Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

At this time, the salt merchants in the hall were like ants on a hot pan. They spontaneously divided into several small circles based on their regions.

The merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi gathered closely around the Liang family from Sanyuan and the Zhang family from Puzhou; while the Huizhou Chamber of Commerce gathered around the Wu family like stars surrounding the moon, whispering to each other and discussing countermeasures in low voices.

"Master Liang, what do you think we should do about this?" Zhang Yongyi asked helplessly with a frown and a look of worry on his face.

"I think today's situation, if we can't get together 10 million taels of silver, it will be absolutely impossible for us to get out of here safely." Liang Wenbing shook his head slowly, with a hint of helplessness and worry in his eyes, and said heavily.

"This is 10 million taels." Shen Shiguang, the head of the Shen family, sighed and said with a bitter face, "Even if we empty our family's savings, I'm afraid it will be difficult to raise the total."

"Alright, Brother Shen, there's no one here with us, so stop crying poor in front of us. Everyone in the Shanxi and Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce is worth tens of millions," Wu Tianquan, head of the Wu family, teased Shen Shiguang across the crowd. "We should hurry and figure out how to raise the money."

"In fact, government bonds are actually a good thing in essence," Liang Wenbing said thoughtfully after a moment's contemplation. "It's not necessarily a bad thing for us all to buy government bonds..."

"Yes, national debt itself isn't a bad thing. If we were simply discussing the issue of national debt, I'd be willing to buy it," Shen Shiguang glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice and said solemnly, "But what's the situation now? The capital of our Ming Dynasty has been captured. How many days can this southern half of the country hold out? If the country is shattered and dynasties change, wouldn't our money be thrown away like water?"

"I don't think there's any need to be so pessimistic." Liang Wenbing shook his head firmly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Whoever could come up with this idea must be a master. And looking at the Chongzhen Emperor today, he's no longer the depressed and hesitant monarch of the past. Perhaps he can truly restore order and restore the glory of the Ming Dynasty..."

"I am also optimistic about this emperor," Wu Tianquan quickly agreed, his eyes revealing a bit of expectation and trust.

"I don't have your vision." Zhang Yongyi shook his head helplessly, his face full of doubt and worry.

"How about this," Liang Wenbing said resolutely after a brief thought. "I'll invest one million taels to buy government bonds, and you can decide how to divide the rest. How about that?"

"This..." Zhang Yongyi frowned even more tightly and said with difficulty.

"Since Brother Liang is so optimistic about Emperor Chongzhen, I believe in Brother Liang's vision, so I will also follow suit and buy one million taels of national debt!" Wu Tianquan said cheerfully with a smile.

Upon hearing Wu Tianquan's words, Liang Wenbing couldn't help but glance at him in surprise. The Wu family was a rising star in the business world, and their current scale was entirely due to the current patriarch, Wu Tianquan. Liang Wenbing decided to purchase so many government bonds because, firstly, his family was indeed quite wealthy; even if the money couldn't be recovered, it wouldn't shake the family's foundation. Secondly, through his interaction with Emperor Chongzhen today, he keenly sensed that he possessed the aura and extraordinary means to accomplish things.

It is conceivable that once the Chongzhen Emperor was able to restore the country, how could the Liang family, who had lent a helping hand to the emperor in his most difficult time, be forgotten? By that time, regardless of whether the Chongzhen Emperor would elevate the status of merchants, at least the status of the Liang family in the Ming Dynasty would be greatly enhanced!

By then, the Liang family's status and influence in the business community will inevitably rise to prominence. In business negotiations, they will have even greater bargaining power; in forums like industry associations, their words will carry greater weight, and their words will carry weight.

It seemed likely that the Wu family, like him, had seen through the underlying interests and potential opportunities. It seemed that the Wu family's rise under Wu Tianquan was truly well-deserved. It seemed that he would need to communicate more with the head of the Wu family in the future, learning from each other.

"Since Brother Wu has this intention, let us take the lead." Liang Wenbing said to Wu Tianquan with a smile, his eyes revealing some admiration and mutual respect.

"Mr. Liang is a senior, and Tianquan is willing to follow in his footsteps." Wu Tianquan bowed and said respectfully.

"Do you two really want to buy so many government bonds?" Zhang Yongyi was surprised to see Liang Wenbing and Wu Tianquan agree on the investment amount in just a few words. "Do you really think this court..."

"Brother Zhang, please be careful with your words," Liang Wenbing quickly reached out to stop Zhang Yongyi from continuing, saying with a serious expression, "No matter what, we are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Contributing to the country is our duty and obligation!"

"Exactly!" Wu Tianquan said righteously. "When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? If businessmen like us don't lend a hand now, when will we? Furthermore, these government bonds are of no harm to us, so why not buy them?"

"This..." Wu Tianquan's words plunged the salt merchants into deep thought. They weighed the pros and cons, pondering the future situation and the fate of their families.

With Liang Wenbing and Wu Tianquan leading the way, the sale of government bonds quickly and smoothly continued. Unexpectedly, the original 10 million taels of government bonds were not only quickly sold out, but an additional 2 million taels of government bonds were also added.

"Liang Wenbing and Wu Tianquan are quite insightful." After listening to Wang Wan'er's report, Chongzhen pondered for a moment and said slowly, "From now on, you can spend more time with them..."

"As you wish," Wang Wan'er replied happily. Then, with a roll of her eyes, she asked curiously, "Your Majesty, why did you allow me to go out with them?"

"These two are smart people," Chongzhen explained patiently with a smile. "You can learn a lot from them if you spend more time with them. Although you are smart and have a talent for business, your experience and knowledge are still far inferior to those of these old hands who have been fighting in the business world for a lifetime!"

"Then... can I really go out with them?" Wang Wan'er thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "After all, I'm a girl..."

"Why not?" Chongzhen said without hesitation, "Are you afraid of criticism? This is indeed a problem, so I still suggest that you dress like a boy on weekdays and use the name Wang Wan!"

"Okay, this is what you agreed to, you can't go back on your word." Wang Wan'er clapped her hands happily.

"Why do you need my consent?" Although Chongzhen had lived two lives, he still had some ignorance and confusion about the relationship between men and women. He scratched his head and asked.

"Hmm..." Wang Wan'er blushed slightly and said shyly in a low voice, "You...you are the emperor, with a golden mouth and jade teeth..."

Wang Wan'er initially felt grateful to Chongzhen. After all, throughout the past five thousand years, the most captivating story for girls was the hero saving the beauty, and in her eyes, Chongzhen was undoubtedly that hero.

But upon learning that Chongzhen was the emperor, Wang Wan'er fell into a deep fear. Long ingrained in feudal ethics, she was deeply aware of the majesty and inviolability of imperial power. However, as they grew closer, Wang Wan'er gradually discovered that Chongzhen possessed not only the stability of a mature man but also the innocence of a boy. More importantly, he was free of the deeply ingrained notion of male superiority and female inferiority, and he fully respected and acknowledged her abilities and talents. Gradually, Wang Wan'er's heart was involuntarily drawn to Chongzhen.

Shi Kefa watched Wang Wan'er's expression change from the sidelines and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Now that His Majesty no longer had a concubine by his side, he certainly needed someone to serve and take care of his daily life.

Wang Wan'er is an excellent choice in terms of both IQ and EQ. Although her background is a bit humble, she is not asked to be the queen after all. She is just to accompany the emperor, so she is a suitable candidate.

However, this Miss Wan'er always wanted to show up in public, which Shi Kefa thought was quite inappropriate.

"Your Majesty, Miss Wan'er is a girl after all. Isn't it inconvenient for her to interact with these merchants?" Shi Kefa reminded tactfully, trying to make Chongzhen change his mind.

"Xianzhi, why are you as old-fashioned as those corrupt scholars?" Chongzhen said jokingly, "While it's true that there should be some protection between men and women, normal business dealings don't require such extreme caution."

"A woman's duty is to stay at home. Taking care of her husband and raising her children is what she should do..." Shi Kefa frowned, but continued to persuade without giving up.

"Xianzhi, I think you need to change your old ideas." Chongzhen gently waved his hand, interrupting Shi Kefa's persuasion, and said in a firm tone, "Women are not reproductive machines. In the future, I will gradually relax the restrictions on women. When that time comes, you will find that while men are the pillars of the country, women can also hold up half the sky..."

"This... I obey your order," Shi Kefa sighed helplessly and could only accept the order. He knew that once Chongzhen made up his mind, it would be difficult to change it.

"Your Majesty," Wang Wan'er asked expectantly, her eyes gleaming with excitement, "Can women really hold up half the sky?"

"Yes! Definitely!" Chongzhen said confidently with a smile on his face, "Four hundred years from now, there will be a country called China. Women will not only hold up half the sky, but most of it..."

"Your Majesty, you also know what will happen four hundred years later. You must be teasing me," Wang Wan'er said with a sweet smile, but there was a hint of curiosity and yearning in her eyes.

"I am slightly inferior to Zhuge Kongming and Liu Bowen. They knew about it eight hundred years later, but I can only know about it four hundred years later." Chongzhen said with a smile.

"Hmph! Just bragging!" Wang Wan'er said with a pout, but there was still a smile on her face.

"Hmm!" Shi Kefa, standing aside, couldn't stand it any longer. He coughed and said seriously, "Your Majesty, the bonds have been sold. What should we do next?"