The so-called "Heaven is there." There is Suzhou and Hangzhou under it". Although this was only when the Yuan Dynasty was known, someone wrote this sentence into the "Double Tone Toad Palace Song". However, the comparison of the two places to heaven and earth has appeared from the poems of Abi Juyi since the Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Fan is now in one of these places. This city of Suzhou, which has more than 4,000 years of written records. It's quite touching. Suzhou Wuhua Tianbao. Outstanding. It can be said that it has prospered from ancient times to the present. The cultural economy has been prosperous for a long time. It is known as the "House of Silk" and "Garden City". Zhang Fan in his previous life has not been to Suzhou. At that time, he had come to live here for a few days at the invitation of his classmates. Although at that time, he also thought Suzhou was very beautiful. But compare it with the scene in front of you. Later generations of Suzhou were somewhat dwarfed.

This is a typical water town in the south of the Yangtze River. Let the moon shine that came here for the first time. Especially Zhu Yijun felt as if he was in a dream. Especially Zhu Yijun. This is the crown prince of the dynasty. The owner of the whole world in the future. Then I knew that there was such a wonderful place on my own land. It really made him happy for a long time.

Suzhou has always been famous for its beautiful landscapes and garden voltage. There is "Jiangnan Garden, the world's first." Suzhou Gardens A Jiangnan". The arrival of Zhang Fan and others. Wang Yuanhuai, the prefect of Suzhou, is quite upright. I just came to do some official reception with Zhang Fan. Wei Yuan, the eunuch guarding the town, pursued Zhang Fan very much. In addition, representatives of various large households in Suzhou also came to welcome the arrival of Zhang Fan and his party. Zhang Fan didn't have anything. After all, over time. He got used to it. But Zhu Yijun hates these very much. The impatient expression on his face was unrestrained. Zhang Fan saw it and immediately rejected everyone's invitation. It is said that the journey is very tired. I want to take a break. Naturally, everyone said yes. But here is not the old fritter who has been in the officialdom for many years. It is a shrewd person who wins in the fierce business war. How could he not see that Zhang Fan declined his invitation because of Zhu Yijun. These people have never seen Zhu Yijun. Now I see that Zhang Fan, with such a compliant position today, has to act so quietly and with eyes on a child. couldn't help but guess Zhu Yijun's identity. It's just that they all guessed that Zhu Yijun might be the descendant of a certain prince and nobleman. This time, I accompanied Zhang Fan to visit Jiangnan. But he didn't think about the identity of the prince.

Wei Yuan can be described as painstaking this time. He knew that Zhang Fan was coming. However, the prefect Wang Yuanhuai did not treat himself very well. So he left Wang Yuanhuai. I came to Zhang Fan's place alone. But Wang Huaiyuan disdains these. But he didn't ask anything. So Zhang Fan and his entourage were arranged by Wei Yuan to live in a gorgeous garden that occupies a vast area in the city of Suzhou. It is the Humble Administrator's Garden of the Ming Dynasty. This garden is also one of the best in Suzhou. It was purchased by Wang Xianchen in the fourth year of Zhengde. And commissioned the painter Wen Zhengming to do the design. It lasted 16 years. The garden is only once built. I don't know that Wang Xianchen died not long after. The entire Humble Administrator's Garden was lost to the Xu family by Wang Xianchen's son in a night of gambling.

Wei Yuan has been a eunuch in Suzhou for a long time. He's got a good eye. I fell in love with this garden. The owner of the garden has been charged with a number of crimes. This garden is now under Wei Yuan's name. Now he is playing the role of this garden. Use it to entertain Zhang Fan. It's an investment. is just to squeeze benefits from Zhang Fan. It's just that he doesn't know. I want to squeeze oil from Zhang Fan. The level of difficulty is high.

The Humble Administrator's Garden covers an area of 78 acres. The garden is not yet divided into three as it will be. Today, the Humble Administrator's Garden is still a whole. The pavilion residence is a typical Suzhou dwelling. White walls and black tiles. There are not many buildings in the park. But it's a lot heavier flowers and plants. This is not only because the soil is soft and humid in the place where the Humble Administrator's Garden is located. Not suitable for pruning large-scale complexes. What's more, the owner of this garden, Wang Xianchen, and the designer Wen Zhengming, are both people who love flowers and plants. The most common thing in the garden is lotus flowers. Even the names of the buildings are mostly related to lotus flowers. Wang Xianzhi did this to express his lofty character.

Zhang Fan verified that this was not obtained by Wei Yuan's temporary persecution of anyone in order to entrap himself. And the people who owned this place did do a lot of hurtful things. And he stopped. Let's be honest. Zhang Fan is very satisfied with this place. I don't know if it's because there are many rivers and lakes in the park. It's still good feng shui here. On this hot summer day. The sun was shining outside. People don't feel a trace of heat in the house. And it's not like there's a slow majesty. It's very refreshing. Today's Zhang Fan has a plan in his heart to die here in the future.

Zhu Yijun likes it even more. And not just because of the beautiful scenery. And it's comforting. It's even more because of the sense of tranquility here that he has never experienced. In other words, the area in the Forbidden City is much larger than here. Even the East Palace, where he just lives, is about the same size as here. But Zhu Yijun always felt empty and lonely there. It's different here. It's also very empty. but full of life; It's quiet though. But it's not boring. It's comforting. It's just that Zhu Yijun is very dissatisfied

Yingyue also likes the scenery here. Unlike the Southwest, where she grew up. It's not like the heat and humidity of the mountains. On the contrary, it is very broad. It's just another place where Yingyue is very dissatisfied. This is actually the same as Zhu Yijun's dissatisfaction.

That is, they don't understand why the eunuch and vixen they hate also live in.

Not bad. Liu Shan and Luo Ling'er, who came to Suzhou with Zhang Fan and others, also moved in. Zhang Fan didn't say anything when he saw it. However, Zhu Yijun and Yingyue were more dissatisfied. But it's okay. There are many houses in this Humble Administrator's Garden. The two of them have seen that this is the case. I had no choice but to give up. Yingyue didn't want Zhang Fan to know her jealous thoughts. However, she was also angry at Zhang Fan's behavior of knowing that the other party was here to tempt her, but she did not say anything. Secretly scolding men for every good thing. Zhu Yijun didn't want to reveal his identity. In addition, in Zhang Fan's eyes, he also wants to maintain a prince's belly. Only then did he not say anything against it.

However, Zhang Fan doesn't have the heart to savor the garden art here. Because after the day off. The next day. The merchant ship was about to dock. Morning. The people, including the local officials of Suzhou, left the city of Suzhou from the east. Travel to Taicang Prefecture not far away. There are merchant ships waiting for the return to the sea in Liujia Port. This is the place known as "the first pier in the world". Zheng He's seven voyages to the West were all set sail here.

Local officials seem to have followed the habit of receiving the first merchant ship to return to the sea. It's just that they didn't expect that the minister sent by the imperial court would also come in person. The officials immediately came over and bowed. Zhang Fan is tired of it. But you can't just send it away.

The time has just arrived. Everyone could see three black dots the size of soybeans slowly walking towards the sea level. It's just that the speed of the ship is really not complimentary. Knowing that noon is approaching. It took three ships to enter the port.

Zhang Fan looked at the three sea ships. It's really exactly the same as the sea ship I took from the capital. It's just that it's much larger. And. It is different from the sea ships used by Zheng He when he went to the Western Ocean. Because it is a private use. Wearing and not having any weapons to defend against. Zhang Fan couldn't help but have a lot of feelings about those businessmen who dared to go to sea. Not to mention that the natural weather at sea is unpredictable. Let's just say man-made disasters. In case of encountering pirates. I'm afraid these people won't be able to come back so smoothly. Think of businessmen seeking profits. But it's so deadly. I think about when I was studying. The teacher once said something about Marx: "If there is a 10% profit." That's enough to drive people crazy; 50% of the profit is desperate; 100% of the profit can be risked; 300% profit can trample everything in the world. "Overseas trade in the Ming Dynasty. The porcelain, tea, and silk exported to foreign countries are not only 300% profitable. It's no wonder that the Ming Dynasty gave birth to a pirate king like Wang Zhi back then.

It was the first time Zhu Yijun had seen such a huge sea ship. Zhang Fan went down to the treasure ship in the south of the Yangtze River, he didn't see it. But that's for inland rivers. This comparison pales in comparison. And many ordinary people who are officials outside have seen this kind of scene many times. Still amazed by this.

The owner of the three ships, Zhao Xiande, is a native of Suzhou. At that time, the family also had a large family business. It's just because he accepted the family business. The family's business is still on track. Don't worry about him. Therefore, he did not know much about the shopping mall, and he was deceived by a few fox friends and dog friends to deceive his family's shops and business. Only a few large rental houses and a few barren fields remained. At that time, Zhao Xiande had just passed the year of his establishment. Having never suffered a setback, he couldn't afford to get sick after this blow. Fortunately, the family has the care of his wife and children. That's when he got back on his feet. But by then he had nothing. The few fields under his name are very barren. Not much food is produced every year. And Zhao Xiande didn't want to exploit those hired farmers too much. That's the time. Even maintaining this big family has become a problem. And this rented house in the family was left to him by his ancestors. He was reluctant to sell it.

Just right. This year is the first year of Longqing. Long Qing ordered the switch. Zhao Xiande knows. Get ready to gamble with all your possessions. If you don't succeed, you will succeed. It's just that he is afraid that his wife at home will worry. I didn't dare to tell them what I was going to do. He sold the property under his name. Mortgage your own rented house. Although the wife still lives in it. But if he doesn't bring the money the next year. The family was going to be kicked out. He drove away all his subordinates. left behind barely enough silver taels for the wife and two for most of the year. The rest of the money was all bought for the goods. said goodbye to his family and went to sea to do business.

Zhao Xiande didn't have much money because he scraped together. Most of it is used to pay for the cost of chartering treasure boats. So he didn't have too much to sell. with a few other small households. Most of them are added to the defeat. Those who want to go to sea and make a last-ditch fight are in the same boat. The first voyage was not smooth. At that time, Zheng He's charts in the Western Ocean were preserved. The route on the map can still be seen. However, most of those logbooks were recorded with a brush. Locked in a chest in the arsenal of the military department. No one cared for hundreds of years. The cold, damp basement made the handwriting on it a little blurred. A lot of noteworthy places are not clearly visible. In addition, the Ming Dynasty has not been out to the ocean for many years. A lot of things to look out for are unknown. The fleet ran into a lot of natural troubles. Thankfully, though. The fleet did not encounter pirates on its way.

That time. The fleet only reached present-day India and then sailed back. Zhao Xiande watched as many people exchanged cheap porcelain, tea bricks, and crude silk for a large number of precious spices, precious stones, and gold. And then return with a full load. He knew that the small amount of goods he was carrying would be worth a lot of money here. However, it is the nature of a merchant family. Make him yearn for more. He consulted with a few of the merchants on the ship. It was decided to continue westward.

Several people on the same boat deliberated. Agreed with Zhao Xiande's idea. Several people took out something in exchange for provisions. Even hired local guides. Then continue west. All the way. The guide changed a batch, and there was a batch. And everywhere he went, he became more and more savage. A few people even saw unclothed, swarthy savages. If it weren't for the hired guide and they said to pass through the foot of the most dangerous storm in the area, continue north. There will be a place called Europa. That was the place where Great Qin was back then. Zhao Xiande and the others naturally heard the rumors of Daqin. It's just that now the road to Daqin is occupied by Yuanmeng. The land route is already impassable.

Dozens of people in the same boat made a difficult journey along the road. Many people are not accustomed to water and soil. There was also an unaccustomed place for ocean voyages that fell ill. Thankfully. Because there is the presence of Langzhong on the ship. He commanded the people to throw the sick and dead into the sea. Although this is somewhat inconsistent with the traditions of the Han people. But because of this. There was no outbreak of plague on it.

The ship will be gone for half a year. The spirits of those who put it on were put to the test. But Zhao Xiande was the same as everyone else in the same boat. Worried about his wife and children at home. They survived. For the first time, the bearded men landed in the harbor of a country called Portugal. The people who see it here are different from their hometowns. But it is the time of civilization. Everyone couldn't help but burst into tears.

Afterwards. The crowd saw the rewards of this adventure. The goods brought with them were exchanged for gold, silver, and precious stones that were hundreds of times more than they had been purchased. At last. They even traded directly with merchants from France, England and other places by comparing the volume of goods with gold when trading.

A few people who were busy counted it. That's when I found out. What a lucrative benefit this adventure has brought to itself. Zhao Xiande couldn't even believe it. What I have earned in half a year is even more than the industry that my ancestors have accumulated for generations.

I was crazy for a few days full of joy. Only then did I remember that there were still people waiting for me at home. So they began to sail back. The way back was because of the experience of previous voyages. The crowd went relatively well. However, when he arrived in the South Seas, he still encountered pirates. But this time there was some danger. The crowd relied on the enormity of the treasure ship they were on. The pirates were not allowed to succeed.

Zhao Xiande, who returned to his hometown, was very excited. By the time he returned, he had already planned his future life countless times. But when he returned home, he found that his wife and children were no longer there. But he moved to another family. It turned out. The person to whom Zhao Xiande mortgaged the rental house saw that Zhao Xiande did not return with those who went to sea. Thought he was dead. Regardless of Zhao Xiande's orphans and widows, the strength is weak. Drove them out. Zhao Xiande couldn't help but be shocked when he heard this. He immediately went to look for his wife and children. Later, he finally found his wife and dying son in the slums of the western suburbs. When husband and wife meet, they naturally hug each other and cry bitterly. After that, Zhao Xiande spared no expense. He was finally cured of his son. However, the clay figurines also have three points of fire. Zhao Xiande, who was so humiliated, naturally wanted to seek justice. He went to the man with the deed he had signed when he mortgaged the property. Ask him why he did this when the time limit was not met.

That person also has some power in Suzhou. He didn't expect Zhao Xiande to come back. But then he found that Zhao Xiande was still poor. And the clothes are even more tattered. Ignoring Zhao Xiande's questioning. Send for him to be beaten with sticks. Zhao Xiande thought to himself that he had suffered so much to earn this money. Who knew that when I went home, I would suffer this anger again.

So he wrote a complaint and went to the yamen to complain. That person was not afraid of Zhao Xiande at all. And Zhao Xiande is also ready to bribe the silver. Who knew that Wang Yuanhuai, the prefect of Suzhou, was a Qing official. After finding out the truth. immediately returned the original house to Zhao Xiande. And Zhao Xiande didn't pay a penny. Even the money borrowed was forgiven. The man was not convinced. I also want to find Wang Yuanhuai's theory. was beaten by Wang Yuanhuai. The man who was beaten did not dare to trouble the government. But it was Zhao Xiande who counted this account. Who knows that Zhao Xiande is now wealthy. After all things are settled. He didn't want to make trouble anymore. Unexpectedly, the man took the initiative to come to the door. A year to sail abroad. Zhao Xiande, who struggled with the wind and waves, also gave birth to blood. Find someone and teach that person a hard lesson.

After this is over. Zhao Xiande told his wife and children what happened to him in the past year. His wife, Li, really didn't expect her husband to be so bold. Traveling overseas alone. But now the husband has returned safely. He also brought back gold, silver, and jewelry that he had never thought about in his life. Li Shi immediately cried with joy.

After that, Zhao Xiande was very comfortable for a year. However, he was not resigned to his current achievements. The following year he ignored his wife's objections. Single-handedly chartered two boats. The cargo hold was filled with cargo. Go west here.

I have to say that Zhao Xiande's luck is very good. On both occasions there were no encounters with pirates. Plus the experience of the last voyage. This time he made a good comeback to Europe. With the last trade. Europeans also knew about Zhao Xiande. He's coming back again this year. Brought something more. There is a difference between good and bad porcelain. Tea too. Even silk. There are high-quality goods from Huzhou. There are also coarse silks made in ordinary workshops.

The aristocrats of Europe thought it was last year. The goods brought by Zhao Xiande are the most exquisite. However, now I know that there is something better. As a result, whether it is ordinary traders or nobles and royal families from various countries, they all flock to it.

Zhao Xiande can be regarded as making a lot of money this time. Smiling from ear to ear, he returned with a shipload full of priceless goods. Zhao Xiande, who returned, became the richest person in Jiangnan. Out of the can't compare with some of the family's qualifications. There is hardly anyone here who can compare to his possessions.

Last year. He even intensified. Three sea vessels were bought. Go to sea again. Until June of this year. Today. It took three ships to return.