Yes!
Jiajing suddenly realized—
How could coarse salt compare to this salt?
And just as he seemed to understand, Zhu Mo added in his ear—
"Comparing people leads to death, comparing goods makes you want to throw them away!"
"Think about it, when you buy something, you compare three shops. My salt, whether stir-frying or boiling noodles, only needs a little to be flavorful and dissolves quickly. You can't even feel the granules when you chew it, so how could it not be good? In a word, my ordinary salt is of tribute salt quality. Merchants in the world are not fools, they will definitely rush to deal in my goods!"
Li San and the old Daoist blurted out, "Right, that's the logic!"
But Li San was a little confused and asked cautiously, "If this salt is so good, you'd make a fortune selling it yourself, why would you let others sell it..."
The old Daoist pondered for a moment, then picked up Li San's words and chuckled, "Young Master Zhu, you can fool us two old men, but which salt merchant in the world has this ability? Even if they did, they wouldn't agree... Imagine, what merchant with such good goods wouldn't hoard them? Cornering the market is the true nature of business... Haha... Young Master Zhu is just telling a joke..."
Zhu Mo chuckled, "Hoarding is not the work of industrialists, but of speculators! I, Zhu Mo, will not have such a limited vision!"
Hearing him utter another new term, they both blurted out:
"Indus-trialist?"
"Yes."
Zhu Mo stood up with a whoosh, "Those who create new products, new technologies, and widely benefit people are industrialists. What are speculators? Their vision is too low, focused solely on profit, picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons! Think about it, once you benefit the majority, how can you not make money? If your products are sold everywhere, won't you earn more than by hoarding? Is there more water in the ocean or in the rivers?"
"Furthermore, once my salt is recognized by everyone, I plan to propose to the Grand Secretariat to have the state-run banks open dozens of new salt fields, and let at least half of the salt market sell this salt. The money earned can then be used to repay the principal of the public debt! I think it will be very quick, three to five years..."
These words were the problems Zhu Mo had been pondering, and he spoke them with a generous spirit, exuding an aura of dominance.
The two were awestruck and speechless for a long time, feeling an indescribable strength in this young man—profound, far-sighted, bold, and meticulous... They had been worried that silk might not be enough to repay the principal of the public debt, but now they had an additional path, and a great burden was lifted from their hearts.
Indeed, salt and iron had always been major sources of profit since ancient times. The reason for the Ming Dynasty's depleted treasury was directly attributed to the inefficiency of state-run salt and iron. The obvious sources of revenue were not being collected. Zhu Mo's method, half public and half private, was very flexible, enough to silence all the gentry and merchants in the world. Moreover, by operating through state-run banks, which focused solely on revenue and not management, the accounts were very clear, and the officials in charge of salt could not interfere. It was truly perfect...
Jiajing fell into a reverie,
After an unknown period of time,
Li San couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Is this Young Master Zhu really going to be an indus-trialist?"
As soon as the words left his mouth,
He suddenly cursed himself in his heart—
How could I forget that matter?
That bet!
Does this mean...
Zhu Mo intends to use that money from Yan Maoqing for this salt business?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at the old Daoist, and the old Daoist happened to remember the bet as well! They couldn't help but exchange a knowing smile—
So,
This brat Zhu Mo really planned to use that money for salt...
This is also good,
If he doesn't pay, he doesn't pay,
As long as he didn't buy houses, acquire land, or marry wives and concubines,
He still retained the character of a commoner in high office!
But,
Who actually won that bet?
The outcome was that neither lost!
Zhu Mo was still Zhu Mo—
Unpredictable yet within reason, constantly refreshing people's perceptions!
At this point,
The small imperfections in their hearts were finally revealed.
The old Daoist suddenly burst into laughter, "Good, good, Young Master Zhu is truly a rare talent in the world... I, this old Daoist, am also very impressed..."
Li San also said, "Yes, truly a distinguished vision..."
They looked at each other again, their thoughts were the same—
This young man, despite wandering the martial world for more than a decade, had not succumbed to the worldly vices of indulgence and pleasure.
...
After the three chatted for a while, Li San saw that the old Daoist was still enthusiastic and showed no intention of leaving. He knew the old Daoist wanted to ask more about Zhu Mo, so he smiled and asked,
"Young Master Zhu, you've really caused a stir this time going to Jiangnan! The entire capital has been shaken every few days... First, there was the state-run bank, then the debt for resisting pirates, then the so-called 'industrialization of silk,' and then the witty battle with the black censor Hai Rui... We two old men are simply astonished... Hahaha..."
The old Daoist took a sip of tea and also chuckled, "Indeed, capable, truly capable... He could write several storybooks... Truly a tiger cub born in spring, fearless..."
Upon hearing this, Li San couldn't help but glance at the old Daoist—
This sounds a bit strange...
Looking at his eyes, he could indeed see a hint of lingering fear and worry, as well as a bit of heartache...
And at this moment,
Zhu Mo added more food to the old Daoist's bowl.
Li San couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's nothing much! A sharp sword is sharpened by grinding... Young Master Zhu is a good sword, so he must be tempered! He is still a scholar, yet he has accomplished so much. In the future, he will be a pillar of the Great Ming Dynasty."
Hearing this, the old Daoist looked at Zhu Mo with a gaze filled with much affection.
Li San thought to himself—
This is truly like father and son~~
One is devoted like a mother bird cherishing her chicks, the other is deeply concerned from afar...
At this moment, he couldn't help but say, "Young Master Zhu, tell us more, about the matters in Jiangnan. We've only heard rumors, is it true or not?"
Zhu Mo, having eaten and drunk his fill, felt much more cheerful. Thinking back to the covert struggles of the past few months, it felt like a lifetime ago. He now spoke fluently, recounting the major events one by one.
The old Daoist and Li San listened intently, occasionally asking a question, their faces alternating between admiration and worry, engrossed as if listening to a storyteller.
When it came to Shen Cong's cunning,
With a crack,
Li San actually slammed the stone table and cursed, "Vile dog! Detestable!"
The old Daoist also snorted coldly and said word by word, "His intentions deserve to be punished!"
Before his words had even finished, he looked at Li San and asked, "I heard that this Shen Cong has already been arrested?"
"Yes, yes, he has been arrested... I heard he was demoted by two ranks and reassigned... In my opinion, that's far too lenient..."
The old Daoist gazed serenely at the rising moon and said faintly, "It's truly strange that such a person can still be an official... I wonder who handled the case?"
Li San panicked inwardly, coughed dryly, and chuckled awkwardly, "I misremembered just now. Someone mentioned this person yesterday, saying he had been dismissed from office and would never be employed again..."
"Oh..."
Only then did the old Daoist nod.
Zhu Mo also hated this Shen Cong to the core. Hearing that he had been permanently dismissed, he said, "The people sent by the Yan family are all cunning villains. Fighting with them, honestly, I still feel a bit scared..."
He had been thinking along the way: if not for the system's blessing, he would have surely failed in Jiangnan this time... The Yan family had been in power for twenty years, and it was truly not simple...
They both nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing.
Their understanding of the Yan family was naturally more profound than Zhu Mo's, but many words remained on the tip of their tongues before they were swallowed back. Dealing with the Yan family was not something that could be resolved in one or two encounters...
The atmosphere became a little delicate,
Li San changed the subject and said,
"What other interesting things happened later?"
Zhu Mo brewed another pot of tea and continued his story.
When they spoke of Hai Rui's tragic sacrifice to protect the common people without regard for himself, both the old Daoist and Li San's eyes welled up with tears.
Li San's voice was even a little choked, saying, "I've lived for over sixty years, and I've never heard of so few people like this..."
"Yes, hearing others talk about Hai Rui, I thought he was just an upright person... I never expected him to be so full of compassion, righteousness, and emotion..."
Li San exclaimed, "And he has foresight... He knows how to lead the common people to prosperity..."
Mhm, mhm.
Mhm...