Gao Ju knew that as long as he nodded, he would become a leading figure in Guangzhou's business community. In recent years, the most powerful Chaoshan businessmen, Guangbang businessmen, etc. in Guangzhou have all had to raise their noses. This is second to none - the key.
From now on, I will be a person with the "official status" of the Song Dynasty.
When businessmen accumulate wealth to a certain extent, they will pursue political power. Without political protection, wealth will not last long, let alone increase in value.
When Gao Ji made his fortune, he relied on Eunuch Yang as his backer, and he got to where he is today step by step. Now that the Ming Dynasty is in decline, he can no longer survive. The Australians are here to recruit him - if he climbs this high branch, he will be a real success in the future.
"Cong Long's Minister", the future future of the entire Gao family is immeasurable...
But once he took on this job, he was tightly tied to the same boat as the Senate. This made him a little hesitant and uneasy to be held high by the people of the Ming Dynasty for most of his life.
"How is it?" Zheng Shangjie looked at his face, which looked like he wanted to eat secretly but was afraid of making fishy fish. He smiled and said, "What do you think of the high official?"
"This...this..." Gao Ji took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the sweat on his forehead, "Thank you to the Senate and the chiefs for your support, but this matter is too big, please bear with me, bear with me, think about it...
…Think about it…”
Zheng Shangjie smiled brightly: "Okay, okay, I know that Mr. Gao needs to be careful about this matter. I won't wait for your reply today."
"Thank you, Director Zheng, for being considerate." Gao Zhang unconsciously began to humiliate him in a low voice.
"You're welcome. I'd like you to come over here. There's one more thing." Zheng Shangjie said.
Gao Ju breathed a sigh of relief: "If you need anything, please just ask me. Gao will definitely help."
"There is an old friend who wants to meet you." Zheng Shangjie smiled.
"Oh? Who is it?" Gao Ju was trembling. He only had "Wen", "Wang" and "Xiao" as his old friends in the Senate. I just heard that all three of them held high positions in the Senate.
Even the real elders rarely see them, and I don't even dare to think about it.
"You'll know it when you see it." Zheng Shangjie stood up and said, "Come on. This way."
He raised his head high and followed Zheng Shangjie to the door of the room with the words "Conference Room" on it. Zheng Shangjie opened the door. He raised his head and looked in, but he saw a person sitting behind the long table. When he came in, he stood up and responded, with short hair,
He is over six feet tall and wears an "Australian robe" that reaches to his knees, has a soft hat on the back, and a belt around his waist - exactly the same as the "Kun Man" who appeared in his backyard seven years ago. Even his appearance.
Nothing seems to have changed!
"Shopkeeper Wen!" Gao Ji couldn't help but exclaimed.
Wen Desi smiled and nodded, raised his hand and said in greeting: "His Majesty, how are you?"
"Shopkeeper Wen!" Gao Ju was so excited that he didn't know what to say. Seven years ago, it was he, Wang and Xiao who appeared in the backyard of his home together. Since then, his life has undergone great changes. Without them,
The Australian goods he promoted were just one of many foreign merchants on Haopan Street. How could he become the leader of foreign merchants in Guangzhou?
It is not an exaggeration to say that they were the lucky stars in his life. Although Gao Ju had been closely associated with Guo Yi and others over the years and was considered the number one "agent" of the Australians in Guangzhou, he never thought of meeting Wen Desi.
and others. Because he had heard from people at Guangzhou Station that Wen, Wang, and Xiao all held important positions in the Senate, and they could not even see the real emperor, let alone a mere merchant.
Nowadays, the Senate is sweeping across Guangdong, with overwhelming momentum, and there is a vague tendency to compete in the Central Plains. He and them are even more different. Although he can't help but brag in his own house, "when Senator Wen was in trouble,
"What happened at that time?" "Back then, Elder Wang fell in love with our son Colgate at a glance"... But he never thought that these three elders could still remember the friendship they had when they did business together. "Noble people often forget things.
"This is a matter of course for Gao Zhi who has long been familiar with the warmth and coldness of human relationships.
Therefore, although there were widespread rumors that Wen Desi would come to Guangzhou to serve as the "Guangdong Zhizhi Envoy", Gao Ji was not in a hurry to find a way to meet him. He is now a senior official, and he is in charge of the government affairs of a province. How can he easily see such complex affairs?
People? Let’s not talk about Guangdong. Even in Guangzhou, there are countless people who want to see him. If you go to see him yourself, it will inevitably mean "reminiscing about old friendship". But is this big shot willing to "reminisce about old friendship" with you? Is he willing to remember it?
In those days, we were "friends of the poor and the lowly", so this is a question mark. Without understanding the other person's attitude first, and rashly seeking to see the "old relationship" without mentioning it, and making the other party unhappy first, wouldn't it be a big mistake?
In contrast, he would rather work on people like Liu Xiang and Zheng Shangjie who are both "county officials" and "current managers."
Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Wen, no, Mr. Wen, would actually summon me in private! He held up the inscription for a moment and felt that Chief Wen was dressed in such a dress to receive him, which obviously meant "not forgetting the past relationship and remembering the old friendship forever".
When he thought of the first person in the Senate, who was known as "Mr. Wen", to be so humble to a mere merchant of his, Gao Zhang couldn't help but burst into tears.
After living for more than fifty years, this is the first time that Gao Ji has shed tears in front of others. Over the years, he has traveled around the business world and official circles, reaching the positions of governor, chief envoy, and county officials. Considering his huge wealth and the reputation behind him,
For Eunuch Yang's sake, he was pretty decent in terms of face, and at the wine table there was no need to call him brother or brother. But no one really respected him. They all regarded him as a fat sheep that could be harvested at any time.
Just as he was so excited that he didn't know what to say, Wen Desi had already come to him and stretched out his hand: "What? You don't recognize your old friend?"
He raised his head and said: "I don't dare, I don't dare," he quickly wiped away his tears and said, "Shopkeeper Wen - Chief Wen, I don't know what to say!"
"Sit, sit," Wen Desi asked him to sit down, and he also sat down, sighing: "Come to think of it, it's been seven years since I last saw you! The past when we came to your backyard to do business with you
, as if it’s still in front of you!”
Gao Ji hurriedly said: "The common people were ignorant and did not understand the majesty of the Senate. They actually competed with the Senate. It is really a crime worthy of death..."
Wen Desi waved his hand and said: "Where, where. We are talking about business. Besides, we ourselves were not much better at that time. We sneaked into your backyard and you didn't treat us as robbers. It was already rare.
!" After saying that, he laughed and handed over a cigar.
Hearing that he was not afraid to talk about the past, Gao Ji felt more at ease. He quickly took the cigar and said respectfully: "Without the Australian goods brought by the leader, how could this villain achieve such a big situation today? It's all because of this.
Chief Yang Wen, Chief Wang, Chief Xiao and the Senate for their kindness."
Wen Desi nodded with a smile: "You don't have to be too modest." He took out a match, struck it, and tried to light a cigarette for him. Gao Zhi was shocked. He didn't have time to think about it, so he hurriedly put the cigar up and waited until he took the first puff.
Only then did Yan Yan feel that he was actually Meng Lang: Lighting cigarettes and handing out water was what the servants did. How could he be so confused that he dared to smoke? He couldn't help but said in fear: "I don't dare, I don't dare, I'll suffer."
Already..."
Wen Desi shook out the match, threw it in the ashtray, and said: "You have contributed to our Senate and the Song Dynasty!" He emphasized the pronunciation of the three words "meritorious", "Without you, we
I don’t know how many detours we will have to take and how many setbacks we will encounter. Our Senate will never forget this!”
These words were so shocking that his eardrums were buzzing. He never dreamed that Wen Desi would say such words to him. Suddenly, he felt mixed emotions in his heart. He was happy and worried at the same time, and he quickly said: "Wen Desi would say such words to him."
Chief... you... have given me an award. I am just a businessman. Although I have done a lot of business with the Senate, I only use my capital to seek profit. How can I say that I have meritorious service?"
"Doing business is also a credit. Who said that seeking profit from capital is not a credit? I think businessmen should account for more than half of the credit for the prosperity of Guangzhou." Wen Desi also lit a cigar for himself, "Without businessmen,
Can Guangzhou be known as 'the most prosperous place in the south'?"
"Yes, yes, that's what the chief has taught me!" Gao Zhou nodded excitedly. He had never heard such clear "business-oriented" words from a Ming Dynasty man before, and he immediately felt like a confidant.
Wen Desi continued: "Not long after Guangzhou was restored, the market has recovered, but it is not active enough, and there are still many shortcomings that need to be eliminated. It's just that we don't know much about the situation of Guangzhou's business community, and we need more support from the business community. You are
We are old partners in the Guangzhou business community, so don’t be content to sit behind others!”
Gao Ju hurriedly said: "As long as Gao is useful, I will definitely help!"
Wen Desi nodded, and the two talked for a while, before Gao Zhang stood up to say goodbye. Before leaving, Wen Desi said to him: "You need to worry more about the business world in Guangzhou!"
Gao Ju moved and replied: "Thank you very much, Chief Wen, for your support. Gao will definitely go through fire and water, even to the death!"
It was already afternoon when we returned home, and the third concubine was waiting for a table of food and wine with an anxious expression. Gao Zhi's main wife stayed in Xiuning's hometown, and it was his third concubine who took charge of the housework in Guangzhou.
Seeing that he came back, his face was fine. The third aunt just took a breath and complained: "I would like to say that I will be back before noon. Since I am coming back late, why not send a boy to come back and say it first! It makes everyone worried."
"I never thought that there would be an unexpected encounter today." Gao Ju said with a smile.
"What adventure?" The third concubine was waiting for him to change and sent the maids to get him some water to wash his face. She also asked the servants to take down the dishes and reheat them.
"I met an old friend." Gao Li took out the half-length cigar from his sleeve, "Bring me my rosewood worship box inlaid with treasures."
After getting the worship box, he ordered the third concubine to carefully wrap the half of the cigar in tissue paper, wrap it with red thread, and then put it into the worship box. (To be continued.)