One word worth 100,000? The "local tycoon" gave Cixi 400,000 taels of silver, but only 4 words were used as a reward
In ancient China, people attached great importance to the concept of clans, so at that time, there were many famous families on the one hand, such as the famous "Dream of the Red Chamber", which tells the history of the rise and fall of the four major families. In fact, in addition to these official eunuch families, there are many commercial families that are also very famous, such as the Qiao family!
The Qiao family is from Shanxi, is the representative of "Jinshang", and deserves to be a "local tycoon"! Because the story of the Qiao family is very legendary, it has also been remade into a TV series many times, such as "Qiao Family Compound". Anyone who has been to the Qiao family compound knows that its decoration is exquisite, and many details highlight the highest craftsmanship of the ancient Chinese people. There are two special plaques in the Qiao family compound, namely "Fu Zhong Lang Huan" and "Hui Tong Tianxia". The origin of these two plaques is extraordinary!
Take huitong tianxia as an example, its meaning can be simply understood as the Qiao family had absolute influence at that time. Qiao Zhiyong, the founder of the Qiao family, has very lofty ideals and ambitions. Under his efforts, the Qiao family could mobilize a large amount of silver money in the shortest time, which was absolutely efficient at that time, and the Daoguang Emperor was also full of appreciation for Qiao Zhiyong's ability.
As for the plaque of "Fu Zhong Lang Huan", it is even more extraordinary, and the reason why the Qiao family was able to get this plaque was that Empress Dowager Cixi thanked the Qiao family for helping her in a time of crisis. Although the Qiao family has always been a wealthy merchant in Chinese history, after all, Empress Dowager Cixi is the supreme ruler, so how can the Qiao family have the opportunity to help her?
It turned out that China at that time gradually opened up the gap with other countries because of a series of wrong policies, and under the persecution of the multinational invaders, Empress Dowager Cixi had to flee Beijing with her young emperor. Although they claim to be hunting, they are actually no different from fleeing.
Because the invaders' offensive was very fierce, coupled with the hasty escape of Cixi and his party, no detailed preparations were made at all. Despite this, Cixi was accustomed to a high standard of living, so they soon ran out of belongings they carried. According to relevant records, the situation was very tragic at that time, and many palace ministers could not even guarantee the most basic food.
Although they passed through many important towns along the way, China was also in chaos at that time, so these officials were unable to guarantee the quality of life of Cixi and others. However, perhaps by fate, Cixi, who was in distress, still ushered in a turnaround.
After learning all this, the Qiao family immediately decided to help Empress Dowager Cixi through this difficulty, and they directly sent 400,000 taels of silver to Empress Dowager Cixi. In normal times, four hundred thousand taels of silver was really not worth mentioning for Empress Dowager Cixi, after all, she controlled the whole of China, but under the circumstances at that time, such an approach made her feel unable to herself.
The happy Empress Dowager Cixi immediately asked the Qiao family what kind of reward they hoped to receive. The Qiao family, who have been in business for generations, are naturally very intelligent, and for them, the four hundred thousand taels of silver are not more than a lot, and the right should be an investment. But if they were to directly demand a generous remuneration now, it would be very inappropriate, after all, Cixi at that time was unable to meet any demands, and it would also affect the face of the royal family.
Therefore, the Qiao family immediately said that they did not need any gifts, and they only hoped that Empress Dowager Cixi could give the Qiao family a loud signboard, which is also the origin of "Blessing Lang Huan". After learning of the Qiao family's request, Cixi breathed a sigh of relief, after all, it was really good to reward such a signboard. After returning to the palace, Empress Dowager Cixi arranged for someone to make this plaque and ordered someone to send it to Qiao's house.
For such a plaque, the Joe family is naturally very careful, and they have been carefully preserving it. Many people may think that buying a plaque with 100,000 silver is too much of a loss, but the value that this plaque can bring at that time is absolutely unimaginable! I have to sigh the poisonous eyes of Joe's family!