. After he finished speaking, the audience was silent for a while, and then a person stood up, bowed his hand to Yang Yanyi, and said, "There is a word below, I want to ask the horse, I don't know if it's okay?" ”

Yang Yan looked at this person, about early thirty years old, medium build, clean face and slight beard. He smiled slightly and said, "What is the name of this gentleman?" ”

Xie Yuanqing said on the side: "Don Ma, this is Qi Yuzhai's young owner, Wang Zhong." Three generations have been in the jewelry business. ”

Yang Yan nodded and said, "Wang Shaodong, do you have any advice?" Please speak up. ”

Wang Zhongdao: "'Seeing the teaching' is not a big deal, I just want to ask the horse one thing, this time to recruit us to donate to the imperial court, whether we are voluntary, or assigned by the imperial court, we must contribute." ”

Yang Yan said: "This official has said to Xie Yuanwai before, I don't know if Xie Yuanwai has explained it clearly to you. But now the official can be extended again, this time please come to the meeting, whether to donate, or how much to donate, is voluntary, the court will not force it. Wang Shaodong, have you heard clearly? ”

Wang Zhong also nodded and said, "If the horse says so, there will be something to say below." We are all businessmen who keep to ourselves, and although our family has a small amount of money, it is also something we have earned through hard work, and we have never done anything like a traitor or violated the law and discipline. On weekdays, he also respects discipline and abides by the law, and the taxes payable have never been less than the imperial court. And there is a lot of filial piety to send money, there is really no obligation to do our best for the court, and the safety of the court is none of our business. ”

As soon as he said this, many people at the bottom nodded frequently, but in fact, many businessmen came to watch. From the bottom of their hearts, they were reluctant to donate money, but because of Yang Yan's prestige, they were afraid that they would offend the court if they didn't donate money, so they had to come to the meeting. After I came, I also made up my mind, and first looked at the situation, saying that if most people advocate donating money, then they will also donate money with the crowd. If the majority of people are against it, they will reject it as well. Seeing that Wang Zhong took the lead in opposing it first, although no one echoed it for a while, they all talked about it below.

When Zhao Ruyu and Yue Lin heard this, they also secretly shook their heads and sighed.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Xie Yuanqing hurriedly stood up and said, "Wang Shaodong, what you said is inevitably a little wrong. Under the so-called covered nest, there are no eggs. The safety of the imperial court is none of our business. If the Jin people hit Guangzhou and the Great Song Dynasty perished, wouldn't we all become people who died in the country, and they could still do business in peace and security there, what do you think? ”

As soon as he said this, many people below nodded in agreement.

Wang Zhong shook his head and said, "Xie Yuanwai, I think you are not right. We are just ordinary people, not relatives of the emperor, nor officials of the imperial court, even if the Jin people hit Guangzhou, they can't kill us all, they also need people to pay taxes and levy labor. Therefore, it doesn't matter who sits in the court, we only need to pay taxes and levy slavery. What kind of life should we live, what kind of business should we do, and what kind of business we should do. What will the golden people do to us? ”

After he finished speaking, many people felt that it made sense. There were a few other people at the bottom who answered, "Yes, yes." Wang Shaodong's words are reasonable. ”

Yue Lin felt that he couldn't listen to it anymore, and was about to speak, but was stopped by Zhao Ruyu, and then Zhao Ruyu sighed softly and smiled at Yang Yan: "Master Pony, the lower official has been wrong." Merchants value profit over righteousness, and you went to great lengths to pacify the pirates. All of you who sit down again have been favored by you, but there are still a few people who remember. He sneered.

Many people in the audience listened and lowered their heads. Wang Zhong's face also turned red, and he argued forcefully: "Shinong businessmen, since ancient times, merchants have been the end of the four people, how can the imperial court look down on us businessmen in ordinary times." Pirates have been rampant for ten years, and they have been in charge of several times. It was only when it was time to ask for money that they all remembered. Then he gave a salute to Xie Yuanqing and said: "Xie Yuanwai, you have to hug the thighs of the imperial court, and want to ask for an official and a half-position, so that you can dedicate all your family wealth to the imperial court, but don't pull our Guangdong businessmen in." I don't want to be an official, I just want to be a businessman for the rest of my life, and I don't want to have anything to do with the imperial court. Just now the colt said that everything is voluntary, and I don't know if it counts. ”

It turned out that although Wang Zhong was born in a businessman, his father did not want his son to continue to be a businessman, and wanted him to study poetry and books hard, and become an official in the imperial examination, so he invited many teachers to teach him. Wang Zhong was very smart when he was a child, and he was quite famous when he was ten years old. In addition, his family was originally rich in Guangdong, and many people deliberately praised Wang Zhong in order to flatter them, but the result only fueled Wang Zhong's conceit, thinking that he thought that he was talented and rich, and he was determined to participate in the material examination, so he could win the land in one fell swoop.

Who knew that he had participated in several imperial examinations, but he failed the examination repeatedly. Wang Zhong did not blame himself for his low knowledge, but thought that the examiner did not understand the subtlety of his essay or accepted bribes from other candidates, so he decided to abandon his studies and start business in anger. As a result, his father was furious, and in a fit of rage, he broke off the relationship between father and son. Later, although the father and son reconciled again, Wang Zhong also took over Qi Yuzhai, and the business was very prosperous, but because the status of the businessman was not high, he was always despised, so Wang Zhong was very unhappy. However, he naturally did not dare to oppose the imperial court, but usually complained and vented his grievances. This time, when he heard that Yang Yan wanted to invite businessmen to support the imperial court, Wang Zhong was the first to be reluctant to come to the meeting.

The Song Dynasty was relatively lenient in the management of folk speech compared to other dynasties, and the people in Guangdong were open, and the current binding force of the imperial court was not enough, so Guangdong merchants were privately discussing the current situation, and there were many people who held Wang Zhong's view. And Wang Zhong was young and vigorous, and he was quick to speak, and he said it all.

Yang Yan didn't expect such a situation, but he had never been willing to oppress people with official power, so he nodded and said, "Wang Shaodong, please take care of yourself." ”

Wang Zhong nodded and said, "Since this is the case, then I will leave first." He got up and left. Many people saw Wang Zhong get up and leave, and they were a little eager to try, just seeing that Wang Zhong was okay to leave, and they also planned to leave.

When Wang Zhongzheng walked to the staircase, he only heard a series of sounds of "climbing, climbing, climbing, climbing" coming up the stairs, and everyone's eyes were focused on the staircase at once, only to see an old man coming up, about seventy years old, wearing a four-fluted square mouth outer hat, wearing a group collar to the flower staff outer hat. Leaning on a cane, he walked up the stairs tremblingly.