Lu Ming

Page 233

Although the two present are of the same generation, in terms of age, Zong Han is more than 12 years older than Zong Ben, so he looks much older.

"Well, nothing happened at home. It's you, I haven't seen you for ten months, but what happened in Haojingao?"

……

As mentioned earlier, Zongben's job is a shopkeeper of a commercial firm.So where is his business?It is not in Guangzhou City, nor in the docks outside the city, but on Macau Island.

This commercial firm in Haojingao can be said to be the fundamental place for Zongben to settle down.As early as ten years ago, Zongben, who was squeezed out by his tribe at that time, resolutely brought a little capital raised by himself to open a business firm on a small island occupied by foreigners.

However, although Zongben said that he couldn't enjoy it in the clan, once he left the house, the clan's brand name could still be used.So while using the banner of his family to set up the Daming goods source to open up smuggling channels, he managed carefully in Macau. Over the years, he has made a name for himself.

"Hehe, I want to teach my elder brother to know that not only was there no trouble last year at Haojing's place, but there was even more hair growth."

Zongben's current status is roughly equal to that of an expatriate independent shopkeeper in a public-private partnership with the family.He travels between Macau and Guangzhou for most of the year, returning to Fuchu to pay his account every once in a while.

The reason why Zongben returned home today is obviously to do the year-end report: due to the shipping schedule in Macau, Zongben usually does the accounting after the New Year.

While reporting the good news, Zong Ben took out a few yellow paper slips from his sleeve pocket, and handed them to the elder brother above him with both hands.

"Last year, there were a lot of Tibetan merchants in the port, and most of the goods accumulated on the cabinets were cleared. Hehe, there is still a small 4 taels of silver, which is much more than in previous years. It is considered a prosperous year."

"Yes, Not Bad."

After reading the accounts on the yellow paper, even though Zong Han had a face full of honesty, he also showed a slight smile at this moment.

"Hehe, thank you, big brother." Zongben took a step forward after saying modestly in Chinese style, pointing to the next slip from the side, and said: "The rest of the southern goods on the cabinet have also found their buyers. Now I have only been here for a few days." The account can be written off after the person sends it. At that time, except for [-]% of the payment for the goods this year, according to the old rules, the rest can be sent back to the government."

"Well, good, really good!"

When Zong Han finally glanced at the cash income figure below, he smiled a lot more.

Zong Ben saw the eldest brother nodding repeatedly, so he hit the iron while the iron was hot and said another good thing: "It is also thanks to the elder brother's care over the years that I am in the situation I am today. After a few days to pay the money, the elder brother can send Zong Fu to the cabinet, and the younger brother will return it here." Eldest brother kept a copy of himself, and some rare items from Yizhou, let Zong Fu bring them back together."

Having said that, Zongben stretched out his finger and gestured a taboo number.

"well!"

At this moment, Zong Hanzong, a scholar who was originally aloof, finally put down his airs completely, and patted the back of Zong Ben's hand: "Sit down, sit down, and enjoy tea."

When Zong Ben finally took a sip of tea, Zong Han first praised his brother with a smile on his face: "Lao Qi, if the family talks about the way of merchants, you should be the leader."

"Where is it, big brother is awsome."

After exchanging a few words in business, Zong Han probably felt that he had given Xiaoqi enough face this time, so his Taoist attributes took over his body and mind again... After thinking about it, Zong Han said something else: "However, This Yizhou product is useful, Yizhou people, you are not easy to deal with."

Zong Ben was a little puzzled when he heard the words: "Oh, how do you say that?"

"Oh, it's not your fault that you have little knowledge and don't understand things."

Zong Han put on the appearance of Chunchun's elder brother teaching his younger brother: "That guy in Yizhou is a traitor, taking advantage of the downturn in our Ming Dynasty's fortunes, he used ingenious playthings to make a way, hooked up with the scum of the court, and occupied my heartland outside Guangzhou. , entered the hall and entered the house. The bandit leader Cao, who stole power, not only held an important position in the army, but also privately occupied Yizhou, this is like a Tang Dynasty town!"

"The thief is powerful now, and let him be rampant for a while. However, since ancient times, the Han Dynasty has always been incompatible with the thief. When the imperial court frees up its hand in the future, this feudal town will eventually be removed. When the heavenly soldiers arrive, the other generations will be ashamed! "

"Ah!" Zong Ben was speechless when he heard this.

Zong Han was very satisfied with the expression of the scumbag younger brother, so he continued: "My Zong family is a scholar, and my son has received the emperor's grace. When it comes to such big things, you must have a clear mind and a foresight. You In the past, I didn’t study the knowledge of sages, and spent a lot of time hanging out with those merchants, I’m afraid I didn’t understand the righteousness.”

At this time, Zong Han's tone became colder: "I am supporting you today because I am afraid that you will become confused and lose sight of the general situation, and get too involved with those thieves... You need to know that Tianweihuanghuang, if you don't understand the overall situation, you will be in a daze until you set things right. On that day, hmph, the Zong family can't save you!"

When Zong Han said the last sentence, his voice was already stern.

"My brother would like to be taught." Zongben stood up and bowed.Of course he had to put on an obedient and teachable attitude at this time... Could it be that he wanted to tell his elder brother that he had a few intimate conversations with Cao thief at the meeting before?

Seeing the good attitude of the scumbag, Zong Han felt relieved.Next, he probably felt that the scene was a bit awkward due to his own painstaking efforts, so Zong Han twisted his beard with one hand, looked at the atrium outside the door, and recalled the past with a gentle face: "If you went to Haojing back then, the clan There must be quite a few people in the midst of questioning. After all, the mansion is a scholarly family, and the nephew of the family went to hang out with the barbarians. What does it look like? Do you want the sage's instruction?"

"Lao Qi knows, I know." Zong Ben looked grateful at the moment: "If the elder brother hadn't released it back then, and allocated some public money as the capital, the younger brother would definitely not have what he is today."

"Well, just remember." Zong Han asked others to remember things, but he has long forgotten how he sat back and watched Zongben run away from home with the mentality of dismissing a bereaved dog: "Uncle died early, you were young and no one raised you If there is no control, you must always introspect yourself, so as to avoid missteps and mistakes."

"Brother, you should reflect on yourself." Zongben didn't know how many times he bowed his head and accepted the teaching today.

This is the end of Zong Han's "caring discipline". It seems that this is his unique way to "thank" his incompetent clansmen.

If it was on weekdays, even if Zongben returned home to report on his work, it would be a matter of business and a quick decision. Who would be patient to listen to his elder brother/old master Zong Han's lectures.Not to mention that the accounts that Zongben provided this year not only left enough income for the government, but also promised Zonghan a sum of money and goods from Yizhou.

There is a reason for Zong Ben to stay low today and endure all this.

The next moment, Zongben, feeling the harmonious atmosphere of the scene and realizing that his elder brother was in a good mood, first lowered his head and took a long breath, showing a resolute expression on his face, then he raised his head, with a smile on his face, resolute in his eyes, and cupped his hands against Zong Han said: "There is one more thing to ask the eldest brother to agree to."

"Oh, it's okay, let's talk about it."

"I wonder if my mother's tomb can be moved into the ancestor's tomb?"

Chapter 539 Conversation ([-])

"Bullshit!"

When Zong Han heard Zong Ben's request, he was stunned for a moment, and then he flew into a rage and slapped the coffee table hard.

The good mood before was gone, and Zong Han's thin face was full of anger at the moment.Pointing at his younger brother with two fingers, Zong Han turned his face on the spot: "Daydreaming, don't mention this matter again!"

It's a long story about Zongmu's tomb.

Thinking about the birth of Zongben back then, it was originally a repertoire that was often staged by wealthy families: the master got lucky with the maid after drinking, and didn't want the maid to become pregnant right away.

The master who lifted his trousers naturally regretted it for about five...hours afterwards?After all, making a girl's stomach bigger is not a pleasant thing to hear.

But the matter has come to this point, the Zongfu, the second master of the Zongfu, did not intend to renege on his debt back then.According to the master's own intention, he planned to promote her from maidservant to concubine after the mother's smooth delivery.

Don't want the world to be impermanent, just when Zongmu was pregnant in October and was about to give birth, Mr. Zong Er had a stroke after drinking, and died within two days.

In this way, Zongben, who was born afterward, became a standard posthumous child.

Since the master has braided hair, the mother-in-law is not a maid, and the concubine is not a concubine, and she is an embarrassing person who is hated by the big wife and seduces the master. Naturally, her life will not be very good.

However, in the eyes of everyone, and under the bullying and exclusion of various forces, Zong's maid finally dragged Zongben to 15 years old abruptly.After that, this miserable woman who had been a servant all her life died of illness in the laundry room.

Afterwards, the young Zongben couldn't bear the atmosphere in the mansion, and often went out to hang out among the three religions.Afterwards, Zongben obtained a sum of joint stock money that was intended to send him out of the house, and went to Haojingao to make a living.

If Zongben hadn't successfully started a business in Haojingao, he would bring back income to the family every year. In fact, his qualifications to enter the Zongfu's gate today are still open to question...

Seeing Zong Han, the first son of the eldest son, get angry, Zong Ben, the second son of the concubine, was frustrated, but this was not unexpected. In fact, he had already foreseen this ending.

When he returned to the mansion this time, he came here with the mentality of ending everything.Among them, after the death of the biological mother, the status and treatment of her soul in the family's yin house is the core issue today.

As the saying goes, a mother is more valuable than a child.In Zongben's view, the bonuses he has distributed to the merchants in the clan over the years are enough to elevate his current status.Because the value of these bonuses has exceeded the cost of using the "flag" of the Zongfu.On the other hand, doesn't this just prove his importance?

This is also the reason why Zongben has the courage to raise the issue of the Virgin Mary's tomb to the family for the first time in many years.Of course, the most critical reason for this is that a certain force that should not have appeared on this plane gave him courage.

So even though he guessed the ending, Zongben still made his last effort—a little reminder to the elder brother that he is actually a successful person now: "Elder brother, is there no need to discuss this matter? The younger brother is willing to pay money to repair the ancestral grave And the ancestral hall, and hope that the eldest brother will raise his hand."

"Zhuzi, An dare to talk nonsense again!"

After discovering that Zongben did not give up, but was "undeterred", Zong Han, the eldest son of the Zong family, felt that his clan authority had been seriously challenged, so he had a ferocious face, trembling and hissing, "How dare you be so mad? There is no such thing as Gang Chang and etiquette, do you want to rebel?"

With a "bang", Zong Han patted the coffee table again, this time the tea bowl jumped up on the table, and the tea splashed all over the place: "A lowly maid, the things bought for eight taels of silver are also worthy of my ancestor's grave? No need to humiliate Lie Ancestors! And you, a prodigal son, a lowly maidservant, how dare you disregard the clan's rules and regulations, and speak nonsense here! Is it true that the clan's laws can't rule you?"

Zong Ben's face was ashen, and he lowered his head deeply.At this moment, he finally fully realized that the achievement he regarded as proud was nothing in front of the clan etiquette.

"That's it, brother farewell."

Zong Ben, who was completely hopeless, raised his head after a while, and walked towards the door with dejected steps.Unexpectedly, at this time, the words from behind stopped his footsteps: "My father named you 'Ben' back then, because he wanted you to be a dutiful and modest person. Now it seems that his old man's kindness, After all, it was ruined by you unworthy son."

"The Zongfu is a place of Taoism, and there is no room for madmen without fathers and kings." Zong Han's cold words continued to float: "Zong Ben, you can do it yourself. Don't wait until the day when I correct my family style and kill my relatives with righteousness. You know, no one can save you!"

Perhaps because of the bottoming out, Zongben, who had already been out of anger and frustrated with his family, turned his back on his clan brother at this moment, and heard a series of vicious and threatening words in his ears, his thoughts drifted to other places instead ...Suddenly flashed in front of his eyes were the steel and iron flow in the Yizhou factory, the ten thousand hectares of fertile land intertwined with silver threads, the resolute young private soldiers, and the sea of ​​silver coins.

"Hahaha, brother is right."

Zong Ben suddenly raised his head and laughed twice. With his back to Zong Han, he was smiling all over his face at the moment, but his eyes were full of determination: "Yes, at that time, no one can save... anyone."

After uttering the last word vaguely, Zong Ben strode out of the Zongfu with his head held high for the first time in his life.

……

That night, Zong Ben stayed in his small courtyard in the city with his companions.When he got rich back then, he immediately bought real estate in the city, and even arranged for his family members to come here—there was no place for him in the Zongfu anyway.

In the early morning of the second day, Zong Ben went out and went straight to Nancheng Shuiguan.As soon as the water gate opened, he had already boarded the private boat of his own company, mixed with the boat flow out of the city, and went down the Pearl River, heading straight for Macau.

The Macao Island in 1630 did not have the flavor of the later generations, with rich primitive features and natural scenery everywhere.During this period of time, the Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island and Coloane Island were still three separate islands, and the latter two were not integrated by reclamation in later generations.

Of course, the artificial islands facing the Pearl River, the airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and even the Friendship and Xiwan Bridges must also be invisible.

Due to the arrival of the traveler, Zongben's voyage from Guangzhou to Macau went smoothly.The most dangerous bright and dark reefs on the Pearl River have been cleared by divers.The remaining shoals, including the channel, were marked with buoys.

In addition to these improvements in infrastructure, there were so many water bandits along the Pearl River before, but now they are either sent down to the bottom of the river by high-speed patrol boats to feed the fish, or they change their minds and put down their butcher knives to carry them on.

In short, the sea route from the Pearl River Estuary to Guangzhou has reached the order in the memory of the passing people, except that the water surface is wider and the river current is more rapid.

The Ming-style wooden boat goes down the river, and the speed is still very fast when you don’t have to worry about water bandits and hidden reefs.Zongben and his party set off at [-]:[-] in the morning, and in the evening, the wooden boat had arrived at the outer port of Macau.

Macau Island is divided into inner and outer ports.This time Zongben returned to Macau, because he was in a hurry, so he disembarked from the outer port.

After disembarking, he hired a sliding pole, passed through the city gate, and returned to his business firm in Macau before dark.

The city of Macau in this period of time, if only in terms of scale, is nothing more than a small city of the Ming Dynasty with a circumference of five or six miles.However, due to the trade relationship, after entering the city, there are many foreign countries, crowded with people, and the prosperity is far more than that of the cities of the Ming Dynasty.

The company Zongben opened was called "Guangyuhang", and it was located at the southeast corner of the Grand Cross in Macau City.The main products in the line are silk and porcelain, which are special products of the Ming Dynasty. It seems that there are not many customers, but in fact the business is very big, because Yizhenghang specializes in wholesale.

Seeing his master, all the shopkeepers and buddies in the store came forward to welcome him.

It is said that Zongben has no status in the Zongfu, but it does not mean that he has no status in Macau City.After all, Zongben's banner of the Zongfu is strong enough, and other idlers don't know about the mess in the Zongfu.

In addition, because Zongben was in the market when he was young, he was very smooth and sophisticated in his dealings with people, and he also had a few loyal brothers under him, who could enjoy all kinds of teachings and tastes.So after leaving the gate of the Zongfu, he is a veritable Master Zong in society.

After entering the firm, Zong Ben first checked the inventory and accounts, and then he issued orders continuously, sent several subordinates out, and delivered messages to several houses in Macau city.

It is not known what message was sent, but early the next morning, people who looked like businessmen came to visit Master Zong one after another.

After receiving two groups of visitors, Zongben continued to sort out the inventory in addition to sending out people to check around.Until noon, the subordinates who were watching the wind outside ran in and whispered to him a few times.Zong Ben laughed when he heard the words: "Okay, the real master is here, and this is the one who is waiting for you."

The true master is naturally extraordinary.This time, the visitor group stopped outside the gate of Guangyu House. In addition to Ming people sitting on poles, there were also foreigners on horses.

Among the guests, apart from seven or eight attendants, the one dressed as a wealthy businessman, sitting and carrying a pole, and smoking a copper pipe was a fair-skinned, middle-aged man.The other two foreigners on horseback, one was wearing a black priest's gown, apparently a Jesuit monk preaching in Macau.Another black-haired middle-aged man with a full beard and a gorgeous sailor suit, from the looks of it, he should be of the Iberian Peninsula race.

Soon, master Zong Benzong came out with the shopkeeper and his subordinates, laughing loudly.

After welcoming the distinguished guests into the backyard of the firm to sit down and enjoy tea, Mr. Zong first exchanged greetings with the wealthy businessman of Ming Dynasty.The wealthy businessman's surname is Niu, and his name is Niu Xijian. He is a merchant in Macau.In addition to his daily business of dealing in various commodities and groceries, he also has a well-known occupation: a foreign broker, who is called a fat translator in later generations.

However, at Zongben's place today, Mr. Niu's translation skills are no longer needed.After Zong Ben and him spoke a few words in Cantonese, he turned his head and said to the two foreign guests in fluent Spanish: "Brother Garcia, Captain Martinez, you are welcome to visit my firm. Of course, If our negotiations go well today, you will soon become the masters of this place."

Chapter 540 Liquidation of the firm

There is a saying that goes well: Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.

When the tide of the times comes, whoever works hard in advance will get the opportunity.Those who work hard do not necessarily guarantee success, but those who do not work hard will definitely not succeed.

In the early days of the reformation of later generations, whoever practiced English in advance can change his life overnight.If you can go abroad to study abroad and become a foreigner, you can't get along there and come back, at least you will be treated like a sea turtle; you can also do translation, international trade, public relations, foreign exchange, smuggling, smuggling, and lectures.

In short, this is a brisk life that can bid farewell to the masses, bid farewell to layoffs and repair the earth.

The same was true in the 17th century.

Take Zheng Zhilong, who was originally a successful man in history, as an example. Not only did he have a fierce fight with the Portuguese, but he was also baptized into a foreign religion and became the spokesperson of the Spanish-Portuguese forces.Zheng Zhilong's behavior has brought great benefits to his future development.It was an extremely successful venture, both commercial and military.

Zongben, who was originally an unknown little figure in history, is actually no different from Zheng Zhilong in essence.Everyone is a waver of "responding to the wave of internationalization in the 17th century".It's just that the former is much smaller in scale.Zheng Zhilong did a full set, Zongben just learned a foreign language.

In the more than ten years since he came to Haojingao, Zong Benzhi has changed from a rookie to a successful foreign trader, which is inseparable from his conformity to the trend.Macau is a city built by the Portuguese. In fact, it is the Portuguese who make the decisions, so Zongben has worked hard to learn Spanish before.

In the colonies of this era, Latin was spoken among the nobles, while ordinary people spoke Spanish, even in Portuguese cities.The reason is simple, the colonies are places where people from all over the world gather, so Spanish, the colonial boss's language, has become the lingua franca.As for Portuguese... as far as the seventeenth century is concerned, it is more of a Catalan dialect than a lingua franca.

Even though Zongben was not as aggressive as Zheng Zhilong, he only learned a foreign language, but it also brought him infinite benefits.Over the years, relying on the convenience of communication and the business channels behind him, Zongben has established a very strong business relationship with the Jesuit Society in Macau, and there have been many cooperations between the two parties.

The three-person group who came to the company to discuss business today, the translator Mr. Niu, don't bother with him, and Brother Garcia is an important person among them.

García's title is deacon of Jesus Branch of Macau.This person does not seem to be a high-level person, but he is the first executor of the Macau Jesuit Society in charge of business evaluation and specific business plans, a bit similar to the area manager of later generations.

For a businessman like Zongben, Garcia is the key figure in dealing with the Jesuits, a behemoth that combines cultural aggression and commercial trade.

"If the price is right, then my firm is property that you can dispose of at will. Of course, I can also accept shares in the form of capital injection."

Time was running out, and Zongben had to take advantage of information asymmetry to sell the firm, so after a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

The acquisition of the three-person group naturally understood the meaning of Zongben's words, otherwise they would not come.After receiving the message from the Zongben faction last night, to be honest, Brother Garcia still attaches great importance to it.This can be seen from his actions of hiring a cattle translator overnight and contacting Captain Martinez.

Deacon Garcia has brown hair and the color of his eyes is pure blue.Although the high nose bridges that southern Europeans are used to make him look more ferocious, but when he speaks, he has a professional preaching training, and his voice is quite gentle, which sounds very sacred: "Zong, you are a long-term partner of the church. Partner. Compared to buying your firm, I actually care more about the reasons behind it."

Recently, the atmosphere in the city of Macau has been very depressed.Whether it is the city council or the upper echelons of the Jesuits, they are very anxious about the huge pressure from the Ming Dynasty (actually, the crossing forces).

In this situation, any information about the Ming Dynasty will attract the attention of the Macau side.For Garcia, the reason behind the change of an important supplier at this point in time must be clarified.

Zong Ben laughed when he heard the words, "It's a good thing."

The climate of East Asia is not suitable for Europeans.In other words, all low- and middle-dimensional areas full of mosquitoes are not suitable for Europeans.Even if the Jesuit monks are mixed with God, the attrition situation here is also very serious, so Garcia is already the third business manager Zongben has dealt with-he is now very clear that these white-skinned foreign visitors are worried What, he appeased the other party immediately.