Chapter 186: Big Gamble

The name on the worship post is Pu Shougeng, the head of the Pu family in Quanzhou, Fujian Road.

Yuan Jian also smiled: "It's fast enough." ”

"Well, Junshi, you take Zhang Shijie to leave first. Xiao Tian, let Pu Shougeng come up. ”

After a while, Xiao Tian led the two of them up to the second floor, made a gesture to me, turned around and closed the door and left.

This Pu Shougeng is tall, although he is over sixty years old, he is full of red light and spirit. In terms of appearance, there are indeed many places that look like people from the Western Regions, with bearded hair, high nose and blue eyes, typical characteristics of people from the Western Regions. It was his son Pu Wenfeng who went upstairs with Pu Shougeng, relatively speaking, Pu Wenfeng's appearance was basically the same as that of the Han people.

When Pu Wenfeng returned to Quanzhou and told Pu Shougeng what happened in Fuzhou, Pu Shougeng immediately panicked, according to Pu Wenfeng, he did not dare to discuss with others, Pu Shougeng thought alone for a night, then took Pu Wenfeng to Fuzhou, and Chen Xinshu had a secret conversation for a long time, and then took Pu Wenfeng and Pu Wenyong to set off north, straight to Lin'an.

Pu Shougeng was confirmed by Chen Xinshu that the son of Huyan of the Beijing Shifeng Commercial Bank was the current emperor. With Pu Shougeng's insight, he feels that the blessings and misfortunes are unpredictable, since ancient times, there are clouds, and business does not fight with officials, not to mention that Chen Xinshu also said that the current emperor has an extraordinary bearing and a keen mind, which is far better than the first emperor Lizong. After weighing the pros and cons, Pu Shougeng made a decision in a very short time to go north to the capital and meet the prince of Huyan.

Pu Shougeng knew that yes and no matter how powerful the Pu family was in Quanzhou, it was far from being the enemy of the imperial court. Instead of sitting back and waiting, it is better to take the initiative so that there is a glimmer of opportunity. Since the emperor gave Chen Xinshu a chance and released Pu Wenfeng, it shows that the emperor does not want to get rid of the Pu family. Pu Shou Geng galloped in the shopping mall, officialdom for decades, naturally understands the importance and can understand current affairs.

According to the normal historical process, decades after the fall of the Pu family, the descendants of the Pu family actually held a huge power and competed with the Yuan Court for profit, and the Yuan Court sent troops to invade Quanzhou, which caused serious damage to the Hui people and Islam in Quanzhou. Behind closed doors, he was punished. "The descendants of the Pu family are self-righteous, if there is half of Pu Shougeng's wisdom, they will not ruin the family.

After entering the capital, Pu Shougeng left Pu Wenyong near the Shifeng Commercial Bank, and warned that if he and Pu Wenfeng could not get out, he would let Pu Wenyong immediately return to Quanzhou, Fujian, pass on the position of the head of the family to Pu Shousheng, and end the business.

Pu Wenfeng saw me when he was in Fuzhou, and after entering the house, he took his father and knelt down together, kowtowed respectfully three times and said: "Caomin Pu Shougeng, Caomin Pu Shiwen (Pu Wenfeng Zishiwen) to meet Huyan Gongzi." ”

"Pu Shou Geng?" I sat on a chair and looked at Pu Shou Geng.

"Childe, it's the grass people."

For Pu Shougeng, I didn't think about what to do.

As one of the largest traders in the Song Dynasty, the Pu Trading House contributed to the revitalization of Quanzhou's economy and even the export trade of the entire Song Dynasty. Although Pu Shougeng has only served as the director of Quanzhou for three years, he has been able to "take advantage of the goods for nearly 30 years", so he can seize benefits through various "legal" means, and his firm has monopolized overseas trade such as Quanzhou spices for nearly 30 years. Later generations recorded that the Pu family "traveled to and from the sea with good deeds, resulting in a huge production of tens of thousands and thousands of domestic servants." "It is enough to see the strength of the Pu Shougeng family.

Judging from the development of the Pu family, they are taking a road of integration of government and business. According to the later generations, its way to fortune is through the wanton bribery of officials, collusion between officials and businessmen, evasion of huge tariffs, the formation of a top-down relationship network, from the small inspection of the Quanzhou Shipping Department to the Fujian Road many envoys, were pulled into this net by the Pu family. In Fujian Road, it can be said that this net is the real "system maker". Chen Xinshu confessed that a large part of the reason why he was able to obtain the high position of deputy envoy of Fujian Road was because of the "care" of the Pu family.

"Hu Xueyan, who is a household name in later generations, and Lai Changxing and others may all learn from Pu Shougeng." I thought about it.

"Pu Shougeng, according to the law of our dynasty, what should I be guilty of bribing officials and evading taxes?" For the "bad guys" I want to recover, I usually take the approach of giving the stick first and then the carrot.

"Hui Gongzi, if the amount is huge, he can be sentenced to death." Pu Shougeng whispered.

"Then have you calculated it yourself, are you worthy of capital punishment?"

"Childe, the grass people are guilty." Pu Shou Geng bowed.

"Now that you are guilty, you dare to come to Beijing to see me, you are really bold."

Pu Shougeng bowed again and said: "Gongzi is the true dragon son of heaven, inheriting the mandate of heaven, the grass people would rather know the death penalty, and they also have the courage to come to visit, even if the son is sentenced to death, the grass people also want to see the dragon face of the son before he dies, and listen to the teachings of the son, so this life is not in vain." ”

"Really? See me, listen to me a few words, and die without complaint? ”

"Yes, Childe."

"Pu Shougeng, then do you think I will kill you?" I said with a blank face.

"Childe, the grass people don't think Childe will." Pu Shougeng said without hesitation.

Pu Shougeng remembered very well that before entering Beijing, Chen Xinshu warned himself earnestly that the emperor was wise, and he must not play cleverly in front of him, whether it was right or wrong, even if it was a matter of killing the head, he must tell the truth, so that there is a glimmer of life.

I was slightly surprised and said, "Oh, why? ”

Pu Shougeng seemed to be full of confidence and said: "Childe, with all due respect, the grass people still have use value for Childe." ”

I stared at Pu Shougeng expressionlessly, and laughed after a long time: "Haha, you are good Pu Shougeng." Get up, sit down and talk. ”

"Gongzi Xie." Pu Shougeng got up and thanked him and sat down with Pu Wenfeng. At this time, Pu Shougeng was already sweating, and his underwear was almost soaked, but his mood was finally relaxed a little, and this first hurdle was passed.

Although Pu Shougeng has a tough body, after all, he is old, and after kneeling on the ground for most of the day, he also feels a sore back, and he gasped for breath after sitting down before returning to normal.

"Pu Shougeng, since you guessed that I wouldn't kill you, then guess what I would do with you?"

Pu Shougeng didn't say anything immediately, but took out a light gray booklet from his arms, stood in front of me, raised his hands and said, "Childe, this is the financial situation of my Pu family, please take a look." ”

Xiao Qi saw me nodding, so he walked up and handed it over to me.

I immediately opened the booklet and read it. There are two main contents recorded in the booklet, one is the total income of the Pu family over the years as of the end of last month, and the other is the list of people who participated in the profit sharing of the Pu family. The total income of the Pu family is indeed amazing, in addition to the evasion of huge tariffs, it cannot but be said that the Pu family is well managed, and the list of participants in the share shows the loyalty that Pu Shou Geng expressed to me.

You must know that once this roster is handed over to me, Pu Shougeng will have no way back, and the officials above can pinch the Pu family to death if they take out one person at will. Needless to say, the senior officials of Fujian Road, such as Chen Xinshu and others, such as Xia Jing, the commander of the three generations of Wuwei Left Wing Army, Sima of Quanzhou, Tian Zhenzi who was in charge of army mobilization, Lin Chunzi who was in charge of city defense, and Yan Bolu of Quanzhou's family, were all tycoons of Quanzhou officialdom. There are also Pu Shougeng's henchmen Sun Shengfu, You Yongxian, Wang He, Jin Yong, etc., all of which are marked in great detail on this list.

Pu Shougeng is gambling, this is the biggest and most difficult gamble in his life, using all his belongings to gamble on the safety of the Pu family, but the result of this gambling depends entirely on the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty who sat opposite him, Pu Shougeng took the initiative to choose this gamble, but he did not have the slightest ability to influence the course of the gamble.

"If you don't gamble, it's a dead end, and if you gamble, maybe there is a glimmer of life." At this time, Pu Shougeng calmed down and quietly waited for me to announce the result of the gamble.