At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Xikou Town, Fenghua, Zhejiang Province, China was still a very ordinary small village. Due to its location at the edge of Siming Mountain, it lacked fertile land for planting food crops. In addition, China's economy was not developed yet. Unlike Western countries, where factories and commerce were everywhere, the integration of urban and rural areas was relatively high.
Therefore, before Jiang Jieshi became famous, Fenghua Xikou Town was like most small villages in China. It was just an ordinary relay station in the history of Chinese evolution. It did not attract the attention of most people.
Ever since Jiang Jieshi became the emperor of China, his birthplace, Xikou Town, became famous. The common people envied his wealth but forgot his ugliness. The literati admired the power in his hands and had to sigh to the sky that China had no talent.
With Jiang Jieshi's petty heart and cruel temperament, he could seize the highest power of the Celestial Dynasty and do whatever he wanted, which would deal a blow to the good life of the people of the Celestial Dynasty.
Therefore, everyone wanted to see Jiang Jieshi's story and understand everything about him, hoping to find out why he was a tyrant.
When Jiang Jieshi was in power, no one dared to see him, and ordinary people could not see him. He was like Hitler, with a dark mind, afraid of seeing the sun, always willing to hide in the house to think of bad ideas, sacrificing everyone's interests to satisfy one person's emperor hobby.
It was only after Jiang was overthrown by the people and retreated to the isolated island of Taiwan that everyone dared to openly discuss his humanity. Why did he fail?
In order to find out the reason why Jiang Jieshi's human nature was so low, everyone was willing to go to his birthplace, his former residence, and the traces of his past crimes to find out the process of him falling into the abyss of evil. They hoped to be vigilant against the next generation and not let bad people like Jiang Jieshi regain power.
Therefore, the Xikou of Fenghua was often more lively now. Although young people did not understand Jiang Jieshi's ugly behavior and went to Xikou purely to watch the fun, people with a certain degree of historical and cultural cultivation looked at his ruins and carried forward the spirit of enduring hardships and tasting courage. They would forever stop Jiang Jieshi's demon shadow from wandering the world.
Xikou Town was just a small mountain village in the early Qing Dynasty. As it was located at the junction of three famous cities, namely, Wenzhou, Shaoxing, and Taizhou, people from the three places had to pass through Xikou Village, which indirectly drove the commodity economy of Xikou Village.
As a result, the people of Xikou Village became rich first. They transformed and expanded the infrastructure in the village, causing the entire Xikou Village to gradually take the shape of a prosperous town.
Xikou Village had developed into a small town in the late Qing Dynasty. It was no longer a small mountain village. The main street was more than three miles long. Both sides of the street were like a city, and there were places to do business everywhere.
Jiang Jieshi's grandfather, Jiang Siqian, was a farmer. He did not read much and only knew a few words. However, he was quick-witted and did not want to be poor in the ravine for the rest of his life.
As the saying goes, when one's heart is high, one's spirit is high. After Jiang Siqian was uneasy about the status quo, he pondered how to get rich all day long.
Looking at Zhou Xueren, the rich man who had become rich first in the village, he knew that he was not his match. His ancestors were all related to the government. He had money on hand and could occupy a lot of land in the countryside. As long as he wanted any land, he could hide it for a long time. He could only hand over the land obediently. If he could not make a living outside, he had to sell his body and work long-term. He had to contribute his life's blood and sweat to Zhou Xueren in exchange for a little food and clothing.
Jiang Siqian's family had 30 acres of paddy fields, and the harvest was average. Zhou Xueren didn't like it and didn't buy it by force. In addition, Jiang Siqian's wife's family and Zhou Xueren had some relatives, so Zhou Xueren was willing to give some face.
However, if Jiang Siqian didn't put Zhou Xueren in his eyes, Zhou Xueren would definitely take out the rich and powerful attitude to deal with him. He would scold him for not having money and power, but also pretending to be superior, purely ruining the image of the rich.
Fortunately, Jiang Siqian's personality was docile, but his bones were full of dissatisfaction. He didn't dare to act rashly. When he saw Zhou Xueren, he would smile and flatter him, which made Zhou Xueren, who was used to being arrogant, very happy.
People who got rich in advance and gained power lived in flowers and flattery for a long time. It was easy for them to develop a rebellious and arrogant personality. They were unwilling to accept other people's opinions. Even if they were correct, they might not be able to get their rewards. This was the reason why loyal officials were easy to be harmed.
Zhou Xueti saw that Jiang Siqian's attitude towards him was okay and was willing to show mercy to him, unlike many tenants who always looked at him with cold and even evil hatred in their eyes. It was as if a fire had been held in his heart, waiting for the flames of rebellion to burn and swallow him up.
One day, Zhou Xueren went to Fenghua City to do some work. He heard from a relative in the official tax bureau that if he had spare money on hand, it was best to do some business. He did not want to waste the silver at home. Coupled with the unstable situation, perhaps the Qing Dynasty would fall one day and the silver would depreciate. It would not be as valuable as the property in his hands.
Zhou Xueren's mind was enlightened when he heard that. He thought about how he had been relying on the fields to grow food for his entire life. He had saved a lot of money, but he had no place to invest. In the past, the government had little publicity. The focus of the commodity economy was only on the land and crop business. Only some smart and bold people dared to look for a future in the business outside the land.
Therefore, he asked his relatives for advice on how to make a fortune. His relatives said,"If you want to be more stable, invest in the official salt business. You only earn and don't lose. It's just that you need capital to clear the path of officialdom."
When Zhou Xueren heard about the official salt, his spirits were lifted. He knew that salt sold well in the countryside. The villagers sold their physical strength and liked strong tastes. They always put more salt in their meals. If they sold salt, they would not have to worry about sales. They were afraid that the government would not allow private sales.
His relatives knew that he was worried. Before he could speak, they said that during the reign of the Kang, Qian, and Yong emperors, the government salt monopoly was a no-no. The emperors at that time were not only awe-inspiring, but also smart. They were good at discerning the details and did not allow their subordinates to fool them. In addition, they dared to kill disobedient people. Therefore, most private people did not dare to touch the government salt business back then.
The current emperor was not the emperor. He could only rely on the eunuchs and concubines around him to say things. He could not control the people below him. As long as he could make a fortune, anyone would want to put it into their own pockets. When the higher-ups were tight, it would be unlucky if they caught him. If they could not catch him, they would become a master.
The relative rolled his eyes and looked at Zhou Xueren's face, hoping that he could see the desire to make a fortune on his face. He would help him settle the formalities in the government, and at the same time, he would get some benefits. He could also use the tax collection power in his hands to give Zhou Xueren tax exemption, and the tax money saved would be put into his pocket.
Zhou Xueren was worried that the official salt business was very risky. Once the greedy nobles above set their eyes on it, especially the Manchu Tartars, they would not allow the Han people to get rich. From time to time, they would find some excuses to attack the Han people's rich economy. The Tartars were ruthless and might even lose their lives and implicate the entire family.
Therefore, he couldn't make up his mind. He looked at his relatives and stammered. This kind of thing was good, but he was afraid that the higher-ups would be capricious and it wouldn't be easy to end it.
As he spoke, he did not forget to remind his relatives in the officialdom to remember. Don't forget, those tartars are vicious! They can't bear to see us Han people live a good life.
Zhou Xueren was at the grassroots level in the countryside and was far away from the upper echelons of politics. He rarely dealt with the Manchu people. In the huge Fenghua Prefecture, except for half of the soldiers and the leaders who were Manchu, the officialdom and the people were definitely Han and other ethnic minorities. Even if he wanted to make friends with the Tartars, he suffered from no opportunity.
Furthermore, Zhou Xueren was deeply influenced by his ancestors 'ideas. He believed that there were few good people in the Tartars. This was because the Manchu Qing Dynasty had cruelly slaughtered a large number of locals at the beginning of the founding of the country. There were very few Han people in Zhejiang who did not hate the Tartars. The Manchu Qing aristocrats' rule in Shanghai and Zhejiang was like watching the moon in the water. It was really difficult to win the hearts of the people.
Zhou Xue's relatives heard him mention the Tartars and also gnashed their teeth in hatred. It was all these bearded bastards who provoked the Heavenly Empire and caused it to be in chaos. They rode on the heads of the Han people and were very arrogant.
However, the relative turned back and said that the world was restless. He heard that the Taiping Country was about to attack. The Tartars probably wouldn't be able to stay in the world for long. In the future, the world would still be ruled by the Han people. Just based on the Tartars eating, drinking, and playing, fighting and killing without thinking, what kind of climate could they achieve?
Zhou Xueren quickly nodded in agreement. He said," My relative, you're indeed worthy of being in the officialdom. You know more about the world than me. I'm willing to listen to your arrangements. I'll do whatever you say!"
The relative leaned close to Zhou Xueren's ear and said," The official salt business is risky, but the profits are high. The Tartars of the imperial court are troubled by the Taiping Rebellion and don't have the mood to care about economic matters. It's just the right time for us to make a fortune."
To be on the safe side, his relatives suggested that if you had money, you could invest in official salt, but you didn't have to do it yourself. Let others do the business and split the profits equally. Once the Tartars came to wipe out the salt, you would refuse to admit it, and I would make some arrangements in the government to ensure that nothing major would happen.
After being reminded by his relatives, Zhou Xueren couldn't help but think a few times, wondering who could stand up for him to do such a business. Not only could he manage the money well, but he also wouldn't betray him immediately if the government investigated.
When the relatives saw Zhou Xueren's silence, they thought that he was still hesitating. They could not help but stomp their feet and shout. It was a good time to earn money. It was something that others could not wait for, but you were dawdling. You did not want to earn money?
Zhou Xueren quickly smiled and comforted his relatives. He was thinking about who would be the shopkeeper. It was not that he did not want to do this business. Everyone lived for money. He could not let go of such a good thing.
The relative heaved a sigh of relief. He laughed and said,"You're so smart. You're always ahead when you think about problems." I don't care who the shopkeeper is. I'll buy a license plate for you immediately.
His relative didn't say that he wanted to get a license plate, but he emphasized that he wanted to buy a license plate. Zhou Xuesong knew that he needed money, so he quickly said," I don't have much silver on me, only enough for the expenses of eating in the restaurant. I do have a few banknotes. I wonder if it's enough for the license plate?"
When the relative heard about the food and silver notes, his eyes instantly lit up. It was a strong proof of the natural law of being greedy for money. He was worried that Zhou Xueren would laugh at him for loving money. He politely said that they were all family, so let's not talk about money.
Although he said that, he was afraid that Zhou Xueren would play dumb and deliberately push the boat with the current. He had just bought dozens of acres of fertile land in the neighboring Xinan village a few days ago and had difficulties in cash flow.
Fortunately, Zhou Xueren did not care about his relatives 'reactions. He was fully immersed in his dream of getting rich. At this moment, he wanted to take out his heart and suck up to his relatives.
After all, this way of making money depended on the advice and efforts of his relatives. Even if his relatives deliberately bit him, he was willing to bleed a little to satisfy his relatives.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。