In the entire salt case, there were only three people who really had all their family property confiscated -- Zhang Songxian, Gu Shousong, and Tang Yanshu, a big comprador in Shanghai, among the four elephants of Nanxun.

Hu Chuyuan took out the two lists and found that the situation recorded in the lists was not the case.

According to his estimates, Zhang Songxian and Gu Shousong are both people with tens of millions of families, and Tang Tingshu is even better, deducting the losses of salt speculation, excluding the family business they purchased in the Shanghai concession, the list should have at least 15 million taels worth of assets.

However, the data on the list is very pitiful.

Zhang Songxian's seizure of family property is only one Nanxun Garden, 4,328 acres of Nanxun high-grade mulberry fields, 17.84 million catties of private salt, and other household furnishings, etc., the value is not high.

Gu Shousong's family seized a Nanxun garden piano garden, 2,963 acres of high-grade mulberry fields in Nanxun, 14.35 million catties of private salt, a Shanghai Huajie garden, and other furnishings, etc., the value is not high.

Tang Tingshu's shares in the Kaiping Coal Mine and the Shanghai Steamship Bureau were confiscated, and several warehouses in Jiading County were confiscated, and nothing more.

Hu Chuyuan took a slight breath of cool air, and asked Yang Changjun: "There is only so little!" ”

Yang Changjun laughed and said, "Could it be that those two ministers and the governor Tan eat soft rice?" The Gu family is a well-known collector of antiques, and there are indeed a lot of antiques and calligraphy in the piano garden in Nanxun...... However, these things are not easy to deal with, there is no real name, and once something happens, it is all evidence of crime. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded silently, feeling even more strange in his heart, and asked, "......What does Lord Yang mean?" ”

Yang Changjun smiled, took out the other two lists from his cuffs, handed them to Hu Chuyuan, and said: "The above two lists are actually reported to the imperial court, and they will be disposed of by the two governors, if there is no accident, the cavalry captain can buy it at a discount of 200,000 taels." This one is also for the cavalry lieutenant, with a discount of 2 million taels, and the money from the sale can be handed over to me...... However, the 2 million taels of silver had to be taken out before the end of the month. ”

"Oh?"

Hu Chuyuan took this list and looked at it carefully, only to find that the assets of Zhang and Gu were very considerable, and there were 25,380 acres of high-grade mulberry fields, 47 shops in Nanxun Town, 1,395 acres of land in Shanghai Huajie, 21 shop fronts, 24 large and small warehouses, 11 Jiangkou wharves, and 1.22 million catties of silk in summer last year.

This list includes Tang Tingshu's assets and raw silk in the Shanghai Huajie.

Not to mention anything else, just 1.22 million catties of raw silk is worth at least 6 million taels of silver, and the total value of all assets is about 10 million taels.

2 million taels to buy, net profit 8 million taels.

Only then did Hu Chuyuan understand what Zuo Zongtang meant by the words "do not give up and increase capital".

Money is not so easy to make, Hu Chuyuan subconsciously looked at the other list in Yang Changjun's hand, and asked, "Lord Yang, why do you still have a list?" ”

Yang Changjun laughed and said, "This list is what the cavalry captain will do for us." ”

After speaking, he also gave Hu Chuyuan the last list, a total of five pages, which copied 126 pieces of antique calligraphy and painting details, more than 30,000 rare ancient books, and 135 pieces of jade jewelry and jewelry, these are all easy to move, and they should have been moved away on the night of the seizure.

Hu Chuyuan glanced at it, and actually saw Tang Yin's "Spring Mountain Companion Picture" from inside, which is a rare fine landscape painting in the late Tang Yin, and there are two Dong Qichang Mobao with the highest price in the market at present, both worth about 40,000 taels.

If you calculate it all in all, the things in this list can also be worth 3 million taels of silver.

After Hu Chuyuan took a rough look, Yang Changjun said: "Everything is hidden in the silver cellar of Qinyuan and a warehouse in Jiading County, please send a trustworthy shopkeeper to count it immediately, and there will be several personal soldiers of adults to escort them all the way." Later, I will ask the cavalry captain to find a way to put all the things into the Gongji pawnshop, so that they will become famous and real, and the origin will be clear. After the rumors passed, after about a year and a half, the cavalry captain gradually sold it to a few adults at a low price. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded silently, and then asked, "Which adults, how much do you want?" ”

Yang Changjun said: "What is written on the first page is what Zeng Shangshu wants, the second page is what the governor of Anhui Ronglu wants, the things that Lord Zhongtang wants are on the third page, the governor of Jiangsu, Lord Tan, is the fourth page, and the governor of Zhejiang, Lord Mei, is the fifth page. Don't make a mistake about it, Knight. Other than that...... I also have to ask the cavalry captain to take out one million taels of silver from the profits of this time and give it to the official, and the prefect of Huzhou, the general soldier and others have to take care of it, and Zeng Shangshu has to be personally responsible for the official. ”

Hearing Yang Changjun say this, Hu Chuyuan couldn't help but think that after Hu Xueyan was raided, the figure reported to the imperial court was actually "empty", what is "empty and left", Qingyutang, which has a market value of more than three million taels of silver, and the Hu family's compound that cost three million taels of silver were all bought by the minister of Qincha at a low price?

Raiding the house...... For officials, this is a rare opportunity to make a fortune.

Hu Chuyuan looked at the five-page list carefully, Zeng Guoquan wanted the most valuable porcelain and jade, and Rong Lu wanted jewelry. Zuo Zongtang asked for a few bronzes and the 30,000 rare ancient books, and Tan only needed four scrolls and four ink treasures, but each of them was a rare boutique, including Tang Yin's "Spring Mountain Companion Picture", two of the four ink treasures were Dong Qichang's.

Zhejiang Governor Mei Qizhao is the most declining, all of them are purple clay pots, general jars, lacquerware, gilded Buddha and other groceries, which can also be regarded as good things, but Hu Chuyuan estimated that when he made the list, Mei Qizhao must have shirked and did not ...... No? How could it not be, he didn't want it, how dare others ask for it.

Everyone doesn't dare to ask for things, how can such a big "Jiangnan Salt Disaster Case" be decided?

Therefore, what Mei Qizhao said was "whatever, what you don't want belongs to me", so all the miscellaneous antiques belonged to him.

Just look at this list, everyone's characteristics are also clearly displayed in front of Hu Chuyuan, Zeng Guoquan - greedy and fun; Ronglu - the vulgarity of greed; Zuo Zongtang is not easy to say, he still can't see the original intention; Tan Zhonglin - either don't stretch out your hand, or you have to reach out and ask for the best; Mei Qizhao - Whatever you want!

After thinking about it in his heart, Hu Chuyuan carefully put away the list and said to Yang Changjun: "Okay, I already know, I will arrange someone to handle it carefully, and there will definitely be no mistakes." ”

After saying this, he asked Hu Rong to take ten Fukang silver tickets of 100,000 taels and hand them to Yang Changjun.

Yang Changjun smiled happily and said, "Then I really have to bother the cavalry captain, I have other official business, and I have to leave first." He said that the cavalry captain returned to Shanghai, and we will choose to talk about it again! ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded, got up and sent Yang Changjun away.

Walking to the door, Hu Chuyuan suddenly remembered something, so he asked Yang Changjun: "Lord Yang, by the way, I want to ask, is the punishment of the salt merchant light or heavy?" ”

Yang Changjun weighed the severity of the problem and replied in a low voice: "Lord Zhongtang asks for a heavy penny, and a fine of 1,000 for every pound of salt hoarded, Lord Shangshu feels that it is too heavy, and is discussing...... However, as far as I know, a fine of 600 per catty is not light, and a fine of 800 is not heavy! ”

"That's right...... Then I understand, thank you Lord Yang! Hu Chuyuan arched his hands without moving, and said: "Then I won't send it forward anymore, please go all the way!" ”

Yang Changjun smiled and said, "It's easy to say, it's easy to say!" ”