The Prosperous Era of Longwan

At this time, Wei Guangde's shortcomings of having no official background were exposed. He didn't know who to ask about the news in the court.

Previously, Wei Guangde's plan after the results of the general examination came out was to start actively interacting with the Yan family as soon as the results of the imperial examination came out, spending money when it was necessary, in short, to give himself a better background.

But after winning Chuanlu in the imperial examination, Wei Guangde became a little unsure.

Although after receiving the news from the Yan family, Wei Guangde still went to the Yan family, but it was a polite visit, completely different from what he had thought before.

He didn't think about giving him hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver for a certain official position, because Wei Guangde knew that he would be ranked first in the second class and stay in Beijing, so he would consider it after taking the imperial examination.

Are you going to Yan's house now to inquire?

Don't be ridiculous, Wei Guangde didn't want to have much to do with the Yan family from the beginning, not to mention that he knew that day that the Yan family seemed to be a firm supporter of changing rice cultivation to mulberry.

What I want to do now is contrary to their purpose. I really want to go and ask, what will happen then?

Wei Guangde didn't want to be embarrassed in the future, so the best thing to do was to pretend to be deaf and dumb. Even if he did it, the Yan family would definitely know about it.

Well, the only person Wei Guangde can talk to now, who should be able to know the trends in the court, seems to be the current head of the Hanlin Academy, his immediate boss Yin Tai.

Wei Guangde looked at the sky. It was already afternoon, and he didn't know if Yin Zhangyuan was working in the courtyard at the moment.

Wei Guangde came to the door of the principal's office, and sure enough, he saw that the door was closed.

Wei Guangde asked the clerk in front of the door and found out that Yin Tai had been here in the morning and left before noon.

Calculating the time, it was almost the same time as when Zhang Ji came to inform him at noon that it was time to leave the Hanlin Academy to do his own business.

Yes, Wei Guangde has another arrangement today, which is to sign a house purchase contract with the owner of Nanxunfang Yard and the people from the dental shop, and then go to Shuntian Mansion to register.

Wei Guangde had no choice but to make up his mind to come over and ask Yin Zhangyuan tomorrow morning to see if he could learn about the situation.

I told the scribe the reason for my visit. Of course I didn't say that I came to ask questions about the court. I just said that I wanted to take a half-day leave.

The scribe smiled and said, "Master Wei, you will go on your own. Come here tomorrow and tell the Master to make up for your leave."

It turned out that Yin Tai did not stay in the Hanlin Academy all the time because he was also on errands for Zhan Shifu. Therefore, he had an explanation with other people in the academy that if he asked for leave, he would come in the morning and he was usually away in the afternoon.

For a newcomer like Wei Guangde, naturally he doesn't know.

However, the scribe knew that Yin Zhangyuan was a reasonable person. Wei Guangde came here to ask for leave. Then he would just meet Yin Zhangyuan early tomorrow morning to talk about it. Wei Guangde would come to make up for his leave and he would not say anything to Yin Zhangyuan.

In this way, Wei Guangde left the Hanlin Academy gate and got off work early.

When he walked out of the gate, he saw the carriage driven by Li San opposite. At this time, he and Zhang Ji were standing on the roadside talking something. When he saw Wei Guangde going out, he immediately greeted Zhang Ji, picked up Wei Guangde and headed to the Nanxunfang courtyard. Walk.

The whole transaction process was very fast. After Wei Guangde checked it in the yard and it was correct, under the authentication of Yaxingya and Nanxunfang's general A and others, both parties signed and pledged. Wei Guangde asked Li San to bring a box of money. The authenticator Everyone signed the contract.

The homeowner collected the money and simply handed over all the keys to the yard to Wei Guangde, and the deal was concluded.

"Master Wei, I will send these contracts to the Daxing County Government Office immediately, and I will send the house deeds later."

The Daxing County Government Office is not in Beijing, but in the northeast of Beijing.

It is also interesting to talk about the administrative division of the capital city in the Ming Dynasty. The east and west sides of the central axis of Beijing belonged to Daxing County and Wanping County respectively.

More than 20 east-facing cities, including Wuyunfang, Baodafang, and Nanxunfang, belong to Daxing County, while west-facing cities such as Wanbaofang, Shiyongfang, and Fucaifang are under the management of Wanping County.

Wei Guangde nodded, but he was not afraid of what Yaren might do.

"Zhang Ji, you can go with us and ask Li San to drive over. Hurry up."

At this time, the original landlord and the general manager of Nanxunfang and others were sent away. Yaren and Zhang Ji followed him out, and Wei Guangde started strolling in the yard.

When he walked to the backyard and saw the bed, Wei Guangde suddenly remembered that he hadn't sold anything yet.

The furniture in the yard is very complete, but obviously a lot of daily necessities need to be replaced, and when moving, you have to go to the temple and ask someone to check the period.

Wei Guangde said to himself that it looked like he wouldn't be able to move in soon.

However, the house has been bought, it is only a matter of time, and with such a big yard, Wei Guangde is thinking that he will have to buy some servants to take care of his daily life and clean the yard.

It seems that I have to deal with people from the dental industry.

Speaking of Yaxing and Yaren, it can be considered a bit of history. It is said that the earliest record of "Yaren" was in the Western Zhou Dynasty. At that time, they were not called "Yaren" but were called "hostages". The name was changed during the Tang Dynasty.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't like Yaren, probably because he thought they were just as idle as businessmen.

But now, Ya shops have spread all over the Ming Dynasty, and Ya people have naturally become the middlemen involved in business transactions.

Wei Guangde felt that the function of that shipping company was somewhat similar to that of a dental store. They both provided intermediary services and made money.

However, not everyone can do this business. The government is very strict on their management. Therefore, the people in the Yamen and the Yamen are quite familiar with each other, and collusion between internal and external parties often occurs.

It is worth mentioning that the Ming Dynasty prohibited the buying and selling of "population", and the servants Wei Guangde wanted to buy through Yaxing were naturally not among the "population".

In fact, all dynasties in China have strictly prohibited the sale of human beings. The law enforced by the Han Dynasty was that traffickers who had abducted but not yet been abducted were all sentenced to death, that is, executed and their bodies dismembered; those who knew it was abduction but still participated in the sale, and Traffickers are equally guilty.

The regulations of the Ming Dynasty are that abducting and selling a good man into a slave will cost him a hundred sticks, and he will be transported for three thousand miles; abducting and selling his wife and children as a concubine will cost him a hundred sticks and will last for three years; those who hurt others will be hanged; those who kill others will be beheaded; those who are kidnapped will be killed. Reunion with relatives; abduction and trafficking in the name of adoption and heir, the same crime as above

However, these laws were targeted at good people, that is, civilians and free people with household registration, excluding untouchables. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty often confiscated the property of offenders, and their women were put into priests' houses or sold.

Wei Guangde and the others were looking for Guan Ya, so they naturally planned to go through them if they wanted to find servants. For good people, Guan Ya did not dare to buy or sell, but there were workarounds.

Of course, Wei Guangde had no interest in that. He just wanted to find a few maids to take care of the backyard and leave the front yard to Zhang Ji and Li San.

It's just that we have to wait until we move in, so there's no rush now.

Later, Zhang Ji brought back the house deed obtained from the Daxing County Government. This time the property purchase in the capital was completed.

After locking the door, they still had to stay at the Jiujiang Guild Hall. In the car, Wei Guangde handed the key to Zhang Ji and asked him to purchase daily necessities. He had to do it himself to calculate the check-in time.

Early the next morning, Wei Guangde came to Hanlin Academy and planned to find Yin Zhangyuan.

But it was still early at the moment, and Chief Yin might not have arrived at the courtyard so early, so he drank tea in his public room and read a book to kill some time before going out.

When they arrived outside the principal's office, they saw that the door had been opened. Knowing that Mr. Yin should be here, he asked the clerk at the door to go in and inform him. After getting the news inside, Wei Guangde straightened his clothes and walked in.

"Greetings to Master Yin."

When Wei Guangde entered the room, he bowed respectfully to Yin Tai.

"Haha, don't be so polite."

Yin Tai sat on his seat and raised his hand to signal Wei Guangde to stop saluting.

"I understand your purpose of coming. If you are delayed by something in the future, just try to come over and talk to me in the morning."

While talking, Yin Tai had already picked up a pen on the desk and wrote a note, "You can give this to the concierge later, and it will be stored with the order book."

Wei Guangde hurriedly stepped forward, took the leave note with both hands, and kept saying thanks.

But after the matter was done, Wei Guangde didn't plan to leave yet. After all, he hadn't said anything about today's business.

Seeing Wei Guangde standing there, Yin Tai was just stunned for a moment and smiled: "Are you still waiting to arrange a bachelor's degree?"

Having said this, Yin Tai stretched out his hand and stroked his beard before saying: "In fact, most of the Shuji scholars in the past did not arrange for bachelor's guidance. They read books by themselves and submitted an article every month.

I have talked with several bachelors. In recent years, the palace and the court have not arranged for book repair work. Everyone has part-time jobs, so there is not much to do here in the Hanlin Academy.

Last year and this year, Chen Sheng and Wu Qing were the editors who passed the nine-year examination and were promoted to bachelor's degree. One of them was copying the records of Wuzong, and the other was in charge of the records of Xiaozong. Who do you think is the right name? "

Wei Guangde originally wanted to ask about changing rice cultivation to mulberry, but unexpectedly Yin Tai thought he was waiting for the bachelor teacher.

Well, I was given two choices, Wu Qing and Chen Sheng.

Wu Qing was the first adult he met in the Hanlin Academy. Chen Sheng also met him on the afternoon of the first day. Compared with the two, Wei Guangde felt that Wu Qing seemed kinder, so he immediately handed over his hand and said: "Bachelor, just follow Lord Wu." .”

"Okay, I'll talk to him later, and you can come over and pay a visit in the afternoon. If you have any questions in the future, you can come to him, and of course you can come to me."

Yin Tai nodded and said.

After talking about the business, Yin Tai took a sip from the tea cup on the short-term table and saw Wei Guangde still standing there, as if there was still something wrong.

"Any thing else?"

Yin Tai put down his tea cup and asked.

Wei Guangde knew he had to say it. Everyone was serving tea. It would be rude not to say anything else. Then he bowed his hands to Yin Tai again and said: "Master, the student heard that the plan proposed by the Ministry of Industry to change rice and mulberry cultivation in Zhejiang was discussed in the court. I wonder if the motion is true?”

Hearing Wei Guangde say this, Yin Tai frowned slightly, "So what?"

"The students were very frightened after hearing this."

Wei Guangde said immediately, looked at Yin Tai and had no other expression, and then continued: "During the examination, the students wrote in the article to encourage the development of industries such as weaving and porcelain making, but the student's original intention was that the imperial court would issue policies to encourage them to produce more. , lowering the price so that more people can afford it, so that naturally produced products can be sold smoothly, and the court will receive more tax revenue.

However, after hearing that the Ministry of Industry suggested planting a large number of mulberry trees in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and even using some farmland for mulberry cultivation, the students thought it was inappropriate. "

"Well, actually before you wrote that article, someone in the court was already discussing this matter. It has nothing to do with you. It's just that your article happened to mention that matter."

Yin Tai nodded and said, "As for the pros and cons, the court is still discussing it. The princes naturally know the pros and cons, and they will judge the situation."

Wei Guangde heard it. The court seemed to have been discussing this matter before he took the exam, and his article was just a matter of chance.

It is probably because Chen Jin and the others were in a low position and received the news later, so they thought his policy paper was the trigger for the discussion of changing rice cultivation to mulberry.

Although it could make him feel relieved, since Wei Guangde asked, he would not just go back.

Understanding the situation and writing a memorial can be regarded as Wei Guangde's first shot after entering officialdom.

"Master Yin, may I ask the imperial court if there is a way to add new silk?"

"Why do you ask?"

Yin Tai was very surprised and asked, stroking his beard.

"Students can't understand the Ministry of Industry's intention to massively increase silk production. Who will sell the increased silk? If they do this rashly, I am afraid that a large amount of silk will eventually accumulate in the warehouse, and a large number of merchants and workshop craftsmen will lose their livelihood. "

Wei Guangde explained.

"Do you have any ideas?"

After listening to Wei Guangde's words, Yin Tai was silent for a long time before speaking, "Since you know that the court is discussing this matter, you naturally know about the Shibo Division. Didn't you check the Shibo Division's books two days ago?"

"The students are really surprised by this. According to the decree of the Eighth Year of Jiajing, the Shipping Department is only responsible for receiving tribute from overseas vassals and is not allowed to engage in prospecting trade."

Wei Guangde said honestly.

"It was restored a few years ago. When the imperial court was anxious for money, a lot of the silk stockpiled in Nanjing and Hangzhou was sold through the Shipping Department. It has been doing this since then, but it was not clearly stated."

Yin Tai didn't think there was anything that couldn't be said. It was something that everyone in the court knew. Although he also knew that the Shishi Shipping Department was engaged in prospecting trade, but it could indeed turn silk into silver to solve the court's financial difficulties. It's a way.

"Those foreign countries admired the Chinese silk porcelain, so they always wanted to increase the quantity of goods, so the Ministry of Industry made this proposal."

Yin Tai continued.

“How much silk can they buy?”

Wei Guangde asked curiously. Since the foreign businessmen have said it, they will naturally give an approximate quantity.

"In the past, we sold about 100,000 pieces of silk every year. They hope to increase it several times. According to the report from the Shipping Department, it is about 300,000 to 500,000 pieces. What the Ministry of Industry hopes is to collect this amount of silk. Only by increasing the production of raw silk can we increase the number of looms."

Wei Guangde secretly thought that it was no wonder. It was almost as he had guessed. The imperial court had quietly started sea trade, but it had not been announced to the public.

In the Ming Dynasty, it seems that except for Zheng He's voyages to the West, there was no large-scale maritime trade with the outside world.

Yes, that means smuggling trade is not normal commodity trade.

Wei Guangde suddenly felt that the imperial court's financial difficulties seemed to be a good way to break the sea ban, and in fact they were already doing this.