Nearly two watches, Yi Yunchang and Yi Zhishu, father and son, returned home in a sedan chair with a tired face.

The sedan chair was carried directly into the mansion and got off the sedan chair in the sedan hall, and got off the sedan chair with his waist, Yi Yunchang glanced at Su Yunqing, the housekeeper who came up quickly, and went straight to the east across the courtyard, and when he entered the courtyard door, he said, "Is the third young master awake?" ”

Su Yun said lightly: "Back to the master, the third young master woke up when he was in charge of the lamp, drank the medicine, ate a bowl of noodles, and got better, and is now resting." ”

Listening to the third child, Yi Yunchang was in a much more relaxed mood, nodded, and said, "You go and get busy, Zhishu will accompany me to have a look." ”

In the room, Yi Zhizu crooked on the bed and closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, this toss, he did feel very weak, listening to the door of the room, he turned his head to look, and saw a person in front of him wearing an official robe, about fifty years old, a little thin, with a long beard, he couldn't help but be secretly surprised, isn't it a merchant of the thirteen lines? Why is he still an official? Glancing at the crown on the official's hat - white crystal, how many officials are this?

Looking at the person behind him, dressed in a cyan robe, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, about thirty or so people, he was looking at him with a smile, with a friendly face, he sat up and said timidly: "Dad...... Eldest brother. ”

Yi Yunchang glanced at him, saw that his face had improved, and his spirit seemed to be good, he nodded, put his official hat on the table, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said, "Who did you drink with yesterday?" ”

"Renhe Xing, Dongchang Xing, Tongshunxing, Shuntaixing, and Xingtaixing." Yi Zhishu said in a low voice, these are all small commercial houses in the thirteen lines, and the relationship between several commercial banks may not be good, but the children of several families, especially those who are not involved in business, often fight together.

Listening to the children of Xingtai Xing, Yi Zhi, who was pouring tea, said with some surprise: "Yan Shikuan is also there?" ”

"Hmm." Yi Zhizu nodded and said: "I heard that foreign businessmen may want to jointly sue Xingtaixing, and everyone pooled money to set up a banquet, so I ...... to comfort him." ”

"It's not possible." Yi Zhishu glanced at him and said, "The British businessman has officially submitted a letter to the Governor's Mansion today, accusing Xingtai Xing. ”

So fast? Isn't the collapse of Xingtai Bank already on the agenda? I don't know if this is the big ** dealer when Lin Zexu banned smoking? Is that guy still a loan shark? If there is a chance, the guy will meet, and with a change of mind, Yi Zhishu asked very abruptly: "Dad, will our Futai store go out of business?" ”

Yi Yunchang didn't expect him to ask so directly, he was stunned, took the tea handed over by Yi Zhishu casually, took a few sips, and then said very seriously: "The collapse of Futai Bank is irretrievable. ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhishu was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "Dad, didn't we get 30,000 yuan of tea raw silk on credit today?" There are also 80,000 yuan of goods thrown out, which should be able to survive. ”

Yi Yunchang shook his head bitterly, and said: "In previous years, the east wall was demolished to make up the west wall, but this year I am afraid it is impossible, and even if we can survive this year, without cash and silver turnover, this year's business will be yellow, and it will be difficult to escape the doom ......of bankruptcy next year." ”

With a long sigh, he looked at Yi Zhizhi and said: "The Thirteen Lines are now not what they used to be, the East India Company has collapsed, a large inflow of **, the shortage of money in the market, the turnover is difficult, and the foreign businessmen in the bank have colluded with the British and American retail merchants to reduce prices...... Your eldest brother has been assisting your father in managing the business of the firm, but Fu Tai Bank has closed down, and he has no possibility of staying out of the matter, and your father doesn't want you to be dragged down...... You have to leave some thoughts for our family. ”

Speaking of this, he stroked his smooth forehead, and said sadly: "You are eighteen years old this year, and it stands to reason that you should have started a family a long time ago, but my father has never set a family affair for you, just in case there is this day, you are drunk and fall into the water, and the outside Lang Zhong said that you are worried about your life, this is a godsend opportunity, just to fake your death and escape from Nanyang ......." ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhishu looked bitter, no wonder the father has been prevaricating to the third child's family affairs in the past two years, and he is reluctant to let the third child go to school, and would rather let the third child be idle outside, and make trouble than let the third child enter the business bank to help, it turned out that he had long expected that the Futai Guild would go out of business, but this is too favorable.

Thinking of this, he said unwillingly: "Dad, if this is the case, why not follow the Wu family?" If we flee with our families, where can we not live in Luzon, Karopa, Malacca, Annam, Siam, and Nanzhang? ”

Wu Bingjian's father, Wu Guoying, when Jardine was facing bankruptcy and bankruptcy, he blatantly absconded with his whole family, which was a major event that caused a sensation in Guangzhou City.

Yi Yunchang shook his head and said: "The Thirteen Banks have closed down and gone bankrupt, and the merchants have absconded with their families, since the establishment of the Thirteen Banks, there is only one Wu Guoying, this is the only case!" You don't think about why? Why was Jardine able to make a comeback and rebuild it only four years later, and it was able to rise so quickly? ”

Yi Yunchang obviously didn't want to discuss this topic more, and after a pause, he said in an accentuated tone: "It is impossible for the family to abscond, it is feasible to arrange two or three children who are not involved in business to escape from trouble, and when the debt shortage is not large, whether it is the Guangdong Customs or the Thirteen Banks, they will turn a blind eye to this." ”

Listening to his extra bite two or three children, Yi Zhishu knows that this refers to the third child and his own pair of children, the question is what kind of person is the third child, can he be a guide?

Yi Yunchang, who listened to it, actually wanted to arrange for him to abscond to Nanyang to avoid trouble, Yi Zhi's heart was warm, originally he planned to think carefully about how to raise money, but now he is not given time at all, now, there is only one way, borrow! Fortunately, he had thought about how to borrow money before, and although it was risky, he couldn't take care of it now.

Seeing that the two of them were silent, he said with a big grin: "Dad, Futai Xing is your life's work, how can you give up easily?" The child has a way to borrow money, but I don't know how much Futai Bank owes? ”

Hearing this, Yi Yunchang and Yi Zhishu couldn't help but look at each other, shouldn't the third child be confused? After a while, Yi Zhishu spoke: "Third brother, this is no more small money than the romantic debt you owe outside, 400,000 silver dollars, where do you go to borrow it?" ”

400,000 silver dollars! This amount is indeed a bit bigger, I don't know if I can borrow it, but the words have already been spoken, and Yi Zhishu can only bite the bullet and say: "The richest people in Guangzhou City are none other than the Wu family and the Pan family of the Thirteen Lines, the Wu family is now ranked first in the Thirteen Lines, and they are the general merchants of the Thirteen Lines, so they naturally go to the Wu family to borrow." ”

Looking for the Wu family to borrow money? Yi Zhishu was speechless for a while, but in front of his father, he couldn't ridicule him for being naïve and naïve.

Yi Yunchang is a little weird today, the third child sees him on weekdays, he doesn't say that he is a mouse and a cat, but he is also very restrained in front of him, what is wrong today? The tone and demeanor of this speech were very different from the usual.

Besides, although the third child is idle on weekdays and doesn't ask about business, he is very smart and clever, not without brains, and he often has dealings with the children of the thirteen merchants, so it is impossible to be so naïve and naïve.

coughed lightly, Yi Yunchang spoke: "Although Wu Shaorong, the official of Jardine Xinghao, is young, the Wu family has always been his father Wu Bingjian, and it is rumored that Wu Bingjian is righteous and generous, generous and generous, but it is just a façade and cannot be taken seriously." ”

After a pause, he continued: "The Thirteen Lines are a whole in the eyes of outsiders, but inside, in order to survive, the merchants of each industry have to tear each other down or even dump each other.

Our Fu Tai Bank is deliberately supported by the East India Company in order to avoid the monopoly of the Thirteen Banks by several major commercial banks, and in the early years, it competed with the Wu family's Jardine House, so the Wu family is eager for the Fu Tai Bank to go bankrupt, how can they borrow money to help us tide over the difficulties at this time? ”

"At this time, at that time, the East India Company is not now out of business." Yi Zhixiang said confidently: "The Wu family's wealth is in the southeast, only 400,000, it is just a drop in the bucket for them, Wu Bingjian is not a person who is hard to give up money, besides, even if he is an iron rooster, the child has steel pliers." ”

"Really?" Yi Zhishu looked at him in astonishment.

Yi Zhizhi said: "Such a big thing, how dare the little brother joke?" ”

At this time, even Yi Yunchang was not calm, and asked eagerly: "Tell me quickly, what is the way?" ”

"You can't say it, and if you say it, it won't work." Easy to be content with a serious way.

"Third brother, the stakes are very high, if you don't say it, how can your father believe you?"

"Dead horses are treated as live horse doctors, let me try, and there will be no loss." Yi Zhixiang smiled and said, "I'll go to Wu Bingjian tomorrow to borrow money, but Wu Bingjian is afraid that he won't see anyone easily, and his tired father will take me to see him personally." ”

Hearing him say this, Yi Yunchang couldn't help but be a little suspicious, the third child is not a person who likes to boast, let alone boast in front of him, besides, how can the third child not know the severity and dare to boast at will? He is not willing to explain the reason, but there must be a reason for him.

With such talent in his heart, Yi Yunchang still wanted to ask clearly, and after a moment of silence, he said: "Don't worry, you are seriously ill and have not recovered, so you should recuperate at home for two days." ”

"Daddy..." Yi Zhishu hesitated and said: "If the third brother really has a way to let the Wu family lend us money, then it should be sooner rather than later, I don't know how many people will come to collect the debt in the next two days...... Besides, if the third brother wants to abscond in Nanyang, he can't delay. ”

Yi Zhixiang was also worried about the long nights and dreams, and said with a smile: "What the eldest brother said is that this matter should not be delayed, and it is necessary to borrow money as soon as possible, right?" Tomorrow, the child can hold on. ”

"Okay, you can rest well tonight." Yi Yunchang got up and walked out of the room as he spoke, and when he walked out of the courtyard, Yi Zhishu couldn't help it after all, and said, "Dad, could it be that the descendants of the Wu family have some immoral tricks to be caught by the third brother, right?" Otherwise, why is the third brother so determined? ”

"It's possible." Yi Yunchang replied casually, but then he thought of it, what handle is worthy of Wu Bingjian to dismantle 400,000 silver dollars for Fu Tai Xing? I'm afraid that it's not as simple as breaking morals, pacing a few steps, he slowly stood still, turned around and stared at Yi Zhishu, and said in a deep voice: "There are some things that are unsubstantiated, and I don't want to say it because my father wants to, but the third child wants to borrow money from the Wu family, so he can't help but say it."

Five years after disappearing, the Wu family suddenly returned to rebuild Jardine House, and what is even more incredible is that Jardine House has no reputation, but it can be favored by the British East India Company when it reopens.

British Ambassador Macartney visited China, and you should know that the largest merchant ship in the mission, the 'Hindustan', was the guarantor of the Jardine ......, which had just been rebuilt that year. ”

With a long sigh, Yi Yunchang continued: "What worries my father is that there is an unknown force behind the Wu family, and the third child wants to blackmail the Wu family to borrow, but I am afraid that he may not be able to do so, but will cause trouble." ”

Listening to these words, Yi Zhishu was also stunned, now in this world, if you have money, you are afraid that no one is willing to sell your life? Like the master of the rich side like the Wu family, the power is already intertwined, how can there not be a little shady force behind it? If the third child wants to blackmail Wu Bingjian in order to borrow money, he is afraid that he may really get into trouble.

After weighing it in his heart, he said in a deep voice: "The current situation of our family, are you still afraid of getting into trouble?" If you really want to get into trouble, the third brother can't still escape. ”

This is also true, Yi Yunchang sighed lightly, there are many debts and lice, and when the catastrophe is coming, it doesn't matter if there is one more disaster, it is better to let the third child try, besides, if the third child does not die, he will not cooperate with the absconding of Nanyang.