Difficult for a son-in-law

In the evening when the drizzle first broke, Zhou Yungui sat on the porch drinking tea.

A rhododendron blooms in the flowerbed accompanied by rain and dew, it is quite gorgeous that I still feel pity for.

Zhou Yungui is not considered old, he is in his early sixties, and he takes care of himself properly, but for some unknown reason, his hair has turned gray prematurely, as fine as snow, tied tightly into a bun, and wrapped with a piece of agarwood. The hairpin is fixed.The knees are straight, and even a leisurely pastime like drinking tea in Zhou Yungui reveals a bit of strong regulation.

"Grandfather, Young Master Sun has been busy these days, so he comes back late. Why don't you have dinner first." The housekeeper advised.

"No need." Zhou Yungui waved his hand, but the butler didn't dare to say anything, and just stood aside.

As soon as Zhou Yu stepped into the gate of the mansion, someone immediately reported that his grandfather was waiting for him.

It was too late to change the official uniform, so Zhou Yu hurriedly went to the main courtyard to pay his respects to his grandfather.

Zhou Yungui naturally had other channels to know about the Qinzheng Palace, but his grandson was working in the palace, so he was close to the water.

"I'm back." Zhou Yungui waved his hand, and didn't let Zhou Yu salute. The grandfather favored his grandson, and he was not so particular about the rules. The usual cold and hard lines were softened a bit, and he asked with concern, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Zhou Yu shook his head and smiled, "Not yet."

"That's just right, we two will use it together." Zhou Yungui was cheerful, with no trace of anxiety on his face, but Zhou Yu was afraid that the old man would be in a hurry, and seeing that there was no one else in the room, he said, "During the court meeting this morning... "

"No hurry, eat first." Zhou Yungui was not worried, if he was really confident, he would not come all the way to Kunming City to inquire about news.It's just that at his age, he has experienced a lot, so he is calm.

The Zhou family has been rich and wealthy for generations, and they never tire of fine food and delicious food. Although there are only four or five dishes, they are very particular.

The grandparents and grandson ate their meals in silence. It was already dark, and candles were lit in the room, which was as bright as day.Zhou Yungui half-closed his eyes, leaned on the couch, held a cup of Pu'er in his hand, and didn't drink it, "Are you busy with errands?"

"My son is in a hurry." Zhou Yu didn't hide anything. He was born in a family of merchants. Although he entered an official position through the imperial examination, whoever despises merchants, he can't despise his ancestors.Furthermore, most of his food and clothing expenses today are provided by his family. If he only relied on his own salary, although he would not be able to drink the northwest wind, it would be impossible for him to be so nourished as he thought.

"Master Zhu just took away the agreement with the Tibetans when he left, and now he is drafting the rules for the future Tibetan-border trade market."

Zhou Yungui said, "Can you bring back the general information for me to see?"

Zhou Yu was in charge of the stall. Although he was a little embarrassed, he didn't bring it to his face. He nodded, "Then tomorrow, but I have to take it back in the morning. Now the yamen is busy with this."

"I know." Zhou Yungui said in a gentle voice with a gentle face, "Did your son feel sorry for you?"

"That's not true." Zhou Yu explained, "However, after Master Zhu left, it should be Master Li's turn to receive the mission, and the prince directly handed over the mission to me. Thinking about it, the prince also knows something."

Zhou Yungui smiled, "Although the eldest son is the eldest son, he ranks the youngest among the brothers. Due to his illness, it is naturally not his turn to establish an eldest son. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, the prince immediately asked him to establish an eldest son. Back then, the eldest son was not so lucky. The princess was the main concubine, but the concubine Wei was even more favored by the prince. Concubine Wei's natal family was not low. If the prince had no means, he would not be a prince. It is normal for him to know more .”

Of course, what Zhou Yungui valued more was the signal sent by Ming Zhan: friendliness.

As Ming Zhan, being able to condescend to talk to these businessmen in person is a very good attitude in itself.

"Grandfather, the reform of the salt administration, the family plans to..."

"The family hasn't come up with an idea yet. The children of the family all live on salt, and the shopkeepers who eat with our family. Even if the son gives the advantage of Tibet-border trade, there are many people who can't be settled." Zhou Yun Gui sighed, "Furthermore, the ancestors passed down the tradition of selling salt for a living, but now that they have changed their livelihood, I don't know if it's good or bad."

"I think the son has made up his mind, and the decree is approved by the emperor." Zhou Yudao, "The son's first job after the canonization, no matter what happens, it will not be ruined. I think that after the reform of the salt government, the price of salt will drop sharply. Let's sell it again." Salt, there are not many bonuses to take."

"Moreover, the sale of small salt tickets is completely free. You can sell salt if you have money. You don't need to get involved with officials at all. Even the shopkeepers at the bottom can't say that they have two hearts." Selling salt also has some experience.

Zhou Yungui raised his eyebrows and looked at his grandson, and asked, "Although the Tibetan-border trade is also profitable, first, it is not as profitable as selling salt. Not to mention, our family is not short of money now; second, the first three Although the annual tax is exempted, you also have to know that the subsequent tax is as high as [-]%, which has never been heard of since ancient times. If our family agrees, the salt merchants in the future will also have to comply, but this infamy will have to be carried by our family. The prince's knife is too cruel. Yongjie, the crown prince targeted the salt class the first time he took action. Believe it or not, if a [-]% tax is levied on the Tibet-border trade this time, all merchants in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces will be heavily taxed as long as they open shops and do business. I don't feel sorry for money, but it is the foundation of our family, and we must leave some way for future generations to survive."

"Then grandfather meant..."

"As long as the prince lowers the tax to [-]%, I will hand over the salt mine immediately." Zhou Yungui is not a person without courage. Unless Ming Zhan loses the throne of the prince, the reform of the salt government will be changed. Even for the sake of face, Ming Zhan will never It will be carried out to the end, so why bother to hurt your face for what has been decided.What matters in business is harmony and wealth. The relationship between the Zhou family and the palace has always been very good. Zhou Yungui said, "In the past, our merchants paid only half of the tax, but now it is raised to [-]%. Life is already extremely difficult."

Zhou Yu said, "I'm afraid we'll have to talk about it slowly." Although Shizi kept his posture low, he didn't look like a talkative person at all.

Zhou Yungui was naturally prepared for a long-term battle.

Ming Zhan is very easy to make people feel good about. His level of pretending to be B is not inferior to Feng Jingnan, and in Ming Zhan's heart, he really has no intention of underestimating the businessman. He has always been polite to people.

This kind of politeness is definitely not the kind of hypocritical routine that is pretended. He called Zhou Yungui sincerely and warmly, "Mr. Zhou."

These days, Mr. is a respectful title for scholars.

Zhou Yungui was used to being called "Master Zhou", "Old Master Zhou" and "Grandfather" by others. This was the first time he had heard "Sir", but it felt indescribably comfortable.Moreover, Ming Zhan saw him alone first, obviously treating the Zhou family differently. Zhou Yungui felt that based on this alone, Ming Zhan really had two talents. It seemed that it was not a fluke that he was able to sit on the throne.

Zhou Yungui regained his energy, even though Ming Zhan said no, he still finished the ceremony respectfully.

Ming Zhan said with a smile, "Mr. Zhou is so polite. I once heard my father talk about him. During the battle between Yun and Burma, he understood righteousness and is admirable."

Zhou Yungui almost gasped, this knife stabbed in the right place, the reason why the Zhou family was called the boss among the salt merchants was entirely because Feng Jingnan first came to the throne, the Burmese king violated the border, and the Zhou family gritted their teeth and bled to support Fengjing Nan Liangcao, so much so that Feng Jingnan has always been kind to the Zhou family, the business of the Zhou family has been doing smoothly in these years, and I apologize for a lot of money.

Ming Zhan's words are very powerful. First of all, I point out the merits of the Zhou family. Yes, you have meritorious deeds. I know it, and my father knows it too. My family remembers it. They should be the first to point it out. No matter how devious Zhou Yungui is It's not good to talk about the past.Otherwise, there will be suspicion of asking for repayment with kindness.What is the end of carrying grace and asking for repayment?No one needs to point it out directly, right?Taking history as a mirror, are the lackeys who were cooked and the good bows who were hidden at the beginning all suspected of being kind and asking for repayment?

Furthermore, Ming Zhan first mentioned the Zhou family's merits first, and later put the hat of "understanding the righteousness" on Zhou Yungui's head. If Zhou Yungui did not support the reform of the salt government, he would not "understand the righteousness".

A simple sentence already made Zhou Yungui shudder, Ming Zhan was far from being simple, he had also dealt with Ming Li, they were not at the same level at all.Zhou Yungui was caught in a dilemma by Ming Zhan’s words. Zhou Yungui was old-fashioned after all, and said with a smile, “It’s all as it should be, it’s not a big deal, but the prince has remembered it for many years, it’s really a shame.”

"Father Wang often said that Mr. regards false names as floating clouds, and his modesty is like a valley. It is true that real celebrities are romantic. I think Yongjie behaves frankly, which is quite like a gentleman." Ming Zhan raised his hand with a smile, "Having said these words, Mr. This tea."

In fact, he really didn't say three and a half sentences, but Zhou Yungui hasn't felt this tired for a long time. At the beginning, when he took over the position of Patriarch, he encountered the Battle of Yunmian before he could gain a firm foothold. With his unique vision, he decided to donate food and salaries to Master Wang. Many clansmen disagreed, and Zhou Yungui tried his best to convince many clansmen, but today, Zhou Yungui felt the pressure from before.He really needed a sip of tea to take a break, and as soon as he drank the tea, Zhou Yungui said, "I didn't expect the prince to like 潽'er too."

"I have no research on tea." Ming Zhan has always been approachable. He smiled and chatted like a normal person. "I heard people say that 潽'er tastes better after a long time. In the past, in the imperial capital, before the Qingming rain every year, new tea was offered as a tribute, and the emperor rewarded it. It’s the same when you drink it. In fact, let me tell you that although the reputation of Lu’er in the imperial capital is not as great as that of Longjing and Biluochun, there is one advantage of Lu’er, that is, as I just said, the longer the age of Lu’er, the more precious it is. Like Green tea and black tea have to be picked fresh to taste delicious. Yunnan and Tibet are adjacent to each other, and Tibetans eat more milk and meat, and the taste of boiled tea is strong, which relieves the fishy smell, and is more suitable for the spleen and stomach of Tibetans."

"The prince said so."

Ming Zhan smiled, "I asked Zizheng to send some good 潽er to Zanghan and the Living Buddha. Zizheng hasn't come back yet, so I don't want to receive a gift from Zanghan first. There are two strings of water hyacinth bodhi seed bracelets. The Living Buddha consecrated it before, and I think it is very good. Although it is the first time I have met you, I have admired you for a long time, so I will present these two strings of bracelet beads to you, wishing you health and longevity.”

Zhou Yungui's heart almost jumped out of his flattery, and he got up to thank him.

Ming Zhan didn't mention a single word about the reform of the salt government, just talked to Zhou Yungui for a long time, and then gave him lunch. After lunch, Ming Zhan had something to do. Just went back to the house.

Although Ming Zhan couldn't be more polite than polite, and couldn't be more kind when he was kind, he smiled and was gentle all the time, but he had a knife in his smile, killing without blood, Zhou Yungui almost gave him a heart attack.

The Chu family, the Ling family, and the Ma family are all salt merchant families, and the Zhou family has always been the leader. Now that the salt government matters, it is natural to come to the Zhou family to hear the news.

Zhou Yungui had just returned from Zhennan Prince's Mansion, and the family members arrived before he finished his cup of tea.

Chu Yan laughed before saying anything during the greetings between the new brothers and sisters, "Brother still has face. Originally, the son told us to go there today, but for some reason, only the elder brother was invited. The elder brother has to come with us." Tell me, what happened?"

"Yeah, I think the son has something private to say to the uncle." Ling Xiao smiled and squeezed his eyes, saying that you should never hide your secrets.

Ma Yuan is an honest man, and hurriedly said, "Brother Zhou is not such a person. We know that Brother Zhou is walking us ahead of us. Speaking of which, our family has always advanced and retreated together, that is, the old Zhu's family. It also depends on Brother Zhou's face."

Zhou Yungui had to continue to deal with these old foxes before he could rest. It is conceivable that he was physically and mentally exhausted. He sighed, "To tell you the truth, the prince called me over today and did not mention the matter of the Yanzheng."

This word... this word...

The foxes all despise: Who will believe this.

Why is the prince busy now, isn't it the Yanzheng?Why do we all come and go south, isn't it also for the salt administration?

He is a dignified son of the Southern Prince's Mansion, so he has nothing to do, so he hastily talked to you, an old man he doesn't know, why?

Ma Yuan rounded up the situation and said, "Brother Zhou, the prince may be thin-skinned, so it's not easy to mention it directly? Is there a hidden hint? Why don't we discuss it together and don't screw up the prince's meaning, it is a serious crime."

Zhou Yungui almost wanted to vomit a basin of blood, his chest was tight, "I didn't say anything, I gave me two Bodhi bracelets consecrated by the Living Buddha of Tibet."

"Oh, Shibo, you are so low-key. I haven't said anything yet. I have rewarded you." Ling Xiao joked, "In the past, the Zhu family, the Cai family, the Yang family, and the Liu family went to pay their respects to the prince, but it was not so decent. .Like Yang Qing, the younger sister in the family is still the prince's side concubine, and she doesn't have as much face as you, Uncle Shi."

"Our Eight Great Masters still have to be headed by the elder brother." Chu Yan smiled, but he was hesitant. Zhu Zizheng, who went to negotiate, hadn't returned yet, but the prince received the gifts from Zang Khan and the Living Buddha first. This is a kind of expression. It seems that The reopening of Tibet-border trade is almost certain.

Chu Yan said, "Brother, you are knowledgeable, why don't you tell us, is the Tibet-border trade going well?"

Zhou Yungui understood Chu Yan's thoughts in a flash, and his eyes swept towards Chu Yan like sharp knives.

Chu Yan waved his hand and showed an innocent smile.Although he is commensurate with Zhou Yungui's brother, but he took his seat from his nephew. As far as he is concerned, Chu Yan is just a weak crown, young and handsome, such a smile adds to his charm, "Brother, we have something to say , our family has some background. Once the Tibet-border trade opens, everyone wants to get a share. Brother, the prince said it in the imperial capital when the salt government was reformed. No matter what, the whole world is watching the prince Well. The possibility of not changing is very small. Since ancient times, the poor do not fight with the rich, and the rich do not fight with the government. The old saying always has its truth. The salt mine belongs to the palace, but we are just in charge. It has been five years After two years, let's stick to it, and after three years, the palace will naturally take back the salt mine and restructure it. Not only will we not be able to say a word, but we will also greatly offend the prince and lose our livelihood. "

"Who is the eldest son? He was officially conferred by the court. He is the only son of the prince. His seat cannot be more secure." Chu Yan took a sip of the tea cup and continued, "We offended him for a short time. There may be nothing wrong in the house, but you have to live with your head in your hands, worrying about something. Although the current tax is much, the crown prince asks for only [-]%, so let's take it for peace. And the tax exemption for the first three years, if it is a waste After these three years, it’s hard to say whether the Jieshi-Tibet-border trade can still leave us with regrets.”

Ling Xiao said anxiously, "Twenty percent tax, that's not much! Let's get some things and go all the way to Tibet to sell some hard-earned money, is it easy?" Pulling his neck, Ling Xiao said with a dark face, "I It's not that I feel sorry for these few coins, but if there is one, there will be two, and if there are two, there will be three. It can't be said that it is just a trial now. If we can levy [-]% today, we will not give a fart. Tomorrow, there will be [-]% and [-]%! Now we are afraid You ruined your job, but you don't know that it's our cowardice that ruined your job!" Meeting such a vampire reincarnated son is really bad luck for eight lifetimes.Ling Xiao couldn't help but miss the eldest son Mingli very much, how gentle and refined he was, he felt the stench of money when he mentioned money, and he never directly talked about money. Even if you give gifts, you have to give them elegant antique calligraphy and paintings.It's not like today's Ming Zhan, who draws the number naked, is completely compelling to hang himself!

Ma Yuan continued to smooth things over, "Xiao Chu, Xiao Ling, we are discussing something, why are you two so impatient. This is at Brother Zhou's house."

Ling Xiao said, "I'm not in a hurry with Chu Yan, but we can't answer it easily. We need to find out how this tax is levied. Just because the son is the master of the palace in the future, we should find out more clearly " Turning around to ask Zhou Yungui, "Shibo, you have seen the son personally, do you know a thing or two about the temperament of the son?"

Zhou Yungui heard them quarreling for a long time, and the sullenness in his chest finally subsided. Hearing Ling Xiao's question, he didn't even think about it, and said directly, "Excellent."

"How powerful is it?" Ling Xiao asked persistently, he had seen some characters before.

"The method is extremely powerful." Zhou Yungui said seriously, "Don't underestimate him. He dared to disturb the Yanzheng because he knew it well. You will know the specifics when you go to ask for peace. What Xiao Chu and Xiao Ling said made sense , we have to discuss a way to figure out how this tax is levied."

Ma Yuan asked, "Brother Zhou, next..."

"Don't let them move yet." Zhou Yungui didn't dare to come to the court meeting again. He just came out of the palace. If the court meeting fired at the prince again, Zhou Yungui would not do such a stupid thing. "Wait until you go to the Zhennan Palace. , let’s think about it in the long term.”

Finally, after Zhou Yungui said this, everyone discussed for a while, and at night they had dinner together and went back to their homes.