The threat from the other party was obvious, but it also proved that Xie Shu's words just now had touched the other party's heart.
Therefore, Xie Shu remained calm and composed. He did not speak directly, but instead said, "Eunuch Liu came to Jiangnan this time to help His Majesty with the Southern Tour. He was deeply favored by His Majesty. This is a good thing, but Eunuch Liu, have you ever thought about why His Majesty wants to tour the South?"
Eunuch Liu didn't take it seriously when he heard this. He thought Xie Shu was going to say something, but it turned out to be this.
How come the people in the palace don't know the reasons for His Majesty's southern tour, whether they are obvious or hidden?
Xie Shu said calmly, "I think not only I know, but everyone in the world knows that the reason why your Majesty came to the south is for the country and the people. Your Majesty's careful governance over the past few decades has led to the current situation of peace and prosperity for all the people. Your Majesty went to the south of the Yangtze River to visit Jinling, the capital of the Six Dynasties, and to show the people of all directions that the country's prestige is unprecedented and grand, and that it is the unprecedented ruler of the world."
This statement was the most high-sounding one, and Eunuch Liu could not deny it. At the same time, there was something in his words that could remind people of the Emperor of Daqing in the past. The former emperor could indeed be called wise, but now in his old age, he became a little confused.
Xie Shu's mind was clear. He had read countless history books, and those histories all had a surprising similarity.
This is probably a common problem for many emperors when they get old. No matter how great a figure they were when they were young, when they are old and weak, even if they deeply understand the principle of being prepared for danger in times of peace, they can't help but begin to admire luxury.
Because the emperors held supreme power, they could not listen to advice and became more stubborn, and the same was true of the current Emperor Daqing. At the age of 48, the emperor felt that his physical strength was not as good as before, so he yearned for pleasure and luxury.
Everyone in the Imperial Household Department knew this very well.
Today's emperors like to pursue the luxurious display and extravagant spending of a great country, and all of these cost money.
This is also why the Imperial Household Department began to suffer deficits year after year. Now Eunuch Liu is in charge of the southern tour, but the Imperial Household Department cannot come up with more money, so Eunuch Liu agreed to the Third Prince's proposal.
Eunuch Liu thought that even if the emperor knew about this matter, as long as it was not out of line, he would most likely not blame him. Don’t those who serve in front of the emperor know the emperor’s character?
Eunuch Liu withdrew his thoughts and looked at Xie Shu again, saying with a hint of impatience: "Since this matter is well known, what do you want to say?"
Xie Shu said calmly: "But Eunuch Liu also knows that the emperor was advised by many people for this trip. If it weren't for Ziwei Ling Lu Shuo's efforts, this matter would not have been possible."
When Eunuch Liu saw that Xie Shu's tone was still so calm when he talked about Ziwei Ling Lu Shuo, he suddenly felt a little curious. He didn't know what Lu Shuo's expression would be when he learned that he suddenly had such a junior brother with a completely different personality from him.
As this thought came to his mind, Eunuch Liu felt a little disdainful again. The emperor had indeed received many old ministers' advice and remonstrances during his southern tour, but these people were extremely pedantic and could not see the current situation clearly! If the emperor wanted to do something, instead of flattering them, he would go against them. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
Eunuch Liu didn't understand the integrity of the literati. He only knew that the people in the inner court could only go far if they could understand the emperor's intentions.
Xie Shu smiled faintly and said, "Eunuch Liu, you serve in front of the emperor, so you naturally know the emperor's character. Since the emperor is determined to go to Jiangnan this time, how can he not want to make some achievements to stop the gossips of the world. Then, do you think that the emperor will personally investigate the administration and people's conditions in Jiangnan to show his wisdom? If someone secretly reports to Eunuch Liu that you have requisitioned salt merchants without permission to build a temporary palace in Jiangnan, what do you think His Majesty will do? Therefore, the person who made this suggestion is no less than putting a sword hanging over his neck in front of Eunuch Liu!"
These words were like enlightenment to Eunuch Liu. Thinking about the emperor's character again, he could guess what the emperor would do at that time.
As for the person who made the suggestion, if Eunuch Liu had not confirmed that no one else knew about this matter except Gu Zhong, Eunuch Liu would have suspected that Xie Shu was cursing Shao Zhen by name.
As for the Third Prince Shao Zhen, Eunuch Liu knew it even more clearly. Even though Shao Zhen was now in power in the Imperial Household Department, if anything really happened to him, Shao Zhen would definitely clear him of all charges and would never say anything that would damage the Emperor's impression of him in order to protect him.
In this way, he became a chess piece that could be discarded at any time. Eunuch Liu's hair stood on end instantly, but the next second his eyes were gloomy, and he said to Xie Shu with a fake smile: "You are smart, but the matter has come to this point. How can you ask me to save it? Besides, if I can't build this palace, what good will the result be?"
But seeing Xie Shu's clear and calm eyes, Eunuch Liu changed his attitude again, showing a kind smile and trying to win him over, "Xie Shu, I know you came here for your husband's matter. Although this matter has nothing to do with me, it was caused by me. If you can come up with an idea, I will help you solve this dilemma."
After hearing Eunuch Liu's assurance, Xie Shu was also certain that this plan was actually done by Gu Zhong. It turned out that such a despicable plan was used by a dignified Imperial Inspector of Salt.
What made Xie Shu even more worried was that even if Eunuch Liu solved the Yu family's problem today, what would happen after the southern tour? How could the Yu family be better off after offending the salt inspector?
Xie Shu must quickly come up with a foolproof plan.
Xie Shu pondered for a moment. Eunuch Liu beside him also paced back and forth, feeling uneasy. At this moment, Xie Shu suddenly raised his head and said calmly: "Eunuch Liu, in my opinion, this is the best way..."
Several trading companies of the Yu family have announced shortages of goods one after another. Not only that, several other wealthy people in Jinling City have now united and ordered other trading companies not to trade with the Yu family.
These small merchants all heard the news and moved quickly. They could see the direction of the wind in Jinling City and of course dared not go against it.
Now the Yu family can only receive goods from foreign businesses at a price that is slightly higher than the usual price, but how long can this last?
Seeing that they were being excluded while working at the Yu family business and that other companies were trying to poach their employees with high salaries, in just a few days, the shopkeepers and managers of four businesses had submitted their resignations to Yu Chuxi.
This morning, another business manager found Yu Chuxi, stammered and thanked the Yu family for their years of cultivation, and then hurriedly said goodbye.
Feng He couldn't help but spit in her heart, these people were all promoted by the Yu family, but they couldn't even do Du Feng Yu. It's only been a few days, and they've already run away. Fortunately, my husband didn't care. If my husband withheld the contract signed with them, what would they do!
At the same time, Feng He looked at Yu Chuxi worriedly. In the past few days, such a big thing happened in the Yu family. How worried should the young master be now! But how could this matter be solved so easily? That eunuch Liu was a eunuch from the palace. It was difficult to even meet him once!
Feng He hesitated and said, "My dear, these five businesses are now unmanaged. Do you want to..."
The word "close the store" is like a thorn that cannot be uttered. Over the years, the Yu family has never closed the store except during the Chinese New Year. What Feng He is more worried about is that this store will be closed forever. After all, if the Yu family no longer has cash flow, they will not be able to maintain their expenses. The best way for the Yu family now is to sell it to others as soon as possible while the business has not shrunk much. But who doesn't want to take advantage of the fire now? Even if the Yu family wants to sell, they can only sell it at a low price!
Yu Chuxi paused, glanced at the Western clock on the table and said thoughtfully: "It's almost time."
Then Yu Chuxi raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "These people have long been thinking that even if nothing happens to the Yu family, they will be trouble if they stay. It's a good time to clean them up. Feng He, listen to my instructions. Those shops don't need to close down, but prepare to buy something."
Feng He looked at Lang Jun in confusion. Who would be willing to sell things to the Yu family now?
After hearing what her husband said, Feng He's eyes lit up and she hurriedly asked someone to notify the people below. At this moment, someone outside suddenly reported that someone from the Su family had come to visit.
This time, the people of the Su family seemed to be quite polite and brought four kinds of gifts to visit, but in fact it was not the case at all.
Su Kai, the master of the Su family, had a smug look on his face, with dozens of servants following behind him, looking very aggressive.
When Yu Chuxi arrived, Su Kai's eyes flashed with a strange look. He had heard that the young master of the Yu family was a very beautiful girl, but in his daily business dealings, the other party was ruthless and Su Kai hated her so much that he wanted to put a stop to the other party's arrogance when he arrived at the Yu family today. However, when he saw the person in front of him, Su Kai was in a dilemma. If he cared too much about such a beautiful girl, wouldn't it seem that he didn't know how to be gentle with women?
When Yu Chuxi saw Su Kai's expression at this time, he could guess what he was thinking and couldn't help feeling disgusted, but Yu Chuxi had to deal with him to delay time.
Yu Chuxi's eyes were indifferent, and his tone was a little cold: "Master Su, you brought so many people to block the door of my Yu family, do you know what it means to disturb the people without reason? The Yu family does not welcome guests like you."
Su Kai laughed dryly. He didn't expect Yu Chuxi to be so arrogant in this situation. He said in a friendly manner, "That's not what I meant. I came to the Yu family this time to discuss some things with the young master, and also to visit the master of the Yu family. I heard that the master of the Yu family has been ill for a long time, so I brought a lot of medicinal herbs."
Yu Chuxi forced a smile, but still didn't let go and said, "Since Master Su is sincere in visiting us, it's not impossible for him to come in, but the Yu family is small and can't accommodate so many people."
Su Kai felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. He certainly did not bring these people with him just to overwhelm others with his imposing manner. More importantly, what these servants were carrying was actually the silver used to purchase the Yu family business. Of course, the value of it was far from enough. However, Su Kai believed that Yu Chuxi was a smart man and should know that if he came again after today, the price would not be the same!
What he brings tomorrow will be even less than what he brings today. Of course, if we delay, things might change, so it would be better to get it done as soon as possible.
Besides, once he had taken out the silver, there was no reason for him to take it back. Once the transaction was established, there would be nothing he could do even if he reported it to the government. By then, even if Yu Chuxi was unwilling, he would have to transfer the business to him.
However, since Yu Chuxi had shown some signs of relenting, Su Kai did not want to force him too much, lest he overdo it. So he left most of the servants outside and only took a few in, ready to act accordingly.
After entering the Yu family, Su Kai wanted to get straight to the point, but Yu Chuxi asked him to go and see Mr. Yu first. However, Yu Wanli was not in good health and he needed to wait a little longer.
After all, this was what he had said just now, and Su Kai couldn't go back on his word. But he thought it wouldn't take long to delay for a while. However, who knew that Su Kai would wait for an hour, and when Mr. Yu arrived, he wasted a lot of time again.
Su Kai understood at this time that he was tricked by Yu Chuxi. He wanted to turn hostile directly, but Yu Chuxi was also beside him and he couldn't see any clues. He was very caring towards Master Yu, so Su Kai had no choice but to sit beside him.
When Yu Wanli finally went back to his room to rest due to exhaustion, Su Kai started to speak: "Master Yu, what do you mean by this? I wanted to have a good talk with you about the current business, but it seems that Master Yu is not in a hurry at all!"
Yu Chuxi's beautiful and ruthless eyes flashed with a hint of sarcasm. He turned around and said calmly, "What does Master Su mean by this? Before entering the Yu family just now, he said that he wanted to visit my father, but he became impatient after just a short while? I thought Master Su was more sincere than other families, but it turns out I was wrong."
Su Kai was shocked when he heard this. Although he had given benefits to the other three families in advance and asked them not to interfere, there might be some people who wanted to get a share of the Yu family. However, Su Kai did not show it on his face and smiled again, "How can that be possible? I came here with great sincerity. I was anxious just now. I hope the young master will not mind. Now, can we discuss it?"
Yu Chuxi nodded slightly, but he showed a bit of embarrassment and said: "Master Su, you just saw my father's situation. I dare not tell him about this matter, but if he knew that the business he built from scratch has become the current situation, how can he let it go? So I need to be extremely cautious about this matter."
Su Kai felt impatient, but he had to understand and thought that the price needed to be discussed in detail.
At this time, Yu Chuxi asked someone to bring all the account books of the business houses: "Then let's calculate them one by one."
Su Kai and Yu Chuxi negotiated from morning until dusk. They felt dizzy and the numbers in front of them became blurred. They finally agreed on a number that satisfied both parties.
Of course, Su Kai had thought about giving more money to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, but Yu Chuxi disagreed and asked him to settle the matter clearly to avoid any changes in the future.
Su Kai was relieved when he saw that Yu Chuxi really planned to sell all the businesses. When the final result came out, Su Kai also breathed a sigh of relief and asked his men to draft the contract with a smile.
Seeing the words "five hundred thousand taels of silver" written in black and white, Su Kai was overjoyed. Although this number was much higher than he expected, it was already several times the price of those businesses of the Yu family!
Su Kai pressed his fingerprint forcefully on his name, then handed the deed to Yu Chuxi, but Feng He blocked him and took it first.
Seeing this scene, Su Kai was dissatisfied, but he still smiled and said, "Young Master, to be honest, I have prepared 350,000 taels of silver today. I will put it outside the gate of the Yu family. To show my sincerity, I will pay the deposit today, and I will send the rest tomorrow."
Of course Su Kai sneered in his heart. If it was tomorrow, who knows how long it would take. Now Yu Chuxi is just a hollow young master. From now on, he will have to beg himself!
Yu Chuxi's slender white fingers casually picked up the thin paper. The corners of his lips curled up in an arc that seemed to be a smile, and his voice was as cold as ice and jade: "Who said I agreed?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he tore up the contract casually while Su Kai's eyes were filled with anger.
Seeing the shredded paper falling lightly in front of him, Su Kai was furious. Yu Chuxi dared to do this. Where did he get the confidence to play tricks on him? Now that the Yu Family Business was on the decline, only the Su Family was willing to pay such a generous price to acquire it. Yu Chuxi offended him at this time. Wasn't he crazy?
Su Kai asked sternly, "Yu Chuxi, do you know the current situation of the Yu family? From today onwards, the Yu family will no longer be able to survive!"
Yu Chuxi looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Really? It's too late."
Hearing Yu Chuxi say this, Su Kai finally realized something. Yu Chuxi had been delaying his time today, but even so, what could he do in one day?
unless......
Su Kai was able to gain a foothold in Jinling so quickly, and he was definitely not an ordinary person. He understood it at this moment. In the past few days, if there was anything unusual about the Yu family, the only thing was that they hoarded rice from major merchants. This was a common thing. Rice shops always liked to stock up at this time of year.
But now it is unusual.
Now if the Yu family wants to turn things around, there is only one way. No merchant in Jinling City is willing to do business with the Yu family, but there is one kind of people who are willing to do business with the Yu family, and this kind of people cannot be controlled, and that is the people.
Yu Chuxi must have purchased rice from the people. It is now May, the busy farming season, and the rice planting season. Because there is still some time before the harvest, people need to buy rice from major rice shops. The Yu family is contrary to their usual practice and buys rice from farmers. He has already arranged it, and other businesses cannot react in time. Within a month, the price of rice will rise several times. Now only the Yu family has a rich granary, so the Yu family can continue to operate.
Thinking of this, Su Kai was shocked, but also became more annoyed. He suddenly laughed and said, "Yu Chuxi, even if you are so smart, how long can you last like this? If you don't listen to me obediently, who else can you ask for help? Could it be that useless man of yours?"
Su Kai couldn't help but think of the poor scholar who married into the family of Yu Chuxi. How good could someone who was willing to marry into the family be? Even if Xie Shu had some reputation outside, what use would it be at this time? Even this matter was handled by Yu Chuxi, and the man from this family was not seen.
However, at this moment, he heard an extremely cold voice behind him: "Who are you, speaking nonsense in front of my husband?"
Hearing this, Su Kai was worried that he couldn't find Xie Shu. He turned around and looked, but he never expected that there were a few blue-feathered guards beside Xie Shu. Su Kai had seen these guards before. Aren't they the people in front of Eunuch Liu? Why are they following behind Xie Shu and obeying his orders...
At this time, a guard also recognized Su Kai and reported to Xie Shu in a low voice. Xie Shu's eyebrows moved, and he withdrew his gaze indifferently. Then Xie Shu opened the handwritten letter and read it word by word: "Eunuch Liu learned that the major salt merchants donated money to build a palace in Jinling in gratitude for Your Majesty's kindness and grace, so he specially asked Your Majesty to reward us. Eunuch Liu will let my Yu family take charge of this matter. From now on, the other four salt merchants must fully cooperate."
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bolt from the blue. Not only was Su Kai scared to death and almost fell to his knees, but Yu Chuxi's eyes also widened. He had never thought that Xie Shu could get this imperial edict from Eunuch Liu in such a short time. This meant that the donation matter had been made public, and they might have a chance to meet the emperor in the future.
But how did Xie Shu do it?
Xie Shu gave Yu Chuxi a soothing look, then turned to Su Kai and said coldly: "Su Kai, do you have any objection?"
Su Kai was complaining so much at this time that he didn't dare to say anything. He hurriedly smiled and apologized to the two of them, saying that he was blind just now. Seeing that neither of them had any intention of paying attention to him, Su Kai retreated in shame.
After everyone left, Xie Shu looked at Yu Chuxi tenderly and whispered, "My dear, I'm late."
Yu Chuxi hurriedly shook his head and walked forward, leaning against his side to look at the handwritten note in his hand. He saw that the content of the handwritten note was exactly the same as what Xie Shu had just said. He couldn't help but ask in even greater confusion: "What on earth is going on?"
Xie Shu smiled slightly, held Yu Chuxi's hand, sat down and said, "My dear, please listen to me slowly."
It turned out that the suggestion Xie Shu proposed to Eunuch Liu just now was about the construction of the palace. It would be better to change it from Eunuch Liu's extortion to the salt merchants' voluntary donations and report it to Nan Feng. This would not only make the emperor very happy, but also show that Eunuch Liu was capable.
Upon hearing this idea, Eunuch Liu also had an idea. If the matter was reported to His Majesty in advance, His Majesty would certainly not blame him. Instead, because of His Majesty's ambitious nature, he would be very happy.
However, at this time, Eunuch Liu made another request that Xie Shu had not expected. Since the major salt merchants were now voluntarily donating for the construction, let the Yu family be responsible for it.
At this point, Xie Shu couldn't help but show some apology, and said softly: "My dear, I don't know if you are willing to take this matter on. I wanted to ask your opinion first, and then reply to Eunuch Liu, but unfortunately..."
Xie Shu actually knew a little about Eunuch Liu's purpose. He didn't know whether Eunuch Liu didn't trust him or wanted to tie him to his boat for some other reason. However, since the construction of the palace was related to Eunuch Liu's life, the other party would definitely support him. In this case, this was not a bad move, but it was also very important. He didn't know whether Lang Jun was willing to take charge of this matter.
Yu Chuxi was stunned. She didn't expect Xie Shu to apologize for this. His eyes were so gentle. When she was looked at by him, she felt like being blown by a warm spring breeze. He respected her so much, and also... loved her so much.
The corners of Yu Chuxi's lips curled up slightly, and he looked at Xie Shu's handsome face with bright eyes. His heart was surging and he was filled with unstoppable joy.
Yu Chuxi couldn't bear it any longer. He suddenly raised his face, moved closer to Xie Shu, and then kissed him lightly on the face.
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