Chapter 66 Dedication
He specifically went to the Chief Envoy's Office to investigate. It turned out that the Lingao Wu County Magistrate was a recently famous capable person in the province and was very popular in the Chief Envoy's Office. [Read the latest chapter] Several times, I have reported the victory of the bandit suppression, and I have also delivered the heads of many pirates and bandits to the mansion - many of them are the key criminals named by the government and the province. Moreover, when a typhoon disaster was reported recently, he provided relief by himself without asking for money or food from the government or province, and there were no refugees - the county's household population has increased. Last year's money and grain taxes were also paid in full.
Magistrate Wu has been "outstanding" for two years in a row. If he continues like this, he will be promoted to prefect.
On the one hand, the gangsters occupied the shop, and on the other hand, the Lingao County Magistrate became an unprecedented "capable man" - there was indispensable collusion between the officials and the gangs. At the very least, maintain a tacit understanding.
I think Magistrate Wu has benefited a lot from Kun Thie in recent years. Lu Yizhong thought that if he came this time, he could have a serious talk with him. If Wu Mingjin is a knowledgeable person, not only can he continue to wear the black gauze of Lingao County Magistrate, but he can also improve it to a higher level.
While his staff were planning strategies, Li Xijue asked:
"Why don't you arrest Guo Yi, Pei Lixiu and others immediately? They are at least fake Kuns. The inside story of the real Kuns will be known at the first trial. If we don't arrest them now, they will definitely run away when they hear the news, and they will also leak the military plane."
"No, no." Lu Yizhong shook his head repeatedly, "Several purple-branded properties are in full view of Guangzhou City. I don't know how many people are watching. Once sealed, it will be extremely difficult to deal with. It is better not to move for the time being. As for Guo Yi and others, He's just a fish in the bottom of the cauldron. If Nanhai County and Guangzhou Prefecture send more public servants to protect him, he won't be able to escape - how can he leave such a huge family property in Guangzhou and run away so easily?"
It is precisely because the three purple-branded industries are coveted by everyone that they cannot take action now. Once Guo Yi and others are arrested and imprisoned, the trade name will of course be seized as an infringement of property. How to deal with it at that time will become an embarrassing matter. Not to mention, there are a lot of big shots in Guangzhou who want to eat a piece of meat. They were either local gentry, popular figures in the officialdom, or eunuchs, honorable ministers and relatives of the state who could stretch their hands far away.
When these people come together, the matter of "dealing with reverse childbirth" will become a hot potato. Li Xijue couldn't help but admire his colleague's caution when he thought of this.
"Anyway, Guo Yi doesn't have the word "concubine" written on his head. It's reasonable not to arrest him. It's just a piece of cake to catch him." Lu Yizhong already regarded Guo Yi and others as flesh and blood.
Guo Yi was currently swirling in the core vortex of a conspiracy. He knew very well that Guangzhou Station did not have many days left. No matter how many useless struggles I make, it is inevitable that the fate of Guangzhou Station will be determined by the upcoming war on Hainan Island.
Although he had thought many times that this day would eventually come, he was still a little sad thinking about what he was about to face. Everything I built with my own hands.
The storm facing Guangzhou Station was getting closer and closer. Even in the secret room on Weifu Street, he could feel the deep chill coming. Many people are reaching out to here: those small fish and shrimps that pretended to be powerful are gone, and now there are real predators. While cruising around the target, he stared at the fat meat from the three shops with purple fonts, ready to swallow it in one bite.
This safe house no longer has the calmness of the past - the brazier on the ground is filled with large balls of ashes. This was left behind by Zhang Yuchen who burned the telegram manuscripts and information when he hurriedly took the radio station away. Now he has retreated to a secret location in Guangzhou and continues to maintain contact with Lingao.
In Guo Yi's hand, he was holding a telegram from the Ministry of Colonial Trade from Lingao. Although Si Kaide recognized the Foreign Intelligence Service's idea of "withdrawing and protecting" Guangzhou and Leizhou stations, he was not convinced about keeping Guangzhou. There is still a glimmer of hope for the station. In the telegram, he once again requested that while preparing for retreat, he should do his best to seek the possibility of continuing to exist in Guangzhou. In the telegram, the Ministry of Colonial Trade agreed: If there is no choice, the donation method can be considered - Gao Ji or Liang Cunhou are both better candidates.
"Hmph, it's too late to think about this matter now." Guo Yi already knew who was eyeing the big fish in Guangzhou Station - they were all heavyweight predators. Not to mention Liang Cunhou's background, even Eunuch Yang, who was behind Gao Zhi, would not dare to provoke them at all.
While I was there, suddenly the bell in the house rang. He quickly lit the telegram with a match and threw it into the brazier. After watching it turn completely black, he opened the door and walked out.
The courtyard where the safe house is located can only be entered by the most intimate servants - all strictly vetted indigenous staff. Others can only ring the bell and ask for permission after registering with the gatekeeper outside the moon cave gate of the courtyard.
According to the discipline of Guangzhou Station, veterans cannot be called out of the safe house unless there is an emergency.
The person who came to see him was Sun Chang, which was a very unusual thing. As Sun Chang, he has to deal with many things, and he will never suddenly ask to see him for no reason.
"What's up?"
"Someone came to see me."
"Didn't you say that all acquaintances are missing?" Guo Yi knew that the people coming here were definitely not kind-hearted. If you see a lot of entanglements, it’s better to just avoid seeing them.
"The person coming here has a big name." Sun Chang took a step forward and whispered, "He is a member of Tian Huang's family."
"What?" Guo Yi didn't understand.
"Prince Tian is the father of Concubine Tian." Sun Chang knew that Guo Yi was from overseas and knew little about people in the Ming Dynasty. "Concubine Tian is the emperor's favorite concubine..."
"So you are the father-in-law of the country?" Guo Yi immediately thought of the "father-in-law" in movies, TV shows and operas, who are generally not good people. Generally speaking, people's feelings are relatively accurate.
"Yes, it's Qi Wan." Sun Chang said a special term at the time. Qi Wan was the natal relative of the royal family. Tian Guozhang is the Qi Wan of this generation, and his daughter is favored. He is different from others in terms of reputation and power. "Tian Guozhang's reputation is second only to Lord Jiadingbo." Jiadingbo is the father of Queen Zhou.
"Why did he come to Guangzhou?" Guo Yi felt strange. This Tian Guozhang should not be in Beijing. I won’t come to Guangzhou for no reason.
"Where is he? He is a servant of his family who specializes in helping him." Sun Chang said, "I'm afraid this person has bad intentions."
"It's nothing more than coveting our property." Guo Yi originally wanted to say goodbye, but asked Sun Chang to deal with a few words to let him go, and then changed hands~] After thinking about it, it would be better to meet him. Now that several parties have revealed their ambitions for the Purple Title, letting them contain each other might be a way to delay time.
The person walking at the end was a round-faced man in his forties. He wears a uniform hat on his head, a parrot green silk robe, and three silk official shoes at his feet. An outfit that is neither expensive nor cheap. When he came to the yard, he stopped - seeing that Guo Yi did not lower his steps to greet him, he spread his legs, put his hands behind his back, and rolled his little eyes gloomily to glare at Sun Chang.
"How dare a calculating person make such a big deal?" He cursed in a low voice before coming up from the main steps.
Guo Yi met him and knew that the person coming was Tian Da, a "family member" of Tian Hongyu's house. According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, royal consorts such as queens, concubines, and consorts were selected from "good family members" of the common people. This kind of family is generally not a wealthy family. The so-called "family members" basically come from their own investment after they get married. Among them, there are many local "evil people" who rely on the power of the royal relatives to do evil outside, not only for the royal relatives but also for themselves.
This Tian Da does not look like he was born as a slave at first glance, but rather like a local "living ghost" or "hit six cities" or something like that.
"Master Guo," Tian Da looked at the maid who brought tea before he looked back and spoke, "You are indeed a rich man in Guangzhou. You are very generous."
"No, Mr. Guo is just an outsider. It's true that he got rich by selling some foreign goods, but he's still far from rich." Guo Yi smiled.
Tian Da did not hide his intention, and bluntly proposed that Guangzhou Station donate three Zi's brands to the Tian family.
According to him, Guo Yi wanted to "honor" 40,000 taels of silver to the emperor at one time and 60,000 taels of silver every year from now on.
"...As long as you become the property of Tian Guozhang's family, no official in the world will dare to embarrass you." Tian Da said with spitting, "No one will dare to say that you are a pirate."
This number made Guo Yi take a breath - this is really the lion's mouth. Not to mention that he had no such plan at all, even if he did, he would be criticized in the Senate for agreeing to this condition.
"This matter is of great importance and should be considered for a few days."
"It's up to you whether you want to think about it or not. But if you continue to think about it, you will think about going to jail. Why does Boss Guo have so little information?" Tian Da pointed his nose with a fan unceremoniously, "The court is about to move. We will send troops to destroy your home base in Australia. When the time comes, your whole family will be sold to the government, and even the blade of grass under your feet will no longer have the surname Guo. Now I have donated a mere 100,000 silver to my master to protect your wealth. Liang'an - the accounting is very good."
After finally sending Tian Da away, Guo Yi went on to meet several envoys who either explicitly or implicitly asked him to surrender. Even Gao Ji sent his chief steward to come twice. Tell him that Mr. Yang is going to Guangdong to purchase ivory. If you want to donate it to Eunuch Yang, this is a good opportunity.
"Eunuch Yang is very fond of the Australian goods you donated. If you submit them to his disciples this time, Eunuch Yang will definitely treat you differently."
Guo Yi had no choice but to say "I have to think about it for a few days" one by one and make a delaying strategy first.
Although the Ministry of Colonial Trade had agreed that "donation" could be considered as a means of preserving property during a state of emergency. But he knew very well that once this was done, it would definitely cause an uproar in the Senate.
On the bright side, surrendering to Tian Guozhang or Eunuch Yang is a good way out. The two can not only provide a strong protective umbrella, but also establish a very extensive relationship between the government and the opposition.
However, he knows very well that there is no such thing as a free lunch. It is unknown how much appetite Eunuch Yang and Tian Guozhang have and what their temperaments are. Now that it is agreed that it will increase to 60,000 taels per year, what should we do? How should they respond if they want to directly intervene in the personnel and management of the three purple brands? Or the worst case scenario: as the owner in the legal sense, he can kick Guo Yi and others out at any time and directly occupy these three purple-branded companies. He has seen this kind of thing many times in Guangzhou. Many small and medium-sized shops that originally wanted to take shelter from the wealthy gentry suddenly turned their backs and refused to recognize them, resulting in the end of their lives.
"This is a matter of principle," he muttered. In his hesitation, he suddenly understood: the destruction of Guangzhou Station was inevitable, and the sound of cannons from high altitude would also announce the rebirth of Guangzhou Station. Letting it change its name now will only increase the trouble in the future.
It suddenly dawned on him. Zichengji, Ziminglou, Zizhenzhai, without Australians and Australian products, they are just empty shells without souls. Whoever wants them can take them.
He quickly returned to the safe house and quickly drafted a telegram reporting his specific plans.
He clearly opposed the donation in his telegram. This will add to the complexity of their return to Guangzhou in the future. Once the name belongs to someone else, it will be very difficult to take it back, and continuing to operate it will cause problems that are difficult to control.
Guo Yi reported his response plan in the telegram: He planned to start an evacuation operation immediately and evacuate most of the vetted indigenous staff - it is not necessary to evacuate all the indigenous staff back to Lingao. They can first evacuate to the counties under Guangzhou Prefecture temporarily. Residence. The local craftsmen were temporarily sent home with half a year's relocation allowance.
Guo Yi believes that Guangzhou Station will be closed for a few months at most, or a year at most. It can be reopened as the battle situation in Lingao becomes clearer. He was very confident about this.
Once you set a policy, it will be much easier to do things. Guo Yi immediately summoned people from Guangzhou Station to hold a secret meeting. It was decided that Delong Bank would settle accounts with Zizihao on the same day, and all outstanding deposits would be written off to avoid officials from going to Delong to pursue the deposits once Zizihao was blocked.
For the goods in stock, he has sent Sun Chang to negotiate with the Gao family and sell all the goods in stock of Zichengji to the Gao family on credit. The Gao family will definitely accept it now.
"The collection day for the Dragon Boat Festival in May has arrived. What we owe to the Gao family, and what the Gao family owes to us, we must also pay off." Zhang Xin said.
"Try to balance the accounts as much as possible." Guo Yi said, "Put back the surplus money for later use."
"What for?"
"Withdrawal is due." Guo Yi said. Many people who deposited money in Zizihao have now heard about the news and continue to ask for withdrawals. Many people don't even ask for interest, they just want to withdraw the principal.
The money is actually deposited in Guangzhou Delong, but now for the sake of safety, Guo Yi does not want to have too much money dealings with Delong anymore, so he decided to only offset the accounts with Delong, and the repayment of the deposit will be directly performed by Zizihao.
As for the payment due from other merchants to Guangzhou Station, they will be collected immediately. Originally, Zhang Xin considered trying to transport the silver back to Lingao or purchase goods to transport back. But I'm afraid it's difficult to do that now - according to the reports of my subordinates, there have been a lot of business spies operating nearby recently, and I'm afraid that large quantities of silver transportation and transactions cannot be transported at all, and even if they are transported, they cannot be hidden. Guo Yi instructed him to use all the money he got back to clean up the accounts.
"We don't have to rush people to pay back what they owe us - they won't dare not pay it back in the future; what we owe people must be repaid in full. Keeping the money in our hands is also a waste of money for the corrupt officials in Guangzhou." Guo Yi said, "We If you want to leave, you have to leave behind a reputation as an Australian that honors its promises."
"Understood." Zhang Xin nodded, "Originally I was worried that it would not be easy to deal with the situation of bank runs, but now the payment collected in this batch should be enough."
As for the ledgers, land deeds, house deeds, deeds, IOUs, receipts...he has already asked people to pack them all in boxes and prepare to transfer them. He has secretly destroyed all the ledgers related to Delong. Most people don't know Delong's true identity, and it is very likely that he can be saved.
"This is our 'change of account'." Guo Yi said to Zhang Xin, "When we come back in the future, this will be the evidence to recover the capital."
Zhang Xin asked: "How to transport these dozens of boxes of ledgers?"
Guo Yi said: "Transfer them out in batches. It is best to transport these ledgers back to Lingao. If this is not possible for a while, they will be stored in a secret stronghold for the time being."
While he was talking, a servant came to report: Shen Fan came.
"Invite him in." Guo Yi was about to talk to Shen Fan about how to deal with Zizhenzhai.
"Proprietor" Shen Fan was in such a hurry that he even skipped the usual etiquette, "Does the government really want to seal down Zizhenzhai?"
"How could this happen?" Shen Fan was so anxious that he wiped his sweat, "Didn't I offer my advice to the Liang family?"
"Even if I offer it to the Liang family now, the Liang family may not dare to take it." Guo Yi told him about Tian Da's visit.
"What? Tian Guozhang is also interested..."
"Yes, if he reaches out, who else dares to ask for it?" Guo Yi shook his head and said, "I have made up my mind, I would rather be broken into pieces than destroyed. Guangzhou cannot accommodate us, so we can just leave..."
"You want to go back to Australia?" Shen Fan asked anxiously. He has worked for Guo Yi for more than two years, and the guest and host complement each other well. He is also very happy that he can still be the owner of such a prosperous large shop in his old age.
Now suddenly it was said that the government wanted to seal it up, and Guo Dongzhu had to return to the country. Shen Fan couldn't help but have a thought in his mind: Why can't people in this Ming Dynasty tolerate people to do business and live a good life?
"I have to go out and hide from the noise." Guo Yi whispered, "If I stay here, I'm afraid I will be sued for no reason."
"Is it that serious?"
"Exactly, I wanted to talk to you about how to deal with Zizhenzhai..."
"Yes..." Seeing his serious expression, Shen Fan knew that he was not lying. Thinking that this young man had saved his grandson's life, he treated himself well. Seeing that such a prosperous business of flowers and brocades was about to be destroyed, I couldn't help but feel sad and sighed heavily.
"How many goods are there in Zizhenzhai?"
"Not much." He took out a book from his arms, "This is the inventory book." He quickly added, "There are more people coming to the counter to withdraw deposits these days..." x! ~!
