Just when Yunxi and the children of the clan held a banquet and later played music and danced, the official eunuchs, ordinary people and merchants across the country were celebrating the New Year. Of course, this is normal, you can't celebrate the New Year with your emperor's family, and ordinary people won't let you celebrate the New Year. But there is this one in the Huzhou capital city, and like Yun Xi, they are talking about the Han continent.

"After the fifth day of the first lunar month, you will send people to the capital and Liujiagang, keep an eye on the fleet and the will of the imperial court, if there is a fleet to the mainland of Hanzhou, report it immediately, and the family can prepare in advance." An old man with white hair sat on the couch and commanded one of the two middle-aged people in front of him.

"Yes, uncle." The man who was instructed first agreed, but then said: "Uncle, the fleet going to the Hanzhou Continent will definitely pass through Yokohama, and it will definitely stay for a few days." Our family has arranged for the sixth brother to be in Yokohama, so we don't have to keep an eye on it so closely. ”

"You're really not business-minded!" The old man rebuked: "Of course the fleet will pass through Yokohama, but by then it will be too late!" Seeing that the man still hadn't woken up, he could only say, "This is for us to prepare in advance!" ”

"Your sixth brother is in Yokohama, and your third brother will also go, how can the goods purchased from Yokohama be worth as much as the goods purchased from Daming? I asked you to keep an eye on the will of the imperial court and the order of the fleet, just to raise some goods here as soon as you learn that the fleet will set off for the mainland of Hanzhou again, and send a ship to Yokohama, and then your third brother will give two and a half of them to the governor of Fangdu, and when you arrive in Hanzhou, you will send half of them to the king of Xiang. ”

"The imperial court has already made a will to change the title of King of Xiang to King Shang," the man muttered in a low voice, and then said, "Uncle, my nephew knows." ”

"It's good that you know." The old man said. He then gave him a few more commands to step down.

As soon as he retreated, the old man sighed and said to the other person in the room, "Your eldest brother is far inferior to you in terms of flexible head. ”

"Uncle, eldest brother is actually very smart. When I was in school in the school, I only listened to Mr. read the "Analects" once and memorized two articles, and after a few days, he memorized the entire "Analects". The man said.

"Hey, if our family can still participate in the imperial examination, a person like your eldest brother who is good at reading is naturally suitable, but now our family can't participate in the imperial examination, and can only make a living in business, so people like your eldest brother won't be." The old man said.

"Well, let's not talk about him. Xiu'er, what you did in the Han Continent this time was very right. He added.

"Uncle praised it." The man said humbly.

Of these three people, the one who defended the eldest brother was Yan Xiu who returned from the Hanzhou Continent, the old man's name was Yan Zhenshang, and the person who was called the 'eldest brother' was named Yan Yi. Although Yan Zhenshang is the oldest in this generation, his son is not the oldest in the younger generation, ranking second, Yan Yi, who is the oldest in the younger generation, and Yan Xiu, who is ranked third, are the sons of his second brother.

Yan Xiu was a little disappointed when he first arrived on the Han Continent. Because the civilization here is so backward, although there are some crops that have never been seen before, they can't be sold for a lot of money.

But then, the news of gold and silver in the Hanzhou continent came out, and he was also very excited at that time, and went to mine a lot of gold and silver with the soldiers.

But on the eve of his return, he suddenly offered most of the gold and silver on hand to Zhu Bai and Fang Mingqian, leaving only a few dozen taels of gold, bought a lot of seeds from the soldiers at a very low price, and secretly bought two pieces of jade that the soldiers had secretly hidden, and then returned by boat.

"Xiu'er, why should you be humble!" Yan Zhenshang said in a firm tone: "Your approach is the best approach. ”

"Puff is not guilty, but he is guilty. If you come back with a few hundred taels of gold, if you can't keep it, some soldier will secretly kill you and take your gold. You're not one of those big-headed soldiers, and you're not a samurai of Japan. ”

"But it's useless to give gold to ordinary soldiers, and they won't accept your affection. Send it to His Royal Highness the King of Xiang and Governor Fangdu, if my expectations are correct, you are the first to do so. His Royal Highness the King of Xiang and Governor Fang Du must be impressed by you, and if they go to the Hanzhou Continent in the future, they will definitely take care of you a little. His Royal Highness the King of Xiang is the person in charge of the local area, and he will be of infinite use if he takes a little care of you. ”

"The seeds you got back are also useful. Listen to your words, those crops have never appeared in Daming, plant them in the spring of the next year, and after harvesting, whether they are kept to entertain guests or used as gifts, the cost is not large but the effect will be very good. It's just that it wouldn't be good if the imperial court sent someone to ask for seeds. ”

"Well, I'll talk about it later. The best thing you did was bring back two pieces of jade. Although the carving is not very good, but the jade from a foreign land, the Central Plains has never had that kind of jade. I have already sold one of them to the Li family in Suzhou for 2,000 yuan. Our family has a lot more money to do business. I plan to keep the other piece and give it to the most important officials when it matters most. ”

"Uncle, the court will not come to harvest our family's seeds. When Governor Fang returned, he also brought back a lot of seeds, and many of the soldiers secretly brought seeds, and there was no shortage of seeds in the imperial court. Yan Xiu said.

"Although this has saved the government from disaster, it may not be a good thing for our family. It's just that, whether it's good or bad, it's already like this, and it's useless to talk about it. Yan Zhenshang changed the topic: "Xiu'er, uncle, I don't understand something. ”

"Uncle, please speak."

"This time, didn't you encourage more than a dozen families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to go to the Hanzhou mainland to make a fortune together? If you still want to buy your own ship, please take the helm of an old connoisseur who has been sailing at sea for many years, follow the fleet of the imperial court to the mainland of Hanzhou, and hold this route in your hands? ”

"Yes, uncle."

"I understand that you gave gifts to His Royal Highness King Xiang and Governor Fangdu: do you want to take care of it. After all, they are the ones who are in charge. But why work with the Japanese? ”

"The Japanese and we are not villagers, if we are weak, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not turn their faces and deny people. In my uncle's opinion, there is no need to cooperate with the Japanese, and it is enough to have our fellow villagers. Yan Zhenshang said.

Yan Xiu hesitated for a moment and said to him: "My nephew originally planned to wait for the Chinese New Year to tell my uncle about this matter, but since my uncle asked, my nephew will tell my uncle now." ”

"The reason why the nephew intends to cooperate with the Japanese is because of an offer from the Japanese. They wanted to occupy a piece of land on the Han continent as an overseas fiefdom for their Japanese state. ”

"The Japanese are also eyeing the Hanzhou Continent?" Yan Zhenshang said suspiciously, but immediately understood: "The three islands of the Japanese are so small, there are mountains everywhere, and there are still so many people, they really should want to occupy a place on the mainland of Hanzhou." ”

"But what does this have to do with you?"

"Uncle, the Japanese want to join forces with us merchant families and occupy a piece of land." Yan Xiu then talked about the plan of Miura Tomozhen and Fujiwara Keiku.

"Xiu'er, you can't do such a thing." Yan Zhenshang immediately said: "In business, our family has no great friendship with the Japanese, so why bother to go through this troubled water!" And how can the power of the Japanese compare with the Ming Dynasty? With His Royal Highness the King of Xiang in the Hanzhou Continent, they will definitely not be able to make it! If the matter is revealed and you are shaken out, our family will not be able to eat and leave. ”

"You're quick to put this off. No, even if you refuse, His Royal Highness the King of Xiang may confide in you when he interrogates them. When you arrive in Yokohama, you will make an appointment with the Japanese who told you about this and kill him to prevent future troubles. ”

"Uncle." Yan Xiuluo said to Yan Zhenshang with some tears and laughter: "Uncle, this matter is not so dangerous. ”

"How not to be dangerous? Unauthorized occupation without His Majesty's permission is an analogous rebellion. Since ancient times, that king has not believed in rebellion rather than believe it? ”

"Uncle, that's not the case. The affairs of the Han Continent are not the same as those of the Central Plains. Yan Xiu said seriously.

"What the hell is that?" Yan Zhenshang was confused by him, the same thing is different in the Central Plains and the Hanzhou Continent?

I didn't want Yan Xiu to say suddenly: "Uncle, today is the New Year, let's go back to the table first to finish the New Year, and wait for the second and third nephews to talk to the uncle." ”

"Well, I'll hear you talk about it in a few days." Yan Zhenshang said.

……

……

Suzhou, Li Family Compound.

"Filial piety, after the New Year, you go to the capital and sell the jade pendant bought from Huzhou." Li Yuan, the head of the Li family, said to his eldest son.

"Dad, why don't you sell it in Suzhou?" Li Xiaoxing asked puzzled.

"The carving of this jade pendant is not good, but because it is spread from overseas, it is said that it came from the mainland of Hanzhou, and this kind of jade has not been seen very novel, so it is valuable. But this has to be a very knowledgeable person to tell. Although Suzhou is also rich, it is a step worse than the capital after all. Such jade can only be sold for a price in the capital. Our family spent 2,000 yuan to collect it, and if it can't be sold for more than 5,000 yuan, this order won't make much money. ”

"Moreover," Li Yuan suddenly thought of something, and said with a smile: "If you can, even if you give it away, it's worth it." ”

Li Xiaoxing didn't understand this sentence, and was about to ask, when Li Yuan suddenly said to him with a straight face: "Remember to take your third sister to the capital together." Doesn't she always want to see how prosperous the capital is? Just let her take a look. ”

"That's it, after all, you are young and inexperienced, for the sake of safety, let your second uncle take you to the capital." He finally commanded.

"Yes, Dad." Although Li Xiaoxing was puzzled, he still agreed. But then he secretly looked at his third sister Li Yonglin: "Why did you bring her with you?" ’