From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 258

Chang Baizhi and Qiao Chaiqing sat down, with beads of sweat still on their faces. To be honest, the scene of Zhou Yuan coughing up blood just now really scared them.

After so many years of doing business, I have seen countless officials, both civil and military, some easy to get along with and some difficult to get along with.

But no official has ever dared to play so hard with them. It's nothing more than profit. Who would use the trick of "longevity of heaven and earth"!

Zhou Yuan actually knew very well that this group of people was too smart. Coercion and inducement might not make them surrender. After all, there was no evidence of smuggling salt and iron. The list that Yao Guangyi knew was all small shrimps and scapegoats, which could not shake the foundation of Shanxi merchants.

Under such limited conditions, if you want to play games with smart people, you can only use surprise and risky moves.

"Sir Zhou, you act like this, aren't you afraid that we will change our minds!"

Qiao Chaiqing was quite angry.

So Zhou Yuan took out another packet of medicine powder and said calmly: "This packet is real. If you change your mind, we will gamble again."

"I, Zhou Yuan, have fought in the war and fought my way out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I am not afraid of death. What about you?"

Chang Baizhi said anxiously: "Put it away quickly! Master Zhou, there is no need to be like this! We are convinced!"

Zhou Yuan said: "Oh, do you think that if you hide the smuggled salt and iron well, you will be fine? King Jing needs so much money for rebellion. Can you, the Jin merchants, escape responsibility? If you really want to investigate, you will turn your foundation into ashes!"

The eldest sister has her considerations when doing things. King Jing's rebellion did not involve a large-scale war and killing people. It is entirely because the current court cannot withstand turmoil. There are chaos everywhere. The smaller the scope of the incident, the better.

According to Xiong Kuohai, "The court still needs Shanxi merchants, especially in the iron ore development and armor manufacturing, which are crucial. In the next few years, wars will be frequent. If Shanxi merchants are reshuffled, the war must be postponed, but the current situation cannot afford it."

For various practical considerations, the eldest sister finally compromised and basically did not conduct a large-scale thorough investigation.

Of course, this group of Shanxi merchants knew their own positioning very well, so they dared to hold on.

"The five military camps also followed the rebellion, and now there is a mess left. His Majesty does not give military pay. Where can I find money?"

"You bastards want to be turtles after getting into trouble and leave the problem to me? It's not that cheap!"

"You should pay this money! Even if you report it to His Majesty, I'm not afraid! If you don't believe it, try it! See who is more shameless!"

Qiao Chaiqing clasped his fists and sighed: "Zhongwu Bo is very courageous, and I admire him."

"This time we are convinced, we should pay We will not break our promise if we pay the price."

"But shouldn't the Duke of Zhongwu also make a promise to us? We can't just take away two million taels of silver. If we do, we will just die."

Zhou Yuan said calmly, "Don't act like a wronged young wife. You are lucky enough to have me. If it were Liu Jing, the Minister of Revenue, he would definitely agree to confiscate all your property. His appetite is not two million taels, but twenty million taels."

Everyone broke into a cold sweat after hearing this.

Zhou Yuan said: "Don't waste any more time. Once the things are delivered to me, I can guarantee that no one will bother you again."

"That's it. Now let's talk about another matter."

Chang Baizhi was startled and glared: "There's something else!"

Zhou Yuan said coldly: "This is what His Majesty wants me to say. Do you want to listen?"

"Listen! Listen!"

Chang Baizhi hurriedly said: "The Holy Lord has given an oral order, and we, the common people, naturally dare not disobey!"

Zhou Yuan said: "You Shanxi merchants should have connections with Chaozhou merchants, right?"

Qiao Chaiqing nodded and said: "Shanxi merchants, Chaozhou merchants and Zhejiang merchants are all competitors, but our big families are not incompatible. Sometimes we exchange letters and talk about things."

Zhou Yuan said: "Please help me contact the Chaozhou merchant family and explain it clearly in the letter. Ask them to find a way to buy a few red-haired craftsmen. These craftsmen need to be proficient in the manufacture of falconets and matchlock guns. We are useful. "

Chang Baizhi was stunned for a moment, then said: "Sir, we don't understand!"

Zhou Yuan frowned and said: "I will write a letter myself and send it to you when the time comes. You must send it to the hands of the Chaozhou merchant family."

"No matter what method you use, stealing, robbing, using money to buy beautiful women to seduce, you must find craftsmen."

"The court can afford the expenses in this regard. If the matter is done, His Majesty will personally write the plaque of "The First Chaozhou Merchant" and send it over."

Qiao Chaiqing nodded and said solemnly: "Don't worry, Lord Zhongwu, we can still do this little thing. As for how the Chaozhou merchants respond, it is not up to us to decide."

Zhou Yuan said: "Do it well.You can do your own thing. In addition, I will give you a sweet date. If you find a red-haired craftsman, the court will arrange a lot of things for you to do in the future, and there will be opportunities to make a fortune. "

"Of course, Zhejiang merchants are definitely willing to do such things."

Qiao Chaiqing hurriedly said seriously: "Shanxi merchants are familiar with salt and iron, and will do better."

Zhou Yuan said lightly: "That's a later story, that's it for today."

He stood up and said slowly: "Hurry up and send me the money! Otherwise, don't blame me for turning against you! This portion of arsenic is left to you! Those who are brave can have a taste!"

He turned and went downstairs, and many old men from Shanxi merchants couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

They looked at the bag of white powder on the table. Chang Baizhi frowned, leaned over to observe for a long time, twisted it with his hands, and smelled it.

Finally, he slammed the table and roared: "It's still his mother's flour! "

At this moment, Zhou Yuan had already boarded the carriage and was on his way home.

The exploration of firearms is the key to pacifying the world in the future. Otherwise, how can we fight the cavalry of the Eastern Tartars and the Northern Mongols?

The physical fitness, individual soldier quality, and horse quality are not on the same level. It is nonsense to say that we are sure to win them.

But if the big killers such as the firearms and the Portuguese cannon can be mass-produced, it will not be so difficult to deal with the cavalry.

Since Haojing has been occupied and even Xiangzhou has been invaded, it means that the maritime hegemons such as Portugal and Spain have begun to colonize the world.

Their firearms must have matured.

Time waits for no one, we must think long-term!

The carriage suddenly stopped, and Mingrui said in a low voice: "Son-in-law, someone is blocking the road."

Zhou Yuan glared and said: "Enemy? Assassin?"

"No, it's that fairy sister!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a charming voice sounded: "Good boy, I like your name. "

A woman in plain clothes jumped onto the carriage, walked in with a bent waist, and sat on the couch.

She squinted and said softly: "Do you know me?"

Zhou Yuan swallowed and said: "It's hard for me to forget a woman of your level, Saint Mother Sister. After three months of separation, I seem to have missed you for a lifetime."

Li Yu'an squinted and said: "Your little mouth is so sweet, but it's a pity that this is not my real appearance."

While speaking, she waved her right hand across her face, and her already stunning appearance was substantially improved.

The current Li Yu'an is truly worthy of the sentence: "Her bun is tall, her eyebrows are long, her lips are bright, her teeth are white, her eyes are bright, and her cheeks are beautiful."