Chapter 11 of Gui Zi Scroll: Brotherhood, complex relationships
It can be felt that Jia Lian is still very powerful in Yangzhou, which may have a lot to do with Haitong Yinzhuang still living a very prosperous life in Jiangnan.
No one can ignore that Haitong Yinzhuang, a financial giant that caters to both the north and the south, obviously has a deep background in the north and even the imperial court. It may even be a big help in supporting the imperial court's finances. However, it has thousands of connections with the merchants and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.
Even Nanjing is wary of such a tangled relationship. Who wouldn’t lick a monster like this who has vast amounts of money and wealth and connections?
And Jia Lian himself was not as concerned about Haitong Yinzhuang as he thought. He mentioned in his letter that he should pay attention to the changes in the Huaiyang area and the entire Jiangnan area at all times. He was still very concerned about this situation in the Jiangnan area.
He was able to keep every detail in mind, which shows that he put a lot of thought into it.
"After the imperial court captured Xia Town, how will Chen Jixian's attitude and Shandong's demand for Jiangnan materials be resolved?" Feng Ziying thought for a moment before asking again.
"Chen Jixian's attitude is still quite ambiguous, but it is said that Xiazhen has also opened an opening and has not completely blocked the cargo ships passing from the south. Materials such as grain and cloth must be blocked more tightly, but there are still some
It has flowed into Shandong, which also gives Shandong some hope. Although Shandong has also suffered from drought this year, it is much better than other provinces in the north, especially along the canal. Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu are said to have collected it.
A lot of grain is enough to cope with it for a while, it depends on the situation after the autumn harvest."
Jia Lian saw that Feng Ziying asked seriously, so he answered while thinking.
He came back this time with multiple tasks.
Although Haitong Bank in Jiangnan has not been seized and can even open for business, the attitude of Nanjing has always been unclear, which has made several branches in Jiangnan never dare to operate as openly as they did before the North-South War.
If a large amount of money is stored in a semicolon and is suddenly seized, the loss will be too great.
Especially among the four major branches in the south of the Yangtze River, including Yangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, Yangzhou ranks first. Normally, the Yangzhou branch can have hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels allocated at any time, but now it has dropped sharply to tens of thousands of taels and less than ten.
In case of 10,000 taels or a slightly larger business, preparations need to be made several days or even ten days in advance.
Sometimes a loan or deposit of one to two hundred thousand taels of silver requires several semicolons to negotiate. If it is a loan, it requires several semicolons to come together from various places within a period of time. After all, these places are still hundreds of miles apart.
, it has to be transported by ship, which greatly affects the efficiency, increases the safety risk a lot, and increases the cost of strengthening security.
If it is a deposit, you have to worry about whether it is a trap set up by the Nanjing government. As soon as the deposit is made, the government will come to check it, and you will be taken advantage of. This requires background checks on the customers who come to the bank to find out the ins and outs.
, this will inevitably affect the operation of some normal businesses, and some businesses will be lost.
Therefore, this situation has also kept Jiangnan's business in such a difficult situation. Compared with the situation in previous years, it is naturally not the same.
Jia Lian had become accustomed to extravagance in Yangzhou in the past few years. He married wives, took concubines, and had children. His whole family was considered a celebrity in Yangzhou. With the style brought by the capital city, the expenses were not small.
The bank's business has dropped significantly, which will naturally affect his income. Although the Jingshi headquarters has not said that it will reduce the income of these shopkeepers, the bonus at the end of that year will shrink a lot, which also makes Jia Lian
Worried.
Therefore, when Feng Ziying wrote to ask Jia Lian for help in understanding the situation in Jiangnan, he was particularly attentive and even used some of the Jia family's previous connections in Nanjing to inquire about the news in order to win Feng Ziying's favor.
He even secretly sent someone to get in touch with Jia Jing first. In the end, he even went to Jia Jing's house to visit Jia Jing. Although he didn't get much useful information, Jia Lian was on the line.
Refuses to stop.
After all, Jia Lian grew up in a family of officials, and he knew the depth of the officialdom. For example, Jia Jing, who had already reached the role of Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, and was one of the top imperial convicts in the imperial court, but
Once you are willing to make a U-turn, you will definitely become a guest at the table, so there is no harm in taking this line, and maybe you can get some benefits from it.
Not to mention, Jia Lian had been hooking up with Jia Jing several times, and Jia Lian seemed to feel that this uncle Jing had also revealed some information vaguely, but Jia Lian couldn't believe it, so he could only listen first, and when he came back this time
That is to say, I want to talk about these situations with Feng Ziying. With Feng Ziying's wisdom, she can naturally judge the authenticity of these messages and Jia Jing's intentions.
"Over at Ningguo Mansion, Brother Lian, I'm afraid you also know that Jia Zhen is back. He ran back on his own initiative. He is also in prison now, but it is estimated that Jia Rong can be released..." Feng Ziying
He pondered and said: "Brother Zhen was sent back by Jia Jing, what do you think?"
"Ah?!" Jia Lian was also surprised. He knew that Jia Zhen came back and was imprisoned. He thought that Jia Zhen ran back because she couldn't stay in Nanjing anymore. But he never understood why Jia Zhen was still gaining power.
I couldn't stay there anymore, so I ran back to the capital to seek death. I didn't expect to be sent back by Jia Jing, and I thought, "Ziying, could it be that Uncle Jing also has other thoughts?"
"There are a few people in Jiangnan who don't have other ideas. Chen Jixian also has other ideas. Those few who can't turn back are determined to go ahead. Don't all the others also have the intention of hedging their bets?
"Feng Ziying sneered, "It's a good thing that you are on the line with Jia Jing. He is the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. He is quite favored in front of Prince Yi Zhong and can speak well. Since he brought this news back through you, it shows that the situation in Jiangnan has changed.
Turmoil, you go back this time and continue to get closer to him. In addition, you might as well be bolder about the bank. I guess some people are beginning to understand the situation. If not, they may have to send their assets through Haitong Bank.
Moved,..."
Jia Lian perked up, "Ziying, you mean those who dance happily?"
"Have you come into contact with such people recently?" Feng Ziying asked.
"Well, I did come into contact with some, but I have never dealt with them before. I was still a little puzzled, and even suspected that it was a trap arranged by Nanjing, so I went to Uncle Jing to inquire about the information, but Uncle Jing also refused.
Respond. Now it seems that not responding is actually an answer. It seems that these people have recognized the golden sign of Haitong and followed our path."
Jia Lian was overjoyed. If even the most loyal supporters of Nanjing began to have different ideas, it would undoubtedly indicate that the Jiangnan side was beginning to have a harbinger of collapse. This was a great good thing.
"It is not advisable to attach too much importance to these. These people are just here to explore the way in advance. Nanjing is not so fragile yet. The situation in Shandong is unclear. It is difficult for anyone to say. Chen Jixian has other ideas." Feng Ziying shook her head, "The imperial court also has other ideas.
The difficulty is that we don’t know how to make up for the big hole dug in Shanshan. If the hole gets bigger and bigger and spreads to Henan and even Huguang, it will be really big trouble."
"So Ziying, you must go to Shaanxi?" Jia Lian was a little reluctant. The farther away, the more difficult it was to contact him, and the less guidance and support he got from Feng Ziying. Jia Lian was still not confident enough, and had to ask Feng Ziying to write to him at any time.
When you light it, you feel at ease.
"The imperial court has great righteousness, how can I not go?" Feng Ziying shook her head, "I also know that it will be difficult to go to Shaanxi, but the strong wind knows the strong grass, the rough and turbulent know the honest ministers, the imperial court is in need of people, how can I covet the prosperity of the capital? Besides,
I also want to give it a try in Shaanxi, and I must make some decent achievements to show those courtiers in the DPRK who are not convinced by me."
"Then it will be difficult for Brother Yu to see Ziying again." Jia Lian said with emotion: "I thought the capital was far enough away, but I didn't expect that Ziying would have to go to a place farther away. Brother Yu was also a little reluctant to leave."
"It's not that exaggerated. It's only been two or three years. There are still letters to exchange. By the way, second brother Lian is back this time. You also know the situation of Rong Ning's Jia family. I'm afraid there will be some difficulties in pardoning the uncle."
, let's see if we can get a lighter sentence, choose a suitable place of exile, and strive for amnesty..."
When talking about his own family affairs, Jia Lian also lamented again and again, with Yuji in his heart, "I think I persuaded the master several times at the beginning, but he was beaten and even took him to Ping'an Prefecture twice. Fortunately, I never asked him to take the letter.
What was the deal with Sun Shaozu after he went there? Later, the master sent someone else to go..."
"Well, this is a foregone conclusion. I'm afraid Shi Bo will not be able to escape. It's different from the situation with Uncle Zheng Shi. Although it's not as dangerous as Jia Jing, I'm afraid he won't be able to escape after being a fugitive." Feng Ziying
He also pointed it out clearly, "As for the other people, such as the old lady, Baoyu, Brother Huan, Brother Lan, and Brother Cong, I would like to find a way before leaving to see if I can pay a sum of money and guarantee it."
Release it,..."
Jia Lian was also quite moved, "I'm afraid the amount of money is quite large, right? Even if you are released on bail, I'm afraid Dali Temple will still have to sentence you in the future, right?"
"It's only tens of thousands of taels of silver. My father can afford it. He can't let me go out and let the sisters worry about it, right?" Feng Ziying laughed, "Second sister, second brother Lian is here.
I've seen him before. The doctor said he was probably a son. I don't care, but it made my second sister and my mother a little restless..."
Jia Lian was also quite happy in his heart. After all, it was his younger sister who gave birth to the first male heir for the Jia family. That was also great news for him. "That's still different. If the second sister gives birth to a male heir, it can also be regarded as the first male heir for the Feng family."
To continue the incense, this first-born male heir is of extraordinary significance."