Chapter 1554 Little People, Big Business
This was the first time Zhang Qu had heard of the Haihan people building a salt farm in Ningbo. He could not have imagined that Haihan's influence in the Ming Dynasty would be so great that he would even dare to directly intervene in resources controlled by the state, such as salt farms. And from what others said, it seemed that members of the royal family were involved in the construction of this salt farm, so this was simply colluding with foreign countries and betraying national interests. As a scholar with a good reputation, Zhang Qu naturally understands the principles of loyalty and integrity, but he found that in the face of truly huge interests, it would be difficult for anyone to remain loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
There is no need to ask why the prince is involved in this matter. It must be for money. It is a naked power-for-money transaction. However, Zhang Qu now has no position to accuse others, because the reason why he came here was also to make a fortune with Haihan as his backer, and he even forged his identity for this purpose. But compared to the background of the imperial businessman, his identity as a fake official businessman is really humble. If he really wants to discuss a large-scale deal with senior officials from Haihan, Zhang Qu is actually a little worried about whether he can withstand the situation.
When Zhang Qu came to Ningbo, he planned to rely on his knowledge to get an official position in Haihan. However, after arriving, he found that there were too many people here who wanted to take the path of masters or counselors, and he did not have much practical experience. Scholars with experience in government affairs are simply not as good as those veterans who have worked for the official in terms of governance methods. In the head-to-head competition, they have no other advantages except age. They even have no chance to meet senior officials in Haihan. It's hard to show up.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Qu decisively gave up this path that seemed to have little chance, and instead chose another risky but promising way to get close to the Haihan people. The false identity that Ya Xing had tailor-made for him was almost perfect, and he had already had the opportunity to meet with high-ranking officials from Haihan. However, Zhang Qu always felt that his identity was inferior to those of the businessmen around him who really had official or even royal backgrounds. It's really a bit too thin. Zhang Qu even wondered whether it would be possible to leave this place safely if a senior official from Haihan saw through his trick during the conversation later.
Zhang Qu waited uneasily for about a cup of tea in the flower hall when he heard a burst of noise coming from outside the house, including someone's cry of pain, as if something had happened. Naturally, everyone was curious about where this high-ranking official from Haihan stayed, and who was so bold and dared to cause trouble. They all rushed to the door to see what was going on outside.
But when there were Haihan soldiers with loaded guns and ammunition, they blocked the door and refused to let them out. Everyone was about to make a fuss, but an officer stood outside the door and said: "Thieves are being caught outside. For safety reasons, everyone should wait in the house! Anyone who does not obey the arrangement will be treated as an accomplice of the thief!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately became quiet. No matter whether the thief is being caught for real or fake, the most important thing is not to involve yourself. Otherwise, with the methods of the Haihan people, there will be no place for them even if they are killed on the spot. Redress your grievances.
Zhang Qu was thinking in his heart that the high-ranking official of Haihan was probably talking to the eunuch Cao Lu who had entered earlier. He didn't know if the thief had disturbed them. However, this courtyard is guarded by Haihan soldiers inside and outside, and even the servants are brought by Haihan himself. Could this thief have wings? Otherwise, how could he avoid so many eyes and ears and sneak into the inner courtyard? go.
Although he couldn't go out to see what was going on, he could actually see some of the situation outside from the intermission of the Haihan soldiers blocking the door. Zhang Qu was so curious that he stayed at the door without moving. Not long after, he saw several Haihan soldiers dragging a man out from the inner courtyard. There was some blood on this man's face and body, and his face couldn't be seen clearly, but judging from his clothes, he turned out to be the eunuch Cao Lu who had successfully entered the inner courtyard before.
Zhang Qu thought he was dazzled, so he rubbed his eyes and looked again. Someone beside him was already muttering: "Isn't this... Master Cao?"
The soldiers dragged the man to the patio outside the flower hall and threw him on the ground. Everyone in the flower hall stood on tiptoe and looked through the gaps between the people. Sure enough, they quickly confirmed that this man was Cao Lu. But he clearly went in to interview with senior officials of Haihan, so how could he be dragged out in such an embarrassing manner? Moreover, Cao Lu is said to be a subordinate of a certain prince. Are the Haihan people really not afraid that doing so will offend the Ming Dynasty dignitaries?
Soon, a young man in Haihan costume came out of the inner courtyard and came to the flower hall and announced to everyone: "Everyone, please be patient. This matter was personally ordered by Chief Shi Diwen. As for the reason, it is Because this person pretended to be an imperial merchant and cheated, the chief saw through it, so he was only punished slightly. "
When everyone heard these words, they immediately exploded, especially the few people who had gathered around Cao Lutao before. They couldn't believe that the news announced by the Haihan people was true. How could the emperor's merchant envoy come to Cao Lutao in just a short time? Became a charlatan.
Compared to others, Zhang Qu felt even more panicked after hearing the news. He didn't expect that he was not the only one who dared to fake his identity in front of the Haihan people, and that he was even bigger than himself, pretending to be an imperial merchant. I don’t know what the person surnamed Cao was talking about, but he was discovered by a senior official of Haihan in front of his face. Naturally, life will be difficult. Looking at the blood on this guy's head and face, he must have been punched before he was dragged out. And with the temper of the Haihan people, I'm afraid this matter is not over yet. Send this guy to the police later, just The act of impersonating an imperial merchant would probably be enough to put him in jail for several years.
Of course, the person Zhang Qu is worried about is not the person named Cao, but himself. He pretended to be an official and businessman of Jinhua Mansion. This matter is also big or small. If it is handled according to the current method, it will probably be difficult for him to get through. If Haihan were to arrest him and report him to the police, he would be done for the rest of his life.
Thinking of this possibility, Zhang Qu couldn't help but regret his previous impulse. Now that his identity has been reported, he might be summoned soon. At this time, it is too late to take any measures. The question that Zhang Qu considered has changed from "can I walk away safely" to "can I get the understanding of the Haihan people by confessing on my own initiative?" Before he could see his true master, Zhang Qu had already begun to retreat.
After Cao Lu lay on the ground for a while, the Haihan people probably felt that the effect was almost done, so the officers ordered him to be taken away. Then the officer came to the flower hall and asked everyone one by one whether they had heard Cao Lu mention any special names of people or places before. It seemed that there were some of his accomplices outside. Zhang Qu answered the officer's question without hesitation, already beginning to worry that if he was exposed, he might not even be able to find the person who reported the news to his family.
Despite such an incident, the meeting did not stop and soon resumed. Zhang Qu has been thinking about the war between heaven and man. He is considering whether he should decisively give up this opportunity to meet and quickly find a reason to run away, so that maybe the Haihan people will not pursue it. But it was inevitable that he still had some luck in his mind. Perhaps the people of Haihan would not have expected that a second businessman who came to the talks with a false identity would appear so soon. If he could get through, he might receive many benefits in the future. .
Before Zhang Qu could make a final decision, someone came to take him to see Shi Diwen. Zhang Qu took a few deep breaths and tried his best to keep his emotions as stable as possible, then followed the Haihan staff out of the flower hall, passed through the patio and entered the inner courtyard.
In the study room in the inner courtyard, the anxious Zhang Qu finally met the legendary General Haihan. The dark skin color represents spending a long time outdoors and at sea, and the body is so strong that there is almost no fat. It also shows that this person leads an extremely healthy life, and does not live a sensual life because of the greater power in his hands, causing his figure to be out of shape. . What makes Zhang Qu most uneasy is the aggressive and decisive aura of a superior person exuding from the opponent. It reminds him all the time that the person in front of him has become a high-ranking official through his accumulation of military achievements. It is probably difficult to be clever in front of such a person. Quite difficult. On the table in front of Shi Diwen is Zhang Qu's personal information. Of course, this information is based on the registration information of each company. For example, Zhang Qu's information has his origin and background written on it. Since this kind of interview event was almost continuous, Shi Diwen actually didn't have time to digest Zhang Qu's information in advance. Basically, he could only take the time to read the next guest's information after seeing off the previous guest.
I have to say that the local audacious dental shop prepared a really good identity for Zhang Qu. Shi Diwen took a rough look at Zhang Qu’s background and the content of the interview. He didn’t think there was any problem, so he silently gave the interview to Zhang Qu. Foreshadowing was left. Jinhua Mansion is an inland state capital in Zhejiang. It cannot even directly participate in dialogues on the theme of business and trade, and can only engage in the lowest-level processing industry. But things tend to be just about what you are afraid of. The first question Shi Diwen asked almost made Zhang Qu kneel down.
"I only met the prefect of Jinhua last month. Why didn't he mention your affairs to me?"
Of course Zhang Qu knew why, because his identity was completely fictitious and he was not the nephew of the prefect of Jinhua. Even if the real prefect of Jinhua could recognize Zhang Qu's new face at the scene, it would be difficult to imagine that this person was actually Magpie Nest Jiuzhan, who accidentally left himself with nowhere to sit.
Zhang Qu had no choice but to explain: "I have been traveling back and forth between various states for a long time, eating and sleeping in the open. The prefect does not know my schedule. What's more, when you met with the prefect of Jinhua last month, there was no transportation at all. Shang’s news! I came to Ningbo to meet you after hearing about it.”
Zhang Qu's mind was spinning very fast at this time. He didn't dare to admit the truth, so he could only write a script. Shi Diwen was noncommittal after hearing this answer, nodded and continued to ask: "What kind of business does Boss Zhang want to cooperate with our country?"
Zhang Qu had already thought about what to say earlier, but he was so stimulated by Cao Lu's incident just now that he blurted out: "Salt..."
"Oh? It seems that you have heard about the news that we are building a salt farm in Xiangshan, but if you plan to act as an agent for the salt sales of Jinhua Mansion, you must do it in accordance with our rules." Shi Diwen did not doubt that he was there. , because during these consecutive days of talks, more than one or two businessmen had already asked him to be an agent for salt sales in the region.
The production of Xiangshan Salt Farm will change from private salt to official salt. The official permission has been obtained, but as for how to sell it locally, we still have to wait for the relevant Ming Dynasty yamen to give a guiding opinion. Now that he has officially established diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty, Shi Diwen does not intend to copy the previous private salt trading methods. Instead, he adopts a semi-public operation method and manages agents in various regions in a more standardized manner. .
Zhang Qu is not the first businessman to come from Jinhua, but he is the one with the best background conditions that Shi Diwen has seen so far. He has an uncle-nephew relationship with the current prefect. This status brings many conveniences in the local area. Especially in a special industry such as salt monopoly, if you don't have a certain background, it's difficult to force yourself out of an official position.
Zhang Qu regretted it as soon as he said it, but after listening to what Shi Diwen said, he didn't seem to be suspicious. He didn't dare to withdraw his statement easily, so he could only bite the bullet and ask Haihan how to obtain the salt sales agent qualification.
Shi Diwen was quite patient and told him the steps to go through the relevant procedures. The most important thing was to open an account at Haihan Bank. In the future, there would be no need to use cash for settlement of money. All he had to do was write a check and transfer it from the bank.
Regarding how to become a regional agent, the Haihan Commerce Department has already had a complete set of standardized operating procedures, which can be applied, but the salt industry is quite special. After listening to Zhang Qu once, I have basically memorized it. I think that Haihan people do things in a systematic way and are very particular about details. It is no wonder that they can do a prosperous business. However, Haihan required a certain amount of deposit to be deposited in the bank, which made Zhang Qu uncomfortable.
"You should have seen the so-called imperial merchant who was dragged out from here earlier, right?" Shi Diwen suddenly changed the subject. Seeing Zhang Qu nodding his head, he continued: "He also wants to win the salt business. , and he planned to contract the output of the entire salt farm. I asked him to deposit a deposit of 50,000 taels of silver in the bank, and this man actually started crying to me about poverty, saying that the palace was not well-off. Haha, Did he really think that I had no contact with the palace? After I pressed him a few more times, he started to be unable to answer, and then he admitted that he wanted to take the opportunity to deceive me."
Zhang Qu couldn't help but ask: "Even if he cheats, he has to buy the output of the salt farm first, right?"
"You think too simply." Shi Diwen shook his head and said: "As long as he gets the agent of Xiangshan Saltworks, he can use this qualification to negotiate terms with other people, such as car and horse dealers, such as distributors, there are many ways You can monetize this agency.”
(End of chapter)