Chapter 297 Not Much Conscience
"Nephew, why don't you go back and discuss this matter with the head of the Zhu family first?" Ji Wuyin reminded kindly.
Zhu Congwen said dissatisfiedly, "Uncle Ji, I've already told you that this is a surprise I prepared for my father. I need to discuss it with him. What kind of surprise is this?"
Ji Wuyin: ...I'm afraid that for Zhu Changnian, this is not a surprise, but a shock.
"Nephew, sometimes it's better to be cautious in business."
Zhu Congwen simply couldn't listen. He just felt that there was no more secure deal than this! "Uncle Ji, just tell me whether you will lend me this money or not!"
Ji Wuyin shook his head.
Zhu Congwen was dissatisfied, "Isn't my status as the eldest son of the Zhu family enough to borrow 200,000 taels? It's not like I won't pay you interest!"
"If your father agrees to this, or if he knows about it, then we will have no problem borrowing 200,000 taels."
Zhu Congwen: ...
Ji Wuyin reminded him cryptically, "Uncle Shi is just worried that you've been deceived."
Zhu Congwen just thought he was being long-winded. "I'm already such a grown-up, who can still easily deceive me?"
How could he be deceived? His father sent him to Zhuya Island, and he accidentally fell into a cave while hunting, and then discovered the gold mine.
It's really hard to persuade this damn ghost with kind words.
Zhu Congwen had clearly fallen for it. What kind of magic potion had Xie Zhan given him? He looked so possessed that even eight bulls couldn't pull him back.
Putting himself in other people's shoes, Ji Wuyin thought that if Lu Songli had not reminded him before leaving, he would not have rushed back to the south from Liaodong County so quickly and would not have been able to catch up with this incident.
Currently, his eldest son was managing the Ji family bank. He knew his son well and would have lent him the 200,000 taels if Zhu Congwen had offered him a high interest rate. After all, he couldn't see the turbulent undercurrents unfolding in the South, and with the Zhu family's wealth at hand, his eldest son would have assumed that if Zhu Congwen couldn't repay, he could still recover the money by taking the debt to Zhu Changnian. This was likely his son's thinking.
But if the South really becomes chaotic, no one knows to what extent, and these two hundred thousand taels will most likely be wasted.
Now with the reminder from Liaodong County, Ji Wuyin was extremely alert. "Nephew, it's not that I won't lend you money, but there are rules in the industry. For a loan of 200,000 taels of silver, there must be collateral."
Zhu Congwen frowned, "Can't I pay you a high interest rate? Besides, I won't have to wait too long to pay you back."
Ji Wuyin insisted on demanding the collateral. "The collateral is worth the two hundred thousand taels of silver. As long as you repay the money within the agreed time, you can redeem the collateral at any time. You only need to pay the interest during the period. Are you so hesitant? Or do you lack confidence in yourself?"
Zhu Congwen: What a joke! If he were investing in something else, he might not have the confidence. But how could he not have the confidence to invest in gold mining?
"What collateral do you want?"
"It's not that I want any collateral, but what can you offer as collateral?"
Zhu Congwen thought for a moment and said, "Is it okay to use grain as collateral?" His father and second uncle both loved him, so it should be okay for him to secretly embezzle grain from two or three granaries as collateral, right?
"Can."
Soon, the two parties signed an agreement and were just waiting for Zhu Congwen to get the food. The two parties exchanged money for the food.
Things went smoothly. After Zhu Congwen said goodbye to Ji Wuyin, he left Ji's Money House with light steps.
When Ji Wuyin saw this, he shook his head secretly.
As a businessman driven by profit, he had a bit of conscience, but it was only a tiny bit, not much. He had just used a little on Zhu Congwen, which was already very generous. Zhu Congwen was determined to do what he wanted, and there was nothing he could do.
Liaodong County was focused on reaping the benefits, and he couldn't possibly ruin their plans. Meanwhile, he was also planning how the Ji family would respond to the ensuing chaos.
Ji Wuyin ordered the steward beside him, "Quick, go and call the young master over to me."
Originally, he thought his eldest son had worked hard during his absence from the Southland, so he wanted to give him a day off. But now, the situation was urgent, so why should he rest? He had to get up and work for him!
Not long after, the eldest son, who had just woken up from his sleep, was rushed to Ji's Money House.
"Quick, calculate how much silver the Zhu and Lu families have deposited in our Ji's Bank?"
"Dad, what happened?"
"All of you, get out..."
After the place was completely cleared and only the father and son were left in the room, Ji Wuyin took out the letter and talked to his eldest son about the possible changes that might happen in the South.
After hearing his father's words, Young Master Ji woke up completely from his sleep.
If it is really as Lu Songli, Xue Guangxian and others expected, if there is chaos in the south and several aristocratic families are involved, they will definitely use money.
Then if their Ji's Bank is not prepared, there may be a risk of a bank run!
Thinking that his family might be implicated in this turmoil, and that it was a very serious one, Ji Wuyin couldn't help but curse, "Xie Zhan, you are so vicious."
Late at night, Panyu Wharf
Ji Wuyin personally led people to start transporting grain.
He had no choice but to transport the grain so late at night.
The south was hit by a disaster, and the county magistrate had already come to beg for alms. Ji Wuyin also generously donated 50,000 taels.
Later, two stalls were set up outside the city to distribute porridge.
The flood has not yet receded. The disaster has affected a large area in the south, houses and farmland have been destroyed, and there are too many homeless people. The court is unable to solve the various problems caused by the flood in the south.
Giving out porridge and donating supplies are just a drop in the bucket.
Given the current situation in the South, wouldn't it be a disaster if he were to be seen transporting so much food out in broad daylight in front of everyone?
Ji Wuyin endured for two hours, watching bags of grain being carried onto the boat by laborers and stacked up, ready to be shipped to Liaodong County.
His heart was bleeding. These 80,000 shi of grain, plus the 20,000 shi previously transported to Liaodong County, directly emptied all the grain reserves in his area.
His confidants thought that he made money from this batch of grain, and then he invested it to make money again.
Because it is obvious that from now until the second half of the year, grain prices will not be low. According to past practice, buyers will not sell without a premium.
But they didn't know that after all his hard work, he actually didn't make any money, and the money all went into other people's pockets.
Ji Wuyin was grateful to Liaodong County, but he was also really stingy, which did not stop his heart from bleeding.
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