The banquet was sumptuous, the host was gracious, and it was quite enjoyable. The only thing that made Fang Zian uncomfortable was the cold look from the man named Lin, which made Fang Zian feel a little weird. Fortunately, Zheng Zhilong discovered this.

, halfway through the banquet, he made an excuse to ask the man named Lin to leave the banquet, which made Fang Zian feel more at ease.

At the end of the banquet, a bowl of hot, dark meat was brought to the table. Zheng Zhilong warmly invited Fang Zian and others to try the plate of meat. Fang Zian took a piece and chewed it. The meat was cooked with pepper, but it had a spicy taste.

It's hard to hide the smell of fishy mutton, and it's quite heavy. In Fang Zian's opinion, the taste is okay, but it's rough and tough and hard to swallow. Fang Zian can still tolerate this taste, but Qin Xiqing, Shen Ling'er, and Jiang Zheng

But when the others smelled the smell, they had no desire to eat at all.

"What kind of meat is this? I've never eaten it before." Fang Zian asked curiously.

Zheng Zhilong laughed and said: "Master Fang is well-informed, don't you know what kind of meat this is?"

Fang Zian smiled and said, "Forgive me for being ignorant."

Zheng Zhilong said: "This is lion meat. When the Lord came in just now, a lion roared, which frightened the Lord and the women. The old man ordered people to kill it. This is its meat. It has just been stewed. The taste.

how?"

Fang Zian was stunned and had no appetite anymore.

"Why is this necessary? That's the lion you raised, like a cat or a dog, and it's a bit close. What does the beast know? It's unnecessary to kill him after roaring a few times." Fang Zian smacked his lips.

"That's not possible. In my Zheng family, everything must be done according to the rules. Speaking of cats and dogs as pets, every plant and tree must grow according to the way I want it to grow. Although lions and tigers are beasts,

You have to follow the rules. If you roar when you shouldn't, you are not obeying the rules, and the end result is to become this plate of Chinese food. Of course, it could have been punished, but unfortunately it was Mr. Fang who frightened it, so it will

There is only one way to die." Zheng Zhilong said nonchalantly.

Fang Zian smiled bitterly and said: "Master Zheng said this as if this lion died because of me. I have sinned too much."

Zheng Zhilong waved his hands and said: "That's not true. I said that those who don't follow the rules will be punished. If you alarm Mr. Fang, he deserves to die. If you frighten others, he deserves to die."

Fang Zian chuckled and said, "This is the first time I have seen Mr. Zheng telling a lion about the rules. Keeping a wild beast in a house is already against its nature, let alone asking it to follow the rules? Isn't that forcing someone to do something difficult?"

Zheng Zhilong laughed and said: "Rules are inherently difficult to impose. Do you think that laws and regulations are all people are willing to abide by? Those are all constraints. No one is willing to be subject to such constraints. But without constraints, the world will be in chaos. That's all

This is a great truth. Even in my Zheng family boating company, there are as many as 30,000 people working directly in my Zheng family and relying on my Zheng family for food. With so many people working together, there must be rules and regulations, otherwise there will be chaos.

It's a trap, isn't it? It's precisely because our Zheng family has strict rules that they can be in good order and run smoothly. Do you understand what I mean, sir?"

Fang Zian nodded and smiled: "It makes sense, but we are talking about lions and have nothing to do with people."

Zheng Zhilong chuckled and said: "Actually, there is no difference."

…

After the banquet, Zheng Zhilong led Fang Zian to visit the Zheng family's mansion. The group started from the front hall and walked back through several rooms with different styles.

In the courtyard, they experienced the luxury of the Zheng family's house, which was breathtaking. Finally, everyone came to the courtyard of the back house at the west end of Zheng's house. It was a Jiangnan garden style garden. There were luxuriant flowers and trees, clear springs and rockeries, which was very exquisite.

.

"Master Fang, let's rest in the pavilion over there for a while and drink some tea. The garden is quite quiet, so we can talk." Zheng Zhilong said with a smile.

Fang Zian smiled and nodded, and followed Zheng Zhilong into a pavilion hidden among trees. After sitting down, the servants served tea and then all left. Qin Xiqing and others were also drinking tea in the corridor below without disturbing them.

"Master Fang, there are many people talking at the table just now, and we can't talk about business. This time Master Fang came to Quanzhou, I don't know what business he has. He must not be here for sightseeing." Zheng Zhilong took a sip of tea and asked with a smile.

Fang Zian smiled and said: "Master Zheng, you must know everything that happened in the court."

Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "Although I was promoted in the name of Chief Shipping Officer, I never cared about the affairs of the court. I only regard myself as a merchant. I have heard some things about the court, but I am not sure.

.The only thing I care about is how my business is going, whether my Zheng family's ship has encountered pirates at sea, whether it has encountered a storm, and whether it can safely transport the goods needed by the Song Dynasty back to the country. That's all."

Fang Zian chuckled and said: "Doing business also requires a stable environment, right? Mr. Zheng should be concerned about the current situation. Since Mr. Zheng said he doesn't understand, then I will briefly explain it to Mr. Zheng. To put it simply

, it is the old traitor Qin Hui who conspired to rebel and was suppressed by the imperial court. The emperor is disheartened and will be passed on to the crown prince."

Zheng Zhilong nodded and said: "All these old men know it. Hey, you really know people but don't know their hearts. Who would have thought that Qin Hui actually harbored evil intentions and intended to rebel. The emperor must be extremely sad. But these old men don't know the details and can't speak.

.There is not much difference between knowing and not knowing.”

Fang Zian shook his head and said: "That's not true. I heard that when the emperor was drowning at sea, Mr. Zheng helped him and saved him. Later, the emperor also gave Mr. Zheng some special rights as a reward. Now the emperor is about to abdicate.

, isn’t Master Zheng worried about these privileges being taken back?”

Zheng Zhilong frowned and said in a deep voice: "It turns out that you came to Quanzhou for this matter. Is it possible that the imperial court wants to take back the few things that the emperor granted to my Zheng family? If the imperial court really does this, it will be really big.

What a joke. Could it be that when the new emperor ascends the throne, all the promises made by the previous emperor will be cancelled, and none of them will count?"

Fang Zian smiled and waved his hands and said: "Master Zheng, please be patient. I didn't say that I came here for this matter. I just mentioned it. I came to Quanzhou because I have the authority of the Minister of Household Affairs.

Regarding the matter of the Ship Division, Quanzhou is an important place for sea trade in the Song Dynasty. My rights and responsibilities lie there, so I need to come and see the situation. Secondly, I am indeed here for some things."

Zheng Zhilong said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency is a Shangguan. When you come to Quanzhou to investigate the maritime trade, I will naturally welcome you and provide you with convenience. But your Excellency, please don't forget that the emperor promised that matters in Quanzhou will not be under the jurisdiction of the Shipping Department. To put it bluntly,

Well, the Ministry of Household Affairs has no control over Quanzhou, let alone my Zheng family. Unless the imperial court issues an order to rescind the emperor’s promise, you have no right to interfere with Quanzhou matters. You have no right to interfere with my Zheng family’s affairs.”

Fang Zian chuckled and said: "Master Zheng, the new emperor is about to ascend the throne, and the imperial court is about to embark on the Northern Expedition. Now everyone is making preparations for the Northern Expedition. Money, food and taxes are all being organized.

Our city's shipping department is also an important source of revenue for the imperial court. Mr. Zheng has been doing business in Quanzhou for many years and has monopolized the spice business in the Song Dynasty. The business is overwhelming, and the money is flowing in like running water. This kind of

At that time, how could you hold on to Lao Huangli? How could you not express something? To be honest, I came to Quanzhou to discuss with Mr. Zheng the matter of collecting taxes on this city's ships. The imperial court needs money, and Mr. Zheng may have to pay for it.

Bleeding."

Zheng Zhilong nodded slowly and said: "As expected, I came here for these things. I am jealous that my Zheng family has a big business and earns a lot of money. But having said that, the Zheng family has not let the imperial court worry about it at all.

Half of the people in Quanzhou rely on my Zheng family for food. Even when our Zheng family's ship was capsized by pirates when it went to sea, we didn't even ask the court for a tael of silver compensation. Now that I see that my Zheng family has made some money, I'm jealous.

Is it?"

Fang Zian smiled and said: "You can't say that. Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of a country. No eggs are left behind when the nest is overturned. The court is about to go to war and needs money, food and military pay. We all have the responsibility to contribute some. Mr. Zheng is also a court official after all.

You should have this awareness. How can you say such a thing?"

Zheng Zhilong said coldly: "Sir Fang, if I don't tell lies, I can give you money, but what you just said made me doubtful. The court must ensure that the conditions obtained by my Zheng family will not change, and then I will give money."

Money, unloading mills and killing donkeys is not enough. If Mr. Fang can guarantee this, our Zheng family can share some of the money for the court. But our Zheng family must not care about the greatness of our family and business. It will also have to feed many people, the cost will be huge, and the amount will be too large.

, we can’t afford it either.”

Fang Zian smiled and said: "Sir Zheng is still a businessman after all. He must negotiate conditions before doing anything. But Mr. Zheng, I'm afraid you need to think clearly. It may be inappropriate for you to negotiate conditions with the court. Although Mr. Zheng has a family

The cause is great, but in front of the imperial court, does Mr. Zheng still want to be on an equal footing and negotiate terms with the imperial court? What the imperial court gives you is a gift. If the imperial court does not give it to you, it is also a gift. Thunder, rain and dew are all gifts from heaven. Is this true, Mr. Zheng?

don't know?"

Zheng Zhilong stood up and said in a deep voice: "If your lord says so, then we have nothing to talk about. The imperial court must also be reasonable and follow the rules, and we can't just kill the donkey. I had an agreement with the emperor back then, and there are three special provisions."

The conditions were promised by the emperor himself, and they are clear and clear. Over the years, my Zheng family has worked hard and diligently in business, neither stealing nor robbing nor relying on others. Now the court seems to want to go back on its word. What is the reason for this? Mr. Fang,

What would you do if someone treated you like this? Not to mention Mr. Fang's words were threatening."

Fang Zian sneered and said, "Master Zheng, don't be impulsive. Let's talk it over if you have anything to say."

Zheng Zhilong laughed and said: "Master Fang, you'd better ask me when I, Zheng Zhilong, have ever had a good conversation with someone. Even if the court doesn't keep its word, I won't agree. Master Fang, you'd better go and find out."

Inquire about how to deal with my Zheng family. I have already given you enough face, and I hope you will consider it, Mr. Fang. We will discuss this matter later."

Fang Zian smacked his lips and stood up and said: "Mr. Zheng, it seems that you are a little excited. This is really not a good time to talk about things. Just calm down and we will talk later. I will leave first and thank Mr. Zheng for the hospitality. The taste of lion meat

Not bad, I want to have another meal."
Chapter completed!