Struggle in the early Tang Dynasty

After finishing speaking, he grabbed Zhang Chengzong's collar again, left the gate of the government office, and walked forward.

Guo Ye looked at the backs of Zhang's father and son, and said with a sneer: "Of course I know that your Zhang family will not just let it go, otherwise you will be sorry for the reputation of your eight great families. You are right, Zhang Yuanzhi, we will have a long life in Japan." , just wait and see!"

……

……

Not long after the Zhang family's father and son left the gate of the government office, they got into the Zhang family's carriage and slowly returned to Gujing Lane.

As soon as the carriage entered Gujing Lane, it stopped in front of the gate of the ancestral house.

Zhang Yuanzhi angrily got out of the carriage, and of course followed Zhang Chengzong, perhaps because he was scolded by Zhang Yuanzhi on the road. At this time, Zhang Chengzong was no longer domineering, but a little more trembling and fearful.

The father and son entered the gate of the ancestral house one after the other, and a person ran towards them, it was the third master Zhang Yuanxin.

Zhang Yuanxin shouted: "Second brother, are you back?"

When he saw Zhang Chengzong behind Zhang Yuanzhi, he couldn't help but lose face, and sighed: "Since the second brother brought Chengzong back safe and sound, he must have seen the kid surnamed Guo, right?"

Zhang Yuanzhi nodded with extreme depression, and let out a soft moan.

Looking at the expression of the second brother Zhang Yuanzhi, Zhang Yuanxin's heart sank again, and he blurted out: "Second brother, did the elder brother really guess that you have already compromised with that dog thief surnamed Guo? "

Zhang Yuanzhi nodded dejectedly again, and replied yes.

Suddenly, after pondering Zhang Yuanxin's words, he shouted suddenly with a sudden expression: "You just said that the elder brother guessed right? Third, could it be that the elder brother has returned from Chang'an?"

Zhang Yuanxin first glanced at his second elder brother Zhang Yuanzhi, and then at his nephew Zhang Chengzong, who had more than failed to achieve success, then nodded heavily, and replied: "Yes, elder brother has returned from Chang'an. Besides, this time is not Come back alone!"

Chapter 764

Zhang Yuanli, the patriarch of the Zhang family in Yangzhou, is also the backbone of the Zhang brothers. All the affairs of the Zhang family, big and small, inside and outside, are decided by Zhang Yuanli.

As soon as Zhang Yuanzhi heard that his elder brother had returned, he suddenly felt confident. He was humiliated in the government office today, so he must ask his elder brother to recover it for him.

Immediately, he raised his finger and pointed to the ancestral hall on one side of the house, and shouted at Zhang Chengzong: "Beast, from today on, you are not allowed to step out of the gate of the ancestral house without permission. You can roll into the ancestral hall and kneel now, and don't kneel until dark Do not stand up."

After Zhang Chengzong heard this, his face was full of bitterness. This damn had just escaped the pain of the government's thirty sticks, and now he was punished to kneel into the ancestral hall. Who the hell did he provoke? ?

But his eyes are not blind, and he can see that his father is angry now, and if he disobeys, he will find himself guilty.

Zhang Chengzong nodded obediently in a rare yes, then turned and entered the ancestral hall.

As soon as Zhang Chengzong left, Zhang Yuanzhi asked: "Third brother, you said that elder brother didn't come back from Chang'an alone. Could it be that elder brother brought some other great people back to Yangzhou?"

Zhang Yuanxin nodded solemnly, and said in a low voice, "Qinghe Cui family in Yizhou..."

Zhang Yuanxin's face was slightly astonished. It turned out to be the Qinghe Cui family in Yizhou, who was also one of the eight great families?

This Qinghe Cui family is really remarkable, in terms of family background, it is only higher than the Zhang family in Yangzhou.In the nearly 300 years of the Tang Dynasty, the Cui family produced a total of twelve prime ministers in each house and vein, ranking first among the eight great families, and it is a veritable family of prime ministers.

Compared with the Cui family in Qinghe, the Zhang family in Yangzhou has a bit less scholarly background and a bit more smell of copper.

In this era when everything is low-grade and only students are high-ranking, the Qinghe Cui family's influence, whether it is in the Guanlong family or in the eight great families, is definitely Nan Bo Wang's Nan Bo Wang.

Nowadays, the Qinghe Cui family who has always kept a low profile and had little contact with each other actually sent someone to Yangzhou, no wonder Zhang Yuanzhi was not shocked.

Zhang Yuanxin looked at the astonished look on the second brother's face, and couldn't help reminding: "Second brother, follow me in to see the elder brother, it seems that this Cui family has a lot of background, and the elder brother seems to have something to announce to you and me."

Zhang Yuanzhi snorted, nodded and remained silent, and quietly entered the main hall side by side with Zhang Yuanxin.

……

……

The two brothers entered the main hall, and Zhang Yuanli, with white hair and bright head, was sitting on the grand master's chair, talking happily with that disciple of Qinghe Cui's family, unaffected by Zhang Chengzong's incident at all.

Zhang Yuanzhi thought to himself, it seems that the eldest brother is in a good mood, Cheng Zong finally escaped this hurdle.

Seeing the second and third child coming in together, Zhang Yuanli introduced each other to the Qinghe Cui family's children who were about [-] years old.

Through Zhang Yuanli's introduction, Zhang Yuanzhi knew that this son of the Cui family, whose surname is Cui Mingzhen, is currently in the limelight among the second generation of the Cui family. .

The three Zhang Yuanli brothers are of the same generation as Cui Shu, the patriarch of the Qinghe Cui family, so Cui Yizhen is naturally a generation shorter, and the Zhang brothers should be called uncles and uncles.

After some introductions, Zhang Yuanli didn't mention Zhang Chengzong's affairs at all, nor did he inquire about the three conditions for Zhang Yuanxin and Guo Ye to sign a compromise.

As if indifferent.

But the more this happened, the more Zhang Yuanzhi couldn't restrain himself, and apologized to his eldest brother Zhang Yuanli in a low voice in front of Cui Yizhen: "Brother, that little brother has followed the advice of the new governor, Guo Ye, and not only lost the Yangzhou Salt Transport Envoy." This job has caused the Zhang family to suffer a huge loss this time, ashamed! In the future, the salt tax in Yangzhou may be out of our Zhang family's control."

"Ha ha……"

After Zhang Yuanli waved his hand in disbelief, he stroked the silver beard under his chin, shook his head and said, "When I met Lord Changsun Wuji in Chang'an, he and I made sure that you would suffer a dark loss from Guo Ye. This son's city is very deep, and this time he came to Yangzhou for the Yangzhou salt tax, so he must have done the calculations in advance. If you do the calculations mentally or not, you will inevitably suffer. The second brother doesn't need to worry about this matter, let him win a little So what about the situation? Let him be proud for now! Today Nephew Cui and Brother Wei returned to Yangzhou for a big event. Compared with this big event, hehe, the salt tax in Yangzhou is mediocre."

As soon as this remark came out, the two brothers Zhang Yuanxin and Zhang Yuanzhi were in an uproar one after another.The salt tax of millions of taels a year, the eldest brother can't say it, how can you not be shocked?

At this time, Cui Yizhen chuckled, stood up, bowed his hands to the two of them, and said, "You two uncles, my nephew came to Yangzhou this time because I was ordered by my father to discuss with the Zhang family about building a bank. The two uncles I haven’t set foot in Chang’an for these years, so I don’t know anything about it. Now, the fastest money-gathering bank is undoubtedly Changlefang Bank. Changlefang Bank is Huo Guogong’s eldest son Chai Lingwen, Chang’an Liang Wanwan’s Liang Ershao, the fish of Wei Guogong’s mansion Nuannuan, and the four people from Yizhou Hou Guoye are planning to build it. Tsk tsk, this bank is doing well in Chang'an now. As far as I know, they have opened the bank all over Chang'an City in the first half of this year, mobilizing nearly a few people in Chang'an City. One million taels of liquid silver taels. The annual profit should be at least 100 million taels.”

As he said that, Cui Yizhen slowly told about the establishment and operation of Changlefang Bank by Guo Ye and others, and the brothers Zhang Yuanzhi and Zhang Yuanxin were amazed again and again.

They were stunned. They really didn't expect that Guo Ye would have such a business that came in so fast.

The Changlefang Bank can attract millions of taels of money from the people just by calling the wind and rain in Chang'an City, and it has made a profit of nearly 100 million taels in just half a year.So what if the Changlefang bank is opened all over the ten roads and hundreds of state capitals in the Tang Dynasty?

So the profit is not only calculated in millions of pens?

In an instant, the eyes of the two became hot, they really didn't know if they didn't listen, they dared to feel that they were so ignorant and ignorant.

Compared with the Qianzhuang, the trembling and trembling interception of the imperial court's salt tax in Yangzhou is really insignificant and weak!

Cui Yizhen finally said: "So, my father sent his nephew to Yangzhou this time to discuss with the Zhang family how to open a bank in Huaiyang and Jiangnan. Now the pace of Changlefang bank is limited to Chang'an area, and has not yet crossed to the south. So We take advantage of this opportunity to occupy the Jiangnan and Huaiyang areas in advance."

Zhang Yuanli, the patriarch of the Zhang clan, nodded approvingly and said in agreement: "Yes, in terms of the wealth of the people and the large circulation of money, we have to count our Huaiyang and Jiangnan areas. If we can The bank has been occupied in advance, hehe, the annual profit is more than several million guan? If we center on the Jiangnan and Huaiyang areas, and then expand to the southern Fujian and Guangdong areas, what kind of situation will it be? So, if we really don’t go to Chang’an You know, our Zhang family was always staring at the Yangzhou salt tax in the past, it was really wrong, the structure is too small, it seems like sitting in a well and looking at the sky."

Zhang Yuanxin has already taken the lead in expressing his opinion: "Brother is still far-sighted, this bank is imperative, and younger brother is the first to raise his hands in favor."

Zhang Yuanzhi still couldn't let go of the Yangzhou salt tax, and asked unwillingly: "Brother, is it just giving the Yangzhou salt tax to Guo Ye for nothing? Millions of taels a year!!"

"laugh……"

Zhang Yuanli shook his head with a sneer, and shook his head and said: "Second brother, you are still too short-sighted. Now the Yangzhou salt tax has caused a lot of trouble in the court. The emperor hinders the power of the Guanlong family and does not pursue our Zhang family. It's a blessing. How can we reach out to get involved again? Besides, the annual income of Yangzhou's salt tax is already transparent and open. Do you think Guo Ye can get more benefits from it? Hehe, he just wants to get rich Private pockets, the emperor can't justify it. Withholding tax money from the imperial treasury is never a long-term solution. In my opinion, this bank is the way to continuously and steadily attract money."

Cui Yizhen echoed: "What uncle said is true. Our two families must work together to speed up the process, and establish a charter for the joint establishment of the bank as soon as possible."

Zhang Yuanxin was naturally eager to try it, and Zhang Yuanzhi also felt that his elder brother was right, so he silently nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yuanli said with a smile: "Don't be discouraged, the second child. Let him be proud of the kid surnamed Guo for now. One day, our Zhang family will make him pay a heavy price for this. While the two of you are here, the old man wants to get rid of our third house." Choose one of the children of the family to come out and take charge of the bank with the nephew of the Cui family. After all, you and I are getting older and it is no longer suitable to run around. Let this opportunity be left to the younger generation of the Zhang family. , it can be regarded as giving them a chance to practice."