Chapter 94 A businessman is a businessman

As a joint relative of He Jing, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, there are very few people who really dare to fight against Hu Chuyuan in this territory of Fujian Province.

Everyone knows this, and they have to swallow it if they can't swallow it.

Ye Wenlan's meal was not bad. Soon, he sent away nearly 39 dismissed officials. He also asked the housekeeper to prepare the accounts and take the sedan chair to the ship's government.

Ye Wenlan's position in the ship's government office is a director's office, with the title of political envoy, which is also a second-grade official business, but he rarely works in the government office. Most of the time he spends doing business between Nanyang and Fujian, operating the huge amount of private money for Shen Baozhen.

......

Hearing that Ye Wenlan came to visit him, Hu Chuyuan asked Zhang Baixi, Tu Renshou and others to avoid it first.

Soon after that, Ye Wenlan led his housekeeper and several familymen into Hu Chuyuan's study and asked his subordinates to send dozens of account books first.

Then he said to Hu Chuyuan, "Your Excellency, Ye is here to discuss a big deal with you!"

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly, asked him to sit down and said, "Lord Shen Baozhen Shen has asked someone to send me a letter and told me that there is a private account in the government. It seems that these books sent by Lord Ye are those private accounts?"

"Oh?" Ye Wenlan was slightly surprised, and then said, "It is indeed these accounts. Please send someone to check it. This money has been accumulated since the five years of Tongzhi, and more than 100,000 taels of silver are transferred every year. Lord Shen, Meng Shangshu, trusts and has always been managed by me alone. Over the years, I have divided the money into four businesses, operating the business between Nanyang and Fujian. I am mainly engaged in tea sugar porcelain, tinware, lacquerware, north-south grocery local goods, etc. If there is no business transaction, I will issue loans in Fuzhou, Xiamen and Nanyang, and handle Fuchang. The seven families of Qianzhuang.

Hu Chuyuan asked simply, "How much is the total amount at present?"

Ye Wenlan said: "A total of 2.14 million taels of silver have been allocated from official funds. After 13 years of painstaking management, the total amount is about 4.29 million taels of silver. According to Lord Shen's agreement with me at the beginning, 20% of the profit belongs to me. Including the principal, you can take 80% of it, which is about 3.86 million taels.

After all, a businessman is a businessman. On the surface, there must be a ghost in the seemingly fair account.

Among other things, Ye Wenlan's fleet went to Fujian from Nanyang. When he went to Nanyang, he transported porcelain, tea, silk, lacquerware, groceries, and when he came back, he delivered pepper, sugar, tinware, mahogany, etc. As long as he had the principal of 2.14 million taels of silver, he could make a net profit of 2.14 million taels of silver by reselling it back and forth in three years.

Account, this kind of thing... Who can't do it?

There must be a flaw in the accounting of fraud, but it depends on who is falsping. The level of fraud of these officials of the ship's government office is basically the amateur second stage. Blind people can see the problem. Ye Wenlan is at the level of professional seven or eight levels.

Shen Baozhen told Hu Chuyuan in the letter in advance that as long as 3 million taels of silver can be recovered, the government will be very profitable, and it is not appropriate to ask more questions.

The reason why Shen Baozhen said so is that he doesn't know how to do business at all.

Hu Chuyuan was silent and thought about this matter in his heart. He didn't know whether it was necessary for him to cut out all the money swallowed by Ye Wenlan.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Ye Wenlan smiled and said, "Your Excellency, don't be suspicious. It's more and more difficult to do business in Fujian in Nanyang. In the past few years, there were still a lot of profits. In recent years, with the surge of customs taxes, my business has also been difficult. Although the principal is more and more, there are not many goods that can be received in the market.

"Let's do this...!" Hu Chuyuan made up his mind and said, "Lord Ye, I won't ask more about this account. Fujian sailors are eager to buy ironclad ships with foreigners, but the court's coastal defense costs can only be concentrated on the Beiyang sailors. I think that I will donate 500,000 taels of silver first. You will collect more donations for me in the area of Fujian and Taiwan, and the money you have earned will be donated to Fujian sailors to buy warships to defend our Fujian Taihai Sea.

"This...?" Ye Wenlan secretly smacked his tongue and listened to Hu Chuyuan. He had to take out at least 300,000 taels of silver.

He thought, good boy, you really dare to spend money. In order to fish out the money I swallowed, I was willing to take out 500,000 taels of silver as the principal.

Ye Wenlan said, "Well, the court treats me very well, so that a businessman can also add the title of political envoy, ranking as a second-grade member. How can I not repay the grace? Fujian mountains and rivers have supported me for more than 50 years. How can I not repay it? I will take out 20% of the dividends from the operation of the private treasury, a total of 430,000 taels of silver, and donate money with the adults, so that our Fujian sailors can also buy a few more ironclad ships.

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Lord Ye is so rich. He has to donate 430,000 taels of silver in this hand. That's fine, I'll donate 600,000 taels."

Ye Wenlan thought for a time and said, "Well, I'll donate 500,000 taels."

"Eighta hundred thousand taels!" Hu Chuyuan's expression was plain and annoying.

Ye Wenlan secretly complained, thinking, why are we suffering!!!

He admitted that he had made a lot of money, but compared with Hu Chuyuan's money, it was only two out of ten... He estimated that Hu Chuyuan's money was about 30 to 40 million taels of silver.

"This...?" Ye Wenlan knew that Hu Chuyuan was really not going to let go. He hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, you and I will donate 600,000 taels of silver each. If it goes on, I can't stand it. I'm not stupid to fight with you for the rich, am I?

Hu Chuyuan didn't want to continue to force him, so he stopped and said, "That's the number. I hope Lord Ye can go to other rich gentry to lobby. Each family can pay one thousand or two hundred taels, and the accumulation is more. If there can be two million taels of silver, he can almost buy three or four ironclad ships."

Ye Wenlan nodded silently and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go to the rich gentry from all over Fujian to discuss it in the afternoon. In addition, I would like to ask the transfer, how to use the money left by Lord Shen?

Hu Chuyuan smiled and asked, "Lord Ye, how do you think it should be used?"

Ye Wenlan has already thought clearly and said with a smile, "It is still very profitable to specialize in the business between Nanyang and Fujian. Of course, if adults use it to sell raw tea and silk, it is not necessary!"

This is nonsense. Hu Chuyuan's Jiangnan Commercial Bank is not short of money to stir-fry tea at all. It is not guilty of pulling in the ship's government to share a profit. The best way is to continue to operate the sea trade between Nanyang and Fujian.

In addition, Ye Wenlan immediately missed the flaw. Hu Chuyuan was going to check the accounts. He said that it was not profitable to operate the trade in Nanyang and Fujian. Now it is going to be jointly operated, and he said to make money.

Businessman... You can't get up early if there is no profit!

Hu Chuyuan didn't mind either. He smiled and said, "I also intend to continue to operate the sea trade, and I have also discussed with Shen Shangshu. I plan to set up a Nanyang commercial firm with the ship's government office and Jiangnan Commercial Bank. I am currently looking for candidates."

"What?"

Ye Wenlan was shocked. He must admit that he was really scared this time.

Hu Chuyuan smiled slowly and said, "Lord Ye, don't be surprised. When I first planned Jiangnan Commercial Bank with Lord Zhongtang, I had already considered monopolizing Nanyang and domestic sugar trade. In addition, I vigorously promoted sugar cane cultivation and set up sugar mills in Taiwan and Qiongzhou. The current Jiangnan Sugar King is the Ningbo Fang family. In two or three years, it will be our Jiangnan Commercial Bank.

"This...?" Ye Wenlan was even more surprised.

After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help "advising" and said, "Your Excellency, I'm afraid it's not good. Business pays attention to harmony and wealth. Aren't you going to offend all the merchants in the world?"

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Doing business pays attention to fair competition. It is impossible for me to only do my salt and silk business because I am afraid of offending people. The court does not have a clear law that except for the Ningbo Fang family, others cannot run the sugar business.

Ye Wenlan quietly sweated coldly. The Ningbo Fang family mainly bought sugar from Nanyang and Guangdong, and half of the sugar industry in Nanyang was supplied by him.

If Jiangnan Commercial Bank enters the sugar industry and eats all the production, procurement, transportation, wholesale and retail, then where is his share?

Seeing that he looked uneasy, Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Lord Ye, do you want to add a share? With Jiangnan Commercial Bank as a channel, you can sell as much as you import. It's difficult for Nanyang Commercial Bank's business not to be popular!"

Ye Wenlan thought for a long time and said cautiously, "I really want to get a few more shares. I don't know if Hu Tituo is interested in recruiting me to invest in shares... My lord, we might as well open the skylight to say something. I know the business in Nanyang well. You have a wide range of channels in the five provinces of the south of the Yangtze River, and the money is strong. You If I join hands, will it really be a lot of money?"

"That's right, that's the truth!"

Hu Chuyuan smiled, as if he had just remembered, and said, "Lord Ye, this Nanyang commercial firm has been settled. I'm thinking about it. The government office accounts for 30% of the official shares, and the Jiangnan commercial bank accounts for 20% of the shares. You, I give 30% of the shares!"

Ye Wenlan followed Hu Chuyuan's words and said, "So... Hu Shao, do you personally account for 20%?"

Hu Chuyuan said, "You can say so."

Ye Wenlan thought for a few moments and knew that he still had an advantage. After all, these transactions had to be operated by him. What he wanted was the principal of the commercial bank and the tax-free policy of the imperial court, as well as the channels and shops of the five provinces of the south of the Yangtze River.

Of course, Hu Chuyuan can find someone else, but he may not be more familiar with him.

He thought carefully for a moment and said, "Mr. Hu, Ye doesn't want much. 40% of the shares belong to me, and the rest of the shares can be divided by you!"

Hu Chuyuan said, "Three or five, the most, otherwise...!"

Before he finished speaking, Ye Wenlan said, "Ouch, let's make a deal for your face. I take t-five of the shares, but I have the final say in Nanyang Commercial Bank, and I am in charge of all major and small affairs! In addition, the ship's government office has to leave me a serious position with this official hat on my head, so that I can do business.

Hu Chuyuan said, "No problem. In addition to the general office of Nanyang Commercial Bank, I will leave you in the ship's government office for a transferred position, which is equivalent to the transfer, specializing in money and financial inspection. The actual affairs will be handled by others for you. You just need to leave the seal of the adjustment in the office.

Ye Wenlan laughed and said, "I leave it to others... I don't trust you, Mr. Hu, transfer, transfer, you can take the two positions alone, and the official seal will be left in your hands."

A businessman is a businessman after all.

As long as there is money to make, everyone can talk about it.

Ye Wenlan is very clear in his heart that Nanyang Commercial Bank is an official stock firm, which means that there is a lot of tax discounts... Based on this alone, he is more profitable and easier to become bigger than other merchants.

He can operate ships and shipping openly, and can also run factories and banks in other places.

What's more, he can also rely on Jiangnan Commercial Bank to do business. He can sell as many goods as he buys, and buy as much as he can, and there is no accumulation.