Zhu Wanjian finally went home.

When he left, he was glamorous, and when he came back, he was sloppy, his mouth was all shiny, and there was no woman to take care of him for more than half a year, Zhu Wanjian was good if he could bring himself back to Anlu safely, Zhu Jiashi almost wanted to pick up the soles of his shoes to beat this uncompetitive son when he saw it.

"Mother, the eldest brother still has no news, and the people of Jinyiwei are reluctant to talk about him, even if there is a relationship between the top and bottom, there is still no way to find useful clues, and then the family refuses to make money, and no one gives Xin'er...... Mother won't deliberately not give me money just to let me come back early, right? ”

Zhu Wanjian's tone was full of complaints.

I inquired about my brother's news in Beijing, and the days of wind and snow were so leisurely, and suddenly the supply at home was cut off, dragging me from heaven to hell, tossing back and forth like this, is it interesting?

Steward Liu hurriedly said: "Second master, do you know that in the middle of this year, we took the business of the collapsed house of the third lady's family......"

"What? We won the third child's business? Surely the money has been overturned, right? ”

Zhu Wanjian's eyes widened when she heard this, and her eyes were full of greed.

Steward Liu said with a bitter face: "I did earn a lot at first, after all, there is a new brother in Zhizhou, Xu Hanxu, who is in charge of the family...... But at the end of the summer, there was a sudden flood, and our warehouses were flooded, and we suffered heavy losses...... The Zhu family even had to sell their fields to reluctantly plug the hole, and the business of the collapsed house plummeted......"

Zhu Wanjian said angrily: "How to take care of the business? I can't do it without me...... You wretched. ”

Zhu Jiashi listened for a long time, and his face was gloomy: "You are back, there is just something for you to do, do you know about the popular glass beads in Beijing?" ”

"Huh?"

Zhu Wanjian was a little puzzled, "Did you hear about it, didn't you say that it was a tribute from the Western Regions?" ”

"Nonsense, what kind of tribute from the Western Regions is the tribute of the Xingwang Mansion...... If you go to Jingshi, you won't even forget what your family's workshop is doing, right? Zhu Jiashi said angrily.

Zhu Wanjian waved his hand: "It is said that the glass beads, crystal clear, with a naturally formed color in the middle, are all said to be made of Tianshan 10,000-year-old spar, so it is worth a lot of money, and it is not easy for the dignitaries in the Beijing Division to get one...... Our broken glass ......"

Steward Liu hurriedly reminded: "Second master, we have recently got a group of new craftsmen, and with their help, the glass beads have basically been imitated...... You see, this is a sample. ”

As he spoke, Steward Liu handed over a few beads to Zhu Wanjian.

Zhu Wanjian held it in his hand and was shocked: "It's almost the same as the legendary glass beads, where did the craftsman come from, and he actually has such a good craft?" We...... We're going to get rich. ”

Zhu Jiashi said: "You don't have to ask where the craftsman came from, there is a person now, that is, Su Xigui, who had done business with the third daughter-in-law before, happens to be in the local area, you go to greet Lao Liu, and by the way, show him the glass beads we produce, and negotiate the price with him." ”

"Su Xigui? I don't want to go...... I just came back from a long journey and I'm tired......"

When Zhu Wanjian heard that he was going to negotiate with Su Xigui, he suddenly felt uncertain.

At first, he sent Su Xigui to a local prison cell, which caused a lot of trouble later, Su Xigui is very clear about his personality, he is definitely a shrewd businessman with a strong background, and he really doesn't want to touch that bad head.

"If you want to go, you can go, hurry back to the room and wash up, clean yourself up and refresh yourself before you go to meet people...... If the errand at home is not done well, the mother will ask you to go to the land of the nine sides to guard the territory, and be accompanied by the yellow sand day and night. ”

The old lady threatened with ferocity.

Zhu Wanjian's face fell suddenly: "I knew that it would be no good to come back, wait for me to take a bath and change clothes first...... Anyway, I have returned from afar, and my mother-in-law and children have not seen each other, so there is such an unkindness! ”

……

……

When Su Xigui asked someone to inform Zhu Hao to meet, Zhu Hao was busy in the laboratory.

Then Zhu Hao met Su Xigui directly in the courtyard of the laboratory.

"Zhu Xiaomaster, this is a sample of glass beads given to me by the Zhu family, you can take a look ......at it" Su Xigui took out a glass ball and handed it to Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hao took it and looked at it carefully: "It smells like that...... It's not easy! ”

Su Xigui said: "Now that the Zhu family has come to the door to talk to me about business, and said that this glass bead will be supplied to me for one hundred yuan, what choice do you let me make?" If this thing is sent to Liangjing, at least one piece can be sold for a few taels of silver at the current value......"

Zhu Hao smiled: "Such a good business, what is the owner of Su hesitating?" Do it! ”

"Master Zhu, you're not angry, are you? I came to you to tell you...... The formula of this glass bead is no secret, you don't need to hide it privately, it's better to give me the formula, I will make it myself, no one can be cheap Zhu family, isn't it? ”

Although Su Xigui attaches great importance to profits, he stresses principles.

said that he cooperated with Zhu Hao, knowing that Zhu Hao and the Zhu family had an antagonistic relationship, then they must not ruin the business alliance between the two parties for personal gain.

"Lord Su, let me say it bluntly, in fact, the secret recipe of the Zhu family was given to them by me...... Seeing them imitate for a long time and not get the essentials, I was anxious here, so a few days ago I found someone, and sent it to the Zhu family after a few rounds, the craftsmen of the Zhu family were trained by me, and they had a certain technology, and under my secret guidance, their glass beads were soon on the market......"

Zhu Hao smiled brightly, making Su Xigui scratch his head.

"This ......"

Su Xigui pondered for a long time, and then he became a big understanding, "Master Zhu, do you want the glass beads to depreciate quickly?" No, even if this is a tribute from the Xingwang Mansion, you don't want to sell it privately, and you can't give the secret recipe to the Zhu family...... The Zhu family makes money, is it good for you? ”

Zhu Hao smiled: "You can't forget your roots, I'm such a real person." ”

Su Xigui almost spewed a mouthful of saliva.

You tell me not to forget your roots?

The Zhu family has suffered so much loss at your hands, others don't know, isn't it clear to me Su? Let's just say that you used a plan in the summer to sublease the warehouse to the Zhu family, so that the Zhu family's warehouse was flooded, and you lost so much silver, this is the performance of not forgetting your roots?

There is a conspiracy!

"Zhu Xiao is in charge, it's better to ...... You point it out, but the contemptible people really don't understand. ”

Su Xigui took a humble posture of seeking advice.

Zhu Hao got up and said, "Lord Su, if you want to say it, I've been very busy lately, and I don't have time to greet you for a long time." Oh yes, do you have a way to buy straw cotton? I got some spinning machines and looms here, and I need a large amount of grass and cotton, and it is best to have long-term and stable purchase channels. ”

In Chinese history, cotton was divided into three types: silk cotton, kapok and grass cotton.

Silk cotton is made of silk, which is a specialty of the Chinese region and has been there since ancient times.

Kapok, also known as red cotton, hero tree, and climbing branch flower, is a deciduous tree, and the cotton produced is mostly used for bedding, clothes and other fillers.

Later, what people usually said about "cotton" was grass cotton.

Grass cotton in the late Southern Song Dynasty, that is, in the middle of the thirteenth century into the interior, there are two ways of the north and the south, namely the Western Regions and the Lancang River Basin, to the Ming Dynasty Zhengde period, in China has spread for more than 200 years, from the Yuan Dynasty cotton spun Huang Daopo actively promoted the spinning machine, loom began, grass cotton slowly entered the homes of ordinary people, the Yuan court had set up the "Kapok Lifting Division", from the folk cotton cloth.

The promotion of grass cotton in China is more of an order issued by Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty: "Where there are five to ten acres of private land, half an acre of mulberry, hemp, and cotton are planted, and more than ten acres are doubled." ”

Since then, grass cotton has gradually replaced mulberry hemp in various places and has become the number one cash crop.

By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, wearing clothes woven with grass and cotton had become a common phenomenon.

However, the annual grass cotton is mostly planted in Jiangnan and other places, and the land is located in the north of the Yangtze River, and there is not much cotton planted.

Su Xigui nodded and said: "Grass and cotton are available all over the world, such as official salt and tea, which can be bought everywhere, but it is only used as a household textile for the common people, and you have to weave cloth in large quantities...... Listen to my advice, or weaving silk and satin, it is more profitable. ”

Su Xigui looked down on the cotton cloth business at all, and in his eyes, silk was still more high-end and high-grade.

Zhu Hao smiled: "I'm just weaving for fun, where is there so much silk for me to weave?" It is still good to have a large amount of grass cotton. ”

"Okay, in the future, I will transfer the goods to Anlu and add you an extra batch of grass cotton, which is all fine cotton with excellent quality produced in Lingnan...... Then Zhu Xiao, the matter of glass beads, since you don't have any opinions, I will do business with the Zhu family...... Don't be surprised, if you think it's wrong, tell me that I can interrupt my business with them at any time. ”

Su Xigui was still not very relieved, and hurriedly asked Zhu Hao what he meant.

Zhu Hao said with a smile: "It's okay, take advantage of the fact that the glass beads are not rotten on the street, hurry up and make a fortune, or because I am the one who provides the glass beads to the palace, I want to earn this silver." ”

"Rotten street? Hehe! ”

Su Xigui muttered while thinking about whether there was any big conspiracy hidden behind Zhu Hao.

It's a pity that I don't get the point.

But with the Zhu family's business, he still wants to do it, after all, one hundred Wen buys a glass bead, and when it is shipped to Liangjing, it is more than ten times the profit, no matter how you look at it, it will not be a loss.

……

……

The Zhu family's glass bead business is in full swing.

In a remote alley in Anlu City, a man with a scruffy beard and sloppy clothes walked in from outside the courtyard gate, and a brocade guard Xiaoqi inside the door was about to step forward to salute and speak, but before he got close, a pungent smell came.

It was mixed with the smell of smoky alcohol and the stench of not bathing in days.

"Zhu Qianhu."

The small flag salutes.

"Why is it here again? Is there something wrong? ”

Zhu Wanhong sat down in front of the ancient well, threw a wooden bucket into the well, and brought up a small half bucket of water, without using other utensils, he poured a few sips directly into the mouth of the barrel, and sprinkled half of the placket with cold water.

Xiaoqi felt a chill in his heart when he saw it, this winter's ...... Zhu Qianhu, you are very heroic.

"That's the case, I reported to you some time ago that glass beads are popular in Beijing, first to pay tribute to Xingwangfu, and then as a treasure given by His Majesty, there are many people in Beijing who collect them, and form a trend in this way. I don't want to be close, An Lu Zhu's family ...... It is the Zhu family where you are located, which is manufacturing glass beads in large quantities and transporting them to all parts of Daming through different channels to sell them......"

When Xiaoqi reported here, Zhu Wanhong suddenly picked up the wooden barrel and smashed it viciously on the ground, and the wooden barrel was directly halved.

"Ouch, you see my temper coming up, I can't control it, what will I drink tomorrow?" Zhu Wanhong regretted it after falling.

Xiaoqi trembled: "Zhu Qianhu...... You...... Why are you angry? ”

Zhu Wanhong sneered: "Are you stupid, or stupid?" The glass beads are the tribute of the Xingwang Mansion, pretending to be from the Western Regions, and then the Zhu family made them in large quantities, and they told others that the glass beads of the Xingwang Mansion came from the Zhu family?

"The Zhu family was ordered by the emperor to move to Anlu to monitor the Xingwang Mansion, and if they had the jewels, they didn't take the initiative to pay tribute, but they gave the Xingwang Mansion first? Do you say that the Zhu family is loyal to the imperial court or to the Xingwang Mansion? ”