"No." Yuan Ji shook his head and said. "Wen Zhang. At that time, I thought that I could know the location of Biluo Palace by asking around. At least I could ask about the general range. So I didn't ask any more questions. I never thought about it. Thanks to my contacts, I have not been able to find out where the Biluo Palace is in more than twenty years. No one has even heard of the name Biluo Palace."
I said: "Sir, it seems that Biluo Palace is as mysterious as your Valley of the Kings."
Yuan Ji smiled and said: "Your Majesty, maybe so."
Wen Zhang asked: "Mr. Yuan, have you ever competed with Zhang Yun'an? Who is more powerful?"
"Haha. We have never fought before."
"Ah. Then how do you know that Zhang Yun'an is very skilled in martial arts?"
"Wen Zhang. The terrain of Mangdang Mountain in Fujian is steep. The solitary peak where Zhang Yun'an collects herbs is even more dangerous. There is almost no slope at all. Even I have to be careful up there. What's more, Zhang Yun'an has to collect herbs at the same time. Only With this lightness of hand and concentration, you are not inferior to me."
Wen Zhang was proficient in martial arts. He knew how difficult it was to stand on a cliff for a long time. He nodded and said, "What happened next? Mr. Yuan, does he have any news about Zhang Yun'an?"
"Yes," Yuan Ji said. "Later in the sixth year of Baoyou (1258), the Mongolian Khan ordered the second 'Imperial Debate' between Buddhism and Taoism to be held in his capital. The Taoist sect attended and all The chief representative of the True Religion, Zhang Zhijing, respected the real person. The Buddhist participants were headed by Master Fuyu and Master Namo. The Tibetan Buddhist master Pasiba was ordered to judge right and wrong. In the end, Taoism was defeated due to the exhaustion of theory. The foreign Buddhism lost to the Buddhists led by Master Fuyu in public. Taoism was defeated again."
"Again." Wen Zhang asked curiously: "Who won and who lost the first debate? Could it be that Taoism also lost?"
"Well, the first time was also the defeat of Taoism. At that time, the chief representative of Taoism was Zhang Zhijing, Zhang Zhenren's senior brother. Li Zhichang and Li Zhenren. The chief representative of Buddhism was Master Fuyu." Yuan Ji continued. "It was at these two debates. .I heard that Zhang Yun'an appeared."
Wen Zhang thought for a while and asked: "Mr. Yuan, did Master Zhang Yun'an participate in the debate on behalf of Taoism?"
"Probably not. Otherwise the Taoist side should not lose again. It is said that after the first Buddhist and Taoist debate in the third year of Baoyou (1255), the Taoist leader Li Zhichang, the losing side, once said to his successor Zhang Zhijing before his death He said, "If our Taoist sect wants to defeat Fuyu in the next debate, we must ask the old master Zhang Yun'an of Baiyun Chan to come out, or the senior brother Yin Zhiping comes back to life." Zhang Zhijing, the real person, kept his senior brother's words in mind and knew whether his senior brother Yin Zhiping was. He might be resurrected from the dead, so he pinned all his hopes on Zhang Yun'an. He sent his disciples to search everywhere, but they couldn't find him. So in the second debate, Zhang Zhijing had to appear on his own. Later, for some unknown reason, Zhang Yun'an turned out to be He appeared at the second debate, but he didn’t seem to participate in the debate on Buddhism and Taoism at that time. And his appearance was very short. Alas, there has been no news about him since then.”
I smiled and said, "These so-called masters and seniors are all miraculous."
Wen Zhang seemed to feel the same way and praised: "Your Majesty's words are quite insightful."
I smiled and said nothing. Yuan Ji was still immersed in memories and said: "I didn't expect that today I would know the news that Zhang Yun'an has a successor. By the way, Wen Zhang."
"Mr. Yuan, what do you want me to do?"
"The descendant of Zhang Yun'an. That is, what is the name of the young man in black?"
When Wen Zhang told the story, he always addressed him as the young man in black: "Mr. Yuan, the young man in black is called Zhang Zichong. What's the exact name? Yeah, I forgot."
"Zhang Zichong. His surname is also Zhang. But I don't know if he is related to Zhang Yun'an."
"Mr. Yuan, I haven't asked you about this before," Wen Zhang said. "I've been listening to Mr. Yuan tell this story for so long. I forgot to ask His Majesty for instructions on how to handle this matter."
"Wen Zhang. I'm going to the Ministry of Commerce this afternoon to see the liquor agency auction meeting. Let's do this. You take Zhang Zichong to Shifeng Commercial Bank before dinner today. The Shifeng backyard is very quiet and the place is large. It's suitable for you to compete. Technical.”
Wen Zhang said excitedly: "So, Your Majesty agrees that I will compete with you."
I nodded and said with a smile: "Well, I haven't seen a battle between masters for a long time."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will retire first."
The Ministry of Commerce, as the highest authority in the imperial court's commerce and trade industry, was extremely lively today. Due to sufficient preparation and publicity in advance, a large number of merchants came to participate in the high-quality liquor agency auction, which greatly exceeded earlier expectations.
This auction was also the first large-scale cooperation meeting directly with private merchants since the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce. The entire Ministry of Commerce attached great importance to it from top to bottom. Liao Yingzhong, the new Minister of Commerce, also attended in person.
Liao Yingzhong knew that Shifeng Trading Company had held an agency auction last year, which had a great influence on the business community in Lin'an. Liao Yingzhong was also full of confidence in this auction of agency rights for high-quality liquor. In any case, this new type of distilled liquor For those who drink, everyone has good reviews. Moreover, it has been on trial sale in Tongle Building for more than a month and has an excellent reputation.
If nothing unexpected happens, this high-quality liquor will bring extremely generous tax revenue to the court. There is a big difference in the sales strategies between liquor and MSG. Shifeng Trading Company’s MSG is designed to be affordable for people all over the world. principle. Therefore, the pricing is moderate and there is no pursuit of huge profits. The profits of distilled liquor are obviously much higher.
Before this meeting, Liao Yingzhong specifically asked me for instructions on the pricing policy of liquor.
"Liao Aiqing. MSG has gradually become a daily necessity for the people of our country. Just like table salt, we must ensure that every household can afford it and use it. Therefore, high profits cannot be pursued for such items. For now, it is highly distilled. Liquor is a luxury item. Its user base is a relatively wealthy class. Naturally, a high-profit price strategy can be adopted. Any item must develop a sales strategy based on its intended use. In addition to management, the Commerce Department must also In addition to restricting the commercial behavior of our country, it also needs to guide the behavior of merchants. If necessary, the Ministry of Commerce can even forcefully set the market pricing of basic daily necessities of our country to ensure the basic life of the people. As for luxury goods and other goods. Then you can let the merchants set their own prices according to market rules. Even if they try to maximize profits, the court's tax rate can be set very high accordingly. Especially when exporting, don't make huge profits. Be soft-handed."
Sitting on the rostrum, Liao Yingzhong remembered what I said at that time. She was not only thinking a lot.
The auction was held in the largest conference room in the Ministry of Commerce. After putting on my mask at Shifeng Trading Company, I came to the scene with Fang Ling, Yuan Ji, and Xiao Tian. There were rows of red cloths in front of the venue. There is a long table. Above is a detailed introduction to the display of liquor and its packaging and the auction of agency rights. A dozen staff from the Ministry of Commerce are enthusiastically receiving merchants who come to attend the meeting. As long as you show the voucher of each merchant, you can get it for free. Enjoy a small glass of white wine. Interested parties can also write down their suggestions for judging the white wine on the guestbook. If the suggestions are adopted in the future, they will receive additional rewards. The most eye-catching thing is the packaging on the table. There are about twenty kinds. The materials include ceramic, glazed, and wooden. The styles are different. They all look extremely exquisite, high-end and elegant. Each business can choose three types according to their own taste. The three packages with the highest number of votes will be used as the official sales packaging of the liquor.
The four of us came to the meeting in the name of Shifeng Trading Company. I also informed Liao Yingzhong in advance that Shifeng Trading Company will not participate in this agency auction. And the Tonglelou system across the country will only serve as a high-quality liquor The direct sales point is for dine-in only and will not be sold to outsiders. Although I don’t know if Jia Sidao has told Liao Yingzhong that I am the backend of Shifeng Commercial Bank. But I still told him clearly as early as the end of last year. I drive Shifeng. This time Shifeng will not participate in the auction. This is also to allow the Ministry of Commerce to be fair, impartial and open. Otherwise, no matter what I say, Liao Yingzhong does not dare not to hand over the agency right to Shifeng Trading Company.
Most of the merchants who came to participate in the meeting came from Liangzhe Road, mostly Lin'an. There were also a small number of merchants from the surrounding Fujian Province, Jiangnan East Road, and Huainan East Road. For roads further away, the number of merchants in each province was Very few.
Of course, such large-scale events are indispensable for editors and reporters active in Lin'an City. Since the restrictions on tabloids were relaxed this year, 20 to 30 tabloids have popped up in Lin'an City. Most of the content reported by these tabloids is and People and things related to people's lives are very entertaining. Issues like the ownership of liquor agency rights are topics that can be chosen by both broadsheets and tabloids. Broadsheets can tell a lot of big things. For example, this public announcement by the government The event broke the past behind-the-scenes operations. The tabloids would seize on tidbits about the meeting to attract attention.
We sat at the very back and could see the people coming and going at the venue very clearly.
"Dear business friends, the auction for the agency rights for distilled high-strength liquor is now starting." Liao Yingzhong said excitedly. "Everyone has read the specific details of the agency rights for this auction. Here, I will not continue to comment. I have already said it. I believe everyone has tasted this high-quality liquor. Tell me how you feel."
"good."
"very good."
Yuan Ji whispered in my ear and said with a smile: "Master, the term 'lower official' is very popular in officialdom nowadays."
"Yeah. It should be a good thing."
Liao Yingzhong signaled everyone to quiet down: "Dear friends, Xiaguan himself is also a good drinker. To be fair, this wine is indeed delicious. Whether it is color, aroma, or taste, it is the best choice. The birth of high-quality liquor represents me. The economic development of our country represents the improvement of the quality of life of our people. It also represents the sage of the current emperor and the progress of his government."
"Are these related to liquor? Economy and life can be somewhat related. But, Your Majesty, does the government have anything to do with liquor?" I thought to myself.
In addition to claiming to be a lower official, there is also another set of official words that are popular in the officialdom. No matter what you say, you must express the emperor's sage meaning. As for how it came to be, even I, the emperor, don't know. For example, during the Cultural Revolution in later generations, everything you said or did was preceded by a quotation from a great man.
Just listen to Liao Yingzhong continue to say: "This auction will be divided into regions. The first auction is the liquor sales agency right of Fujian Province. Before that, Xiaguan has one more thing to announce. That is the name of this liquor. "