The Ministry of Revenue and the Chancellery were holding the eighteenth round of negotiations regarding the future of the shipping department.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue, who usually pride themselves on being technical bureaucrats, have finally seen what real technology is.
The negotiation team sent by Royal Shipping was familiar with every imperial decree and was very strict with every detail, which was maddening.
After rounds of arduous negotiations from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year, there is still no sign of an agreement.
This made Gao Ge Lao extremely angry, and he scolded the Minister of Revenue Zhang Shouzhi twice.
Zhang Shouzhi had a lot of grievances. Who could blame the Royal Shipping for its strong backing? Even a minister couldn't afford to offend them.
The ninth-generation grandson of Manggudai, the right prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty, had no choice but to go personally to negotiate with the Royal Shipping.
In order to be equal, Zhao Hao had no choice but to go to the Ministry of Revenue in the scorching heat to chat with Zhang Butang.
After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, they sat down at the two ends of the negotiation table. The Ministry of Revenue official handed the thick draft to Zhang Shouzhi.
"Mr. Zhao, we must go through all sixty clauses of Article 10 today and try to sign the contract this month." Zhang Butang first set the tone for today's negotiations and said, "Mr. Yuan has given us a deadline of ten days. We can't delay."
Zhao Hao gently waved his folding fan, unmoved, and said, "There are still fifty items and nine hundred and eighty clauses. We can't finish discussing them even if we stay up for ten days. Minister, please negotiate with Yuan Weng for one more thing."
Zhu Shimao beside him also tilted his head and said, "That's right, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. If we rush to investigate the past now, it will cause big problems in the future."
"I think you are just stalling for time!" Seeing that the officials had said so much, but these guys were still stubborn, Yang Wei, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue who was in charge of the specific negotiations, slammed the table angrily and said, "I advise you to stop dreaming! If we can't reach an agreement this time, no one can go back. When the signature is signed, the people will be released!"
"Oh, are you trying to force yourself on me?!" Zhu Shimao sneered and tilted his head to the other side.
"This is the only way to deal with you lawless lunatics!" Yang Wei had been a governor in Xuanfu and Shaanxi and had led troops, so he was the best person to play the villain. He said murderously, "If you don't sign and seal the document, no one, not even God, can get you out. I say that!"
"Well, what if I walk out? Are you a cuckold?!" Zhu Shimao was also angered.
"What if you can't get out? Are you a crooked-necked turtle?" Yang Wei sneered.
"You!" Zhu Shimao rolled up his sleeves and rushed towards Yang Wei. A group of officials from the Ministry of Revenue and employees of Royal Shipping hurriedly separated the two.
The scene was extremely chaotic for a time, but only Zhang Butang and Mr. Zhao remained calm, one drinking tea and the other fanning himself.
But Zhang Shouzhi was not at peace. He knew Zhao Hao was difficult to deal with, but he didn't expect him to be so difficult. He could withstand the pressure from himself and Gao Gelao and drag the negotiations for several months.
Alas, it's more than a few months. From the end of the year before last, when Gao Ge Lao first proposed this matter, it has been a full year and a half. There is still no sign of the Maritime Transport Office!
This kind of thing would never happen under the vigorous and resolute Gao Ge Lao. One can imagine the pressure on him as the Minister of Revenue, otherwise he would not have thought of physical persuasion.
In fact, Zhao Hao was also under great pressure. Because the Dashilan Stock Exchange, which had been established for two years, had just experienced the thrilling "April Stock Market Crash". And the next round of avalanches could happen at any time...
~~
At the end of March and the beginning of April, the news that the court was going to set up a shipping office and share the maritime trade share equally with the Royal Shipping finally spread throughout the capital, causing investors to become pessimistic about the group's prospects and they began to sell their stocks.
In just a few days, the share price of Xishan Group fell from 35 taels per share to 18 taels, which was cut in half.
Even the Lugouqiao Company was affected, and its share price dropped from 25 taels to 15 taels...
The sharp drop of the two large-cap stocks triggered a collective panic among investors, causing the 36 small and medium-sized stocks in the Dashilan Stock Exchange to be trampled. Some were cut in half, and some were cut to the ankles, with blood flowing like a river, a horrible sight.
History, especially economic history, will always remember this day. In April of the sixth year of Longqing, the first stock market crash occurred in Ming Dynasty and even in the world.
Fortunately, Zhao Hao happened to be in Beijing when the stock market crash occurred. He immediately mobilized the group's deposits to protect the market, and he and his godmother each took out two million taels and opened a large buy order of 20 taels per share. In total, the group and shareholders invested tens of millions of taels, which barely stabilized the stock price and did not trigger a further avalanche.
At present, the share price of Xishan Group fluctuates around 20 taels, and the share price of Lugouqiao Company has recovered to 17 taels. The small and medium-sized stocks that were innocently implicated have also had a chance to breathe and have not fallen below **.
This stock market crash was a risk education for investors, making them finally understand that the ten words on the big bronze plaque at the entrance of the stock exchange, "The stock market is risky, enter the market with caution," are no joke.
It turns out that stocks don’t just go up but never down…
The biggest impact of this "April Stock Market Crash" is that investors, who have become frightened birds, have lost their blind trust in stocks. If Zhao Hao had not rescued the market in time, the South China Sea Bubble 150 years later would have been staged in Daming in advance.
The South Sea Bubble dealt a heavy blow to the British stock market. For more than a hundred years, people stayed away from stock trading, and even the development of joint-stock companies was hindered to a certain extent.
This is something Zhao Hao must avoid at all costs...
~~
A fight was going on in the Shangshu Yamen when suddenly a eunuch came in with a sweat on his forehead, saying that the two palaces had summoned two miracle doctors to see the emperor immediately, and that Eunuch Feng asked Master Zhao to go as well.
Zhao Hao stood up and bowed to Zhang Shouzhi, saying, "I'm sorry, Minister, I'll leave first."
"Go quickly, the palace matters are urgent." Zhang Shouzhi hurriedly sent him to the courtyard. After Zhao Hao's figure disappeared behind the ceremonial gate, he sighed and said to the people behind him: "Everyone has worked hard recently. Let's go home and have a good rest for a few days..."
"Yes, sir." Zhu Shimao and the Royal Shipping negotiation team naturally wanted nothing more than to pack up and leave immediately.
But Yang Wei found it hard to accept. Wouldn't this make him the bad guy in vain?
After the outsiders left, he couldn't help but say to Zhang Shouzhi: "Minister, you gave up halfway this time. It won't work to scare them next time!"
"Next time?" Zhang Shouzhi glanced at him and said with a wry smile, "Ershan, you may not be very sensitive since you just arrived in Beijing. Didn't you hear it? Something big happened in the palace!"
“I didn’t hear it.” Yang Wei is a member of the Onion Party. He is not very smart and he just joined the department not long ago, so he really hasn’t figured out the ropes yet.
"Just now, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict said that the two palaces should summon the miracle doctor to see them immediately. How much information does this sentence reveal?" Zhang Shouzhi whispered, "According to the rules, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Palace without the emperor's order. Now the two palaces have directly issued an imperial decree to summon the miracle doctor from the folk without the emperor's permission. What do you think this means?"
"Besides, my Ming Dynasty only has one queen. When can we openly say that there are 'two palaces'?" After a pause, he said quietly, "Some people can't wait to have two palaces at the same time and curry favor with them..."
"..." Yang Wei felt a chill on his back after hearing this. After a long while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Minister, are these people Yuan Weng's men, or Zhang Xianggong's men?"
"Who are they looking for?" Zhang Shouzhi looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Mr. Zhao, he is the son-in-law of Mr. Zhang..." Yang Wei's face turned pale. Only then did he understand why the minister said that the negotiation could not be concluded.
Thinking of how he had just shouted at Master Zhao to kill him, Yang Wei broke out in a cold sweat and wished that the wheel would not count and that he could just pinch and hit it again...
"Minister, is the emperor true? Is Mr. Yuan true?" He looked at Zhang Shouzhi eagerly.
"The emperor is in danger, and as for Mr. Yuan, ah..." Zhang Shouzhi sighed. He was also a Jinshi in the 22nd year of Jiajing, and a die-hard Gao Party member in the eyes of outsiders. Thinking that his half-life struggle would be in vain because of being implicated by others, he was completely discouraged and thought it would be better to become a monk.
"It's boring, really boring..."
~~
When Zhao Hao arrived at the largest garden in Qinghe County, Wan Mizhai and Li Shizhen had already been in Jujing Pavilion for a while.
Outside the pavilion, under the pavilion roof, stood Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, looking anxious. There were also Gao Yi and Duke Chengguo, but both were in poor health and sat on stools.
Zhao Hao also saw the figure of Eunuch Ji and knew that his godmother had also come after hearing the news.
It seems that everyone knows that the emperor is in a very bad situation...
He stepped forward and saluted the ministers. Gao Gong nodded with a blank look. Zhang Juzheng gave him a meaningful look. Gao Yi forced a heavy smile. Only Duke Cheng praised him enthusiastically.
After waiting anxiously for more than an hour, Feng Bao came out of the Jujing Pavilion, walked up to Zhao Hao and whispered, "The two ladies, please invite Master Zhao in."
Then he said to Duke Chengguo and the three Grand Secretaries, "You two ladies, please come in and make a decision together."
"As you wish." The five men quickly straightened their clothes, lowered their heads and walked into the hall, bowing to the two palaces behind the pearl curtain.
A sobbing female voice asked them to get up, and then said in a tearful voice: "Two miracle doctors, please speak."
"Yes, Madam." Wan Mizhai and Li Shizhen quickly responded respectfully, then turned to Zhao Hao and said, "Other methods are useless. We have no choice but to use our ultimate move."
"Use it, and don't forget to do a skin test." Zhao Hao nodded, completing the authorization.
"Yeah." Li Shizhen nodded slightly, turned and went into the inner room to prepare for the skin test.
"Doctor Wan," Wan Mizhai wanted to follow him in, but Gao Gong stopped him and asked in an old voice, "How is your Majesty?"
"Very bad." Wan Mi Zhai said in a deep voice: "To put it simply, the previous treatment only removed the poison on the surface of the body, but not the poison inside the body. Now the poison has entered the brain, so it caused the emperor to fall into a coma."
As they spoke, the sobbing sounds behind the beaded curtain became more and more obvious.
"..." Gao Gong's body visibly staggered, and Zhang Juzheng quickly supported him. Then Gao looked at Wan Mi Zhai and asked, "Can your method save the emperor?"
"First, a skin test must be done, and the appropriate medication can be injected." Wan Mi Zhai said slowly: "Secondly, the damage to the human brain caused by this poison is irreversible. So even if the patient can be saved, it is impossible to recover as before, and there will be serious sequelae."
"For example?" Gao Gong asked with difficulty.
"Dementia, paralysis, blindness, deafness..." Every word Wan Mizhai said was like a heavy hammer hitting Lord Gao's heart, making him want to vomit blood.
p.s. Write another chapter.