As soon as the meeting of the Wenhua Hall ended, when Zhu Youzhen was about to return to Xiyuan, Qian Qianyi secretly followed him to the apse.

Zhu Youzhen then stopped and asked the cabinet chief assistant suspiciously, "Sir, do you have anything to talk to me about?" ”

Qian Qianyi also immediately replied: "Yes, Your Majesty, the minister just wants to ask Your Majesty, what does Your Majesty think about this matter in Shanxi?" ”

The so-called Shanxi incident naturally refers to the impeachment of the Datong Governor's Office by the two governors. Although the Datong Governor's Mansion solved a * trouble for the imperial court, for the civilian officials, the army's actions this time were obviously out of control, after all, they bypassed the local government and directly pointed the finger at the gentry and Haoqiang, which naturally caused the civil officials to be uneasy and dissatisfied.

Even if the imperial court now has to approve some policies that harm the interests of the gentry class, the civil officials do not intend to promote the implementation of such policies by a group of military officials, which not only infringes on the power of the civil officials, but is more likely to make the situation out of control, so that the status of the military officials can break through the bottom line that the civil officials can accept.

The joint letter of the two governors of Shanxi and Datong has won the support of many people in the DPRK and China, and there is no shortage of people in the cabinet. Although Qian Qianyi emotionally stood on the side of the two governors and thought that the behavior of the Datong Governor's Mansion was indeed improper, as the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, he did not want to cause the confrontation between the Chinese and the military because of this matter.

After all, this is the year of the great famine, and the assistance of the military is inseparable from the relief affairs in the disaster areas and the suppression of local disaster victims. In particular, the policies that the imperial court wanted to promote, such as the coinage bill, the integrated payment of grain by the gentry, and the land reform, were inevitably resisted by the local gentry, and without the support of the army, these policies were obviously difficult to implement.

So intellectually, Qian Qianyi still hopes that this matter can be turned into a big thing and a small thing. It's just that he understands one thing, that is, his prestige is really not as good as that of the former first assistant Huang Liji, not to mention the political opponents such as Wen Tiren and Cui Chengxiu, even within the New Donglin Party, he can't do what he says.

If he wants to suppress the letters of the two governors, it will only cause a backlash from everyone. And if they support the position of the two governors, then it is very likely to cause dissatisfaction with the military. In the current situation, if the military does not cooperate with the imperial court a little, he will be responsible for the overall situation.

So Qian Qianyi urgently needed the emperor's support for him. After working in the position of Shoufu for so long, he finally has an experience, if he can get the support of the emperor, the power in his hands is almost unlimited, but on the contrary, what he wants to do is tied.

Regarding Qian Qianyi's request, Zhu Youzhen naturally would not refuse, after all, it was also in his interests. He only thought for a moment, and then said to Qian Qianyi: "Mr. is right, this matter is indeed not suitable for making a big fuss, and it is the most beneficial for the imperial court to calm down quietly."

Of course, we can't tell the truth, otherwise it will inevitably arouse criticism from the government and the opposition. In my opinion, it is better for the cabinet to issue a commendation order to the local officials in Shanxi, commending them for their achievements in Shanxi's cause of fighting drought and providing disaster relief, and encouraging them to make persistent efforts and not slack off.

Then privately, Mr. wrote a private letter to the two governors, asking them to endure each other for the country, fight the famine with the Shanxi garrison, and not tear each other down, which ruined the good situation in Shanxi. Otherwise, the court will never sit idly by.

As for the Datong Governor's Office, I will order the General Staff to issue a reprimand and tell them to minimize their interference in local civil affairs. After all, the local government should take the lead in local affairs..."

Even in a year of famine, there are still people in this world who can continue to enjoy the pleasures of life that ordinary people can't enjoy. Just like the disaster areas in Shaanxi, Henan and other places have begun to starve to death, those luxury restaurants in the capital are still staged full of guests, drunk and dreaming of death.

Some people even think that only those who can afford to go to a restaurant in such a year are friends with strong family backgrounds and worthy of making friends. As for those shabby households who usually have swollen faces and fat people, they are now going to be "exposed" in their original form, and they can only avoid outsiders and not "show" their faces.

It is precisely with this psychology in mind that the business of these luxury restaurants in these years is a little better than usual. As for the luxury tax paid for spending money in these restaurants, it was a means for them to assert their status.

Wang Chunyun closed the windows inside and outside the suite, and after isolating the sound of floating waves in the courtyard outside, he returned to the wine table and raised his glass to the four or five guests in the suite and said, "We have almost drunk the wine today, and now we have the last glass of wine, how about everyone sit down and talk about business?" ”

Everyone cheered, and they all got up and drank this glass of wine with Wang Chunyunying, and someone asked him impatiently: "I don't know what kind of business Wang Gongzi wants to talk about when he invites me to a banquet today?" ”

Wang Chunyun put down his wine glass and said to everyone unhurriedly: "I came to you to talk about it, I don't know if you are interested in investing in various businesses in Shenyang..."

However, before Wang Chunyun's words were finished, some people had already questioned: "Shenyang? Last time, if someone hadn't taken over, we would have almost gotten nothing. Those Jiannu are too untrustworthy, how can they do business with them..."

Just as Wang Chunyun was trying his best to convince these wealthy businessmen, on the floor below them, Methwald, the general manager of the East India Company's Asian region, was also hosting a banquet for Robert Brown. Blake saw him off.

Methwald for Robert. After pouring a glass of wine, Blake said with a smile: "This is a wine made by the Chinese in Shandong, using the brewing techniques of Portuguese and Italians, and I think the taste is quite close to the taste of Europe." It seems that the next time the fleet departs from China, we will not need to use the inferior sugar cane wine and coconut wine. ”

Robert. After taking a sip, Blake nodded and agreed, "It's indeed quite a good drink, and it would be better if it could be aged for a while." I'm sure the crew will love them. But didn't you invite me here just to taste the wine and see me off? ”

Methwald put down his cup, took out a cotton handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then placed the handkerchief on the table before facing Robert. "Do you know the price of such a handkerchief in China and in the UK? ”

Robert. Blake hesitated and said: "It seems to be 2-3 pence a piece in China, and it seems that you can't see such cotton handkerchiefs in England?" ”

Methwald shook his head and said, "There are no plain white handkerchiefs of any color, less than 2 pence each." Add a little simple embroidery pattern, that's 3p more. If it's a custom pattern and an intricate embroidery pattern, that's 6p each. And after these handkerchiefs are transported to the UK, the first two can get about 2-3 times the profit. As for the last one, it is at least 4 times more profitable.

But even so, these handkerchiefs, socks, and underwear made of cotton are far cheaper than silk products. You should be well aware that Britain does not have the ability to produce silk on its own, and although France and Spain have a small amount of raw silk industry, they are far inferior to the quality of raw silk in East Asia. The best raw silk in East Asia has always come from China.

In other words, if we continue to encourage the trade in raw silk and silk, the wealth of the kingdom will continue to flow to China, and eventually we will become China's vassals in Europe, which will be detrimental to the kingdom.

But these cotton cloths are different, whether in Europe or the Americas, there are countless places suitable for growing cotton. As long as we master the art of cotton weaving, we can greatly alleviate the current phenomenon of wealth flowing eastward. Moreover, the mass production of cotton cloth can also replace part of the market for silk fabrics, thereby reducing the demand for raw silk in China and Europe, so that the trade between the East and the West can be slightly balanced..."

Robert. Blake thought for a moment before he nodded and said, "Your Excellency is right, even if they are allies, the difference in strength cannot be too great, otherwise such an alliance will break sooner or later." However, China can be described as a blank in the cotton textile industry, are the Chinese willing to import such skills into our country? ”

Methwald shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands and said, "I don't think anyone wants to teach such a lucrative skill to outsiders, just like the few cotton weaving machines I sent back to China before they were secretly dismantled before they could be shipped back." However, we should be grateful that the Chinese have encountered an unprecedented famine this year, which has given us some opportunities.

Because of the famine, China's cotton planting will be greatly reduced this year, which has caused many factories to start laying off workers. You know, some people take risks in order to be able to feed their families. So, I managed to hire some apprentices who had studied in the cotton industry, and I hope you can bring them back home safely..."

"Apprentice? Why not craftsmen? "Robert. Blake looked a little surprised. Methwold was quick to explain to him: "It is precisely because they are apprentices that they are not valued by the Chinese. If I had recruited a group of artisans to be your crew, the fool would have known that it wouldn't be that simple..."

Robert. Blake replied cheerfully, "Well, I'll take them back home safely, but who should I give them to when I'm in England?" East India Company in London? ”

Methwold quickly shook his head and replied, "No, of course not. I have already written to my brother, and as soon as you arrive in London, my brother will naturally come to the door to pick them up. ”

Robert. Blake groaned for a moment before turning to Methwald, "Actually, I also hope to make some contribution to the kingdom's trade. ”

Methwold thought for a moment and said, "£250, 5% of the shares." That's the biggest stake I can decide to give, and I want you to understand that this isn't my business alone. ”

"Then it's settled. As long as I'm alive, they'll be able to get to London safely..."