"You don't want to shock the world with your arrogance, but you want to move the world with your coolness." Mr. Yu muttered a few words silently. He suddenly smiled and said: "Mr. Meng is really open-minded. This state of mind is really rare in the world. Even the expression is different. .It’s really like a young person.”
Meng Xinghe is thick-skinned. He doesn't blush when he is praised. He smiled and said: "The old man has given you a compliment. There are a lot of young people like me out there who rely on words to make a living. It's just embarrassing."
People who know Meng Xinghe have never seen him so humble before. Most of them scoffed. Even his natural and mortal enemies like Cao Hongdou even cursed in pain: "Hypocrisy."
Governor Yu did not completely listen to Meng Xinghe's words. He picked up the previously written contract to establish the Yanshui Alliance and said to each of the four major trading houses: "Mr. Meng also proposed just now that Miss Xiao should be the president. I am lucky. Be a witness. If you ladies have no objection, please sign this piece of paper to form a written proof."
Mr. Yu held a voucher drawn up by him in his hand. The written content on it was nothing more than treaties that benefited the country and the people. The two young ladies from the Chai and Bai families did not dare to stand in the way. Even Meng Xinghe agreed. They They had no right to speak, so the two of them were reluctant to take out the seal of the trading company and stamp it on the piece of paper. Mr. Yu also took the official seal and stamped it with a big red seal, which meant that the Yanshui Conference was almost over.
After all the seals of the four major trading houses were completed, Meng Xinghe curiously took the contract with five seals. There was also a larger official seal. Meng Xinghe took it over and took a look. His eyes widened immediately.
Have you made a mistake? Some of the above clauses are clearly aimed at me to clean up my shop. Is there any reason for this? With an iron rooster and an unyielding spirit, Meng Xing was in the prime of life. He said: "Old sir, some of the above clauses are too much." It's targeted. I think it needs to be changed." Meng Xinghe took the lead and pointed out: "Isn't this land tax collected too much? It seems to be intended to discourage foreign merchants from entering the Dongdu market. This is unreasonable. You are not harmonious with others."
It's his grandma's. Today I came here just for this trouble. If I don't achieve my goal, I will never give up. No one can stop me.
Old Man Yu caressed his beautiful beard. His originally thin body suddenly became majestic. He smiled and said: "I have already discussed the above treaty with people from the four major trading houses. In addition to protecting the interests of Dongdu Trading Bank, this move also It can create a more optimistic situation. Why not."
Meng Xinghe couldn't listen to those panic-stricken words, pushing everything to be fair and honest. This old man looked like Mr. Lu. They were both shady old tricksters. If you don't hit his weak spot, he would be worse than Everyone is still stubborn and unreasonable.
"Since today is the day when the Roushui Alliance was established and the president has been elected, this treaty should be decided by all of us present." Meng Xinghe just mentioned it and immediately gained the firm support of those foreign merchants. He Due to the power of the four major trading houses, the two of them had basically no say in the originally very harsh contract. Now Meng Xinghe has the courage to bargain for them. How can they not cooperate harmoniously.
A rising tide lifts all boats. As long as there is one person who supports Meng Xinghe, those people behind him who have not dared to speak for a long time will start talking loudly.
"The third brother is right. Since it concerns everyone's interests, everyone here should vote together. Otherwise, why should we collect more taxes from foreign trading companies? Isn't Dongdu the land of the Tang Dynasty? And we are not the people of the Tang Dynasty. ?”
The person who said this was none other than Meng Xinghe's best friend, Mr. Chai. I didn't expect to see him for a few months. Mr. Chai is very good at speaking. He can often hit the nail on the head and be well-founded.
When he said this, the surrounding discussion became even louder. The people from the four major trading houses remained silent. Governor Yu could not find the right words to say to offend Mr. Chai.
At this time, Meng Xinghe seized the opportunity, raised his arms and shouted: "Now I propose that we agree not to collect the land tax. Or even if we have to pay it, everyone should pay it equally. Please stand with us and let the governor see what happens. Where the people's support lies can be determined based on just what a few people say."
Swish, swish, swish. Meng Xinghe just finished speaking. Most of his supporters immediately stood around him. They were obviously more confident than those standing around Governor Yu and the four major trading houses.
"This..." Seeing that something was wrong, Governor Yu pondered and said: "Meng Xinghe, do you want to take the lead in the rebellion? Charging more taxes on foreign merchants is an unchangeable fact. Do you want to rely on your own strength? Do you just want to save the whole sky?"
"Don't dare." Meng Xinghe said respectfully. He also knew in his heart that the people do not fight with the officials, and the poor do not fight with the rich. Although the governor and his father-in-law are classmates and friends, it does not mean that he will not deal with himself. So. Meng Xinghe He whispered: "I would like to ask, sir. Why do we, the petty bourgeoisie, have to pay double the tax when buying and selling on the territory of Dongdu? There is no written law in the Tang Dynasty. Any government agency can replace it at will. The imperial court levied inexplicable taxes."
Although Meng Xinghe didn't know much about the laws of the Tang Dynasty, fortunately, before he came to the Eastern Capital, he consulted several masters in the Imperial Academy who had been fortunate enough to participate in the formulation of the laws of the Tang Dynasty. So he answered almost in one go, and seemed to be very confident. .
The governor smiled contemptuously. Although Lu Yixiong mentioned this boy Meng Xinghe in his heart and asked himself to take good care of him, it was better this time. Instead of taking good care of Meng Xinghe, he took care of him. The governor laughed at himself and said: "I Although officials do not have the right to levy taxes, people from the four major trading houses have the right to make any ruling when they come together. Could it be that Mr. Meng, who was familiar with the laws of the Tang Dynasty, did not know that the founder of the Tang Dynasty, the great ancestor Li Yuan, once made a promise ?”
Seeing that the governor didn't seem to be lying, Meng Xinghe looked around and got affirmative looks from some businessmen. Is it really as mysterious as the old man said? The founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty would give such great rights to the four major trading houses. Isn't this straightforward? Is it a threat to the king's rule? I don't know why the four major trading houses are so valued by the court. There must be some secrets in them that outsiders don't know about.
It's acquiesce. It's my fault that I didn't ask clearly at the beginning. That's why I ended up in such an embarrassing situation. However, Meng Xinghe didn't panic. He had other options. It is said that a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Meng Xinghe has seventeen or eighty. He said: "Okay. According to what the governor said, the four major families have agreed to collect special land tax from outside shops like us. But as far as I know, the four major business houses don't seem to be as good as the governor." Everyone agreed with what was said. It seems that the people from the Xiao Family Trading Company did not agree."
The governor nodded: "The Xiao Family Trading Company was the first to agree."
What? Did you make a mistake? You actually left your back to be stabbed by the little baby Mengdie. Meng Xinghe said heartbroken: "In that case, then we can only do it openly and openly."
Everyone thought that Meng Xinghe was going to be violent. They all thought that he was going to make some unsightly move, so they made way for him and prepared to leave Meng Xinghe to perform on his own.
Damn, a group of unreliable wallflowers actually pushed me to the forefront. Meng Xinghe walked out alone. He stood in front of a group of foreigners headed by him who had migrated to Dongdu from other places and were preparing to develop business here. .Seeking justice for them that they have lost.
Bang. Meng Xinghe took a step forward, moved his steps slightly, then took a deep breath and said slowly: "Master Governor, since I can't defeat you with force, then we have to be reasonable."
"Okay. I'd like to see how your reasoning is so messed up." The governor smiled. The ladies from the four major business firms around him also frowned. Seeing how Meng Xinghe came back to life was convincing. Pay the land tax.
"Excuse me, Lord Governor, are we businessmen?" Meng Xinghe started very calmly, but often became more domineering later on.
"You are not. Those behind you are all businessmen." The governor argued.
"That's good." Meng Xinghe laughed and said: "Since in the eyes of the governor, they are all businessmen, then I would like to ask whether they are all law-abiding, paying taxes to the court on time every year, and serving the entire country's army. .Officials. And those barren lands that were affected by the disaster.”
The governor did not deny it and said: "Yes. They are all businessmen who abide by the law."
Meng Xinghe suddenly stopped smiling. His expression was no longer so frivolous. Instead, his face was serious. It made people feel that at this moment, he seemed to be a person who cared about the people's livelihood and had no right to speak out.
"Businessmen are also human beings. Businessmen's money is not easy to come by. On the same level as everyone else, just because they are not born and raised in Dongdu, can they arbitrarily squeeze those people? They have no rights, no backing, no Small traders with strong family fortunes. Yes, I admit it. These people travel all over the country and devote almost their whole lives to the Grand Canal, to the official inns, and to those who live in temples and shout for the country and the people all day long. . Monsters with high salaries. Is this what you call adjusting the business balance and conducive to fair competition? Maybe you don’t understand the suffering of a lower-class people. You don’t even understand that getting up early and working in the dark is not for the sake of making a lot of money. To those big families and big business houses, a shake can affect half the sky. In fact, their request is very simple. They just want to earn a few more taels of silver in a prosperous place, and then return home to comfort themselves for the rest of their lives. The suffering of every year, the endless corvee, the endless taxes, and then taking the remaining money, and attacking those brats who come to the door all day long, just trying to get some money."
Meng Xinghe paused for a moment after saying this. Everyone thought he would not go on. But Meng Xinghe continued: "Look at the shopkeepers standing next to me. Compare them with the bosses in Dongdu in front of me. You have They don’t have it. You don’t have it, and he doesn’t have it either. If someone insists on suppressing their business in a business that is originally a small profit, then I just want to say one thing: kill the goose that lays the goose, and force others to the point of desperation. It’s your way. It’s also come to an end.”