Aoyama

Chapter 353 Found the right person
"Are the shopkeepers in the salt shop? Chen Bin, think about it before answering me." Chen Ji's voice was like a stone, hitting Chen Bin's chest and causing him pain.

Chen Ji stood calmly in the Yanhao, beside him, Lin Yanchu and other Yulin soldiers stood quietly, looking at Chen Bin together.

The setting sun shone in from outside the door, and the dark outlines of the Yulin Army looked like rolling hills.

Chen Bin couldn't stand the pressure and glanced at the door curtain leading to the backyard from time to time, but the door curtain just hung there motionless and the shopkeepers showed no intention of coming out.

Chen Bin knew that the shopkeepers had previously claimed that they were not there, and if they suddenly showed up now, it would be tantamount to blatant bullying.

The shopkeepers can only swallow their anger and continue to avoid him.

Chen Bin could only grit his teeth and answer, "Boss, I was distracted just now and forgot that the shopkeepers were not in the salt shop."

"Oh?" Chen Ji didn't believe it and pretended to walk to the backyard: "Why do I feel like you are lying to me?"

Chen Bin quickly grabbed Chen Ji's arm and said, "Boss, the backyard is full of coarse salt. It's very dirty. Please don't go in."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Okay, then I won't go in. However, I am the new owner of this salt company, and it is my job to check the accounts and count the salt permits. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Chen Bin lowered his posture and said, "Boss, those boxes contain the 300,000 salt permits that we just bought from the Ministry of Revenue. If they are lost, it will be a huge loss. It is safer to keep them in our salt shop."

Chen Ji looked at Lin Yanchu and the others, then looked at the salt shop clerk who was wailing on the ground: "Is it safer to leave it in the salt shop?"

Chen Bin's heart skipped a beat.

Lin Yanchu sneered: "I didn't hit you, it's because you are lucky, not because I can't fight."

Chen Ji waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, we are all family, why are we fighting? Let me ask you, are all the salt permits here?"

Chen Bin hurriedly said respectfully: "They are all here."

Chen Ji opened a box and saw that it was full of salt permits.

The salt permit had the Chinese characters "Official Salt Invoice" written on it, followed by "Collection No. 899 is hereby hired by Baotou Chen's Salt Shop to deliver 200 kilograms of official salt to..."

This is not only a certificate for withdrawing salt, but also a "road permit" for salt. Without this receipt, one cannot pass the checkpoints or ferry crossings.

Chen Ji waved his hand and said, "Put it on the carriage."

The Yulin Army stuffed twenty-nine large boxes into the carriage, whipped it and drove away.

Chen Bin was about to secretly chase after them to see where the carriage was heading, but he saw Lin Yanchu leading four people blocking the door and said expressionlessly, "Stay in the salt shop. If you dare to secretly chase after us, I'll break your legs."

Chen Bin subconsciously took a step back and dared not speak.

After waiting for an incense stick of time, Lin Yanchu turned around and joined the crowd on Mule and Horse Street, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

Chen Bin ignored the wailing servant on the ground and hurriedly ran back: "Boss, Boss!"

The door curtain was lifted from the inside and Chen Bin almost bumped into the other person.

Chen Yue walked out with a gloomy face: "Why are you panicking? The sky hasn't fallen yet!"

Chen Bin said anxiously, "Boss, Chen Ji has taken away the salt permit. How can we continue our business? The salt in our warehouse can only last for another month."

But the chief shopkeeper Chen Yue was not anxious but laughed: "Support? What support? Why should we support?"

Chen Bin's eyes widened: "Huh?"

Chen Yue said slowly, "The boss has taken our salt permits, so naturally we can't do business. Starting tomorrow, all the salt buckets in the shops will be put away, and no more salt will be sold at all."

Chen Bin slowly came to his senses and his eyes gradually lit up.

Chen Yue held his fat belly and returned to the backyard, sitting at the card table and humming a little tune.

The goateed shopkeeper Ye Er glanced at him and said, "Are you in a good mood?"

Chen Yue finally couldn't help laughing: "The young boy made a stupid move, so don't blame me for punishing him. This kid thought he could seize power by taking away the salt permit, so I won't do business. If the head of the family asks, I will say that there is no business without the salt permit, but how can he explain to the head of the family?"

Shopkeeper Ye Er stroked his goatee and said, "That's not right. I still have a lot of people to support. People and horses need money. If the business stops, how can I support that family? They are not ordinary people, they are bandits. Bandits will die if they starve!"

Manager Chen sneered, "Short-sighted, will you die if you lose a few months of profit? Just pay for them first."

The shopkeeper Zhou Er, who was sitting opposite him, picked up an ivory card and rubbed the card with his fingertips, asking, "What if he sells the salt license directly to other salt companies?"

Manager Chen shook his head and said, "When have the salt companies ever charged more than one tael of silver for salt permits? At best, we can give him two taels of silver. But in our accounts, one salt permit is equal to four taels of silver. When the salt permit is in our hands, we can earn four taels of silver, but when it is in his hands, we can only earn two taels. Let's see how he explains it to the master later."

At this point, he still felt that it was not safe enough, so he immediately told Chen Bin: "Go and tell all the salt companies in Beijing to give my Chen family a favor and no one is allowed to accept this batch of salt permits in the near future."

Shopkeeper Zhou Er played the ivory card in his hand and said, "Er Suo... Does this kid have any other ideas? Should Xiao Ye transfer some troops to Beijing to prevent this kid from relying on martial arts to do something else?"

Manager Chen laughed loudly, "No need. He thinks he can do whatever he wants just by gathering some warriors. But when it comes to business, even if you ask Lu Yang from Jingchao Wu Temple to come, he won't be able to figure out the ins and outs of the salt business without our help."

As he spoke, Chen Yue picked up an ivory card, without even looking at it, he just casually touched it and slapped it on the table: "Win."

……

……

The six carriages separated after leaving Mule and Horse Market Street, and then circled around and gathered in a small alley east of Zhengyangmen Street.

There was only one family in the small alley, and the Yulin Army guarded both ends of the alley as soon as they got off the car.

Chen Ji came to the door of that house, picked up the animal head ring on the brown wooden door, and knocked on it three times quickly and three times slowly.

With a creak, the wooden door opened.

Chen Ji stepped over the threshold and saw Zhang Xia sitting on a long chair in a wide courtyard several feet square, with his eyes closed and muttering to himself.

Today, Miss Zhang Er is still wearing the white arrow suit, and the pattern embroidered on her body has changed from the entwined lotus to the light green broken branch pattern.

Next to Zhang Xia stood an old man and eight middle-aged men, all wearing silk clothes.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Zhang Xia opened his eyes and stood up, ignoring the scripture he was reading halfway, he said, "The nine people behind me are the accountants of my Zhang family. They are all experienced in accounting. Let's get started."

The Yulin Army brought nine tables and arranged them in a long row in the yard.

Several accountants took out their abacus and sat behind the table. They opened wooden boxes and took out account books. The sound of the accountants moving the abacus was as powerful and smooth as a waterfall.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia: "How long will it take to finish?"

Zhang Xia thought for a moment and said, "Seven days. There are so many twists and turns in these old accounts. It is impossible to accomplish it without seven days."

Chen Ji nodded: "Seven days is already very fast."

Zhang Xia pointed at a dozen boxes of salt permits and asked curiously, "What are you going to do with these? Are you planning to break away from the Chen Family Salt Company and start a new business?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "No, what I want to do cannot be done without the cover of Chen Family Salt Company."

Zhang Xia suddenly realized: "Do you have a plan?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "I have an immature idea, but I have never done it before, so I don't know if it will work."

Zhang Xia asked, "How sure are you?"

Chen Ji said sincerely: "Twenty percent."

Zhang Xia took a deep breath and said, "You dare to bet 20%?" Chen Ji remained silent.

Zhang Xiayi was silent for a long time: "Let's gamble. If you lose, I will find a way to ask my father to cover for you."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "It's not that dangerous, but before I do this, I have to meet someone first."

Zhang Xia asked in confusion: "Who?"

Chen Ji turned around and walked out: "Brother Pao, please help look after this place. I want to go meet this brother Pao and confirm whether he is the most suitable person to do this."

Zhang Xia followed him: "I'll go with you."

Chen Ji turned around, and the two of them looked into each other's eyes. Zhang Xia didn't shy away from his gaze and said, "A person's energy is always limited. I can help you share some of the burden, but the prerequisite is that I have to know how you will take each step."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

The two of them got on the carriage in front of the door. Lin Yanchu raised the whip and drove the carriage towards Bada Huxing.

Only Chen Ji and Zhang Xia were left in the carriage. Chen Ji closed his eyes to rest, while Zhang Xia silently recited the meaning of Zhayun Sutra. The hawkers' cries came from outside the carriage, making the carriage seem particularly quiet.

After an incense stick of time, Lin Yanchu whispered, "Sir, we're here."

Zhang Xia lifted up the seat in the carriage and took out two strips of gray cloth and two bamboo hats from the secret compartment under the seat.

Chen Ji was amused: "Why are there these items in the Zhang family's carriage?"

Zhang Xia raised his arms and covered his face with the gray cloth, then tied a slipknot behind his head: "Most of what you are going to do cannot be seen in public, so it is better to be prepared."

Chen Ji avoided his gaze slightly, put on his hat and got off the car.

……

……

Baishun Hutong, Meihua Ferry.

Meihuadu is a small singing troupe that once produced two famous troupe leaders in Beijing. One of them redeemed himself and went to an unknown place. Another troupe leader named Yun was redeemed by the Qi family, but was later given away by the Qi family.

After Prince Fu sent 70,000 taels of silver to the inner treasury, the old brand Fu Ruixiang disappeared overnight, like sand on the table that was wiped away by a casual flick of the hand.

Fu Ruixiang is not the first to be wiped out, and naturally he will not be the last.

But what’s interesting is that after Fu Ruixiang disappeared, a soldier named Zhou Kuang brought the deed of Meihuadu to Fu Ruixiang, saying it was a gift to congratulate Pao Ge for establishing his own faction in the capital.

Fu Ruixiang is gone, but his dignity remains.

Chen Ji avoided the bustling Baishun Hutong, lowered his hat and came to the back door of Meihua Ferry.

A sturdy man at the door asked cautiously, "Where are you from?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Come from Kunlun Mountain."

The man asked again: "Can you see a white crane flying by?"

Chen Ji raised his thumb and replied, "I only saw five-colored clouds."

The man's expression changed: "Boss."

He quickly opened the back door and stepped aside: "Brother Pao is waiting for you in the Plum Blossom Pavilion."

Meihua Ferry is like a landscape garden, with five pavilions scattered in five directions, like plum blossom petals surrounding a pool of green water and rockery.

Chen Ji was walking on the winding bluestone road. Zhang Xia asked curiously beside him, "Was that your secret signal just now?"

Chen Ji nodded: "Brother Pao felt that the rules of the fighting industry in the capital were not strict enough, so he borrowed from Hong... borrowed from other people's rules and made up his own set of rules. For example, this hand gesture, everyone who sees it is a member of the gang."

After saying that, he put his hands together, with his thumb and index finger together, his middle fingers separated, the tip of his ring finger against the base of his thumb, and the tip of his little finger against the base of his ring finger.

This is the most famous gesture of the Hongmen, called Three and a Half Incense.

Chen Jifu introduced again: "When we exchanged secret signs just now, if the thumb was against the index finger, it meant that it was the mountain master, deputy mountain master, sitting master, accompanying master, or punishment hall of the inner eight halls... If the thumb was against the middle finger, it meant that it was from the outer eight halls. Of course, there are also special hand gestures for white paper fans, the third master of the house, and the fifth master of the red flag. It's a bit complicated to talk about, and I haven't memorized them all yet."

Zhang Xia thought for a moment, "What a novel word. But the Pao brothers set such strict rules for fighting, they must have great ambitions."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "If you are interested, you can ask them to demonstrate them to you one by one later. You will remember them after watching them once."

Zhang Xia asked, "Brother Pao is the mountain master here?"

Chen Ji hummed and said, "It should have been called Dragon Head, but the word dragon is too taboo, so it was changed to Mountain Master."

Zhang Xia suddenly said with certainty: "I want to be the deputy mountain master. You can tell Brother Pao later."

Chen Ji was slightly startled: "Okay."

The two men came to the outside of the Plum Blossom Pavilion. Pao Ge was holding a pipe, but he didn't smoke. It seemed unknown what he was thinking about.

When he heard the footsteps, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Isn't this my elusive boss? After not seeing you for a few days, I thought you had forgotten us all."

Chen Ji stood under the Plum Blossom Pavilion. He didn't exchange pleasantries with Pao Ge and went straight to the point: "What is the most profitable thing in Ning Dynasty?"

Pao Ge knew that the boss in front of him wanted to test him...but there were some things he couldn't say casually.

He glanced at Zhang Xia.

Chen Ji shook his head: "You can say it anyway."

Brother Pao grinned and said, "Of course being an emperor is the most profitable."

Zhang Xia looked at Pao Ge and then at Chen Ji, and felt that two extremely daring people had come together.

But what's strange is that, logically speaking, the two of them have only known each other for a short time and have only met a few times. They are not yet to the point where they can trust each other, so how dare they say such arrogant things?

Seeing that Pao Ge was frank, Chen Ji sat down beside the Plum Blossom Pavilion and said, "We can't do the most profitable business. Neither you nor I are suited to rebellion. I now own a salt company and hold 300,000 salt permits. How about we sell salt together?"

Pao Ge shook his head and said, "No. The salt merchants are very complicated and there are too many officials to deal with. It will take at least ten years for you and me to gain a foothold among the salt merchants. After ten years, you will be fine, but I will be old."

Chen Ji didn't care: "How about we do fine salt business together? I can refine fine salt."

Brother Pao shook his head again: "No way. First, someone is already doing this business. Stealing the business is hard work and hard life; second, this business is not making money fast enough."

Chen Ji said nonchalantly: "It seems that you have done a lot of homework on weekdays."

Brother Pao said calmly, "Since we are here in the capital, we have to leave our name behind, right?"

Chen Ji changed the subject: "Then what kind of business do you think we should start?"

Pao Ge lowered his head, tapped the pipe in his hand on the sole of his foot, and when he looked up again he said calmly: "We have to do some business that they have never seen before."

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems I found the right person."

Brother Pao looked at Zhang Xia and said sincerely, "Miss, please allow me to have a few words with my boss alone. I have too many things to ask him. If I don't ask him today, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well."

(End of this chapter)