Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"The total is about 7 or 8 million silver coins, but the current silver is less than 1 million, which was accumulated by several generations."

Baochai glared at him unhappily, and was quite dissatisfied with his behavior of targeting his relatives.

"That's all?" Jia Cong shook his head in disappointment.

Baochai laughed angrily: "How much money can you make from the osmanthus business? You are worrying about others."

Jia Cong said, "Forget it. Even a small amount is still meat. Let me take out 500,000 yuan to invest first."

Baochai frowned and said, "I have to ask my sister-in-law what she thinks first."

Jia Cong waved his hand and said with a smile: "Sister Bao, go ahead and ask. Don't forget to tell her it was my idea. I guarantee she won't say no."

Upon hearing this, all the girls looked a little strange. Could it be that Xia Jingui had been... done to by him?

Baochai was even more furious, and said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about, you vulgar fellow! You can't control your words, if it gets out, you will be in trouble."

Seeing that the women looked unhappy, Jia Cong shook his head and said with a smile: "What else do you have in your minds except thieves and whores? Am I so hungry that I won't choose what to eat?"

"Bah! Haven't you done enough good things? A chicken thief sits in a teahouse and pretends to be a decent person." The girls were ashamed and angry. They condemned and cursed him in unison, making Baochai feel very embarrassed.

Jia Cong said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense. I don't mind, but I'm afraid it will damage Mrs. Xue's reputation. This matter is definitely not what you think."

The girls glared at him and had to hold back their words. They were really curious, but they didn't dare to ask in front of Baochai.

Baochai remained calm. She gave Jia Cong a sidelong look with a hint of shame and anger, meaning that if he didn't explain himself clearly later, she would not forgive him.

Jia Cong bowed and smiled, changing the subject, "Lingsu, send someone to the Sanjin Guild Hall, Dongqi Guild Hall, Huizhou Guild Hall, etc. to say hello, and tell them that I will treat them to a banquet at Wanmei Villa the day after tomorrow, and invite all the wealthy merchants and wealthy families in the capital.

In addition, Feiying sent a message to Jiangnan, secretly telling the Lianghuai salt merchants about this matter, asking them that if they were interested, they should send the money to the Five Military Governor's Office within one month, otherwise they would not be accepted after the deadline.

Also, send a message to the several Western Yi families that we cooperate with, and ask them to quickly supply me with 100 cannons and sufficient ammunition, one third each of large, medium and small calibers. Let the International pay the expenses first, and ship them to Gansu immediately after they arrive."

"Yes." Cheng Lingsu took the order and left.

As for the muskets, Jia Cong thought about it and decided to forget about it. It was not because he wanted to save money, but mainly because he took into account that the herdsmen of various tribes and the soldiers in the northwest did not have time to train and familiarize themselves with them. Upgrading the weapons hastily might not necessarily yield much effectiveness.

The next day, Jia Cong sat at home collecting money all day. He paid 200 million yuan himself, Chen Guojiu gave 100 million yuan, the Xue family gave 50 yuan, the Xia family gave 50 yuan, and Niu Jizon and other familiar nobles and family friends contributed a total of more than 100 million yuan. Jia Cong knew that they had only been in power for a short time and did not have much money, so he had to give up.

After a rough calculation, I already have more than 500 million, so I feel relieved. It will be enough to fool people tomorrow. Of course, it may not work just by talking.

Yin called Wen Youfang in and ordered, "Tell the Nanbei Division to put down their current tasks and do their best to check all the wealthy merchants and wealthy families who will be attending the meeting tomorrow. If there are any who don't want to pay, ok?"

"Don't worry, sir. I understand." Wen Youfang said hurriedly.

"Just go."

The next day, Wanmei Villa.

Jia Cong had been here once with Jia Zheng and was quite fond of the quiet and elegant atmosphere of this place.

The villa was originally purchased by Shanxi merchants as a place for meeting friends and socializing. When they heard that Jia Cong was coming to host a banquet, they hurriedly offered it and even arranged all the necessary facilities for the banquet, thus saving Jia Cong the expense of hosting the banquet.

At this time, there were more than ten banquet tables in Wanmei Pavilion, which were filled with distinguished guests, most of whom were rich or noble. They were the leading figures of various businesses in Beijing, mainly Shanxi merchants, Anhui merchants, Shandong merchants, and some local wealthy businessmen and wealthy families.

Seeing a group of people coming in, led by a young man wearing a golden crown, a bright red bullfighting suit, and court boots, followed by several officials and several captains in brocade uniforms, everyone stopped talking and laughing, and stood up and knelt together.

"I, a humble commoner, pay my respects to Junior Guardian Jia and all the lords."

Jia Cong smiled and raised his hand to support him, saying, "Why should you be so polite, my dear sages? Please stand up and talk."

"Thank you, Young Master."

"Please feel free to sit down, everyone." Jia Cong smiled and nodded.

"Yes." Everyone sat down only after seeing Jia Cong and his party take their seats in the chief seat. They all remained silent and stared at the top.

Jia Cong glanced around and whispered, "Is everyone here?"

Wen Youfang hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, they are all here. There is nothing that the North and South Division cannot invite."

Jia Cong smiled and nodded, then he coughed and said, "You are all great businessmen, busy with work and precious time, so I won't be long-winded.

I have invited you all here today because I have a great business opportunity to discuss with you."

The well-informed among the crowd had heard something, but there were still many people who were in the dark and asked, "Excuse me, Master Guard, what is this?"

Jia Cong waved his hand, and several captains came over with a huge map and hung it on the wall behind. It was the map of the imperial dynasty.

"Look everyone, who has walked this road?" Jia Cong took over the baton and drew a line from the Western Regions to Chang'an on the map.

"This is the trade route to the Western Regions! When I was young, I was lucky enough to follow my father through this route. We passed through Yumen in Gansu and connected to the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. We went west to Parthia, turned south to India, and went north to Kangju."

"Yes, I went there once when I was young. I only went to Wusun and Dayuan. I bought some good horses and made a lot of money."

"Hehe, I'm even worse than you. I only went to Jingjue and Loulan, bought a lot of beautiful girls, and brought them back, which are more valuable than the skinny horses in Yangzhou."

"Old Wang, your father is smart."

Everyone laughed and recalled the glorious achievements of that year.

Jia Cong smiled and asked, "Have you still been taking this path in recent years?"

Everyone shook their heads. "In the past twenty or thirty years, the Western Region has been plagued by frequent wars and unrest. Bandits and robbers are everywhere. It is extremely unsafe. If you go there, you will be robbed every time. You may even be in danger of your life. Who would dare to go there?"

Jia Cong said: "That's right. Now the court will send out the heavenly soldiers again to completely recover and pacify the Western Regions. In the future, the Western Regions will be as peaceful as the inland areas. You can trade freely without worrying about your safety."

"Your Majesty is wise. This is truly a great joy."

"The Holy Son of Heaven has been born. How lucky we merchants are."

"I only hope that the government troops can conquer the Western Regions soon and enhance our country's prestige."

"That's right. After being idle for so many decades, I finally have a good way to go."

Everyone was praising the emperor one after another, but they were all secretly thinking in their hearts, what does the court's war have to do with us?
"You all are experts, so I won't waste time. This road has great potential. If it can be opened up, it will be a golden river and a galaxy. Naturally, everyone understands this." Jia Cong said.

"What Shaobao said is absolutely right."

"So, there is such a deal right now. I have already approved it to Your Majesty. The military expenses for this war will be raised by the people. After conquering the Western Regions, all investors will be exempted from tariffs on the Western Regions trade routes for at least 30 years according to the amount of their investment. What do you think?"

Jia Cong's words were earth-shattering, and everyone was alerted and quickly calculated in their minds. "May I ask, Shao Bao, how much will be exempted?"

"You will be exempted as much as you pay. For example, if you pay 100,000, you will be exempted from 100,000. Please note that you can be exempted from this amount of customs duties every year. The unused amount can be transferred and sold." Jia Cong said with a smile.

"To be honest, I have already raised more than 500 million silver coins at home yesterday. Now there is still a gap of 1500 million silver coins. Are you interested?"

A middle-aged businessman with a big belly stood up and said, "May I ask you, Shao Bao, the situation in war is unpredictable. What should we do if we are defeated?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "You are all people who have experienced many years of business. Please tell me, what do you do if you lose money in business?"

Everyone laughed and said, "What can we do? Just consider it bad luck."

"That's right. Fighting a war is like doing business. It's hard to tell whether you'll win or lose. Who dares to guarantee a sure win? If you have a business that's guaranteed to make money, remember to help me."

Jia Cong smiled and continued, "However, this battle will be led by the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, General Liu of Gansu will be the General of the Front Army, and I will be the General of the Rear Army.

After the three of us discussed it, if the plan is well planned, the chances of winning are enough to account for 200% to %. I have invested million silver. In terms of doing business, I am not as good as you, and in terms of fighting, I am afraid you are not as good as me, right? "

"Young Master is unrivaled in all battles and we all respect him." Everyone was busy flattering him and secretly calculating the pros and cons.

Another tall and thin middle-aged man stood up and said, "We naturally believe in Shao Bao's military achievements and character, but we are a little worried that if the government changes in the future and today's plan is invalidated, we will have nowhere to seek justice."

Jia Cong pointed to the fat man next to him and said, "I understand your concerns. This is Lord Feng, the Minister of Revenue. Please ask him to tell you."

Feng Yuan smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and said, "It's not surprising that fellow villagers have such doubts. Not to mention you, I am also worried that the money I invested will go down the drain.

Therefore, we specially asked the emperor for an order, that all investors would be able to obtain a certificate stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Revenue, the seal of the Five Military Commanderies, the seal of the Grand Council and the emperor's gold seal.

It clearly states the tax exemption amount and years. No matter how the government changes in the future, is there any need to be afraid with the imperial edict in hand?

It's like the salt permits in the hands of Yangzhou salt merchants. Do you think any of them have ever worried that these things will be invalid? There are only official seals of the Ministry of Revenue and the Salt Administration on them. "

Everyone felt relieved and said with a smile: "Master Feng has always been a caring person for us merchants. With what you said, we have nothing to worry about."

Feng Yuan said: "Since it is to be stamped with the Emperor's Gold Seal, it is not a trivial price. Please don't ask for less than 100,000 silver coins."

Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood. It made sense. If you invested a few thousand dollars, would the emperor give you a red stamp? Isn't this funny?

Someone else asked, "Excuse me, Lord Feng, after pacifying the Western Regions, how much customs duties will be collected?"

Well, this question hits the nail on the head. If the tariff rate is not high, why bother paying the money? It is more cost-effective to pay the tariff, at least there is no risk.

Investing in war is not very reliable. Two hundred thousand troops were gone the other day. Who knows if we can win? If we lose, the money will be wasted. Everyone is smart and nodded secretly.

Jia Cong and Feng Yuan smiled at each other and said, "You are indeed smart and think long-term. Let me put it this way, the tariff issue has not yet been determined, and the most urgent task is to win the war first.

As for how much tariffs will be collected in the future, in a word, the court will not let loyal gentry suffer losses."

Feng Yuan added: "On the other hand, those who want to take advantage of the court's victory should give up the idea as soon as possible.

How did Shao Bao say it? Oh, that's right, if you ignore me today, I will make you out of reach tomorrow."

Jia Cong said with a smile: "Sir Feng, why don't we follow the example of the Salt Law and take over the trade routes in the Western Regions and distribute them to the righteous gentry, so as to commend their loyalty and righteousness.

I think the Western Region is far away, and there is no need for everyone to go there. A few dozen families will be enough."

Feng Yuan smiled and said, "That makes sense. The Salt Law has a salt permit. It's also easy for us to get a trade permit for the Western Regions."

The two of them sang in unison, which shocked everyone. They were jealous and worried about the risks.

Jia Cong glanced at Feng Yuan, feeling a little panicked, secretly cursing these merchants for being cowardly, when he suddenly heard a man in the front row stand up and say loudly: "I am willing to pay 100 million to help the imperial army to wipe out the evil spirits in the Western Regions!"

The whole room was in uproar. Who was so bold? Everyone looked over.

Jia Cong was overjoyed. He looked up and found that the man looked familiar but he couldn't remember where he was.

Feng Yuan whispered, "This is the Shanxi merchant Qiao Yong. We had a drink together at Baihua Tower last time. Have you forgotten?"

"Which time?" Jia Cong didn't even think about these minor characters.

Feng Yuan glared at him angrily, and said with a grudge: "You used public property for personal gain, acted lawlessly, and robbed a prostitute."

Jia Cong suddenly understood and said with a smile: "Brother Qiao's loyalty and courage, and his deep patriotism are admirable.

By the way, Lord Feng, there are champions in the imperial examinations, and they are famous all over the world. Why don’t we also have a champion who can serve the court today?”

Feng Yuan said: "What does Shao Bao mean?"

"I will personally recommend the person who has contributed the most money today to the Emperor, and ask Him to write a plaque with the words 'The Greatest Merchant' on it so that it can be passed down for generations. What do you think?" Jia Cong said with a smile.

"Well, this is indeed a good story." Feng Yuan clapped his hands and said, "But with so many people here, it's too few to just ask for the top three. Let's ask for the top three."

When the merchants heard this, they could no longer hold back and started bidding.

"Pu Gaoyi, a commoner from Shandong, contributed 20 yuan."

"Che Junmin from Anhui Province contributed 20 yuan."

"I am Xie Jia from Shanxi Province, and I have contributed 15 yuan."

"..."

In an instant, forty or fifty people took turns raising their hands to bid, and several accountants from the Jinyiwei nearby were writing furiously and counting on their abacus beads.

After a while, the hall gradually quieted down. Wen Youfang walked up to Jia Cong and whispered, "Your Excellency, there were 51 bids just now, totaling 875 million silver coins."

Jia Cong looked around the venue and saw that about half of the people were still sitting there, probably not wanting to pay. He glanced at Feng Yuan and whispered, "Fortunately, I was prepared."

Feng Yuan nodded slightly and said, "These old fat guys won't accept my toast and won't give me a penny unless they use some tricks."

Jia Cong glanced at him and almost laughed. You are like this and you still say that he is stingy. He whispered, "How much are you going to give, Brother Zhengfang? I've given 200 million."

Feng Yuan said, "Brother, you know that I have always lived in poverty. Last time, I recovered the deficit and paid off the debt. Now my family can barely make ends meet. I still want to ask you, Zilong, for help. How can I have the spare money to invest?"

Jia Cong was surprised and asked, "Brother, are you so indifferent to the Western Regions trade route? This is not like you."

Feng Yuan laughed softly and said, "We have a brotherly bond, a bond stronger than gold, and a love as deep as the sea. When the army returns victorious, can Zilong really bear not to take care of his poor brother?
If Zilong is ruthless, I will take my daughter to your house for dinner. Let me make it clear that she can eat more than I do. "

Obscene! Shameless! Despicable! Jia Cong glared at him. This fat guy actually had this idea. He told others not to wait until they won to take advantage, but he himself planned to do this. He really deserves to be a disgrace to the officials of the country. (End of this chapter)