Originally, Xu Weixue, leader Xu, was in a happy mood since he got Qin Zhongtang's approval and was allowed to participate in the business.
Although this business is still gray, at least it has caught up with the real powerful people and has taken a big step towards the goal of legalization.
Leader Xu, who was successfully "entrusted with important tasks" by Qin Zhongtang, felt that raising Uncle Yan Shifan during this period of time seemed to have been well spent.
Although this guy has never been reliable in judging the situation, after all, he is a person who knows many high-level insiders.
Xu Weixue learned a lot of information from Uncle Yan, especially a lot of information about Qin Zhongtang, and studied it many times with his own survival wisdom.
It can be analyzed from various signs that Qin Zhongtang actually does not like to accept bribes and gifts directly, or it is basically impossible to use bribes to please Qin Zhongtang.
Qin Zhongtang's biggest habit is actually to enjoy great achievements, and his requirement for others is to be a good tool man, who can help hold up the scene when he wants to arrange things.
Leader Xu aimed at this mentality today and got Qin Zhongtang's approval.
Qin Zhongtang wants to expand bank business in Zhejiang, so he takes the initiative to help deposit a large amount of money! Qin Zhongtang wants to use the 10,000 pieces of silk from the Weaving Bureau to make money, so he takes the initiative to help smuggle goods!
Then I got the desired result, being able to serve as Qin Zhongtang's lackey!
Leader Xu became a little upset when he heard Qin Zhongtang say that he should let Uncle Yan continue to follow him.
From the perspective of Leader Xu's shallow political wisdom, Qin Zhongtang's approach was because he was concerned about Yan Shifan's background and worried that Yan Shifan would lift the lid.
So Yan Shifan was forced to participate in smuggling, so that Mr. Yan Ge in the DPRK would not be able to make a fuss about it.
At the same time, Leader Xu also thought that Qin Zhongtang probably couldn't completely trust him, who he had just met, so he also sent Yan Shifan as a representative of the shogunate to monitor him.
In fact, this is not a problem, it is understandable! It’s just that Yan Shifan is a person who has a good eye but a weak hand. He only pays attention to his words and cannot do real things, which makes Leader Xu a little worried.
Then Qin Zhongtang gave instructions: "Ten thousand pieces of silk are divided into two batches, each batch is 5,000 pieces!
The first batch was shipped to Shuangyu Island, and then sold publicly on Shuangyu Island! The second batch can be eaten by you, Xu Weixue, yourself!"
Xu Weixue can also understand this instruction. It is the principle of not putting all eggs in one basket to spread the risk.
Moreover, he also knew that Yan Shifan had another mission on Shuangyu Island, so the first batch of silk was probably used as cover for Yan Shifan.
However, Yan Shifan asked Qin Dewei aggressively: "You deliberately handed five thousand pieces of silk into my hands. Do you want to deliberately frame me for problems?"
Qin Dewei had no idea that he was allowed to smuggle the goods himself! What is the difference between this and forcing a good girl into prostitution? Who knows if he is being framed?
Qin Dewei scolded: "Are you delusional about being persecuted? As a member of the shogunate, what's the problem with assigning tasks to you?
If you, Yan Shifan, are so stupid that you can't even do this little thing, then don't come to see me and just find a place to jump into the sea!"
After receiving the order from Qin Zhongtang, Xu Weixue sighed, why can't he get rid of Uncle Yan?
But no matter what, the errands assigned by Qin Zhongtang still had to be done, so Xu Weixue took the initiative and said: "I will go find a partner now and prepare to ship the first batch of 5,000 pieces of silk. Uncle Yan, please go and rest first!"
Yan Shifan said in surprise: "What kind of partner are you looking for?"
Xu Weixue explained patiently: "From Hangzhou to Ningbo, there are inland rivers. There are specialized river merchants. If we don't find someone to partner with us, how can we transport the goods to Ningbo?"
He, Xu Weixue, was a maritime merchant. His two large ships were both at Shuangyu Port and could not enter the inland river, let alone sail to Hangzhou.
Yan Shifan laughed and said: "It's true that dog meat can't be put on the table, and you still don't know what to do at this time?
We are now half-official businessmen. We can go directly to the Qiantang County government office and recruit some ships. We don’t need to find another partner to transport it!"
Xu Weixue was stunned. What Uncle Yan said seemed to make sense! This time was different from the past. This time he was handling transactions for a big shot.
Yi, it is not your own private business.
Suddenly, Leader Xu felt a little excited again. After working as a smuggling merchant for so many years, he had never experienced what it was like to be an official businessman with a backing background.
Leader Xu then followed Yan Shifan to the county government office in Qiantang County. After three days, they mobilized more than a dozen large and small ships, which were more than enough to transport people and goods.
Another day later, a fleet transporting 5,000 pieces of silk departed from the pier outside Nancheng in a majestic manner. Xu Wei had been studying business for more than ten years, but he had never done such a wealthy business in terms of shipping space.
The only thing that makes Leader Xu unhappy is that the fleet is dominated by Uncle Yan Shifan, who is no longer a hostage, but he has become a supporting figure.
There is a dense water network between Hangzhou and Ningbo. Walking eastward along the waterway, passing through the counties of Shaoxing, you arrive at Yuyao, the easternmost part of Shaoxing Prefecture. Further east from Yuyao is Cixi County, Ningbo Prefecture.
Although Yuyao County belongs to Shaoxing Prefecture administratively, its temperament in terms of culture and economy is more like that of Ningbo Prefecture.
They are both close to the sea, they are also hit hard by smuggling, and their imperial examinations are equally developed.
Yan Shifan, who stood on the bow of the boat and admired the scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, couldn't help but sigh: "The past few decades have been the highlight of Yuyao County.
Xie Qian, a great scholar, Wang Hua, a scholar, and Wang Yangming, a civil servant and a nobleman, can be compared with any other county?"
Xu Wei, who was studying next to him, leader Xu, replied: "I think Jiangning County is comparable. Qin Zhongtang is also a bachelor, a top scholar, and a civil servant, so wouldn't he be worthy of the three?"
Yan Shifan: "..."
What does it mean to talk without speculation? This is it!
In his opinion, it is superfluous to ask Xu Wei to come with him!
Seeing that the sky was almost dark, we parked the boat at the nearest water pier and prepared to rest.
At this time, several whistles were suddenly heard, and dozens of soldiers were standing on the shore. Among them was a ninth-grade official. It turned out that the local inspection department came to patrol.
Yan Shifan didn't take it seriously. As an old master, how could he take the Ninth Grade Inspection seriously? But at the local grassroots level, the Inspection Department is a very important public security yamen.
The inspector heard that someone called him Xie, so he stood on the bank and looked around, then asked Yan Shifan, "Where are you coming from, where are you going? What do you do for a living?"
Yan Shifan responded casually: "From Hangzhou City to Ningbo City, five thousand pieces of silk are trafficked!"
Inspector Xie waved his hand, and dozens of soldiers surrounded him. After a few whistles, several patrol boats also approached, blocking the fleet here.
Then Inspector Xie shouted sternly: "You are smuggling in such a blatant manner in broad daylight. You really don't take the Inspection Department seriously!"
Yan Shifan was speechless, is there something wrong with your little inspection? Without saying a word, you just labeled him a smuggler?
Even if you want to receive some benefits, that’s not how you do it!
Uncle Yan closed the folding fan and scolded Inspector Xie: "How can you conclude that this is smuggling if you don't check anything?"
Inspector Xie replied: "How big is the city of Ningbo, and how big is the demand? Where can you sell five thousand pieces of silk in a short period of time?"
Which businessman would be stupid enough to sell 5,000 pieces of silk to Ningbo City in one go? Aren’t they afraid that the cycle will be too long and the capital will be lost?”
Yan Shifan: "..."
Inspector Xie added: "Other merchants trafficked dozens of pieces of silk to Ningbo, or at most hundreds of pieces! But your group trafficked as many as 5,000 pieces. It must be smuggling! If not, it must be smuggling."
If you plan to smuggle it to the sea, where can you use so much silk?"
Uncle Yan, who prided himself on being second only to Qin Zhongtang in terms of eloquence and eloquence, was actually choked up. The little inspector's analysis was so reasonable that he was speechless for a moment.
If it weren't for smuggling, who would be able to smuggle 5,000 pieces of silk to Ningbo City in one breath?
I was careless and ignored this problem! It should be like what Xu Weixue said, find a group of partners and then disperse the transportation!
Inspector Xie waved his hand again and ordered the soldiers: "Detain all the goods!"
Accompanying the fleet were more than a dozen of Qin Zhongtang's personal soldiers, all of whom were elite men and women.
He is still capable of fighting against dozens of patrol officers.
But the problem is that the other party represents the state apparatus, and we lack morality and would suffer too much if we take action.
"Wait a minute!" Yan Shifan shouted: "These silks are all the goods of Qin Zhongtang in Hangzhou City. How dare you touch them?"
Inspector Xie had probably seen this kind of face a lot, and asked very experiencedly: "What evidence do you have? Or Qin Zhongtang's handwritten instructions?"
Yan Shifan was speechless again, how could this be possible? How could Qin Dewei let such smuggling evidence be in the hands of others?
Inspector Xie suddenly said: "I am familiar with most of the merchants who come and go from here, but I have never met you. Your accent is not from around here. What else could it be but smuggling?"
Yan Shifan couldn't bear it anymore and shouted: "I can only tell you that these goods do belong to Qin Zhongtang. If you dare to act rashly, you will be responsible for the consequences!"
Inspector Xie sneered and said, "You are really stubborn and dare to pretend to be Qin Zhongtang! Take them all!"
Xu Weixue next to him couldn't help but be stunned, why is Qin Zhongtang's reputation useless? Isn't Inspector Xie afraid that these goods really belong to Qin Zhongtang?
Seeing that Yan Shifan was about to mess up the matter, Leader Xu didn't think much and said quickly: "Thank you for your time, sir!"
Then he added: "If these silks are shipped to Ningbo, it will indeed be too much. Perhaps some should be distributed in Yuyao. I wonder if five hundred pieces will be enough?"
Inspector Xie then smiled and said, "Finally there is someone who understands the truth."
He poked Yan Shifan again and said, "A fat guy like this who doesn't understand the world should not be doing business!
Don’t be dissatisfied. Go and inquire about the Xie family in Yuyao. Buying you a few hundred pieces of silk is really nothing!"
A piece of silk is worth two taels on Shuangyu Island, but it can only be sold for five cents here.
The Xie family in Yuyao is the Xie family that gave birth to the great scholar Xie Qian.
Yan Shifan got on the boat expressionlessly and never came out again.
When he set off on the journey the next day, Xu Weixue said to Yan Shifan: "A strong dragon cannot overwhelm a local snake. Those of you who are used to being big shots really don't know how to act at the bottom."
Yan Shifan put away his appearance and said coldly: "Who asked you to meddle in other people's business? Wouldn't it be better to let them detain all the goods?"
Xu Weixue suddenly felt that even Yan Shifan couldn't see through it.
Passing Yuyao to the east is Cixi County, and then passing Cixi County to Ningbo Fucheng. The fleet did not enter the city, but went around to the northeast outside Ningbo Fucheng.
There is a confluence of rivers here called Sanjiangkou, and a few miles downstream from Sanjiangkou is the sea.
Because it is so close to the sea and the water is abundant, those sea-going ships can even sail from the sea to Sanjiangkou.
Therefore, a conventional "export trade center" has been formed here in Sanjiangkou, and many businesses have prospered around export trade.
Yan Shifan and Xu Weixue came here with their fleet, mainly to rent enough "ferries" to transport bulk silk directly to Shuangyu Island.
The so-called ferry is actually a sea ship.
There are many islands in the sea outside Ningbo Prefecture, which can be said to be dotted all over the place. They are basically the Zhoushan Islands in later generations.
After the sea was closed, in order to facilitate travel between the mainland and the islands, the government allowed private citizens to own small ferries specifically for going to nearby islands.
However, the people along the coast took advantage of this "ferry" loophole. As a result, the ferries became bigger and bigger, and they were basically just boats that ran across the sea.
As soon as Yan Shifan and Xu Weixue got off the boat, they were stopped by someone. They heard the person introduce himself and said: "I am a dental practitioner. I got a license from the county government. My name is Zhang Qishu. I am very familiar with the local situation.
"
Hearing the word "Yanren", the two of them knew where the other person came from.
Yaren are similar to middlemen and brokers, but in this era, Yaren are often an indispensable part of commercial circulation, and they are all licensed by the county government.
For example, if you wholesale goods to a certain place, you usually have to find someone to come forward and negotiate with the locals.
At the same time, Yaren has to replace
The government collects the transaction tax, and if the transaction is successfully brokered by the local government, the local government is responsible for collecting the tax.
So when Yan Shifan saw being stopped by Ya Ren, he immediately realized that Ya Ren wanted to make profits from his side.
After all, the scale of the fleet is there, and anyone with a discerning eye will know at a glance that the total value is not low!
But Yan Shifan had no intention of selling at Sanjiangkou. His mission was to go to Shuangyu Island and sell again, so Yan Shifan rejected this tooth man named Zhang Qishu.
Zhang Qishu did not leave, however, and asked again: "If you don't sell it here, then why bring the silk here?"
Yan Shifan said impatiently: "It has nothing to do with you!"
Zhang Qishu smiled and said, "If it's not what I expected, are you trying to find a ferry to transport silk to Shuangyu Island for sale?"
Yan Shifan was used to being arrogant and didn't want to pay attention to Zhang Qishu, but when he heard this, he asked: "So what? Is it possible that you, a bitch like you, can help rent a boat?"
Zhang Qishu said calmly: "I can tell you right now that there is no ferry to Shuangyu Island. If you don't believe me, go look for it."
Yan Shifan frowned, "How is this possible?"
Zhang Qishu laughed and said: "At first glance, you are new here, right? Each line has its own rules, and you must act according to the rules. No matter where you come from, silk should be sold at Sanjiangkou, within a radius of ten miles.
No ferry will take you and your cargo to Shuangyu Island!"
Yan Shifan was furious when he heard this. Although the other party's tone was not intense, it was a threat!
Why is it so difficult to run a business honestly?
A piece of silk is worth two taels on Shuangyu Island, but only one tael is given here.
Can the opponent control all the ferries with just a small tooth? This chapter has been completed!