Four years later,
This year, Chu Yang was thirty-seven years old. Not counting the thirty stores in Dongzhou, Chu Yang cooperated with other merchants and opened another thirty-six branches in other places. These branches don't need Chu Yang's business staff to manage them, and they don't need Chu Yang's money. They only need Chu Yang's technology, and they can earn 30% of the dividends every year, which can be said to be very profitable.
However, although Chu Yang already owned sixty-six shops, he was making money every day. In the past four years, corrupt officials have not been killed less, and a lot of money has been brought back by ransacking their homes. However, the money earned is still not enough to save a penny. The construction of dams on both sides of the Grand Canal, and the digging and dredging of canals to dredge the river, this major project alone cost Chu Yang ten million taels of silver. It can be said that Chu Yang's family property was emptied in one fell swoop. He spent all the money that Chu Yang had earned in the past eight years. However, Chu Yang didn't regret it. River management is a good thing for the country and the people. Not only did it solve the flood in Dongzhou Liuli City, but also the disasters in more than 30 villages and several counties along the coast were completely relieved. cure. In the future, the people living on both sides of the Grand Canal will no longer suffer from disasters and go hungry.
In addition to building the dam, Chu Yang also spent his own money to build all the roads in Dongzhou, including the roads from Dongzhou City to the other four cities, and the north-south official roads from Dongzhou to the capital. This is also a big project. Chu Yang sold a lot of jewellery, antiques, calligraphy and paintings stolen from the official's house, and then he managed to scrape together five million taels of silver for road construction, and gave all the roads one by one. It's fixed.
In four years, Chu Yang completed the two major projects of building roads and embankments at the cost of emptying his family. However, Chu Yang did not say to the public that these two tasks were done with his own money. He left his good reputation to others. lost his own father. What he wants is not a reputation, but it is for the people, for merit points. Therefore, he does not need that false name.
Looking at his empty warehouse, Chu Yang frowned deeply. Now, there is no one tael in his private treasury. Antiques, calligraphy and painting, jewelry and other things are also gone. Most of them have been sold for money to build roads, and a small part is sold in the Dongzhou Trading House in the city. When you meet a buyer, you will sell it directly, exchange it for silver and send it back.
"My lord, this is the two thousand taels of silver sent back by the four branches in Fengcheng last month. It is the share of Fengcheng this year!" As he spoke, the butler opened the only box containing the silver and let Chu Yang Check.
Seeing the only box of silver, Chu Yang smiled wryly. "Oh, this king is really poor now, there are only two thousand taels of silver left in the huge warehouse!"
"The prince built roads and embankments for the sake of the country and the people, and he has done immeasurable merits!" Lowering his head, the housekeeper said with a look of awe. In the past four years, how much money has been taken from the prince's private treasury, and what to do with it, but he remembers everything clearly! Therefore, others don't know, but he knows best, where is the money allocated by the emperor to build the dam, it is clear that their princes took out the money to build the dam, but still want to give up the good reputation to the monarch. I am exhausting and thankless!
Hearing this, Chu Yang waved his hand. "Forget it, money is something outside of the body, just spend it." Youyou sighed, and Chu Yang walked out of the warehouse and returned to his room.
"Did you feel distressed?" Seeing his man's sullen look, Leng Feng asked softly. He also knew that the fifteen million taels of silver was not a small amount, and that Qi'an took out all the silver to build roads and dams without even blinking an eye. This kind of courage is really not something ordinary people can have.
"I don't feel bad, I just feel that the money is not enough!" Having said this, Chu Yang sighed softly. Although the construction of dams and road construction earned Chu Yang 100,000 merit points. However, thinking of the people in the west and north, Chu Yang was still a little depressed. Originally, he thought that when the road was repaired and the embankment was built, he would lead his five hundred elite soldiers to fight pirates in the north, but now it seemed that he could not do so because he had no money.
Fighting wars requires a lot of money. To fight pirates, you must have warships and various wound medicines. All kinds of weapons are equipped with silver everywhere. Without silver, you can't fight a war!
Hearing this, Leng Feng smiled. "Want to go to the north to fight pirates?" Leng Feng naturally understood his man's thoughts.
"Yes, I want to fight pirates, but I have no money, so I can't fight!" Speaking of this, Chu Yang was very depressed.
Seeing his man's depressed appearance, Leng Feng sighed softly. "Don't worry, wait a little longer. The silver will come later."
"It's not easy. After eight years, the officials in Dongzhou have been frightened by me. It cannot be said that there are no corrupt officials, but basically they are all very clean. There are too many corrupt officials. There are no corrupt officials, only pointing to selling Dongzhou specialties, those antique calligraphy and paintings, relying on the commission of the branch, when will this king be able to save enough money to fight pirates?" Speaking of this, Chu Yang Sigh again and again.
"Isn't the cash from the branch this year delivered yet?" Looking at her man, Leng Feng comforted softly.
"There are only thirty-six branches in total. I know that the king used money to build roads last year, so many of them paid this year's share of money last year. Only four shops in Fengcheng did not pay. Are you here?" Looking at his daughter-in-law, Chu Yang said helplessly.
"That's it!" Hearing this, Leng Feng frowned.
"That's right, now there are only two thousand taels of silver in the treasury, and the king still needs to keep it for the expenses of the palace! Although there are not many people in the palace, the monthly expenses are still very high." Speaking of Then, Chu Yang sighed again.
Although, with the addition of the princess, there are only five women left in the palace, but he still has five sons, twenty-three staff members, and a group of maids and Xiaosi to support. The merchant staff does not need him to directly allocate money to them, but their wages are also directly deducted from the shop.
The twelve farms in the two villages are basically not profitable, because there are too many victims to feed. There are five cities in Dongzhou, and each city has six shops. Barbeque restaurants, hamburger restaurants, and hot pot restaurants are relatively profitable, but the money they earn is used by Chu Yang to build roads after deducting the wages for the staff and staff every month, so there is no savings. Noodle shops and inns don't make much money, and most of the money they make every year is used to help poor villagers. The last Dongzhou trading house opened was basically not profitable, just to help the disaster victims sell Dongzhou specialties. So, after this calculation, although Chu Yang has many industries, he is still stretched!
"Then it seems that this matter really needs a long-term plan!" Speaking of this, Leng Feng sighed softly. Qi'an originally planned to build the dam and kill the pirates after the road was built, but now because he has no money, this matter can only be shelved. If this is the case, the lover must be unhappy.
"Yes!" Having said that, Chu Yang sighed again.
"My lord!" Walking into the living room, a guard saluted respectfully.
"What's the matter?" Looking up, Chu Yang glanced at the other party lightly.
"Reporting to the lord, it was Princess Qingxia who asked her subordinates to come back. This is her handwritten letter to the lord!" Said, the guard handed a letter to Chu Yang.
Reaching out to take it, Chu Yang opened the letter. After reading the letter, his eyes lit up. "Okay, okay, Qingxia is worthy of being the adopted daughter of this king, well done. Well done! You go back to rest first, after two days, go to Anping mansion with me!"
"No!" In response, the guard turned and left.
Seeing the guards leave, Leng Feng looked at Chu Yang suspiciously. "What's wrong? So happy?"
"Look!" With that said, Chu Yang handed the letter to his wife.
After receiving it, Leng Fengzai checked it carefully, but after reading it, he was surprised. "Didn't you let Qingxia go to Anping Mansion to open a branch? Why is she still secretly investigating corrupt officials?" Leng Feng couldn't understand this.
"Do you still remember Qingxia's life experience?" Looking at his daughter-in-law, Chu Yang asked again.
"Remember, Qingxia's real name is Li Yuzhu. He said that his father was a silk merchant, and his father had a good friend named Cao Yunze. Then Cao Yunze valued the Li family's money and Yuzhu's mother, so he took advantage of Yuzhu's father's absence. At home, he took a few people secretly to their house, raped Yuzhu's mother, and was later caught by Li's father who came back late, so Cao Yunze frantically killed Yuzhu's father and mother, stole Yuzhu's family's finances, and returned all the money. Yuzhu's house was set on fire. The two maids and four Xiaosi of Yuzhu's family were also brutally killed by the people brought by Cao Yunze. At the age of 18, she escaped the catastrophe because she went to play at her uncle's house. Later, the old family found Yuzhu's uncle's house and told Yuzhu's uncle what happened. She was brutally murdered by Cao Yunze. Only Yuzhu escaped the catastrophe again, because she was bought into the palace by human traffickers, and she escaped this catastrophe again." Speaking of the child's life experience, Leng Feng sighed again and again. He didn't expect this little girl's life to be so miserable.
"Then, do you know who the magistrate of Anping Prefecture is?" Chu Yang asked again looking at his wife.
Hearing this, Leng Feng was stunned. "Could it be, could it be Cao Yunze?" Apart from this possibility, he couldn't think of why Qingxia would suddenly go to investigate those officials.
"Yes, it's Cao Yunze. Qingxia has been with me for three years. During these three years, she has been helping me manage the business of various shops and has helped me a lot. Last year, I sent her to Anping Mansion The first is to open branches in the six cities of Anping Prefecture, and the second is to give her the opportunity to collect the criminal evidence of her enemy by herself. Now, she has been there for more than a year, and finally she has gained something. " Speaking of this, Chu Yang smiled.
"Such a treacherous and evil person, unexpectedly, is a fourth-rank magistrate!" Leng Feng was shocked by this. He originally thought that Qingxia's enemy was a big businessman. A senior official of the fourth rank.
Author's gossip: Closed and pushed five more, recommend, recommend, please recommend, my dears!