The bulk commodities of maritime trade are mainly silk, cotton, porcelain, tea, sugar, etc. from the south. As for the north, it is obvious that the production is still too small.

Yan Siqi blinked his eyes. In his impression, apart from the ginseng from Liaodong, there seemed to be nothing good that he could like.

Li Dan pondered for a moment and said, "As for overseas sales, I feel that there aren't many goods from the north."

When Wu Dazhang and Shao Hanliang showed a hint of disappointment, Li Dan continued, "But I think that if we start a fruit business, it should be a way to make money."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and the servant outside the door responded and came into the room, placing a large plate of fruit on the table.

"Oranges, sugarcane, guavas..." Li Dan introduced them one by one. "I came to the capital in winter and purchased some southern fruits. A batch has been sent to the palace. Brother Wu, Brother Shao, if you think they are rare and can sell well, you can join this business."

Yan Siqi also came to his senses and added, "The sea route to Tianjin is shorter, and the fruit won't spoil easily."

Wu Dazhang and Shao Hanliang looked at each other but did not speak immediately.

"Domestic short-distance shipping is also profitable." Li Dan smiled and said, "This is also what the emperor meant. Our Maritime Merchants Association is planning routes and ships. It can be regarded as a supplement to ocean trade!"

Wansui was going to gradually abandon the canal transportation. Wu Dazhang and Shao Hanliang understood this and also thought of the advantages of short-distance sea transportation.

Shao Hanliang nodded slightly and said, "Since that's the case, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce's goods should gradually switch to sea transportation. As for the fruit business, I think it's very good. Not only can we ship southern fruits to the north, but we can also ship northern fruits to the south."

Wu Dazhang patted his lap twice and said, "There's a lot of fruit in Henan, and it's very cheap. Loading and unloading from Tianjin, going north and south without leaving empty-handed, it's a good business."

Yan Siqi glanced at Li Dan and thought: This old guy is really cunning. He has attracted a big customer before the short-distance shipping has officially started.

Li Dan raised his eyebrows, smiled, and raised his glass, saying, "Thank you both for your hospitality. Please come to Shanghai when you have time, and let us show our hospitality."

Wu Dazhang laughed heartily and raised his glass, saying, "I'm thinking of setting up a shop and a warehouse in Shanghai, and I'd really need your help!"

Yan Siqi raised his glass and said, "This is a small matter. Brother Wu only needs to say a word and it will be easy."

The four of them clinked their glasses and drank with laughter, and then talked about the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce and the audience with the emperor tomorrow.

"The Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce isn't very strong yet," Li Dan said. "But it's still in its infancy. Given time, it shouldn't be underestimated. The main reason His Majesty is promoting them is to collect commercial taxes."

Wu Dazhang nodded in agreement and said, "The Chinese Chamber of Commerce's tax payments are supervised by officials sent by the imperial court, and membership is strictly vetted. I'm worried that someone might break the law and affect the entire chamber. If the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce is eager to grow, it's inevitable that some unscrupulous merchants will sneak in. I think they still know what's important."

Yan Siqi said, "Everyone should do their own business. We sea merchants can purchase inland goods without relying on them. Of course, it would be good if they could supply us."

"This Tang Mo..." Li Dan swirled his wine glass and said thoughtfully, "I should find out more about him, or maybe get to know him better."

Shao Hanliang nodded in agreement and said, "Brother Li, there's no need to worry. If Tang Mo is sensible and gets the title of Min Jue, he'll naturally come to visit us. If we take the initiative to make friends with him, we'll lose our status as a senior."

Li Dan chuckled and said, "That makes sense. We are seniors, and he is a junior. It really doesn't make sense for us to actively make friends."

Yan Siqi took a sip of wine, and a warm feeling washed over him. He felt refreshed and couldn't help but exhale the alcohol. He said, "I think we might talk about the Imperial Bank during tomorrow's audience. Inter-regional exchange and lending are also good things for merchants."

"Oh, and there are savings." Yan Siqi added, "I've read the regulations in the newspaper and I think it's very convenient."

Wu Dazhang nodded and said, "Inter-regional remittance is indeed good. It's safe and saves transportation costs. As for loans, the interest rate is reasonable, much lower than that of money houses."

After all, it was an industry run by the emperor himself, and he used an imperial name to cover it up. Several people thought so, but it was different from what Zhu Youxiao meant.

But their guess was correct. Zhu Youxiao did take advantage of this collective meeting to promote the bank's business.

In addition, Zhu Youxiao was thinking not only of "business", but also hoped to combine "industry and commerce" to resettle more landless people, and preferably promote the development and growth of the urban middle class.

Zhu Youxiao believed that although the Ming Dynasty's commodity economy was prosperous, it still had significant limitations in terms of commodity production. Relying on farmers to weave to support farming and to support farmers through sideline products made it difficult for them to become independent commodity producers.

In other words, independent handicraftsmen must be vigorously developed in order to promote the accumulation of social wealth and the expansion of commodity production.

However, the merchant groups with strong capital did not invest much money in large-scale commodity production. A considerable part of the capital was diverted to purchasing land, lending at high interest rates, or making connections with the government to seek special privileges and protection.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao had to encourage merchants to open factories and recruit workers on the one hand, and on the other hand, he had to use the credit of the Imperial Bank to encourage handicraftsmen to expand production.

Moreover, increasing the commercial tax rate is not intended to constrain or restrict the development of the commodity economy.

The abolition of the "dispatched purchase" system for merchants, exemption of customs fees for paying taxes once, and the simplification of the management of merchants' goods transportation, as well as the future reform of the tax bureau and the customs, will reduce the exploitation of legitimate merchants, all of which will benefit merchants.

Not many people could fully grasp this step-by-step plan. Li Dan, Yan Siqi, Wu Dazhang, and others, for example, only took one step at a time, constantly being pushed forward by Zhu Youxiao as they pondered the situation.

………………

Not being understood by others, really, seems to be quite good!

Zhu Youxiao felt that if he wanted to be considered a qualified emperor, he couldn't be fully understood by others. That would create a sense of mystery and confuse people.

The main focus is on the majority of the ministers below. It doesn't matter if it's the people around you, but the one next to you must also be in tune with you.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Yu loves oranges and dried cherries," Li Chengcheng came in to report, "and she asked this servant to express her gratitude to Heaven on her behalf."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and turned his attention back to the memorials. There were two copies in total, one submitted by Yuan Shizhen, the Lianghuai Salt Commissioner, and the other submitted by Lin Xishi, the Guangdong and Guangxi Salt Commissioner. They involved the historical issue of the "Huai-Yue Dispute."

Having seen the remarkable results of Yuan Shizhen's laws, Zhu Youxiao had not studied them in depth. He was also overwhelmed by his many tasks, including military, political, and economic matters, as well as the need to compile a book, leaving him with little time.