From Chief to Ball

His status was given by the emperor, and no amount of other coercion would help, as long as the emperor said a word, he could still do whatever he wanted.

Most others would give him money, but this Fanbang tribute envoy not only gave him money, but also gave him a way to make money.Since he can read and write, how can he not understand these things?After thinking about it, I feel that if those glass utensils can be produced, the annual income will be a lot of money, how can it be compared with thousands of gold?

Furthermore, if he is involved in smuggling, he can avoid tariffs as long as he puts a yellow flag.It's just that he used to smuggle some goods to the Ryukyu area at most. On the one hand, he was worried about being caught, and on the other hand, he didn't have anyone under his command who could sail far.

With such a high profit, as long as it is done, won't the gold and silver keep coming?

Besides, according to the first thing, this state is going to take the road of tribute, and the envoys sent will arrive in Fuzhou in the near future. This is different from my private suggestion, which is going through official channels.

As long as you say a few words at the right time, the chances of success are still great, and the promised gold and silver will be easier to obtain.

After reading it carefully, he burned the letter. There was a hidden wax mark on the letter before, and he was not worried about being known by the businessman.

After the burning, he asked, "When will the Banggong envoy arrive?"

"I don't know, I don't know. It is said that we won't arrive until August. Now the sea is very rough. It is said that people have been sent to Zhangzhou. Please pay tribute from there."

"Zhangzhou? Well, that's a good place. Where is this state? Can it have relations with countries such as Fulangji and Helan?"

"Don't worry, father-in-law. This state is thousands of miles farther away than Helan, and it is really a place in the extreme west. Moreover, the people in this state are very similar to Zhongtu, and they observe etiquette and integrity. According to the envoy, they were originally the three prisons in the past. Zhou people who chased Guan, Cai, and Wu Geng's remnants during the chaotic time crossed the sea to the far west..."

Hearing this, Gao Cai laughed loudly and said, "It's ridiculous, it's so persuasive. Well, you don't know, but since you're not from Helan and Flangji, and you admire my Middle-earth culture, it's not impossible to talk about it. Just settle down here, don't move around, and don't show off, I'll make up my own mind after a while. Don't mention this matter to others."

"The little man dare not."

The businessman buckled his head like a pounding garlic, Gao Cai waved his hands and told him to go down, lit the kerosene lamp that Chen Jian sent, stroked the zebra skin, complacent, and thought about asking someone to sew a quilt, so that Take care of yourself.

Looking at those glass, wide plain cloth, kerosene lamps and other things, I was very happy, this is really a way to save money.

Chapter 54 Match it to your liking

Yuegang, where the market opened, was in Zhangzhou, so Chen Jian handed over the letter to Zhangzhou first.

Between Zhangzhou and Fuzhou, there is another important port, Quanzhou, the most important port in the Southern Song Dynasty, but its status is not as good as Zhangzhou at this time.

On the one hand, the Semu people rebelled, and on the other hand, because the Ryukyu tribute was closer to Fuzhou, the Ryukyu tribute was placed in Fuzhou.Tribute is a trade in itself. Ryukyu has set a record of paying tribute three or five times a year so that the emperor never tires of it. Along with the smuggling of tribute, legal smuggling and legal trade, this port has finally declined.

But for Chen Jian, Quanzhou's status is no less than that of Zhangzhou, because it is an important port for immigrants to reclaim Taiwan, so they also tried their best to please the local officials here.

At the end of August in the 35th year of Wanli, the comet arrived on schedule as it spread among the wells of Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and Fuzhou these days, and drew a long tail in the sky.

At this time, Jiang Zhili, the prefect of Quanzhou, was in a state of desperation, and the people under him were writing an Anmin letter according to his order, and the content of the Anmin letter was the same as those rumors and pamphlets that circulated: comets are just astronomical, and every 70 years will appear, and it will be corroborated by the citations of local learned men.

This is the first time that a comet is an astronomical phenomenon that has been officially spread in the ancient port of Quanzhou, and it has been spread through official channels.

Jiang Zhili didn't believe it at first, and keenly suspected that someone wanted to imitate the yellow turban thief's rumors to deceive the public in order to seek great things.

However, he soon had to believe it, and took the initiative to rectify these rumors and give them official recognition.

All of this is for the safety of the people.

On the ninth day of August, a major earthquake swept through Quanzhou. Countless houses collapsed, even the county government and government schools were shaken.

On August [-]th, the sea tide suddenly rose and the wind blew up, killing hundreds of people.

Not long after, a comet came.

All kinds of disasters came together, making him, the magistrate, extremely unhappy. He also understood that rumors could easily spread under such circumstances.

The earthquake combined with the tide, even the temple of King Guangze, which Quanzhou people believed in for generations, collapsed.This Guangze Zunwang is not a prostitute, but a local belief recognized and canonized by the emperor, and it is also the spiritual pillar of Quanzhou people.

It is said that they are descendants of Guo Ziyi, an important person who opened up Quanzhou in the later Tang Dynasty, and finally became a god after hundreds of years.How important is the power of belief?For the honor of the Guangguang King, the Quanzhou people can fight to the death with the Zhangzhou people who believe in the Kaizhang Sage King not far away, endlessly, and sometimes they may just accidentally spit.

The same is true for foreign business and land reclamation. Clans always need something to maintain their relationship to drive away outsiders and benefit the beneficiaries of the clan. Mutual beliefs have become the best support for fighting and slaughtering.

Now that the earthquake has collapsed the temples, and the appearance of a comet, people are panicked for a while, and dozens of people make colorful boats to worship every day...

Jiang Zhili saw all this, and what he was most worried about was that someone was instigating a civil uprising at this time.

Although he didn't know the word class contradiction, he knew that if Quanzhou continued like this, it would not be far from a civil uprising.

Three earthquakes and two tidal disasters in four years.Large households occupy tidal flat fishing grounds and pay taxes.Small households have no way of making a living and can only pay private taxes to large households.

The original lowly Danmin fishermen fled and the rivers and lakes disappeared, but the taxes were not cancelled.In order to collect these taxes, local officials simply adopted a tax package system, which opened the door for wealthy and powerful families to enclose land and sea.There have been long-standing evils and intertwined interests, and it is absolutely impossible to get rid of them.

With such an earthquake, big households can be happy for a while, and the previously arrears of tax money can be avoided along with the request for tax reduction for the earthquake, and a larger-scale occupation of tidal flat fishing grounds is about to happen.

There had been fighting with weapons not long ago, and some poor fishermen threw themselves into the sea and committed suicide. Before the earthquake, dozens of people knelt in front of the yamen and begged Lord Qingtian to call the shots.

After the earthquake and tide, the contradictions reached their peak, and the original sea boundary monuments and circle beach boundaries were disrupted.

The price of rice skyrocketed, and people on the beach flocked to the tidal flats to pick up some fish and shrimp for a living.Tax exemption is a matter for the imperial court, but the rich and powerful don't care. They clash with these fishermen who are trying to survive all day long.

Jiang Zhili is really afraid now, if someone raises his arms in this situation, something big will happen.

Two months ago, he had received a letter, which was sent by Chen Jian, and it was sent to Zhangzhou and Gaocai at the same time.

The letter also said something about the tribute, and Jiang Zhili was asked to convey it on his behalf, and some other things were said later.

Using insight into astronomy and geography as an excuse, he said that there was a big earthquake in Quanzhou the year before last, and there was a small earthquake in the first month of this year, and there may be another big earthquake.Especially since Quanzhou is close to the sea, there must be a big tide after a big earthquake, so Jiang Zhili made preparations with the safety of the people as the top priority.He also talked about the coming of the comet, with the vague intention of warning Jiang Zhili to be careful when someone takes the opportunity to make trouble.

Seeing it at first, Jiang Zhili thought it was a rumor to confuse people.Worried that some religions took the opportunity to stir up trouble and stir up civil uprisings, they notified all these things to the governor of Fuzhou.

But as things happened one by one, when Jiang Zhili read the letter again, he couldn't help but believe in the fallacies in it: the world has its own way, and the way can be observed.Pitch astronomy and geography to save disasters.

Things have already happened, and there is not much that can be done. We can only release the list first to calm the people, and then ponder the letter about the catastrophe that will follow the catastrophe. We must also consider the soaring rice price and the civil uprising caused by the tidal flat fishing ground. It's overwhelmed and overwhelmed.

While he was busy appeasing the people, a small boat brought a piece of news that made him both happy and panicked.

An official letter, with the same handwriting and stamp as the letter received two months ago.

The letter stated that the nominal tribute fleet had arrived overseas in Quanzhou, and was waiting for a reply from Ming Dynasty.

Hearing that there was an earthquake here, he decided to sell the Siamese rice on the ship in Quanzhou at a par price to stabilize the price of rice.He also said something that he couldn't bear to see the people go hungry, and profiteers controlled the market so that the price of rice was rising day by day.

A group of local officials are worrying about this matter, and they are drafting memorials to request tax relief for this year. This is also an important port for preventing Japanese pirates. The city wall collapsed due to the earthquake and some state funds are needed to repair the city wall.

It’s just that the long-distance water can’t quench the near-thirst. Although there are merchants with a keen sense of smell who are ready to transport rice to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it takes one or two months to go back and forth.Those who have surplus food at home can still wait, but those who have no surplus food at home cannot afford to wait.

This letter was undoubtedly a pillow sent by Sleepy. The officials applauded, but Jiang Zhili snorted coldly.

"Siam is thousands of miles away from here, and the earthquake happened only half a month ago. How can rice be transported from Siam to here?"

"Besides, the businessman talks about profit, and he wants to sell it at a low price to help stabilize the price. What kind of intention is this? The city is benevolent to Xiaomin, and his heart can be punished!"

The judge hurriedly said after hearing the words: "My lord, the reason why the state claims to be swayed by heaven and earth must be convinced that disasters will happen here, and inferred that the price of rice will skyrocket. That's a little serious."

Jiang Zhili glanced at it and asked, "How?"