Inside the theater.

When the lights were first on, there were a lot of guests in the theater, Zhang Zhou was still in his private room, and the hustle and bustle outside seemed to have nothing to do with him, he could still meet guests with peace of mind, or handle official business, or do some simple things to be comfortable.

The fragrant tea was beside him, and what Zhang Zhou drank was the tribute tea that the emperor rewarded him, and he didn't think it was good, but the fragrance of tea could spread far away.

Cheng Minzheng on the side sat there, somewhat restless, changed the previous Cheng Minzheng, he would never bend his waist to the powerful for anything, and now that he is a powerful person, or in a high position, he understands that the high place is unbearable, and he even needs to bend his waist to face Zhang Zhou.

Times have changed.

Even Cheng Minzheng didn't understand why he had such a change...... It could be a situation, a change in the situation, or a ...... The human heart is full of flesh, and sometimes it has to succumb to the situation.

Zhang Zhoudao: "I didn't expect that someone would really come to me to plead for Xie Gelao, and that person was actually you, Master Cheng." ”

Cheng Minzheng smiled awkwardly and said: "They are all old friends, they can help if they can, and what he did is not his fault alone, maybe...... Changing the old man's position in his position, there are some things that have to be done. ”

Between the words, Cheng Minzheng seemed to understand Xie Qian very well.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Master Cheng is honest enough, but that Xie Ge Lao refuses to admit that what he did was instructed by others or discussed with anyone. ”

"Huh." Cheng Minzheng smiled bitterly.

But what does it matter if he says it or not? If the matter is what Xie Ge Lao meant, then His Majesty may not pursue it, Master Cheng, you understand what I mean, right? Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.

Cheng Minzheng nodded helplessly.

What else does this need to understand?

If Xie Qian doesn't form a party from the beginning, and what he does is not completely in step with traditional Wenchen, even if sometimes Xie Qian is straightforward and does something wrong, the emperor doesn't bother to pay attention to him.

"So, this matter depends on what Your Majesty means." Zhang Zhoudao.

Cheng Minzheng said: "Cai Guogong, since you have told me clearly, then I will also say it directly, although it is said, this is a case approved by His Majesty, but your words are more effective than what others say, it can be said that as long as you say a word, you can save him from fire and water, and you can also win the praise of others, you can help others and save yourself, why not?" ”

Zhang Zhou smiled but did not say a word.

Let me sell favors and be a good person? Why are all the good things taken by you?

What's more, do you Cheng Minzheng know which side you should stand on? Don't you know that if I hadn't saved you, your bones would have turned to ashes by now? Do you really think that the problem case back then was simply attacked? If someone hadn't stabbed you in the back, you wouldn't have ......

Zhang Zhou said: "I'll try my best, if Your Majesty asks, I will say." But if Your Majesty doesn't ask, then I won't mention it, because I also want to avoid suspicion. ”

Cheng Minzheng said: "Then you just want to avoid it?" I beg your pardon for my abruptness, but in my estimation, Your Majesty will not present this matter in front of you, because Your Majesty also wants you to avoid suspicion. In fact, if it weren't for the sudden good news in the northwest, maybe this matter would have been over. ”

When it comes to the imperial court, Cheng Minzheng is not pedantic, and he also knows the attitude of the emperor and Zhang Zhou on the issue of Xie Qian.

Zhang Zhou smiled: "If it's really not over, then what should I say?" ”

"What do you mean?" Cheng Minzheng seemed puzzled.

Zhang Zhou smiled and shook his head and said: "In other words, this is the way of an official, it lies in one advance and one retreat, others say that I advance too much and retreat too little, but in fact, when it comes to disagreements with ministers, I often retreat and retreat." Now I want to take a step back...... Master Cheng understands what I mean? ”

"This ......"

Cheng Minzheng pondered it a little, and he knew Zhang Zhou's off-string sound.

Let me speak for Xie Qian, what's the benefit?

I can't be the one who loses every time, right? One advance and one retreat is actually equivalent to an exchange.

"If Master Cheng feels embarrassed, I haven't said it." Zhang Zhoudao.

Cheng Minzheng said: "I can't do this kind of thing, you see ......"

"It's okay, I can wait first, as far as I know before, Xie Ge Lao didn't suffer much treatment in the edict last time, or he was just traumatized, but a courtier who is about to retire, no matter what, he should have an expectation for his future, I believe he can face it calmly." Zhang Zhou hinted again.

You can go back and talk to Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.

I'll act as an intermediary for you, running errands on both sides, as a messenger for our negotiations.

After all, it is not appropriate for me Zhang Zhou to meet with the two of them in the cabinet, so you will be the envoy.

I can also withstand the wait, and you can rest assured that Xie Qian will not be tortured in prison now, and as for his future, it is in the hands of several members of your cabinet, whether you want him to be happy or not, it is up to you to choose.

……

……

When Cheng Minzheng left, he realized that Zhang Zhou could not be a sheep now.

To help Xie Qian in order to ease the relationship?

Such a noble thing is tantamount to digging a hole for himself, even he Cheng Minzheng knows that Liu Jian and Li Dongyang will not be able to tolerate Zhang Zhou no matter what, and they will take a step back...... It is better to talk about the conditions directly, which seems to be the best way to solve the prison disaster for Xie Qian.

After Cheng Minzheng left, someone came in the private room again, this time it was Sun Shangqi.

Sun Shangqi had just returned from Yongping Mansion, and in addition to the dust, he also had an indomitable momentum.

"Grandpa, the humble post has submitted the accounts of the expenses of the past two years, this time I went back to Beijing, that is, I brought a batch of money and grain back, saying that the inner government and the household department have allocated it, and in the days when you are gone, the girder of the harbor has been loaded, and the first ship has docked, and some materials from the south have been transported, and it is a large number of ......."

"According to the previous holy will, this batch of materials will be left in the port for dispatch first, and there is no need to send them to the Beijing Division. However, now everywhere is already asking when the sea will be carried out after the beginning of spring next year, and how much food and soldiers and horses will be brought with them, and some businessmen seem to want to go to sea with the ship, and some are already buying berthing seats. ”

"Secretly revealing the wind, saying that it is necessary to give two hundred taels of silver for a trip to sea, and the merchants are still rushing to it, even if it rises to five hundred taels, it is estimated that many people want to go to ......"

Sun Shangqi already has the momentum to be a city lord.

As a Jinyi Wei Qianhu, he is just a military general, but because he has been with Zhang Zhou for a long time, he began to have a certain understanding of economics and management, and began to use some of the resources around him to build new cities and ports, which belongs to the bridge between Zhang Zhou and the local government.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Those businessmen probably only heard about how much silver we shipped back by sea, and thought it was profitable, so they all wanted to go with them." But you must know that there is no trade in overseas lands, only plunder, that is, only hard enough fists to bring back resources. Silver and gold are the most valuable things in their eyes, but in my opinion, they are just by-products of our plunder. ”

Sun Shangqi said: "I don't understand the lowly position, so do you want to take the merchant to the sea together?" ”

"You can take them to the South Seas, somewhere else...... They can go if they want, but they are also told not to die on the ship. Going to sea to dig food is not a simple trip, you can survive the hard journey, but also survive the plague and war in a foreign land, just tell them that those who are willing to invest in the construction of ports have the priority to go to sea, just like the businessmen who paid dividends before, turned around and cashed the dividends of that group of people, and then found a group of people to come in, build a few more boats, and cast a few more cannons......"

Zhang Zhou's shipbuilding plan to go to sea began with raising money and grain in Nanjing.

At that time, what was mentioned was the right to distribute dividends to the merchants who funded shipbuilding in the south, and many people did not join for the sake of dividends at first, after all, they all felt that it was unrealistic to go to sea to reap benefits, and it was more a kind of knot to Zhang Zhou in exchange for the support of the imperial court.

However, with the smooth return of Hongji's fourteenth year to sea, the sea ships brought a large amount of gold, silver and supplies, which made everyone's eyes red.

What Zhang Zhou needs to do is to let those who invest first see the return, so as to attract more people to join...... As for how much return the people behind can get, Zhang Zhou will not make any promises, but there will still be many people who contribute and rush in.

……

……

Sun Shangqi sat down with Zhang Zhou and explained the matter of Yongping Mansion to Zhang Yiyi.

“…… Now the allocation of money and food is basically no problem, but it is ...... There are fewer people, the first few thousand people, now there are twenty or thirty thousand people, and there are still a large number of military households and civilians who are migrating there, but they still can't recruit people in some trades, especially the work of contribution, and now the price is very high, and the idlers who can be used in Yongping Mansion are all used, and it is still not ......enough."

Sun Shangqi said, looking at Zhang Zhou with blank eyes, "Do you want to mention it to Your Majesty, and transfer people from the side to it?" Jingying ...... Maybe, too. ”

Zhang Zhoudao: "The port is equivalent to a new city, and when everything is waiting to be thrived, what is needed most is people, which is not what I expected." The construction period will be delayed a little, and it seems that this is the only way to do it for now. If you transfer people, you don't meet the rules of Daming's household registration, but I am afraid that you will be criticized again, so you will go back and let people go to Beizhili and Shandong, and transfer a group of people back...... In addition, Liaodong will also transfer people back, Jurchens, and Koreans...... They will also migrate over. ”

Sun Shangqi asked, "Will it be too late?" ”

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "This city may have to wait for decades or hundreds of years before it reflects its value, why rush it?" At the current rate of immigration, if in a few years, do you think there will be a shortage of people? Maybe it's because the initial steps are too big. ”

"Yes." Sun Shangqi saluted.

"After you return to Beijing, hurry up and settle your family, are you going to bring them over? In addition, deal with the affairs of the capital more, don't be so busy, maybe Tang Yin will come back at the beginning of the year, and when he comes back, he will go over to preside over these things as the right attendant of the Ministry of Works. ”

After all, Tang Yin is a court official, and he is a civil minister.

No matter how awesome Sun Shangqi is, he is just a brocade guard.

No matter how hard Sun Shangqi tried, he couldn't accomplish some things.

"Humble duty understands." Sun Shangqi got up, "Grandpa, there is one more thing. Several workshops in Yongping Mansion are also recruiting, and now there is not much shortage of people, but there is a shortage of ...... The materials are mixed everywhere, you can see if it is ......"

Zhang Zhou gradually transferred his textile workshops to Yongping Mansion.

Because many of the workers used in the light industry are women, and the social status of women in this era is low, they can come out to make a living, as long as they are in this kind of workshop where women gather, it will not bring many social problems, and even many people rush to go.

This brings about the problem that there are many female workers, and the production capacity can keep up, but the raw materials cannot keep up.

After all, the quantity of many light industry raw materials in Daming is rationed according to the original primitive and backward production efficiency, Zhang Zhou's side suddenly improved the production efficiency, and for a time it was difficult to solve the problem of material shortage on the premise of increasing the output of raw materials without chemical fertilizers.

Zhang Zhoudao: "This requires the assistance of the magistrate. Your Majesty is ready to find a few people who have outstanding achievements in local politics, or aspirants, and let them start to increase the cultivation of grass and cotton in some provinces on a large scale, and in addition to this, we will also purchase from overseas...... Sometimes you don't need to buy it, you just need to grab it back. In addition, the overseas land is vast and sparsely populated, so we are looking for some people from the tribe to help us plant...... In southern Liaoning and other places, a lot of farmland will also be opened up to assist in production...... There are also tuntian in all parts of the north...... This can only be solved slowly. ”

Sun Shangqi said: "The humble position is just to bring up the difficulties, with the grandfather you are there, I believe these are all expected." ”

Zhang Zhou nodded and said: "After the beginning of spring, a large number of fabrics may be used in the north. ”

"What can be built by the end of the year is said to have been made, and the specific ...... The lowly position is not very clear. ”

After all, Sun Shangqi is not in charge of the workshop.

"The accounts?" Zhang Zhou asked.

"Yes." Sun Shangqi said, "People are waiting outside, do you want to invite grandpa in?" ”

"Hmm."

Zhang Zhou nodded, "You are busy with yourself first, I am not your direct boss, and you don't need to report to me on your official business." Go ahead. ”

"Yes."

……

……

Sun Shangqi had just gone out, and another person who helped Zhang Zhou take care of the workshop, Huang Zhao, came in with an account book.

Behind her, there was also a person who looked like a follower, and the person who looked like a follower carried a wooden box in his hand, and obviously there were also accounts and materials related to the workshop.

"Irrelevant people go out first." Zhang Zhoudao.

The little attendant handed over the wooden box to Huang Zhao, and then went out, and after the door was closed, Huang Zhao slowly walked in front of Zhang Zhou, and then knelt down very respectfully.

"Get up and speak." Zhang Zhoudao.

Huang Zhao slowly got up and put the account book in front of Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou picked it up and looked at it, and pointed casually: "Sit." ”

Then the woman sat down, obviously she was very restrained in front of Zhang Zhou, although she was from a big family, no matter how big the family was, she couldn't compare with Zhang Zhou, a powerful person like Zhang Zhou, and she was a female streamer who could sit on an equal footing with Zhang Zhou, which she thought was unreal.

So much so that she didn't dare to face Zhang Zhou head-on. (End of chapter)