Chapter 84

On the same day that Xie Lingyun and Hong Feiyun met, the hall of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce's headquarters was also bustling with activity. A sumptuous banquet was set up in the hall, with a variety of delicacies from land and sea spread across the table. Zhou Chong sat at the head of the table, and in front of him, five merchants, some elderly and some steady, were seated, chatting and laughing with him.

"Uncles, I am a newcomer and have just taken over the affairs of the chamber. I have not considered everything thoroughly and have not had the chance to visit you all. I hope you will not blame me!" Zhou Chong raised his wine glass and said to the five people in front of him.

These five people were the old patrons of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and also had a close personal relationship with Zhou Hai. After Zhou Hai's incident, the chamber owed a lot of money, and many people came to demand repayment. These five people were also creditors of the chamber, but they never pressured for repayment. They even lent a sum of money to the three ladies to pay off the debts, so Zhou Chong was very grateful to them and treated them as juniors.

"The young master is too polite. We are old friends with your father, and we were very saddened by his recent misfortune. Fortunately, the young master has taken over the business of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, which means that Zhou Hai has a successor. If there is anything we can help with in the future, just let us know, and we will do our best to assist!" A well-dressed, obese old man sitting diagonally across from Zhou Chong spoke.

This old man was no ordinary person. His name was He Xian, a famous silk merchant in the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas. He owned countless mulberry gardens in these two places and monopolized nearly half of the silk trade in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Even in these two wealthy regions, he was one of the richest families. Additionally, he owned a considerable fleet on the Yangtze River, which specialized in acquiring silk and other goods along the river. Most of this silk was smuggled overseas, and he was once the largest silk supplier to the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, as well as one of Zhou Hai's best friends. He was also very enthusiastic towards Zhou Chong.

"He Xian is right. The young master has taken over the business of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, and I heard that you eliminated the Quanluo and Shangquan chambers as soon as you arrived at Shuangyu Port. That was truly satisfying. Here, Uncle offers you a toast!" A lean old man sitting opposite Zhou Chong raised his wine glass to toast Zhou Chong. This lean old man looked a few years younger than He Xian, with a refined appearance and neatly trimmed white beard. He wore a light blue robe, exuding a strong scholarly aura. If one met him for the first time, they might mistake him for a teacher.

In fact, this lean old man was named Li Mo. Like He Xian, he was a famous merchant in the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas, but he did not deal in silk. Instead, he specialized in porcelain, with several merchant caravans traveling to various porcelain production areas in the Ming Dynasty. The porcelain he transported was also smuggled overseas, and the wealth he controlled was no less than He Xian's.

Seeing Li Mo offer him a toast, Zhou Chong quickly stood up and raised his wine glass, then drank it in one go. Li Mo had previously been a smuggler in Shuangyu Port but was forced to leave by a group of Japanese pirates, so he had no good feelings towards the Japanese.

"Young master Zhou, I am a rough man and don't know how to say polite words. I once received a favor from Zhou Lao, so it is only right for me to repay him. But I am straightforward, so what did you call us here for today?" Just as Zhou Chong sat down, a burly man sitting on the left side of the table asked.

This burly man looked to be in his forties, with a fierce appearance. He wore a sable fur coat, and his thick fingers were adorned with several red and blue gemstone rings. Even his hat was inlaid with a large gemstone the size of a pigeon's egg. His attire made it seem as if he was afraid others wouldn't know he was a nouveau riche.

This nouveau riche burly man was named Hu Lei, a powerful timber merchant. He not only supplied most of the timber needed in Shuangyu Port but also purchased a large amount of valuable timber from Nanyang through the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. Through these two businesses, he rose from a poor boy to become one of the famous merchants in Jiangnan. Unfortunately, he was illiterate and lacked refinement, and his attire and behavior exuded the aura of a nouveau riche.

"Uncle Hu, there's no need to rush. I invited all of you here today because I have a big business opportunity to discuss. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to trouble you all during the New Year." Zhou Chong smiled and said to Hu Lei.

"Make money?" As soon as Zhou Chong finished speaking, the eyes of the short, middle-aged man sitting to his right lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Young master Zhou, what do you mean by making money? Have you found a new, profitable route?"

This short, middle-aged man was named Chen Wufa. Although he had not spoken much, he was actually the wealthiest among the five. Chen Wufa did not deal in silk or porcelain, but in cotton cloth. Although the unit price of cotton cloth was not as high as that of porcelain and silk, the quantity of these goods was limited, and sometimes they were hard to obtain. In contrast, cotton cloth was produced in large quantities and had a high demand overseas, making it a significant portion of the smuggled goods. Chen Wufa was one of the largest cotton cloth merchants in Jiangnan, and the huge profits from smuggling made him wealthier than the other four present.

"Uncle Chen, you are joking. I would also like to find a new, profitable route, but such a thing requires a significant investment of human and material resources, as well as a bit of luck. Moreover, as you all know, the chamber's situation is dire, and we don't even have many ships left to transport goods. How could we find a new route?" Zhou Chong said, a bitter smile appearing on his face. If the chamber's situation were not so dire, he would not have invited these five people here.

"Young master Zhou, just tell us what the profitable business is. I'm getting anxious!" Hu Lei, the most impatient, shouted. He was a straightforward person and could not stand Zhou Chong's roundabout way of speaking.

"Hehe, when will Brother Hu's impatience change? Although Brother Zhou is young, he has always done big things since taking over the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. Just the reform of the North Port teahouse, which kept the port bustling during the New Year, is enough to make me admire him!" The youngest and most astute middle-aged man sitting next to Hu Lei said.

To call this person a middle-aged man was a bit inaccurate, as he looked to be only in his early thirties, and like Chen Wufa, he was short. His appearance was ordinary, but his triangular eyes, which darted around, made him stand out as a very astute person.

This astute person was named Xu Qian. Although he was the youngest among the five, he was the most well-connected, having good relations with both the officials and merchants of the Ming Dynasty. Most of the goods imported by the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce were sold to him at high prices, and whether it was pepper, spices, coral, or pearls, he would buy anything that could make money. It was unknown how he managed to sell all these goods.

When Xu Qian mentioned the reform of the North Port teahouse, He Xian and Li Mo also praised Zhou Chong. Initially, they had some doubts about Zhou Chong's ability to take over the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, but after hearing about the few things he had done, especially the commercial talent he showed in the teahouse reform, they immediately gained confidence in him and became more enthusiastic.

Hearing the praise from He Xian and others, Zhou Chong humbly responded and then finally began to explain the reason for inviting these old patrons today.

"Uncles, before I reveal the reason for inviting you all here today, I have a question to ask." Zhou Chong looked around at the five people, then continued, "I believe you all know that our smuggling chamber can earn ten to several dozen times the profit on each voyage. Many people envy such profits but lack the means to become smugglers. I want to ask if any of you are interested in directly participating in smuggling?"

Whether it was suppliers like Chen Wufa and Li Mo or buyers like Hu Lei and Xu Qian, they all indirectly participated in smuggling but were not true smugglers. Only those who controlled the crucial maritime transportation, like the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and the Xie family, were considered true smugglers.

"Zhou... Zhou brother, what do you mean by this?" Hearing Zhou Chong's question, the most astute Xu Qian was the first to react, but he could not believe the information Zhou Chong was implying, so he asked hesitantly.

"Since we are all family, I will be honest with you. As you all know, the chamber's situation is dire. The smuggling fleet has suffered heavy losses, and I lack the funds to restore the chamber's strength. So I have come up with a plan to turn the chamber into a joint-stock company and invite you all to invest. In the future, you will all be shareholders of the chamber, and we can work together to develop it. I wonder if you are willing to invest?" Zhou Chong said frankly, with a sincere smile on his face.

"Y-You can't be joking, right?" The refined Li Mo also lost his composure, his face full of disbelief as he asked.

"Uncle Li, do you think I would joke about the future of the chamber?" Zhou Chong said seriously, then looked around at the five people in front of him. If these five people invested, the chamber would quickly have a strong financial base. With money, restoring the original fleet would be easy. Moreover, inviting these people to invest was just the first step in his plan to reform the chamber. There was a bigger plan waiting for them.