"Thank you, Mr. Zhou. If it weren't for your help over the past two days, I wouldn't have known that this capital city was so much fun."

"These are my gifts, please accept them. From now on, you will be my friend forever."

In the attic of a brothel somewhere, Pierma Heima took out a leather bag and handed it to Mr. Zhou opposite.

Mr. Zhou was the businessman he had asked for directions on the road before.

"Brother Ma Hei, you don't consider me as a friend. Could it be that I, Zhou, am making friends with you because I want your money?"

"If you say that again, I'll be angry."

Mr. Zhou said this righteously, his face full of disdain for Pierma Heima's actions.

Even his eyes were squinting at Pierma Heima.

Upon hearing this, Pierma Heima was extremely ashamed and quickly said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou. I apologize to you. This is not a transaction of money, but I don't have anything with me that can express my feelings."

"These gems are the only ones that are very popular over there, so I thought of giving them to Mr. Zhou."

"Mr. Zhou, I absolutely do not want to use money to measure our friendship."

When Mr. Zhou heard the word "gem", his brows furrowed, and he changed his tone and said, "I must have misunderstood you. This is a difference in customs. In our Ming Dynasty, the friendship between gentlemen is the most important."

"As the saying goes, a gift of a feather from a thousand miles away is more valuable than a token of sentiment. In our Ming Dynasty, we never care about the value of gifts, but what matters most is the thought behind them."

"I do have some use for your gems. I'm planning to make a batch of jewelry recently and need gems of different colors to embellish them. This is just right."

Mr. Zhou spoke nonsense.

He is still single at present, but this does not affect his knowledge of the value of gems, especially the man in front of him, Pirmahema, the grandson of Timur.

The gemstone given away must be of top quality and worth a lot of money.

When I first saw the small bag, which was only the size of a palm, I thought it was something worthless.

Seeing this, Pier Ma Heima smiled and said, "That's great. I didn't expect that I would run into something like Mr. Zhou by accident."

"I'll treat you again this time, Mr. Zhou. Please don't refuse."

After Pierma Heima finished speaking, he pushed the small leather bag on the table towards Mr. Zhou.

Mr. Zhou frowned, stepped back a little, and seemed not to want to be contaminated by this.

Just when Pierma Heima was a little confused, he saw Mr. Zhou nodded slightly, and the servant who followed him came forward and put the small leather bag away.

"I'm sorry, in our Ming Dynasty, especially the scholars in our Ming Dynasty, we all regard money as dirt. This is a noble integrity, so we generally don't touch money with our hands."

"Please remember, brother Ma Hei, this is of vital importance in our Ming Dynasty. This is the etiquette of our Central Plains Dynasty, which has been passed down for thousands of years. It cannot tolerate the slightest blasphemy."

Mr. Zhou explained slowly.

This special sense of ritual made Piermahemah feel awe-inspiring.

In Piermahemada's opinion, the more powerful a noble is, the more things he cares about, and someone as particular as Mr. Zhou must be a great man indeed.

After spending the past two days together, Pierma Heima felt that Mr. Zhou was definitely the best even in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

The most important thing is the huge network of contacts.

In the past two days, Mr. Zhou took him to various high-end places, where he enjoyed exquisite dishes and all kinds of enjoyment that he had never thought of before.

Let Pierma Heima feel that this is the real life.

Even when they were talking, there were always young women beside them, playing stringed instruments, the sound of which was endless in the ears.

Music has no borders, and Pierma Heima, who loves music, understands it very well.

He loves drinking and has a very high tolerance for alcohol.

But the wine Mr. Zhou brought him to drink was a fine wine that he had never tasted before. After just one sip, he was completely intoxicated by it.

Compared to the fine wine of today, he felt that what he drank in the past was just like horse urine.

What surprised Pierma Heima the most was that Mr. Zhou went in and out of these places every day but never paid his bill, while the people in those places were very respectful to him.

He always ate and drank with Mr. Zhou, and no matter how thick-skinned he was, he was embarrassed to do so, so one time he wanted to take out gold and silver to pay the bill.

Of course I did it in private, and asked the waiter to pay the bill.

However, when the waiter heard that Pierma Heima was going to pay the bill, he was frightened and knelt on the ground begging for mercy.

Both Pierma and Heima were confused.

Later, the shopkeeper came out to apologize and asked if there was any area where the service was not adequate.

This combination of punches completely stunned Pierma Heima.

Later, Mr. Zhou said lightly that it was a misunderstanding and his friend did not know the rules.

This is how the matter came to an end.

Pierma Heima asked Mr. Zhou for advice, and Mr. Zhou explained lightly that it was just a little face.

At this moment, Mr. Zhou's image stood out in Piermahema's mind.

"Mr. Zhou, we have known each other for two days. At this point today, I don't want to hide anything from you. In fact, I am an envoy from Samarkand, and..."

Just when Pierma Hema was about to confess, Mr. Zhou smiled and interrupted, "And you are Timur's grandson, Your Highness, am I right?"

"This...this...Mr. Zhou, it turns out you already knew this." Pierma Heima said in surprise.

Mr. Zhou said calmly, "In this capital of the Ming Dynasty, there is really nothing that can be hidden from me. The difference is that it depends on whether I want to know or not."

These words were said very calmly, but anyone who heard them could feel the arrogance in them.

And Pierma Heima was obviously shocked as well.

He never thought that the person he stopped randomly on the streets of the capital would turn out to be such a person.

"Mr. Zhou, I'll toast you a glass."

"Drink together."

After putting down the wine glass, Pierma Heima asked mysteriously: "I wonder if Mr. Zhou has any friends who are familiar with the Ming imperial family. I..."

Mr. Zhou just raised his hand slightly, interrupting what Pierma Heima was about to say, and then waved his hand again. The servants beside him and the woman playing the piano all bowed and retreated.

Then Mr. Zhou turned his gaze to the guards behind Pierma Heima, the meaning of which was very clear.

Pirmahema said a few words in Turkic. Although the guards were a little hesitant, they still chose to leave.

Mr. Zhou and Pierma Heima were the only two people left in the room.

At this time, Mr. Zhou slowly said: "I am a very straightforward person. Making friends depends entirely on fate. However, since I have made friends with you, if there is anything I can help you with, I will naturally do my best to help you."

"Tell me what you want to know, Brother Ma Hei. But let me be frank. There are some things that even I cannot talk nonsense about."

Mr. Zhou's words not only expressed his familiarity with the royal family, but also pointed out the strictness of the royal rules. No matter what Pierma Heima asked, he would be able to act freely.

Seeing Mr. Zhou's face become serious, Pier Ma Hema also knew that this matter involved the Ming imperial family and was a big taboo, so he quickly explained:

"Mr. Zhou, please don't misunderstand me. I have always respected the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty. However, this is my first time in the Ming Dynasty. As for the situation of the imperial family, I know nothing about the emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"That's why I want to ask Mr. Zhou about the current situation of the Ming Dynasty royal family."

Hearing this, Mr. Zhou had an idea in his mind. He looked around subconsciously and then whispered, "Brother Ma Hei, have you heard about the Xiaoling Mausoleum?"

…

"In the past two days, has Zhou Bingyan made any progress?"

Zhu Ying, who was flipping through the laws of the Ming Dynasty, casually asked Ye Yueqing beside him.

Ye Yueqing replied with a smile: "Mr. Zhou is now Pier Ma Heima's best brother. The two of them have been eating and living together. I think Pier Ma Heima should have no doubts about Mr. Zhou."

Zhu Ying nodded and said, "These past few days, these two guys have cost me a lot of money. Even I have never been so extravagant."

"But for a big fish like Piermahem, everything is worth it. With Piermahem leading the way, I think our trade routes under Timur's rule will definitely be opened up quickly."

"Zhou Bingyan is pretty good. He is a leader in terms of his eloquence. He also looks good and is easy to trust. It depends on whether we can maintain this relationship in the future."

As Zhu Ying's 37th disciple, Zhou Bingyan had already conveyed Zhu Ying's order when he first came into contact with Pierma Heima and brought him to Ping'an Teahouse.

The goal is to let Zhou Bingyan create a special personality image. For someone like Pierma Heima, a long-term approach is definitely necessary.

The beginning of all this is so similar to what happened to Lee Seong-gye back then.

However, Zhu Ying did not have much impression of the Timurid Empire, but this did not prevent Zhu Ying from making arrangements in advance.

And Pierma Heima is the chess piece chosen by Zhu Ying.

The Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce is currently in the capital, so naturally there is more than just a Ping An Restaurant.

As early as when Zhu Ying took control of the Jinyiwei, a large amount of industries began to flow into the hands of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.

With the help of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are there any other merchants in the capital city who can compete with the Qunying Chamber of Commerce for business?

If you really can't do it, it's normal to use some tricks. Zhu Ying doesn't need to take care of these basic operations personally.

If they couldn't even handle these things, the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce would have collapsed long ago.

However, for now, the actions of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce in the capital are mainly focused on high-end industries.

Zhu Ying, who has the memory of his past life, just copied a few ideas and guided the market trend, but it should not be too simple.

However, Zhu Ying was still very conscientious and never cheated the poor people. His targets were always the landlords and gentry at the lowest level.

A simple club threshold can keep out those who are not wealthy enough.

Then a rumor spread that a certain big shot was backing the club, and immediately people flocked to join.

This kind of income is currently Zhu Ying's largest source of income.

The amount of banknotes that came into the account every day made Zhu Yuanzhang jealous.

One time, Zhu Yuanzhang was interested and checked the accounts of his eldest grandson. He found that it was as if the banknotes were printed by the Baochao Tizhusi and then flowed directly into the hands of his eldest grandson.

Under such circumstances, the main source of funds for the Gunpowder Bureau currently comes basically from Zhu Ying's own pocket.

But now the amount of money has long become just a number to Zhu Ying.

"When does Your Highness plan to meet with Pierma Heima?" Ye Yueqing asked.

According to the usual routine, they naturally created a coincidence first, met each other in unknown identities, then became friends, and finally gave a shock in the Ming Palace.

These methods are all that Zhu Ying's Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce has used.

Otherwise, even with a powerful weapon like Snowflake Salt, the Heroes Chamber of Commerce would not be able to grow so fast.

Some small tricks that are not worthy of being shown on the surface are definitely necessary.

Zhu Ying hesitated for a moment and said, "First, let Zhou Bingyan thoroughly understand Pierma Heima's personality and some of his thoughts."

"I'll see if I need to meet him in person when the time comes."

"Although Timur is powerful, we in the Ming Dynasty do not need to be afraid of him. We are so far away from each other. Even if Timur has great ambitions towards the Ming Dynasty, he can only be a vassal now."

"In a few years, when he grows stronger and wants to do something, I'm afraid it will be too late for him."

Zhu Ying's tone was very confident.

As for the current Ming Dynasty, not to mention ten years from now according to history, even in five years, it will be developing at a rapid pace.

Five years is enough time for crops like sweet potatoes to become popular throughout the Ming Dynasty.

To a certain extent, after solving the food problem for the people of the Ming Dynasty, the policy of equalizing the land tax would naturally stimulate a rapid population growth.

In many other aspects, especially in military training, the invention and production of firearms.

Zhu Ying was absolutely sure.

It would be fine if Timur didn't come, but if he still wanted to come, even if he didn't die suddenly on the way, he must leave in disgrace without getting any benefit.

Besides, it’s not certain who will take action first by that time.

…

After more than half a month, Zhu Ying's previous arrangement for Yao Guangxiao had begun to spread among most forces and nobles, with Goryeo as the center.

The threshold of 10,000 dan of grain may not seem like much, but at this critical juncture, it is not something that ordinary forces can do to invest so much grain.

For example, 80% of the nobles on the grasslands and in the desert do not have this ability.

They may have very strong subordinates, but the food problem has never been solved.

Only the real nobles would ignore the lives of their subordinates and engage in such speculative business.

The reputation of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce, guaranteed by Snowflake Salt, is still very reliable in the eyes of these great nobles.

Anyone who has this ability basically chooses to invest.

Because they believe that the Heroes Chamber of Commerce can bring them several times, or even more than ten times, benefits.