Early winter.
Construction of two official roads, one from the capital to the northwest and the other from the capital to Hexi, started at the same time.
While the weather was still warm, we raced against time and worked hard to pave two cement roads at the same time.
A lot of preparatory work was done in the early stages, which has shown huge benefits at this time.
Once the construction team arrived, they leveled the road and paved the cement.
Shaofu Cement Workshop was located directly along the road and built kilns to burn cement.
Recruitment personnel put up signs in various towns and villages every day to recruit workers.
The cook is busy from morning till night.
Food and fodder were transported to the construction site in truckloads.
Farmers from nearby villages carried their surplus grain, meat and vegetables on their shoulders and sold them to the construction site canteen.
A large number of scholars and accountants recruited from the Department of Numerology of Shanhe Academy sat at the construction site every day, busy with paying money and keeping accounts.
Students from engineering and geology departments followed the engineering team around and learned from their experience.
Even students from the Yin-Yang Department came to join in the fun, saying they wanted to help the engineering team look at Yin and Yang.
The engineering team disliked them very much and thought they were in the way.
The entire cement road is paved along the official road, so there's no point in looking at the yin and yang.
The engineering team is not interested in them, but Chen Erzhuang is particularly interested in these students from the Yin-Yang Department.
Chen Erzhuang followed the construction site and took people to determine the address of the toll booth and rest stop. It just so happened that they needed a yin and yang master to check the site.
He originally wanted to invite someone from the Imperial Observatory.
As a result, the Imperial Observatory made excuses one after another and were unwilling to follow the engineering team, saying it was too tiring.
Who can stand eating and living in the wild every day, with the weather being cold at night?
Even though Chen Erzhuang offered a high salary, the officials of the Imperial Observatory were not happy.
The officials of the Imperial Observatory have no shortage of money.
The nobles and wealthy families in the capital would always hire them for fortune-telling when they needed to have weddings or funerals, and they would pay them generously.
It can be said that the Imperial Observatory was the only government office that lived a prosperous life by relying on self-reliance.
No other government office can compare to it.
Of course, if you want to enter the Imperial Observatory, you must have real skills.
A half-baked guy can fool those who don't know anything about it, but he can't fool the sharp eyes of the Imperial Observatory.
It can be said that everyone in the Imperial Observatory has a unique skill.
Since Chen Erzhuang couldn't get the help from the people from the Imperial Observatory, he planned to ask people from the nearby Taoist temple for help.
As a result, the students from the Yin-Yang Department of Shanhe Academy came to the door on their own initiative.
Chen Erzhuang was very happy.
"Will you watch the Yin-Yang meeting? Will you choose the location?"
"Yes! We all do. We've learned all of this."
"Have you learned thoroughly? How does your level compare to the people at the Imperial Observatory?"
"Not as good as Ren Jianzheng, but good enough to help Chen Zongguan choose a location."
Chen Erzhuang's excited heart turned cold.
If this group of young students were a little more modest, he would feel that they had some confidence.
However, as their tones became louder and louder, Chen Erzhuang felt a little weak.
"You guys stay here first and get familiar with everyone. I'll leave in a couple of days to select a site."
"Everything is up to Chen, the chief steward."
Chen Erzhuang sent away the group of students and called his nephew over.
His nephew Chen Dong, relying on his horse-breeding skills, was specially recruited to study at Shanhe Academy.
This time when building the road, Chen Erzhuang specially brought Chen Dong with him to gain experience.
"Take my invitation and go to Baiyun Temple to invite... Forget it, I'll go myself. I'm afraid you won't be able to invite anyone if you go."
Chen Erzhuang brought a visiting card and went to Baiyun Temple in person to invite someone.
We didn’t invite Taoist Master Xuanqing, but we did invite two of his disciples.
He hurried down the mountain with the two Taoist priests and returned to the construction site.
When the students of Yin-Yang Department saw it, they immediately became unhappy.
"Doesn't Chief Steward Chen trust us?"
Chen Erzhuang laughed and said, "Let's learn from each other and verify each other. What about Yin-Yang School or Taoism? I'm just an outsider. I'll see who makes more sense then. I'll listen to him."
"absurd!"
"You are the ones who are really ridiculous, aren't you? What kind of students of Yin and Yang science are you? Hahaha..." The two Taoist priests of Baiyun Temple made fun of these students without any hesitation.
The feud has been settled.
Chen Erzhuang pinched his nose. He didn't mean to provoke a fight between the two sides. He really didn't mean to.
He just hopes that he can smoothly select a site, smoothly build the toll station and rest stop, and smoothly open his business.
I really didn't mean it!
Chen Erzhuang slipped away feeling guilty.
…
Sihai started construction of two cement roads at the same time, and many people were secretly amazed at Sihai's financial resources.
Rich man!
I'm afraid that Sihai is not only the most powerful trading company in the capital, but also the most powerful trading company in the world.
Cheng'enbo Zhuci has aged a lot.
He was very emotional.
"Doing business nowadays is different from what it was back then. There are opportunities everywhere in Beijing now. It all depends on whether we can seize them."
The housekeeper agreed: "Master, what you said makes sense."
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci looked at his eldest son and felt very depressed.
As early as when the late emperor was still alive, he requested that his eldest son be named Crown Prince.
When Emperor Wende ascended the throne, it seemed that the Zhu family's title could no longer be passed down.
"After I die, the Zhu family's title will probably come to an end. Boss, don't harbor any resentment. This is the general trend, and we cannot disobey. The title of Duke of the State is hereditary, but now it has been changed to a Marquis of the State, which is executed after five generations."
Master Zhu had a blank expression on his face. This issue had been discussed many times.
His father, Earl Cheng En, always thought that he could not inherit the title and would be resentful.
All right!
He admitted that he did have a lot of resentment at first.
He has been named the crown prince, but if the emperor changes, his position as crown prince may not be recognized.
When the old father passed away, the Zhu family's title was gone.
In this situation, anyone would feel resentful.
However, as time went by, his father Cheng Enbo always gave him advice, and the initial resentment has now disappeared.
"Don't worry, father. I know how powerful I am. Even without a title, the Zhu family can still be rich and prosperous for generations."
The Zhu family has the confidence.
Even though he was the richest man in Beijing at that time and was seriously injured by Gu Jiu, at least he still had three pounds of nails on his rotten boat.
In recent years, the Zhu family has reduced their business, carefully managed their traditional advantageous projects, followed the pace of Sihai Trading Company, and more or less recovered a little bit of their vitality.
At least I don't have to worry about money.
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci was very pleased. "I am relieved that you can figure it out. I don't know how many more years my body can hold out. While I can still work, I will plan a few more escape routes for you. In my opinion, you still have to follow Madam Zhao closely."
Master Zhu frowned, "Does father really have high hopes for the eldest prince? Since His Majesty hasn't appointed a crown prince, all the princes have a chance."
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, stroked his beard and said solemnly, "Precisely because Your Majesty hasn't appointed a crown prince, His Royal Highness the First Prince has a greater chance. Because he is the eldest son, and without a crown prince, he is the legitimate heir. No court official can refute this."
Master Zhu frowned. "Even so, there's no need for our Zhu family to follow Madam Zhao. Can't our Zhu family just focus on our own business?"
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, glared and said dissatisfiedly, "You are short-sighted. How long can you last if you only focus on your own business? Times have changed. If you want the Zhu family to be prosperous for generations, you must keep up with the trend. What is the trend? Today's Madam Zhao is the trend. You see, she is so busy here and there, as if she has no core business. I have studied her carefully, and in fact, she has always had a core business, always had a core."
Master Zhu was curious, but he refused to admit it. "It's just building roads and houses."
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, snorted coldly, "Shortsighted! Building roads and houses is just a means to an end. Our true mission is to control the economy and livelihood of each city. Take Xinmin County, for example. You've seen how bustling it is. Why is Xinmin County what it is today? It's all thanks to the Sihai Trading Company."
Madam Zhao's various tactics were all aimed at establishing Xinmin County and attracting popularity. Previously, I was solely focused on making money, never considering controlling the economy and livelihood of a city or region. Unfortunately, we realized this too late, and the Zhu family has already missed the opportunity. If the Zhu family had the scale and strength of the world back then, how could we have fallen to this point?
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci saw through Gu Jiu's plan.
That is to make the court cautious.
The court cooperated with her, but was also wary of her, and did not dare to touch her.
Of course, there was a reason that she was the prince's wife.
However, Cheng'enbo Zhu Ci believed that the more important reason was that the court was afraid to take risks.
The Ministry of Revenue was able to achieve a balance between revenue and expenditure, and the commercial tax increased significantly, which allowed the court to cover expenses without increasing the taxes and labor service of the people. All of this was inseparable from Xinmin County and Sihai Trading Company.
To touch Gu Jiu is to touch Sihai Trading Company.
No one has confidence that after taking over Sihai Trading Company, Xinmin County will be able to continue to maintain its current vitality and popularity.
No one can guarantee that commercial taxes will increase steadily under their management.
According to past experience, when the imperial court ran out of money, it would target the common people and increase taxes!
The current experience is that if you are out of money, look for other sources of revenue and collect more commercial taxes.
However, the court had little experience in commercial taxation, and no one dared to guarantee that they could succeed.
Take Beijing as an example. There are new projects every year, which means new sources of tax revenue.
These projects are not led by Sihai, but are also influenced by Sihai.
The world is like a treasure trove, always full of surprises.
Master Zhu still couldn't understand what his father Cheng Enbo said. He frowned and pondered the connection between them.
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, said, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just remember to follow Madam Zhao closely. This time, Sihai is simultaneously building two cement roads, but they haven't raised any external funds. All expenses are borne independently by Sihai. I suspect Sihai is under considerable pressure."
Master Zhu said, "Father, you misunderstood. Although Sihai didn't raise any funds, it borrowed millions of taels from the Shaofu Bank. It's like taking your Majesty's money and selling out your Majesty."
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, shook his head. "That's not the way to say it. If they could borrow several million taels from the Shaofu Bank, the interest alone would be hundreds of thousands of taels a year. This isn't about trying to be nice, it's about taking care of the Shaofu Bank's business. I plan to meet with Madam Zhao to invest in these two cement roads."
"Madam Zhao didn't raise funds from outside, and I'm afraid she won't accept money from our Zhu family. Father, I'm afraid your efforts are in vain."
Cheng En Bo Zhu Ci said, "We have to give it a try. How can we know it won't work if we haven't tried it? If we can invest in these two cement roads, the Zhu family can expect prosperity for decades to come."
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