Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1184 Assistance
Since everyone knows my identity, there is no need to hide it any longer.

This time, Zhu Minlan went south to Shanghai specifically for the purpose of trading ports and customs. The Wei family was a prominent family in Songjiang Prefecture, and Shanghai was just a county under Songjiang Prefecture. The Wei family knew the situation in Shanghai very well, and other things could also be learned from the Wei family.

Immediately, Zhu Minlan asked directly about some situations in Shanghai. Wei Xuhua, as the actual head of the Wei family, answered some of the prince's questions and also informed him of many current situations in Shanghai.

Zhu Minlan listened carefully and nodded slightly. He already knew some of the information that the Wei family said, but there were also many things he didn't know, including the attitudes of some local families and gentry towards the establishment of a trading port in Shanghai, etc. These news were difficult for outsiders to know, and even if the Jinyiwei were very powerful, it would be impossible to investigate so clearly.

"So, the local families in Songjiang Prefecture still support Shanghai's policies?" Zhu Minlan asked.

"Your Highness, that's basically it. After all, the court has set up a trading port in Shanghai, which has many benefits for Songjiang Prefecture. Not to mention that this is a good thing for the country and the people, and once Shanghai is opened as a port, merchants will surely gather, which will bring huge changes to the entire Songjiang Prefecture."

Wei Xuhua told Zhu Minlan that the entire Songjiang Prefecture was very supportive of the court's policy. After all, Songjiang Prefecture was rich in silk and cotton cloth. Songjiang's cotton cloth was famous in the Ming Dynasty. As early as the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Songjiang's textile industry was extremely prosperous. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Songjiang was full of weaving workshops, and even ordinary families had spinning machines. After Huang Dao Po improved the loom, Songjiang cotton cloth not only increased its output, but its quality was also second to none.

Many families in Songjiang Prefecture have made fortunes by relying on this industry, including the Wei family. Not only Songjiang Prefecture, but also Suzhou Prefecture, which is adjacent to Songjiang, is also the same. In addition, some other workshops and industries in Jiangnan cannot consume the products they produce locally and can only rely on trade for export.

In the past, merchants usually transported these products to the inland areas of Ming Dynasty and northern cities by land or water for sale, but this business model had limited sales, and the sales cost was high and the turnover time was long. Although they could make money, it was hard-earned money and there were certain risks. Once the goods were destroyed by any accident, ordinary merchants would even lose everything immediately.

After explaining this in detail, Wei Xuhua said to Zhu Minlan: "Now that Shanghai is open as a port, it will completely change the business situation in Songjiang Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture. In the future, through sea trade, we only need to transport the goods to Shanghai and load them on ships to go out to sea. In this way, not only will the journey be short, the shipment volume will be large, and it can also be sold at a good price. Who in the Ming Dynasty doesn't know that sea trade is profitable? Who would oppose such a good thing?"

At this point, Wei Xuhua smiled and pointed at Nie Chi: "Young Master Nie's family is a merchant family in Suzhou Prefecture. I have heard that Young Master Nie's brother has arrived in Shanghai not long ago and is preparing to set up the Nie family's business in Shanghai. In addition to the Nie family, other families are also making such preparations. To be honest with you, the Prince, my Wei family has already reached an agreement with the Lu family. The cooperation between the two families will definitely support the opening of the port."

Nie Chi stood up and bowed, expressing the Nie family's support for the opening of Shanghai as a port, and explained that he came to Songjiang Prefecture this time because the Nie family was planning to open a business in Shanghai and shift the focus of future business to Shanghai.

Nodding, Zhu Minlan thought for a moment and asked, "I understand what you just said. It seems that there are many supporters in Songjiang Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture. But I think that this matter has two sides after all. Is there no opposition?"

"This..." Wei Xuhua was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

It is impossible to say that there was no such thing. As the local boss of Songjiang Prefecture, the Wei family certainly knew some inside information. Moreover, although the Ming Dynasty had banned maritime trade for more than half of the time since its founding, in fact, although the imperial court banned maritime trade in Jiangnan and the entire south, private smuggling trade at sea had never been interrupted.

This situation has always existed. To be honest, the Wei family has done this before. After all, as a noble family in Songjiang Prefecture, the Wei family cannot just sit there and watch the money go unearned. If others can do it, why can't the Wei family do it? What's more, the Wei family is a family of honor and nobility, and its foundation is much deeper than other families.

However, since the court officially opened up maritime trade in the north, the Wei family has been doing less smuggling. The Wei family has been able to stand firm for more than 200 years in the Ming Dynasty, not only because of military merit, but also because of their political acumen. In particular, the Wei family was keenly aware of the court's intentions as early as the court decided to set up a trading port, and after the opening of Shanghai and the establishment of customs, the Wei family decisively reduced or even stopped these smuggling activities, and instead prepared to establish trade routes through normal channels after the opening of Shanghai, and made a big splash in it.

After all, although smuggling can bring more profit, it is actually no worse to have better normal export channels. Although the former may bring amazing profits, the price and cost are also high. Smuggling requires opening up various links, including official circles, local governments and other aspects. These are not obtained for free, and all rely on money to open channels and maintain them.

Moreover, the scale of smuggling is usually not large, and the ships are basically medium-sized ships and ordinary small boats, with a limited amount of cargo. Even if the profits are huge, it is still not as good as large-scale direct exports.

"Just answer whatever His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asks! My Wei family has been loyal to the court for generations. What's there to be afraid of? " When Wei Xuhua was hesitating, Old Man Wei suddenly said this, and Wei Xuhua suddenly came to his senses.

"To be honest with Your Highness, there are certainly people with different opinions. But in my opinion, there are indeed opponents. However, apart from a small number of local gentry families, they also have some connections in the officialdom. On the contrary, there are not many aristocratic families." "Why is that?" Zhu Minlan asked curiously.

Wei Xuhua said: "The aristocratic families have good vision, and these families can be passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, and their foundations are profound. For example, before the Ming Dynasty opened up the sea, there were naturally private sea voyages, but the situation is different now, and from a practical point of view, it is no longer necessary."

"Take my Wei family alone as an example. We own 32 weaving workshops in Songjiang Prefecture and more than 2,000 spinning machines of various types. This does not include the ordinary people who depend on my Wei family. Songjiang's textile industry is prosperous, and most ordinary families have spinning machines. They weave cloth for household use during their free time during the busy farming season, or grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms for profit. My Wei family also purchases cotton cloth, silk and other items from these people to supplement their needs."

"This does not include the other industries of the Wei family. In addition to silk and cotton cloth, the Wei family also owns dozens of workshops and shops of other industries, plus the Wei family's fields, real estate, etc. In the past, many commodities had to be shipped to various places for sale, but once Shanghai was opened as a port, silk and cotton cloth could be directly exported from Shanghai and sold to Europeans, not to mention other things. Not only did it save the previous travel consumption and costs, but it could also be sold at a good price. In addition, the shipment volume could also increase significantly."

"In this case, even if the court sets up a customs office to collect commercial taxes, it will not only do no harm to a family as large as our Wei family, but will also bring many benefits. Even after paying taxes, their profits will be higher than before. In this case, why take risks? Another point is that after Shanghai is opened as a port, merchants from the north and south will surely gather here. Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and inland merchants can also go down the river and reach Shanghai directly. In this way, Shanghai's prosperity is just around the corner. With the prosperous market, the value of land has increased greatly. Every family has more or less real estate in Shanghai. It is enough to build shops, restaurants, and even set up warehouses, docks, etc. with these real estates."

After a pause, Wei Xuhua continued, "This is basically the case for big families, but it's different for some small businesses and local officials. The former have limited industries and are small in scale, so they can't do large-scale imports and exports. The latter have different identities, plus some other reasons, so they don't make much profit from normal trade. Instead, smuggling is more suitable for them..."

Frowning slightly, Zhu Minlan pondered Wei Xuhua's words carefully. After a moment, he realized that Wei Xuhua's words were cryptic, but they also told the truth. In other words, the connections and resources in the hands of the aristocratic families and wealthy merchants are incomparable to ordinary merchants, and they are local tyrants. The opening of Shanghai is extremely beneficial to them. Whether from the perspective of goods sales or land appreciation, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

On the contrary, ordinary merchants and some gentry are different. They have fewer resources and do not have such a powerful background. In addition, some officials in the local government have no other resources except the power in their hands. The combination of the two can get what they need. Under the same conditions, smuggling can make greater profits and can also ensure their own interests.

Nodding slightly, Zhu Minlan couldn't help but sigh that the key was something he hadn't thought of before, and these situations were also real. If it weren't for his identity being recognized by the Wei family today, and he was just interacting with the Wei family as an ordinary person, the Wei family would never tell him these situations even if they knew about them.

After all, although the Wei family is a prominent family and a family of nobility, they also have to take into account certain relationships in official circles and local areas. It is better not to offend some people. Once the paper is exposed, it may cause trouble, even for a family like the Wei family. This is also what Wei Xuhua was worried about just now.

"Your Highness, can you stay at the Wei family for a few more days?" At this time, Old Master Wei suddenly asked.

Zhu Minlan smiled and said, "On ordinary days, of course, the guest will follow the host's wishes. However, I have work to do. Now I am in Songjiang, which is very close to Shanghai. I have to go to Shanghai to see it with my own eyes. When Shanghai is settled, I will definitely come to visit you on my way back."

Old Master Wei smiled and shook his head: "Your Highness has misunderstood me. I want to keep Your Highness for a few more days because I think it would be more appropriate for Your Highness to stay in the Wei Mansion."

"What does the old man mean...?"

Old Master Wei bowed to Zhu Minlan, and then said to his son Wei Xuhua, "You send an invitation in the name of our Wei family, inviting the heads of the Xu family in Huating, the Qian family, the Xu family in Shanghai, the Chen family, the Gu family, and the Lu family to come to our Wei family. Let's set a date for the day after tomorrow. Just say that your eldest brother has been transferred to Dali, and set up a banquet in the mansion to entertain him. In addition, I haven't seen the heads of the families for many days, so please invite them to get together and discuss the Shanghai affairs at the same time."

After saying that, Mr. Wei smiled and asked Zhu Minlan, "What do you think of this arrangement, Your Highness?"

Zhu Minlan finally understood what Mr. Wei was planning, and immediately clapped his hands and said with a smile, "In that case, I will follow your arrangements."

(End of this chapter)