A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination

Chapter 78: Business Route

When the spring flowers bloomed in March, Butcher Feng walked south with an elite team for two months.

Rongzhou is at the southernmost tip of Jiannan Road, and Jinjiang County is in the south of Rongzhou. After several mountains, it is the border of Nanzhao. Nanzhao has many ethnic groups and is rich in jade, so disputes have always been constant, and even the stronger Nanzhao royal family could not be suppressed. In recent years, the Xuan Dynasty was very powerful. Nanzhao, like other vassal states, sent envoys to Beijing early to recognize the emperor of Xuan Dynasty as the main emperor. With the support of the Xuan Dynasty, Nanzhao was able to safely and steadily reign as king and hegemony, and came out on top among the Six Zhaos.

Because of the good relations between the two countries, Nanzhao does not restrict the commercial exchanges on the border. Therefore, in the southwest area, there are often courageous caravans that go deep into Nanzhao, purchase jade medicinal materials, and return to China to change their hands Selling it at ten times the price is a huge profit. However, interests are often accompanied by dangers. The reselling of Nanzhao jade is indeed hugely profitable, but it is also full of crises. The monarch of Nanzhao is not as strong as the Central Plains. There are many tribes in the country, and many tribes return to the monarch in name, but in fact they take the road of self-government. These tribes would not be concerned about the Emperor Xuan Chao’s face. If there was something wrong, the entire caravan would be thrown into the hands of aliens. No one in Nanzhao took care of it. The ladies and gentlemen in Chang’an are longing for the distant Nanzhao scenery, but when people on the border talk about Nanzhao, they all shake their heads and say nothing.

Feng Butcher went to the border with a few good hands, which caused an uproar in the city, but after a few days of discussion, the people’s attention was quickly drawn to other things.

The new embroidery workshop was built in winter and officially opened in spring. The new embroidery workshop covers an area of half a square, with large and small courtyards one by one. The sewing room, the art teaching room, the embroidery room, the warehouse, and the dining hall are in order. The last row also houses accommodation. Entering from the grand door, the first thing you see is the embroidery room, which is filled with exquisite embroidery pieces of various colors. The front is equipped with tall and narrow paper-pasted wooden windows, which can be opened to ventilate all sides, which can accommodate hundreds of people at the same time. At the back of the middle road is the warehouse, where the embroidery pieces embroidered by the embroiderers are stored here, and the shipments to the outside also start from here. On the east and west sides of the middle road are neat needlework rooms, where embroidery ladies do their daily needlework, and there are dyeing rooms, weaving workshops, dining halls, etc. at the back. It can be said that the embroidery thread from top to bottom is concentrated. here.

Because of the expansion of the place, the embroiderers do not have to go to the embroidery workshop to occupy a seat in advance, but have their own positions, so they can work calmly and spaciously. Xiao Jingduo took advantage of the construction of the sewing room, and took the opportunity to divide the embroidery girls into areas. With good skills, they moved to a brighter place. In the future, they would specialize in embroidering large pieces such as screens, while ordinary embroidery girls lived in the same room for a few days, and embroidered the most quantity. The most common embroidered handkerchiefs, fans, etc., in this way, embroidery mothers with good embroidery skills do not have to be distracted by small pieces with little technical content, and they will not be disturbed by others. The most important thing is to facilitate management.

The women moved to a new place happily, and before their freshness passed, another hot news spread all over the embroidery workshop.

Chen Niangzi, she can actually embroider double-sided different color embroidery!

As soon as the double-sided different-color embroidery was shipped to Chengdu, it was immediately bought out at a high price. What’s more, before the submission of the embroidery, someone had already asked to order it. Nowadays, even in Chengdu, no one can embroider with different colors on both sides, but she can figure it out by herself, which shows her talent in embroidery.

Because of double-sided different-color embroidery, the government-run embroidery workshops in Jinjiang County became famous, and more caravan lists were thrown towards Jinjiang County. Xiao Jingduo made a decisive decision and immediately ordered the embroidery workshop to embroider the mountains and wild flowers and birds instead of producing auspicious patterns such as bats. This light and elegant style is immediately different from the splendid splendor in Chengdu Mansion. More and more people can recognize the two at a glance. The difference of embroidery, the number of people who know the origin of Jinjiang County has gradually increased.

The merchants valued profits, and the embroidery style of Jinjiang County became more and more prominent. The inventory in the Xiufang warehouse is ready-made, and the price is much cheaper than that of Chengdu. getting denser.

At this time, Butcher Feng brought back the jade from Nanzhao. The caravan that stayed here was only planning to make a fortune of Shu brocade, but never expected to buy Nanzhao jade that was priced at a sky-high price in Chang’an.

There are two things in everything. More and more caravans from the Central Plains stop in Jinjiang County. People in Nanzhao are not stupid. The team stayed, and they were still buying Nanzhao jade at a high price. How could they let the benefits of such reselling be taken away by the Han people? Feng Butcher did not need to take the initiative to come, and the bold Nanzhao people brought the jade to Jinjiang County. trade.

At this time, the advantages of Xiao Jingduo’s expansion of the market are revealed. The jade trading area is tall and bright, and there are often yamen patrolling. It is a safe place for Nanzhao and the Central Plains caravan, so The scale of the jade trade in Jinjiang County is getting bigger and bigger, and it has gradually overwhelmed the Jinxiu business.

Xiao Jingduo firmly holds the double-sided embroidery business in the hands of the government, but there are no restrictions on jade, as long as you pay the fee and abide by the rules in the market, both buyers and sellers can rent land in the jade area Doing business.

Nanzhao people enter the city, let us purchase goods in two places, so that we can take care of the jade business, and now it’s better, which Nanzhao people earn all the money!”

“Businessmen value profits, even if we restrict people from Nanzhao from entering the city, they will still find ways to buy and sell from the black market. The team trades freely in our place. In this way, both sides need to take 10% of the rent to us, and we can enjoy it without doing anything, so why not do it?” Xiao Jingduo said.

“But…” The clerk and others are still eyeing the huge profits from the jade business, “Is it just let them?”

“It’s not a let, we can’t eat all the benefits.” Xiao Jingduo laughed, but after laughing, he said meaningfully, “Besides, who said that only they made money?”

More and more caravans are attracted by the jade business to Jinjiang County. During their stay in Jinjiang County, they need to spend money on food and accommodation. Besides, when they leave, most people will buy a batch of Jinjiang by the way. The local splendid embroidery, and Nanzhao’s textiles and embroidery are far behind the Xuan Dynasty, so when the Nanzhao caravan leaves, they will also spend a lot of money to take away a batch of Shu embroidery.

The two ends of Jinjiang County make money. First, they use the rent to make a fortune, then they spend a small amount on food and accommodation, and they can sell a wave of splendid flowers before leaving. They are the real unscrupulous profiteers!

The most obvious manifestation is that Jinjiang County Yafei has become generally rich, but in half a year, he has saved enough money, and repaired both the inside and outside of the government. The backyard is exquisite and comfortable, and it can no longer see the shadow of the old and dilapidated.

Although Nanzhao jade brought a lot of people to Jinjiang County, it also brought endless trouble. In just three months, the number of fights in Jinjiang County has doubled, and the pressure on public security has suddenly increased, and it is still getting worse.

Xiao Jingduo is responsible for military affairs, civil affairs, public security, criminal law and other matters all by himself. He not only has to worry about the business routes of Jinjiang County, take care of this year’s sowing, but also deal with the troubles caused by foreigners. Sometimes it is necessary to personally persuade the aftermath of the fight. It can be said that there is no free time from morning to night.

Nowadays, people in Jinjiang County have long been accustomed to people with foreign faces walking through the city, and many people even speak a few simple Nanzhao dialects. Jade shops and Shu brocade shops abound in Fangshi , Many inns and restaurants have also sprung up from the ground. Jinjiang County, which was originally dead, seems to be reborn, and it can no longer be seen that it was weak and xenophobic two years ago.

A remote agricultural town has gradually emerged as a busy border trading center.

, Even the most troublesome Nanzhao people are also convinced by Xiao Jingduo. Every time there is a conflict between the caravans, no one can persuade him. At this time, as long as Xiao Jingduo is invited, a few words can open the scene.

When the settlement at the end of the year was made, the clerk saw the income of the county government for a year and felt unbelievable: “This year, we expanded the government, bought so much food, built embroidery workshops and markets, Did you make so much money?”

The county lieutenant smiled and said, “This is a good thing. Our county collects the most tax every year, so you don’t have to worry about the performance appraisal next year.”

It is really thankless to be scolded by the prefect of the state government, and it is not a person inside or outside. But today’s situation is very different. Although Jinjiang County’s agricultural and mulberry fields are still the same, there are many shops in the county, and Guangxiufang and Jade Stone can pay a large amount of tax. It is also because of this that Xiao Jingduo’s performance in this year’s examination was once again in the upper middle.

The county magistrate sighed with emotion: “If I remember correctly, the county magistrate Xiao has been awarded the middle and upper grades for two consecutive years, and the official position has advanced to two levels. The magistrate’s promotion is too fast. With this momentum, it will be a matter of time before the magistrate Xiao is promoted.”

“That’s right.” The clerk sighed, “However, it’s strange, the county magistrate Xiao’s political achievements are so good, I thought it would not be long before the personnel department would issue a dispatch order to promote the magistrate of Xiao county. Going to other places, I didn’t expect that even though the Ministry of Personnel commends it every year, the official position of the magistrate Xiao has not changed.” Speaking of which, the chief clerk lowered his voice and said, “You say, is magistrate Xiao offended in the capital? who?”

“I don’t know.” The county magistrate shook his head solemnly. Many people in the county government had this kind of guess. The most ideal way for Daxuan officials to be promoted is to start as a noble and noble official, and then get high or mid-high grades every year, and continue to be promoted and transferred. Finally, he will serve as a governor in a foreign government. After accumulating a few years of qualifications, he will be transferred back to Chang’an and entered the three provinces. If the Sixth Division is a capital official, if he is lucky, he may even be promoted to the prime minister. Xiao Jingduo’s political achievements are outstanding, but he has been in the same place for two consecutive years, which is somewhat worrying in the eyes of the master bookkeeper and others.

In the end, the registrar did not know who he was comforting, and said: “That’s fine, the situation in the county has just improved, if the county magistrate Xiao is transferred, and when the new magistrate arrives, I am afraid there will be many decrees. It’s all about to give up halfway. Let the magistrate Xiao stay a few more years, just to be able to do some good work.”

“It’s true.” The county magistrate replied, what was he going to say, and suddenly heard footsteps outside the door, the two quickly stood up, folded their hands and bowed deeply: “Xiao County make.”

Xiao Jingduo saw that it was almost time, and the tax booklet of the Xundu County Government should be sorted out, so he went to the East Court in person. He heard from a distance what the chief clerk and the county lieutenant seemed to be discussing, but he didn’t hear clearly. Xiao Jingduo was not interested in the content of his subordinate’s private chat. At this moment, seeing the two chief clerks respectfully salute him, Xiao Jingduo tapped lightly. After nodding, he asked, “Have the county government’s fiscal booklet been sorted out this year?”

The master immediately picked up the books on the table and presented them to Xiao Jingduo with both hands. After getting what he needed, Xiao Jingduo didn’t want to stay for a long time. After he finished his business, he planned to leave: “Today, there is news from the personnel department that the new county chief will take office next year. You can arrange this matter, and you must not neglect it. county magistrate.”

After two years of vacancy, the vacancy of the county magistrate was filled, and the master book hurriedly responded. Xiao Jingduo instructed some police patrols. The chief clerk and the county lieutenant listened with their heads lowered. After Xiao Jingduo finished speaking, the chief clerk couldn’t help asking: “County magistrate, the embroidery workshop and jade workshop in the county are now on the right track. What are we going to do next year?”

“Next year.” Xiao Jingduo thought for a while, and asked coldly, “I remember, Jinjiang County is Zhong County?”

.

“Back to the county magistrate, this is the case. Jinjiang County has less than 5,000 households, which is Zhong County.”

More than 30,000 households are Shangzhou, more than 5,000 households are Shangxian, and more than 2,000 households are Zhongxian. This was in the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Jinjiang County counted the population of the city and surrounding villages and reported it to the imperial court to obtain such an assessment result. Shangxian and Zhongxian are very different. Shangxian can get more court care, and even the government’s treatment is also very different. Jinjiang County is a middle county, and the magistrate is the top seven, but the magistrate of Shangxian is from the sixth. As county magistrates, Zhongxia County and Shang County have completely different meanings, not to mention Wang County, which is more valued by the imperial court. The magistrate of Wang County is a fat man that everyone competes for, but Xiao Jingduo, the magistrate of Jinjiang County, has been suspected by countless people whether he has offended people in Chang’an.

For no reason, Xiao Jingduo would not inquire about the grade of Jinjiang County. The master book guessed a very bold idea and asked tremblingly: “Xiao County magistrate, do you mean…”

“A lot of people have settled in the county in the past two years. I think they can rush to the county.” Xiao Jingduo smiled lightly. He was always alienated. Shenghui, both of the master bookkeepers were a little dazed for a while.

“Master?” Xiao Jingduo was about to order things, but found that the master seemed to be out of his mind, so he had to shout.

“Huh?” The clerk finally regained his senses and hurriedly replied, “My subordinates are here.”

“After the annual leave is over, start to count the people in the county. By the way, the manpower in the county has become more and more scarce in recent years. You draft an official document to encourage the people to get married, If you have more children, I will send someone to promote it in the coming year.”

Encouraging population is the responsibility of a county magistrate, and the clerk familiarly responded: “Yes.”

Xiao Jingduo looked at the county magistrate again: “The New Year is approaching, there are a lot of people in our county, these days are the easiest to cause trouble, these days you work harder and take people to patrol a few more laps.”

The county commander said, “This subordinate understands.”

After instructing these trivial matters, Xiao Jingduo left with the ledger. Now that Jinjiang County has just stepped on the right track, it is a critical juncture of revitalization, and there is no room for sloppyness. While Xiao Jingduo was delighted with the achievements of Jinjiang County, there was also an inexplicable worry in his heart.

Before this, Jinjiang County was just a little-known town, suddenly made a fortune because of the splendid and jade business. In the eyes of caring people, it is a bit too eye-catching.

Xiao Jingduo sighed worriedly, hoping that all this was just his overthinking.

The author has something to say:

Another year has passed, and the final level of Jinjiang dungeon is about to open~