The world is like a game of chess.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, they are not even qualified to be pawns on the chessboard, and ordinary people often just go with the flow. Unlike those dignitaries who worry about the affairs of their families and countries, ordinary people are concerned about nothing more than three meals a day, and they only worry about their personal livelihood.

Although the arrival of the kings of various countries seems to make Nantianmen feel like a festival on the surface, in a grand event, in fact, it does not promote the market in the slightest, and instead of making the market lively, it makes it much more difficult to do business in some markets than in the past.

"Oh, I don't know how long this street will be closed."

Sitting in the shop with "North and South domestic products", Wang Andong couldn't help complaining, blocking the road from the government, not allowing horse-drawn carriages to enter and exit casually, and the business of Wende Street in front of the store was not as good as before, because horse-drawn carriages could not enter Wende Street, so merchants from all over the world rarely came here these days, and the best hotel of Nanyang Hotel is now closed to the public, which directly caused many merchants to move to other hotels, which had an impact on the business of Wende Street.

"The owner, although the business has been affected in the past few days, the emperor and several kings came to Nantianmen at the same time, and they all lived in the Nanyang Hotel, not to mention anything else, just the imperial spirit that was stained with it could not be repaired in a few lifetimes......"

As soon as Wang Zide, who was wiping the counter, finished speaking, Wang Anton said over there.

"You kid forgot, we are from Huizhou, different from others, we didn't cultivate in our previous life, and we were born in Huizhou. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, he threw it out. Others can afford it, we can't afford it, "go out with three ropes, don't ask for anything", whether the rope is used to tie silver, or hanging, but it all depends on whether you are diligent, if you are not diligent, the three ropes that your mother gave you, you have to hang......"

When reprimanding his nephew, Wang Anton said earnestly.

"That rope, your uncle and I don't want to use it, and I don't want you to use it, I know no!"

Just as he was telling this, a guest walked in, and Wang Anton immediately greeted the guest warmly, and now there are many fewer guests sent to the door than in the past.

"Guest officer, please don't look at the small shop, the store is not big, but the things are complete, the north and south domestic products, everything, food, use, wear, as long as you always want, I can buy it here, even if it is not in the store, as long as it is a domestic product, as long as you say a name, I can also buy it for you."

Almost at the moment when this person came in, Wang Anton believed that this person must be making a big deal, not to mention anything else, just the momentum of the whole person, looking different from others, if he can pull this person's business, it will definitely be a big deal.

Looking at the enthusiastic shopkeeper, Zhu Mingzhong, who originally just wanted to come out to hang out when the kings were discussing things, listened to his accent like someone from Nan Zhili's side, so he asked with a smile.

"Listen to the accent, you're from Nanzhili."

"Ouch, you're also from Nanzhili? Little Huizhou people, I don't know if you are always ......"

"Gyeonggi people, counted, can be regarded as Nam Naoli,"

While chatting with the shopkeeper, Zhu Mingzhong pointed to the signboard of their house and asked.

"Domestic products from the north and south...... The name of your store is also a little strange, why is it called "domestic product"? ”

For the word "domestic products", Zhu Mingzhong has a very deep impression, after all, in another time and space, "domestic products" have a very special emotion for the Chinese people, once upon a time, "domestic products" in a special era, left a very deep impression on the Chinese people, and even until the 21st century, "domestic products" have become a symbol of patriotism because of their special meaning, and it is precisely in the efforts of generations of domestic product manufacturers that in the 10s of the 21st century, domestic products have truly become the pride of the Chinese people.

But in this time and space, how can there be the term "domestic product"?

Belch......

The guest's question made Wang Andong stunned, and in an instant, he understood that this master was not a local businessman in Nanyang, but came from the mainland.

"Well, how do you say this, this domestic product, it is the goods of the national dynasty, the Nanyang side calls the Nanyang goods local goods, the Ming Dynasty, it is the national dynasty, and the things of the Ming Dynasty are naturally domestic products. Do you always say that's the truth? ”

Belch...... This explanation is indeed reasonable. When his doubts were answered, Zhu Mingzhong also felt the changes of the times from his answers.

Thinking of the two words of the signboard, thinking that in another time and space, "domestic products" give many emotional memories to the Chinese people, the kind of memories that make people worry and make people proud, only "domestic products" have been given to the Chinese people. But in this day and age, they have been given a different special meaning.

The changes of the times always make people sigh, just like the land under their feet, in another time and space, although there are millions of descendants of Yan and Huang living here, but so what? This belongs to another country, and even the people here don't have much affection for their ancestral land.

Dynasty ......

In the future, will the people here still remember their ancestral land and their mother country?

Although Zhu Mingzhong has been trying to use the help of culture, economy and other aspects to maintain the connection between Zhuxia and the Ming Dynasty, and trying to continue this bond forever, but now, he has some doubts and doubts about his original decision.

What kind of bond can last forever?

Why would they turn their backs on Spain by no one else, but the native-born whites, who were driving the uprisings in the South American colonies? Why turn your back on your home country?

When such thoughts appeared in his mind, he also came up with the idea that in another time and space, during the Anti-Japanese War, those overseas Chinese who went forward and sacrificed their lives, for many of them, the mother country was just a distant place that existed in the words of their parents and ancestors, but they were willing to sacrifice everything for it.

"Our culture is the soul of our nation, and our educational institutions are the cultural fortress of our nation." , thinking of the cry of the Malay overseas Chinese struggling to maintain the only Chinese education system overseas in another time and space.

Zhu Mingzhong nodded slightly. Culture is the link between the Ming Dynasty and Zhuxia, as long as this bond exists, then, they will never turn their backs on the mother state, for them, the mother state will always be their pride and desirable.

"The ...... of the Dynasty"

This title is different from the "Celestial Empire", but it also reveals a certain voice of the people here, especially the voices of the people of Zhuxia, maybe they are the people of Gui, Qin, Zhou, and Jin, but there is also a "dynasty" in their hearts, which is their mother state and ancestral land.

Seeing that the guest was silent for a while, Wang Anton asked tentatively.

"Sir is from the country? Do you want to come here to buy goods? Rice grain? Dried fruits? Timber? Sir, don't look at the small scale of the trumpet, but if Mr. wants to buy these goods, the villain can find you a suitable owner, after all, the villain has been doing business here for 16 years, if you can trust it, you will definitely be able to find a lower price than the official supply ......"

Zhu Mingzhong, whose thoughts were interrupted, looked at the shopkeeper who was constantly selling various goods to him, and suddenly became interested in his words, so he asked with a smile.

"Lower than the official price? I'm afraid it's not right to say this, this official bank should be more fair in terms of reason. ”

The so-called "official bank", in fact, is the official trading house, but a large trading house, because the original large-scale purchase of Nanyang rice was made by the government, in order to facilitate the supply, specially appointed a number of large commercial houses in Nanyang to act as an agent trade, and over time it became the so-called "official bank", they specialized in rice and grain trade with the mainland, and now their trade scope has expanded from rice grain to timber and other aspects.

"Hehe, sir, look at what you said, how can the official bank be fair, the dynasty for the sake of the aspect, often hand over a country's rice and grain to several official banks to do, but the official bank also wants to make money, at the beginning, the official bank did business, it is indeed fair, and the rice merchants in Nanyang are also willing to sell rice and grain to them, but after a long time, almost all the rice and grain are purchased and underwritten by the government, and they suppress the purchase price of grain and grain here, while raising the selling price of grain and grain, and make the difference from the middle, so as to do so. Sir, to be honest, if you bypass the official bank, one stone of rice will only cost five coins of silver at most, which is about two dollars cheaper than the official bank. ”

Although the price of Nanyang rice has more than doubled in recent years, even so, it is still cheaper than mainland rice.

"Two coins...... You mean, the rice merchant official bank added two coins of silver? ”

Zhu Mingzhong's brows jumped, and his tone revealed some dissatisfaction. It is also normal for businessmen to pay a premium, but it is a little difficult for him to accept it when he adds so much at once.

"Not to mention two dollars, when they buy, they will press some more, the official bank only collects rice to four yuan at most, these years, the price of Nanyang rice seems to have risen, but in fact, the silver has fallen into the hands of the government, and the common people, but not much has fallen into the real benefit......

Wang Zide, who was wiping the counter, couldn't help but complain.

"This family of 400 acres of paddy fields, at most there are more than 1,000 stone meters a year, look at a lot, but these hundreds of acres of paddy fields, someone has to plant it, who does not have a dozen slaves and maids at home, raising these slaves and maids will cost hundreds of stones and rice grains, and they will buy clothes for them to do, in the end it is good to be able to sell four or five hundred stone rice, but four or five hundred and ten meters, breaking the sky, it will be sold for two hundred taels of silver, and then deduct taxes or something, and the ones in their hands will be dozens of taels of silver, this silver, almost all of them earned......"

When the nephew complained, Wang Anton couldn't help but say.

"It's not like this, now the people of Zhuxia, looking at the scenery, live in a big house, there are slaves and maids to serve, and slaves and maids to farm, in fact, it is the scenery on the surface, at most, the life is a little more relaxed, and all the silver is earned by the official bank, as for them, one by one, they hurriedly complained and did not dare to complain......"

"They dare to complain, if the official is ruthless and gives an order, don't harvest grain from him, when the time comes, his grain will not be sold, and the family has so many mouths, how to feed, you can't just eat rice."

"That's not it, at most, it's just selling some rice and grain in private......"

"Privately? Why, is it possible that the official bank can not allow them to sell grain? ”

Zhu Mingzhong's tone became more and more cold, he didn't expect that the official bank would become like this, let alone that the rice merchant system under the monopoly of the official bank had become a kind of oppression, something similar to the colonizer's oppression of the colony.

"It's just not allowed!"

Wang Zide snorted.

"They just can't get it, how can you get them?"

"Not allowed? Isn't it okay to report to the police? And is there a royal law? ”

Hearing that the government did not allow the people to sell grain, Zhu Mingzhong's tone had become a little annoyed.

"Ouch, sir, do you really think that this is the Ming Dynasty, this is Nanyang, and the dynasty is different, those official lines, Xingdong is not a high-ranking official, the kings and ministers of various countries have a few Xingdong who are not officials, how can they care about those officials, not to mention, they are making a contract with you, don't sell them rice and grain, they will sue the government when the time comes, when the time comes, it is still you who suffer, this Zhuxia......"

With such a mouth, Wang Anton shook his head and sighed.

"It's not a dynasty after all, it's always different from a dynasty, hey,"

After such a sigh, Wang Andong's expression looked a little helpless.

"That's it here anyway. There is no way to do it. ”

Face the fact that you can't change it. People often have to choose to accept silently, just like the people here, they may have a lot of grievances, but when they can't change it. Acceptance is their only option.

Feeling the helplessness and dissatisfaction in Wang Andong's tone, Zhu Mingzhong's heart felt more anger.

Once upon a time, it was like a paradise for him. People here should be happier than in the mainland.

But now it seems. There is no such thing as a paradise in this world, as in any other place, but those who are powerful lose their oversight, and they immediately begin to prey on the people.

This is an almost eternal truth. Now they are only suitable for those businessmen who collude together. Use seemingly legitimate means to usurp wealth.

But as time goes on, they become more and more inflated. Eventually, they will become more and more greedy, and the people will become accustomed to it. Eventually, their greed will destroy everything.

It will also give birth to a song, like any uprising in history. The government forced the people to rebel. It's a slow process.

And how does this process happen? It was from the day they began to oppress the people that everything in the future was doomed.

From the day they squeezed the minds of the people into the object. Everything is already predestined.

Thinking of this, Zhu Mingzhong's heart was not only angry, but also a fear of the future.