Guangzhou City Xiguan shop is lined up, since the former Chao Xiguan area has been the port of trade with Yangyi, to the Qing Dynasty before the first Sino-British War, Guangzhou has become the only Sino-foreign trade port, Xiguan merchants are more and more dense, to the Sino-British War ten years later, although because Guangzhou City is not allowed to enter Yangyi, Shanghai has gradually replaced the status of Guangzhou, but because Guangzhou is adjacent to Hong Kong, under Xiguan, the commercial houses have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and gradually formed a prosperous place of commerce and trade.

From Xiguan along the Pearl River down, that is, Huangpu Port, this area of foreign banks gathered, Yellow Flag Line, Double Eagle Line, Ruihe Line, Guangshun Line, etc., this piece of business and once monopolized the foreign trade of the thirteen lines mixed, also known as Yiguan, is the business name of merchants from all over the world, for example, the Greater Luzon Line is the Spanish Pavilion, the Guangshun Line is the United States Pavilion, and the Double Eagle Line is the British Pavilion.

There is a square in front of the double eagles, also called the English Garden, after the fire a few years ago, the railing was destroyed, this originally closed square became a thoroughfare, some small traders along the street also like to gather here to do some small business selling salted olives, peanuts, pastries, tea, porridge and so on.

Ye Zhao led Rui Si, changed into civilian clothes, walked around Xiguan Huangpu a few days ago, and finally bought a house from Xiguan, which was a street store, and a small house in the back, the original owner's surname was Zhang, but the family moved to Hong Kong, in order to sell the ancestral house, and the price was one hundred and fifty taels of silver.

Rui Si didn't understand the commercial value, so he felt that the master of this transaction was at a loss, but no, the house was small, and the house was dilapidated, one hundred and fifty taels of silver, and the price was really high. However, Rui Si also knew that the master was always acting with a purpose, and he was just hiring craftsmen to repair the house according to the master's instructions.

Ye Zhao has Ye Zhao's intentions, although there are many shops in the Xiaxiguan area, but it is not easy to find a seller for a while, you can't spend a lot of money to buy other people's restaurants and silver buildings, too public, too eye-catching, eye-catching, and it is not beautiful to be noticed and people find out their identities.

Buying a house and a store in Xiaxiguan was just to get in touch with ordinary businessmen in Guangzhou, so it could be regarded as research, Ye Zhao couldn't help but think of a rather distinctive word in his previous life. What's more, what are you afraid of if the house is small? Rong'er will never come to live, and she occasionally spends a few nights, does she really have to be clothed and fed?

This business originally sold cloth, but now the pineapple counters and shelves are empty, Ye Zhao sat on the wooden bench at the door, gently shaking the folding fan, observing the passers-by, but he was thinking about what kind of business he would do.

When I turned around, I saw the autumn shopkeeper who was looking around with emotion in the store, the old gentleman was in his early fifties, with elegant manners, and had worked for the old owner of the store for nearly 40 years, and had been selling cloth in this shop since his apprenticeship.

However, the old club was good to him, and recommended him in front of Ye Zhao, if Ye Zhao wanted to open a store, and he happened to need such a helper who was familiar with the Xiguan market, he was happy to push the boat and stay to observe for the time being.

"Shopkeeper Qiu, tell me, what do we do to make a living?" Ye Zhao put away the folding fan and stood up.

For the new owner, the shopkeeper Qiu didn't know much, only heard that it was a dilapidated merchant house in the capital, and came to Guangzhou to beg for a living, and although Ye Gongzi was dressed simply, he knew that his bearing was extraordinary at a glance, and he must have been a wealthy family before he came.

Listening to the owner's question, the shopkeeper Qiu thought for a while and said: "Seventy-two lines of business, no matter which line you do, if you can touch the door, you can be top-notch, I don't know if Shaodong has a familiar business?" "The owner is from the capital, maybe there is a way.

Ye Zhao paced two steps and said with a smile: "According to my wishes, I am going to open a money bank, what does Shopkeeper Qiu think?" ”

The autumn shopkeeper almost didn't hold back in one breath, and opened a money bank? How much capital is that? What's more, this line is not something that can be done with silver, you must have credibility and prestige, and people will be convinced of the ticket number issued by your bank, otherwise even if you say that the sky is broken, people will use your silver ticket as straw paper, it will be useless after all.

"This, this ......" The shopkeeper Qiu didn't know how to persuade the whims of the young owner, to put it deeply, the young owner was young and vigorous, and he was afraid of drowning his enthusiasm; It's shallow, and I'm afraid he won't listen.

Ye Zhao smiled: "Shopkeeper, I know what you think, the money bank I told you is different from what you think." For the merchants from the south to the north to issue a ticket number, we are naturally not qualified to touch, I said the money bank, is ready to lend money to the merchants who are not working in the turnover of money, we benefit from it, you are the old line of Xiguan, Xiguan merchants who encounter a problem, want to come you can also receive the wind. ”

The shopkeeper smiled bitterly in his heart, and said that the new owner was ready to make a profit for a long time, what kind of serious business is this?

Ye Zhao seemed to know what he was thinking, and said with a smile: "Our money bank is different from the loan shark, whoever wants to make our silver, then he has to submit a paperwork application, the industry he is engaged in, why should he borrow silver, and how to use the borrowed silver must be written clearly, if we feel that his business is promising and profitable, this will lend him the silver." ”

After pondering for a while, he said: "Even if he is penniless, if he has a new insight into the merchant trade folk workshop, we may not lend him the capital." ”

But I sighed softly in my heart, if I started this kind of business in Europe, what kind of situation would it be? Nowadays, the West is the era of the Big Bang of invention, electric lights, telephones, generators, internal combustion engines, etc. are gradually born, which are things that affect the course of human beings, and small inventions, such as automatic absorbent pens, spray perfume bottles, pneumatic tires, etc., are really all-inclusive, and with their own knowledge, they will naturally know which inventions of those down-and-out inventors who apply for loans will succeed, and with their own funding, the names of inventors in the history of world invention will definitely change dramatically.

In China, it is natural that those who are self-funded are businessmen who are more "avant-garde" than the domestic environment, and those who learn from the West and set up industrial and commercial enterprises.

Shopkeeper Qiu listened to the owner's whimsy, although it was ridiculous, but he faintly felt that the owner might not be a wonderful business to make money, but he couldn't help asking: "Shao Dong, forgive Qiu for being rude, Shao Dong's idea may not work, but this money?" Can we get it? ”

Ye Zhao said with a smile: "There is a small way, let's start small, start with the maximum amount of this loan of five hundred taels, and when the number rings and the money is enough, let's increase the number of loans little by little." However, if there are indeed merchants who are in urgent need of large sums of money and have a good way to make money, we don't care about making exceptions. After a pause, he said, "As for our capital, it's only 10,000 taels." ”

Shopkeeper Qiu's eyes almost popped out when he heard this, ten thousand taels? This owner is completely different from his original estimated identity.

Ye Zhao smiled again: "10,000 taels of silver, naturally not a large amount, if necessary, I will contact friends who are familiar with foreign banks, and cooperate with foreign banks, and I will have more confidence." ”

Shopkeeper Qiu said with a smile: "If this is the case, as long as the first few transactions are famous, there will be merchants who will come to us to deposit silver, so borrow chickens and eggs, and the cycle will continue, and Shaodong's business will become bigger and bigger." "If you can have 10,000 taels of silver, then it is not surprising that you know friends from foreign banks, as long as the money is sufficient, and then slowly has its own reputation, it is an excellent business.

Ye Zhao smiled slightly, he didn't care if Qianzhuang could make money, he just tried his best to promote the development of industry and commerce in Guangzhou, and the focus of his own silver was on those businessmen who were ready to build large workshops and had keen eyes, as for the introduction of Western machines and industrialization? But it is necessary to take it slowly, and these businessmen will always have a process of understanding. With his current status and status, he can only do this step temporarily.

……

Back at the mansion, Ye Zhao went into the study to study the excerpts he was going to send to Yanjing.

A few days ago, I went to visit the Guangzhou general Mu Teen, for the sake of the matter of divine protection, I asked Mu Teen to be extrajudicial, and when employing people in the army, he could make Shen Bao wear a crime and make meritorious service, and be punished with a hundred lashes, but he was temporarily exempted from the punishment of exile in Heilongjiang, and stayed in the army to listen to it, so as to observe the after-effects. Of course, intermarriage with Han people is naturally hidden and unreported.

It's just a small vest soldier, with the deputy commander personally guaranteeing it, and it is the prince's elder brother, Mu Teen naturally won't refute Ye Zhao's face, but he will rely on it.

Ye Zhao also mentioned the idea of compiling three battalions of musketeers. Although Xianfeng faintly mentioned this meaning in his edict, if he didn't communicate with his boss before going to the fold, he would inevitably seem to be ignorant of respecting his superiors and rude and arrogant.

But Mu Ten is noncommittal, naturally he stays out of the matter, neither obstructs nor agrees, and does not take responsibility for the accident, anyway, you, the deputy capital, have the right to directly give the emperor a fold, and I don't care about your business.

Studying his excerpt word by word, Ye Zhao couldn't help but think of the letter that Rong'er received yesterday, and it seemed that he and Rong'er had sent this letter before they arrived in Guangzhou.

There are two good news for the Nala family in the family letter, one is that Rong'er's sister Jin Yifei has become a real mother, and she has taken a solid step towards the throne of the Queen Mother of the West. The second good news is that Concubine Yi has a dragon species, but this made Ye Zhao a little unexpected, remember that in history, Lan Guiren is going to get pregnant next year, right? However, thinking about his life in the capital, he gradually formed a butterfly effect, and Emperor Xianfeng's house was different from history, and it was not surprising that Lan Guiren was pregnant in advance or even not pregnant, and it was even more unknown whether he gave birth to Brother or Gege.

The six princes are becoming more and more important, but they don't know where the wheel of history in this world is going.

And with its own participation, how does the history of Guangzhou develop? Even if your eyes are in front of you, it's a fog.