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In the traditional society of the official standard, both the Jin merchants and the Hui merchants paid attention to the combination of government and business, but the flexibility and initiative of the public relations methods of the Jin merchants were far inferior to those of the Hui merchants. Not every commercial city can become a consumer city, but Yangzhou can. There is already a saying in society now, called "Yangqi". It is the meaning of Yangzhou flavor, and if you study it deeply, it is what is luxurious, exquisite to the extreme, and it is to promote qi.

In this era, it can be said that Yangzhou is the fashion capital that leads the trend. This was the case until the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the "Yangzhou Painting Boat Record", it has been repeatedly mentioned that the extravagant consumption atmosphere of Yangzhou salt merchants, the beauty pageant is tired of choosing, and begins to choose ugly, the big girl smears soy sauce on her face on a hot day, and is exposed to the sun, which is uglier than anyone. than rich, engraved their names on the gold leaf, collectively ran to the pagoda of Zhenjiang Jinshan, threw the gold leaf out, and saw whose gold leaf was the first to float to Yangzhou.

These extravagant consumptions began as a PR tactic to cling to the dignitaries, and later became an urban habit. There is a saying in Yangzhou called black yarn hat and embroidered shoes, black yarn hat means that he is good friends with officials, and he can't be an official but also his son should be an official. Embroidered shoes are good for women. These two words also represent the political philosophy and life pursuit of Yangzhou salt merchants. In the process of frenzied consumption, the salt merchants in this city gradually formed their own unique citizen culture and highly specialized consumer market.

Salt merchants liked a beautiful living environment, so a mature market for garden architecture was formed. fed a large number of florists, bricklayers, and carpenters; Salt merchants like to be glamorous, so Yangzhou has developed opera art and theaters; Salt merchants like delicacies from the mountains and seas, so Huaiyang cuisine and celebrity chefs appeared; Salt merchants like to be laid-back. As a result, a large number of teahouses and bathhouses appeared. Salt merchants like to visit brothels, and they are easy to dress up, so there is a fragrant powder industry in Yangzhou. It can be said that it was the consumption of salt merchants that led to the prosperity of the whole city, and they were the ones who paid for the domestic demand of the city.

When the salt merchants from Huizhou were spending on a large scale, what were the locals doing in Yangzhou? This brings us to the other two social classes in Yangzhou after officials and merchants: literati and idlers. Both of these classes were dependent on the salt merchants. Let's talk about the literati first. Why is it that the same Huizhou businessman is particularly able to spend money when he comes to Yangzhou? I am afraid that this has something to do with the interaction between literati and businessmen in Yangzhou. For one or two hundred years, salt merchants have been popular in raising a large number of literati and Qing customers in order to be vassals, elegant or genuinely fond of them. They are in addition to merchants. Also plays the role of patron of the arts. Without the salt merchants of Yangzhou, there would be no famous Yangzhou Eight Monsters. In turn, these literati endowed the salt merchants with considerable artistic taste and cultural content.

Let's talk about idlers, because the salt merchants are too rich. The money earned by an ordinary family member is enough to support a large family. Yangzhou is "abundant" in a large number of idlers, who have no job and have nothing to do, so "in the morning they are covered with water, and at night they are covered with water - that is, teahouses and bathhouses." What is the idle journey? At that time, many people rushed to the teahouse as soon as they got up in the morning. Why? Because his towels and toothbrushes are all in the teahouse, and the washing is in the teahouse.

Under Sheng Biran's explanation, Geng Jingzhong had a deeper understanding of the city. I also know more about these salt merchants, it seems. Salt merchants have been counted as a group and a class, but only in Yangzhou. He used thunderous means to demand that the salt merchants hand over the salt works and the underwriting of the salt business, and some salt merchants may really do some actions in secret. This has to be prevented!

"Tell me, what is the reaction of the officials here in Yangzhou now, or the original gentry class? Suddenly, the Fujian model was copied, and for a while, there were a lot of people who didn't adapt to this, and I can understand it, but if the resistance is strong, this thing has to be slow! ”

"Back to the Grand Governor, there is no big reaction here, that is, the vast majority of scholars still do not approve of your policy. I think you should continue to open the imperial examination, govern the country with the way of Confucian sages, and scholars are the foundation of the country, and they cannot be abolished! Sheng Biran said cautiously, this topic is very heavy, Jiangnan has a strong reading atmosphere, and a large number of readers are now completely closed on the road to promotion, and have to start taking a new path, which makes many people uncomfortable and there are many readers who resist.

"Forget it, I didn't veto the way of Confucianism, that is, I don't reject Legalism, soldiers, vertical and horizontal families, etc., but it is impossible for me to govern the country with Confucianism and continue to take the imperial examination. I don't need those sour literati who can only do useless articles. Fortunately, there are too few officials like you who are proficient in the essence of Confucianism and can handle government affairs. ”

Indeed, from the former Ming Dynasty to the present, the system of selecting and appointing officials in the two dynasties is the same, but there are still many drawbacks, and Geng Jingzhong, in particular, the imperial examination system is the most disgusting. But there is no way, for hundreds of years, the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, are all Jinshi as the precious, but these Jinshi, all of them are familiar with the Bagu Wen background, the local state and county officials, basically by these scholars who have just released the brown, among these people, the people who are familiar with the affairs of the officials are not one or two, and the weak and incompetent are eight or nine of them.

When the officials were appointed, they were not carefully selected, and often used the method of exploration and planning as the method of selection, which finally created a situation where "the untalented people who were paid with the life of a hundred miles not only harmed the people, but also killed themselves". It stands to reason that local officials should be appointed by people who are familiar with local affairs, but looking at the above-mentioned eight-share clerks, it is obvious that they are not qualified, they do not understand the real thing, and the local control is in the hands of officials and squires, which can be understood.

And even if the Ming Dynasty is still taking the three subjects of Ming Law, Ming Calculation, and Ming Characters, their status is far less noble than that of Jinshike, and the selection of these professionals is only in institutions related to their majors after admission. Just like Guozijian's Ming Arithmetic Department, responsible for the entire country's engineering, budget, finance and other matters, things are very important, but the status is very low, and the promotion space is narrow, so every student is unwilling to take these three subjects.

On the contrary, the scholars who are good at Bagu Wen have a broad space for employment and rapid promotion. Of course, there are thousands of troops, and only the jinshi is examined.

However, the officials and officials of the previous dynasties were different, and the officials looked down on the officials at all. And the officials are the people who really do things in the locality. People say that the greed of the petty officials is rampant in the township, in fact, the ethics of many officials, in fact, are not much better, not long better than the officials, the scholars who have read the books of the sages, and finally become officials, are also greedy and arrogant, without the slightest desire to serve the country.

There is also a strange situation. The poorer the background, the harder the people who study hard, they often end up being more greedy. There is a tendency to ask for money and not to die. Officials from wealthy families are like well-fed wolves and leopards, and they must also pay attention to their appearance, these officials from poor families. Just ignore it. Regardless of thirty-seven twenty-one, let's get back the past investment first, like a wolf on an empty stomach! And they only read the books of the sages, and they don't listen to the things outside the window, they are usually nerds, and when they get to the place, in addition to cooperating to make money, what ability do they have?

"The policies pursued by the Ministry of Administration must be strictly enforced. This time, I came here to check the implementation of government affairs while having fun and relaxing. I sue you beforehand. There are only two important things I am looking for, one is the construction of the school, and the other is the implementation of the tax law. You and I will stay at the guest house tonight, and you will take me to the newly built schools in Yangzhou early tomorrow morning. Youdao is a ten-year tree and a hundred-year-old people, and these children are the future of the country. Those who read the book disdainfully will learn the tricks of the side door left Dao in the school, and their Four Books and Five Classics will be only a part of it. ”

"What the governor said is that his subordinates also feel that the efficiency of handling government affairs in Yangzhou has been greatly improved after they come back, and each department is proficient in business, and the officials are well versed in their duties, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and the school is the hope of the future, and the subordinates dare not slack off. At present, 20 schools have been built in Yangzhou City, receiving more than 3,000 students, but these schools are all poor students, and there are very few gentry families. ”

"Let them go. In the future, these people will be eliminated, and in the future, those children will blame their parents. So how is the tax law enforced? ”

"Well, this is still in the process of reform, Qingzhang Tianmu has not yet ended, and the commercial tax law is also hindered."

"I don't care about these, there is only one request, and those who do not cooperate will be sealed, but when enforcing the law, it must be reasonable and well-founded, so as not to be caught by others and make trouble to me, and I will be very passive when the time comes."

"Don't worry, the Metropolitan Governor, when enforcing the law, there is an inspection team sent by the Ministry of Government Affairs, and no one dares to bend the law for personal gain or arbitrarily enforce the law."

"That's good. I've been walking for so long, I'm still hungry, let's go, come with me for a supper. ”

A few people went to a tavern on the side of the street to find a place to sit down, ordered a Yangzhou fried rice, and ordered two side dishes. I just arrived in Yangzhou, and I had a banquet at noon, and I haven't tasted this Yangzhou fried rice. Yangzhou fried rice is also quite famous in Huaiyang cuisine, and according to legend, it is still derived from the broken golden rice that Yang Su, the prince of Yueguo in the Sui Dynasty, loves to eat. The flavors are different, and there are many varieties, often supplemented with eggs, sea cucumbers, ham, green beans, shrimp, pork loin, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions and other ingredients. This one's Yangzhou fried rice is also very authentic and tastes very good.

The meal was eaten quickly, and a dozen or so people used a silver dollar after eating. The silver dollar of Fujian is now used in all areas controlled by the Mawei Army, and it is still extremely popular. Because almost every Fujian silver dollar has the same shape, fineness and weight, although the fineness is not full, the proportion of silver is only ninety into one, but it can still be used as one or two, and the value has always been very strong.

In various parts of the Yangtze River, there were originally minted silver dollars, but they were far less useful than Fujian silver dollars. Originally, the circulation of silver dollars minted in Jiangnan was not very wide, after all, the craftsmanship of those silver dollars was not good, and it was not recognized by people, and a large number of Fujian silver dollars came to be different, and large households began to like to use silver dollars, which was simple and convenient, and avoided many troubles such as the color and weight of silver in the past.

The acceptance rate of the people is also very high, of course, there are not a few big silver yuan in the hands of the poor, and it is rare to see leisure, but small silver dollars and silver horns are common, as for the paper money of the Fujian Development Bank has not been popularized for a while, and the business of the Development Bank has just begun to be carried out in Jiangnan, and there is still a process for the people to receive it.

Ten people, eating a big silver dollar in one meal is a lot, and the price of fried rice is not expensive, but the price of those small dishes is higher. Just when everyone was about to leave after eating, a lot of people poured in, seeing that it should be a businessman from other places, who had just arrived here shouting loudly to eat, and the guards were afraid that something would happen, so they secretly surrounded them inside and out, but it was only a false alarm.

After eating, I was just about to go back to the inn to rest, when I suddenly heard a commotion at the corner of the street in front of me, and then I heard someone shouting: "Shunyi Fang and Changsheng Fang are fighting again!" ”

Hearing the shouting, people around him surrounded him, and even many people from the rice shops and noodle stalls ran out. It is the nature of Chinese people to watch the excitement, and Geng Jingzhong is no exception, he originally wanted to leave, but before he knew it, he walked up, and Sheng Biran and the guards also hurried to follow.

Go and take a look, the front of the black pressure circle has been surrounded by people, Geng Jingzhong and others had to stand in the back, he faintly saw that there seemed to be two people in the middle of the factory, they were arguing and spitting, it seemed to be some kind of commercial dispute. Then their workers were fighting, but fortunately they were all bare-handed, without knives or sticks.

When the fight started in front, someone on the side was already shouting: "Hurry up and call the police, don't let these people kill people!" ”

"It doesn't matter, these guys don't dare to be really ruthless, the police station has arrested a lot of people these days, all of them are street fights, they used to be idle ruffians and hooligans on the street, and it's really rare for these two leather shops to fight!"

"What do you know, these two companies are competing for the business of the Horsetail Army, and if they receive an order, they can at least earn this amount?"

"How much?"

"Three thousand silver dollars."

"My mother has so much, I have never seen so much money in my life."

"Then what you said, if you don't make money, will they fight like this?"

There were people talking all around. At the same time, some people are accusing the two leather shop owners: "Boss Zhou, Boss Hu, don't you two go to bid!" It's a big crime to fight in the streets! ”

"Yes, instigating workers to fight, be careful to be caught at the police station, not to mention business, you are unlucky, that is at least half a year in prison!"

When the two bosses heard this, they were also a little timid, and they were about to call it a day, when suddenly someone shouted: "The police are coming." ”

Like birds and beasts scattered, the people all over the street scattered in all directions with a bang. The workers on both sides also entered their respective shops with an uproar, and the doors were closed all at once. (To be continued......)