The flowers and trees in the small courtyard are sparse, and the sandalwood is thick.

Shen Liuniang made Zhu Zhen a cup of tea.

"Your Highness is back so early?"

"Well, there was a temporary change, so I came back first." Zhu Zhen picked up the teacup and took a sip. In this kind of environment, there are a lot of people.

"I've got something to talk to you about."

"It seems that His Highness is preparing to do a big job." Shen Liuniang's eyebrows rippled.

"Oh, how do you tell?" Zhu Zhen glanced at her and asked.

"Your Highness is not the same as before, you look refreshed and energetic." Shen Liuniang pursed her lips and smiled: "Thinking about His Highness's age, he naturally wants to do a career." ”

"Oh, hahaha, you dare to make fun of this king." Zhu Zhen was stunned for a moment before he understood, and couldn't help laughing: "This king is really going to do something, I don't know if Liuniang is willing to help me?" ”

"Two arms are fine." Shen Liuniang nodded without hesitation.

"Okay." Zhu Zhen told Shen Liuniang about the situation of the city, and then asked her: "I heard that the Shen family originally relied on maritime trade to make a fortune?" ”

"Not exactly." Shen Liuniang briefly told the history of the Shen family:

"My family's ancestral home was Nanxun Town, Wuxing, and there was a plague one year, so the whole family moved to Zhouzhuang. At that time, plagues and wars continued, and the population of Zhouzhuang was losing severely, so our family opened up land and occupied the land that had lost owners and tenants for ourselves. In this way, a lot of fields were accumulated. Then it was improved, and water conservancy was built to turn the barren land into fertile land.

"By the time my grandfather Wan Sangong inherited the family business, the Shen family already owned thousands of hectares of fertile land. The grain produced was sold to the maritime merchants, who then transported it to the north. But my grandfather has always been very unwilling, because the maritime merchants relied on the monopoly of shipping, and the purchase price was very low, and they made most of it. ”

"Then he will also get a boat by himself and transport grain to the north to sell." The old six are smart.

"My grandfather thought so at first, but the sea was controlled by the six major maritime merchants at that time, and the city was in their hands, and even the sailors of the Yuan Dynasty had already become their minions. Therefore, only the six great maritime merchants and the merchants who depend on them can go to sea, and the rest of them have no way. ”

"My grandfather's attempts failed, but he was a visionary and resilient man, and since he decided on the path of maritime trade, he had to go through it no matter what."

"How did he get there?" This is what Zhu Zhen is most concerned about.

After careful research, he found that Lu Deyuan, one of the six major maritime merchants at that time, was very old and had no heirs. Several nephews are also waiting to eat the wine bags and rice bags of the desperate household. Shen Liuniang continued:

Grandfather managed to make friends with Lu Deyuan, and it happened that Lu Deyuan had already retired, but there was no one in the family who could take on the task, and he was anxious to find a helper who could help him do some business. After the two partnered for a few businesses, Lu Deyuan thought that his grandfather was the one he needed.

His grandfather worshipped him as his father-in-law and inherited his career at sea. I saved enough money by shipping grain, and then I built large ships, expanded the fleet, and did business in the South and Western Seas, and from then on my family became rich, so much so that it was rumored that my grandfather had dug up a cornucopia. ”

Shen Liuniang spoke in a clear manner, and soon presented Shen Wansan's history in front of Zhu Zhen.

"Understood." Zhu Zhen nodded and asked, "Are the six major maritime merchants still there now?" ”

"Shouldn't it be there?" Shen Liuniang was not very sure: "These things are all told by my father before his death." The slave family remembered that it was already Hongwu. Then the Shen family was moved to Fengyang, and now the family is ruined, and it has nothing to do with the sea. ”

"In addition, there is also the Gu family, who has a similar experience to us, and it seems that they are also among the six major maritime merchants." Shen Liuniang recalled again: "The name of the Gu family is ...... Gu Yuanchen, when he was in Fengyang, he often went to my house, and I don't know if anyone is still there. ”

"Gu Yuanchen." Zhu Zhen wrote down this name because Lao Liu also mentioned him. And Lao Liu also mentioned another person. "What about Yin Shaozong?"

"I only heard my father talk about him, and I heard that his family has been flying huge ships to and from the ocean for generations, and he should be one of them. But I don't know where he is now, dead or alive. Shen Liuniang couldn't eat it:

"Then there are the Shanghai Tang family, the Songjiang Zheng family, the Qingyuan Ni family, the Fushan Cao family, and the Hangzhou Xie family...... I heard that these seemed to be sea merchants at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, but it is unknown which ones were the six major sea merchants and which were not. ”

After speaking, she quickly explained: "In fact, the theory of the six major maritime merchants, even in the Yuan Dynasty, is not on the stage, especially the families in it, who are often secretive about the identity of maritime merchants. ”

"Hmm." Zhu Zhen nodded in understanding. Outlaw and lawlessness at sea not only have a bad reputation, but they are also often stained with underworlds. The famous family of poetry and book heirlooms naturally did not admit it.

"This is all gossip that the slave family heard from the mouth of the family when I was a child, and I can't do it accurately." Shen Liuniang emphasized again.

"Then investigate it!" Zhu Zhen said in a deep voice: "Which ones are the leaders of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and maritime merchants now?" How do they work, and how deeply do they collude with the pirates? ”

After a pause, he said faintly: "Is there also collusion with the officers and soldiers...... And, is there a protective umbrella in the DPRK and China?! ”

"Yes......" Shen Liuniang hurriedly responded, and was embarrassed: "You can count on the Golden Lotus Academy, I'm afraid you won't be able to find out the information that Your Highness wants." ”

"Hmm." Zhu Zhen nodded and asked, "Here in the Golden Lotus Courtyard, can you go away?" ”

"It's on track, and it's okay to walk away for a while." Shen Liuniang said.

"That's good." Zhu Zhen pondered for a moment and said: "I brought back to Beijing an old gentleman named Wang Dayuan, who is very familiar with the situation at sea, but he has not been to the sea for many years. I am going to have you, as my representative, go with him to investigate the issues just mentioned. ”

"The slave family knows." Shen Liuniang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she heard that there were still experts.

"You go to Changshu, Suzhou, Taicang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Ningbo to see the real situation of maritime merchants in those places with your own eyes, and you can return before the end of the year." Zhu Zhen stared at her without a moment and said:

"This matter is very important, you have to be very careful!"

"Understood." Shen Liuniang was busy.

"In addition, I will give you a small flag to keep in touch at all times. In case of danger, you should also call for help in time, and you don't have to worry about revealing your identity. Zhu Zhen instructed again.

"Yes, yes, yes." Shen Liuniang couldn't help but purse her lips and smiled: "Your Highness really thinks about us people. ”

"This king is just afraid that he will delay his business." Zhu Zhen coughed embarrassedly, got up and said, "Nothing else, I'm leaving." ”

He had to go to see if Deng Qianhu had completely disarmed.

(End of chapter)