"Brother Chen, what's the solution?"

When he heard Chen Yichen say there was a way, Xu Fengyuan was like a drowning person, looking at a life-saving straw.

He immediately grabbed Chen Yichen's wrist, his eyes full of expectation.

"Sell the goods overseas."

Chen Yichen still did not explicitly say that he would cooperate with Ye Zongliu and others. He wanted to go step by step to see if Xu Feng had the courage and ambition.

"Overseas? But I forbidden the sea in the Ming Dynasty."

Xu Fengyuan's expression on his face was a little confused. Logically speaking, Chen Yichenxunqi was born as a child and had a new high school degree, so it was impossible for him to not even know the Ming Dynasty's national policy of banning the sea, right?

But he quickly reacted, with a surprised expression on his face, and asked tentatively: "Brother Chen, are you talking about smuggling?"

If someone else said it was overseas, Xu Fengyuan would probably think of smuggling immediately, but Chen Yichen's sons said smuggling. That feeling was like the government supporting you to commit a crime. In theory, this kind of honor and relative who is one with the country should maintain the national policy and crack down on smuggling.

At the same time, Cang Huotou and others standing behind Chen Yichen also changed slightly on their faces, and they realized that this was a matchmaking process.

"How is it, Brother Xu dares to do it?"

Chen Yichen had a playful expression on his face. Having the courage to smuggle was the first step in cooperation. He didn’t even have the courage to do so, so he didn’t talk about it again in the future.

Faced with this inquiry, Xu Fengyuan hesitated.

Although he was from a business family, he has passed the imperial examination and has risen to the literati class, and is no longer the last place among the "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce".

If you can pass the Jinshi next year, you will complete the leap again and become the ruling class with an official position. Even if you fail, you can pass the "study examination" and wait for the Ministry of Personnel to listen to the election and become an official.

It can even be said that even if the family business goes bankrupt, it will not have a big impact on Xu Fengyuan personally.

If you choose to smuggle, it is equivalent to walking on the road of "illegal and crime". Once you are investigated and punished, you will definitely be eliminated and you will be seriously injured. The advantage is that you can save the family's business difficulties and obtain extremely rich profits, and you can earn a wealth of wealth within your fingertips.

So the situation Xu Fengyuan is facing now is nothing more than choosing one among "money" and "power".

But the problem is that a feudal society like the Ming Dynasty was not a capitalist country in later generations. "Money" and "power" were not in a balanced position at all. The status advantages brought by the latter can be said to be overwhelming.

To put it simply, you may not necessarily have the right to have money, but you may definitely have the right to have money.

Looking at Xu Fengyuan without giving an answer for a long time, Chen Yichen was not disappointed because this was expected.

Because of this, Chen Yichen had been hesitating whether to cooperate with Xu Fengyuan before. Apart from all risks and trust factors, the possibility of success is not high.

Just as Shen Yichen was about to give up, Xu Fengyuan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth and replied, "Why don't you dare? I hope Brother Chen will point out the clear path!"

"oh……"

To be honest, Xu Fengyuan agreed, which was a bit beyond Chen Yichen's expectations.

He couldn't guarantee whether the other party was on a whim, so he confirmed again: "Brother Xu, this is not a trivial matter, I hope I will consider it clearly."

"I've thought it through!"

After saying that, Xu Fengyuan gave his own reasons: "Brother Chen, he is a little talented and has little knowledge. He will not be able to pass the Jinshi next year. Even if he is admitted to the supervisor and takes the postgraduate entrance examination and waits for the Ministry of Personnel to be elected as an official, at least a few years later, and he will be the last small official in the prefectures and counties."

"At present, my father's business will definitely not last for a few years. Instead of going to fish and meat for the people for money, it is better to go overseas to make money."

"Although I have no ambitions, I was born in a small way since I was a child and would never be willing to harm anyone!"

Xu Fengyuan is a last-class identity who is not even as good as an old farmer. Because of his low political status, he has experienced since childhood that he was despised and asked for it by various officials. Even if he passed the imperial examination, he would encounter such a situation of being beaten by powerful compradors today.

So he hated this behavior deeply and did not want to turn from a dragon-slaying boy into an evil dragon after becoming an official.

"Okay, but I want to remind Brother Xu, there is no way to go back on the road I gave you."

"Brother Chen, I have made up my mind and will never look back!"

Having said that, Chen Yichen no longer said anything. There is no absolutely safe cooperation in this world, not to mention that he is doing "illegal" transactions.

At present, miners and Xu Fengyuan are in trouble. If you want to get rid of this situation, you must bear some risks. How to control this dangerous line depends on themselves.

"Brother Xu, the way out I give you is to ship to Japan. This way, you can ship from Fujian nearby, avoid the tariffs on the north side of the canal, and reduce the transportation losses along the way."

Chen Yichen thought that when Xu Fengyuan heard the word "Water", he would be as surprised and disgusted as Ye Zongliu at the time. However, he did not expect that he nodded calmly and said, "I know this route of Japan. My father once had a business partner with them and got a lot of money."

"But trade with them is extremely risky, and there is no sufficient background channel, so it is not easy to ship large quantities."

He is worthy of being a merchant from Jiangnan, and his knowledge is indeed far superior to that of Ye Zongliu, the group of miners.

"I can help you contact the channel, but this group of people has a special identity, it depends on whether you dare to cooperate."

"What is it?"

"The wanted criminal by the government."

When Xu Fengyuan heard Chen Yichen's words, his face changed a little, and even his eyes looked at him were strange.

It would be fine if you are a great relative who smuggled afterwards. Now you are still colluding with wanted criminals in the government. What do you want to do? Do you still have the intention to rebel?

The problem is that the risk of rebellion is too high. Chen Yichen has such an identity and is still taking Zhongshi Jieyuan. Why do you want to do such a thing? It is really puzzling.

"Brother Xu, regardless of whether you agree or not, I don't want a third person to know about today's affairs, otherwise the consequences will be serious."

Since some secret matters were exposed, Chen Yichen naturally had to prepare for the backup, so that Xu Fengyuan could understand the seriousness of this matter.

Of course, because this matter is too outrageous, even if Xu Fengyuan leaks it or reports it to the official, no one will believe that the son of Duke Cheng Guo, Xinke Jieyuan, will participate in the smuggling with wanted criminals without a solid evidence.

But Chen Yichen couldn't guarantee whether Cang Huotou and others would kill Xu Fengyuan, so it would be better to give him a warning in advance.

"I understand below."

Xu Fengyuan nodded very seriously. He was a businessman and a high school juren, so his mind was naturally speechless.

"I have met a Zhejiang miner before, and was wanted for conflicts with the government due to a mine tax. However, he is currently in Fujian and has a route to trade with overseas Japanese slaves, which is just short of high-value goods."

"If Brother Xu can cooperate with him, you only need to provide a source of goods, and you don't have to worry about other aspects."

After saying that, Chen Yichen pointed to Cang Huotou and others behind him and continued: "These are miners from Fujian. If Brother Xu decides to cooperate, you can directly discuss the follow-up matters with them."

"Brother Chen, you probably aren't just getting to know each other..."

Xu Fengyuan originally thought that these people were guards arranged by Duke Cheng Guo to Shen Yichen, but he did not expect that they would be miners from Fujian.

In this way, Chen Yichen may have a deep connection with the so-called coastal smuggling trade. A talented man from Jiangnan would be mixed with smuggling miners, which is simply a fantasy.

Chen Yichen smiled, not trying to explain his relationship with Ye Zongliu, but just looked at Xu Fengyuan with a deep look, waiting for his final reply.

Now that things have come to this point, Xu Fengyuan is also a smart person. He understands that when Chen Yichen tells about the wanted criminal in the court, he has no room for rejection.

Although he admired Chen Yichen very much and believed that the other party had the style of a humble gentleman, what he heard today made Xu Fengyuan see the other side of Chen Yichen. He did not dare to bet on whether such a bottomless son of honor would choose to silence after he refused.

"I remember the help from Brother Chen today and I dare not forget it!"

A smart person is sensible. Not only did he agree, he also clearly accepted Chen Yichen's kindness, indicating that there will be rewards in the future.

To be honest, Chen Yichen is not as scheming and ruthless as Xu Feng thought.

What he did today is more worthy of his heart and the hundreds of thousands of miners and people in the southeast who died tragically in history.

"Brother Xu, you're welcome."

Chen Yichen stood up and said to Zheng Xiang behind him: "You can stay and negotiate with Mr. Xu on specific matters, remember a fair principle."

Zheng Xiang has studied in a private school and has a stronger business ability than the other two. In addition, Chen Yichen also knew that this was a group of ruthless people, and was worried that he would scare Xu Fengyuan.

When doing business, only by ensuring the interests of both parties can cooperation continue for a long time.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, I understand it."

"Um."

Chen Yichen nodded, bowed his hand to Xu Fengyuan and said, "Brother Xu, you will negotiate with this Zheng Xiang next, and I will say goodbye first."

"Brother Chen is walking slowly, I'm sorry that I can't send you far away."

Turning around and walking out of the teahouse, Chen Yichen did not go back to the house directly, but said to Wang Neng: "You find a hidden place to guard it. After Zheng Xiang finished his talk, follow Xu Fengyuan and observe his movements over the past few days."

"Young Master Chen, are you worried?"

Wang Neng was a little surprised. This was the person Chen Yichen introduced himself. The brothers did not dare to question it. Unexpectedly, there was still such an order.

"Beware of it before it happens."

Chen Yichen replied lightly, then stepped forward without paying much attention to Wang Neng's surprise.

Maybe it is because of the people I have come into contact with during this period that have far surpassed those of Yingtianfu's relatively "simple" second-generation officials. Chen Yichen's cunning has gradually deepened, at least he will not trust anyone easily.

It was almost late at night when he returned to the Duke Mansion. A Niu waited in front of the Duke Mansion with an anxious look on his face until he saw Chen Yichen appearing, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Chen, you should take me with you next night, otherwise you will always feel at ease..."

The words came to an abrupt end here because A Niu discovered that in the darkness behind Shen Yichen, there was a burly and strong man with a dangerous aura on his body, which made him instantly alert.

However, when Aniu looked at the faint light of the lantern in front of the government gate and saw clearly who was the visitor, his face showed a look of surprise.

"Didn't you go to Fujian? Why are you here?"

That day, A Niu also met these miners on the Bird Boat, so he naturally recognized Canghuo Tou.

"Aniu, your duty as a guard, Mr. Chen, is not responsible enough."

Cang Huotou smiled and joked. He also remembered A Niu's performance that day. In the crisis, this kid always stood in front of Shen Yichen and said loyalty and loyalty.

These two points are what people in the world value the most.
To be continued...