Chapter 929 The frightened Zhou
The two news that Fang Jun returned to Huating Town and that the Shibo Company was about to operate spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River with the rustling autumn wind and rain.
All the Jiangnan nobles were at a loss - hadn't the emperor already issued an edict ordering Fang Jun to return to the capital to report on his duties? Before, you just hid overseas, and you would suffer from the emperor's orders. But now that you don't return to Chang'an immediately after returning to Huating Town, this is tantamount to blatantly disobeying the emperor's orders. Are you looking for death?
Of course, what everyone is worried about is not whether Fang Jun will die, but the Shibo Company that is about to be put into operation!
Fools all know that as long as the shipping company operates, it will be like cutting off the flesh of wealthy families and wealthy businessmen. The huge profits from maritime trade in the past will have to be cut off and given to the court, just like eating fat in the mouth. Who would be willing to spit out half of it?
I thought that the joint suppression of the aristocratic families had caused the emperor to back down, so he recalled Fang Jun to Chang'an, and the Shibo Division naturally let it go.
But who knew that this stick actually ignored the emperor's order, resisted the emperor's decree, and disrespected it...
The power of the monarchs these days is far from the peak of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Even if they resist the imperial decree, they will not be dismissed from office and imprisoned without saying anything. But after all, they are disobeying the emperor's orders. How can this stick be taken so seriously? ?
The Jiangnan gentry were collectively confused and didn't know what to do.
Fang Jun's official letter has been issued, calling all merchants engaged in maritime trade to Huating Town to participate in the opening of the Municipal Shipping Department and sign the "Municipal Shipping Department Management Regulations". Only by signing this regulation and proving that you firmly support the system of the Municipal Shipping Department can you be qualified for sea trade. Otherwise, operating sea trade in private is smuggling and must be severely cracked down on...
To go or not to go, that is the question.
If you go, that means standing on Fang Jun's ship. Obtaining the right to operate maritime trade also means that you are willing to be chopped down by the court and take away some of the benefits.
If you don't go, you are going against Fang Jun. The Royal Navy, which consists of hundreds of warships, still has new warships laying keels and launching trials every day. Such a force sweeping the ocean will become a noose around the neck. , once he is caught operating sea trade privately, the consequences will be unimaginable.
The Jiangnan nobles had no idea what to do and could only place their hopes on the game between the Guanzhong clan and Fang Jun.
Although everyone belongs to different camps, over the years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been more and more commercial cooperation, especially the hugely profitable sea trade transactions, in which the Guanzhong clan and the Shandong aristocratic family all have a share of the pie, and no one wants to leave it alone. clear.
And everyone is keenly aware of Fang Jun’s true intentions. Once the shipping company is operating well, they will write to the court to request the establishment of an industrial and commercial tax...
If everyone can tolerate the taxation of the Municipal Shipping Department, at worst it will be equivalent to giving face to His Majesty Li Er to support His Majesty the Emperor's great cause of the Eastern Expedition, then the establishment of commercial tax is absolutely unacceptable!
Since ancient times, there have been taxes on Tianjin, taxes on miscellaneous sects, and taxes on corvées. There are various types of taxes, but there has never been a formal industrial and commercial tax!
The commercial tax reform plan proposed by Fang Jun in the Political Hall has long been leaked to the outside world. All customs taxes should be cancelled, and shops should instead pay taxes in proportion to their trade quota!
Could it be that the Tang Dynasty was going to set an unprecedented precedent?
Once the new commercial tax is established, all the aristocratic families all over the world will suffer a cruel blow, which is equivalent to a 10,000-point critical hit. Their annual income will lose at least 10 to 20%. Who can bear this?
Therefore, now all the noble families must unite and strictly resist Fang Jun!
*****
While other noble families were still considering whether to participate in Fang Jun's invitation, the Yangxian Zhou family was completely confused.
In the Jiangdong area during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the two powerful families in Jiangdong, known for their military strength, were the Zhou and Shen families. The Zhou family descended from Zhou Yi, the governor of Poyang in the Three Kingdoms. They were four generations of dignitaries and had five noble families. The Shen family descended from Shen Ying, the governor of Danyang in the Three Kingdoms.
Therefore, people at that time said: The tycoon of Jiangdong cannot be strong but Zhou Shen.
However, at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Jiangdong was in turmoil. The two major families ceased their activities one after another, and the northern gentry who crossed south gradually gained a foothold. After the Jin Dynasty moved to the south, Jiangdong culture began to change from toughness to civility, which was actually the reason why northern culture replaced the original Jiangdong culture.
The two major gentry clans of Zhou and Shen gradually abandoned their previous use of force and instead achieved outstanding achievements in business and academics.
On the ninth day of winter in the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, we were in Yangxian County on the west bank of Taihu Lake.
Yangxian is located on the west edge of the secluded Taihu Lake, where you can sit and watch the ups and downs of the Tianmu Mountains. It is a residence with beautiful mountains and clear waters. It is a paradise of paradise. It is nurtured by the aura of heaven and earth and baptized by the essence of the sun and moon. It has been a land of rich fish and rice since ancient times.
It was raining and the sky was dark.
It's not night yet, the sky and the earth are already hazy, and the pattering light rain brings a refreshing chill. It is carried by the cool breeze blowing from Taihu Lake, passing through the beautiful purple bamboo forest in the courtyard and pouring into the main hall of Zhou's ancestral house.
The slim maid took off the pole holding the window and closed the window to keep out the fine rain and cold air.
The smooth floor was covered with thick cushions, four people each occupied a table, and the atmosphere was dull.
The swaying candlelight swayed gently, and from time to time a little light burst out, reflecting four nervous and angry faces...
The old man at the top and in the middle is about sixty years old. He has a square face and a thin face. His eyes flicker in the candlelight, and he has a majestic and majestic aura that is not angry but powerful.
It was Zhou Boxian, the head of the Zhou family in Yangxian.
The slim and beautiful maid in green clothes served the fragrant tea, with her head slightly lowered. She placed the tea utensil on the table in front of Zhou Boxian with her slender hands, bowed and exited the main hall, and gently closed the door.
Zhou Boxian picked up the purple clay pot and slowly poured a cup of tea.
This is Yangxian's specialty black tea. It has a tightly knotted appearance, a black and lustrous color, and a leisurely fragrance, just like Anzhidinglan. Compared with the now famous Longjing at home and abroad, it has a warm and mellow fragrance. .
After taking a sip, Zhou Boxian said calmly: "Tell me how to handle this matter."
A middle-aged scribe sitting on his right said angrily: "That Fang Jun deceived people too much. It is simply unreasonable! I don't believe it. Is there no royal law in the Tang Dynasty?"
A middle-aged man of similar age opposite him sneered: "Wang Fa? Fang Jun is Wang Fa! This one-third of an acre in Jiangdong is his back garden. The governor of Suzhou is walking with a dog wagging its tail in front of him. You are like a bastard. Even if you file a lawsuit with the governor of Suzhou now, do you believe that the man surnamed Mu can even come back to you and falsely accuse the imperial official? "
The middle-aged scribe is Zhou Boxian's biological brother, Zhou Shuxian.
This person was proficient in Confucian classics, and his literary reputation was very prominent in the Jiangdong generation. However, he was a bit pedantic and had to explain everything.
Hearing this, he glared at his younger brother Zhou Jixian across from him and said angrily: "You don't believe that Fang Jun can cover up the sky with one hand? The emperor is wise and can enforce the law impartially and know everything clearly. I will set off for Chang'an early tomorrow morning, even if blood is spattered on the Suzaku Gate, We also want justice for our Zhou family!”
Zhou Jixian retorted: "Fair? Fair ass! When Zhang Liang sent someone to deliver the letter, I simply ignored him according to my wishes. But you said that if you receive a drop of kindness from someone, you should repay it with a spring of spring... Then What kind of thing is Zhang Liang? You don’t have any idea? Not to mention that the so-called kindness you said back then was just a matter of Zhang Liang’s casual words. Now that he is a high-ranking official appointed by the imperial court, he is being held hostage by a young boy named Fang Jun. Why does the Zhou family have to support him? Now, Fang Jun is holding our people and goods captive. We were charged with smuggling and selling weapons for supporting the enemy, which means that all the nine tribes will be killed and killed!”
Zhou Jixian was very excited, and his words were inevitably disrespectful to his pedantic brother. It's not that he lost his etiquette. Anyone who is accused of such a big crime can't help but complain in a panic.
Zhou Shuxian became more and more angry, glared and shouted: "When a gentleman receives kindness from others, he should repay it with grass. If he betrays his trust by adding insult to injury, how is he any different from an animal? I don't even bother to do it!"
Zhou Jixian said sarcastically: "Okay, if you want to be a gentleman, you can do it yourself, but now that the entire Zhou family has been kidnapped, what's going on?"
Zhou Shuxian was so choked that he couldn't say anything like "one person does the work and the other takes responsibility". Family blood and interdependence are not something you can just let go of. If you do something wrong, the whole family will suffer...
But he was not angry and said to himself: "That Fang Jun is just scaring people. I don't believe that he really dares to do anything to our Zhou family! The Yangxian Zhou family is a century-old wealthy family, and he can still frame us with just one word. Are you really going to confiscate your family and exterminate your family?”
Zhou Zhongxian, the second oldest brother who had been leisurely and leisurely next to him, seemed to be in a state of wandering, and he casually interjected: "I think back then, the Gu family probably thought the same way as you..."
Zhou Shuxian was speechless.
The Gu family's lesson is not far away. Who dares to say that Fang Jun will not dare to kill him seriously? Who dares to say that today's Zhou family will not become the second Gu family?
The mallet went crazy and dared to poke a hole...
Zhou Jixian got the support of his second brother, and he suddenly became tough and shouted at Zhou Shuxian: "Then Fang Jun suppressed Zhang Liang just to show all the Jiangnan nobles, so that everyone can see clearly who is the talker in Jiangnan! Now our Zhou family To blatantly support Zhang Liang is to openly oppose Fang Jun and embarrass Fang Jun. Do you think that guy will seriously attack us and scare the tigers and scare the monkeys? "
Uncle Zhou's face turned pale and he kept silent.
The Zhou family had been favored by Zhang Liang in the past, and now that Zhang Liang was in trouble, the Zhou family would naturally reciprocate the favor. This was Zhou Shuxian's principle, and even if he died, he would not be allowed to bow to it. But now the entire family is facing a threat, and Fang Jun's butcher knife has been raised high. As long as he is convicted of supporting the enemy and selling weapons, it will be a huge disaster that will affect the entire family.
Under this situation, Zhou Shuxian did not dare to stick to his principles.
Could it be that the Zhou family, a century-old noble family with a hairpin for generations, was about to perish under the demeanor of a gentleman who must repay kindness?
Should we stick to our principles and maintain the reputation of the Zhou family, and then be slaughtered by demons? Or should we abandon the so-called benevolence and morality and preserve the glory of the family's bloodline?
Zhou Shuxian didn't know what to do.
Zhou Boxian, who had been silently listening to the arguments of the brothers, sighed softly, swaying the teacup in his hand, feeling the warmth of the tea passing through the teacup to the palm of his hand, and sighed: "Third brother, I only want to ask you one thing. , has Zhang Liang said anything since the official letter from Huating Town was delivered to the Zhou family?”
Uncle Zhou's mouth twitched and he was speechless.
Because the Zhou family helped Zhang Liang out of trouble, they were targeted by Fang Jun and decided to retaliate. But what did Zhang Liang do? After dragging the Zhou family into trouble, he just made a fuss in Huating Town, and then died down without any movement...
Zhou Jixian slapped his thigh and said angrily: "This bastard was scared to death by Fang Jun! He pushed our Zhou family into the water to bear Fang Jun's anger, but he himself sat on the Diaoyutai like nothing happened. What the hell? people What did you do? Third brother, you keep saying that you are righteous and moral, but you talk about kindness and righteousness, but they treat you like a fool! Why are you paying attention to this kind of person?" >
The words are rough and the reasoning is not rough.
Zhou Shuxian hesitated to speak, and finally lowered his head and sighed helplessly.
It is true that Zhang Liang did this unjustly, but Zhang Liang was unrighteous, how can we be unethical?
But faced with the crisis of the survival of the entire clan, he could not say such words.
A sincere gentleman should only hide in a small building to study. In this dirty and dirty world, he will never be able to survive...(End of Chapter)