In the past, Zhang Siwei's first move in office was to lift Xu Yuanchun, the grandson of Xu Jie, from the prison and send a "lenient approach" signal to the world's officialdom. This was done in the Political Affairs Hall.
Liang Menglong, the newly appointed Prime Minister of the Political Affairs Hall, was the first to take office. However, he did not bury himself in the paperwork to carry out "political reform". Instead, he first conducted research in the capital, and his first stop was the Zhengyangmen Business District.
After Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing, with the stabilization of the political power, commerce in Beijing gradually became more prosperous. After Yongle, the city was filled with "comparisons among the kings, clouds of boudoirs, and tiles...cars and cars drove one after another, and mixed with each other at a distance."
Wealthy businessmen and businessmen chase each other, the roads belong to each other, and the department stores are accumulated."
Subsequently, with the rise and fall of national power, the capital's commerce also fluctuated. During the Hongzhi period of Chenghua, the prosperity of the capital was enough to frighten the vassals. It is said that "the houses are connected to form corridors, and the folds are connected to form curtains. The market accumulates gold and silver, and people flock to the beautiful scenery."
"It is also the heaven and the earth". It is regarded as "the glory of the heaven is beyond the reach of the lower countries".
After the opening of the Longqing Empire, the capital was swept away from the decline of the Jiajing period. "The imperial capital is home to all nations' flights," and foreign businessmen also began to settle in the capital in small numbers.
After Zhu Yijun came to the throne, he first promoted industry and commerce. When the great reforms began, it was recorded in the notes of the time: "The people who carried their carts and shoulders, and carried out the transactions four times, not only gained acres of land, but also needed cloth and silk. They also filled the building with utensils and boxes full of treasures.
Precious Kunyu, Qiongzhu, Qijin, and Jadeite. However, people from distant lands do not avoid the dangers and obstacles, but turn around one after another, gathering their old animals into the world. Rao, exotic goods from overseas, and treasures from mountains and seas all gather under Zhaoyi, sincerely
Paving the way for traffic jams."
After the Grand Canal was dredged in the Ming Dynasty, the Drum Tower commercial area in the north of the city that had thrived on grain transportation in the Yuan Dynasty gradually declined. At the same time, the Zhengyangmen area in the south of the city gradually prospered due to the capital's commercial goods circulation channel, creating a link between Damingmen and Zhengyang.
Checkerboard Street commercial block between doors.
Qipan Street is located between Daming Gate and Zhengyang Gate. To the left and right of the street facing the government office, scholars and migrant workers from all over the world gathered here with their ultimatums. They fought hard and fought hard, making it noisy. The street outside Zhengyang Gate is also very prosperous.
, Zhengyangmenwai Langfang Hutong, from the quilt to the south, there are one, two, three, four alleys and Xiyanhe Street. One of them is a lantern market, the second is a gathering place for jade and antiques, and the merchants in the third are mostly selling needles, threads and brains.
Small commodities and other small commodities are sold in four department stores. When you get to West Yanhe Street, there are warehouses and hotels lined up in rows, especially restaurants.
Due to heavy rainstorms and hail in the summer that damaged houses, the capital became a large construction site in the second half of the 15th year of Wanli. Although the roads were not seriously damaged, the drainage facilities failed to pass the test of heavy rains, so Shuntian Prefecture allocated special funds to carry out comprehensive underground drainage projects.
build.
Because Zhengyangmen, Dongsi, Xisi Archway and other places are business gathering places, Shuntian Mansion has originally given priority to construction projects. However, due to the large number of construction projects, there are still some small tails left to prepare for the start of spring.
Wang Tingzhan, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, received a notice from the Government Hall that the new Prime Minister would go to Zhengyangmen Business District for investigation after the court dismissed on November 13. He couldn't help complaining at home: "It's only a few steps away, so you can just come and have a look in casual clothes."
, but you sent an official document to ask me to look good!"
Despite the complaints, Shuntian Prefecture was not slow in its actions. It recruited civilians for two days in a row and completed all the renovation projects around the major business districts, giving them a brand new look.
The court meeting on November 13th was brief and ended before 10 am. Liang Menglong took Pan Sheng, the deputy minister in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, Xu Zhenming, the minister, Zhang Mengnan, Yin Wang Tingzhan of Shuntian Prefecture and other senior officials from the right side of the Chengtian Gate.
Thousand-step corridor leads directly to Daming Gate.
After passing through the Daming Gate, there are dismounting monuments and Wende and martial arts archways on the east and west side of the imperial road. Under the archways on both sides, the intersections with the imperial road are Dongjiangmi Lane and Xijiangmi Lane. On the side near Zhengyang Gate, there is a hundred-step square
The square is divided into four parts by a cross street in the middle. This is the Qipan Street that connects the inner and outer cities of the capital and the east and west cities, also known as Tianjie.
"Zhou Li·Kaogong Ji": "There are nine longitudes and nine latitudes in the country, nine rails on the meridian, the left ancestor and the right society, facing the market, and the market facing one husband." This means that there are nine north-south avenues and nine east-west avenues in the capital.
The avenue can accommodate nine cars running parallelly. Outside the palace gate is the ancestral temple on the left and the altar of sacrifice on the right; in front is the court and behind is the market.
Throughout the dynasties, whenever a capital city was built, the market was set up in the north of the palace city - this was a matter of etiquette. Only when Emperor Chengzu was building the city of Beijing, he adapted to local conditions and placed the "Tianjie" in the south of the palace city, and the "front court and market in the back"
It became "the market in front of the market and the court in the back".
When I arrived, I saw that the cloth sheds were spread out high, with vertical and horizontal aisles, and stalls one after another. Clothes and cloth, knives, scissors, hammers, ceramics, four treasures of the study, jewelry and jades, toys and antiques, etc. were all available. The hustle and bustle of hawking filled my ears, and it was extremely lively.
Businessmen and pedestrians who were shopping saw the looming lights in the distance, and the ceremonial guards of prime ministers and ministers coming to cover the sky. They subconsciously wanted to dodge to the side of the road. But Qipan Street was already crowded with people, and except for the royal road sandwiched by the railings in the middle, there were no other places.
It's a stall. Where is there a place for the dignitaries to pass by?
Some people shouted loudly: "Listen, sir, this is the Tianjie! Please put away the guard of honor!" Liang Menglong and Pan Sheng looked at each other and smiled, and Liang Menglong shouted: "Put away the guard of honor!"
Many ministers wearing scarlet robes and jade belts entered the Qipan Street market in a grand manner, which was a surprise to the people of the capital. There were as many officials in the capital as dogs, and the people had long been accustomed to it. But on weekdays, most of them were green robes, and blue robes.
Secondly, red robes are rare - especially such clusters of red robes are even rarer.
If the guards had not formed a circle to protect the important officials, the people in Tianjie would have had to squeeze in front of these high officials.
Some people shouted in the distance, "What are you doing here, adults?"
The secretary next to Liang Menglong replied loudly: "This is Mr. Mingquan, the Prime Minister, who has come to Tianjie to investigate the business of the capital!"
"What does 'research' mean? What did you drop?"
The book did not answer, Liang Menglong and his entourage walked past several stalls with smiles, and the onlookers also followed suit. Liang Menglong smiled and said to Wang Tingzhan, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, who was accompanying him: "This is the only way for the imperial court to catch up with the fireworks. I
Only when we implement policies can we have a clear target." All the officials beside them nodded in agreement.
After walking a few more steps, Liang Menglong suddenly pointed at a product and asked, "Seller, how much does this thing cost?" But he saw a rattle on the toy stall.
The seller said in fear: "As for the Prime Minister, this rattle costs twenty-five cents a piece." Liang Menglong said with a smile: "Give me one - I have added a grandson, this thing is enough to please me."
After saying that he wanted to take the money from his sleeve, he was embarrassed. Zhongshu who was following him quickly took out a piece of Long Yuan from his arms and threw it over: "I'll reward you with the rest!" The store's quotation had already been tripled to pay back the money.
Hearing this, he was frightened and said: "How can we use so many!"
Liang Menglong smiled and said: "Just keep it! I'm asking you: 'How much can you earn from this stall every day?'"
When the seller saw the question, he first glanced at the crowd on the left and right, then put away the silver coins, and replied respectfully: "I'm talking to the prime minister, there are no certain rules in this business. One day I was short, I was a hundred and eighty cents, but I made a profit yesterday."
One tael of silver, two yuan." I thought to myself, "If I can meet someone who buys a rattle with a silver dragon every day, I will make a fortune."
Liang Menglong nodded when he heard this, and then asked: "How much tax do you pay every day?"