The bell of the Qingdao Port Clock Tower rang at six o'clock in the morning.
The sky was slightly bright and Zhu Cian got up.
"Isn't it the end of the day today? Why did you get up so early? Get some more sleep." Mrs. Wang said softly while checking on her youngest son.
"You can go to sleep. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. I will go to the ancestral hall to worship and offer incense."
"It's the first day of the Lunar New Year again, and I can't even count the days. Then you invite the three brothers to go together. Don't forget to pay homage to your ancestors on the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year." Wang said quickly.
Zhu Ci got up and went to the east chamber to wake up the eldest brother, Shen, the second son, Jing, the third son and Lun. The four of them squatted in the courtyard to fetch water, brush their teeth and wash their faces.
The housekeeper over there came over and asked, "Master, I'm going to the ancestral hall today. What should I prepare? Is there anything special to tell you?"
"The sacrificial basket is ready, a pot of wine, a chicken, a fish, a large piece of pork, a bowl of rice, four steamed buns, and a handful of incense."
"These are all ready. The chicken, fish, meat and rice are all prepared early in the morning."
"Well, prepare the carriage and prepare the clothes for the young masters. Remember to prepare the hats and belts. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. After the sacrifices at the ancestral hall, we have to attend the clan meeting."
"I understand, sir." The steward wrote down and then left.
After the four men had washed up and had breakfast, they immediately changed their clothes and went out. Zhu Cian also specially checked the red belts around their waists for all three sons and tightened them a little tighter.
Outside the door, the housekeeper and the coachman were waiting at the door, and the coachman had also prepared the carriage.
"Go to Hengxing Bank first, then go to Longsheng Hotel."
The driver shook the reins, and the horse started to trot.
Sitting in the four-wheel carriage, through the curtains, you can see that on the golden autumn morning in October, Qingdao Port is already bustling with activity.
The ships were loading and unloading, and the laborers started working hard early.
All the shops on the pier are open for business, and those doing small business and setting up stalls are even more energetic and shouting.
Looking at them, Zhu Cian looked at the satin clothes on his body and the carriage. He felt very complicated. Looking at the three sons who were playing and having fun, he was extremely proud and even more grateful for the saint's kindness.
Qingdao is an emerging port city. Although the emperor has moved back to the old capital of Beijing, Dengzhou still retains its status as the capital of Tokyo, which is equivalent to Nanjing Yingtian. Qingdao Port is an excellent northern ice-free port, and there are also
A Jiaolai Canal, after the capital was moved to Beijing, the Jiaolai Canal became more prosperous than before.
Although maritime transportation is developed, Qingdao Port reaches Laizhou directly through the canal, but it does not need to go around the Shandong Peninsula, which stimulates Qingdao's further improvement.
Not only is the transportation of Qingdao Port very busy, but also the Jiaolai Canal is very busy. In addition, some emerging industries such as shipbuilding here are also very good, the population has increased greatly, and industry and commerce are prosperous.
Zhu Cian also fully enjoyed these dividends.
He was a poor side branch of Defan. In the previous generations, he had no name, no title, no food, and almost starved to death. Later, Emperor Shaotian's clan reforms not only rescued but also liberated them. He settled in Qingdao and was captured by the clan's mansion.
Arranged to work as a clerk at Hengxing Bank.
This property, a partnership between the Royal Young Master and the Clan Mansion, has been doing very well in business in recent years. Under the leadership of the old shopkeeper Zhu Linkun, the business is booming. Under the personal guidance of the old shopkeeper, he
Progress has also been rapid, and within a few years, I have become the third shopkeeper from a clerk.
I have started to receive good stock dividends early on. Because the business is good and the profits are high, I don’t need to pay dividends every four years. I pay half of it first every year.
As the third shopkeeper of Hengxing Hao, and being in a financial industry with the title of "emperor" like a bank, the income is not generally high.
In just a few years, he bought land and built a large house. He even bought several more pieces of land next to the original allocated land for a farm in the countryside. Now the village has one hundred acres of land.
The family even hired a servant driver and a four-wheeled carriage.
The big house cost more than a hundred silver dollars to buy the land, construction, furniture decoration, etc., and his four-wheeled carriage, plus the fodder money, driver's wages, etc., cost at least thirty dollars a year.
Blocked.
He was once so hungry that his newborn children were forced to exchange for food.
"Master, the bank has arrived."
The coachman stopped the carriage steadily and reminded him loudly.
Zhu Cian recovered his thoughts, tidied his clothes, and got off the carriage with his three sons.
"Uncle, good morning."
The old shopkeeper Zhu Linkun is from the Tang Dynasty lineage, and he is his great-uncle in terms of seniority. Thanks to his guidance and support in the past few years, the old shopkeeper was dancing Tai Chi sword in the courtyard. When he saw him coming, he smiled and said, "You are here too."
Morning, some of the boys are awake."
Zhu Ci'an asked his son to call him Uncle Zeng.
"Let's go," Zhu Linkun went back to change clothes. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. For the children of the royal family, the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year are important days. They don't worship gods or Bodhisattvas, but they must go to worship their ancestors, and they must come together.
Go to Beijing to pay homage to the Emperor.
No matter how much business you do or how busy you are, you must get up early and go to the ancestral hall respectfully.
Nowadays, there are Zhu family ancestral halls all over the Ming Dynasty. Although the status of the ancestral hall is far inferior to that of the Emperor's Ancestral Temple, the vassal temple, and the clan's family temple, for these royal children who have passed the fifth level of service, although they are not qualified to build temples, the emperor
However, he also specially ordered all the distant branches of the royal family to build ancestral halls in many places, and the descendants of the Zhu family could worship and worship. Compared with the emperor's Taimiao, the ancestral ancestral temple worshiped in five temples, and the ancestral vassal Duke Hou Bozinan worshiped in four temples and three temples.
The Zhu family ancestral halls in various places can directly worship Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.
This sacrifice is only allowed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple of the Emperor. Each ancestral temple and family temple can only offer sacrifices to its own ancestors.
Li, the branches are not sacrificed.
For example, Zhu Yihai used to be from the line of King Lu, the son of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, so there was an ancestral temple in King Lu's palace, but Zhu Yuanzhang could not be worshiped. Zhu Tan could only be worshiped with Zhu Tan as his ancestor, and the first person to be named began to worship.
However, the Lu vassal county and prince's palace cannot offer sacrifices to King Zhu Tan of Lu. He has to be the ancestor from the first county prince.
Under the principle that the eldest son set up a temple and the branch sons worshiped, the emperor's ancestral temple, the ancestral prince's ancestral temple and the general's family temple formed a clan and ancestral temple system that did not interfere with each other and was interlocked.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! However, after Zhu Yihai carried out the great reform of the Zong clan, the Zong clan of the emperor's fifth service was changed to be called the royal family, or the royal family. It was not considered a clan, and could not be ennobled or awarded.
Naturally, they no longer have the qualifications to build temples.
As for those in the fifth server, because the title is not hereditary, they build temples based on their official rank, whether it is an ancestral temple or a family temple. Those with titles above the county king can establish ancestral temples, and those with titles below the county king can establish family temples.
The ancestral temple is dedicated to five temples, the ancestral temple is dedicated to four temples, and the family temple is dedicated to three temples.
Worshiping heaven and ancestors is a very important matter for the Chinese nation. It is also very important who can offer sacrifices and who cannot. This is also the distinction between clan and descendants.
A family is divided one by one. Only the eldest son can build a temple, and the branch sons can only worship.
Zhu Cian and others used to be affiliated members of various vassal clans, but now they are all members of the royal family, so they now directly offer sacrifices to the Zhu clan in various places, directly offering sacrifices to the great ancestor Zhu Yuanzu. If Zhu Cian passes away in the future, he will
His son Zhu Heshen can have his memorial tablets put in. There is no requirement to only put them in five temples, and there is no need to enter one and withdraw one from the other.
The old man changed his clothes and put on a red belt.
This is the symbol of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty. The red belt means that the emperor's relatives outside the five clothes are all descendants of Taizu. Those within the five clothes are called royal clans, and they wear yellow belts to show distinction.
The two carriages first went to the Longsheng Hotel. This was the restaurant of Chu Fan Zhu Fuji. In the early years, he set up a stall to fry oysters at the pier. With his hard work, loyalty, good ingredients and freshness, he won a good reputation. Later,
Zhu Cian and Zhu Linkun persuaded him to open a store. After some consideration, he accepted the suggestion and invited two tribesmen to become shareholders. The restaurant opened and business was indeed very good.
There are many royal families in Qingdao, and they are now scattered in different walks of life, but they are all very united, and those who can help will definitely support them.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of Longsheng, Zhu Fuji had already changed into formal clothes and was waiting for them with his son.
"I've prepared hot fried oysters for you, eat them quickly."
After a few simple greetings, everyone got in the car. Zhu Cian and his children ate together. It was fragrant, crispy and fresh. After several years, I never get tired of eating this.
The business of the Longshenghao Hotel has been very good in recent years, and it has opened branches in Laizhou and Fengtian. Now it can bring a lot of dividends to Zhu Cian every year.
In the south of Qingdao City, there is the Qingdao Zhu Family Ancestral Hall, where all descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang can come to worship. This ancestral hall was built in a very grand manner. The emperor's inner treasury and the clan's office all donated money, and clan associations from all over the country also donated money.
Not to mention the local red belts, regardless of whether they have money or not, they will donate whatever they can. Whether they donate a thousand yuan or a hundred cents, they are all engraved on the big monument at the completion of the ancestral hall.
When their carriage arrived, there were already many carriages parked in the broad square in front of the ancestral hall. There were also many horses, donkeys, and mules tied to the horse posts on the other side. The square was full of people.
Everyone put on red and black dresses, very solemn, with red belts tied around their waists. Almost all the male men of the Zhu family nearby came.
Everyone spontaneously lined up while saying hello.
At seven o'clock, the gate of the ancestral hall opened. There is a clan association responsible for daily management and maintenance. Everyone filed in carrying their own sacrifice baskets and offerings.
Offer incense and offer sacrifices.
The adults bowed and the children kowtowed.
The whole ceremony is solemn and solemn. No matter what status you usually have, here you are all family members.
After the sacrifice, Zhu Cian came forward with his three sons to donate.
"Zhu Ci'an has ten silver coins, Zhu Heshen, Zhu Hejing, Zhu Helun, and Zhu Hegang who haven't come yet, two coins each."
The person responsible for keeping accounts is a director of the Clan Association and also the accountant. He is also very familiar with him. The third shopkeeper of Hengxing is also a decent person with status in Qingdao. They say that he earns at least several thousand yuan a year. More importantly,
It is Hengxing Bank, one of the largest banks in Qingdao, and it is owned by an imperial brand. Many people in business rely on it, and the personal connections of the third shopkeeper are naturally quite high.
"My uncle is so generous. He donates 18 yuan on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and even more on the Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Winter Solstice, New Year, etc."
Zhu Cian smiled and said, "We, the Zhu family, are all members of the royal family with red belts. We suffered a lot in the early years. Now Saint Hong'en has given us this good policy. I also rely on Saint Hong'en to live a good life. Naturally,
Don’t forget other clan members.”
The account was registered, and the custodian on the side collected the money, and they also gave him a receipt as a voucher.
Zhu Linkun and Zhu Fuji also came and lined up to donate money.
Donations are entirely voluntary.
The money received by the clan association is kept by a dedicated person, and the board of directors will check the accounts regularly and make public announcements. The use of these funds is also determined by the charter at the clan association meeting, such as relief for orphans, widows and disabled people, and the delivery of new-born children.
Six-year-olds, senior citizens over sixty, etc. will all receive a subsidy.
There are also certain rewards and subsidies for other things, such as studying in school and serving in the military.
If the donations received are sufficient, they will be used to purchase some fields for ancestral temples, some land for family tombs, and even build clan warehouses to buy and store some grain in preparation for famine, and even build
A clan gold means that if a clan member needs money, whether it is to marry a daughter or to build a house or do business, they can apply for it. Once approved, they can get a loan from the clan association, and the interest rate is lower than outside.
.
As for if you have a serious illness, you can even apply for clan serious illness assistance.
The capital mainly comes from donations from clan members. The more money in the clan association's account, the more protection will be provided to clan members. If the money is small, in addition to some basic assistance for the elderly, weak, sick and disabled, other services will be provided.
The project can only be suspended first.
Zhu Cian had to donate 18 yuan every time he offered sacrifices. There were five boys in his family. He would donate 10 yuan as an adult and two yuan for each of the four children. There was no rule, but he had always done so.
Donate money here, and someone will register over there, and someone will be responsible for singing a newspaper. No matter how much someone donates, everyone will be thanked. Finally, a big newspaper must be copied and posted at the gate of the ancestral hall.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After the donation, everyone took out the sacrifices brought for sacrifice, including chickens, meat, fish, rice, steamed buns, etc., and placed them in front of the ancestral hall.
Those who are worthy will be divided and packaged and given to the Zhu family's relatives in Qingdao who are still living in difficulty, as well as the elderly and children. Everyone can get a share.
"It's a meeting,"
The directors who are on duty this month would like to invite everyone to hold a regular meeting.
"Welcome to the Holy Emperor and thank Hongen!"
The rotating directors took the lead in kneeling and kowtowing in the direction of Beijing, loudly thanking the emperor for his kindness, and then invited a clan member to come forward and recite the Ming Dynasty Royal Clan Law and the Emperor Ming Ancestor Instructions.
"Next, let's discuss a few things. The first one is that Ci'an is going to Vladivostok. Hengxing has transferred him to open a semicolon there and become the chief shopkeeper. He has been promoted. He will be leaving soon. Where is Ci'an, everyone?
We are all familiar with him, he is a great philanthropist, and he usually donates to the clan association. This time I am going to Vladivostok. I plan to select a group of young and hard-working clan members from our Qingdao clan association to go there with us and build a permanent relationship there.
Xing Semicolon, this is a rare opportunity, young people should seize it, go into battle as brothers, fight father and son soldiers, our own children will also have a good helper whom we can trust."
Zhu Cian was also invited to speak.
Next, they talked about some things. If a clan member's shop or manor is recruiting people, priority will be given to recruiting his own children. There are also clan members who want to do business and want to borrow money from the association.
There are also children in the clan who have been admitted to a college in Beijing, some who have taken the civil service exam to become a high-ranking official, and some who have signed up to join the army and passed.
The clan not only needs to report the praise, but also give a bonus.
"We are red belts, members of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty. Now that the policy is good, we should roll up our sleeves and work hard, and we should help each other. The first rich will lead to the later rich, and the advanced will lead to the last.
Also, when you go out and meet relatives from other places, you should also be friendly and help each other.
Another one is that we are a royal family and we must be loyal to the emperor and patriotic. We must not do anything illegal or criminal, we must not steal or evade taxes, and we must honor our parents and love our brothers at home.
Finally, I wish all our clan members good health and success."
As the rotating chairman finished speaking, the sacrifices and clan meetings on the first day of this month also ended. Everyone was free to move around, saying hello and chatting at will, and then went back to their homes.
Clan associations usually gather for dinner only during Chinese New Year and do not entertain guests on ordinary days, so as not to waste money and time.
The old man Zhu Linkun said to Zhu Cian, "The conditions in Vladivostok are poor. You have worked hard this time."
"My uncle showed his trust in me by letting me go there to set up an account and take charge. It's not too late for me to be happy."
Zhu Fuji smiled and said, "You go first. I will come over in a while and open a Longsheng Hao there. I heard that the sea cucumbers there are of very good quality. You can keep an eye out for me when you have time."
If so, bring some back to me."
"I'm leaving, and I have to ask you to take care of me at home."
"Don't worry, we will take good care of your four sons and two daughters."
Several people looked back at the Zhu family ancestral hall, feeling as if they were in another world. They were once a royal family that didn't even have a name and had no food to eat. But now, although they are no longer a family, life has become better.
They have many relatives in Qingdao, numbering over a thousand.
But now no one says that they don’t have enough to eat. No matter how bad the conditions are, there are still clan members who will help them. We used to come from different clans, but now we are like one family.
"You go first. If you do a good job, you will bring more clan members to work and develop. Then a Zhu family ancestral hall will be built there and you will be elected as the president of the Vladivostok clan clan."
Zhu Ci'an smiled and said, "I think our clan association should encourage the children in the clan to serve as soldiers and study. Now many people are willing to study, but they can't just study. We are a royal family and have to shoulder more responsibilities and go to military academy.
, join the army to protect your home and country.
The clan association should add some rules. We should give more rewards to those who serve as soldiers, and help them take care of their families. If they are disabled or sacrificed for the country, we should give them a pension to save them from worries."
Zhu Linkun nodded. Although they are just a group of businessmen now, they will also consider some long-term issues when conditions are better.
Everyone feels that if conditions are good now, it is because the emperor and policies are good, but what if the emperor changes in the future and the policies change?
Therefore, it is best to be like those famous families and be willing to spend money to support outstanding children in the family, let them take the imperial examination or serve as soldiers, and then become officials and generals, so as to better ensure their future status.
"Ci'an has a long-term view. It is his duty to help the old and the weak, but he also has a long-term vision. We, the people, unite as one and cultivate more talented people. This will also be our guarantee in the future."
Zhu Fuji said, "I think we should not only cultivate ourselves more, but also pay attention to marriage. When marrying a wife, you must marry with virtue, and when you marry, you must marry with character. Good in-laws are also helpful to the family."
"Well, I'll have a meeting with the directors later to discuss these things and draw up a charter."
They were all once the lowest sects and sects, and experienced the most unforgettable tragedy. Now they have turned around, and they still have a sense of crisis. They hope to do better and strive for a better future for their descendants.
No one hopes that their descendants will repeat their sufferings in a few generations.
"Now that the Holy King is alive, we must seize this good opportunity." The old shopkeeper said.