If the "test method" after getting off the ship was Qin Zhongtang's first fire, then worshiping Yue Wumu and torturing the Yuewang Temple were Qin Zhongtang's second fire.
The second fire soon followed Qin Zhongtang's wish, and it quickly became widely known under a very low-key background.
Tian Rucheng, the leader of the Hangzhou literary circle, brought Qin Zhongtang's poems and famous lines to the elegant gathering of the West Lake Poetry Society shortly that day, as well as the story of Qin Zhongtang's low-key worship of Yue Wumu.
Smart people will realize that since the first fire is aimed at the bureaucrats and the second fire is against the scholars, there is a high probability that there will be a third fire, and it will definitely be against the common people.
It’s just that no one can guess where Qin Zhongtang’s third fire will appear.
If it were an ordinary official, the routine would be the same, such as cleaning up unjust prisons or providing relief to the poor. Others could easily guess it. But what an extraordinary official like Qin Zhongtang would do is hard to say.
In the next two days, Qin Zhongtang was very quiet, and even the shogunate did not go out.
Chen Feng, the subordinate officer who was responsible for the front line and handling trivial matters, finally relaxed after surviving the opening period of the shogunate and was able to sit down and have tea with the two new recruits of the same year.
Of course, the main reason is that Qin Zhongtang has not messed around in the past two days and nothing has happened, so that his subordinates can relax.
"It is definitely the wisest choice for you to join the Qin Banqiao shogunate!" Chen Feng advocated: "Qin Banqiao is still very capable of making some achievements and sharing the benefits with everyone!
Look at Zhao Zhenji and Xu Gu, they have been following Qin Banqiao, and now they are holding important positions in the fifth rank of the court!"
Tong Hanchen and Gao Yingmian looked yearning. Who doesn't want to make some achievements and become a successful person?
Qin Dewei walked into the flower hall and asked kindly to the newcomers Tong Hanchen and Gao Yingmian: "You've been here for two days, are you still getting used to it?"
Chen Feng spoke to the two newcomers again: "The two Nian brothers helped me a lot and relieved a lot of my burden! I was finally able to sleep peacefully and take some time off!"
Qin Dewei seemed to be surprised and asked: "You two are so powerful at the same age?"
Chen Feng was a good person who worked hard to the end and continued to help and praise: "The two Nian brothers have indeed done a lot of things, even I seem redundant!"
Qin Dewei immediately ordered: "Since you are unnecessary here, it is better to leave for Ningbo immediately.
Then you will work harder to arrange the preliminary affairs there and prepare to welcome me to move to Ningbo in one month."
Chen Feng: When he said he was redundant, it was just an exaggerated rhetorical technique. Why did you, Qin Banqiao, take it seriously?
After a long and tiring journey to Hangzhou, I was busy dealing with the opening of the shogunate. I worked exhaustingly for a while, and now I have just settled down. Now I am going to Ningbo to do it all over again?
Even the donkeys of the production team cannot be so tired!
Chen Feng wanted to say something, but Qin Dewei quickly persuaded him with earnest words: "If you give up your career now, wouldn't all your previous hard work be in vain? It would be a pity if all the achievements you have accumulated are nullified."
Chen Feng could only say two words from between his teeth: "I'm going!"
Qin Zhongtang is in Hangzhou mainly to straighten out the relationships in all aspects and handle the overall government affairs. In the future, he will definitely stay in Ningbo.
Finally, Qin Dewei comforted him: "In the next few days, people will arrive in Hangzhou one after another. Even without you, the shogunate can still function, so you can go with peace of mind!"
In order to rush for time and to prevent the slow progress from being criticized by the court, Qin Dewei led a small team to go south quickly, while the large troops walked slowly behind.
It is estimated that within five or six days, Wu Cheng'en, Xu Wenchang and other subordinates and the northern soldiers will arrive. At that time, Qin Zhongtang will not be short of manpower for the time being.
However, before Qin Dewei could wait for the large army to arrive, he waited for his brother-in-law, Mr. Xu Sanye, to arrive.
After the separation at Jingkou Station, Mr. Xu was left behind to serve as a spokesperson, reading a note to send a message to the maritime merchant leader Xu, and he stayed for two more days.
"That leader Xu never contacted you again?" Qin Dewei asked.
Xu Shi'an replied: "No, we just met once. I read the note again and copied Xu Wei's
He lost his courage, and then he didn’t dare to contact me again.”
Qin Dewei asked casually: "How is Yan Shifan? Is he dead?"
Speaking of this, Xu Laosan was very confused, "Then Yan Shifan took the initiative to send a letter to the Jingkou magistrate, saying that he was on a mission under your order and there was no need to look for him again.
What orders did you really give him? Did you ask him to follow those pirates because you wanted to kill someone with a knife?"
Qin Dewei was also a little surprised. Did Yan Shifan get pleasure from being a hostage?
After much deliberation, I can only say: "It's going to rain and my mother wants to get married, so let it be!"
Yan Shifan, who was abandoned by Qin Dewei and Xu Laosan after a few words of discussion, was standing on the bow of the ship, staring at the slowly approaching coastline.
There is a small port on the coastline, and there is no problem in docking the ship below.
Before these days, Yan Shifan had never known that there were so many ways to navigate the East China Sea.
The kind of boat he was robbed from Jingkou Station on the river was called a sand boat. Then he went out to sea from the river mouth, changed to a sand boat built in Ningbo, and then headed south along the coast.
Now I heard that after docking, I will change to what is called a ferry tomorrow and go to Shuangyu Island again.
After drifting in confusion on the sea for several days, occasionally docking, Yan Shifan could no longer distinguish the geographical location.
He pointed to the harbor in his field of vision and asked Xu Weixue, the maritime merchant leader next to him: "What exactly is this place?"
Xu Weixue replied: "Longshan Institute."
The seaside is different from that in the mainland. Since the sea ban, the seaside of Ningbo Prefecture has been managed by Shituwei.
In fact, the meaning of Tutu Guards Station is that the Guard Station is in charge of both the military and civilians, as well as the ground. It is not only a military unit, but also an administrative unit.
For example, along the coast of Ningbo Prefecture, there are Guanhaiwei, Dinghaiwei, etc., as well as units such as Sanshan Institute and Longshan Institute, each of which is responsible for a section of the coast.
So Yan Shifan was a little surprised when he heard the name Longshan Institute. This should be very close to Ningbo Fucheng.
"Is it okay to stop here?" Yan Shifan asked subconsciously.
Xu Weixue laughed and explained: "The coasts in eastern Zhejiang and Fujian are very winding and dotted with harbors, and there are too many places where ships can stop. Even if the government wants to check, they can't!
Besides, every household on the coast relies on the sea for a living, so it’s usually fine when ships dock, it’s very safe!
Even those health centers, do they really not know the truth? They just turn a blind eye and they have their share of these benefits!"
After hearing this, Yan Shifan secretly sneered a few times. The smuggling phenomenon along the coast is indeed very serious. How could he, as the old master of the pavilion, not know?
But it should not be to the extent that Xu Weixue said. If this is the case, it is not called smuggling, but open trade. So you have to listen to what Xu Weixue said. There must be an exaggeration in what Xu Weixue said. The purpose is probably to influence himself.
The "tendency" made me, an old man in the pavilion, more supportive of their maritime business.
However, Yan Shifan also understood that there was no need to confront Xu Weixue, so he followed Xu Weixue's words and asked pretending to be curious: "Are there really so many people smuggling along the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian? I have only heard that smuggling is rampant. If you don't see it today, it is true."
I can’t believe it’s come to this.”
Xu Weixue was determined to win over the old master Yan Ge, so he continued to explain: "Making a living by the sea does not necessarily mean directly participating in smuggling. There are many ways to do this.
In addition to maritime merchants like us, there are also merchants who do not go to sea and are only responsible for purchasing goods and trading goods with maritime merchants;
Another example is that there are nest owners who are not involved in trade, but they make a profit by providing supplies to seagoing ships in the port; there are also fishing boats that go to the sea to catch fish for a living; there is also the salt industry, which has many connections.
Among them, Fujian and Zhejiang are different. In Ningbo, Zhejiang, there are many merchants and fishing boats on land, while in Fujian, there are many maritime merchants sailing boats into the sea."
Yan Shifan indeed felt that he had gained a lot, and couldn't help but sigh: "I heard a saying, it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books. How can you know this if you don't go to the sea in person?"
Xu Weixue didn't know what to say anymore, so he exchanged a few words about business, "I think in the court, there are knowledgeable people like Uncle Yan.
There are too few scholars! There are too many people who are ignorant of practical matters and only know how to work behind closed doors!"
Yan Shifan accepted Leader Xu's flattery calmly, or maybe he didn't think it was flattery, but told the truth.
Then he made another comment and said: "That's right! As the saying goes, you can eat from the mountains and the sea. Since it is profitable to kill people if they don't do it for themselves, there are still people who do it even if it is a business of beheading!
Therefore, how can the imperial court ban the sea? People's hearts are against this, and the sea ban is just a piece of paper."
Although Yan Shifan didn't have any stance, he still understood that people had to bow their heads when they were under the roof.
Now that I have boarded Xu Weixue's pirate ship, of course I have to say what Leader Xu likes to hear. This has been the case from just now.
Xu Weixue also added: "In places like Ningbo and Fujian, there are many mountains and few fields. Mountains account for 70-80% of the total, and the fields are often only 20-30%. Therefore, there has been a tradition of harvesting the sea since ancient times.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examinations in these places have flourished, and there have been more people serving as officials, so they can protect the place. The power of these people cannot be underestimated."
Yan Shifan could completely sense Xu Weixue's thoughts, and he just wanted to remind himself not to be negligent.
But Xu Weixue, a layman, is still used to teach matters in the officialdom? Yan Shifan closed the folding fan with a snap and concluded: "This is the situation, so I dared to conclude a few days ago that Qin Dewei will definitely
Can open the sea!"
In this regard, Xu Weixue still believed in Uncle Yan, and nodded and said: "I have already sent people back to Shuangyu Island to sell all the 20,000 pieces of silk in stock!"
Yan Shifan also showed a look of longing: "I have heard about the name of Shuangyu Island for a long time, and I really want to see what it is like."
Under the premise of strict sea ban, smuggling bases and trade centers must not be located on land, otherwise they may be surrounded and suppressed by government troops at any time.
Therefore, those islands with weak government control have become paradises for smuggling trade. There are many islands in the sea outside Ningbo Prefecture, and Shuangyu Island, the best among them, eventually became the largest smuggling trade center.
After a large amount of goods are purchased from the land, they will be gathered on Shuangyu Island for trading or storage.
For example, Xu Weixue's two large-scale ships that traveled between Japan and the Ming Dynasty are actually now anchored at Shuangyu Island.
Xu Weixue's gang purchased 20,000 pieces of silk, and at this time they also stocked Shuangyu Island. After waiting for the monsoon wind direction to be suitable, they sailed back to Japan with the silk.
After receiving "confidential information" from Yan Shifan and judging that Qin Zhongtang must open the sea, Xu Weixue, as an experienced maritime businessman, immediately made his own judgment.
Silk is the bulk of the smuggling trade, so the price of silk on Shuangyu Island must have dropped!
The principle is very simple. Once the sea is opened and trade is legal and open, the quantity of silk shipped will definitely increase sharply in a short period of time, and then the price will definitely fall.
Even if the supply does not increase significantly in the short term, silk prices will also fall if maritime merchants' psychological expectations for the future change.
The domestic price of silk in the Ming Dynasty is about five taels per piece. It has been smuggled through several land and sea links. The current transaction price on Shuangyu Island is about two taels.
Xu Weixue's calculation result is that if the sea is opened, the price of silk may fall to one or two in a short period of time.
So Leader Xu made a decisive decision and immediately sold the silk he had hoarded in exchange for 30,000 to 40,000 silver.
After the price of silk drops, silk will be repurchased and sold to the Japanese country. In this way, the profit will increase by at least 20,000 taels of silver.
This is also one of the reasons why Chief Xu has such a good attitude towards Yan Shifan. The "inside information" casually spoken by these officials and figures who have access to high-level officials may just be used as talking points.
But in the ears of businessmen, it means huge profits.
That night, they landed at the small port of Longshansuo. Leader Xu once again hosted a banquet for Yan Shifan.
Two beauties were also arranged to serve the uncle Yan, who had been unable to taste meat for more than a month and was able to satisfy his craving.
While the wine was intoxicating, a man who looked like a scholar suddenly walked into the hall in a hurry. This man's surname was Huang, or
He is truly a scholar, and he even has the reputation of being a scholar.
Xu Weixue greeted him: "Why did Huang Xianggong come so late?" Yan Shifan was quite curious as to why a scholar came to join in the fun.
He didn't know that Huang Xiucai mainly wandered around Ningbo Fucheng and the surrounding guard stations, specifically responsible for using his identity to inquire about various official information and provide it to the Wang Zhi Group.
After Huang Xiucai sat down, he said to Leader Xu: "I heard some important news, so I spent a little more time to verify it."
When Xu Weixue heard the word "significant", he put down his wine glass, sat up straight and asked, "What's the news? Could it be that Qin Zhongtang opened the sea?"
Huang Xiucai replied: "After Qin Zhongtang arrived in Hangzhou, he immediately announced that he would continue to strictly ban the sea and would never tolerate smuggling!
Yan Shifan: "..."
Qin Dewei, you are such a beast! You never do anything about human affairs!
When Leader Xu heard this, there was a "buzz" in his head, and he was hit hard! His eyesight also turned black, and he almost fainted on the spot!
I had previously believed Yan Shifan's judgment, saying that Qin Zhongtang would definitely open the sea. Then the price of silk would definitely fall in the short term, and then he would sell all the silk he had hoarded!
Not to mention making an extra 20,000 taels of silver profit now, I'm afraid it will be a loss of 12,000 taels of silver!
Not to mention the loss of face caused by this, and he may become a laughing stock in the maritime business circle!
Leader Xu was filled with anger. He grabbed Yan Shifan's collar and shouted through gritted teeth: "How dare you, surnamed Yan, to harm me! Today is your death anniversary!"
Then he pushed Yan Shifan away from the table and shouted to his subordinates: "Here comes the knife! Grandpa, I will kill this traitor myself!" Yan Shifan did not resist at all, but quietly closed his eyes.
He found that he was surprisingly calm and not panicked at all. He was on the verge of death, and he had never experienced it before.
Qin Dewei wanted to kill himself, Xu Shian wanted to kill himself, and Xu Weixue also thought about killing himself too many times.
It was a bit tense and exciting at first, but now, it's just numb.
Tired, destroy it. I hope there is no Qin Dewei in heaven or hell.
"Wait a minute! Save someone from the sword!" Suddenly someone stood up and spoke out to stop Xu Weixue from committing the murder.
Who else but Xu Zheng, the most beloved wife of Chief Xu, could dare to stop him when he was angry?
"Why did Madam plead for him?" Xu Weixue asked in confusion.
If Yan Shifan was a pretty boy, it would be understandable that characters such as the wife of the village leader in the storytelling would like pretty boys.
Xu Zhengshi said to Leader Xu: "Uncle Yan's judgment is correct. Qin Dewei may just be hiding the truth and making a mystery!
Don’t forget that in addition to making money this time, you also have a greater political purpose! If you want to go ashore smoothly, killing Uncle Yan will cut off your way out!"
Yan Shifan, who regained his life from the edge of death, felt for a moment that this lady was the most beautiful person in the world.