Chapter 1707 Crisis
Xiao Yu said calmly: "Interests are relative and mutual. What your Majesty wants now is the stability of Jiangnan. We will focus our energy overseas, which is in line with the emperor's wishes. As for interests...the interests of my family, even if they are gold and silver, , how can you put it in the eyes of His Majesty, who is rich all over the world? ”
He didn't take these words seriously, but in reality he was helpless.
The Xiao family has a great business, and although it has fertile land and vast hectares of shops and forests, such a steady stream of property is obviously unable to support the family's luxurious life.
It is impossible to reduce expenditures. How can the arrogant and extravagant habits developed over hundreds of years be easily changed? Open source becomes a priority. The Xiao family has always been engaged in overseas trade, but it has never invested much in such an industry with huge profits and high risks. Once out on the sea, dangerous waves and raging pirates often cause the ship to be capsized and everyone to lose everything. Loss is not something anyone can bear casually...
However, since the establishment of the Royal Navy, pirates have been eradicated and trade routes have been opened up. The benefits of maritime trade have suddenly increased dramatically, and security has been greatly improved. There is Royal Navy escort, and all offshore routes are covered by the Navy. Pirates will avoid it when they see the Navy's white sails and rumbling cannons from a distance. How can they dare to come looking for death? In the south of the Yangtze River, various businesses near the water were swarming in carrying out sea trade, and the scale was increasing day by day.
At present, due to Xiao Yu's strength in the court and the Xiao family's background, the Xiao family has occupied one-tenth of the Tang Dynasty's sea trade, becoming the leading sea trade merchant.
Profit makes people crazy.
After tasting the huge profits from sea trade, some of the highly respected elders of the Xiao family were gradually dissatisfied with doing business in a regular manner under the control of the Shipping Department. The taxes that were taken away by the Shipping Department seemed to them like they were torn from their bodies. The next piece of bloody flesh made them so painful that they couldn't even eat it raw.
As a result, smuggling began to become rampant...
Xiao Yu is in the center, and his eyes are naturally not comparable to those of the old people living in the countryside. Rather than chasing huge profits from smuggling, why not just pay taxes in a safe and sound manner.
There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between the family and the country. Although the country collects taxes, it also builds a navy to protect the country and the people, and feed back the merchants. On the other hand, if the national finances are unsustainable, the political situation will be turbulent and the people will be uneasy, where can businessmen make money?
In the troubled times of the late Sui Dynasty, people were like grass and grass, and the lesson from Yin was not far away...
However, those short-sighted clan elders have been blinded by violence. They have trained a large number of domestic slaves to serve as sailors and armed themselves to participate in smuggling on sea ships.
This would be fine in ordinary times. No one in the country dared to make trouble on Xiao Yu’s head. With all the gossip officials under his leadership, who would have no intention of impeaching him? As for overseas, a large number of domestic slaves were armed, and their strength should not be underestimated, and even pirates had to stay away.
But now, Xiao Yu is a little worried and a little regretful.
If you fail to knock Fang Jun down, you are very likely to suffer its backlash...
But he still had the confidence. Even if Fang Jun wanted to retaliate, it would be limited to a certain scale. Moreover, as long as he and Fang Xuanling negotiated properly, Fang Jun could only stop fighting even if he was still angry.
How could Lanling Xiao's daughter be a free gift?
Xiao Rui was still worried: "That guy Fang Jun... his temper is too bad, and he won't let you in. This time Fang Xuanling goes south, you should tell your family to be more careful. Fang Xuanling is a gentleman, and he must not bend the law or seek personal gain." Once he learns that smuggling is becoming increasingly rampant in Jiangnan, there is no guarantee that he will not become furious.”
Fang Xuanling gets angry, Fang Jun must calm down his father's anger, and those families involved in smuggling will be in trouble. Fang Jun has a dark face, no matter who he is, he has no human feelings at all.
"This is nature."
Xiao Yu nodded and said: "My father is going south this time to take advantage of the opportunity of officiating for Emperor Jing to warn the elders in the family that if you continue to be greedy like this, there will be no good consequences."
Everything should be done in moderation, and going too far is never enough.
The stupid elders in the family are greedy and will cause big trouble sooner or later. Your Majesty now has to stabilize the sacred land in the south of the Yangtze River for the Eastern Expedition, but this patience has its limits. Once the emperor's bottom line is touched, the thunder will be furious.
If you don't stop, I'm afraid it will be too late...
*****
The dusk is getting darker and the autumn wind is blowing.
Two fast horses galloped out of the Song Dynasty Duke's Mansion, passed through the city gate and arrived at the Fangjiawan Pier in the south of the city. They boarded a Xiao family cargo ship, untied the cable and sailed down the river, heading south along the waterway.
Xiao Yu was still worried that the elders in the family would not restrain themselves and would cause great trouble, so he sent his confidants to go south overnight...
When Fang Jun returned to the house, the lights were already on.
The house was lit with earth dragons and fire pits, and it was as warm as spring.
After taking off his official robe and washing his hands and face, the maid had already prepared dinner, including seven or eight exquisite side dishes, a bowl of fragrant rice, and a pot of warm rice wine. There are no entertainment activities at night these days. Even if the couple does some exercise in bed, they can only go to bed after ten o'clock at most. Eating too much is no good.
After eating all the rice and drinking half a pot of rice wine, the fatigue of the day was swept away.
The maids heated up the hot water and waited for Fang Jun to soak in the wooden tub. Fang Jun rested his head comfortably on the edge of the tub. He felt that the spring pool in the farm was more suitable for bathing. My father and mother knew how to enjoy it better than me. , Lai almost never returns home.
However, my father will leave for Jiangnan tomorrow, and I will definitely not stay at the farm. After all, if I had not taken care of my father recently, I would never be able to stay away from her two eldest grandsons.
In the current Fang family, the status of the two dolls is higher than anything else. Not to mention that Fang Jun has no status in front of the dolls. Even the father and Princess Gaoyang will always be scolded for neglecting to take care of the dolls. Not to mention the eldest brother Fang Yizhi, whose mother would hold him by the ears every time they met and ask him to "exercise" more and have a baby soon, and he wished he could fly into the sky and escape...
Squinting his eyes slightly, he felt two pairs of smooth little hands rubbing his shoulders and back. After a moment, he felt something was wrong. When he opened his eyes and looked back, it turned out to be Princess Gaoyang and Wu Meiniang.
Fang Jun said helplessly: "Don't make trouble, okay?"
Princess Gaoyang shrugged her little nose and said: "We two sisters serve you, why are you not satisfied?"
Wu Meiniang also pursed her lips and smiled: "You dislike us for being careless and not as gentle and petty as the maids, right?"
"It's unfair! How dare you, a young man? You two are rich and noble, and your Majesty found out that you gave me a bath at home, and you were so angry that you caught me and whipped me severely? The other one even more It’s women who don’t show favor to men, and they control the wharf and make all the merchants in Guanzhong obey. I don’t know how many officials and dignitaries want to marry home and have a good relationship... Oh, why are you pinching me? "
Wu Meiniang retracted her pointed nails, while Princess Gao Yang snorted coldly: "Is it nice to say these weird words?"
Fang Jun glared and said: "Haha, it's going to be a big change, isn't it?"
Princess Gaoyang's pointed chin was raised slightly, and her handsome face was full of disdain: "What's the matter, you are so rude in front of me, do you understand the superiority and inferiority of superiors and inferiors?"
Fang Jun sneered. He was not afraid of any princess: "You, a woman, are bossing around in front of a husband. Let me teach you what it means to be superior and inferior..."
As he spoke, he stretched out his wet arms from the bathtub, grabbed Princess Gaoyang's slender waist, picked her up with her light body sideways, and wrapped her into the bathtub.
Princess Gaoyang's beauty turned pale, and she screamed with water splashing everywhere. She was instantly carried into the bathtub by Fang Jun, shouting: "Mei Niang, save me! Oh..."
Princess Gaoyang gasped and struggled feebly for a few times, her pretty face was red, and she said coquettishly: "You, you, you... let me go, or I want you to look good..."
Wu Meiniang ignored Princess Gao Yang's plea for help, she just leaned slightly and stood outside the bathtub, rolled up her sleeves, exposing two forearms that were as good as snow, and gently rubbed Fang Jun's hard shoulders and arms.
Her husband was about to leave, and his fate on the battlefield was unclear. She and Princess Gaoyang wanted to take advantage of her husband's farewell to serve him well, so that he could remember the taste of his lovely wife and concubine at home, so as not to be charmed by Jiangnan. Zi hooked Hun'er away...(End of Chapter)