The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 347

Yan Song naturally had no objection to Zhou Chu's arrangements for Yan Shifan, but even if he did, he had to keep his opinions to himself.

Yan Song knew very well whose people he was on. If he were to divide his followers into factions, he would be a member of the Zhou faction. He had been promoted by Zhou Chu and would naturally follow Zhou Chu's lead.

"I will follow the adults' arrangements."

Yan Song readily accepted good advice.

Hearing this, and seeing Yan Song's attitude, Zhou Chu was quite satisfied.

"Lord Yan, I must remind you that we are both serving His Majesty and employing people for the court. I hope you can handle the situation carefully."

Zhou Chu looked at Yan Song, his expression full of profound meaning.

Upon hearing this, Yan Song hurriedly bowed.

"Your humble servant will follow your instructions, sir."

Zhou Chu nodded in satisfaction. Meeting Yan Shifan was just a coincidence. He took the opportunity to give Yan Song a warning so that he wouldn't become too arrogant.

"This osmanthus cake is good. Let's wrap up the rest."

Zhou Chu glanced at the shopkeeper and said.

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. He recognized Yan Song; he had seen this Lord Yan from afar before, and Yan Song's imposing presence had terrified him.

It is said that in the entire Jiangnan region, this Lord Yan could be said to have almost complete control over both military and political affairs, holding absolute power, yet at this moment he was bowing and scraping before this young man.

Who exactly is this young man? Lord Zhou? The shopkeeper remembered a name: Zhou Chu!

The shopkeeper perked up immediately at the thought of the name.

In Jiangnan, Zhou Chu was seen as one of two extremes by both the common people and officials. Both the shopkeepers and the people of Suzhou Prefecture knew very well that the peaceful environment in Suzhou today was entirely due to Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The once arrogant Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce has become incredibly well-behaved under Lord Zhou's reforms, and there are no more instances of forced buying and selling or monopolizing certain industries.

The most direct change that the shopkeeper could feel was that in the past, he needed to go to a fixed stall to buy vegetables and supplies, otherwise he would not be able to do business.

Those vegetables weren't the freshest, but they were definitely the most expensive.

Since Zhou Chu rectified the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, they can now buy vegetables from any stall they want, or even have people come to the countryside to collect vegetables.

Not only vegetables, but also various meats are available, and the prices are much cheaper, plus they are much fresher than before.

The shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward and personally helped Zhou Chu wrap up all the osmanthus cakes.

Shen Lian took the packaged osmanthus cake and was about to pay the bill.

“Lord Zhou, I would never dare to accept your money. Without you, there would be no Suzhou Prefecture today.”

The shopkeeper said with a face full of gratitude.

"One thing at a time. You have to pay for what you eat. I understand your intentions."

Zhou Chu smiled.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian ignored the shopkeeper's attempts to refuse and placed the money on the table.

"No need for this much, no need for this much."

The shopkeeper hurriedly went to the counter, took out some money, and gave it to Shen Lian as change.

Yan Song, standing to the side, did not rush to pay for Zhou Chu. He knew very well that Zhou Chu had more money than anyone else, and he didn't know how much money Zhou Chu had made from his business alone.

Lord Zhou should share the joy with the people and demonstrate his integrity and incorruptibility. If I were to rush to pay the bill at this time, I would be out of touch with reality.

After leaving the restaurant, Zhou Chu went to Yan Song's residence at Yan Song's repeated invitation.

At this time, the Yan family mansion was completely different from the one Zhou Chu had built in Suzhou. Yan Song had moved to a seven-courtyard house, which was much larger and decorated entirely in the style of Suzhou gardens. It looked a bit more refined, but it suited Yan Song’s image as a scholar.

"Lord Yan is much more imposing than before."

Zhou Chu looked at the Yan residence and nodded.

This wasn't meant to mock Yan Song, after all, Yan Song was now the de facto head of Jiangnan Province, so a seven-courtyard mansion wasn't unreasonable.

If one lives in a shabby place, it is a disgrace to the imperial court and the emperor.

After all, Yan Song is now a high-ranking official in charge of a region, so it would be inappropriate for him to pretend to be poor. Who would he be trying to impress?

"This humble official represents His Majesty, and is a superior, so naturally I dare not be too shabby."

Yan Song laughed.

Zhou Chu followed Yan Song to the main hall of Yan's residence.

What is the current situation in Jiangnan?

Zhou Chu took a sip of tea.

"The situation in Jiangnan is very good now. Since the lifting of the maritime ban, the entire Jiangnan region is thriving. Countless merchants want to become maritime merchants. Once maritime taxes become the norm, it will be a natural thing for you to further improve the tax system if you want to."

Yan Song reported.

“All wharves along the coast, especially in Shanghai County and Chongming County, must be closely monitored to strictly prohibit smuggling. Once a smuggling vessel is discovered, it will be dealt with severely.”

Zhou Chu said.

If smuggling is not severely punished, the smuggling trend will continue unabated. After all, the sea tax is 40%, and smuggling can earn the money of two trips in one trip.

However, ships that sailed out to sea through customs were protected by the Ming Navy. Under Yun Jin's leadership, the Tiger Army had begun a new round of large-scale training, recruiting and training the Ming Navy.

The entire navy has a population of nearly 100,000.

With the strong support of the imperial court, the construction of warships was carried out at a rate far exceeding that of the past.

Nowadays, the navy is patrolling the waters of the Ming Dynasty. Once a smuggling ship is discovered, it will be arrested directly. Ships with official documents are protected by the navy.

As a result, fewer and fewer merchants are willing to take the risk of smuggling, and more and more are openly and legitimately using customs.

After all, who would want to take such a big risk when they can make money steadily?

"I will keep a close eye on it."

Upon hearing this, Yan Song's face turned serious.

"By the way, gather all the merchants from Jiangnan who travel by sea and have them set a uniform price for their goods. It would be best if the price were higher. Once it's uniform, everyone will sell at the same price, and they'll make more money."

Zhou Chu made the arrangements.

"Your Excellency is truly farsighted. Only in this way can we achieve long-term growth. Those who disrupt the market must be resolutely cracked down upon."

Yan Song spoke with righteous indignation.

Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this.

These are just the basics. Zhou Chu will come up with more tricks in the future, such as publicizing that clothing from the Ming Dynasty is noble and represents status.

For example, a certain piece of jewelry was worn by the Ming Dynasty imperial family.

Whether it's to Japan or the West, goods from the Ming Dynasty must be marketed as luxury goods in order to maximize profits at the lowest cost.

However, this goal will require a long period of development. At present, the Ming Dynasty can only set preliminary prices and raise the prices of goods.

Zhou Chu had a meal at the Yan residence, and then left with Yan Shifan. After making an appointment with Tang Bohu, they took a boat straight to Yuyao.

Today's Yuyao is very different from the past. Students from all over the Ming Dynasty came to study because of Wang Yangming's great name. At this time, it was common to see high-ranking officials and nobles with their children in Yuyao.

"Hu Zongxian, wait for me."

A richly dressed young man called out to the young man in front of him.

Zhou Chu, who had just arrived in Yuyao and was eating with Yan Shifan at a roadside stall, turned his head to look when he heard this name.