Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 862
Along the Huangpu River, on the deck of a passenger ship.

Cao Yong and Cheng Mengxing stood at the bow of the boat, overlooking the river.

Not far away, several ships stopped; further away, there were gradually disappearing masts.Cheng Mengxing looked at the scenery in the distance, muttering to himself.

Cao Yong could hear it vaguely, turned his head, and asked with a smile: "Brother Wu Qiao got a good sentence?"

Cheng Mengxing waved his hand, and said with a bit of self-mockery: "If you talk about flowery words, you can't just say it casually. Now that you see the Yangtze River entering the sea, you don't dare to show your clumsiness. Forty is not confused, my master will not deceive me."

When Cao Yong saw him like this, he stopped talking and looked at the green grass on both sides of the strait, and felt novel.

When he was in the capital, he walked along the official roads of the Forbidden City, Longfu Temple, Dongdan Archway, Gulou Street, and looked at the red and yellow walls that were the same as hundreds of years later. Cao Yong suddenly felt something.After all, 300 years later, some traces of history are still there.

On the Huangpu River, Shanghai 300 years ago did not have the prosperity of later generations.

Dream also, not also.

While Cao Yong was concentrating, he heard the noise coming from the shore.

Cao Yong and Cheng Mengxing heard this, and they all looked towards the shore.

I saw more than a dozen guards with knives hanging on their waists, and the menacing guards pushed several people to the side of a boat.

Wang Lusheng was at the side of the boat, listening to some stewards talking, and also heard the movement, looked at it for a while, but couldn't help frowning.

He walked to the bow of the boat and said: "Master Cao, Master Cheng, it seems that I have to get off the boat for a while. The boat belongs to the Fan family in Guangzhou. His family has a business in Guangzhou, and they have contacts with the Wang family in recent years. Although not I know what's going on, but since I've encountered it, I can't stand by and watch."

Cao Yong naturally had nothing to say, watching Wang Lusheng bring people off the boat.

Although anyone who can be an official in this kind of customs office has a background, but Wang Lusheng hangs the banner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and has half the status of an imperial merchant. Most people will not embarrass him, so Cao Yong is not worried.

At this moment, the guards over there have already boarded the boat, and many servants and boatmen have come down from the boat one after another.

Seeing this, Cheng Mengxing couldn't help shaking his head, and said to Cao Yong: "It is said that tax officials are like tigers and slaves are like wolves. Looking at this posture, it really has some meaning."

Cao Yong heard this and said: "As a merchant in Guangzhou, if you often travel to the Yangtze River waterway, you should also be familiar with the checkpoints. How can there be extra problems?"

Cheng Mengxing glanced at Cao Yong, and said: "Not everyone has the wealth of Rizhao Wang's family, nor does everyone have a big backer. This tax official, I dare say, I don't know if he has other strengths. Their eyesight is the most vicious. They know in their hearts who can take advantage of them. Besides, who can make up for this gap, which one has no master behind them? They are all here for money, and the kung fu of bullying the weak and fearing the hard is the most powerful."

After all, he is the direct descendant of the salt merchants, and Cheng Mengxing knows all about these twists and turns.

When Cao Yong heard the words, his heart moved, and he asked: "Which master's disciple is this man at the Yangtze River Customs?"

Cheng Mengxing said with a smile: "Which one else could it be? After 47 years of Kangxi, the customs here is the shortage of eighth and ninth elder brothers." At this point, he lowered his volume and said: "The eighth elder brother The good reputation of the fourteenth elder brother is now raising his eyebrows in the northwest, and it all depends on the supply from the south of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River Customs has accounted for [-]% of the success of the Yangtze River Customs over the years, if not half of it."

When Cao Yong heard the words, he felt heavy in his heart, looked at Cheng Mengxing and said, "For 23 years of dominance, no one else has a share of the pie?"

If he remembers correctly, Li Xu also served as the chief of the Yangtze River Customs before the Li case happened that year.Afterwards, he was implicated in the Kari case, and was dismissed from several part-time jobs, among which was the vacancy of customs.

I heard that after the ceremony case was completed, Li Xu submitted a report and offered to take up the post again to share the worries of the emperor and his master, but in the end it was not done for some reason.

Cheng Mengxing seemed to understand why Cao Yong asked each other so much, so he didn't say anything. He nodded and said, "It's all from the family of these two elder brothers. This customs office is not the same. The other three years, this customs office, but It’s one o’clock a year. Not to mention anything else, it’s the accounts, if it’s not from one department, how can there be no mistakes?”

After hearing this, Cao Yong could only caress his forehead.

Not to mention other things, just relying on Brother Jiu to fish for money in the south of the Yangtze River, there will be a dead end in the future.His fate has not changed because of the early death of the eighth elder brother.

Even Cheng Mengxing, a flirtatious talent who thinks about beautiful women's lyrics all day long, knows this. It's not a secret in Jiangnan.

Cao Yong didn't know why Kangxi acquiesced; he didn't care about Brother Nine, but he only knew that the Li family had one more crime when they were investigated.

The Li family is already a sunken ship...

Cao Yong's guess was right. Not long after Wang Lusheng disembarked, the matter was resolved.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is under the jurisdiction of the sixteenth elder brother. The sixteenth elder brother is an elder brother who is unable to compete for the reserve position but is respected by Kangxi. Even if the ninth elder brother is here, he will give the sixteenth elder brother some face; , Naturally also feel good.

Wang Lusheng's complexion was not good-looking, and he returned to the boat, complaining a bit, "Where is this an official? It's like a bandit. It is said that because of the use of troops in the Northwest, the imperial court increased taxes, 6000 taels of tax money were added to 6000 taels! The Fan family didn’t have that much money on board, so they used the excuse of ‘resisting taxes’ to detain the ship. This is their usual trick. It's even harder..."

"[-] thousand tax money, what goods on board?" Cao Yong asked with some curiosity.

The Fan family's boat was not far from here, and it seemed that it was not as deep as the cargo ship hired by the Wang family.

"Silk and Songjiang cloth. Fan's family is a foreign company, the ship belongs to them, but the goods on the ship belong to others. If they are really detained, it will not only be a loss of a ship or a ship of goods, but also a reputation." It's going to be half broken." Wang Lusheng replied: "I just asked the housekeeper of the Fan family. They have run this line several times and they are familiar with it. I thought it was safe, and this time the second young master of the Fan family escorted the boat. I didn't expect to dare Changing the chief officer at Shanghai Customs, this time it is a tricky one. They gave [-] silver filial piety, but they didn't enter the eyes of the official. I guess, they deceived the young master of the Fan family and wanted to swallow the ship I have the name of the Ministry of Internal Affairs here, and after begging for a while, I agreed to let the Fan family pay the full tax and release the ship."

While talking, Wang Lusheng turned his head and told Guo Quanyou: "Just now, looking at the appearance of the housekeeper of the Fan family, the money may not be enough. Go and exchange 5000 taels of silver and send it over. Ask them if they have enough, and come back to report if they don't have enough."

Guo Quanyou bowed and agreed, and went down to find the cashier to exchange the money without mentioning it.

Cao Yong knew in his heart that the so-called "use of troops in the Northwest to increase taxes" was just an excuse.Otherwise, this cargo ship would add 1 taels, and at least one million in income a month, Kangxi would not have to worry about the lack of money in the Ministry of Household Treasury, and there would be no cargo ships sailing on the Yangtze River...

*
After a while, the second young master of the Fan family brought the housekeeper over to thank him in person.

He is only eighteen or nine years old, and he looks a little weak. I don't know if it's because of the fright, but his face is very pale.If it wasn't for the old housekeeper's support, he would faint at any time.

When Cao Yong saw it, he rolled his eyes straight in his heart.Didn't the Fan family send such a child out with "bully me" on their faces?

Seeing this, Wang Lusheng frowned and said, "Since my nephew Shishen is not feeling well, he should treat him like a general and support him. Why are you still making trouble?"

Fan Shishen had already pushed away the butler's support, took two steps forward, and was about to kneel down.

How could Wang Lusheng be willing to accept it? While complaining, "What is this?", he supported Fan Shishen's arm with a hand as big as a palm.

"Without Seventh Uncle's help, my nephew would have become a sinner of the Fan family." Fan Shishen said with some gratitude: "Seventh Uncle's great kindness, my nephew will never forget it."

Wang Lusheng felt a little embarrassed, waved his hands, and said, "It's just a little effort, and it's really nothing. If my nephew mentions it again, it will appear heretic."

Fan Shishen thanked him this time, then took something from the housekeeper, and presented it to Wang Lusheng with both hands, "Seventh Uncle, this is a document written by my nephew, and it is related to the 5000 taels of silver just now. Seventh Uncle knows about our family, go There are uncles, brothers, and nephew is worthless. Therefore, in this document, in addition to the nephew’s name, there are two stewards on board the ship.”

Wang Lusheng frowned at first. After all, Lu people are bold, and he is a big businessman with a strong family, and he pays attention to the word "loyalty".In view of the friendship between the two families, it is a sense of loyalty to help the Fan family.The Fan family sent me the IOU, although it is in line with the way of a gentleman, it is somewhat alienated and stingy.

However, after hearing what Fan Shishen had finished speaking, he sighed inwardly, his unhappiness dissipated, and ordered someone to take the paperwork.

"Last time I saw you, although you are not as strong as others, you are fine. Why is your father willing to send you out now that you are sick?" Wang Lusheng asked with some doubts.

After hearing this, Fan Shishen blushed and said, "Uncle Qi, my nephew went to Jiangning by land, and then joined his own fleet, but he was seasick. After a few days, it became like this. It's okay, it's already gone. It's better than it was a few days ago."

Wang Lusheng didn't expect this to be the reason, after all, the Fan family's fleet is quite famous.Not only river transportation, but also sea transportation.

Wang Lusheng patted Fan Shishen on the shoulder, not knowing how to persuade him.

Fan family disciples, if they can't get on the boat, they are useless.Fan Shishen was originally a concubine, and he had no hope of inheriting the family business. If he couldn't even do the job of escorting a boat, it would be even more difficult for him to gain a foothold in the family.

After Fan Shishen boarded the boat, he saw Cao Yong and Cheng Mengxing.

Of these two people, one came from a family background and has been an official for many years, and the other is famous in the south of the Yangtze River and an official in the Imperial Academy, both of them carry a bit of aura of wealth and honor.Seeing Fan Shishen, he always felt a little weird.These two people didn't look like merchants, and they were on the Wang's boat for some reason.

At this moment, Wang Lusheng also remembered that he hadn't introduced him to Cao Cheng, so he hurriedly turned around and said to them, "Master Cao, Master Cheng, this is Fan Shishen, my nephew of the Fan family."

Speaking of this, he said to Fan Shishen again: "These are my two friends, Lord Cao from the capital, and Lord Cheng from Yangzhou."

Wang Lusheng said "friend" in his mouth, but there was a lot of respect in his words.In addition, the young Cao Yong was introduced first, and then Cheng Mengxing. Fan Shishen also saw that both of them had status, and they respected Cao Yong.

He bowed and bowed down, his mouth was also very respectful.

Seeing that his complexion was really ugly, Wang Lusheng sent him back to rest after exchanging a few pleasantries.

Looking at Fan Shishen's background, Wang Lusheng hesitated for a moment, and said to Cao Yong: "Master Cao, do you still have the seasickness medicine that you prepared for Master Wu last time? If you go out to sea, it will take half a month to go to Quanzhou to replenish. Fan Shishen Er Shao is like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to bear it..."

"There are many more. However, I don't know how the effect will be. After all, the sea is no more bumpy than the canal on the same river..." Cao Yong said.

Wang Lusheng frowned when he heard this, Cheng Mengxing saw it, and said with a smile: "If the prince is really worried, please invite Master Fan to come to our boat. Our boat is comfortable, with a good cook and two good doctors. Even if you get seasick , take good care of it, and it will be fine..."

(End of this chapter)