On the third day of the first lunar month, Chen Qing met a special guest, Zheng Tongquan.
In the guest room, Zheng Tongquan placed a box on the table and pushed it to Chen Qing, "This is a gift for the princess, please accept it with pleasure!"
"What's this?"
Chen Qing picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a bright pearl as big as a pigeon egg, shining with a dull luster.
"I got this from a Japanese businessman five years ago. There were two in total, one big and one small. I dedicated the small one to Queen Mother Zheng. Now it is in the hands of Queen Wei. This is the big one. Your Highness, this is
Night Pearl."
Chen Qing nodded. He knew that this was not a mortal thing. If it were an ordinary sea pearl, Zheng Tongquan would not solemnly dedicate it to him. It was indeed a night pearl.
"You should keep such fine beads as family heirlooms, there is no need to give them to me!"
Chen Qing pushed the bead back to Zheng Tongquan. Zheng Tongquan quickly shook his head and said, "It is a rare thing, but if Zheng Jiade is not worthy of it, disaster will occur. Only His Highness can match it. Please accept it."
Chen Qing nodded secretly. Zheng Tongquan was very clear-headed and knew that virtue should not be matched by things. For example, a poor family accidentally picked up a rare treasure. The best way is to hand it over to the museum quickly. At least it can leave a name for generations to come.
Don't think about selling it at a high price or leaving it to your descendants, otherwise you will be easily targeted, and your things may be robbed, or your whole family may be wiped out.
The Luminous Pearl has been the pearl of emperors since ancient times. If Zheng Tongquan wanted to leave it to his descendants, it would definitely be a disaster.
Chen Qing no longer refused, he accepted the beads and asked with a smile: "When did the Duke return to Jingzhao?"
"The morning before yesterday, hey! The imperial court started targeting maritime merchants and wealthy businessmen. Your Highness must have known about it!"
Chen Qingdan said calmly: "I know that when the imperial court forcibly commandeered the big ships, Hu Yun reminded them to transfer their wealth quickly, but they didn't listen and thought I was trying to steal their wealth. But now they understand. I heard
The wealth of the Wang Zhenbang family and the Yu Wanfeng family was basically emptied. The imperial court took away more than 4 million yuan of wealth from the two families, and the wealth accumulated over several generations was gone."
"These two families are third-generation maritime merchants. Their wealth is almost gone. I guess the large merchants in Guangzhou and Mingzhou will also be doomed."
"This is their fate, so don't mention it. I'm looking for the Duke because I actually want to talk to you about something."
"Your Highness, please speak!"
"Last time Hu Yun wrote me a brochure and talked about exchanging silver from Japan. The county magistrate should be very aware of this matter!"
Zheng Tongquan nodded, "Beizhi does know. Beizhi once went to Hizen Country to trade with their lords, and exchanged pig iron and armor for one hundred thousand taels of silver, which was almost ten times a huge profit."
Hizen Province is today's Nagasaki area. It has been Japan's most famous seaport since ancient times. Envoys sent to the Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty set out from here. It later became the base camp of Japanese pirates.
The most important reason why Hizen Province has become the center of Japan's foreign exchanges is its geographical location, which happens to be the first stop for mainland China and North Korea to arrive in Japan.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, when going to Japan, you could not go out to the sea from the Yangtze River Estuary and cross the East China Sea to Japan. That would lead to a narrow escape. The safest route was to start from Laizhou on the Shandong Peninsula, cross the Yellow River to North Korea, and then walk along the Korean Peninsula.
After arriving in Busan, we crossed the Tsushima Strait and arrived in Japan.
The ancients also discovered this safe route, so Nagasaki Port and Hizen Province became the busiest overseas trade seaports in ancient Japan.
Chen Qing pondered for a while and said: "Does Japan need pig iron very much?"
"Of course they do. They are a bit similar to our Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. There was a court, but there were many small countries. In order to compete for land and population, wars often broke out between small countries. However, Japan has no iron ore and can only buy pig iron from Goryeo and us.
It is still far from enough, and Japan’s domestically produced silver and gold sand are in the hands of the lord. I humbly suggest that His Highness exchange pig iron for silver and gold.”
"Then why don't other maritime merchants go to Japan to exchange for silver and gold? Is it because they can't get pig iron?" Chen Qing asked again.
"Actually, that's not the reason. You can get pig iron if you want. The key is pirates. Pirates are very rampant. They don't like ordinary goods. Generally, after charging high tolls, four times the profit becomes twice the profit.
, but the ship is filled with gold, silver or pig iron. If they target it, it will be all over. I only did it once, so I don’t dare to do it a second time. Other families don’t dare to do this business either. Although it is a huge profit, it is still a big deal.
Everything else is just as profitable, so there is no need to take this risk."
Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said: "If I send a naval escort, will there be any problems?"
"If His Highness sends the navy to escort us, the problem won't be big. Although those pirates are rampant, they only dare to bully civilian ships. They are vulnerable to the navy."
"Where is Hizen Country?"
Chen Qing asked again: "Do the lords of Hizen Country care about my naval forces docking?"
"That's not true. The Western Army and Navy are just for escort. The lords of Hizen Country will definitely welcome it. After all, overseas trade is very important to them. They specialize in transit trade, selling overseas goods to other lords and making a lot of money."
Chen Qing nodded and asked again: "Does the Duke have any senior stewards who are familiar with trade?"
"Of course, but I'll go in person the first time! I won't have to step in next time."
Chen Qing was overjoyed, "I'll leave it to the Duke!"
Zheng Tongquan smiled slightly and said: "I would like to make four suggestions. First, it is best for the fleet to depart from Laizhou, so that it can reach Japan in about a month; second, I asked the chief executive to take a step in advance and spread the news to Japan.
In this way, the lords of each vassal country will prepare a large amount of gold and silver for trading at Hirado Port; third, the fleet will also prepare some tea, silk, fine cloth, porcelain, etc., which can be sold at high prices in Hirado Port; fourth,
We don’t need too many escort warships. A dozen warships and two thousand men are enough. The people there are all short in stature, like children. One of our elite troops can hold up to three of them."
"Okay! I will ask Counselor Jiang to prepare for this matter with all his strength, and we will set off after the spring."
Zheng Tongquan said goodbye and left. Chen Qing returned to the inner house. He sat down opposite his wife and enjoyed the warm sunshine. Lu Xiu quickly asked the maid to serve tea.
Chen Qing put the box on the table and said with a smile: "Zheng Tongquan just came to pay New Year's greetings. In the box is the gift he brought to me. Give it to you!"
"What is it?" Lu Xiu was a little curious. She knew that the things Zheng Tongquan dedicated to her husband must not be ordinary.
"A luminous pearl. This is not the kind of bead ground into fluorite. This is a real luminous pearl."
Lu Xiu quickly opened the box, and a bead as big as a pigeon's egg, crystal clear and warm, appeared in front of her eyes.
"Is this the Night Pearl?"
"We'll find out in the evening. I'll come and enjoy it together tonight."
Lu Xiu put away the beads and said with a smile: "I have to put them away first. If those two little ladies see them, I will get a big headache again."
Lu Xiu remembered something again and said, "I heard from Qiao Yun that your husband wants to do overseas trade?"
"There has always been overseas trade with Nanyang. I guess Qiaoyun is talking about trade with Japan. There will indeed be trade after the spring."
Chen Qing suddenly realized and asked with a smile: "Do you also want to invest and participate in trade?"
Lu Xiu nodded sheepishly.
"Yes! Silk, tea cakes, fine cloth, porcelain, and sheepskin can be invested in these five items, but the total amount cannot exceed 20,000 yuan."
"Okay! Each of us will pay four thousand guan. Except for tea cakes, each of us will pay the same amount."
