Yang Shen's letter informing Zhu Hao and Yu Chengxun to return to Beijing arrived in Nanjing in early November.
After reading the letter, Yu Chengxun hurriedly came to see Zhu Hao, as if he couldn't wait to return to the capital and continue his leisurely life in the Hanlin Academy.
Zhu Hao asked: "Have you finished all the errands in Nanjing?"
"hehe."
Yu Chengxun didn't know how to answer.
On the surface, regarding the audit, the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet have agreed to close the case, and the Ministry of Punishment has also made a closing report. Now only the emperor's Zhu's approval has not yet been conveyed to Jiangnan, and it seems to be a certainty.
The case was investigated, but Yang Tinghe was unable to move forward with asking Yu Chengxun to communicate with the contemporary Wei Guogong Xu Pengju.
But there are some words that Yu Chengxun cannot say clearly.
"Jingdao, I think this is a place where Jiangnan has been staying for a long time, so it is better to return to the Hanlin Academy as soon as possible...Yongxiu's letter stated that the coming year will involve the Hanlin Academy quiz. Although you have been in the imperial court for less than two years, you still have to take it, so you should go back as soon as possible.
Bar."
Yu Chengxun was a Jinshi in the 12th year of Zhengde, while Zhu Hao was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Zhengde.
In fact, there is only one class difference between the two.
In the Ming Dynasty, the three-year small examination and the nine-year major examination were two separate hurdles. They were usually held in the examination year. Now Yu Chengxun has reached the sixth-year examination time, which determines whether he can continue to stay in the Hanlin Academy or go abroad.
He was a local official, so Yu Chengxun was so anxious to return to the capital.
"Oh, by the way, Master Liu has now joined the cabinet. Do you know about this?" Yu Chengxun asked again.
"Um."
Zhu Hao nodded.
Yu Chengxun smiled and said: "Xueshi Liu admires you very much. You have saved his life. After he joins the cabinet, he should give you more advice. If you can get an excellent score in the assessment next year, you may have the opportunity to be directly promoted to a first-class position."
class."
Zhu Haodao: "Even if you are promoted to one level, you are still a little short of being a student and a lecturer, right?"
"Oh! Don't be in a hurry. Normally, those who enter Hanyuan, like you, who are admitted to the Dingjia Examination, will have to pass the exam for six years before they have the opportunity to enter the Imperial College. Those of us who are not from the Dingjia School, generally have to pass the exam.
It takes nine years to get promoted...it’s not easy.”
Yu Chengxun was the second-ranked Jinshi in the Imperial Examination in the twelfth year of Zhengde's reign. His admission to the Hanlin Academy was mainly due to his father-in-law's relationship, but he was still young. If nothing happened, his future in the Hanlin Academy system should be relatively good.
bright.
But success is also the father-in-law, failure is also the father-in-law.
Getting on Yang Tinghe's pirate ship is not something you can do just because you want to, nor can you get rid of the relationship just because you want to.
"Okay, let's pack up as soon as possible. Let's hit the road the day after tomorrow." Yu Chengxun said.
Zhu Hao was a little embarrassed and shook his head and said, "I still have some things to finish here and I plan to postpone my departure for a few days."
Yu Chengxun asked in confusion: "What is not more important than your return to Beijing to report on your work?"
Zhu Hao sighed: "First, my grandfather has been seriously ill recently, and I have to visit him often. Second, I still have some business to take care of here..."
Hearing Zhu Hao mention business matters, Yu Chengxun couldn't help but roll his eyes.
You are already a member of the Imperial Academy and an official, yet you still care about the business of three melons and two dates?
Do you understand what it means to be a scholar?
"But brother Maogong, please relax. I will leave for the north as soon as possible and return to the capital before the end of the year, within the time limit stipulated by the court." Zhu Hao said.
Yu Chengxun sighed: "Jingdao, you are just too confused and confused... But who makes our situation different? I can't ask you with my own ideas. In short... return to the capital as soon as possible, and we will have a drink and have a good time when we get there.
"
"must."
Zhu Hao smiled and accepted the invitation.
After Yu Chengxun got permission to go back, he was eager to return and rushed to the capital without stopping.
He originally planned to stay in Nanjing for two more days, that is, to leave on the tenth day of November. However, on the afternoon of the ninth day of the lunar month, he loaded all his belongings on the ship and embarked on his way north without hesitation.
Zhu Hao went to the dock to see him off in person.
After sending the person away, a fake acquaintance suddenly emerged from the group behind him, and it was Su Xigui with a smile on his face.
"Little Master, now that the person who is watching you is gone, whatever you want to do will be fine, right?"
Su Xigui said with a smile.
Zhu Hao glared at him: "Dongzhu Su, you are quite good at choosing your time... This is not the place to talk..."
"I understand, let's find a quiet place to have a good talk?"
Su Xigui meant to treat Zhu Hao well.
When Yu Chengxun was here, Su Xigui had to avoid meeting Zhu Hao. After all, Su Xigui had frequent business dealings with the imperial court, and had some unexplained business cooperation with Tang Yin. He had also represented Hui merchants when the coal mine was auctioned.
If Zhu Hao gets too close to him, it will arouse others' suspicion.
But Zhu Hao never concealed his acquaintance with Su Xigui, and mentioned it more than once in front of Yang Shen and Yu Chengxun.
Zhu Hao worked as an undercover agent and hid in Yang Tinghe's camp. He was honest enough and revealed most of his things. It was precisely because he never hid anything that he gradually won the trust of Yang Shen and Yu Chengxun.
Furthermore, the reason why they trust Zhu Hao... is because Zhu Hao has an ability that makes people think that he is a person who can do great things.
This is what makes Zhu Hao different from other Hanlin officials. Every time Yang Shen uses Zhu Hao to do something, Zhu Hao can analyze the matter logically and complete it smoothly. Yang Shen cannot help but admire such a person.
Zhu Hao had no intention of getting entangled with Su Xigui.
Now that Yu Chengxun is gone, Zhu Hao can go out of the city to live in the new workshop for two days, build machine tools and other things, prepare a batch of original industrial mother machines, and then carry out die-casting and assembly operations.
Another thing is that on his way back, Zhu Haobei will inspect the shipyard near Sanwei, Tianjin and the iron ore mine in Yongping Prefecture.
In fact, he is also very concerned about the bank account, and it is up to Su Xigui to communicate with him about this.
Inside the teahouse.
A Jiangnan singer singing a ditty, accompanied by two musicians, sang hummingly on the stage. It didn't sound nutritious at all, but the guests in the teahouse kept cheering.
After the tea was served, Su Xigui stood up and served Zhu Hao tea.
"...By the end of the year, the number of banks in Nanjing will exceed 20. The biggest place to spend money in the early stage is renting venues, etc. Security is also very important. The cost in Jiangnan alone is a huge amount of six to seven thousand taels.
Most of the shops are rented, and some of them use their own properties, which is not counted as cost..."
When opening a bank account, in addition to ensuring credibility, you also need to provide considerate service.
The most important thing about considerate service is that there are many shops, so that people who save and borrow money can find money shops everywhere. In addition to having the support of the government background, they also need to have strong business operation capabilities.
Zhu Hao asked: "It was difficult to make a profit in Jiangnan a few years ago, wasn't it?"
Su Xigui said with a smile: "That's not true. There are many people doing business in the south, so naturally there are more borrowers. In the past, when they went to some private places to borrow money, they were always exploited, and the mortgaged properties and houses were not valued at high prices. Now, now
When they get to the bank, they can borrow more money, and the repayment pressure is not that great. On the contrary, in the north, people save more money and borrow less, so bank business is not so easy to do..."
Zhu Hao nodded.
Although the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty was a land of plenty, with high land output, more people were doing business. On the contrary, the business atmosphere in the north was not so strong. Businesses were more of a small investment. After making money, they bought more land and houses to keep their money.
, naturally more people save money.
Unlike the people in Jiangnan who like to put the last before the last and advocate money to make money, merchants in Jiangnan have a greater demand for loans.
"We should be able to make a profit before the end of the year. I estimate that in the south alone, there will be one to twenty thousand taels. As for the court, I will calculate the accounts and submit them to the young master."
Su Xigui said with a smile.
This incredible idea was originally supposed to be for the inner government to directly contact Su Xigui.
But until now, this matter has not been known to Yang Tinghe and other civil servant factions, so the real connection
The only people who can do this are Zhu Hao and Su Xigui.
Zhu Hao said: "Before the end of the year, if there is a big change in the northwest, the business environment in the north will be even worse, and the situation in the DPRK will also become bad..."
"how to say?"
Su Xigui asked eagerly.
Zhu Hao explained: "The general meaning is that Mr. Yang Ge's time in the court should not be too long. As His Majesty's throne has been stabilized and his wings have gradually become fuller after His Majesty ascended the throne, the time for Mr. Yang Ge to return to his fields is getting closer.
Of course, before that happens, people from the Yangge old faction will put up a desperate struggle. If something goes wrong with the bank account... I am afraid that the civil servants will use this to urge the court to strengthen supervision, or even..."
Su Xigui took a breath and said: "This is what I am most afraid of. When a business reaches a scale of hundreds of thousands of taels, it is easy for things to go wrong. Now the bank account alone has more than one hundred silver deposits and loans.
Ten thousand liang... there are too many people watching. Fortunately, the incident of Shouning Hou and Jianchang Hou has been suppressed before, so the local officials have not caused trouble yet, but... the young master must be prepared for a sudden attack from the imperial court.
"
"Um."
Zhu Hao nodded, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "I will try my best to find a way around it."
Su Xigui said: "Then... I wonder when the young master will leave to return to Beijing?"
"Three days later."
Zhu Hao said, "Don't worry about how to get there, Dongzhu Su. Has the letter you asked Dongzhu Su to send before been delivered?"
Su Xigui was startled, with a bit of bitterness on his face: "Little Master, you are going to meet with Duke Wei. Even Duke Huang thinks this matter is of great importance, and he is afraid that... it will not end well."
Zhu Hao said: "I'm not going to see him, it's Luo Zhenfu who is going to see him. He is conveying the will on behalf of the emperor. Does this need to be taboo? This time, Wei Guogong ignored the people sent by Yang Ge, which actually showed that he understood what he was doing.
His stay in Nanjing will not last long. Yu Maogong has left at this time. If he continues to avoid seeing her, he will make himself uncomfortable. "
Yu Chengxun was in Nanjing, and Xu Pengju did not dare to see the emperor's envoy casually. But now that Yu Chengxun is gone, if the emperor's envoy also leaves, Xu Pengju is still missing...
That would be tantamount to offending both sides at the same time.
Doesn't a nobleman like Xu Pengju know that Ming Dynasty belongs to the emperor?
From now on, whether you are in a garrison position in Nanjing or on other errands in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, you will have to rely on the emperor's appreciation. If you don't know how to praise, you will be neglecting your political career, and your life in the government will be difficult in the future.