Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 83 Liu Quan
Seeing that Cai Shiwen was almost unable to answer, Wu Chengjian said, "Some time ago, my father-in-law..." He didn't know the specific circumstances of Ye Dalin's idea of distributing silver in advance, and wanted to find a random guess. When the words came to his lips, he suddenly changed his mind and said with a smile, "My father-in-law Ye Dalin and I worked together to start paying suppliers and creditors in advance..."
After hearing this, Cai Shiwen suddenly raised his head and looked back at Wu Chengjian: "What...what?! Ye Dalin...he is such a bastard!"
He almost gritted out the word "bitch" with his teeth.
At this time, Wu Chengjian said that Ye Dalin and he were in collusion with each other, and no one present suspected that he was lying!
After Wu Chengjian easily tricked his father-in-law, he smiled and said, "After my father-in-law started distributing silver, Pan Yiliangma immediately followed suit, and then the Xie family and the Cai family also followed secretly. As for why they were in a hurry to distribute all the gold and silver, haha, Master Jishan, you may not have understood it before today, but you should have figured it out now, right?"
A man is innocent unless he is in possession of a treasure.
When Heshen needed money, the biggest sin of the merchants was that they had money in their hands! Although the merchants decided that the Wu and Yang families would be the ones to be the sponsors, who knew what would happen if the dust had not settled yet?
Just like tonight, when Jishan found out that the Wu family's silver pool was completely empty, he immediately turned against them and killed other guarantors to make up for the shortfall. He would definitely have to pay a huge price to do so, but cutting his own flesh to protect himself was better than being killed by Heshen because he couldn't pay.
Because of this concern, when Ye Youyu mentioned that sentence that day, Ye Dalin immediately had an epiphany - in fact, this was forced by the general trend. With the shrewdness of the insurance merchants, they would have thought of it sooner or later. Ye Youyu's breaking of this layer of paper only made the situation develop half a step earlier. Even if the insurance merchants really couldn't think of it, Zhou Yijin would make them think of it outside.
It's not easy to amass money, so how hard is it to distribute it? Moreover, the eyes of the Guangdong Customs Supervisory Office were all on Yang and Wu. The other merchants acted quickly, and within a few days, they had distributed most of the cash in the treasury, giving away what they could and hiding what they could. Even the Xie and Cai families, without saying anything, were secretly taking action - even if they claimed to be Jishan's confidants, they all knew that when the critical moment came, Jishan would not hesitate to slaughter them.
Wu Chengjian looked at Jishan's expression and saw that he had figured it out. He said, "Master Supervisor, the money in Guangzhou has now been distributed to hundreds of households. Unless you can use Li Zicheng's methods to arrest and torture all the families one by one and squeeze the entire Guangzhou city, you may still be able to squeeze out the money you want. Otherwise, haha! You will just wait for time to pass by. When He Zhongtang asks you to take out the money, if you can't get it together..."
He didn't say anything else, but Jishan felt a chill down his spine!
For the first time since entering the room tonight, he felt truly frightened.
In an instant, his anger disappeared - since anger was useless, fear naturally prevailed. People who have been in the officialdom for a long time would definitely understand this.
Although he was extremely reluctant, Jishan still slowed down his tone: "Wu Chengjian, what are you going to do!"
Wu Chengjian said, "Master Supervisor, I am a little tired from kneeling."
Jishan was stunned, but after he understood, he had to hold back his anger and said, "Get up."
Seeing Wu Chengjian patting his clothes and standing up, he said to Ga Liu, "Please take a seat!"
Galau was very helpless. He glared at Wu Chengjian and led him to a chair. Wu Chengjian looked at the dust on the chair, smiled and refused to sit on it.
Galau was furious. He glanced at Jishan's face secretly, but still lowered his head and wiped the chair clean for Wu Chengjian with his sleeve.
Wu Chengjian then sat down casually and crossed his legs.
Ji Shan narrowed his eyes and thought, "Let me let you be proud for a while, I will deal with you later!" With a smile on his face, he said, "Hao Guan, tell me, what do you want?"
Who knows Wu Chengjian said: "I dare not talk to Master Jishan."
Jishan shouted, "What do you mean!"
Wu Chengjian said: "I want to talk to the people in the hall."
"Asshole!" Jishan shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "This matter is of great importance. I don't believe that He Zhongtang didn't send someone to Guangzhou. I won't talk to you. If I talk to you, no matter what conditions I agree to, you may regret it later... No, you will definitely regret it. Master Jishan, you are so angry that as long as the crisis is over, you will definitely come to settle accounts with me . So I can only talk to He Zhongtang's people."
Jishan said angrily: "He Zhongtang didn't send anyone! You can only talk to me!"
"Really?" Wu Chengjian said indifferently: "Then there is nothing to talk about." After saying that, he actually closed his eyes.
Ji Shan angrily said, "Wu Chengjian! Do you really think I dare not kill you?"
Wu Chengjian said indifferently: "You can kill me or chop me up, whatever you want."
"You!" Jishan stood up angrily.
But then someone at the back of the hall laughed and said, "Good, good! It's really amazing! It's really amazing!"
Wu Chengjian opened his eyes and saw an old man walking out of the back hall. He was shorter than ordinary people, with a slightly hunched back, half bald on the top of his head, and the remaining hair was half white. His face was filled with a flattering smile that was unique to servants, and he was wearing only a cloth shirt.
However, when Jishan saw him, he could not stand still and rushed forward. He was an official and the man opposite was a slave. According to etiquette, he could not bow, so he just lowered his shoulders, bent his waist slightly, and said, "Mr. Liu, why are you not listening to the opera in the front?"
The old man laughed and said, "How can the fake show in front be as good as the real show here?"
Jishan guessed that he had heard everything that had just been said, and for a moment he felt anxious and uneasy.
As the old man spoke, he ignored Jishan and looked straight at Wu Chengjian.
Wu Chengjian stood up, saluted, and said with a smile: "My father-in-law's surname is Liu? Could it be Mr. Liu Quan, the seventh-rank official of the He Mansion?"
The old man also returned the greeting and laughed, "You recognized my origins at the first sight. Hao Guan really has a keen eye!"
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "If we can only name twenty officials in the capital, Mr. Liu, although a commoner, must be among them. Now he can come to Guangzhou with such an important task, and Master Jishan called out my father-in-law's surname. If Wu Chengjian still can't guess it, then his brain should be dug out and fed to the dogs."
The old man was Heshen's steward Liu Quan. Unlike what was portrayed in later film and television dramas, he was actually much older than Heshen. Heshen's father, Niu Hulu Chang Bao, died in the battle against Junggar during Emperor Kangxi's expedition to Junggar. It was Liu Quan who took care of the underage brothers Heshen and Helin until Heshen came of age. Therefore, although Liu Quan was a servant, his status in the He Mansion was extremely special. In informal occasions, even people of Jishan's status had to respectfully address him as "Mr. Liu."
Liu Quan smiled and said, "You are able to see the big picture from the small details, and you are well-informed. What's more, you are brave, knowledgeable, and versatile. No wonder your brother entrusted you with the responsibility of Yihehang in a time of crisis!"
He glanced at Jishan and sneered, "There are so many people in the Thirteenth Line, who can't be operated on? But he picked such a tough guy. Master Jishan's eyes are half blind!"
Ji Shan felt dizzy and sweaty all over his body. His forehead was covered with sweat and his legs were weak. He shouted, "Mr. Liu..."
Before he could finish, Liu Quan said, "I want to borrow Master Jishan's place to have a chat with Hao Guan, and I don't want to be disturbed by others. Master Jishan, is this okay?"
Jishan said hurriedly: " Okay, okay, I'll send someone out right away."
Without further ado, he drove away the steward, attendants, servants, and Cai Shiwen, and then came to Liu Quan. Seeing that Liu Quan had no intention of keeping him, he hurriedly said, "I'll go outside too."
After Jishan left, Liu Quan came over and shook Wu Chengjian's hand, saying in a very cordial manner: "Haoguan, come and sit down. I feel very comfortable with you right away. There's no need to be polite between us."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "When I met Mr. Liu, I felt that he looked familiar. I guess it must be the fate brought by our previous life."
The two shook hands and laughed.
Liu Quan loudly asked the servants to bring in two cups of tea, then he sat down with Wu Chengjian in a friendly manner. They both drank a sip of tea, and then he said, "Hao Guan, since we hit it off right away, let's not talk about formalities. Let's just talk about what to do next."
Wu Chengjian said: "As guarantors, we naturally have to understand the difficulties of He Zhongtang, and we have to share the worries of the emperor. If the national treasury is empty, it is not a blessing for the country. Although we guarantors do not have much ability, if we spend a little money, we can relieve the worries of the emperor and help He Zhongtang. It is not only the responsibility of the Thirteen Hongs, but also the blessing of all the guarantors."
Liu Quan laughed and said, "But now, except for your family, no one in Thirteen Hongs has any money."
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "Everyone is afraid now, and everyone is holding on to their money bags, so there is no money. As long as everyone is no longer afraid and takes out their money, Guangzhou will immediately prosper. How much money will be needed then? How much money will be available."
Liu Quan said: "Then how can we make everyone no longer afraid?"
Wu Chengjian said: "As long as the Ministry of Internal Affairs is well-funded, no one will be afraid."
Liu Quan said: "But the Ministry of Internal Affairs is empty now!"
Wu Chengjian chuckled and said, "Xie Yuanli hijacked a fellow tea merchant. Such a trader is a parasite of the Thirteen Hongs. His property should be confiscated and sold. Our Wu family is willing to buy out the confiscated property. Wouldn't that make the Ministry of Internal Affairs more prosperous? Lord Liu, is this appropriate?"
Liu Quan smiled and said, "It's right, it's right! It couldn't be more right! But can the Wu family's silver flow swallow up the entire Xie family?"
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "If the Wu family can't eat it, don't we still have the Pan family and the Lu family? When it's time to eat meat, everyone will become very rich. If it's still not enough by then, ask Mr. Liu to help and buy some of the Xie family's assets."
Liu Quan laughed loudly, then suddenly paused, stared into Wu Chengjian's eyes and said, "Governor Zhu's people should have come to you, right?"
Wu Chengjian felt a chill in his heart, but he still maintained a restrained smile on his face.
Liu Quan smiled and said, "The Governor's advisor is quite capable. I guessed from the clues that he must have met you, and more than once. It's a pity that I couldn't find out more details, otherwise there wouldn't be anything like tonight. But you met the Governor's confidant, but you didn't plan to ruin the good things of the Lord Zhongtang. It shows that Hao Guan's heart is still on the side of our Lord Zhongtang."
Wu Chengjian said: "The Wu family is a business family, so they want to bet on the side that can win. Wu Chengjian doesn't understand, but he knows one thing: in a game where His Majesty is the banker, the Lord Zhongtang will not lose!"
When Liu Quan heard this, he laughed out loud: "I didn't expect to be in the barbarian south of Guangzhou, but there is someone as knowledgeable as Hao Guan. It's rare, rare!"
Wu Chengjian said, "Expertise is secondary. The most important thing in the Thirteen Hongs is to be loyal. As long as we are loyal and capable, and do our job honestly, I believe that neither His Majesty nor He Zhongtang will treat our Wu family unfairly."
A cold light flashed in Liu Quan's eyes.
At this moment, seven or eight thoughts flashed through his mind.
In the conversation between him and Wu Chengjian just now, almost every word had a trap, and almost every sentence had two layers of meaning. Wu Chengjian had hidden meanings in his words, but some of them were not necessarily absolute.
For example, if the Xie family was to be confiscated, it might not be the Wu family that could afford the money. The unfathomable Pan family might also be able to come up with the money. However, in this case, they would have to negotiate with the Pan family. The outcome was unknown, so it would not be as convenient as agreeing to Wu Chengjian now. After all, Wu Chengjian was able to restrain himself in such a difficult situation and had the opportunity to join Zhu Gui. In a sense, this was a rare surrender. If they negotiated with the Pan family again, they might not be so loyal. Seeing that Heshen was in trouble, they might even make some demands.
Furthermore, since Wu Chengjian can speak directly to the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office, who knows if he has any other backup plans. If his proposal is not agreed to, he might fight to the death and drag Zhu Gui into the trap. If things change again, the consequences will be difficult to deal with.
On the contrary, if Wu Chengjian is kept, it will be more beneficial than harmful to Lord He's future in Guangdong. After all, Wu Chengjian has demonstrated extraordinary skills and powerful energy in this turmoil. It is better to keep such a person as a dog and horse under your command than to push him to the enemy camp.
After seven or eight calculations, Liu Quan had already figured out that although Wu Chengjian's proposal was not the only way out, it was the most convenient and safest one at the moment. He represented Heshen, and his position was similar to Jishan's. He had no interest in caring about the business situation in Guangzhou and Jishan's mood and likes and dislikes. Guangzhou only needed to provide a large amount of silver flow to Beijing steadily and continuously. The chess game in Beijing was the real trend!
These thoughts are a long story, but they just flashed through Liu Quan's mind.
Then he smiled, held Wu Chengjian's hand with his right hand, patted the back of his hand with his left hand, and said: "Don't worry, Guangzhou is a fairyland, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. Here and in the Zhongtang, we also need people who can do things and have good sense. We can't hold a bunch of self-righteous fools like Jishan in our hands, right? You are loyal and capable, and the Zhongtang will not treat you unfairly. In the future, if you have anything, don't go through others, just tell me directly."
This sentence actually compared Wu Chengjian with Jishan, and promised Wu Chengjian that he could establish a direct communication channel with him. Wu Chengjian naturally understood what it meant, and his face was full of flattered smiles. He said: "On behalf of the entire Wu family, Wu Chengjian would like to thank the Lord Zhongtang for his concern in advance, and also thank Mr. Liu for his kind words."
Liu Quan asked again: "Do you have anything else to say that you need me to take back to the Prime Minister?" Now that he had decided to use Wu Chengjian, he might as well give him a few more words of comfort.
"No more." Wu Chengjian said, "But on Liu Gong's side, Wu Chengjian has something to ask."
Liu Quan smiled and said, "Between you and me, just say what you want to ask for."
Wu Chengjian said, "I was forced to fight back this time, and I have greatly offended Master Jishan. I wonder if you can ask Mr. Liu to be a middleman and ask Master Jishan not to bear a grudge against me for this matter."
He did not push his luck. The request he made was not only something Liu Quan could easily fulfill, but it would also make him owe Liu Quan a big favor. After tonight, the favor owed by Yihe and Xing Haoguan would become quite valuable.
Liu Quan looked at Wu Chengjian with a smile full of appreciation: "Don't worry, don't worry, I will not only tell you about this matter myself, but I will also ask the Lord Zhongtang for a handwritten letter for you. You are all people who can do things for the Lord Zhongtang. It is a good story to live in harmony with each other!"
