind, and handed over the dagger in her hand: "This is the only iron on my body, and it is a relic of my parents. If it is confiscated, please let me find someone to put this dagger temporarily."
Seeing Shi Yun's response, Han Jiang thought he didn't believe it, and replied neither humble nor overbearing: "Mr. Cao's house is in charge of Mr. Zhao, and he knows young people. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to come over and ask."
Shi Yun's brows did not relax, but his eyes seemed to be glued to Han Jiang's face.
Han Jiangshi sensed that something was wrong, so he quickly turned his head to avoid it.
Shi Yun's eyes fell on her neck, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, he pulled the dagger from Han Jiang's hand, and said: "Don't bother that kid Zhao Tong, this master will keep it for you, you can go in first !"
Han Jiangshi just felt weird in her heart, and there were people urging her behind, so she didn't care about exploring, and entered the venue with her head down.
Holding the dagger in his hand, Shi Yun looked at Han Jiang's back, but his expression changed, sometimes joyful, sometimes solemn, very entangled...
*
By the second quarter of the noon (11:30 noon), preparations for the auction site had already been completed, and princes and officials began to arrive one after another.
The first to arrive, of course, was the sixteenth elder brother in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the seventeenth elder brother who was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.The two of them were in a hurry, and it was hard to hide the dust on their bodies.
They left here at noon yesterday, but they arrived late today for some unknown reason.
Looking at the crowded venue, the two of them were quite surprised, but when they looked at Cao Yong, they were only happy.
While Elder Sixteen was chatting with others, Elder Seventeen said to Cao Yong in a low voice: "Fu Ruo, you should be good and thank Brother Sixteen. He saw that the situation yesterday was not good, and he was afraid that you would be responsible, so he made a special trip to pull him Master (ran to Huang Ama, and told you about your difficulties, so that you would be punished in case you fail today. This fast ride, the root of your thigh is worn out. "
After listening to Cao Yong, he thanked Elder Seventeen and looked at Elder Sixteen, feeling very moved...
Next, everyone from the Ministry of Rites.In addition to Manchu Shangshu, there are also Cao Yin and the seventh elder brother who is in charge of the Ministry of Rites.
Cao Yong and others came out to greet them, and the merchants also stood up to greet them.
Afterwards, everyone from the Ministry of War and everyone from the Ministry of Households.
Next, are the clan relatives and the prince elder brother.
"Prince He Shuocheng is here..."
"Prince He Shuoyong is here..."
"Prince Heshuo Jian has arrived..."
"Prince He Shuokang is here..."
In the bidding field, there are not many people standing. Except for a few princes and elder brothers who don’t need to kneel down, everyone else kneels down and welcomes all kings...
*
Xiaojiu has worked very hard these two days, and she plans to continue to work hard, asking for a monthly ticket to encourage her...
(End of this chapter)
Even though something was painted on the face to cover up the original fairness, it wasn't Han Jiang's, which one?
Although he knew she was so strong, Cao Yong did not agree with her reckless move.
However, now is not the time to speak up.Along with Zhao Tong, apart from Han Jiangshi, there was also a middle-aged man in his thirties who looked very kind.
Cao Yong was still thinking about where he had seen this person, but the man had already clasped his fists and bowed and said, "The villain Cheng Mengkun has met Mr. Cao. The villain is in a hurry. He has just arrived in the capital, and he has not had time to go to the mansion to greet Mr. Cao and Mr. Cao." , Master Cao, please don’t blame me. I haven’t seen you for several years, so please stay safe, sir.”
"So it's Brother Cheng!" Cao Yong cupped his fists in return, but he was a little surprised.
Before there was no rumor that Cheng's family wanted to get involved, looking at Han Jiang's family behind Cheng Mengkun, Cao Yong knew in his heart that he might have nothing to do with her.
Speaking of Cheng Mengkun, he is a direct descendant of the Cheng family, a great salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River. Cao Yong has seen it twice.
Once in the 49th year of Kangxi, when Wang Lusheng was kidnapped in Yangzhou after the Pearl Meeting, Cao Yong had borrowed someone from the Cheng family with his father's handwritten letter because of lack of manpower. It was this Cheng Mengkun who brought the guards at home.
The second time I met Xi (it was Kangxi) in the first month of 51 years, Cao Yong and his wife took office from Jiangning to Shandong. When they passed through Yangzhou, they lived in Cheng's family and were invited by Cheng's family.
The Cheng family is a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, a century-old family, not to mention rich family wealth, and inextricably linked with the court dignitaries.
When Cao's family was in Jiangning, they could transfer people from Cheng's family, and they had a good relationship with each other from generation to generation.
When the Cheng family came to the capital, it was difficult for them to enter and leave the Cao family's mansion. They were afraid that they would fall into the eyes of others.I would never think of other small merchants, doing everything possible to get involved with the Cao family.
Although Cheng Mengkun is not the head of the Cheng family, he is the younger brother of the head of the Cheng family. In the Cheng family, he can be said to be inferior to everyone but above all others.
Such an important person would not come to the capital just to have fun.
It's just that Han Jiang's came here, what is the meaning?Do you want to set up another branch, or do you want to bring Daoxiang Village in...
Cao Yong glanced at Han Jiangshi, still hesitating, when he heard Cheng Mengkun say: "Well, my lord, this is the villain's nephew...Jiang Zhongwen, begging the villain to take her to see the world, the little one A stand has been donated to him."
Who is Cheng Mengkun? Seeing Cao Yong looking at Han Jiangshi, he explained the matter clearly in a few words.
Since he said so, Cao Yong just smiled.
But in my heart, I don't know whether I should admire Han Jiang's persistence. According to her temperament, she rarely sees outsiders. It is not easy to show her face like this and get involved.
She doesn't have the shyness of an ordinary daughter, she just looks like a businessman.
She has a good appearance, but she is serious, speaks cleanly, and does not have the softness of a daughter.
Not to mention, she didn't know what was painted on her face, which made her complexion a lot darker, and with her deliberately thickened eyebrows, she really looked like a boy with a white face and no beard.
If it wasn't for the embarrassment and abnormal behavior in front of Cao Yong, most people might not recognize her as a woman.
Cao Yong was used to her serious look, it was rare to see her so embarrassed and uncomfortable, so he couldn't help but want to tease her.When the words came to his lips, he felt that it was wrong, so he swallowed again.
He thought about it, and asked, "Brother Cheng, are you planning to participate? I don't know, which bidding are you interested in?"
Cheng Mengkun bowed his head and replied: "Just now, I have paid the deposit, which is the tea ceremony in Outer Mongolia and the trade with Oros."
After all, it is a big deal. The deposit for the Mongolian tea ceremony is 30 taels of silver, and the exclusive right to sell tea outside the export for three years;
Although there were quite a few merchants who came here from yesterday to this morning, there were only a handful of them who could swallow these two merchants.Many merchants, taking advantage of the cheapness of the fellow town hall, combined their shares to bid.
At present, among the large merchants in the capital, those who have the strength to bid for these business routes are the Fang family, the Wang family of the maritime merchants, the Fan family, Wang family, and Kang family of the Shanxi merchants, the Cheng family of the salt merchants, and the Pan family of the foreign merchants in Guangzhou.
Except for Cheng's family and Rizhao Wang's family, the others are all old households of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and they are inextricably linked with the eighth elder brother.
Before getting the news that the eighth elder brother was going to the ninth elder brother's mansion, none of these big households in the Ministry of Internal Affairs signed up for bidding.
In Cao Yong's heart, he doesn't mind who wins the bid, as long as the left and right money is paid enough.
Who cares what kind of power behind him is, according to the rules, whether he is doing well or not, he will not do anything about Cao Yong.
Although Cao Yong had some ideas for making money, he never dared to call himself a businessman.
This business road is tendered out, and in the hands of these merchants, it is almost a cash cow, not to mention.
To be honest, in the past, these people were appointed to pay filial piety, but it was all in the hands of the eighth elder brother, the ninth elder brother and others, but now they are being paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Originally, he wanted to explain something to Han Jiang's family, but because his serious uncle was in front of him, it was not his turn to speak to the partner.He chatted a few words with Cheng Mengkun, then turned and entered the venue.
In addition to the subordinate officials of the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are also many subordinate officials from the other seven divisions and second courtyards.
Ma Liandao, the former doctor of the Guangchu Department, was demoted once a few years ago, and now he is the doctor of the Construction Department.
Guangchusi Langzhong, who is in charge of the six treasuries of the inner government treasury, silver, leather, and satin, is Shang Zhishun, the younger brother of Shang Zhijie, the patriarch of the Shang family.
The patriarch of the Dong family, Dong Suxin's grandfather, Dong Dianbang, is now serving as the doctor of the Punishment Department, and is in charge of the Qiaoshang Sanqi prison case.
Both the Construction Department and the Guangchu Department have something to do with this bidding, but the Punishment Department has nothing to do with it.
However, Dong Dianbang still came over with a few notes with a smile on his face.
Several senior doctors, together with He Yi, Ma Qi and Cao Yong, the directors of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the top figures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have all arrived.
Except for Yiduli and Cao Yong, the two doctors in the hall who are younger, the others are not young.
Although Cao Yong's ranking in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is lower than that of He Yi and Ma Qi, but because he was the one who started these biddings, everyone is still dominated by him.
Cao Yong ordered people to move chairs for several elders.
With Ma Qi and He Yi present, Dong Dianbang and Ma Lian asked why they would sit together, saying "Don't dare" repeatedly, and finally re-arranged seats not far away, and they sat down.
Cao Yong took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. It was already Sichu (nine o'clock in the morning), and there was still an hour and a half before noon (twelve o'clock).
The bidding starts at the beginning of the afternoon when people enter the arena, and bids begin at noon.
The three hundred guards have arrived and have guarded the alley tightly.
Merchants who signed up and paid a deposit will receive a number plate.After entering the arena, the chair corresponding to the number plate is their seat.
Ma Qi and He Yi chatted with each other, but they had different thoughts.
In addition to being the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, He Yi is also the Minister of the Ministry of Industry.He heard that there were projects from the construction department in this bidding, so he couldn't help but pay attention.
On the side of the Ministry of Industry, decades of power have been criss-crossed, making it a mess.
Many projects were done by the imperial court as if they were using money for nothing, so that those silverfish were enriching their own pockets.
He Yi has a bit of a literati's character in him, so he can't see this.
As early as the 50th year of Kangxi, he also impeached Cao Yin for building the West Garden.
At that time, many flowers and stones in the West Garden were supervised by Cao Yin in Jiangning, and it seemed that 10,000+ taels of silver were not accounted for.Because of this, Cao Yin even defended himself in a zhezi.
In the end, it was Kangxi who spoke, so that's all.
As for the 10,000+ taels of silver, it is not known whether Cao Yin was greedy for ink or whether the emperor had other uses.
Because of this, after Cao Yin came to Beijing, He Yi was a little worried, afraid that the Cao family would pursue the past.
Later, he was also calm.He has evidence, and he is not slandering someone empty-handed, so why is he guilty?
When Cao Yong entered the House of Internal Affairs, he didn't show any abnormality in his words and deeds, but He Yi was a little uncertain.
It is a clay figurine, with three elements of soil.
In this matter, where is there really such a thing as repaying hatred with virtue?Repay grievances with virtue, how can you repay virtue?
Cao Yong is so natural and easy-going, if he is not a "true" person who does not feel resentment for He Yi's impeachment;
The former is fine, He Yi is also a self-proclaimed "gentleman", and is willing to be a friend; if it is the latter, he should be more careful, so as not to be tricked by Li Zi.
It's the Ministry of Internal Affairs' bidding, which sounds decent, but as long as money is involved, it's not easy to clean it up.
Whether Cao Yong is greedy or diligent and patriotic, he has to wait and see.
He Yi has always been honest and dull, Cao Yong would not have thought of his crooked belly.
In his mind, one thing came to mind.
When merchants enter the venue, they will be inspected, lest someone with evil intentions will bring in a murder weapon and disturb the venue.
It's okay for others to say that Han Jiang's family is a daughter, so what should I do then?
Look at her face, neck, wrists, all visible places are painted with fine ash, and the clothes on her body are thick enough.However, with her character, if a man touches her, she might hit a pillar and wipe her neck immediately.
Thinking of this, Cao Yong patted his forehead, called a pen post style, and told him to go to the owner of the warehouse here to find some magnets.
Ma Qi sat on the side, talking gossip with He Yi, but he did not forget to pay attention to Cao Yong.
Listening to Cao Yong's order, he thought about it for a while, but couldn't understand the reason, and asked curiously: "Is there anything else that needs to be arranged, Mr. Cao?"
Cao Yong waved his hand and said: "It's nothing, thanks to your lords, this side is already ready. The magnet is for checking when you enter the venue later. Many of you present are famous country gentry, Some of them still have the fame of the imperial court, so it would be disrespectful to lift their clothes for inspection. A magnet attracts iron, and if someone is wearing a self-defense knife, he can also find out."
It was just a temporary idea, but Ma Qi and He Yi nodded their heads.
Even Ma Qi, who always had doubts about Cao Yong's bidding behavior, couldn't help but praise: "Cao is young, but he acts so thoughtfully, which is really rare. Even the old man, seeing the complicated people outside, did not think of this place." The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, Mr. Cao is really impressive."
He Yi also boasted: "Those who respect people are respected by others. Mr. Cao did not despise them because of their business affairs, and his behavior is quite like an ancient gentleman."
Cao Yong was so embarrassed by the compliments of the two men that he felt hot all over his face, and said with a smile: "The two adults praised me absurdly, but I dare not take it seriously. It's just a matter of business. Is it possible for the world to be a king?" Is it possible that the coast of the land is not the king's ministers. Scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen are all the people of the Qing Dynasty. They circulate the market, earn a lot of tax revenue, benefit the country and the people, and can be regarded as good people."
The sincerity of what Cao Yong said made Ma Qi and He Yi feel uncomfortable when they heard it.
Looking at Cao Yong's eyes, there is a strange look.
He is also a son of a family, look at Cao Yong in front of him, and then look at those birds with cages all over the street, there is really no way to compare.
If Cao Yong hadn't married and had children, I'm afraid these two would pull Cao Yong over to be his son-in-law.
Now, it's only a matter of secretly praising, and at the same time, he whispered disrespectfully in his stomach, the emperor is not confused yet.There is also a reason for promoting Cao Jiazi.
While speaking, the pen post style had already brought someone to bring the magnet.
There are a total of ten strips, all one and a half inches wide, more than half a foot long, and half an inch thick.
Cao Yong hadn't figured out what to use for this "security inspection" equipment, someone came to report, saying that several guards from the guard's office had arrived and were outside, and they wanted to see the general manager.
Hearing this, Ma Qi, He Yi and others all got up, Ma Qi asked: "Where did they come from, did they arrive on purpose?"
Hearing Ma Qi's question in that post, he couldn't help but want to slap himself.
What this rumor said was the word "Cao".
He hurriedly bowed and said, "My lord, the guards didn't say they wanted to pass on the decree, they only said that Director Cao's former colleagues came here specially to cheer."
Cao Yong knew that this was Nalan Fusen and they had arrived.
It was really a bit of a surprise, but also with a bit of joy, I said goodbye to Ma Qi and He Yi, and strode out to welcome them.
Ma Qi and He Yi looked at each other and sat down again, their expressions were not as comfortable as before.
Looking at the clean warehouse, there are various seats.On the two-foot-high platform, several tables, gongs, hammers and other things have been placed.
Faint voices came from outside, the officials of the House of Internal Affairs were busy, carrying money into the treasury, holding books to keep accounts, very busy.
This so-called "Procurement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs" has not yet officially started, but as far as the present is concerned, Cao Yong's credit cannot be lost.
But what is "support"?
Because when Cao Yong started to talk about this, the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the seven divisions and two treasuries below were like loose sand.Although later, due to the death of the teacher of the Cao Mansion, elder brother Sixteen took over the bidding.This made the people here dare not to obey others, but there were not many who were willing to do their best.
This credit, until now, has become Cao Yong's monopoly.
If others want a piece of the pie, they can't save face.
Although Ma Qi and He Yi didn't intend to show off Cao Yong's power, but after doing this, it made the two of them look like trash...
*
Outside the warehouse, a group of people came, none other than Nalan Fusen's Nash guards, including Nalan Fusen, He Shan, Shi Yun and others.
Everyone met each other, Shi Yun looked behind Cao Yong, and said with a smile: "Where is uncle? I have completed the task, Master Cao and Uncle Cao want to treat me to a good meal."
It turned out that the bodyguards of them took a rest yesterday and returned to Beijing from the Tangquan Palace. After entering the Anding Gate, they met Seshitu.
Seshitu was thinking about the bidding the next day, so he asked everyone to come and shake the place.
After all, wearing the skin of a bodyguard can also deceive those wealthy landowners.To save them a few dollars, I really thought I was an uncle, so I dared to speak loudly.
The matter of bidding for the Ministry of Internal Affairs has also become a hubbub these days.
Nalan Fusen and Heshan are not just colleagues with Cao Yong, they have traveled to Mongolia several times, and their friendship is not a little bit.Some of the older ones are also Hang Seng's godfather.
When Cao Yong first arrived at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the water over there was deep, so everyone was happy to go over there to help.
So, we made an appointment.
Yi Duli was still relaxed and relaxed yesterday, but today he became nervous again, holding the script of his speech and reciting it silently.
According to what he said, he had memorized everything well, but when he stood on the table, he felt that he had forgotten the words.
After Cao Yong heard this, he gave him a trick, writing part of the manuscript in lower letters on the inside of the left sleeve.In this way, when you are nervous and forget a word, you can give me a word by looking down.
Yi Duli was overjoyed when he heard the words, and immediately asked the scribes for pens and inks, and went to a secluded place to copy.
For the arrival of Nalan Fusen and others, Cao Yong was happy, but he didn't dare to talk about it lightly and seriously, which is easy to fall into the ground.
There are more of them, they can only be used as a display for everyone to see, there are imperial guards here.
If they were really instructed to work, there might be a censor's book tomorrow, impeaching Cao Yong for the crimes of "arrogance", "rebellion", and "disrespect".
Nalan Fusen and He Shan also understood this point, but they just met the adults of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then they were just spectators.
Shiyun was young and couldn't sit still. He watched Cao Yong order the magnetic strip to be tied to a two-foot-long narrow wooden board, curiously tightening it.
Cao Yong said how to use this thing, and asked the chief of the guard barracks to call the twenty guards to guard the entrance.These ten or so magnetic stripes are used for the "security check".
It was the first time Shi Yun saw this rare thing, and he was reluctant to let it go. The same guard temporarily changed his clothes and puffed out his chest to act as a guard.
It doesn't matter if he is wearing the clothes of the guard camp, how dare the guards casually wear guard uniforms and wander around in front of people?
Although he also wanted to watch the fun, but Shi Yun said nice things and stuffed him with pieces of silver, so he couldn't say anything, so he asked a clerk, and went to sleep in a corner.
After all this tossing, it was almost noon.
The officials of the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have already left, and the merchants are asked to line up in the order of the number plates in their hands, and are ready to enter the venue.
In the arena, apart from the merchant area opposite the host platform, there are also many round tables on the east and west sides. These are for adults from other departments to observe.
The time is coming, and no one from other yamen is coming. Could it be that yesterday the six officials came to pick up the post, it was just a joke?
Everyone in the House of Internal Affairs has different ideas, but Cao Yong is busy again.
The [-] auction seats that were set earlier, the [-] "donation" seats are gone, and there are still many merchants waiting to pay a deposit to get a brand.There are many people waiting for the "donation" position.
Cao Yong thought about it for a while, and said to the chief who came to report: "Add one hundred to the donated position, and each position is 800 taels of silver. For auction seats, add fifty. The first forty will be distributed in order, and the last ten will be distributed in order. Shout out, and the one who pays the highest deposit wins."
The master was afraid that he might confuse Cao Yong's order, so he repeated it, and only when he saw Cao Yong nodding his head did he respond.
He Shan was beside him, pointing to a few rows of chairs far from the front desk, and asked, "What is the donation location? Is that over there? What are the benefits? A chair can sell for eight hundred?"
"It's just a surprise. Some merchants want their nephews to follow them to see the world." Cao Yong replied.
After a quarter of an hour, the voices outside began to grow complicated.
When the former principal came back, his face was already flushed, and he was almost dancing with excitement: "My lord, my lord, the fifty bidding numbers have been exhausted. The next ten numbers, ten numbers... have been auctioned." High price... No. 240 No. 60 is 250 taels of silver... No. 80 is 2805 taels of silver... Ten numbers total [-] million taels..."
When other people heard this, they only thought that there was a lot of money, hundreds of thousands, several million taels, and they didn't know how much more.
The most shocking one was Shang Zhishun, the doctor of Guangchu Division.
You know, last year the salt and tea tax in the internal treasury came in, totaling more than 370 million taels of silver.
On Cao Yong's side, the bidding has not yet started, and the deposit and donations received have already exceeded 550 million taels.
This is just a security deposit. According to the bidding plan, the starting bid amount is three times the security deposit, and the transaction is expected to be more than five times the security deposit. How much money will be credited at that time?
After Cao Yong heard the number, he felt a lot of joy in his heart.
Even if two-thirds of the merchants failed in the auction, there would be a small 400 million silver in the treasury, and it would be able to cope with the Northwest War for a while.After the auction is successful, once the rest of the money is paid, the income of the internal treasury will definitely be much higher than that of the national treasury.
From this point of view, his 1000 million is quite impressive.
Although it's true that it's a bit pretentious to take all this money at once, but it's already reached this point, and it's nonsense to worry about it.
On the presiding stage, in addition to the table, there was also a clock that was temporarily borrowed by Nei Curry.
With the bell of "Dangdang" remembered, it was the beginning of noon ([-] o'clock at noon).
Led by the head of the hall of the House of Internal Affairs, Shi Yun led the soldiers guarding the barracks to check in turn and let everyone enter.
Ma Qi, Cao Yong and others had already hidden themselves to save everyone from kneeling and worshiping again, which made the scene chaotic.
Although many people came in, few people made a sound. Most of them took their number plates and found the corresponding chairs to sit in. It was very orderly.
When meeting old acquaintances, they don't bother to exchange pleasantries, and mostly just nod their heads.
Looking at their clothes, many of them used python satin, it seems that they donated tops to wear on their bodies.
Only when the 250 bidding seats are filled, will the 250 "donation seats" enter the arena.
Holding up the magnetic board, Shi Yun glanced at the few daggers found on the nearby tray, but couldn't laugh or cry.
On the contrary, he was born as a merchant, with a village air. This portable dagger is mostly fancy style, inlaid with gold, jade and precious stones.
Including Shi Yun, twenty guards were divided into five groups for inspection, and the speed was also very fast.
After a while, most of them went in, leaving only a few scattered people.
Shi Yun only felt his arms sore, and hoped that it would be over soon, change his clothes and go into the arena to watch the excitement.
The person in front of him was dawdling, not coming forward.Shi Yun couldn't help frowning, and waved his hands: "Hey, hurry up, don't delay your time."
The man looked at the magnetic board in his hand, then slowly stepped forward, leaned over and pulled out a dagger with a deerskin sheath from his boots, and said in a low voice, "Is this temporarily placed, or should it be confiscated?"
Due to the movement of the words, Shi Yun didn't hear clearly, holding the magnetic board, he gestured to his side, and asked, "What confiscated?"
That person was none other than Han Jiangshi. Although he looked behind for a while and knew that clothes would not be turned during the inspection, he still took a step back involuntarily.
Shi Yun saw that her expression was different, her chest was bulging, and she frowned and said, "What's there? Is there any iron, and I'll hand it over first? I'll save my trouble."
When Han Jiangshi heard the words, his face was flushed, and he almost turned around and ran away.
She stabilized her mind, and handed over the dagger in her hand: "This is the only iron on my body, and it is a relic of my parents. If it is confiscated, please let me find someone to put this dagger temporarily."
Seeing Shi Yun's response, Han Jiang thought he didn't believe it, and replied neither humble nor overbearing: "Mr. Cao's house is in charge of Mr. Zhao, and he knows young people. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to come over and ask."
Shi Yun's brows did not relax, but his eyes seemed to be glued to Han Jiang's face.
Han Jiangshi sensed that something was wrong, so he quickly turned his head to avoid it.
Shi Yun's eyes fell on her neck, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, he pulled the dagger from Han Jiang's hand, and said: "Don't bother that kid Zhao Tong, this master will keep it for you, you can go in first !"
Han Jiangshi just felt weird in her heart, and there were people urging her behind, so she didn't care about exploring, and entered the venue with her head down.
Holding the dagger in his hand, Shi Yun looked at Han Jiang's back, but his expression changed, sometimes joyful, sometimes solemn, very entangled...
*
By the second quarter of the noon (11:30 noon), preparations for the auction site had already been completed, and princes and officials began to arrive one after another.
The first to arrive, of course, was the sixteenth elder brother in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the seventeenth elder brother who was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.The two of them were in a hurry, and it was hard to hide the dust on their bodies.
They left here at noon yesterday, but they arrived late today for some unknown reason.
Looking at the crowded venue, the two of them were quite surprised, but when they looked at Cao Yong, they were only happy.
While Elder Sixteen was chatting with others, Elder Seventeen said to Cao Yong in a low voice: "Fu Ruo, you should be good and thank Brother Sixteen. He saw that the situation yesterday was not good, and he was afraid that you would be responsible, so he made a special trip to pull him Master (ran to Huang Ama, and told you about your difficulties, so that you would be punished in case you fail today. This fast ride, the root of your thigh is worn out. "
After listening to Cao Yong, he thanked Elder Seventeen and looked at Elder Sixteen, feeling very moved...
Next, everyone from the Ministry of Rites.In addition to Manchu Shangshu, there are also Cao Yin and the seventh elder brother who is in charge of the Ministry of Rites.
Cao Yong and others came out to greet them, and the merchants also stood up to greet them.
Afterwards, everyone from the Ministry of War and everyone from the Ministry of Households.
Next, are the clan relatives and the prince elder brother.
"Prince He Shuocheng is here..."
"Prince He Shuoyong is here..."
"Prince Heshuo Jian has arrived..."
"Prince He Shuokang is here..."
In the bidding field, there are not many people standing. Except for a few princes and elder brothers who don’t need to kneel down, everyone else kneels down and welcomes all kings...
*
Xiaojiu has worked very hard these two days, and she plans to continue to work hard, asking for a monthly ticket to encourage her...
(End of this chapter)
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