"Mr. Hu, Mrs. Hu, the Imperial Concubine Maria wants to summon you, come with me."

A European woman about forty years old, very tall, dignified features, without any makeup, with a very serious expression, wearing a Western-style court dress, appeared in front of Hu Xueyan and Luo Cuihuan, and conveyed Maria's invitation in fluent Chinese.

Maria. Clementina gave Hu Xueyan a postcard with her signature, with which Hu Xueyan could deliver letters and gifts to Maria. However, it is almost impossible to meet the imperial concubine, and every time she comes forward to send a message to Hu Xueyan, it is the imperial concubine's most trusted court lady in front of her, Ms. Adelaide. She was the housekeeper that Maria brought from Europe and is now the head steward of Mariaburg.

Under the guidance of Adelaide, Hu Xueyan pulled his concubine Luo Si with some trepidation, bypassed the cloisters and corridors, and headed for Maria. Clementina's abode walked away.

Along the way, Hu Xueyan didn't squint, just stared at Aledley's skirt.

This seems to be Emperor Zhu's harem! Where can an uncastrated old man come and go casually? Including Alaidelai, who brought him in, all the female officials and palace maids here are Emperor Zhu's women, right?

Luo Si followed Hu Xueyan forward, but looked all the way to the palace where Emperor Laozi lived.

The Imperial City of Hanoi seemed to be empty, and most of the palace rooms were sealed and uninhabited. On the corridor and aisle, there was no one walking around except for the brocade guards standing guard. The air was full of slaughter, as if it were a military camp.

After walking for a while, the two finally came to a palace-like building. Several female brocade guards with waist knives and pistols stood solemnly at the door. Saw Ms. Adelaide coming over. Immediately pushed open the gates of the palace. Adelaide told Hu Xueyan and Luo Si to wait. Go in and report it yourself. Maria's coquettish voice soon came from inside: "Mr. Hu, please come in." ”

The moment he walked into the main hall, Hu Xueyan's gaze quickly swept away. The light inside was a little dim, and Hu Xueyan couldn't see the entire hall clearly at the first time, but he still saw a man in a short-sleeved silk gown sitting on the throne, still holding a pu fan in his hand. Maria. Clementina sat in a chair next to her, smiling at the man.

He is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Hu Xueyan immediately guessed the identity of the man, and pulled Luo Si to kneel down together. He kowtowed and said: "Hu Guangyong, a grass citizen, knocks to see the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor." ”

"Is it Hu Xueyan? I didn't expect to see you here. Zhu Jishi nodded to Hu Xueyan in a friendly manner.

The red-capped businessman Hu Xueyan actually caught up with Maria. Clementina's line is really good at drilling. He had just explained to Luo Zenan about his visit to Siam, and wanted Maria to take a bath with him, and by the way, to check whether the beauty's figure had returned to its best condition. As a result, Adelaide sent Hu Guangyong's gift list and letters.

The gift was not rich, just a few embroidered fans, a few jars of Maria's favorite candied fruit, at most worth ten silver dollars. Zhu Jishi knew that the tail of this ocean horse was clamped very tightly, and even the gift of ten silver dollars would be paid out of his own pocket. However, it is not easy for someone to deliver a gift to Maria. After asking Maria. Only then did he know that the name of this person was Hu Guangyong, and he also had an alias Hu Xueyan.

"The grass people are Hu Xueyan." Hu Xueyan didn't know how famous he was in later generations. I was very flattered, and I thought that Emperor Maria had spoken a few words for him in front of Emperor Zhu.

"You've done a lot of business." Zhu Jishi was still smiling, "I have read your letter, can you tell me about any business that benefits the country and the people?" ”

"Small business, a little small business......" Hu Xueyan said with a smile on his face, "The grass people have been doing business in Nanyang for many years, and they have heard a proverb: there is a Tangshan Gong, but there is no Tangshan Mother......

Zhu Jishi nodded and interrupted: "This I know the Dao, my ancestors have been wandering in the South Seas for several generations, and I know the proverb of the Dao. Because over the years, there are more men and fewer women in Nanyang. All the many bachelors who went to the South Seas married indigenous women if they could not make a fortune. Hu Xueyan, is the business you want to do is to find wives for the Chinese children in Nanyang? ”

"Yes, that's what the grass people are planning." Hu Xueyan replied, "The grass people have heard that Vietnamese women are very virtuous, and hard-working, not only to serve men and in-laws, but also to work in the field, is the main labor in the family, than other places in Nanyang can afford to endure hardships, and they do not believe in H religion, it is easier to train." ”

"Wow, there's such a thing!?" Maria. Clementina suddenly showed a look of surprise. "How can a Vietnamese woman stand it!"

Zhu Jishi smiled at her and said, "Honey, you can rest assured that you are safe, because I am not Vietnamese. ”

He looked at Hu Xueyan with a serious expression: "Hu Xueyan, so you want to be a human trafficker and buy a woman from Vietnam to sell to Tangshan Gong in Nanyang?" ”

Uh, traffickers? Why does it sound so bad like a bad guy?

Hu Xueyan was stunned, and when he didn't know how to speak, Maria coughed and relieved him: "Your Majesty, the concubine thinks that Mr. Hu is not selling people, but love, and Mr. Hu is a love dealer......"

Selling love? This woman is really good at talking, and she talks so nobly about the abduction and trafficking of women.

Sounds a bit like pimping! How did this Hu Xueyan think of doing this kind of business? Is it really good to earn? Zhu Jishi said in his heart.

He didn't know that the population of China's coastal provinces going to the South Seas had increased dramatically in recent years. The ratio of men and women in the Nanyang region, especially in the Grand Duchy of Lan Fang, has long been out of balance. Ten young Chinese men may not be able to stand up to one young Chinese woman! Therefore, for ordinary Chinese, it is difficult to find a suitable marriage partner in Nanyang. If you want to return to China to marry a woman, the cost is too great, just the travel expenses, food and accommodation will cost hundreds of silver dollars, and you have to prepare a rich bride price, which is not a successful Chinese can not afford it.

And trafficking women from the country to Nanyang...... It's a risky deal! Because in the eyes of the magistrates of the Ming Dynasty, it is not human trafficking for men to "sell themselves" to Nanyang, they just borrow money first, and then work to pay off debts.

However, the woman "sold" to Nanyang, either for prostitution or to marry, could not escape the crime of human trafficking. Now Daming human trafficking is a crime, if the parents sell their minor children or sell themselves, the government will generally not investigate (what an official government!). However, it is not a trivial matter when it comes to reselling, and if you are caught, you will definitely be punished heavily. And there are very few ruthless parents who are willing to sell their daughters who can marry to Nanyang - in this era, buying and selling marriages were already prevalent in China, whether it was marrying their daughters out of the country or giving them to rich and noble families as concubines, there would be a lot of income. Without more than double the benefits, who is willing to sell their daughter to Nanyang? But if you "buy" at this price, it will be difficult to sell it in Nanyang.

"Your Majesty, although the trade that Mr. Hu wants to engage in may not be glorious, it is indeed necessary." Maria. Clementina pondered and explained for Hu Xueyan, "Millions of Chinese now immigrate to the Americas in the South Seas every year, and if most of them have no way to marry and have children there, your colonization will not succeed." ”

Zhu Jishi glanced at Hu Xueyan and said, "I have allowed you to set up an Annan Labor Service Company to export indigenous male and female laborers from all over Annan, and the Yamen of Jiaozhou Province and the North Vietnamese Governor's Office will fully cooperate." However, the Annam Labor Company may not expand its business of employing workers outside of Annam, nor may it employ Annam Chinese to go outside Annam. ”

He lowered his voice and said: "Hu Xueyan, I know that your human trafficking is profitable, but after all, it will not see the light, so I hope you can keep a low profile, I don't want to hear that one day there is a big boss Hu in Nanyang who made a fortune by selling women, do you know Lu Dao?" ”

"The grass people know the way, and the grass people thank God!" Hu Xueyan originally just wanted Luo Si to have a relationship with Maria, so that it would be convenient for his firm to "purchase" in Annan, but he never thought that he would have good luck and be favored by Emperor Lao Tzu! (To be continued......)