The Young Dragon of the Ming Dynasty: Bound to an Industrial Blueprint from the Start

The lights in Beiping were exceptionally bright; that was the location of Mingyue Tower.

Meanwhile, at the edges of the map, in the south, east, and north, countless gray areas await to be lit up.

In the technical gallery, a few new things are beginning to emerge.

Three days later, the Ministry of War's three hundred taels of silver arrived as promised.

Qian Lai went to the Ministry of Revenue to collect the money himself, and returned with the heavy silver notes in his pocket, making a significant note of it in his account book.

On the same day, Madam Shen's reply also arrived.

"The Shen family has agreed," Qian Lai reported to Zhu Zhanji. "The raw materials will be exclusively supplied for three years. People will be sent from Southeast Asia to inquire about ores and artifacts; any news will be sent over. As for trade routes..."

He hesitated for a moment, "Madam Shen said that the Shen family's trade routes are open to your business at any time, but there is one condition: if there are any new or interesting products that need to be exported overseas, the Shen family must take a 30% share."

Zhu Zhanji nodded: "That makes sense. Tell her you agree."

Qian Lai agreed and then took out a small cloth bag: "This is the first batch of samples of Southeast Asian minerals sent by Madam Shen."

Zhu Zhanji took the cloth bag and opened it.

Inside were several thumb-sized stones of different colors: one dark brown, one dark red, and one bluish-gray with a metallic sheen.

He closed his eyes.

In the technical charts, a dark area flickers slightly.

We need more samples, or physical specimens.

He handed the cloth bag to Chun Tao: "Keep it safe. It will be useful in the future."

The first day of the tenth lunar month is an auspicious day for opening a business.

The shop next to Mingyue Tower has finally been cleaned up.

This is a small courtyard with two sections, three storefronts facing the street, and a storeroom and accounting room in the backyard.

Qian Lai personally supervised the work, repainting the storefront and replacing the signboard with a brand new one.

The signboard is black with gold lettering, bearing four large characters:

Mingyue Trading Company

There is no inscription by the person who wrote the inscription, only a delicate cloud pattern mark at the bottom.

That was the "Bright Moon Seal" designed by Zhu Zhanji. It was shaped like a crescent moon with three water ripples at the bottom, symbolizing the flow of goods across the world.

There were no firecrackers, no gongs or drums.

Qian Lai simply opened the door at dawn and hung a red silk banner with the words "Grand Opening" written on it on the lintel.

But people kept coming to offer their congratulations.

The first to arrive was a servant from the Shen family, who brought a pair of celadon vases filled with freshly picked osmanthus flowers.

Then there were the businesses that Guo Sheng had contacted, which sent either tea or cloth as practical congratulatory gifts.

Around noon, a blue-curtained carriage stopped at the entrance.

Yang Pu got out of the car, holding a scroll in his hands.

Qian Lai greeted him, and Yang Pu unfurled the scroll, which contained four characters written in his own hand:

Xinyi Trading

"This is for your boss." Yang Pu handed the letter to Qian Lai. "Tell him to do a good job."

Qian Lai solemnly accepted it and immediately had it framed and hung in the most conspicuous position in the main hall.

In the evening, someone from the Crown Prince's residence arrived.

It was Zhang's personal nanny who brought a pair of jade ruyi scepters, saying they were "for the young prince to play with."

The pair of ruyi scepters were placed in the main hall of the backyard, alongside Yang Pu's calligraphy.

As night fell, Zhu Zhanji secretly came over.

He stood across the street, looking at the brand-new signboard, which gleamed faintly in the twilight.

"Chuntao," he said softly, "you know, this is just the first step."

Chuntao didn't ask what the second step was.

She simply looked at the young prince's innocent profile, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her.

From the coal briquettes of Xishanzhuang to the exquisite wine of Mingyuelou, and now to the business we have today.

It's only been a little over a year. How many more years are left?

Zhu Zhanji did not linger for long; he turned and walked into the night.

Behind them, the signboard of Mingyue Trading Company was quietly lit.

Further away, the Mingyue Tower was brightly lit, with people clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

Further away, on the northern horizon, a few stars could be faintly seen.

That's the direction of Xuanfu Town.

That's the direction the army is in.

That was the direction his grandfather, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di, was inspecting.

"The road ahead is still long," he said softly.

Meanwhile, on the fifth day after Mingyue Trading Company opened, Qian Lai encountered an unexpected problem.

It wasn't a big deal, but it kept him pondering it all night.

The story begins with the payment for the goods from the Shen family.

The first batch of floral dew ordered by Madam Shen, totaling five hundred bottles, has been packed and shipped.

As agreed, the payment of 3,000 taels of silver would be made in three installments. The first installment of 500 taels as a deposit has been received, the second installment of 1,000 taels will be paid upon delivery, and the third installment of 1,500 taels will be settled three months later.

The problem is, how do we transport this thousand taels of silver?

The Shen family has a branch in Beiping, but the branch doesn't have enough money, so they have to transfer it from the main branch in Nanjing.

Transporting silver takes time, requires a security escort agency, and involves taking risks along the way.

Qian Lai did the math: from Nanjing to Beiping, by the Grand Canal, it would take at least twenty days and at most a month, and the cost of escorting the goods would be at least thirty taels of silver, not to mention the "accidents" that might happen along the way.

"Manager Qian, how about we use a membership ticket?" Guo Sheng suggested.

A negotiable instrument is a document issued between businesses that allows them to collect money in a different location.

This is a common method used by merchants in the Jiangnan region, but it is not yet widespread in the North.

Qian Lai shook his head: "We just started cooperating with the Shen family, so we'll have to wait until we're more familiar with each other before discussing the ticket issue."

Guo Sheng then said, "How about we have the Shen family pay off their debt with goods? We happen to need the spices they brought from Southeast Asia."

"We need the spices, but not all of them," Qian Lai said.

"At our workshop, Lin Niangzi's wages and Master Sun's materials all have to be paid in cash."

The two discussed it for a long time, but couldn't come up with a good solution.

In the end, they could only ask the Shen family to pay part of the cash first, and use spices to settle the rest, taking it one step at a time.

Qian Lai kept this in mind and planned to mention it when he saw his employer next time.

But to his surprise, three days later, his employer took the initiative to ask about it.

It was the eighth day of the tenth lunar month, at nightfall.

Zhu Zhanji left the Crown Prince's residence and went directly to Mingyue Tower.

He was dressed very simply today, in a moon-white cotton robe, with only a jade hairpin in his hair, like a child from an ordinary wealthy family.

Chun Tao followed behind, carrying a bulging bundle in her hand.

Inside Tingxue Pavilion, Qian Lai, Guo Sheng, and Sun San were already waiting.

Zhu Zhanji entered and sat down, without exchanging pleasantries, and went straight to the point: "Manager Qian, is the Shen family having any trouble with their payments?"

Qian Lai was taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "How did the boss know?"

"That's what Uncle Yang said," Zhu Zhanji said. "He said the Ministry of Revenue has been discussing the inconvenience of north-south remittances and the high cost of transporting silver for merchants. I think we'll definitely encounter the same problem when we cooperate with the Shen family."

Qian Lai felt a warmth in his heart.

Although the master was young, he took everything to heart.

"It is a bit troublesome." He explained the situation, including the bills of exchange, the spice payment, and the escort agency's transport.

After listening, Zhu Zhanji remained silent for a moment.

Then he asked a question that stunned everyone present:

"Manager Qian, have you ever thought about opening a money exchange?"

Qian opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Guo Sheng reacted quickly: "The money shop the boss mentioned, is it like the 'piaohao' in the south, which helps people deposit and transfer silver?"

"More or less," Zhu Zhanji said, "but more than that."