Natural disasters in books: I stockpiled goods to escape famine in ancient times

Now after hearing what the two said, and remembering the two figures that just walked by the door, Song Shiwei asked, "There were two people outside just now, which one is Lord Cao?"

After all, we have fleeced so many people, so we should at least recognize the real talent.

Lin Ting frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head: "I didn't pay attention to the people outside just now."

"The one in the dark blue robe is Master Cao."

Song Shiwei only thought for a moment, and a middle-aged man's face appeared in his mind. Although he had just walked past the door quickly, Song Shiwei still remembered it clearly.

After knowing the other party's face, Song Shiwei stopped asking about Cao Chong, and the topic naturally turned to other places, with Lin Ting starting to talk about the poor people in the north city.

"Uncle Fu came back yesterday and told me that the people in the North City are having a hard time. Plus, the sun is shining brightly now. Most of the workers at the East City docks are from the North City. They say that many of them died of the heat. My parents are planning to spend money to buy iced drinks and send them to the docks."

Li Wan put down the cup and nodded slightly: "Many merchants in the capital know about this matter. They are still discussing it and are preparing to send things over in the name of the Chamber of Commerce. The Li family is also in the Chamber of Commerce, so they definitely can't do it privately. Uncle Lin is foresighted and saw through the purpose of the Chamber of Commerce at the beginning. It's not easy for my parents to withdraw from the Chamber of Commerce now."

Song Shiwei looked at the two men's serious faces, frowned and asked, "Is it serious?"

If only a few people died of heatstroke, it wouldn't require the Lin family and the Beijing Chamber of Commerce to provide assistance.

Lin Ting started to explain, "Shi Wei, you stay at home most of the time, so it's normal that you don't know. My family also heard from the doctors who often come and go that those people who died of heatstroke in North City didn't seem to die simply from heatstroke. Many of them had spots all over their bodies. As for the exact reason, we haven't found it out yet. To avoid any confusion, we won't announce this to the public for the time being."

"Moreover, we have issued an order not to spread this matter. The dock is too important to the capital. If there is any trouble, not only will the merchants who make money from the dock, but also many officials will be seriously affected."

Even though Song Shiwei did not do business, he knew the importance of the wharf. Every time he went out to sea, he would bring back rare items, which would make many people rich. It was also an important transportation hub for the Dali Dynasty to travel between various places.

Many officials in the capital invested money in such an important and lucrative place, not to mention the businessmen doing business.

However, Song Shiwei thought of the spotted disease that Lin had just heard about. He really couldn't figure out what kind of disease it was, and he had never heard of heat injury causing such a condition. However, the weather was hot, and those coolies working on the dock would feel much more comfortable if they could drink some cool drinks.

Seeing that Song Shiwei didn't speak, Li Wan looked at her puzzledly: "Shiwei, what's wrong with you?"

Song Shiwei shook his head gently: "It's okay, what is the Chamber of Commerce you mentioned before? Is it composed of businessmen doing business?"

"That's pretty much what you mean. As the name suggests, the Chamber of Commerce is made up of businessmen. It was originally a big merchant from the previous dynasty who came forward and united the big merchants in the capital to gather together. If there is anything, everyone can sit together to discuss it. The Chamber of Commerce has its own set of rules. For example, you can't maliciously raise the price, you can't give other people money without reason, etc. It can be regarded as a regulatory function. However, the Chamber of Commerce today is no longer the same as in the past. The people in it are too selfish, and some people collude with officials to embezzle the industry. My parents wanted to withdraw a long time ago, but the twists and turns involved are not something that can be withdrawn overnight."

Song Shiwei frowned when he heard this.

Li Wan sighed, with a look of sadness between her eyebrows, and continued: "This time, the incident in North City was caused by someone informing the officials in advance. The court wanted to win over the people but didn't want to pay money, so naturally they set their sights on us merchants. It's really hard to express our suffering."

Lin Ting clenched his fist angrily: "It was all the good idea of ​​that dog official surnamed Cao. If he hadn't been protecting them from behind, how dare those rats in the Chamber of Commerce be so reckless and shameless? Fortunately, our Lin family didn't plan to join the Chamber of Commerce from the beginning. The president of the Chamber of Commerce has harassed my father a lot over the years."

Song Shi raised his eyebrows slightly: "Cao Chong's idea? How did you know about it?"

Lin Ting quickly raised his index finger and shushed, then stood up and opened the door of the box to confirm that no one was outside. He then closed the window and returned to his seat. He whispered in Song Shiwei's ear, "Cao Chong didn't dare let anyone know about this. My father spent a lot of money to find out about this. After knowing that he had contact with the president of the Chamber of Commerce, my parents stopped staying in the capital often to avoid being noticed by Cao Chong."

Li Wan on the side smiled bitterly silently.

Lin Ting said mysteriously, "There is one more thing you probably don't know. Two years ago, didn't Cao Chong say that his family lost a family heirloom? There was a lot of fuss at the time, and the emperor even sent him a military officer. Although it was never resolved in the end, my father asked someone to investigate afterwards. He said that the matter was not that simple. If it was just a lost heirloom, why couldn't someone who was good at tracking it find any trace? And I've never heard of his family having any heirlooms before. Although we didn't find out why he made such a big fuss, we still found out that he had a lot of private property in his name, and there were several manors with hidden rooms in the suburbs."

"Uncle Lin told my dad about this. I happened to be at home that day, and Uncle Lin told me that the secret rooms in Cao Chong's private property were all empty. However, people who went to check found traces of herbs and iron powder in the secret rooms. They should have been filled with iron tools and herbs. My dad and Uncle Lin also speculated that Cao Chong's loss of the heirloom was false, but the loss of the things in the secret rooms was true. After all, the secret rooms were so large. If they were really filled with iron tools, it would be a huge loss. It's no wonder that Cao Chong was so violent and unpredictable during that time."

Lin Ting's eyes widened immediately: "How come I don't know about this!"

Li Wan looked at her with a half-smile: "You were on good terms with Zhang Siyao and the others during that time. With your big mouth, Uncle Lin would never dare to let you know."

Lin Ting had a heart attack, holding his chest with a hurt face: "So this is how I am in your eyes, it hurts me so much."

After saying this, his expression instantly changed to longing, and he held his face and said, "I don't know which capable person emptied the dog official's things. I think that Cao is so vindictive that he must be feeling extremely uncomfortable now. I feel happy when I think of this."

Talented person Song Shiwei:........

Li Wan's eyes also showed admiration: "I also want to know who is so capable. I heard that Cao Chong has been tracking him down but has found nothing. My father and your father have always sent people to follow Cao Chong's people. If that person is found by Cao Chong, they are planning to help him escape."

Lin Ting exclaimed, his eyes sparkling, "My father has such an idea. Not bad. I'll go back and buy him a roast chicken to reward him."