C39

Only with the protection of the three experts did Zhang Zhou feel safer. As he left the capital with Guan Yu-niang, nothing happened. However, based on Yun Feng's words, there were at least two groups of people that attempted to get close to them and harbored killing intent. However, they all retreated in the end. Zhang Zhou secretly rejoiced. Thanks to Fu Xiang's reminder, he had made up for it. Otherwise, he would have been in deep regret.

Zhang Zhou would never view himself as a moral gentleman or a kind person! After his negotiation with the Wealth Hall's number one broke down, Zhang Zhou knew that even if the matter with the Ping Wang ended, the conflicts between them would not be resolved easily. It could even be said that they wouldn't rest until one of them was dead! Waiting for the rich and powerful to show off their muscles and start dealing with him, then thinking of how to deal with them? All that was left was to be beaten and masochized! Since there was no longer any room for reconciliation, and Zhang Zhou was anxious to grow stronger, then there was no need to be polite.

So what if you're rich? Do you really think you are invulnerable? No more fire or water? Sorry, I have a lot of things to do and people to do. How can I have the patience and time to play games with you? He would stab you in the back! Even if I don't torture you to death, I still have to skin you alive.

In his previous life, Zhang Zhou had more or less known about some of the historical events. He did not have a deep impression of anything else, but he had seen a lot of insidious plots and schemes that could harm people. He had heard quite a few things about the Emperor's hobbies from Daoist Priest Qinglin, and superstition was one of them. In terms of strength, if Wealth Hall was a vicious dog, Zhang Zhou would admit that he was just a kitten. However, don't forget that in this courtyard of the Tang Dynasty, the only real owners — the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty — were all beasts!

Therefore, Zhang Zhou immediately made a decision and began to act. This was also one of the reasons why he dared to blatantly set such a trap in front of all the merchants of the world and slap his face. It was because only he knew that the day of his misfortune would not be too far away. Zhang Zhou also understood that the matter wasn't over yet, and he couldn't afford to be complacent!

More than ten days later, in the rainy season of Fengming Prefecture, at the intersection of the Ma Tou River and the Ronghuanshui, a flash flood broke out and washed out an old stone tablet.

Zhou Yanxiang was no longer like the previous Patriarch who kept a low profile. He was full of drive and drive. He was no longer able to satisfy his desires and ambitions. He had brazenly tried to curry favor with the crown prince, and this was his first step. The failure of the management right this time had trampled on his dignity and bottom line. In the end, the two groups of assassins both came back empty-handed, so naturally, he would not hire ordinary fugitives, but a true martial arts expert. However, after discovering the three guards, he chose to retreat. Although Zhou Yanxiang was angry, he still had more or less the patience to do so! Unfortunately, the opportunity did not come. Instead, he had been waiting for a strange stone tablet.

"Seal off the news immediately!"

"I'm afraid it's too late!" At the moment of discovery, it just so happened to be seen by an official patrolling the riverbank by the Ministry of Industry. With six hundred miles of emergency, it was delivered to the capital! When we received the news, the memorial had already been handed over! "

"Pa!" Zhou Yanxiang angrily slammed the table, causing the wound on his palm to rupture again!

"Hurry, report the situation to my father, I am making a trip to the Crown Prince's Palace!"

Zhou Yanxiang had already taken up residence in the capital, so the news had reached him at noon. As for that Ministry of Industry official's urgent letter, it had already reached the capital last night. It was simply too late for him to do anything. Zhou Yanxiang knew that there was no use in talking about anything else now. After interacting with the Emperor Family for so long, how could he not know what was taboo in the Emperor Family? The reason why Wealth Hall did not expand its operations across the country was because they did not want to arouse the Emperor's vigilance and envy. It goes without saying what the consequences of these words would be!

He directly rode to the Crown Prince's Palace on his horse, but was met with the thought of closing the door. The Crown Prince had gone out to visit him, and if he wasn't in the Palace, it was unknown when he would return!

Zhou Yanxiang had also found a few familiar elders, but they were all the same. None of them were willing to see him! How could Zhou Yanxiang not hate him? How could he not be afraid! So what if he was wealthy? In front of the absolute authority of the imperial court, he could not even lift a finger. This was also the reason why he wanted to become an official!

It took him quite a bit of money to learn what had happened that day at the assembly.

The emperor's rare report of the imperial edict making a loud sound was slammed on the desk.

"Which one of our beloved officials can explain these eight words to This Emperor!"

The emperor was angry. It should be said that the current emperor was a person who dared to be decisive and knew what was right and wrong, but he was actually very superstitious! Of course, in this world, there were very few people who did not believe it! Even if one did not believe in ghosts and gods, one could not escape the saying of fate. Who would dare to step out and say that this monolith inscriptions had nothing to do with the Wealthy Class Zhou family? Are you trying to make a joke of the royal family's fortunes? As long as you dare to speak up, you have to at least prove that you are a member of the Zhou family and not one of mine. Since you are not one of mine, you don't have to stand in this hall anymore! Besides, the emperor was not the only person who was superstitious about Feng Shui! In the people, this kind of insinuation had a very survival effect!

The first person the emperor asked was the crown prince, Zhao Qili Rui!

"Crown Prince, I've heard that Zhou Yulu of the Wealthy Class is very close with you. So, what do you mean by saying these words to me?"

The Crown Prince hurriedly went out to kneel down and said in a thoughtful tone, "Reporting to royal father, this Zhou Yulu has indeed come to your son's house a few times, but your son has never had a deep relationship with him. Your son is also puzzled by these eight words!"

"Don't understand? Humph! Do you want to say those words more so that you don't recognize them? "

The Crown Prince was frightened and didn't dare to make a sound. At this time, a tall man in a royal robe walked out from the military general queue. It was none other than King Jing, Zhao Qi. She knelt down and started the ceremony.

"Reporting to royal father, this son has something to report!"

"Speak!"

"There are many villages and counties in the Southern Ten Prefectures. Rumors have been circulating since long ago. The imperial government decreed that this should be done in accordance with the rules of the Wealth Hall! Regardless of the meaning of these eight words, this Hall of Wealth should have taken control of it! "

The tone of the emperor became colder and colder. His words were like he was scolding Zhao Qi for being too harsh on her. However, his gaze swept across all the civil and military officials.

"There's been a rumor about this for a long time! Rumors had already spread! Normally, he would just ignore them? You won't listen? I have also heard that the Wealth Hall is extremely wealthy, especially in the ten prefectures of the south of the capital. A human's heart is not satisfied with swallowing an elephant. Some things must wait until the end is not enough before thinking of tidying up?! If that monolith is smashed, it should be sent to the capital, not to my eyes! "

Then he looked at his two sons kneeling below him and snorted, "Crown Prince, you have to be more careful when doing things for people. Don't get too close with those petty people!"

"This son knows his wrongs and will definitely not do it again!"

He then looked at his eldest son, King Jing, with an unreadable look in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but just gave the order to retire from the imperial court.

A day had passed, and the Rich Hall was no different from the Branch Division of the Flying Flood Dragon Gang in Hezhou. Just like Zhang Zhou had guessed, as long as he tripped the Wealth Hall, neither the political enemy nor the business rival would miss this opportunity to add insult to injury. It would be polite to take a few steps to vent his anger, how could he be willing to let him get up again? Countless letters denouncing the wrongdoings of the Wealth Hall and denouncing its violation of the law were sent to the books of the various prefectures' yamen. The yamen's handling of the case was fake, taking advantage of the situation to fish for benefits was real! Seventy to eighty percent of the rich and powerful businesses were affected, and a large number of banks and casinos were sealed off! Countless numbers of people involved were captured!

There were also many officials who had received benefits, were grateful, and had their interests interconnected. Suppressing the pressure, they showed mercy, allowing the Wealth Hall to gain an extremely critical period of time to breathe. He had used up all his former friendship and hollowed out all the money he had to atone for his sins by donating them to the imperial government. Only then did the rich hall barely manage to survive, but all of the industries in Qi Lang Prefecture, Liang Prefecture, Gan Prefecture, Huizhou, Huizhou City, Phoenix Cry Prefecture, and the capital were all lost. Half of the other prefectures' industries had also been forcibly stolen away, and the right to manage Zeroxiang, which he had just obtained, had been forced to cede six prefectures, leaving only the two prefectures of Qing and Ying Prefectures. It couldn't be said to be a hundred years, but at least thirty years of hard work had gone into the pockets of others just like that.

The already severely ill old Hall Master Zhou fell ill, but his anger soon died down. Zhou Yanxiang was also struck so hard that he was barely able to recover.

The business of the Nine Regions did not receive much. Furthermore, it spent nearly five hundred thousand taels of silver to buy the dock and fleet of the Wealth Hall in the capital. Originally, this was the best time to beat a drowning dog to death. Not only did the business of the Nine Regions not add insult to injury, it did so in an extremely fair manner. When the Wealth Hall couldn't hold on any longer, these five hundred thousand silver taels were undoubtedly a lifesaving straw. Although the merchants were all acting in a treacherous and treacherous manner, who wouldn't like such loyal partners? Who didn't want to be helped in times of crisis!?

More and more people took the initiative to cooperate with the Nine Prefectures. The cooperation between the business of the Nine Prefectures and the businesses in the south was proceeding smoothly!

Although the Emperor did not explicitly condemn the Zhou family, in the imperial court, there were more than a dozen high-ranking officials who had been implicated in the incident at the Wealth Hall.

Suzhou, Zhou family's old residence.

Zhou Yanxiang was dressed in a white mourning robe, and he was three times thinner than he had been in the past. He sat quietly in a chair, his face expressionless as he listened to the report by the old manager. The old steward had been serving the Zhou clan for forty years, following the old master through wind and rain for so many years. Today, as he read the contents of the paper in his hands, his voice trembled.

"This time, Golden Silver Lane and Xinglong will obtain the most benefits, a total of …"

"There's no need to recite it. Next thing!"

The old manager held back his tears and acknowledged.

"The crown prince's residence has sent someone over! Young Master, you? "

"No!"

"Today, a few stewards have passed on their resignation..."

"Tell them to leave immediately!"

… ….

The old manager finally finished reading the letter in his hand. He looked at Zhou Yanxiang with a worried expression and softly asked, "Young Master, in the future …"

Zhou Yanxiang slowly stood up and walked over to the window. The scenery of Suzhou in August or September was extremely beautiful, but Zhou Yanxiang's eyes were extremely cold. No one heard him mutter under his breath, "If I don't avenge this enmity, I swear I'm not human!"

After a long while, he said to the old steward, "Have the Grand Guard come back. I have something to say!"

No matter how much Zhou Yanxiang analyzed, he would never guess that it was Zhang Zhou that had captured him. When a lion was attacked, it would think that it was a rabbit that it had just met and had set its hands on it!

To rely on strength was a rule of law, but don't treat it as an iron law, because there will always be existences stronger than you! And in this world, there was a kind of strategy that was not very profound. It was called borrowing strength to fight and borrowing momentum to do so.

He needed to build a bridgehead castle in the Southern State. As the most economically and culturally developed state in the Tang Dynasty, it was naturally the best choice.

Liu Qingshan returned. Because he was afraid of attracting too much attention, nearly three thousand able-bodied men entered Hezhou in batches. In the first batch of Huyan Clan clansmen, there were two hundred adults, one hundred children, and five hundred large horses! The adult clansmen and horses separated and divided it among the merchant groups of the various provinces while the children were sent to the manor to study.

Zhang Zhou let Liu Qingshan continue to be in charge of matters in the Southlevel Prefecture because he planned to make a move in the Southlevel Prefecture and needed a strong person to be in charge of it. Another good thing about Zhaoxiang's right to manage was that it was possible to talk to the business leaders of the Nine Regions, such as the Sima family of Nampingzhou. Zhang Zhou wanted to buy a piece of land in Nanping Province and plan to build a large workshop. Naturally, he had to negotiate with the Sima family. Tang Long became an expert negotiator in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Zhou was given the opportunity to set up strict requirements on the location of the workshop, such as the amount of salt stored and the transportation of the convoy, as well as the Sima family's permission to hire local workers.

He also set a price limit that he thought was reasonable. He clearly told Tang Long to save 10,000 taels of silver and he would get a commission of 2000 taels. Then, Tang Long rushed towards the Southping State.

The purpose of Qu Thirteen taking over the former fleet of the Wealth Hall and the original foundation of the Flying Flood Dragon Gang was to first monopolize the water route from Hezhou to the capital.

The one that progressed relatively slowly was Feng Xiaosu, who was responsible for building statistics files. Not only do large numbers of people and funds need to be invested, but they also need to be meticulous and rigorous in their work attitude. Fortunately, he had the numerical method provided by Zhang Zhou to replace the large number of Chinese character markings and the usage of charcoal, which greatly increased his efficiency. Otherwise, the workload would have been even more astonishing. Feng Xiaosu's underlings had already developed over fifty people, with the majority being destitute scholars. However, the development of the Nine Regions' business was too fast, and Feng Xiaosu was extremely serious, so his progress was slow.

Zhang Zhou also understood that this matter required a long and complicated work experience! It wasn't something that could be easily dealt with if one was willing to spend money.

Now, just by looking at the five secretaries beside Guan Yu-niang running around, sweating all over, one could tell how busy the business of the Nine Regions was.

… ….

"How many ships can you build?"

"The river in the Tang Dynasty is different in width and width. The depth of the river in the Tang Dynasty is different as well. There is no way for the ship to pass through successfully!"

"Yang Jiu, did you hear what I said? I asked you how many ships you could build! What river are you talking about! "

When Zhang Zhou and Yang Jiu met, they were still okay, but as they chatted, Zhang Zhou couldn't help but get angry. This Yang Jiu was a skilled and tough guy, his EQ was like a string of string, no wonder the ship trade club was in a bad mood, and they had no idea what their customers were thinking.

"Ah?" "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A big ship! It can be used to build three masts, but they can only be used in a large lake like the one at the Lotus Lake.

Zhang Zhou bought his ship shop and provided him with the location resources, so that he could have the technology of the ship. Technology is ready-made, but Zhang Zhou is not satisfied, hoping to be able to build larger and more advanced ships. However, communicating with Yang Jiu was really difficult. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew how to build boats, Zhang Zhou really wanted to strangle him. In any case, this guy finally understood what Zhang Zhou meant. He was then kicked by Zhang Zhou to Guan Xiaolou. Recently, there had been quite a big breakthrough in the gear set at Guan Xiaolou's place. Now it was a good time to try it out and see if it could be used in shipbuilding.

Right now, in the eyes of outsiders, Zhang Yuan was just a large-scale manufacturing base for Zhaoxiang and Hezhou Lie. As for what was going on in the dark, even the vast majority of the people inside did not know. Whoever dared to ask about it in private would be chased out, let alone approach the forbidden area!