Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 300: Money can solve all small problems
When the capital was abuzz with all kinds of controversy over the Imperial College's division of examination halls and the small space in each hall, including whether to swap them every month to be fair or to rebuild them, Zhang Chen was making final preparations in a small courtyard in Xingtai.
This time when he returned to the capital, he received unexpected support from Zhang Shou. However, in comparison, when he secretly went home to ask his mother for help, he ran into his father, Duke Qin Zhang Chuan, who rarely came home at noon. In addition to the capable guards who escorted them south, Zhang Chuan also casually handed him a stack of banknotes.
That was the Fulon Money House which had a branch in Cangzhou. They would exchange the bills on sight. Each bill was worth 100 strings of cash. One hundred bills, a total of 10,000 strings of cash!
Although Zhang Chen didn't know whether it was because Zhang Chuan had never restricted his son's pocket money before, so now that he saw him going out, he simply used money to express his concern, or Zhang Chuan really cared about him, anyway, he took the money very quickly at that time, and when he left, he deliberately showed a rebellious and ungrateful look, and didn't even say hello to his father.
But now, when a great war was about to begin, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild, until several guards came in. He went out into the yard, watched the boxes on the ground open one by one, and saw the strings of green coins and various gold and silver coins inside. Then he smiled and felt very proud.
"Very good. Together with the money we just collected, this time there is another amount of money coming in. We will load it all onto a truck and send it to Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu. We should make it more ostentatious and say it is money sent from the capital!"
"Yes." The guard stood for a moment and suddenly asked, "Master, do you want to say that this is the money you sent to them from the capital? You know, the Zhang brothers have always been your best friend, and you have always taken care of them. This is known to everyone in the capital, but not everyone in a small place like Xingtai knows it."
"They are the future consorts and the future imperial concubines, but they can't control those local tyrants. What's the point of adding my reputation as the son of the Duke of Qin?" Zhang Chen felt that this was really unnecessary, but when he saw that the guard was unwilling to leave, he couldn't help but get angry. However, when he met the calm eyes and thought that it was his father's people, he had to think carefully again.
If this large sum of money was sent over, and Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were able to transfer money and grain from the capital, people would inevitably investigate the source of the money - no one would believe the nonsense that the two marquisates sent them the money; and no one would believe the nonsense that their fiancées sent them the money; as for the emperor , he didn't even take care of his eldest son in Cangzhou, so how could he take care of his son-in-law and nephew-in-law?
Therefore, the reason must be explained clearly. This is not only for his own reputation, but also for Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu.
So, Zhang Chen took a look at the ordinary-looking guard in front of him, and finally said with a dark face: "Then you go and do it. In the name of the Duke of Qin's Mansion, send the money to Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu to add fuel to the fire of those local rich people! As for me... well, as the confidant of the second prince, of course I have to continue to meet those daring guys!"
As the son of a marquis, the future imperial consort and the future imperial concubine, and the imperial envoy sent by the emperor to Xingtai to promote the new textile machinery, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu have been the focus of attention since they arrived in Xingtai. At first, everything went smoothly. Several large workshops accepted the drawings and replaced the machines with great gratitude, and most of the spinners who had their own textile machinery also accepted the plan of buying the machines on credit first and then using the spun cotton yarn to pay off the debt.
But after more than a month, several workshops began to lay off spinners, and the spinners who used the new spinning machines found that no one was buying cotton yarn. All the weaving workshops that used to buy cotton yarn were in dire straits! If Zhang Shou hadn't given them a lot of money, and Zhang Chen had supported them again, they would have been stretched to the limit.
But what was even worse was that they soon discovered that there was no cotton on the market. If Zhang Chen hadn't told them the reason, they would have thought that the previous plan was a joke.
At this moment, the two men, who were not brothers but had a closer relationship than brothers since childhood, sat opposite each other. Seeing the sad expressions on each other's faces, they could not help but sigh together. Zhang Lu usually boasted that he was smarter than Zhang Wu, but at this moment he seemed even more depressed than Zhang Wu. Looking at the furnishings in the room, his mood was even more depressed.
"Luckily, we were ordered to leave the capital, so we can stay in the Jingdong Guild Hall, which is used to receive the imperial censors and various officials in the capital. Otherwise, given our current plight, we would be kicked out if we stayed in an inn! Ha, penniless... Even when I was the poorest in the past, I was not as poor as I am now!"
Zhang Wu managed to cheer himself up and said, "Didn't Brother Chen go to the capital to look for the young master? If it weren't for the money he lent us before he left, we wouldn't have been able to hold on for that long. As long as he comes back, maybe he can bring back good news."
"Forget it. Brother Chen is the eldest son of Duke Qin, not Duke Qin... Even if he is Duke Qin, he is now the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture and cannot govern Xingtai." Zhang Lu put his hand on his forehead listlessly, and then said in a low voice, "I admit that the young master is resourceful and powerful, but he is not the God of Wealth and cannot make money. Although we have anticipated the current situation in advance, we still..."
He didn't finish his words, but how could Zhang Wu not know? He sighed in his heart, thinking that they had underestimated the greed of businessmen in the pursuit of profit. After easily getting the huge dividends brought by the new textile machine, they immediately chose to burn the bridge after crossing the river and fire the workers, and even suppressed those small households that owned their own textile machines.
As for the minimum wage and minimum purchase price and other things that they were confident they could implement when they were planning before leaving Beijing, there was no chance of implementing them at all! No wonder Zhang Shou, although he mentioned these new terms to them, left the planning to them and never intervened at all, completely letting them do whatever they wanted.
They now truly understand how difficult it is to deal with those sophisticated local nobles, and how difficult it is to actually get something done.
If they had not promised to provide job opportunities to the laid-off workers and to buy the cotton yarn spun by the self-employed at a gradually decreasing price, someone might have already started a commotion and surrounded the Jingdong Guild Hall! But even so, they had already discovered that the wealthy families also took the opportunity to sell them large quantities of cotton yarn spun in their workshops, so that they spent money like water.
But as of today, they have completely used up all their money, are penniless, and are about to become a laughing stock!
Just as the two of them were sitting opposite each other and sighing, there was a sudden commotion outside. Zhang Lu, who had been on edge for the past two days, immediately jumped up and rushed to the door. But when he was about to ask someone what was going on, Hu Kai, who had come out with them this time, rushed in like a gust of wind, his face full of ecstasy.
"Brother Zhang Wu, Brother Zhang Liu, good news, great news!" He said the first sentence breathlessly. Seeing that Zhang Lu was not happy at all and looked at him suspiciously, he finally managed to even out his breath and said hurriedly, "The Duke of Qin's Mansion sent someone to deliver money! There are more than a dozen large carts, all of which are full of money!"
Not to mention Zhang Lu, even Zhang Wu who followed him out was dumbfounded. The two brothers looked at each other and hurried out. When they reached the gate, they saw Zou Mingrong talking to a middle-aged man dressed as a guard. However, although the man looked familiar and was indeed from the Duke of Qin's mansion, they both knew that this man was definitely not Zhang Chen's confidant.
If that's the case... Was the person sent by Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan? Impossible, that Qin Guogong had ignored his son Zhang Chen for many years, why did he suddenly change his temper now?
At this time, the middle-aged guard had already seen Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu. He immediately left Zou Mingrong behind and came over. He bowed and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Fifth Young Master, Sixth Young Master, my master heard that you two were being hindered in your work in Xingtai. After thinking it over, he felt that there was nothing he could do about other things, but he had plenty of money, so he asked us to send the money over."
Seeing that the street was crowded with people, and who knows how many people were looking at the big boxes with green eyes, if someone instigated, it would cause a disaster in an instant. Zhang Wu couldn't help but hesitate secretly, but Zhang Lu knew that this was a rare opportunity, and immediately shouted: "Brother Chen is really righteous! Everyone has worked hard to come here, unload the boxes, and come in to rest first!"
"No, that's not right!" Although Zhang Wu was not as smart as Zhang Lu, he made a quick decision when he saw more and more people gathered around him. "It's really not right to keep so much cash in Jingdong Hall! In my opinion, we should deposit it in Fulong Bank, the largest bank in Cangzhou, so that we can take it out whenever we need it. It's much safer!"
He knew Zhang Chen's temper best. He was definitely not the kind of person who would bluff. This timely money was definitely real! But because it was real, he had to make sure that no one else could question it, and he had to ensure that nothing would go wrong with the money!
Hearing this, the people who were originally mixed in the crowd and were ready to make a noise to question the authenticity of the so-called money sent from the capital were suddenly speechless. You know, as long as the money is deposited in Fulong Bank, anyone can inquire whether the money is real or fake. Sure enough, the next moment, these people only saw the middle-aged guard smile bitterly.
"Fifth Master, what you said is true, but to be honest, we arrived two days ago, but we were busy withdrawing the money from Fulong Bank, so we didn't come to see you and Sixth Master. If we send it back to be stored now, I'm afraid those people in the bank will complain bitterly."
This is money I just withdrew from the Fulon Bank!
Upon hearing the news, several people in the crowd immediately squeezed out and went to investigate on behalf of their masters. Of course, some people stayed patiently to try to find out what Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu's next strategy would be. Sure enough, they soon heard the middle-aged guard say something more important.
"My son heard about the troubles encountered by the fifth and sixth sons, and said disapprovingly that everything that can be solved with money is a small matter. Since there are people here who don't know what's their place, then the Duke of Qin's Mansion should take out the money and open a workshop in Xingtai that is bigger than anyone else's! We will take in all the experienced workers who were driven out by unscrupulous profiteers and rich people!"
Zhang Lu's expression suddenly brightened up when he said this. In fact, when they first arrived, they did use the workshop that Zhang Shou had bought a long time ago to recruit workers for the purpose of promotion and future checks and balances. However, there were only a dozen machines and a dozen people in total. Later, since they had no money, it was naturally impossible to expand the workshop and recruit more workers.
But now Zhang Chen has sent them timely support, which means something different!
Zhang Wu had sometimes complained about Zhang Chen's overbearing temper in the past, but at this moment, facing such overbearing words with distinct Zhang Chen's style, thinking about what his two brothers had experienced in the past few days, he couldn't help but feel greatly relieved.
Hearing the growing discussion around him, he pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Will people think that I am competing with the people for profit?"
"That was my young master's own money. He just couldn't stand those villains who were harming the people, so he took it out to do something. He never thought about making any money. Even if he lost it all, it wouldn't matter. What's the point of fighting for profit?"
Zhang Wu quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, I was thinking wrong. Everyone in the capital knows that Brother Chen is a man of great righteousness and generosity. Even Xiao Lu and I have received so much favor over the years. How could we compete with the people for profit now? In this case, there is no need to keep the money in Fulong Bank. We can first rent two more yards at the original workshop and then recruit people."
Seeing Zhang Lu's approval, the middle-aged guard said casually, "Fifth and Sixth Young Masters only need to recruit people. As for the houses and land needed for the workshop, there are another group of people. Why rent? Just buy them directly. Duke Qin's Mansion is not short of money."
Even though they knew Zhang Chen was generous, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu could not help but marvel at the middle-aged guard's words of spending money, spending money, and spending money. At that moment, the two of them took a look at the cash boxes on the dozen or so large trucks, and Zhang Lu asked tentatively: "Since we don't need to spend money on the house, and the wages don't need so much, then this money..."
"It's better to be prepared." The middle-aged guard laughed and said nonchalantly, "If there are some blind thieves who want to take the money, then the people in Qin Guogong's Mansion are not just good-looking. Besides, before I left, the young master went to Zhao Guogong's Mansion and borrowed a few people from Zhao Guogong. They are all top masters who have killed countless people. I don't know how many lives they have taken!"
"Brother Chen is really thoughtful."
At this point, Zhang Wu couldn't care less whether it was true or not, and he praised it again and again in a serious manner. But even without his support, the tall and strong figures of the guards escorting the carriage, and the majesty of riding horses and carrying swords, had already been deeply impressed in the hearts of the onlookers.
When Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu personally invited the group into the Jingdong Hall, and Zou Mingrong was busy greeting the remaining guards, Hu Kai, who had just reported the news with great joy, was suddenly pulled over by a hand in the crowd. Almost no one saw this scene, and as for those who had not yet dispersed, they surrounded the door of the Jingdong Hall regardless, and pricked up their ears to try to listen to more noises.
"With this money, whether it's hiring workers or buying cotton, we can finally make some money!"
"Yes, Brother Chen is really generous. I must thank him after returning to Beijing!"
"However, I heard that all the cotton in Xingtai was hoarded by a confidant who claimed to be the second prince. I'm afraid he will use a lot of money to attack me next."
