Chapter 1189 Everyone gathers to discuss!

Jiangnan, Lin'an

In the east of Lin'an, the city with the best economy and the most prosperous city in the Great Zhou Dynasty, there is a mansion covering an area of ​​15 acres. On the plaque of this mansion are written two large and vigorous characters - Hu Mansion!
The owners of the Hu Mansion, the Hu family, are the big bosses of Ruifengchang Trading Company. Decades ago, Ruifengchang was a top-notch trading company in the southern part of the Great Zhou. Their business was not only spread all over the southern part of the Great Zhou, but also spread all over Southeast Asia and overseas. It was rumored that the annual turnover of the company was as high as millions...

The Hu family not only has a big business, but the family members have also made great achievements in the way of being officials. In the past twenty years, more than ten children of the Hu family have entered the official career. The representative among them is Hu Ming, who served as the Minister of Rites in the Luoan court and the Minister of Revenue in the Yijing court!

Even though other children were not as successful as Hu Ming, with the help of the Hu family's huge amount of money, they were able to hold positions in prefectures and counties, provincial governments, and judicial departments at all levels in Jiangnan.

Although the Hu family has been developing steadily, they also encountered some crises after the fall of the Luoan court.

After all, the highest-ranking official in their family, Hu Ming, was the Minister of Rites of the Luoan court. Therefore, after the fall of the Luoan court, there were rumors that Hu Ming would be liquidated by the Yijing court, and Hu Ming's affairs would also involve the Hu family!
This rumor once spread very widely, causing considerable impact on the Hu family and the Ruifengchang Company controlled by the Hu family. Fortunately, it turned out that this rumor was a complete false news!
Not only did Ye Mingsheng launch a purge against Hu Ming and the Hu family because Hu Ming had held an important position in the Luo'an court, but he also trusted Hu Ming so much that he transferred him to the Ministry of Revenue to serve as vice minister.

Although it seemed like a horizontal transfer from the Minister of Rites to the Minister of Revenue, considering the importance of the Ministry of Revenue, all parties believed that Hu Ming was promoted half a level by Ye Mingsheng...
Because Ye Mingsheng has always encouraged the development of industry and commerce, his promotion of Hu Ming this time was interpreted by many people in Jiangnan as Ye Mingsheng sending a positive signal to Jiangnan's industry and commerce!
As soon as this conclusion was reached, industrialists and businessmen in Jiangnan were all overjoyed. In their view, although Ye Mingsheng had not officially proclaimed himself emperor, it was a foregone conclusion that Ye Mingsheng would become emperor!

Therefore, under the current system, Ye Mingsheng’s ideas and will will have a decisive influence on the future economic direction of the Great Zhou!

The previous series of trade between the Fengwu Army and Jiangnan also allowed these Jiangnan industrialists and businessmen to have some understanding of Ye Mingsheng. They knew that Ye Mingsheng was not like most traditional officials who emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce. Ye Mingsheng always encouraged the development of industry and commerce, and Ye Mingsheng's encouragement was not like those people's encouragement for the sake of making more money!
Ye Mingsheng is encouraging the development of industry and commerce to the level of the entire Great Zhou, and is willing to create a good environment for the development of industry and commerce and lay a solid foundation!

Therefore, after Ye Mingsheng led the Fengwu Army to seize the dominance of the court, many Jiangnan business people expressed their high expectations for Ye Mingsheng, and now Ye Mingsheng's actions undoubtedly responded to their expectations!

Ye Mingsheng's move of appointing Zhu Chen as the governor and maintaining the existing order in Jiangnan completely dispelled everyone's concerns!

After the news spread that Ye Mingsheng would arrive in Jiangnan in a month at the earliest, the owners of several large businesses in Jiangnan also gathered at the Hu Mansion to discuss...
Looking at the people in the study, Hu Wenjie coughed lightly, then signaled the old servant beside him to distribute a few sheets of paper on his desk to everyone in the study.

A middle-aged man sitting next to Hu Wenjie, who was dressed elegantly and had a sturdy figure, took the lead in scanning the contents on the paper and spoke to Hu Wenjie:

"What is this thing, Mr. Hu?"

In response to the question, Hu Wenjie said in a deep voice:

"Ever since Marshal Ye started his southern tour, our Hu family has been paying close attention to his every move. What we have in our hands now is what our Hu family compiled, including some of Marshal Ye's speeches and instructions in Youyan, Jiyu, Qilu and other places!"

"Although these are all public information, I believe you must be very interested in them, so you may as well take a closer look!"

When they heard Hu Wenjie say that what was written on the paper were all Ye Mingsheng's ideas, everyone's eyes immediately lit up, and they all re-examined the contents of the paper. Compared to the first cursory look, this time they read it very carefully, checking every word, for fear of missing any details.

Hu Wenjie was not surprised at the reaction of the crowd and continued to sip his tea calmly. When he first saw the contents, he read them more carefully and seriously than these people!

The crowd read the content of several hundred words for half an incense stick of time, and then raised their heads thoughtfully. The fat man who had just spoken first, Xie Weibao, the owner of Wufeng Trading Company, also clasped his fists and thanked Hu Wenjie:

“Thank you, Mr. Hu, for informing me of these contents…”

Hu Wenjie waved his hand and said:
"It's okay. We are all from the south of the Yangtze River. We should help each other. Besides, these things are not confidential. They are basically Marshal Ye's public speeches and public instructions. Even if I don't inform you, you will know it after a while!"

Although Hu Wenjie said this, the other people in the study also thanked Hu Wenjie one after another.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Hu Wenjie also asked everyone:
"Dear owners, what do you think of Marshal Ye's ideas and policies?"

As Hu Wenjie finished speaking, Cao Genwei, the thin old man and the chief treasurer of Luhede, could not help but speak:
"It seems that the rumors are true. Marshal Ye is really different from previous emperors. He really wants to encourage the development of industry and commerce!"

"Rectifying the administration of officials, reducing taxes, and eradicating banditry are all problems that have troubled us for a long time. If Marshal Ye can really fulfill his promises, then perhaps our spring will really come!"

Hearing Cao Genwei's words, Fu Yixiang, the owner of Rongkangtong Trading Company in the room, couldn't help but speak:
"Boss Cao, we have to look at the whole picture. We can't just look at the side that is favorable to us, we also have to look at the side that is disadvantageous to us!"

"Didn't you see how Marshal Ye asked to treat those poor Koreans?"

“He requires the workers to start working at 5:00 a.m. every day and finish at 5:00 p.m. every night. If they need to work overtime, in addition to paying the normal salary, we have to pay some bullshit overtime pay…”

"Not only that, Marshal Ye also requires workers to have two days of paid leave every month. Are we going to give these poor people money to rest?"

"Even during working hours, we still have to take a half-hour lunch break at noon, and we also provide free meals!" "Your Luhede Company's main business is shipbuilding. At most, there are more than a thousand workers in your shipyard. If you really follow Marshal Ye's idea, my boss Cao, have you carefully calculated how much more silver you will have to pay?"

Hearing Fu Yixiang's words, Cao Genwei couldn't help but sigh. Fu Yixiang was telling the truth. As a shrewd businessman, when he saw these contents just now, he calculated how much costs would increase if Ye Mingsheng's measures were implemented!
After a quick and rough calculation, Fu Yixiang believed that the monthly cost would increase by at least one thousand taels of silver!

At this time, the fat guy Xie Weibao said with a smile:

"What Manager Cao and Lao Fu said makes sense. Marshal Ye's ideas have both advantages and disadvantages for us. I personally am still looking forward to how he will implement these ideas!"

"Everyone, we are all businessmen. Business is not easy these days. We have to deal with both illegal and illegal things. Sometimes, it is easier to see the devil than to deal with the devil. These expenses account for at least 30% or even 50% of our costs!"

This remark resonated with everyone in the room, and Xie Weibao smiled and continued:

“As the old saying goes, all crows are black. But in my opinion, Marshal Ye is really not just talking about rectifying the administration of officials, just like Shangguan Hongyuan did before, who just said a few words…”

"Not long ago, the Youyan Governor Liu Zhengyue and the Qilu Governor Sun Jing'an of the Yijing court were both caught because of this. Previously, the Qilu Governor Gu Zhongshi, the Fengwu Army General Gu Shouting, the Second Army Commander Lin Huaiwu, the Dadongsheng Company General Manager Ye Hongsheng, and the Director of the General Coordination Office Huo San were all purged by Ye Mingsheng!"

"Most of these people are important officials of the Fengwu Army, and some of them are Ye Mingsheng's confidants. But when dealing with their problems, Ye Mingsheng still does not show any mercy and will deal with them as he should!"

"To be honest, my Wufeng Company has already opened branches in Qilu, Hebei, Henan and other places. According to the reports from my subordinates, the local administration has indeed been greatly improved. There are fewer cases of corruption and extortion, and some of the funds originally prepared have not been used!"

"If Marshal Ye can really replicate the changes he made in Jiyu, Youyan and other places to Jiangnan, I believe you will have fewer worries and can focus more on product development and business operations!"

Hearing Xie Weibao's words, Fu Yixiang snorted and said:
"Although my Rongkang Trading Company has not expanded its business to Hebei, Henan, Qi and Lu like you, Mr. Xie, I have also met Mr. He Jingyun. If Marshal Ye is really as hateful and treacherous as you say, can Mr. He still stay in Jiangnan?"

“This Lord He has only been in Jiangnan for half a year. I’m sure you all know how much he has made…”

As soon as Fu Yixiang said this, everyone who had just ignited a glimmer of hope immediately fell silent again!

Fu Yixiang was right. They all knew what He Jingyun had done. During the time that this important figure of the Fengwu Army was in Jiangnan, he was either making money or on his way to make money. He received at least 100,000 silver coins every month. The word "greedy" was no longer enough to describe He Jingyun!
Following He Jingyun's example, other Fengwu Army generals stationed in Jiangnan also consciously or unconsciously sought a share of "benefits" for themselves!

Just as the atmosphere in the study became somewhat dull because of Fu Yixiang's words, Hu Wenjie said calmly:

"After learning that Marshal Ye was on a southern tour, Lord He Jingyun took the initiative to apologize to Marshal Ye and paid 300,000 taels of silver!"

Cao Genwei's expression changed when he heard this, and he immediately asked:
"So the convoy that He Jingyun sent away some time ago was loaded with the silver that he presented to Marshal Ye?"

Hu Wenjie nodded slightly and said:
"exactly!"

Hearing Hu Wenjie's answer, Xie Weibao looked at him with burning eyes and said:

"Mr. Hu, your nephew Hu Ming is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of the Yijing court. You must know some inside information. Please reveal it to us for the sake of our fellow villagers..."

When Xie Weibao said this, Fu Yixiang also chimed in:

"That's right! That's right! Sir Hu, you are the most well-informed among us. We all follow your lead. Please tell us!"

Xie Weibao and Hu Wenjie took the lead, and several others also spoke up. Seeing this, Hu Wenjie was reluctant to say more at first, but under the gaze of everyone, he had to speak:
"I will just briefly share my personal opinion. Judging from what He Jingyun did, he was a little panicked. Otherwise, he would not have confessed his guilt and offered 300,000 taels of silver to Marshal Ye. So I think with Marshal Ye's usual style, He Jingyun will definitely fall flat on his face this time!"

"But it's hard to say whether Marshal Ye will treat He Jingyun the same way he treats Liu Zhengyue and Sun Jingan. Although Liu Zhengyue and Sun Jingan are also high-ranking officials in the Yijing court, their status in the Fengwu Army is far less important than He Jingyun!"

Moreover, this time He Jingyun has made such a great contribution to the Fengwu Army, so I think it remains to be seen whether Marshal Ye will kill He Jingyun, but it is very likely that He Jingyun will be transferred away! "

Everyone was thinking deeply while listening to Hu Wenjie's story. After taking a look at everyone's expressions, Hu Wenjie also said:

"No matter what, He Jingyun's departure from Jiangnan is a great thing for us. I think we should give Marshal Ye a positive response!"

“So my idea is that the 500,000 taels of silver we expected might be a little too little. What do you think of 1,000,000 taels of silver…”

(End of this chapter)