Dragon Sea Empire

The merchants were sitting on the bow deck chatting, not noticing the arrival of Baradas, and upon hearing his sudden question, they all stood up and bowed their hands in salute.Although Baradas has been learning Chinese for 5 years in Macau and other places, sometimes he still finds Chinese etiquette too much and too annoying, but his tutor Matteo Ricci has taught him this, so he can only do as the Romans do, and greet everyone one by one .

Zhang Yuyu, the head of the Hangzhou Silk Guild, invited Baradas to sit on the chair at the bow of the boat, and gave him a bowl of tea. He watched the foreign priest take a sip of tea, and then said: "Mr. Bao heard about the trade embargo. We have just heard about the shipment from Fujian merchants. The so-called trade embargo against Luzon means that no goods will be shipped to Luzon, nor will any goods brought in from Luzon be accepted. This is what the posted post said , However, this has nothing to do with the government, it is said to be the work of the largest pirate gang along the coast of Fujian..."

As he said that, he took out a crumpled piece of paper that had been pinched by countless people, and said to everyone with a smile: "I didn't expect that there were also people who were anxious for justice among those pirates who ran into the sea. It's admirable to fight against injustice! However, if the post says that it will intercept those ships transporting goods to Luzon, will the government let them do whatever they want?"

Yang Caipu, a Fujian businessman, shook his head: "What do you know! This Jinghai gang was unheard of in the past. Before this post was posted, there was no such group of people along the coast of Fujian. In my opinion, there is a lot of mystery in it!"

Zhang Yuning was aroused, and leaned forward and asked, "Mysterious? How do you say that?"

"Do you know the China United Company?" Yang Caipu pretended to be mysterious.

"Why don't you know this? The posters for recruiting weavers and clerks have been posted in Hangzhou City a few days ago."

"Do you know who the big owner and shopkeeper of this so-called joint company is?"

"Who?"

Yang Caipu shook his head and looked at everyone with a smile, and said after a while, "It's the shopkeeper Yin Feng Yin!"

"puff!"

Baradas, who was drinking tea, spat out a sip of tea, and coughed continuously while rubbing his chest.Everyone looked at him curiously, Baradas wiped his mouth, and hurriedly confessed to everyone, and then asked: "Is the Yin Feng you mentioned, the Yin Feng who lives outside the northern city of Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian?"

"Exactly. Could it be that the Quanzhou friend you are looking for is also Yin Feng, the shopkeeper of Yin?" Yang Caipu looked at Mr. "Bao Daren" in surprise, thinking how could this foreign monk become a friend of Captain Yin?

Baladas was worried that he was unfamiliar with Quanzhou, how should he find Yin Feng?It's good now, you don't have to worry about anything, just follow the two business partners of shopkeeper Yin Feng.It turned out that the two of them happened to be going to Quanzhou to do business.

Baradas returned to his cabin to tell his companions the good news.And Zhang Yuning, a businessman from Hangzhou, was still thinking about the topic just now, and wanted to continue: "Brother Yang, just now you mentioned that shopkeeper Yin is the big owner of the Zhonghua United Company, but is it true? This is a trade with the Jinghai Gang. What does the embargo matter?"

Yang Caipu lowered his voice mysteriously, and leaned into Zhang Yuning's ear and said: "The Chinese company of the shopkeeper, after the Jinghai gang's revealing post appeared in Quanzhou Port, immediately announced at various ports that starting this year, it will never go to Luzon Island again. Send a penny worth of goods! Among all the Fujian maritime merchants, only the China United Company has declared to participate in the trade embargo."

Zhang Yuning was still confused: "The shopkeeper Yin turned the tide on his own in Luzon and saved [-] Ming people. He is a righteous man! He agrees with the trade embargo on the Ganla people in Luzon, which is normal. After all, his brother-in-law died from the injuries he received in Luzon."

Yang Caipu sneered, dissatisfied with Zhang Yuning's slowness: "Old Zhang, you have dealt with Fujian merchants a lot on weekdays, and you have also been to Quanzhou. Have you heard of any big local pirate gangs in Fujian in the past two years? "

"No, really, the coast of Fujian has been much more peaceful in the past two years. Except for the Japanese pirates who came last year, the local pirates seem to have disappeared."

"Then, apart from Shopkeeper Yin Feng and his Chinese company, who would stand up for Fujian businessmen and take revenge on the Ganla people in Luzon?"

Zhang Yuning opened his mouth wide, and it took him a while to realize, pointing at Yang Caipu, he said, "You, you mean, shopkeeper Yin Feng made this post advocating the trade embargo? This, this, this, this, that... ..." He was "too" for a long time, not knowing what to say.

"Hehe, I guessed it actually. You know, last year I bought a boat in Zhangzhou and went to Nanyang. Just one month ago, I received a letter from shopkeeper Yin, to the effect that he invited me to become a shareholder of China United Company. At the same time, he warned me not to ship goods to Luzon this year, saying that people from all over Fujian had already announced a trade embargo on Luzon. At that time, this pirate post had not yet spread to Hangzhou.”

Zhang Yuning shook his head in disbelief, and sighed: "No matter who posted this post, I think it's an act of venting anger for me and other businessmen, and upholding justice. I'm afraid the government will suspect it!" Suddenly his eyes lit up. , The businessman's nature came out, he grabbed Yang Caipu and asked: "Brother Yang, what does this mean by buying shares? How can there be a good thing that the return will triple in two years? Tell me quickly!"

The two businessmen had an in-depth discussion on the issue of the Zhonghua Company. This discussion was not finished, from the coast of Zhejiang to the port of Quanzhou.

The "Haolai" ship first unloaded at Quanzhou's outer port, Kanjiang and Shihu, so it was an important navigation mark for overseas traffic in ancient Quanzhou: the Liusheng Pagoda (also known as Guansuo Pagoda, formerly known as Wanshou Pagoda) in the Yuan Dynasty appeared on the coastline When it was up, everyone cheered happily.Baradas and others hurried out of the cabin and watched curiously the scenery of the once-famous "Zitong Port" (the ancient name for Quanzhou Port by Westerners in the Song and Yuan Dynasties).

"Is this the port of Erythronia in Marco Polo's book? There are as many ships here as there are in Venice!" Italian missionary Guo Jujing sighed.With a long beard, he is from Tuscany, Italy, and he is naturally familiar with Marco Polo in Venice.

After the group disembarked, they were first checked by the port officials. Guo Jujing handed over the citations from the customs clearance officer obtained through contacts in Nanjing to the small officials. Seeing them go over and over and read them non-stop, Guo Jujing, who was already familiar with Chinese customs, understood and immediately I present a document with both hands, saying that it is a letter to be forwarded to a friend, and please check it, my lords.The official was puzzled, looking up at the tall Guo Jujing, thinking of your friend, take care of me; when he saw the cover, it turned out to be a letter to Mr. Li Zhizao, Fujian Xuezheng, and he couldn't help being shocked; , is the abbreviation of "Admiral Xuezheng", generally held by Beijing officials who were born in the Imperial Academy or Jinshi, but as imperial envoys, officials appointed by the imperial court to preside over the academy examinations in various provinces and supervise academic officials in various places, also known as "Xueshi", The highest can be a second-rank official.This is much higher than the little tax collector.

Li Zhizao, one of the three pillars of the so-called Chinese Christianity in the future, has not yet joined Christianity. His acquaintance with Matteo Ricci and Guo Jujing began in Nanjing; Western scientific knowledge.

Therefore, the port officials respectfully sent Mr. Li Zhizao's Fanzai friends on the road to Fuzhou, without even confiscating a penny of benefits.Even the cargo inspection work with Zhang Yuning and others was completed very smoothly.

On the avenue, Guo Jujing broke up with everyone and went to visit Li Zhizao in Fuzhou.Baradas and You Wenhui followed Zhang and Yang, two wealthy businessmen, and hired a carriage to go to Quanzhou.

……

It was a beautiful day, and Quanzhou was bustling with pedestrians everywhere.A few months ago, the tragic scene of families attending funerals for the Luzon victims has gradually disappeared, and the living still have to live well.However, many people still walk in plain clothes on the street, and are still wearing mourning for their relatives.The heavy atmosphere still remained somewhat, and everyone felt it.After entering the south gate of Quanzhou, Zhang and Yang didn't talk too much. They just sat in the car and watched the street scene.Baradas and You Wenhui, who was born in Macau, were still looking around curiously.

Yin Feng's house is in the north of the city, and the carriage needs to pass through the city.When passing by a market, Yang Caipu suddenly yelled to stop, and the coachman hurriedly reined in his horse.Zhang Yuning asked: "Why did you stop?"

Yang Caipu smiled and pointed not far in front of him and said: "Look, that maid looks like Zouzai, oh, Zouzai means woman, and she is the girl of shopkeeper Yin's family. I saw it when I went back to visit shopkeeper Yin. Pass."

A fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl with a round face and big eyes was shopping in front of a long row of butcher shops.This is Rui'er, the maid of Yin Feng's family, Zeng Jing's personal dowry maid.Behind her was a servant, about ten or so years old, following her with a sad face, carrying a lot of vegetables and fruits in his hand, he should be Rui'er's attendant and porter.

Rui'er in front of the meat stall ordered a piece of good pork belly and was about to pay. In his fifties, the fat-faced stall owner didn't take the money, and said with a smile, "Little lady, this is fresh meat that just arrived in the morning, hurry up and take it."

A Niang is a respectful title for ordinary women in Quanzhou dialect.Ruier's big eyes flashed for a moment, and she said seriously: "No, I have to pay this time, or I will be scolded by my wife again when I go home!"

The fat stall owner shook his head: "No, no, I can't accept the money from your family. If I accept it, I will break my conscience and be hit by lightning. My poor nephew! If Captain Yin hadn't brought him The ship died in Luzon a long time ago; now, the owner of the ship has taken a liking to him and left him to work in the company's shipyard, such a life-saving grace...Anyway, I can't accept your money."

Rui'er giggled, threw a piece of broken silver on the shop, and ran away.The servant boy also had to run along with a sad face.

The fat stall owner was caught off guard, grabbed Sui Yin, yelled a few times, and watched Rui'er walk away helplessly.

On the way to Quanzhou, Baradas also inquired about Yin Feng's deeds.Although Yang Caipu couldn't understand the local dialect of Quanzhou at the moment, while Yang Caipu was translating to Hangzhou businessman Zhang Yuning, Baradas also understood what was happening before him, and couldn't help sighing: "It seems that shopkeeper Yin should be here locally. He's a gentleman of renown!"

"It's more than just being famous, hehe." Yang Caipu smiled, and ordered the carriage to follow Rui'er and the others.

At the gate of Yin Feng's house, before Baradas and others got out of the car, a large group of men dressed as peasants carrying packages surrounded them. After seeing the people who got out of the car, they all showed disappointment and shouted. Said: "Oh, no!"

Then this group of people suddenly turned around and gathered around the main entrance of Yin Feng's house.Of course, Rui'er had already gone home through the path connecting the Zeng family's backyard with Yin Feng's. Zhang, Yang, Baradas and the others came to visit Yin Feng formally, so of course they could not go through the back door.They were a little confused, and they couldn't figure out what these rural guys were doing here.