Chapter 69: Ming Dynasty Foreign Trade Company
At this time, he looked at Yan Shaoting again.

Jiajing just felt that this was the God of Wealth sent to him by God!
Lu Fang asked again on behalf of the emperor: "Can the merchant come up with three million taels of silver now?"

Yan Shaoting looked calm and nodded with a faint smile.

"The commercial bill for three million taels of silver is here with me. As long as the court agrees, I can hand over this money to the Ministry of Revenue on behalf of Bai Fugui."

Jiajing's heart was trembling.

It’s not that they haven’t seen so much silver before. Twenty years before the Jiajing period, the Ming Dynasty’s treasury was full of silver.

What excited him was that when he and the court were in urgent need of money, Yan Shaoting could provide him with a steady supply of money.

Try hard to suppress the excitement in your heart.

Jiajing looked at Yan Shaoting with shining eyes.

"If you have any request, just make it. I will grant it!"

Yan Shaoting smiled slightly.

Bo Fugui...

Do not!
He is Yan Shaoting, so of course he has requirements.

And this is the first real change I have made to this terrible era.

perhaps……

This young man in front of us will not have the name of a cabinet for a long time, but will be able to exercise the power of a cabinet.

Hu Zongxian, who was sitting in front of the Taotai, was silently guessing in his heart after hearing the emperor's absolute authority in speaking to Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting whispered, "Your Majesty, at the beginning of the year, the cabinet held a meeting in front of the Emperor at Yuxi Palace and decided to increase silk production in the southeast and sell it overseas at a higher price to make up for the deficit of the court and increase revenue for the country. At that time, it was mentioned that the private sale of silk to foreign countries along the coast should be prohibited."

"It was you who brought it up in the first place."

Jiajing glanced at Yan Shaoting with a dim gaze.

He couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

Could it be that this kid had already predicted the current situation in the Southeast?
Yan Shaoting nodded and said, "If we want to increase the price of silk sold overseas, we have to prohibit large-scale private sales. In this way, even if there is a small amount of smuggling, it will not be a problem.

This is also the request of the Spanish businessman Bo Fugui.

He hopes to reach this deal directly with our dynasty, and because they are businessmen, they do not want to connect with the court's government offices, and hope that our Ming Dynasty can also have a corresponding business to negotiate trade with him. "

The Central Plains has always emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce since ancient times. Of course, there are many reasons for this.

But these days, Yan Shaoting has been thinking a lot.

Even though he is now a rising star in the court, he still does not have his own base.

Zhu Shitai and his men's march south to fight against the Japanese invaders was an attempt.

Now, it is also an attempt to establish a special foreign trade company by taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty's foreign marketing of silk.

And in Yan Shaoting's opinion, this will play a greater role.

Only when he spoke out his plan.

Lu Fang spoke first: "I understand a little bit of what Yan Shidu said. Merchants don't want to have too much dealings with the government. But our Ming Dynasty has the Weaving Bureau and the Maritime Customs.

If foreign merchants wanted silk, they only had to submit orders to the weaving bureau through the Maritime Customs, which was not a big deal.

We just need to block the coastal areas and prevent private individuals from selling silk on a large scale."

This statement was naturally recognized by Jiajing and Hu Zongxian who was present.

The imperial court already had the Maritime Customs and the Weaving Bureau.

In their view, setting up another so-called foreign trading company is completely unnecessary.

Jiajing even said, "Let Bai Fugui specialize in the Ming Dynasty's foreign silk business. I can agree to it. The court and the officials in the southeast will strictly investigate and prohibit the private sale of silk to foreign countries. But when the court sells silk, they come to buy it. There is no need for the court to set up a so-called business."

"Your Majesty, in order to prevent the influx of silver and money into our Ming Dynasty, which would impact the price of silver, drive up the price of copper, and further disrupt the prices of our people, the deal that I have agreed with Bai Fugui is not entirely calculated in silver, but also involves the payment of various overseas goods."

Yan Shaoting began to explain the relationship between silver and copper prices, as well as their connection with commodity prices.

He continued, "Things in the southeast are meant to increase revenue and make up for the deficit of the imperial court, but if a large amount of silver flows in, it will inevitably cause the price of silver to fall, and then our court will suffer a huge loss.

However, if there are foreign merchants, they can calculate the prices of various goods and purchase scarce goods such as copper, iron, wood, spices, etc. from overseas. "

He naturally would not say that if he had this special foreign trading company, he might be able to replicate Dai Ying's operations in the future.

Hu Zongxian also spoke up at this time: "Your Majesty, although I don't understand the way of doing business, what Yan Shidu said about the price of silver, copper and the prices of ordinary people is somewhat consistent.

Zhejiang Province is a prosperous place for merchants. Although there are Japanese pirates harassing the coast, the influx of a large amount of silver has indeed reduced the price of silver compared to the past. "

Jiajing frowned and thought.

After a while, he asked, "You mean, if I earn more silver, will money become worthless?"

This is a new topic. Even the most intelligent Taoist priest in the Ming Dynasty would hesitate sometimes.

Yan Shaoting smiled and nodded, "That's exactly the point. And although our Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, there are also a lot of silver and various goods overseas.

If we set up a foreign trading company this time, although it will only be temporarily engaged in silk business, if it is well managed, we can cooperate with the Maritime Customs in the future and lead our merchants to do more other business with foreign merchants, such as porcelain, lacquerware, writing brushes, inkstones, etc., to add more continuous financial and tax revenue to the court. "

Jiajing didn't pay much attention to what Yan Shaoting said before.

He only clearly heard that this foreign trading company, which had not yet been established, would be able to bring a steady stream of income to the Ming Dynasty in the future.

This is the most critical.

Jiajing's eyebrows twitched, and he turned to look at Lu Fang: "What do people in the palace think?"

Although this statement is a bit abrupt.

But there is no problem in asking.

In Jiajing's mind, the court was divided into the outer court and the inner court, just as he clearly divided the national treasury and the internal treasury.

In recent years, the palace has had many local projects to make money for the imperial treasury.

However, Lu Fang glanced at Yan Shaoting.

He didn't care whether this so-called foreign trading company would be established.

He only cares about who will ultimately manage the business.

Is it the inner court or the Ministry of Revenue?

This needs to be made clear.

So Lu Fang said softly, "My Lord, everyone can see that Yan Shidu is good at economics. But I am wondering, where will this company that specializes in overseas business be placed? How will it get along with the Maritime Customs?"

Yang Jinshui, who was still kneeling on the ground, immediately raised his head quietly.

He is the eunuch in charge of the Maritime Customs today.

Just right.

Yan Shaoting also glanced at Yang Jinshui.

The two looked at each other and soon looked away.

Yan Shaoting had a few more plans in mind. If Yang Jinshui didn't fall this time, he could turn around and pull those Southeast businessmen who were familiar with him to do foreign business.

First unite a group of businessmen and share common interests.

It will be easier to crack down on silk smuggling in the future.

It cannot be said that all merchants in the entire Ming Dynasty only engaged in silk business.

Can't help it.

Yan Shaoting thought again that the good old man in the cabinet seemed to be in the cotton business.

Yan Shaoting immediately said: "At present, our dynasty only has one Maritime Customs Office in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. Now the court wants to do silk business. I think this foreign trading company can be established in Beijing and Hangzhou.

When a business negotiates business with foreign merchants, the Maritime Customs Office issues various customs documents and also has the power of inspection.

But business matters must never be handed over to the eunuchs in the palace.

But for the Taoist priest, it is necessary to grasp the power of supervision.

Giving up the right of inspection to the Maritime Customs is the only option at the moment.

really.

After Yan Shaoting finished his proposal, he did not wait for Jiajing to speak.

Lu Fang bowed and said, "Mister Yan's plan is very mature. If it can really increase the income for the court, it will be a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

I saw that Lu Fang, who represented the inner court, also agreed.

Jiajing immediately smiled and clapped his hands and spoke.

"That's correct."

“Let those who know how to do business do business with foreign companies.”

"Let the Maritime Customs take the responsibility of supervision."

After saying this, Jiajing looked at Yan Shaoting, who he thought was good at business.

Yan Shaoting immediately nodded and bowed.

Jiajing asked with a smile: "Can the three million taels of silver be delivered to the Ministry of Revenue today?"

(End of this chapter)