Zhu Yuanfeng stroked his beard slowly and said: "Do you want to convince me to open such a workshop?"

"Does the third grandfather feel unprofitable?"

Zhu Yuanfeng shook his head, "This is not a problem of unfavorableness. There are countless such small workshops in Jiangnan, including five or six looms, and up to a dozen looms. But once such large workshops with thousands of textile machines are opened, these small workshops will be ruined. Have you ever considered how these small workshop owners survive?"

Fanning said in a deep voice: "I have considered these issues. I will go to Luzon next. I plan to plant hemp and cotton on a large scale in Luzon, and then hundreds of millions of dank and cotton are imported into the Song Dynasty every year. My third grandfather thinks these small workshops can be digested? Large workshops with thousands or even tens of thousands of looms will inevitably appear. The price of a piece of fine cloth on the market may be only five or six hundred cents to buy, which will greatly improve the lives of the people of the Song Dynasty.

This is the result of the discussion between the Queen Mother and Zhizhengtang yesterday afternoon. The biggest benefit of overseas expansion is that the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the lower-level people will be improved. The input of silver and gold, cotton and linen, grain, wood, horses and livestock will be imported. Then the large workshop needs manpower, and bankrupt farmers and farmers who have lost their land have found a way to make a living."

"What if a large amount of materials are oversupply and cannot be sold?" Zhu Yuanfeng said in confusion.

"It's very simple. We will explore overseas, sell it to Japan, Goryeo, and Southeast Asia and the West in exchange for more gold and silver. As long as we have strong shipbuilding capabilities and strong force, we will not worry about not being able to sell things."

Zhu Yuanfeng sighed for a while, "I only now understand that your overseas development will bring about earth-shaking changes in the Song Dynasty."

"Actually, there has been a change, isn't it?"

Fan Ning took out a silver horn and put it in front of Zhu Yuanfeng. "This silver horn worth hundreds of cents has appeared on the streets of Quanzhou. In a few years, all small counties will appear. This is the silver brought by Kunzhou. This year, 300,000 ponies and donkeys will be transported from Kunzhou and Danzhou. Almost every household in the capital will have donkeys, and there are shipbuilding industries. There will be dozens of shipbuilding workshops in Quanzhou and Fuzhou alone. The shipbuilding industry along the Yangtze River has emerged. In a few years, fleets of all sizes will be covered with inland rivers. The court has decided to require all prefectures and counties to clear the rivers with all their might, as the most important promotion performance for officials in the past three years."

After saying so much in one breath, Fan Ning said to Zhu Yuanfeng: "The profound changes in the Song Dynasty have begun to happen, and it cannot be stopped by individuals. If the third grandfather did not devote himself to it early, the Zhu family would gradually fall behind."

Zhu Yuanfeng was indeed moved. He knew very well that the court had been overwhelmed by the heavy financial burden in the past few decades, otherwise there would be no Qingli reform that touched the interests of the powerful and nobles. If there was still a way out, the court would never easily implement reforms.

However, since Fan Ning opened up Kunzhou nine years ago, the financial situation of the court has gradually improved, allowing the court, which was overwhelmed with financial burdens, and also allowed the anxious prime ministers to fully support overseas development, and even gave power to Fan Ning. For the rulers, as long as they can improve the lives of the lower-class people at the lowest cost, let them live and work in peace and contentment, and do not want to rebel, they will inevitably receive the support of the rulers.

So no matter from any aspect, Fanning's overseas development will receive support from the government and the opposition. All they need to change is to change, but the road to overseas development will not change.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanfeng was already moved, Fan Ning added a lot of codes, "When I entered Beijing, twelve powerful families had already established business in Quanzhou, and there would be more in the future. If the three grandfathers did not take the lead, they would be passive one step."

Zhu Yuanfeng was finally convinced. He nodded and said, "I don't involve weaving. I plan to invest 300,000 yuan to open a large silk-squeezing workshop in Pingjiang Prefecture and Yuezhou, and then open a large silk-weaving workshop. First, it will not be sold internally, but cooperate with Mingren and Mingli to export it. After the conditions are ripe, it will be sold internally in the Song Dynasty."

"Why are you in Yuezhou?" Fan Ning asked in confusion.

Zhu Yuanfeng smiled slightly, "I have two manors by Dongting Lake. I often go there and am familiar with the situation there. The cocoons there are very large yields, but they cannot sell at a good price. Moreover, the labor is very cheap. The key is that there are silk looms there, which are of good quality, so I plan to open a silk-squeezing workshop with 5,000 looms there."

Fan Ning was secretly shocked. He had hundreds of thousands of looms and thousands of looms at one move. This was the power of capital!

He thought for a while and said, "I suggest that my grandfather set up a loom research institute in Beijing to collect skilled craftsmen from all over the world, and specialize in how to improve textile technology and create the best new looms and silk suppression machines. If the research can be successful, the three grandfather can gain both fame and fortune!"

Zhu Yuanfeng smiled and said, "You have been fooling me all day long. Back then, I advised me to buy a stallion and to buy an island. The stallion brought me a title, but it was ruined. Now I have to persuade me to establish a cloth weaving institute, which costs a lot of money."

Fanning smiled and said, "I can pay half of the money, but I hope someone will do it."

"You can suggest that the court do it, and there are many skilled craftsmen in their country."

"The court's energy is all about making military products, and there is no interest in folk textile machines, but I can ask the court to provide craftsmen's support. How about it? Let's go ahead with this matter!"

Zhu Yuanfeng thought for a while and said, "Money is not a problem. You don't need to pay half of it. I can solve it myself. If I succeed, I hope to pass the title to my son. This is my condition."

Fan Ning said happily: "This condition is not high, I can agree."

In terms of awarding titles, he can really convince the emperor now. The key is that Zhu Yuanfeng must be able to build advanced textile machines.

.........

Fan Ning was particularly busy today. After lunch, he didn't have time to rest, so he took a carriage to Jinmingchi in the west of the city. Jinmingchi was originally a large pool that the Song army was preparing to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty. He trained the navy here, but now it has become a lake with extremely beautiful scenery and a royal garden of the Song Dynasty.

Not only the royal gardens, but also many vacation and summer resorts for the powerful and noble families are also placed here. Both sides of the Jinming Pool are filled with houses of powerful and noble families.

Jinmingchi is a supplement to the imperial palace without imperial garden lakes. The emperor and concubines can come here to rest or handle court affairs. For example, in summer, the emperor and Zhizhengtang will come here to work in the summer.

Gao Taotao grew up in the palace since she was a child. She likes Jin Mingchi very much and comes here to raft every now and then. After sitting down on the curtain for a few months, she finally got a little tired. She has been staying in Jin Mingchi these days.

My son Zhao Xu also took a few hours off and came to Jinming Pool to accompany his mother.

According to the agreed time, Fan Ning arrived at the gate of Jinmingchi. Several eunuchs had been waiting here for a long time. The eunuchs came forward and bowed, "Please follow me!"

The biggest feature of Jinmingchi Royal Summer Resort is that it is built on the water, and you must take a boat to the lake center palace.

At this time, the Empress Dowager Gao Taotao was sitting on the third floor of Guanshui Pavilion in the middle of the Lake, looking at a pleasure boat coming from the shore with a smile. Soon, someone came to report, "Emperor Fan is here!"

"The better he is with the official family, take him to meet the official family!"

"Abide by the order!"

The eunuch went down, and soon Fan Ning was taken to Zhao Xu's temporary study. Zhao Xu had a heavy academic performance. He actually had no time to take a vacation with his mother. He just took two hours to sit with him, and then he had to hurry back to the palace for evening classes.

Taking advantage of this time, he also met Fanning.

"I'm going to see your Majesty!"

Fanning bowed respectfully.

Although Zhao Xu met Fanning yesterday, he was just listening. He had too many questions in his mind and wanted to communicate with Fanning, so he used this time to summon Fanning.

"Fan Aiqing, don't be polite, please sit down. I hope I can talk to you openly and honestly."

Fan Ning was not polite, so he sat down directly, and a palace maid served them tea.

Zhao Xu said seriously: "Yesterday, at the Prime Minister's discussion, I was a little confused about one of the issues. I imported a large amount of gold and silver from overseas to the Song Dynasty, and then exported various materials. Will this lead to a shortage of materials in the Song Dynasty? I have been unable to understand this and hope that Fan Aiqing can solve my doubts."

Fan Ning smiled slightly and said, "This issue was discussed yesterday morning by Weichen and Fu Xianggong. It was just relatively simple. In fact, there are two types of materials: one is renewable and the other is non-renewable. For example, gold and silver and various mineral deposits are non-renewable, pig iron, copper, etc. There are high-end burning soil for making official kiln porcelain. We must minimize the output of this kind of materials. The other kind of materials are renewable biological materials, such as grain, cloth, silk, tea, etc. Farmers can expand their planting. This year, there will be some ordinary porcelains that are worthless next year. These materials can be exported in large quantities. In fact, we use renewable materials to exchange for non-renewable materials overseas."

Zhao Xu nodded, "I understand, I use tea, silk, cloth, and porcelain to exchange for valuable resources, such as gold, silver, copper, etc."

"That's true. If we don't have enough of it ourselves, we will expand breeding, planting, and increase the yield of cloth and silk. In addition, there is another very important factor that Your Majesty did not expect."

“What factor?”

"That is, the Song Dynasty mastered the most advanced technology. For example, our fine linen is 1,200 liters in the Song Dynasty market, but it is worth 3,000 liters in Nanyang. Why is there a gap of 1,800 liters? It is because Nanyang cannot spun such delicate and comfortable fine linen.

Similarly, a ship that can sail the deep sea for 5,000 stones requires 2,000 guan in the Song Dynasty, but Nanyang is willing to buy such a ship with 10,000 taels of silver. This is the superb textile technology and shipbuilding technology. The Song Dynasty and foreign trade are not exchanged for surplus and shortage, but the technology of selling is huge profits."

"Is there a third point?" Zhao Xu asked expectantly.
Chapter completed!