Tang Mu knew the usefulness of this gold nugget for the Guangzhou party, and appeased the Guangdong gentry and made them believe that the trading company relied on it to get the gold and silver mountains overseas, so he did not dare to let Liu Mingde dispose of it at will, for fear that he would take it and melt it to fill the financial gap.

"Shopkeeper Liu, what are you going to do?" Tang Mu asked carefully, it was not necessary, he didn't want to offend Liu Mingde.

Liu Mingde touched the head-sized gold and said, "It's still smaller, if it's as big as a pillow, it's even better." Some time ago, I heard the big shopkeeper talk about it, saying that those rich people in Shanxi who made a fortune by trading with Tartars, after getting the silver, cast it into the size of a winter melon, and called it helpless.

That means that the thief will not be able to move away if he enters the vault. I think that if we melt it, we will make it bigger and more deceiving. ”

Tang Mu nodded slightly: "But you can't make it too big, it's not okay to have a thin layer on the outside." The last time I discovered the gold mine of Jinguashi, the big shopkeeper glued those dog-headed gold together to deceive people in Guangzhou, and was almost discovered by those shrewd gentry and businessmen. ”

"That's natural, you wait for a few days, I will order someone to do it, and when the time comes, you will not let people see that something is wrong."

At this time, a secretary walked in and said to Liu Mingde: "Shopkeeper Liu, you have made an appointment to meet Haiming in the afternoon, and it is time for you." ”

"Oh, I forgot." Liu Mingde was busy for a day, then he remembered, patted his head, and hurriedly went.

Tang Mu said: "But Haiming of the Hai family in Qiongzhou." ”

Hai Ming is the brother of Hai Shuzu, since Hai Shuzu opened a new iron workshop, many people from the Hai family came from their hometown to serve, and Hai Ming is one of them. The amount of iron used in freshwater is huge, and Haishuzu simply bought a large fortune ship to transport iron to freshwater.

In order to avoid pirate infestation, let Haiming be the captain of the ship, and every time he came and went with the trading company's armed merchant ships. However, due to the northward voyage of the fleet, the number of ships between Tamsui and Guangzhou was reduced, and the demand could not be met, so Haishuzu simply bought a newly built Migratory Bird-class Yahat ship from the shipyard of the trading company and formed a fleet to travel between the two places.

"Shopkeeper Liu, when you meet him, you can thoroughly understand the Nagasaki incident, especially the fact that Chen Huaiyu was captured by the Japanese." Tang Mu said with a wicked smile.

Liu Mingde was stunned for a moment, but since he laughed, he said, "You kid, it's very bad." Well, I'll help you once. ”

As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. And vice versa, the greater the disappointment, the greater the hope of rekindling when things turn around.

Guangzhou, Chen family, ancestral hall.

"The ancestors have spirits, and they shelter my son Huaiyu to return safely."

Chen Zizhuang knelt in the ancestral hall, chanting words, until his knees were sore, and he stood up with the support of the servants.

"Where's the butler?" Chen Zizhuang got up and asked.

The housekeeper hurriedly arrived, and Chen Zizhuang said: "Tomorrow invite goldsmiths and carpenters to rebuild the plaques of the ancestors, you go to the treasury and get more gold, the ancestors protect the descendants, and you must not be neglected." ”

"Yes, sir." The housekeeper responded, followed behind Chen Zizhuang, watched him leave the ancestral hall step by step, and said: "Master, your peace of mind is that over the years, you have respected the heavens and ancestors, cultivated yourself and held yourself, and donated money to the imperial court and refugees, and everyone called you a good person."

Not only our ancestors of the Chen family, but God will also bless you. ”

Chen Zizhuang nodded slightly, he thought that over the years, he was worthy of the sky and his conscience. He asked, "I came back from the South Park yesterday, and I haven't seen my wife for two days." ”

"Madame...... Madame, she went out. The butler said carefully.

Chen Zizhuang flicked his sleeves: "Nonsense!" What did she go out and not come back at night? ”

"I'm going to Macau." The housekeeper lowered his head, seeing that Chen Zizhuang was angry, he simply knelt on the ground and said: "Master, Madam really remembers the fourth son, just chanting and praying in the Buddhist hall every day is not enough, I just think that the fourth son is going to sea, and he has to worship Mazu."

But after asking around, I said that our Mazu Temple in Guangdong is the most effective in Macao, and the incense is the most vigorous, so ...... So I went to incense without telling the master. ”

"A woman's thoughts." Chen Zizhuang scolded: "The incense of the Mazu Temple in Macao is vigorous, where is the effect, because we Cantonese people go to sea to pan for gold in Dongfandi, and the four surnamed pirates are in turmoil, so we can only go to Macao for the sake of ......." ”

Last time, Li Zhaoji sent people to glue the dog's head gold together and sent it to Guangzhou for a round of exhibitions, and he spent money to invite a few storytellers and beggars who sang the lotus flower to publicize it everywhere, and the news of the discovery of gold mines in Dongfandi had spread, and those people who were unemployed because of the lack of access by land and sea from all over the country poured into Macao on a large scale, and from there they took ships to Tamsui.

After going to the first batch of people, the Oriental Trading Company selected two of them to make money, and when they went home to pick up their families, they went around to publicize it, and the route from Macao to Tamsui was completely detonated.

Because everyone has to go to sea from Macao, the incense of the Mazu Temple in Macao is suddenly vigorous.

The housekeeper listened to Chen Zizhuang's scolding and whispered: "The old slave specifically asked the people over there in Macao, but anyone who goes to sea to go to freshwater has never heard of an accident on a ship." ”

"That's because the ships of the Oriental Trading Company are all large sea ships, and the sailors are highly skilled, and the ships are strong and sharp, so of course they are not easy to get into trouble." Chen Zizhuang said.

The housekeeper smiled and said: "That's for sure, so the master should be more at ease, although the fourth prince went to the East, he took the ship of the Oriental Trading Company." I also heard that Li Zhaoji was so cunning that those small-headed widows couldn't help him.

The fourth son of our family will definitely be able to return safely and become famous in Guangdong Province.

Oh, when the fourth prince makes a name for himself among the gentry, the lord will operate a little more, donate a background to the son, whether it is the national eunuch or the epiphysis, the fourth prince may not be worse than the other sons in the future. ”

The housekeeper is a talker, and he said it all in Chen Zizhuang's heart, but at this time, an untimely scream came from outside, it was Mrs. Chen's voice, she cried: "Master, something is wrong, something is wrong, something is ........" ”

"What are you shouting and shouting, disturbing the ancestors, how is it good?" Chen Zizhuang didn't expect his wife to behave like this as soon as he came back, and immediately showed the demeanor of the head of the family.

"Something happened to Huaiyu, and he was taken by the widows." Mrs. Chen panicked, covered her face, sat on the ground and shouted.

Just now I talked about Chen Huaiyu's safety and outlined his future future, but now I heard about his son's distress, and the elderly Chen Zizhuang fell on the steps of the ancestral hall.

Chen Zizhuang was stunned for a long time, but he still felt incredible, and asked Mrs. Xiang: "Where did you get the news, who is talking nonsense." ”

"It's someone from the Hai family, I was incense in Macau, and it happened that the man named Haiming came to make a vow, he recognized me and told me that something happened to Huaiyu." Mrs. Chen cried as she spoke, since she got the news, her tears have not stopped, and she came back all the way, saying that she was sad, choked up, and fainted.

Chen Zizhuang and the housekeeper hurriedly beckoned someone to carry the lady to the bedroom and found the doctor, after the doctor saw it, he only said that he was too sad and should not be stimulated again, and he only prescribed a calming medicine, and left.

Chen Zizhuang didn't dare to ask his wife about his son, so he asked the housekeeper: "Who is Haiming that Mrs. is talking about?" ”

"Back to the master, you have also seen, the last time the master of Haishu Zuhai came to the house to send Dongfan specialties, there was that Haiming in the entourage, saying that if there is a need to communicate with Tamsui in the future, you can use his ship, and Haiming is in charge of the Hai family's merchant fleet." The housekeeper said.

"Yes, yes, the old man remembered, you quickly go to the Hai family and call him."

The housekeeper went immediately, Hai Shuzu was not at home at this time, because the iron mill was busy, he ate and lived in the iron mill, and even handed over the fleet, so Hai Ming was quickly called to Chen Zizhuang's mansion.

The two met in the study, Chen Zizhuang asked Haiming to sit on a low stool, and said: "Haiming, where did you hear about my child, you are the treasurer of the Hai family's fleet, and you have never sailed north to Nagasaki, is it possible to say that when you were in Tamsui, you saw Li Zhaoji's fleet coming back?" ”

"Master Chen, the little one said, don't tell others that it's a small one." Hai Ming put on a bitter gourd face and slapped his big mouth fiercely: "It's all my fault for being too talkative, I shouldn't have told the old lady about it." ”

"I don't blame you, and I won't sell you, you just say. Say, the old man will reward you with gold and silver. Chen Zizhuang was anxious to know the source, so he did not look to blame.

"A few days ago, I led a fleet to send immigrants and iron materials to Tamsui, and I met Liu Mingde and Liu Mingde as usual. When the shopkeeper Li was outside, on the side of Tamsui, the business affairs were under the control of the shopkeeper Liu. Eating wine at Shopkeeper Liu's house, most of the drunk, was taken to the guest room, and when he came out to relieve himself, he listened to Shopkeeper Liu talk to his wife.

It is said that the great treasurer's fleet had gone wrong in Nagasaki in trade with the Japanese people, and a Zheng family named Zheng Tai, together with the Japanese people's officials, hijacked a ship of the fleet. The boat was led by the prince of your mansion, and even the boat and people were taken. Hemming said seriously.

"You can really hear it, how does he Liu Mingde know?"

Hemming said: "I don't know this little one, but the words are true." And on the same day, something strange happened in Tamsui, first a ship of Greater Luzon appeared in the open sea, and also opened fire, under the pretext of the port military control, but soon, it was released again.

When I came, I saw with my own eyes the army of the barbarians from the east going to Tamsui, and I saw people carrying artillery to the ship, but it was like a battle. ”

"Heming, think about it again, if there are other things, tell all of them to my master." The relationship between the Chen family housekeeper and Haiming is not so simple, after the two get acquainted, there are still business dealings.

Heming recalled it carefully, and couldn't think of anything else. Chen Zizhuang said: "Go to the account room and give Haiming thirty taels of silver." ”

When Haiming heard that he was really rewarded, he went happily.

The housekeeper sent Haiming away, then came back and asked, "Master, you said that since there is an envoy from the Oriental Trading Company back, and the son has such a big incident, why should he send a letter to Guangzhou." Why didn't they send people? ”

"What's more, it must be Nagasaki's business, it's not as simple as losing Huaiyu and a ship, maybe you will lose all the gentry's goods. Sending envoys back to Tamsui is to transfer troops and ships, probably just to tell us the truth after turning the book.

Damn, then Li Zhaoji is really a gambler. Chen Zizhuang said angrily.

"Then what should we do, if you don't report to the official, please ask the Governor to come forward." The housekeeper said.

Chen Zizhuang scolded: "You idiot, what's the use of reporting to the official, the sailors in Guangdong can't even solve the pirates at the door of the house, so let's hold a group training to suppress it." What's the use of this, whether it can take down the fresh water, or send troops to the country? ”

The housekeeper immediately didn't dare to speak, and Chen Zizhuang said: "You immediately bring people, take my post, go to the state capitals, and invite all the gentry who do business with Li Zhaoji to South Park." Although none of them had their sons in distress, they each had their own cargo on Lee Siu-kee's ship, and they were always of the same mind as us. ”

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