After a morning of hard work, by the time Beishi opened for business, many of the boats on the Luo River had dispersed.
Although it cannot be completely orderly in a short period of time, and there must still be some security concealment, it is almost impossible to ignite such an unstoppable fire.
Gong Siguang's lips were dry. He sat on the edge to rest and said in a hoarse voice: "Li Jiyi, is this okay?"
Li Yan patted him on the shoulder: "Well done, thanks to you this time."
Yumitsugu laughed and was very satisfied.
Li Yan warned: "But now is not the time to relax. There will be more people after the market opens, and we have to be careful about thieves making trouble. Officials from the governor's office and the county government have arrived. You continue to keep an eye on it."
Gong Siguang was a little embarrassed: "But where is my second brother?"
Li Yandao: "I managed to rescue Gong Sima, and you stay at the dock to ensure that the water transportation is smooth. As long as the water transportation is smooth, your Gong family will not reach the worst stage, remember this!"
Gong Siguang nodded: "Yes! I understand!"
After Li Yan finished explaining, he got on his horse and left Beishi.
With a clear goal, we headed south.
Soon, Xie's Chamber of Commerce arrived.
Currently, the most inconspicuous power he can borrow in Luoyang is the power of the Chamber of Commerce.
And don't underestimate businessmen. These people have low status, but strong connections, and they have their own ways in every aspect.
Especially the Xie family, which was originally a top wealthy family in Jiangnan, paid more attention to official news.
Seeing Li Yan walk in, a shopkeeper immediately came to greet him. He looked at him carefully, his expression changed immediately, and he said directly without asking about his needs: "Dear guest, please wait a moment!"
Not long after, Manager Xie got the news and walked out, overjoyed: "Yuanfang, it's really you!"
Li Yan was very happy to see this cheap uncle at this time: "Uncle, let's talk inside."
The two walked into the luxuriously decorated inner room, and Manager Xie said excitedly: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the officials will arrive in Dongdu in two days. I thought you would also arrive in two days, but I didn't expect that you arrived early.
If I had known earlier, I would have gone to greet you!"
Li Yan said: "How can I let the elders go to greet me? Uncle, don't be so polite."
Manager Xie also wanted to be rude, but subconsciously he was a little reserved and laughed: "Have you had lunch?"
Li Yan said: "Not yet."
Manager Xie clapped his hands: "That's a coincidence. Come sit down with me and the most delicious 'Shi Linglong' in Luoyang will be delivered to you right away."
After Li Yan sat down, he said seriously: "I'm going to Luoyang first because I have something important to do and I need my uncle's help."
Manager Xie straightened his face and took a deep breath: "Please tell me Yuanfang, we will go all out."
Li Yandao: "I want to get to know a person, Cao Gong Siye, a householder in Luoyang. Have you dealt with him often?"
Manager Xie explained: "I'm not familiar with things in Luoyang, but if it's Hucao and a member of the Gong clan, he must have a lot of contacts here... Go and call Shiro."
Xie Silang, the steward of Luoyang, came in quickly and stood respectfully.
Manager Xie ordered: "Tell the truth and don't hide anything."
Li Yan looked on and found that this uncle had a high status in the chamber of commerce, so he asked directly: "What kind of person is Gong Siye?"
Xie Silang organized his words and answered succinctly: "This person is greedy, double-dealing, and vicious."
Li Yan raised his eyebrows slightly: "Tell me one by one, where is the greediness shown?"
Xie Silang said: "In addition to the fixed amount of filial piety, we have to buy him an extra house every year. There must be more than a hundred guest slaves in it before he is satisfied. Otherwise, he will try his best to cause trouble."
Li Yan asked: "Is it just looking at the prosperity of Jiangnan, or is it present in every chamber of commerce?"
Xie Silang said: "They are all the same. The difference is that they demand the most harshly from me, the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, and they are less demanding from other merchants, but they also try their best to exploit them."
"But a mere county captain is really a petty official and a huge corrupt one!"
Li Yan snorted coldly and continued to ask: "In what aspects is Gong Siye's duplicity and vicious methods reflected?"
Xie Silang said: "I heard this from people of the Gong clan. Gong Siye usually treats other clansmen with a kind attitude and often shows kindness, so he is quite supported by some clansmen. However, whenever big events happen, it is difficult to blame him.
And once a clan member dares to speak ill of him, the end will be miserable, which also proves his viciousness..."
Li Yan commented: "A person can pretend for a while, but it is impossible to pretend for a lifetime. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called pretending. It would be really good. No matter how good you are, you don't care about your heart."
Xie Silang immediately said: "Li Jiyi is wise, Gong Siye just can't pretend for a long time. In recent years, the number of people who firmly support him within the Gong family has become less and less, and most of them are fearful and hateful. Our major chambers of commerce have also been
We are discussing whether we should take advantage of the internal conflicts within the Gong family to bring down Gong Siye. This person is really too greedy!"
Li Yan said: "Fortunately you didn't take any action. This person is not simple. Does he have any hobbies in his daily life?"
Xie Silang said: "I heard from people in the Gong Mansion that he likes to play with torture instruments, but this has not been completely confirmed...other than that, he has no special hobbies. The main thing is to let us give him a house."
Li Yan frowned: "Wait a minute, Gong Siye asked for the gift of the house? It was not given by you on your own initiative?"
Xie Silang smiled bitterly: "Of course, we don't want to give away a house, which is time-consuming and laborious. We would rather give gold, silver and jewelry of equivalent value, but for us and Xiao, he wants a big house!"
Li Yan thought for a moment and said, "Do you have a map of Luoyang?"
Soon, the simple map of Luoyang was spread.
This is not an official map, it is just a simple map for the convenience of the Chamber of Commerce to open shops, but the 109th Square is also clearly shown, divided into upper and lower parts by Luoshui.
Li Yandao: "Mark the houses acquired by Gong Siye, not only from the Xie Chamber of Commerce, but also from other Xiao Chamber of Commerce. As long as you know, mark them all."
Xie Silang complied with the request, even telling the year and month: "In the first year of Qianfeng, a house in Fuchengfang was given as a gift! In the second year of Qianfeng, a house in Renfengfang was given as a gift! In the first year of Zongzhang, a house in Chunfengfang was given as a gift..."
Li Yan's eyes moved accordingly.
Of the fifteen mansions, seven were given away by the Xie Chamber of Commerce and eight by the Xiao Chamber of Commerce.
Flowers bloom in each square and are evenly distributed.
The total urban area of Luoyang, the eastern capital, is only half that of Chang'an. Of course, it is not small. It is also the second largest city in the world in this era. However, Chang'an is too big. The gap between the first and second place is doubled.
And sometimes it's not good to be too big. For example, many of the cities and towns to the south of Chang'an are uninhabited. They are like ghost markets. People are flocking to the north. The farther north, the more expensive the land is, because it is close to the imperial city.
Nobles gather.
In comparison, Luoyang's east, west, south, north, and all directions are fully utilized, and the entire city is much more balanced. The houses requested by Gong Siye are also very balanced, distributed in the southeast, northwest, and northwest.
Li Yan pondered for a moment and then asked: "He only wants the house in Luoyang, does he want any other place?"
Xie Silang answered very strictly: "As for our two chambers of commerce, they belong to Quan Ding Luoyang's house. I don't know about other chambers of commerce."
Li Yan said: "Have any of the original owners of these houses met anyone who was unwilling to sell them?"
Xie Silang said bitterly: "Of course there is, but this young man must have a house, so we have to increase the money and win it in the end."
Li Yan looked at the sketch map again: "There are many Xie's shops in Luoyangfang City. You should immediately send people to each shop to inquire about the recent situation of these houses. Use flexible workers and be more careful."
Xie Silang looked at Manager Xie, who said: "Go and do it immediately!"
"yes!"
After he was ordered to retreat, Manager Xie came to Li Yan and asked, "Yuanfang, what did Gong Siye commit?"
Before he could make a complete conclusion, Li Yan spoke more tactfully: "It's about going to a banquet."
Manager Xie's expression changed slightly: "If the Gong family collapses, Luoyang's water transportation may be in chaos!"
Li Yan said: "There are still sensible people in the Gong family. If the canal transportation can be smoothly transitioned, it is still possible to return to Bianzhou."
Xie Zhangshi looked greatly moved: "If the person in charge of Luoyang's water transportation is changed, will the perception of Jiangnan change?"
Li Yan said solemnly: "We must change!"
"There are constant natural and man-made disasters in Guanzhong, and there are frequent droughts and floods, and poor harvests. The proportion of water transportation materials from the south of the Yangtze River is getting higher and higher."
"Since you have contributed to the stability of the Tang Dynasty, you should get the treatment you deserve. You want the rice from Jiangnan, but you don't regard the people of Jiangnan as human beings. This deformed concept cannot continue any longer."
Manager Xie is full of expectations: "With Yuanfang speaking out for justice, the day for Jiangnan people to come forward is coming."
Li Yan had actually thought so for a long time. At that time, he didn't even know about his relationship with Mr. Xie.
Regional discrimination is a very troublesome problem, and it is unrealistic to completely avoid it. However, due to the growth of the gentry in the pass during the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the situation was too unbalanced, and the particularly unfair situation lasted for nearly a hundred years. It was time to change.
At this time, delicious food was delivered, and the two chatted about regional topics while eating.
Manager Xie admired this young nephew more and more, and replies from various shops came one after another.
"Gong Siye hardly goes to live in those houses, but he keeps a large number of slaves and consumes a lot of grain and rice?"
After gathering news from many places, Li Yan confirmed that his speculation was correct: "Gong Siye did not ask for these houses out of pure greed for money, but used them as a den. There is most likely something wrong with this group of slaves."
Manager Xie was puzzled: "Gong is rich and wants to prepare a house. Why do we need it?"
Li Yandao: "What Gong Siye did was so secretive, it means that it was done without telling Gong. At least Gong Siming didn't know about it. This also confirms that he imprisoned Gong Siming and was not performing a double act..."
"Imprisoning my brother? He is so crazy and has a grand conspiracy!"
Manager Xie was a little worried and said: "These houses are really hiding thieves, will we be bitten back?"
Li Yan nodded: "Gong Siye is specifically keeping an eye on the Xiao family and the Xie family. He is indeed bullying the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce for having no political status. He will really shirk the slander afterwards... Don't worry, as long as I am here, this situation will not happen."
Manager Xie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, he made a miscalculation this time!"
Li Yan looked at the sky and was not in a hurry to set off: "Let's have dinner. The meal at noon tastes really good. Is it a delivery from 'Shi Linglong'?"
Manager Xie smiled and said, "I'll order it."
After the two had lunch, Li Yan listened to some more information and finally selected a location.
Night falls.
Li Yan stretched his body, showing a bit of excitement.