Maybe it's because I've been under too much pressure to carry an increasingly large family over the years, so I really thought about it at this time. Maybe he also knew that his mansion had been so completely ransacked, and it was impossible to hide the origin of the Chu family from the crown prince. This Uncle Chu really had something to say: "Whoever got the monopoly rights for these two salts, excluding the salt tax that has to be paid to the court every year."
"Even if you don't steal or escape, your annual income will be around five or six hundred thousand yuan. In addition, the rare medicinal materials and furs in Ningxia, northern Shaanxi, and the Qilian Mountains, and the coal and iron business in northern Shaanxi. The Chu family relies on the King of Shu With the power and monopoly of these businesses, the annual income is more than 2 million yuan. And through the hands of the King of Shu, he got through the Ministry of Industry of Xijing and took over two palaces and a mausoleum in Xijing, plus the city wall is repaired every year."
"Together these items, together with the benefits of transporting goods from central Sichuan to the north. Relying on the big tree of King Shu, the Chu family's annual income is three to four million yuan. Of course, at least 50% of the profits must be transferred to Central Sichuan will be handed over to the King of Shu. Of the remaining 50%, 20% will be shared with officials at all levels. The Chu family will only be left behind only 30%. But even so, the Chu family can still make more than a million."
"Although the current Chu family is not as good as the Fan family in Xiangyang, they have warehouses all over the country, and their caravans travel all over the Western Regions. But they are also considered a giant in the northwest, enough to rank second on the list. Maybe they are afraid of Chu and me. My family has been implicated, and my father has always kept these things from me. My father directly dealt with the people in charge of the northwest under the King of Shu, and he never allowed any brothers in the family to get involved."
"It wasn't until five years ago, when my father fell ill and became bedridden after returning from a trip to central Sichuan, that he handed over everything to me. When I learned the truth about the Chu family's expansion, I was quite shocked. At that time, Although I have never met the King of Shu, and the King of Shu has always had a virtuous reputation in the court, I always feel a little uneasy in my heart. Who is the King of Shu? He is the fifth son of the current emperor."
"The Chu family is just a businessman. Being too involved with the prince may not be a blessing. In fact, relatively speaking, it will be more harmful. In my opinion, if something happens to the King of Shu, the King of Shu may not really Something happened, but it was a disaster for the Chu family. Even though the King of Shu is the legitimate son of the middle palace, how many of the princes and crown princes in these dynasties have fallen, let alone the legitimate son?"
"The strength of the Chu family at that time was far from that of the Guilin County Prince's Palace, which made the court so taboo that it could not easily take action. The King of Shu also did not really make the kings taboo and did not dare to move at all. Now you, the crown prince, Is it difficult to seize the Chu family? It was just a matter of words. I had already made up my mind at that time. I would rather the Chu family be beaten back to its original state, but I would also find ways to decouple myself from the King of Shu."
"I went to Sichuan on behalf of my father and met with the Queen of Shu in person. I found that the King of Shu was not the elegant person he seemed on the surface. Not only was he ruthless, but he also always acted recklessly, unscrupulously, and was extremely cold-blooded. Ruthless. This kind of person can only share in adversity, not happiness. The most important thing is that I feel that his ambition to seize the heir is not that strong."
"After returning from Sichuan, I became more determined on this idea and repeatedly persuaded my father not to serve the King of Shu. But at the time, my father also felt that the King of Shu was not that kind of good master. But it is easier to get on the boat than to get off. Chu The family has become too involved with the King of Shu. Unless the King of Shu dies, it is almost impossible to get rid of the King of Shu. Unless the Chu family really intends to do so, the whole family’s lives will be lost.”
"So even though my father knew that the Chu family had been tied to a dangerous ship, he did not dare to take any risks. When my father was alive, I could only use the opportunity of taking charge of the family affairs to find ways to get rid of my involvement with the King of Shu. . But not only did I not get what I wanted, I also received several warnings and threats from the people of the King of Shu. When my father passed away, the people sent by the King of Shu to express condolences told me directly."
"One day I am a member of the King of Shu, and I will always be a member of the King of Shu. In this world, no one has betrayed the Queen of Shu and can still survive. If I have any other thoughts that I shouldn't have, since the King of Shu can If we support the Chu family, we can naturally take back the things given to the Chu family, including the heads of the Chu family. In desperation, I can only follow my father's old path."
"Fortunately, the King of Shu only regards the Chu family as a source of wealth. Those dirty things basically do not require the Chu family to come forward. As long as the Chu family pays the money on time, he will not embarrass the Chu family too much. Instead, he will do business. , using his power and dark network to provide various conveniences for the Chu family. Even in order to avoid suspicion, King Shu never had any contact with the Chu family every time he went to Jingzhao and passed through Xijing."
"I just secretly sent my close friends to issue orders to the Chu family and ask for money and valuables." The year before last, the King of Shu faked his death and escaped. When passing through Xijing, he asked for a large amount of money and goods from the Chu family. After escaping to the Western Regions, he forced the Chu family to smuggle arms, money and food to support his activities in the Western Regions. I know that according to the imperial decree, the relationship between the Chu family and the King of Shu will be exposed once it is revealed. "
"What is waiting for the Chu family is basically to kill everyone. But the handle is in the hands of others, and they have no choice but to give in. If the King of Shu wants to bring down the Chu family, he does not have to use his secrets in Chang'an City. Wei. As long as it is revealed to some princes or those who are interested that the Chu family was once his right-hand man and more than 30% of his financial resources, the Chu family will be ruined. "
"In order to save the Chu family, we had no choice but to find ways to satisfy him. But last year there was a severe drought in Longyou and Shaanxi 2nd Road, and the price of food doubled three times a day. The Chu family tried their best, but they could only meet part of his needs. Fortunately, he also knew that there was a severe drought last year, and based on the old foundation of Longyou and Shaanxi Second Road, even if they looted everything, they would not be able to get much food, so he did not press too hard."
Speaking of this, thinking of the Chu family's experience in the past few years, he let out a long sigh: "The King of Shu faked his death and escaped from the Qi Dynasty. I am the only one in the Chu family who knows about this. The rest of the Chu family all thought that The King of Shu is really dead. As for the King of Song, I was really cornered by the King of Shu, so I tried every means to find the grandfather of the King of Song, a disciple who served in Xijing, and establish a relationship with him."
"If you want to rely on the King of Song, to be precise, you need the protection of the concubines in the palace. First, the King of Shu presses too hard. Although he traveled far to the Western Regions, he often sent people to ask for large sums of money, food, and even weapons. He was far away In the Western Region, it is really difficult for the Chu family to bear the burden of transporting food to him. This road is all desert and Gobi. Not counting the losses caused by horse thieves and robbers along the way, it is the loss caused by people eating horses and chewing them along the way.
"If one stone of grain is transported to Yizhou, it's good to have two or three dou left over. For every stone of grain transported to Yizhou, the Chu family basically has to transport one stone of grain. Not to mention that the Chu family has handed over half of what they have gained over the years. Give it to the King of Shu. Even if it doesn't, the Chu family can never afford such a huge loss. Not to mention, those weapons are even more difficult to get. Once they are found out, the risk will be even greater."
"I took refuge with the King of Song just to avoid the continued persecution of the King of Shu. Although the King of Song gave birth to a prince for his common people, his mother-in-law is currently in charge of the Sixth Palace, so it is still very likely that the Jin Dynasty will be granted the title of Queen. And although the King of Song is far inferior to The King of Shu is powerful, and he does not have the hands and eyes of the King of Shu. But his wife is quite powerful among the civil servants, and seeking protection from the King of Song will make the King of Shu taboo."
"Secondly, the Chu family has been able to acquire such a family property over the years, even though I have always wanted to get rid of the King of Shu. But I have to admit that without the support of the King of Shu, the local governments will not give any care at all. The Chu family In just a few years, it has grown from a small business to such an extent. In fact, it has relied on the help of local governments. If nothing else, the right to sell Shanxi Chiyan depends on the government."
"The grandfather of the King of Song presided over many imperial examinations many years ago, and his disciples were all over the officialdom. I originally thought that by joining the King of Song, the Chu family would get great help on the one hand, and on the other hand, it would make the King of Shu feel taboo and not force him to The Chu family is too tight, and it really kills two birds with one stone. But I didn't expect that this decision would become the second most regretful thing in my life, or a nightmare."
"As soon as he got on the line, the Song King kept asking for money. His appetite was getting bigger and bigger. From the initial one hundred thousand yuan, to now he is asking for two or three hundred thousand yuan every time. In addition to money, he also kept asking for money. They asked for all kinds of rare treasures and beauties, and also named Hu women from the Western Regions and Persia, which made the Chu family almost annoyed. In less than half a year, the money and goods extorted from the Chu family were more than what they originally gave to the King of Shu in a year. many."
At this point, Uncle Chu had a wry smile on his face: "If you just wanted money, it would be easier to say something. But this King of Song kept asking the Chu family to do things for him that were simply impossible. He asked The Chu family helped him win over military attachés at all levels in the Xijing Camp. But when the King of Shu was still there, the Xijing Camp garrison was firmly in the hands of the former Secretary of the Xijing Palace and the old Lord Ouyang."
"With the power of the King of Shu, it is still impossible to penetrate the Xijing camp, let alone us, a family of merchants. Those military attaches are different from civilian officials, and we have no contact with military attaches. And since the prince led the army to conquer Ningxia, he has been Every day, we are urging the Chu family to bribe the military attaches participating in the war. How can the Chu family do this kind of thing? I have no choice but to keep delaying it. "
"This matter also caused the King of Song to be extremely dissatisfied. After you offered sacrifices to Xiaoling and was appointed as the new crown prince by the Ming Dynasty, the King of Song went crazy. Perhaps it was Concubine De who gave him the courage. He even forced Chu The family bribed a master of martial arts to assassinate you. Although I am just a businessman, I also know that assassinating the current prince is a serious crime of treason. Once exposed, the Chu family will only be exterminated. "
"Not to mention King Song's character, the emperor would only appoint him as the crown prince if he suffered from mental illness. Considering the details, this King Song is too greedy. From the fact that he repeatedly reached out to ask for money from the Chu family, it is enough Proof. If such a person is appointed as a prince, I am afraid that the Qi Dynasty will not be far away from the destruction of the country. Although the emperor often appears to be indecisive, he is not so stupid. "
"So, in my opinion, this King of Song is too far behind in both his power and temperament. And looking at his behavior, not to mention the machinations, even the machinations are too far behind. Don't say Compared with you, the current prince, and even compared with the King of Shu, he is far behind. The most important thing is that his vision is really short-sighted. Is it possible for the emperor to appoint such a person as the crown prince? "
"Even if the King of Song is really appointed as the crown prince, in order to cover up the scandal of killing his brother after he ascends the throne, the Chu family may not have any better result than the annihilation of the clan. It's just that the King of Song is pushing too hard, so I have no choice but to I can find a way to deal with it. Just a while ago, I met the person in charge of the secret guard installed by the King of Shu in Xijing. I had come into contact with several of them by chance. "
"I know that the person in charge seems to be very calm, but in fact he is a little overjoyed. And as the king of Shu who is placed in Xijing to carry out spying and assassination, he must be very skilled. Therefore, I use this person too much The weakness of greed is to try every means to encourage him to assassinate you. At the same time, while getting rid of a piece of my heart, I can at least pay tribute to the King of Song."
