The imperial court was preparing to open the sea and allow merchants to go out to sea to do business!
Five days later, the crown prince would appear to host the auction of the voyage chart and the voyage treasure ship.
These two pieces of news quickly spread throughout the Ying Tian Prefecture. Soon after, they spread to the entire Great Ming Territory at an extremely fast speed.
Pigeon messenger, horse messenger…
They used all the methods they could, hoping that this news would reach the people they wanted to inform as soon as possible.
There were quite a number of big merchants from other places who had businesses in the Ying Tian Prefecture.
However, the person in charge here did not have the power to make decisions. He could only quickly inform those who could make decisions.
For a time, countless messenger birds and horses scattered from the Ying Tian Prefecture.
……
"Old Zhang, have you heard? The imperial court is opening the sea. Are you interested in going with us?”
"What are you looking at? With our little wealth, we can still be considered decent on this street, but in the entire Ying Tian Prefecture, we're at most small shrimps.”
"Old Liu, your family is in the water business. Do you have any ideas this time?”
"Hehe, thoughts? Of course I do. Even a fool in this Yingtian Prefecture knows that those western barbarians have many treasures.”
"Heh, I'm only afraid that your family won't be able to take it all. When the time comes, if it's possible, our two families can join hands!”
"Alright!"
“……”
In Yingtian Prefecture, from the wealthy merchants to the peddlers, all the streets and alleys were discussing the matter of opening the sea.
Many people were secretly rubbing their fists, ready to fight.
There were also some who were close to each other. They would gather together to drink tea, chat, and form a verbal alliance.
Many of them were well-informed and already knew that the first batch of nautical certificates issued by the Imperial Court was limited.
Secondly, there were only a few voyage charts being auctioned. There were also voyage treasure ships, so the number of auctions was also limited.
One could imagine how intense the competition would be when the auction came.
Following Zheng He's three expeditions to the West, he had brought back many things. Many merchants in the Ming Dynasty had long smelled a huge business opportunity.
It was just that the imperial court had imposed a ban on the sea, preventing them from doing business by sea and could only travel by land.
Not only was the journey far, but the risks were also great.
Moreover, in recent years, with the rise of the Timur Dynasty and the Turkish Empire, the second half of the Silk Road was basically cut off.
The space for profit was getting smaller and smaller.
Therefore, many merchants wanted to be the first to get a taste of the crab when the imperial court was willing to open the sea.
As for the danger, with Zheng He's three expeditions as a precedent, most people felt that they could do it themselves.
……
Time passed, day after day.
As the date of the auction approached, more and more merchants rushed to the Ying Tian Prefecture from all over the world.
The people living in the Ying Tian Prefecture could clearly feel that the city had become much livelier these few days.
It could be said to be a grand occasion that was rarely seen in ten years.
Very quickly.
Five days passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day of the auction.
The auction venue was the newly opened Imperial Restaurant located at the center of East Main Street.
This was one of the properties under Zhu Gaojin's royal trading company.
The entire restaurant was more than ten meters tall, with a total of three floors and an area of more than a thousand square meters. The overall decoration was golden and resplendent, and it looked high-end and classy.
Many wealthy businessmen who came here for the first time could not help but sigh. They made up their minds that they would definitely learn from this place when they returned.
"Brother Chen, you're here too!"
"Brother Zhang, it's a pleasure to meet you. How can I not come and take a look at such a grand occasion?”
"Old Brother Liu, there are quite a number of people here today, and there are quite a number of unfamiliar faces. If things don't work out, don't forget the agreement between our two families.”
"Don't worry, Brother Wang, I know what to do.”
“……”
The auction started at 5 pm. Many merchants had already arrived before the time.
They were all in the business world, and many of them were acquaintances. At the very least, they had met once or heard of their names.
Soon, they began to talk in low voices, expressing their opinions and views on this auction.
……
Third floor, private room number nine.
Zhu Gaojin, Sun Ruowei, and Fatty Zhu were all drinking tea calmly, while Zhu Zhanji was in charge of pouring tea.
These few days, he had been helping the trading company out, and had put in a lot of effort. His entire person looked a little more shrewd.
"Father, Fourth Uncle, it's about time. I just took a look. There are at least a hundred people here.”
Zhu Zhanji was excited. He was a person who liked crowds and was very interested in auctions.
In addition, he was Fatty Zhu's assistant this time, so he was even more impatient.
"Boss, let's begin. Almost everything is here, there's no need to wait.”
Zhu Gaojin put down his teacup and said lightly.
"Alright!"
The boss nodded and stood up. He walked out of the private room with Zhu Zhanji's help and went to the first floor.
"Let's go out and take a look too!"
"Good!"
Sun Ruowei's eyes were filled with curiosity. She followed Zhu Gaojin to the corridor and looked down quietly.
……
"The Crown Prince has arrived!"
As Zhu Zhanji shouted, the merchants in the hall instantly stopped talking and hurriedly looked in the direction of the voice and bowed.
"Greetings, Crown Prince, Crown Prince Jin An!”
"Everyone, get up. There's no need to be polite today. I'm only here to do business with you!”
"Thank you, Crown Prince!"
The boss smiled warmly and looked approachable, making the merchants feel at ease. They felt that he was very friendly.
"Everyone has the same purpose for coming here. You should have seen the notice for the specific matters, so I won't say more here.”
"Next, let the auction begin!”
Looking at the excited and passionate eyes, the boss's smile did not change. He continued,
"First, the navigation certificate. Each certificate costs 100,000 taels of silver. Everyone present can only buy one. In addition, it will not be issued for the next five years.”
This was Zhu Gaojin's idea to make some hesitant people bleed.
If he didn't buy it this time, he would have to wait five years or even longer.
When that time came, he would probably regret it to death when he saw others earning so much.
"100,000 taels!"
Hearing the price, many people hesitated. This was not cheap. It was equivalent to more than half of their net worth.
However, the truly bold and wealthy ones didn't care.
"Crown Prince, I'll buy one!"
"I'll buy one too!"
“……”
In just a few moments, more than thirty people had spoken up. Some of the people who were still hesitating made up their minds and decided to take a gamble.
In the end, more than 60 people bought the 'voyage license,' but most of them probably wouldn't go out to sea for a short period of time.
Firstly, he needed to observe and secondly, he needed time to prepare.
……
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。