"Good opinion!" Zhu Youjian praised, but he was secretly proud of his disguise, "Lao Zhang's eyesight is really good, but why did you just say that businessmen like us cannot go to the private room on the second floor? ?"
The younger tea customer glanced at him and looked quite disdainful, "You only have two, and you have no entourage. Obviously you are not big businessmen, but at best you can go to the indecent room."
"The insights of both of you are amazing, and I really admire them," Zhu Youjian cursed secretly, "Well, the tea money for both of you will be paid together next time, it's a friend!"
"Come on!" The young tea customer looked at the cup in his hand and peeked at the top of the building. "We can still afford this tea. If you are interested, please ask us to sit in the private room upstairs. !"
"Yajian?" Zhu Youjian was taken aback, and when they met for the first time, how could there be such a thing? Knowing that I had no money, he wanted to go to the private room. He pretended to hesitate for a while, and finally made up his mind, "Okay, just the private room upstairs, please!"
"This brother is just making a joke, not really!" The older tea guest glared at his "brother", then gave Zhu Youjian a hand, "The private room upstairs is very expensive, at least two or two. silver."
"It doesn't matter, just make a friend!" Zhu Youjian winked and asked Fu Xiaojian to settle the tea money on the first floor first.
"Why is this so embarrassing?" The elderly tea guest shivered.
"It's an honor to be able to make two such friends in Nanjing," Zhu Youzhen laughed and shouted at the inner hall: "Little two!"
The four of them came to the second floor under the guidance of Xiao Er, and chose the elegant room near the inside. Zhu Youjian and the two saw the ceremony again.
Naturally, Zhu Youjian would not reveal his identity, Wang Xin, a furrier in Beijing.
And the two tea customers, the older named Zhou Rusheng, were a younger tea customer named Liu Zhongjun, who ran a grocery store.
Neither of them can be regarded as wealthy in the family. When it comes to assets, Zhu Youjian estimates that life is slightly better than that of ordinary people.
Zhu Youjian clasped his fists and saluted the two of them, "The two proprietors are doing some small business in the lower capital. They heard that the south is prosperous and want to come to Nanjing to try their luck. I don't know what good suggestions you have
"Furs?" Liu Zhongjun's enthusiasm was immediately poured into a scoop of cold water. "Dongzhu Wang, furs are not a good place in Nanjing. There is no big cold in Nanjing. Even if it snows occasionally, the time will not be too long. Naturally, leather clothes are not needed. The grocery store below never sells leather goods."
Zhu Youjian knew that it was self-defeating, but he could never say that he wanted to sell cement, glass, and perfume. These unique products would undoubtedly reveal his identity. He thought about it and tolled the bell, "Liu Dongzhu, there is another kind of goods below. It's called a self-ringing bell, but it's made in the West..."
Zhou Rusheng frowned, "This thing is not only for ordinary people, but it is also unheard of by us. For a while, I am afraid that it will not be sold," he paused and said: "We have received your tea, and we are the truth. Tell, Dongzhu Wang still don't care about it."
"Where! Thanks to Zhou Dongzhu's truthful telling, I won't do that useless work underneath," Zhu Youjian arched his hands, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and disappeared for a moment. "It’s just a trip to the south of the Yangtze River," he smiled self-deprecatingly, "but it’s not bad to look at it, next time I come, I won’t be aimless!"
"It's okay, it's okay," Zhou Rusheng regretted Zhu Youjian on the one hand, but on the other hand, he was also glad that Zhu Youjian had no business troubles to trouble him. Look for the right opportunity, and don't be afraid that money will be hot in the future."
"That is," Zhu Youjian smiled lightly. "When I come to Nanjing at the beginning of the next year, everything depends on the two," he saluted the two again, "I don't know what the two said just now that the businessmen do not go to the private room on the second floor, but why Isn’t it the store’s rules? It’s not like it!"
"That's not true. The store always only recognizes silver." Zhou Rusheng frowned. "It's just that the court wants to levy a business tax, but for the merchants, it has to shed a layer of skin. Dongzhu Wang is a wealthy merchant, so naturally he doesn't care about this amount of silver. , But we are a small family..." He turned his gaze on Zhu Youjian, "Wang Dongzhu comes from the capital, and I heard that the five northern provinces have long levied business tax. How did the government levy it? What are the adverse effects on our businesses? ?"
"So you two are worried about this?" Inspector Zhu You breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally about to enter the topic he was concerned about. He thought for a while, "However, it is normal for the 15th tax to be one. It is the same as the agricultural tax. The businessman did not feel the huge pressure either."
Liu Zhongjun looked a little excited, "But, why should we hand over the money we earn to the court?"
"Speak carefully, speak carefully!" Zhu Youjian pointed to the ceiling of the room, "In fact, Dongzhu Liu had been questioned before he was inferior, but after thinking about it, it is actually not right. Think about it, two think, we businessmen, Why can I earn money in peace?"
"Why?" Liu Zhongjun was startled by Zhu Youjian just now, and only then came to his senses, but he really didn't understand what Zhu Youjian meant.
"The two proprietors, let me say something of conscience. We businessmen can do business normally and earn money by relying on their own ability. This is good," Zhu Youjian sipped tea. "But if there is no local government, who will come? Protect our property? If there are no frontier soldiers, who will defend our country? Without skin, Mao will be attached?"
Zhu Youzhen did not wait for the two to answer, and continued: "If there is no such thing as Cathay Pacific Min'an, how can our businessmen earn money? I believe that neither of them would like to live in a bloody place with swords, lights and swords?" Zhu Youzhen sighed slightly. "I would rather be a peace dog than a troubled person. You live in the south. Haven't you seen the tragic situation of the Tartar invasion? There are so many empty rooms and dead bodies everywhere. Even the elderly and children are not spared. The worst is the sisters. Hey… "
"This..." Liu Zhongjun was speechless for a while, and he seemed to be frightened by the tragic situation depicted by Zhu Youjian.
Zhou Rusheng glared at Liu Zhongjun, motioned him not to talk nonsense, and then said to Zhu Youjian: "Treasurer Wang, if you simply pay taxes, it won’t be a problem. The point is... If the government does something on this, we businessmen, But it's miserable!"
"It turns out that Dongzhu Zhou was worried about the government taking the opportunity to increase it?" Zhu Youjian understood the two people's worries. In the Ming Dynasty, the legal system was not sound. Such worries were normal. "This... I really don't know in Xia, but in Jingshi, it should be. Nothing like this has happened. As long as the merchant pays taxes in full, the government will never interfere with normal business operations. It occasionally checks to see if the merchants are evading taxes."
"The capital is under the eyes of the emperor, and the officials naturally dare not do anything, but in Jiangnan, I am afraid..." Zhou Rusheng was still worried. Da Ming's unspoken rules were deeply ingrained in the eyes of these businessmen.
"Well, Dongzhu Zhou doesn't seem to worry about it," Zhu Youjian became a lobbyist for the New Deal. "The high-ranking officials of the capital were gathered, and they were greedy for ink, but since the new emperor took the throne, it has changed a lot. In this New Deal, a large number of Jinyiwei visited various places. Once the official execution is wrong, he will be punished by the imperial court.” Zhu Youjian continued to dispel his doubts: “Don’t talk about merchants, they are farmers who also pay taxes in accordance with the law. I never heard that the government dared to increase the amount at will. ."
"Da Ming really acted in accordance with the law?" Liu Zhongjun raised his head and stared at Zhu Youjian closely. It seemed that Zhu Youjian's answer could solve his doubts in this regard.
"At least it looks like this," Zhu Youjian added, "Furthermore, Daming's taxation is very clear, and the people know it. If the officials are overweight, they can't get it."
"Since ancient times, officials have defended each other, can't officials unite in corruption?" Liu Zhongjun still didn't believe it.
Zhu Youjian chuckled, "Liu Dongzhu doesn't know that his majesty's governance of corruption is to implement a top-down supervision method. For example, if the county is found to be corrupt, not only will the county be investigated and punished, the prefect will also be convicted because of lax supervision. , So severe, who dares to be greedy for ink?"
Zhou Rusheng seemed to have heard of such a thing for the first time. He looked at Zhu Youjian suspiciously, "Treasurer Wang, in this case, the officials at all levels... No, if this continues, is there anyone willing to be an official?"
"This... doesn't seem to appear, but I heard that once an official is greedy for ink, no matter how much, he will never be an official."
"If they are not officials, what else can they do?" A small businessman like Liu Zhongjun seems to be most afraid of the punishment of officials. He seems to be gloating for misfortune.
"Then they have to weigh and weigh. Once they are investigated and their property is confiscated, how will they live in the future?" Zhu Youzhen was also proud. "Your Majesty is really clever. Although it is not necessary to decapitate, peel, and light the sky lanterns, but for officials Deterrence is quite large."
Decapitation, skinning, and lighting of sky lanterns were punishments for corrupt officials during the reign of Emperor Taizu. Even with such severe methods, the greed and ink still did not disappear. Even Taizu had to lament his failure, but Zhu You's inspection of greed is not killing. Instead, let you live, let you live without dignity, and let people around you discriminate against you, so that it will be more warning to others.
"Treasurer Wang, there really is no case of government overweighting in the five northern provinces?" Although Zhou Rusheng felt that Zhu Youjian said it was like a fantasy, he still believed a little. Since Zhu Youjian became the throne, something appalling. Not this one.
"No," Zhu Youjian was very sure, "I have studied in Beijing for many years, and there is more than one shop. The thing you are worried about has never happened. The people who are farming are now living and working in peace and contentment. In my estimation, Your Majesty has also seen these things. Only then did the New Deal be implemented to the south. By the way, how much do you two know about the New Deal?"
Liu Zhongjun didn't care about the New Deal at all. He believed that the imperial court adopted the same policies, taking wealth from the weak and small people and small businessmen. The real wealthy businessmen, on the contrary, would be able to preserve, "We... we know some."
"Haha, two, this is not right," Zhu Youzhen's smile swept across the two's faces like warm water, "two proprietors, if you don't understand the New Deal, how can you protect your own interests?"
"Ah... this..." Zhou Rusheng raised his confused eyes, "Treasurer Wang, do the northern merchants know about the New Deal? Where did you know about it?"