Shen Jingdan spent a lot of money to land from Shanghai this time, spending a full two thousand taels of silver.
Originally, the departure and gathering place for the Qing Dynasty's sea trade merchants going to Japan were supposed to be Zhapu in Jiaxing. Entering Shanghai was already illegal. And the most troublesome thing was not this.
The terrible thing is that these two ships do not have ship licenses at all! When customs and floodgate officials board the ships for inspection, in addition to the ship licenses, they also need to check whether the ship name, ship number and the color of the sail are consistent with the ones on the file.
The second is the two Senseki Benzai ships. The ship tax you have to pay when entering customs is 1,500 taels per ship. Then there is the cargo tax. In addition to some seafood, most of the goods on the two ships are animal skins. and cigarettes. The sudden appearance of so many animal skins from the North will cause great trouble to the customs.
(Customs tariffs in the Qing Dynasty were divided into two types, namely ship tax and cargo tax. Ship tax refers to the customs tax that is directly levied according to the size of the ship. The ships are divided into one to four categories according to their tonnage, and the tax ranges from one thousand four hundred taels to one thousand taels. There are four levels: one hundred taels, six hundred taels and four hundred taels. As the name suggests, the goods tax is levied according to the fine and rough quantity of the goods, and is finally underwritten and paid by the merchants. In addition to the statutory tax rate, there are also additional taxes, such as cabin meals. fees, groceries, etc.)
So during the two days when Shen Jingdan went to Chongming in advance, in addition to hiring sailors, he also spent money to establish relationships.
First, they spent three days going to a private port on a small island on the southeast side of Chongming Island. Here they switched all the cargo from the two Bencai ships to the rented large sand ship, and then sold the Bencai ship here. shipowner.
Then, the two took a big sand boat and took advantage of the darkness to enter Zhangjiabang from the Sichuan Shajie on the south side of Wusongkou; then followed the Wild Cat Pond into the Yantie Pond, took the Nanhui Jie and entered the Huangpu River, and then from there Heading north, directly to Shanghai County.
All the patrol water camps along this route have been bought by Shen Jingdan, and an additional five hundred taels of silver were spent for this purpose. This is just a friendly price, because he used to patrol all the water camps twice a year, so he is very familiar with it.
Late at night five days later, the sand ship docked at a small pier outside Laobaidu Straight Street. Several carriages carrying goods that Shen Jingdan had arranged in advance were waiting here, with the help of several bribed navy patrol soldiers. Take care of unloading goods and drive away pedestrians who occasionally pass by.
After a lot of busy work, all the goods had been transported to Shen Jingdan's warehouse on Nanhuiguan Hengjie before early morning.
After a busy night, Lao Huang yawned a few times, chirped a few times, and said to Shen Jingdan: "Everything went well. It seems that next time they come, they can go this way."
"They" naturally refers to Zhao Xin and the others. Shen Jingdan nodded, and he walked straight to the soldiers in the patrol camp and handed a cotton bag containing fifty taels of silver to those people.
Several soldiers had been busy all night and were sleepy and tired. But after taking the bag, they weighed the weight and suddenly beamed with joy.
"Mr. Shen, if you need help next time, just come to me and don't be polite."
"Thank you very much."
Shen Jingdan handed over his hand, turned around and got into a carriage with Lao Huang, and headed straight to Dadongmen Street.
Lao Huang's shop was on Ruyi Street. After arriving at the place, the two agreed to meet and talk the next day. Shen Jingdan continued to take the carriage west along Dadongmen Street and entered Xiangua Street. Turn right at the second intersection. He has reached his final destination here.
This is Taiping Street. Shen Jingdan used the lantern on the carriage and knocked lightly on the door of a small courtyard. The door opened quickly. A middle-aged servant holding a lantern saw that it was Shen Jingdan and quickly stepped away. Let him in.
"Finally I'm back!" After the middle-aged servant fastened the door bolt, Shen Jingdan let out a sigh of relief. He was really worried these days and couldn't sleep at night.
"Sir, the tea is ready. Would you like some?" the middle-aged servant asked in a low voice.
"Let's leave it alone for now." Shen Jingdan shook his head and asked: "Ah Si, is there nothing going on at Yangzhou House these days?"
"Master, you are finally back! Madam is so anxious."
"I didn't expect to be gone for so long. In the afternoon, you asked your nephew to send a letter to my family in Yangzhou so that my wife can feel at ease."
Ah Si said: "Remember. Master, since you don't need to take a midnight snack, you'd better go to bed early."
"Okay, you go to sleep."
Shen Jingdan entered the main room and drank two sips of tea. He was thinking about sending someone to Yangzhou's house to report that he was safe after dawn, but he was also afraid that he would sleep until the afternoon as soon as he fell asleep. So he suppressed his sleepiness, bent down at his desk and began to write to his wife. letter.
We can't leave Shanghai yet. Once the goods are in the warehouse, we need to find someone to take over. Once we return to Yangzhou, we won't be able to stay for a few days and we have to come back immediately, so why bother.
As I wrote this, I thought about Lu Yun and Shen Xuan who were far away in Beihai, and whether the fetus in Lu Yun's belly was safe. If it was a boy, that would be great...
Just thinking so wildly, Shen Jingdan just finished writing half of the letter when he fell asleep on the table.
On the third day after returning to Shanghai, after having breakfast, Shen Jingdan hired a carriage and went to the Shachuan Guild Hall as agreed with Lao Huang.
This sand ship guild hall in Majiachang faces the Huangpu River from the west to the east. It was built in the 54th year of Kangxi. It was jointly donated by the sand ship merchants at that time. In the 29th year of Qianlong's reign, it was built again. The main hall and stage in the guild hall were rebuilt, and the south and north halls were added.
When they arrived outside the guild hall, Lao Huang had already arrived. As soon as Shen Jingdan got off the carriage, he heard someone calling him from the side. When he turned around, he saw that it was Zhu Chaoxiang, the owner of "Zhu Hesheng".
This Zhu Chaoxiang is fifty years old this year and is the second generation proprietor of "Zhu Hesheng". The Zhu family has been engaged in the sand ship trade since the end of Kangxi. Over the past few decades, it has become the largest sand ship trading house in Shanghai. In later generations, it merged with the Zhu family The three founders, Wang, Shen and Yu, known as the Four Shachuan Families in Shanghai, are still children at this time.
"Rong Zhaigong, it's been a long time." Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang quickly clasped their fists and bowed in salute.
"It's Brother Zhengtong! We haven't seen each other for a while. Did you two just come back from Japan?"
"Zhengtong" is Shen Jingdan's nickname. No one has called her for a long time, and he feels a little strange.
"It's been a while since we've been back. The two of us just came back from Zhapu a few days ago. We wanted to pay homage to the Queen first and chat with our friends at the guild hall."
"I'm interested. Then go and do your work first. We'll talk later." After saying that, he handed over his hands and entered the clubhouse and went straight to the backyard.
Shen and Huang first went to the main hall of the guild hall to burn incense and worship the Queen of Heaven. Then they went to the north and south halls outside the main hall, where the "Chengshan Hussars General Teng Dashen" and "Fushan Hushi" were enshrined respectively. "Taiwei Chu Dashen". These two gods are the protective gods in charge of river and sea shipping, and are said to be very efficacious.
The Great God Chu in the South Hall was a native of the Yuan Dynasty during his lifetime. In the 16th year of the Yuan Dynasty, Chu Bange and his father Chu Buhua died in a bloody battle with the Red Scarf Army Liu Futong's tribe in Huai'an. It is said that after death, ghosts often appear at the seaside, so the villagers began to He offered sacrifices to Brother Chu Ban; in the seventeenth year of the Zheng Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty posthumously awarded him the title of Taiwei.
The Great God Teng in the North Hall was granted the title during the Kangxi period. In the 51st year of Kangxi, Teng Guoxiang, a guerrilla from the front camp of the Dengzhou Navy, led a team to pursue pirates and died in battle. So the emperor issued an order to commend Teng Guoxiang and posthumously awarded Teng Guoxiang the title of Hussars General. The local area People built a temple for him at the top of Chengshan. When merchant ships passed through Chengshan, they often worshiped and prayed for blessings. "Teng Dashen" became the patron saint believed by the local people in Chengshan and maritime merchants.
Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang are both businessmen who make a living from sea trade, so they naturally have to worship these two great gods respectfully. Chinese people have always been like this, as long as a certain god can be involved in their lives , no matter whether it is a new deity or an old deity, you always have to pay your respects.
After the two of them finished doing this, they went to the backyard to look at the flower hall downstairs to discuss business with someone. Unexpectedly, as soon as they walked out of the flower hall, they heard a group of people inside talking: "Have you heard about it? What about the capital?" The news came from the border that Marshal Fu was defeated in the north!"
"I also heard something yesterday, and it seems that a soldier died?"
"I heard it's called Haiycha?"
"Hai Lancha. He is not a military sect. He is a first-class super brave prince, a minister of the bodyguard with the yellow flag and the golden feathers in his eyes!"
"Hiss! Who is so powerful that he even killed a marquis in battle?"
"I heard they are foreigners from the north. Hey, Lao Wang, you often go to Niuzhuang, do you know?"
"North? There is no one else in the north except North Korea?"
"Thank you, Old Wang, for traveling all over the country and not even knowing this. The Oros are the people in the far north! The Holy Ancestor fought many battles at that time."
"I'm just a boat operator, so I can't care about so many things. If you ask me, these are things that the adults of the imperial court should be concerned about."
When Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang heard this, they looked at each other in surprise. They only knew that Zhao Xin's group had defeated Fukang'an, but they did not expect that they actually killed a court official. How come Mr. Zhao never mentioned this?
The two of them were stunned for a while, then walked into the flower hall. A group of businessmen in the room saw Shen Jingdan, and quickly stood up and said hello with a smile.
"Brother Zhengtong, long time no see! Where did you go to make a fortune?"
"Brother Shen, have you just come back from Japan? Good guy, it's been more than half a year since you've been there, right?"
"Boss Huang, long time no see."
"Boss Huang, do you want soybeans? They just arrived yesterday. Will you go to my shop later to check out the goods?"
Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang smiled and greeted these people one by one. After the servants served tea, they each took out a wooden box from their arms and placed it on the coffee table. Under the curious eyes of everyone, they slowly placed the box Open slowly.
"Hey~ what is this?" a shipowner surnamed Li asked curiously.
"This thing is called 'cigarette', and it is produced in Xiantai of the Japanese state. Rong Zhaigong, you often smoke hookah, would you like one?" Shen Jingdan said, holding the wooden box with one hand and handed it to Zhu Chaoxiang. before.
Zhu Chaoxiang curiously took a cigarette from the box, looked back and forth for a few times and asked: "How to smoke this?"
Lao Huang said with a smile: "Rong Zhaigong, just put the red piece in your mouth. But to use this thing, you need an open flame." After saying that, he took the burning hand from the shipowner named Li next to him. He blew the paper matchstick with his mouth twice to expose the flame, then he picked up a cigarette, held it in his mouth, and lit it with the paper matchmaker. After a few puffs of smoke, there was a faint aroma of wine mixed with it, and then there was a hint of smoke. A hint of sweet tobacco fragrance floated in the flower hall.
"Hmm~ There is actually a smell of wine in this tobacco leaf? It's interesting!"
A group of businessmen stood up one after another, took out a cigarette from the cigarette case in Shen Jingdan's hand, and lit it up like Lao Huang. After a while, the flower hall became filled with smoke, choking the few non-smokers. The businessman coughed.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, due to the development of the commodity economy, tobacco had spread to every corner of society. For example, eight high-end tobacco shops were opened in Suzhou, three of which specialized in tobacco produced in northern Fujian. There were also several in Shanghai County specializing in northern Fujian. Tobacco; and some people brought back tobacco brought by the Dutch from Japan, which was very expensive; not to mention Guangzhou, snuff from Brazil and the Chesapeake was available.
The popularity of tobacco smoking is so prosperous. First of all, the ancients believed that tobacco has medicinal value. Shen Lilong, a famous doctor of this era, said in his book "Food and Materia Medica" that tobacco can "treat wind, cold and dampness, stagnant Qi and stop diseases, and relieve diseases." It can remove all kinds of diseases. It can relieve the miasma in the mountains. In the miasmatic areas outside the fortress, it is best to eat this."
In addition, people also used tobacco as gifts and hospitality at this time, and it was as popular as tea and wine. Cigarettes were also known as "tobacco wine" and "dry wine". Because literati focused on exaggerating the fun of smoking, Smoking was also quite common among women in the Qing Dynasty.
The most popular types of cigarettes during this period were dry tobacco, tide tobacco, hookah and snuff.
The core of dry tobacco is "high energy", especially those who do physical work, often use tobacco to refresh themselves. Many northerners like to smoke dry tobacco.
As for tide tobacco, the shredded tobacco must be cut into fine pieces and moistened with a little water before use. In the Qing Dynasty, Beijing called "wet" "tide". This kind of tide tobacco is less strong, and people who like dry tobacco disdain to smoke it. It is mainly smoked by women and some aristocratic men. In addition, there is also a kind of trendy cigarette with spices called "orchid cigarette", which is the favorite of old ladies.
Needless to say, hookah. The hookah used is commonly known as "crane leg". When smoking, a servant must kneel down low to light the cigarette. Generally, high-ranking officials and nobles like to smoke hookah.
The last type is snuff. Generally, good tobacco is dried and then ground to make a "smoke base", and then some specific Chinese medicinal materials, flower petals, and flower dew are added for aging. Because no open flame is used, it is used in official circles. It is also extremely popular. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", Qingwen had a headache, and Baoyu asked Sheyue to "get snuff, give her some sniffs, and sneeze a few times, and the orifices will be cleared."
Since the modern cigarette papers Zhao Xin bought had combustion accelerants added to them, a group of businessmen were left with only a yellow cigarette butt after taking about ten puffs.
"What is this?" The shipowner surnamed Li curiously tore open the paper wrapping the cigarette butt, and rubbed the filter tip that had been smoked yellow with his fingers. His fingers were soon stained black and yellow by tar.
"This is a unique tree collected by the Japanese people, extracted using a secret method, and then soaked in various tonics. It can not only block smoke oil, but the medicine attached to it can also nourish the body."
"Boss Shen, how much is this thing worth?"
"There are twenty cigarettes in this box. The tobacco used is made of fine liquor, honey and more than ten kinds of spices. The local price in Japan is not low. Generally, only local wealthy businessmen can smoke it. Each box costs one Hundreds of articles."