Chapter 129: The autumn wind rises and the autumn rain falls
In the county government office of Wanshan County, the county governor sat on a chair in the lobby and kept pressing his forehead, while Master Chang Huan was walking anxiously down the hall.
Outside the county government office, a large number of ragged and skinny victims crowded together, shouting loudly:
Dog officer, give us back our food! What qualifications do you have to be my parent officer in Wanshan County? You are all jackals, tigers and leopards without conscience!
Judging from the anger among the people, it is estimated that if there was not a large group of Yamen agents and officials holding sharp swords in front of them, they would have rushed to the lobby.
In two months, the number of victims in Wanshan County has increased. Even eating half grain and half chaff can't support the large number of people, so now they don't have much food left for disaster relief.
Chang Huan glanced outside the lobby in panic, turned around and said to Liu Shenchen.
"Sir, the food in the granary has bottomed out. The counties around us have sent out more than a dozen memorials to the court begging for disaster relief food. Not to mention the capital, there is no movement even from the prefectural city.
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster, I think this matter is not simple!"
Liu Shenzhen did not raise his eyes to see Chang Huan in the hall. He could climb to the position of county guard step by step. He himself was also not a simple person.
Now even a fool can guess the attitude in the capital, not to mention that Liu Shenqi is considered a smart person, so he can naturally see it more clearly.
"Whenever something goes wrong, there must be a demon. Aren't the facts now obvious? After the imperial court sent out the first batch of relief food, they no longer planned to pay attention to us. I guess the imperial court also had no food. At that time, it was because of interests.
I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t take into account many things. Now that I think about it, no matter how much food the imperial court has, it is impossible to distribute so much food at once. I guess we will have to rely on ourselves in the following days."
"But...but sir, we have sold the relief food for money. There is not much food left in our warehouse. According to the current number of victims, we can only survive for less than five days at most. Now we are
I regret that there is no place to look for food!"
Liu Shenzhen's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, but he still had no clue about this matter. Did he really want to spit out all the money he had swallowed?
"First take out all the grain in the granary and make do with it. Make one grain of rice into two grains for me. Then use some of the dirty money to buy some grain. Try to buy it as cheaply as possible. Let's hold on for a while.
, I don’t believe that the imperial court can really stand it!”
Chang Huan walked a few steps from the middle of the lobby to Liu Shenzhen's side and leaned closer.
"Then how much money do you think we should get out first?"
"or…"
Liu Shenchen was so hesitant that he couldn't say anything. It was so refreshing when he took the money in, but how difficult it is to get the money out now.
"Uh... how about... just... ten thousand taels?"
The master looked into Liu Shenzhen's eyes and nodded slowly.
"Just ten thousand taels!"
Ten thousand taels! Is that a lot? In fact, it’s not much at all. You must know that when they sold the grain, they got a full 270,000 taels of cash!
…
When it comes to the largest chamber of commerce in Wanshan County, Qianbao Chamber of Commerce is naturally ranked second, and no one dares to be ranked first.
As a very large chamber of commerce with stores all over Bianzhou and even expanding to other states, the president of Qianbao Chamber of Commerce is considered a big and prestigious business in the capital. Even the ordinary princes and princes are not willing to offend him too much.
There is no way, who can truly be considered as rich as a country?
In addition to Qianbao Chamber of Commerce, there are three other chambers of commerce together with it, known as the four major chambers of commerce in Dachu. Seventy percent of Dachu's annual business taxes are paid by these four chambers of commerce.
Only these four chambers of commerce were able to eat the eight million yuan of disaster relief food provided by Chu Zheng. The disaster relief food embezzled by Wanshan County Governor Liu Shenzhen and Master Chang Huan were moved in without missing a grain.
Qianbao Chamber of Commerce
storehouse.
"Hey, hey, President Jin, I came here to be entrusted by our Governor Liu. A few days ago, we sold you a lot of food. Now, we want to buy some back. The Governor said, there is no need to pick too much.
For good food, the older it is, the better. President Jin, what do you think?"
After receiving Liu Shenzhen's order, Chang Huan arrived at the Wanshan County branch of the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce without stopping. The person who is now in charge of the Wanshan County branch is a distant nephew of the president of the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce named Qianbao Chamber of Commerce.
My name is Jin Dejun.
"Ah! It turns out that it's Master Chang who's here! It's not a long way to welcome you, but it's really a long way to welcome him! Come, let's have some tea."
The most eye-catching thing about Jin Dejun is his big belly. I don’t know how much fat he has eaten. After welcoming Chang Huan in, he ordered someone to pour tea and continued to say to Chang Huan.
"If Mr. Chang wants to buy food, my Qianbao Chamber of Commerce will naturally welcome it with both hands. There is no reason why we should not accept money when it is delivered to our door! But there is one thing I must tell Mr. Chang, so that Mr. Chang can understand this truth!"
Chang Huan picked up the teacup and took a sip, but did not answer Jin Dejun's words. The latter didn't care either. He lowered his head and sneered, then continued talking to himself.
"Master Chang, food shortages have been frequent in various places recently, so the price of food has been rising all the way. Now, even old rice that has been stored for five or six years costs 20 cents per liter. As for some new rice in the past one or two years, it is even more expensive.
It costs a full forty cents a liter!”
Chang Huan squeezed the teacup in his hand tightly, but on the surface he remained calm.
"President Jin, as a human being, it's okay to be greedy, but don't be fooled by lard. Our batch of grain back then could be said to be new rice! Why don't we sell it to you Qian Bao at the market price of twelve cents a liter?
Chamber of Commerce? What! We haven’t seen each other for two months, and you’re ready to rip us off?"
Jin Dejun, like Chang Huan, picked up the tea cup and took a sip.
"Master Chang, now and then, the price of food does not rise in one day. It was the same price when you sold the food, and I don't see any regret on your face? But having said that, the county governor wants to buy food.
Naturally, our Qianbao Chamber of Commerce has to give some face. We only charge 18 cents per liter for old rice that originally cost 20 cents. We only charge 35 cents per liter for new rice that costs 40 cents per liter. Mr. Chang, this is enough.
Please show some face to the Sheriff!"
Chang Huan put down the teacup. His fingers were slightly white from pinching the teacup hard, but his expression was still as calm as a pool of still water.
"It seems that President Jin is not sincere in doing business. We have no problem with your chamber of commerce wanting to make money, but it is indeed beyond my expectation that you dare to make money from the governor."
Jin Dejun still had a cheerful expression, obviously not taking Chang Huan's threat seriously.
"Master Chang, this is ridiculous. We merchants are protected by the laws of Dachu. Not to mention the county governor's money, it was Zhao Yunqing, the Minister of Household Affairs in the capital, who purchased the four of us in the name of the imperial court a few days ago.
The food from the big chamber of commerce is all paid for."
Jin Dejun bowed his hands in the direction of the capital.
"We dare to accept the emperor's money, but we don't dare to earn the money of a little county guard?"
Chang Huan almost threw the glass and left, but when he thought of his mission, he endured it.
"President Jin, even if you don't care about the governor's face, this batch of food is used to relieve the victims after all. Don't you pity the people who are about to starve to death?"
As a businessman, Jin Dejun is naturally extremely cunning. Chang Huan tried to use this method to force him into a desperate situation, but it was a bit of a miscalculation.
"Master Chang, the people who are buying food from me now are not the common people who have spent all their money and can't spare a few cents! They are the county governor and you, Master, who have countless family properties and are not short of money at all! You treat the people the same way.
The price is naturally different for you two financial backers."
Chang Huan's fingers clasped the edge of the tea cup again, and he was already on the verge of going berserk.
"President Kim really wants to walk to death alone?"
Jin Dejunyi
While bowing to Chang Huan and saluting, he spoke.
"Master Chang's words are serious. This villain is just doing his duty as a businessman!"
"Snapped!"
A tea cup was smashed to the ground with a bang, and Chang Huan finally couldn't bear it anymore and pointed at Jin Dejun's nose and cursed.
"President Jin, since you are going to be in the first grade of junior high school, don't blame us for being in the fifteenth grade in the future. There are some things that we all know well and keep in our hearts, but you have to bring it to the table until the disaster is over.
, let’s ride on the donkey and read the songbook and see!”
"Come, let's see you off."
After Chang Huan finished speaking, he walked away. Jin Dejun pretended to say goodbye, but no one followed him out.
Until Chang Huan completely walked out of the door of Qianbao Chamber of Commerce, Jin Dejun's eyes suddenly revealed a cold aura. All businessmen were philistines, but in fact, big families like Qianbao Chamber of Commerce lacked both thoughtfulness and ruthless means.
Not one thing is necessary.
"A young master from a small county city dares to be so arrogant. I think he is not far away from death. He still wants to be fifteen. I want to know how long your head can stay on your neck!"
After finishing speaking, Jin Dejun also turned around and entered the back hall, but left a few words before entering.
"Gather all the thugs from the Chamber of Commerce back to me, and open a warehouse tomorrow to sell grain. The old grain will cost six cents a liter, and the new grain will cost ten cents a liter. But be careful, not a single grain of rice will fall into the hands of those people in the county government.
In hand."
Jin Dejun's figure was about to disappear completely from the eyes of the workers in the Chamber of Commerce, but his last words made all the workers look at this president with admiration for being stingy and stingy in the past.
"It's true that businessmen pursue profit, but I want to tell people in the world another truth. Businessmen will never be mercenary! At least, I, Qian Bao, will not!"
After leaving the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce, Chang Huan became more and more angry. When he returned to Liu Shenxun, he said a lot of bad things about the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce. This made Liu Shenxun so angry that he threw the teacup in his hand several feet away.
Far.
"Bullshit Qianbao Chamber of Commerce, since you are going to do this, let's see who is more ruthless and seal all the remaining food into the warehouse, and let the victims starve to death!"
Originally a struggle between officialdom and shopping malls, Liu Shenzhen wanted to put the blame on the common people. It seems that no matter how the current situation changes, the people who suffer in the end are still the miserable common people.
…
In the capital, in the courtyard where Su Wang's study room is located, the father and son have often sat together like this since the last time they had a heart-to-heart talk.
"Tomorrow will be a good opportunity."
Su Ruyu knew exactly what opportunity his father was talking about, but in his heart he was actually a little opposed to it.
Although he is now qualified to stand in the Golden Palace and his position is not at the back, he is still a dispensable and marginal figure, and the central position is still far away from him.
And the opportunity his father Su Wang mentioned was a way to get him closer to the center.
Before Su Ruyu could speak, Su Wang continued.
"The most important thing about being an official is not to be upright, but to have your own bottom line, such as what money should be taken, what money can be taken and what money cannot be taken! As long as you have a bottom line, there is no harm in doing other opportunistic things.
of."
After a long silence, Su Ruyu nodded slightly, agreeing with her father's statement.
"You know what you should do when you go to court tomorrow. The reason why I persuaded the emperor to put down all the relief food at once is not only to punish the corrupt officials in Da Chu, but also to create this opportunity for you, and you
What you have to do tomorrow is not all for yourself, it is also an explanation for the common people in the world."
Su Wang was probably still afraid that his son would have some different emotions in his heart, so after hesitation, he chose to explain more. But in fact, he underestimated his son, not to mention the three years of being nurtured by Zhu Wenran's side.
His career as a county official will also teach him about flexibility.