There were about a dozen of these merchants, both old and young, and the leader was a thin, half-old and wealthy gentleman with gray hair, about fifty years old, with restrained and calm eyes.

The other merchants all looked hesitant, and gathered in the living room of the Fucui Pavilion, not daring to sit down, but the half-old rich gentleman was quite calm, and everyone looked at him, expecting him to speak first.

The half-old rich gentleman stepped forward half a step forward, and Hu Chuyuan arched his hand and said, "Captain Hu, old Liu Yong." In the past, when Ling Zun came to Nanxun to buy raw silk, I also had some dealings with him! ”

Liu Yong.

This is a person worthy of admiration, but he is also one of the main opponents of the Hu family.

This man started from scratch, worked as a coppersmith at the age of fourteen or fifteen, later worked as a handyman in a silk shop, and started a business at the age of twenty, partnering with others to start a raw silk business.

In the era of Zeng Guofan, he began to get involved in the salt industry again, step by step, and has already become the head of the four elephants in Nanxun.

He and Zhang Songxian are not only sons and daughters, but also partners in the business, running the silk industry together and speculating in the salt industry together.

Hu Chuyuan believes that this person played a significant role in the salt case.

He chuckled lightly and said, "Steward Hu, move stools for everyone, let them sit down and talk!" ”

"Thank you, Captain Hu!"

"Yes, Lord Captain Xie will take a seat!"

These rich gentry seemed to see a glimmer of hope, and they all showed a slight joy.

After these people sat down one after another, Liu Yong sent a list to Hu Chuyuan, and said: "Our Huzhou businessmen admire Ling Zun's ambition to serve the country and benefit the people. ”

Hu Chuyuan let out a cold sigh, opened the fold and took a look, and saw that the names of Zhang Songxian and Gu Shousong were listed in the first and second places, each donating 200,000 taels of silver, Liu Yong ranked third, also 100,000 taels, and Pang Yunhong ranked fourth, 80,000 taels.

These people are the legendary Nanxun merchants.

Nanxun four elephants, eight cows and seventy-two dogs, assets of more than one million called elephants, less than one million, more than 500,000 called cattle, under 500,000, more than 200,000 called dogs.

Zhang Songxian's capital is said to be tens of millions of taels, and Liu Yong, who ranks first among the four elephants, is even more known to have a net worth of 20 million taels of silver. The Gu family ranks third, with assets of about 10 million taels, and Pang Yunhong ranks fourth, with assets of about 6 million taels.

These people's capital is extremely abundant, entrenched in Huzhou to operate the silk industry, and they don't even buy Hu Xueyan's account, except for Pang Yunhong, who has cooperated with Hu Xueyan for more than ten years and has been helping Hu Xueyan collect silk in Nanxun.

But after Hu Xueyan died, he didn't help Hu Chuyuan, after all, he was rich enough to stand on his own.

Hu Chuyuan put the list aside and said, "I will help you pass it to Lord Zhongtang, as for what Lord Zhongtang will say, I don't know, and I can't guarantee it, I hope you understand!" ”

Liu Yong smiled bitterly: "I know that there is another list here for the cavalry lieutenant, I hope the cavalry lieutenant will laugh at it, what has been offended before, and I also hope that the cavalry Haihan!" ”

As he spoke, he got up again and handed Hu Chuyuan another list.

This list is even more interesting, there are 27,000 acres of high-grade mulberry fields in Huzhou, half of which are in Nanxun Town, and 12 antique paintings and calligraphy, with a total price of 100,000 taels of silver.

In addition, the total amount of salt stored by each family is 67 million catties, and they are willing to transfer it to Jiangnan Commercial Bank free of charge.

Looking at the list, Hu Chuyuan laughed evilly in his heart, those salt are counted separately, the price per mu of Huzhou mulberry field is more than 30 taels of silver, and the high-grade mulberry field is at least 50 taels of silver per mu, and this alone has a price of one million taels of silver.

The price of antique paintings and calligraphy is added to one plus, nearly 1.5 million taels of silver, and 100,000 yuan is willing to sell it to him.

**Naked bribery.

But is he short of money?

Hu Chuyuan put down the list and said, "To be honest, killing people is not too much, and I don't want to see a too cruel situation, but these things are not something I can control." You should go to Zeng Shangshu now. What can I do? ”

Liu Yong hurriedly said: "Lord Shangshu will not be a guest, we have no other way but to come to ask the captain, I hope that the captain will beg for the sake of the people in Zhejiang, and ask for a plea for us, and say a few good words." If the cavalry lieutenant can rescue us at this time, in the future, as long as the cavalry lieutenant has a place of need, we will definitely go all out, and it is incumbent on us to do so! ”

"Oh......?" Hu Chuyuan was unsure for a while.

Liu Yong is still very trustworthy when he speaks, as long as he has this sentence, it will be much easier to collect silk in Huzhou in the future.

After thinking about it for a while, Hu Chuyuan said: "Okay, I'll find a way to meet Master Shangshu, but I really can't tell what the result is." Leave the list and I'll pass it on to the right people! ”

"Thank you, thank you!"

These wealthy businessmen in Nanxun thanked them one after another, and seeing that Hu Chuyuan had no intention of having a deep talk with them, they also accepted it when they saw it, got up and left.

When they left, Pan Limei asked Hu Chuyuan, "Young Master, what should you do now?" ”

"What to do, of course it's cold salad!"

Hu Chuyuan laughed evilly, in fact, he didn't have a bottom in his heart.

On the surface, this matter has a lot to do with him, and he is also very powerful, so many imperial historians have sued in the capital, he can still protect himself, and his power can be regarded as heavenly.

Unfortunately, the truth is that everything has little to do with him.

He sent a lot of money in the capital, but the sum of that money couldn't match Zuo Zongtang's face.

Zuo Zongtang's secret letter was sent to Prince Gong's mansion, which can make Prince Gong Yi speak hard, although Yi has begun to lose power in recent years, but the emaciated camel is bigger than a horse, and he still has a group of powerful officials supporting the table, and he also has the support of the Empress Dowager Ci'an.

As for the "Salt Disaster Case", this is something he can't control at all, on the surface he is making a fuss around him, but he is like a ball in a whirlpool, drifting with the tide, and he doesn't know where to go.

The people who really play chess behind their backs are Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang.

Of course, Li Hongzhang has now admitted defeat and gone another way, and what Zuo Zongtang wants to do is to take the opportunity to expand his superiority, try his best to pull out Li Hongzhang's forces from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and sit firmly in the entire Liangjiang.

It is also difficult to do it in the imperial court, of course, Zuo Zongtang cannot be allowed to succeed, but when things come to this point, he has to give Zuo Zongtang some benefits, so he let Rong Lu come over for a joint trial.

There is also an intention to send Zeng Guoquan to serve as the minister of the Qin Mission, of course Zeng Guoquan will help Zuo Zongtang, but the relationship between him and Li Hongzhang is not bad, not to the point of killing everything, and he will save a little face left and right.

So, "salt" is just an introduction, an excuse.

There are things about frying salt every year, and this year it is so ruthless, not because the price of salt is too high, but because everyone is swept into the big whirlpool of the dispute between Zuo and Li.

You deserve to be unlucky!

Even if it was Hu Chuyuan, he stayed in the Humble Administrator's Garden for a long time and did not leave in order to watch the wind and see the situation, so as not to be washed to death by the whirlpool of the dispute between Zuo and Li.