Upstairs in Luzhou Zuixian, the banquet is still going on.
Regarding the appointment of Su Jin as the food envoy, the president of the Chamber of Commerce couldn't believe their ears. This matter was really a bit unexpected. No matter what, they couldn't believe that Su Jin had such great ability and could mess around.
to this job.
Moreover, this food envoy is not a big official, but he seems to have a lot of power. Even the deputy commander of the bodyguard Sima Jun, one of the three yamen, was sent as his deputy. What is the third yamen? It is the old army of the capital.
I don't know how many officials and noble families later squeezed their heads to get in, not because of how generous the treatment was, but because the reputation was so good. They were the emperor's personal guards. The ones the emperor trusted and relied on the most were the troops of the three yamen and two divisions.
Of course, if you can get an official position, such as the deputy commander of the Ma Army in front of you, his salary will be no less than that of a third-grade official, and his annual salary will be more than 5,000 guan, which is better than that of a prefect.
Chairman Huang couldn't help but said: "Commander Long, this Su Jin has never been in the imperial examination and has never made any contribution to the imperial court. How can he hold this job? This... this is simply unbelievable."
Long Zhen said: "You don't believe it? I still don't believe it. There are many people who don't believe it, but this is a fact. When the emperor sent Huang's eunuch to announce the appointment, I accompanied him and saw it with my own eyes."
Zhu Shiyong rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "In any case, Su Jin is from Luzhou. It is a blessing for Luzhou to be reused by the emperor this time. It is a gratifying thing. But I don't understand. Your Majesty, Commander
Hundreds of large trucks need to be mobilized to transport grain? Where to transport it? Where is the grain?"
Long Zhen didn't want to tell anyone he didn't know, so he smiled and said, "There's no need to tell adults these things."
Zhu Shiyong said: "It is very necessary. The official document from the imperial court arrived just in the afternoon, announcing the purchase of grain at the official price. If the commander is to adjust grain from Luzhou, he must first go according to the official document and have it verified by his own officer. Secondly,
I also have the right to know the distribution of grain under my jurisdiction, are you right?"
Long Zhen chuckled and said, "That's even more unnecessary. This is an order issued by the food envoy himself. The order of the envoy does not need to go through you. This is stipulated by the responsibility of the food envoy."
Zhu Shiyong was a little embarrassed and his face was a little ugly.
Long Zhen was soft-spoken, and felt a little uncomfortable with his refutation of their reputation, so he smiled and said: "However, I can tell you about my errand, but you don't need to publicize it, for fear of causing panic among the people of Luzhou."
Zhu Shiyong said: "All of you here are close friends of the official. They are all mature and prudent people in their actions and words. They will not talk randomly. I can rest assured that you are commanding me. If it is inconvenient for you, it is best not to say anything to avoid causing trouble."
Long Zhen waved his hand and said: "Actually, it's nothing. You must have heard about what happened in Yangzhou. There is a lot of chaos there now. The people can't afford the high-priced black market grain and it has turned into a small-scale mass uprising. I came here in accordance with the instructions of the special envoy
At your Lordship's command, the five hundred thousand dan of grain that he collected and raised will be transported to Yangzhou. This commander expects that this is to stabilize grain prices."
The three giants of the Chamber of Commerce exclaimed in unison: "Five hundred thousand shi?"
"Ah, what's wrong? Why are you so surprised?"
Tang Jiyuan's face was extremely ugly. Not only him, but also Zhu Shiyong was shocked. The news they found out was that Su Ji secretly stockpiled twenty-six boats of food, which was enough to support a hundred thousand stones. However, they did not expect that Su Jin remained silent.
He got half a million shi of food right under his nose.
Su Jin said that he acquired and collected all the lies. How can every move of the Luzhou business community escape the eyes of the Chamber of Commerce? It is simply impossible for such a huge amount of grain to be traded under his nose.
In addition to the people in the Chamber of Commerce, there are several other people in Luzhou who have such huge financial resources. Even if the Su family goes bankrupt, it is impossible to purchase so much grain. Money is a big problem. According to the usual purchase price, this would cost half a million yuan.
It is so huge that all the Su family's shops and property plus savings will not exceed 200,000 yuan. It is obvious that Su Jin has the help of someone with deep wealth.
Who is this person? There is no need to go into details. The key is why Su Jin hoarded so much food at that time? Once this question was thought about in depth, the bodies of the three giants of the Chamber of Commerce began to sweat and heat up.
"Master Magistrate, what's wrong with them?" Long Zhen, of course, didn't know about the grudges between Su Jin, the Chamber of Commerce and Zhu Shiyong, so he thought there was something wrong in his words and asked with some confusion.
"Nothing, nothing, the charcoal fire in the box is a little hot," Tang Jiyuan took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, and hurriedly covered it up.
"Commander Long, you have to transport these 500,000 shi of grain to Yangzhou. This is not an easy thing to do. We can gather all the vehicles, but... there are some rough spots on the road..." President Huang interjected.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, President Liu immediately gave him a slap in the face. President Huang quickly changed his words: "But with the commanding officer here, there should be no problem."
Long Zhen didn't pay attention to the little actions of the two of them, and frowned to himself: "From tomorrow onwards, this commander will go around to collect carts. Do you think it was me who did this? Such a complicated thing,
Aren’t you going to exhaust me to death?”
"Commander Long, don't be upset. I can help you, but I'll talk about things tomorrow. Today we'll just drink and not talk about business, so as not to worry, everyone, don't you think so?" Tang Jiyuan smiled and raised his glass, you should know.
I already know it, but if I say more, it will only arouse suspicion.
Long Zhen also said: "You're right, there is wine today and you are drunk now. Come, come, come. I would like to toast you a drink. I would like to thank the prefect for your warm hospitality and thank all my good friends for your hospitality. He will be in the capital in the future and I will be the host. Let's
Have a good time."
Everyone laughed and drank until the glasses were dry. They no longer talked about official matters, but only talked about romantic affairs. The singer's hair was high, her skin was as good as snow, and the wine in her belly turned into an aphrodisiac. Long Zhenhe
The two of them were sipping their glasses of wine, but their eyes were already darting towards the singer's towering breasts and exposed neck.
Zhu Shiyong winked, Tang Jiyuan understood, and stood up and said: "Commander Long, tonight I have opened a room for you and both of you at Mingyufang next door. I was so drunk that I couldn't bear to wait. I drank a few glasses of wine and then passed out.
I feel sleepy, so I say goodbye."
Long Zhen said with a big tongue: "This...how can I deserve this?"
"You deserve it, you deserve it. The conductor is an honored guest. We can't even invite him on a regular basis. This time is just a good time to express our respect." Tang Jiyuan turned to several singing girls and said: "Why don't you help these adults go back?
Serve well, show your skills, the adults you serve will be happy, and you will be rewarded."
Several singers Yingying responded with a sweet tone, put down their instruments and wrapped themselves around one by one. Long Zhen, Zhao, and Fang half gave in, half drunk, half pretending, they covered their faces with wine, hugged the singers and left.
go.
Zhu Shiyong, Tang Jiyuan and others walked to the stairs with smiles. Seeing Long Zhen and others disappeared, they returned to the private room, removed the remaining seats and served tea.
Zhu Shiyong's face was as dark as water and he didn't say a word. Tang Jiyuan knew what he was thinking and raised his hands and said: "Your Excellency, Su Jin's secret cultivation of five hundred thousand dan is really unexpected, but I don't think it was his handiwork."
Zhu Shiyong blew tea leaves and said: "Whose handiwork is that? This Su Jin is not simple. He even managed to hide it from the outside world and even sneaked into the court. However, this food envoy is probably a temporary errand and does not have such an official position at all."
Tang Jiyuan said: "The Su family does not have the financial resources to hoard 500,000 shi of food, so someone must help him."
President Liu said: "The matter of food has always been the responsibility of the Third Division. The Third Division did not send anyone to handle this matter. Instead, it asked the unknown Su Jin to handle it. It is really hard to fathom what the Emperor is thinking."
Zhu Shiyong smiled and said: "You want to say that the emperor is confused. The power of God is unpredictable. The emperor's actions must have deep meaning. We don't need to speculate on the emperor's thoughts. Su Jin's matter alone is not a lice on a bald man's head.
Is it obvious?"
The three giants of the chamber of commerce almost simultaneously said, "I would like to hear the details."
Zhu Shiyong said: "Raising grain is the responsibility of the Third Division. Since it was given to Su Jin, it must have been approved by the Third Division. The envoy of the Third Division was Yan Shu. Yan Shu nodded and recommended, so Su Jin had a chance. However, the people who helped Su Jin collect grain in Luzhou also returned
Why don't you come out if you call for it?"
Tang Jiyuan's eyelids twitched and he said: "Master Fu Zun is saying that it's He Fenglou's daughter, Yan...?"
Zhu Shiyong nodded and said, "Nothing but this. Su Jin and Yan Nu were so close to each other when they came to Luzhou that they were criticized by others. Besides, among the people in Luzhou, besides the Yan family, who else can be so generous."
Tang Jiyuan said: "So, Su Jin has already caught a ride with the Yan family?"
Zhu Shiyong sighed: "That's probably true. This guy is not simple. He is really not simple."
Huang Dongjia suddenly said: "It's not right for a nephew of the Yan family to be in business, but now he dares to hoard food. If this matter comes out, Yan Shu will probably drink a pot of it. Can we do it?"
"Stupid!" Zhu Shiyong shouted: "Since Long Zhen has come to transport food, it means that the five hundred thousand stones of food have already been legalized. If you had said this a few months earlier, it would have been effective. At this moment, it is simply an afterthought.
, you don’t even think about it, if these 500,000 shi of grain are released during the spring famine next year, do you still want to make money with the little grain you have hoarded? Just dream on it.”
The three members of the Chamber of Commerce were ashamed and helpless. They vaguely felt that Yan Biyun had secretly hoarded 500,000 shi of grain in Luzhou without transporting it away. It was obvious that he was here to deal with them; this food crisis was actually equivalent to saving them, otherwise
Caught off guard, a large amount of grain flooded into the Luzhou market at a low price, and they were afraid that they would lose their pants.
"Sir, this Su Jin has become a food messenger, which may not be a good thing for us." Tang Jiyuan said.
"It's not a good thing for you, but it's not us. Don't drag me into it." Zhu Shiyong looked serious.
The three members of the Chamber of Commerce cursed secretly: "Old fox, we can't make any money, so where do you get the benefit? But now you've completely wiped it out."
"I advise you to take countermeasures and don't let this kid get you into trouble. At this moment, he has handed over all the food in his hands. In the minds of the people above, he is doing a righteous act for the country, although he can no longer threaten the Luzhou market.
Food prices, you have another opportunity to make money, but don't forget, he has wiped his butt clean now, but you still have dirt on your butt, he can poke you out as a bachelor, but you have lost the mutual relationship with him
The handle to contain it." Zhu Shiyong said calmly.
After Zhu Shiyong's words, the three giants of the Chamber of Commerce suddenly became enlightened and could not help but frown and become uneasy.
"However, don't worry too much. I have already thought of a way for you. All you have to do is follow it without having to show off." Zhu Shiyong looked at the nervous expressions of the three people with contempt in his heart, but a man on the rope
The grasshopper, at this moment, has not yet reached the point of killing other grasshoppers, so naturally he wants to help them.
The three members of the Chamber of Commerce said happily: "What's your clever plan, sir?"
Zhu Shiyong smiled, stretched out his mouth to suck up the hot tea, and made a messy sound.dd