my brother-in-law is the prince

Chapter 327

Chapter 327

After Chen Li listened, he didn't dare to talk anymore.

It's just...he muttered in his heart, what is this going to do?

Chen Li couldn't understand.

I don't understand...it doesn't matter.

He was used to following Zhang Anshi's orders.

Immediately after he came out, Zhang Anshi said, "The next person will come in."

Then, in the waiting room, a person stood up and hurried into Zhang Anshi's public room.

This person passed by Chen Li, and Chen Li raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that this person looked familiar.

It's just that he didn't think about it, so he left in a hurry.

Not many days, many news, intensified.

These news are by no means groundless.

But gradually have a nose and eyes.

It is said that in the Taiping Mansion, there seemed to be many more people checking the ferries and wharves, but all foreigners seemed to be very taboo, and they didn't want them to come and go at will.

In Qixia...there is a big market.

This is the gradual evolution of the auction house.

As more and more merchants gathered here, coupled with the prosperity of business, the business transactions in the past were often between merchants, looking for a stable supplier to conduct transactions.

But under this prosperity, the merchants are more than that.

Therefore, the place called Dongxiang Temple was originally just an inconspicuous and desolate place. It got its name only because... According to legend, there was a dilapidated Town God's Temple here a hundred years ago.

Of course, now this place has become the most prosperous street in Qixia, a whole street full of shops, but the most attractive place is the place called Dongxiang City.

This place is different from ordinary markets, ordinary people rarely come here, and most of the people who come here are merchants of various colors.

Merchants came here to deliver goods, and gradually, there were more and more such merchants, and even the business became bigger and bigger, and this place became a distribution center for bulk goods.

Here, all the goods imaginable in the world are available, countless people are looking for opportunities here, and sellers entrust dental firms to find buyers here.Buyers also come here excitedly to choose what they want.

The trading of bulk goods is different from ordinary trading. A slight rise or fall in price also means a large amount of gold and silver.

Because of this, it is necessary to ensure that the price is fair. If not, even if it is a penny less per catty of goods, the accumulation of less money may lead to thousands of taels of silver in vain.

The dental shops here will immediately display the prices of various bulk goods, and they will be placed in the most conspicuous position. Therefore, if you walk from this street to the end of the street, what you see in your eyes, apart from people, is that A wide range of transaction prices.

Any dental firm doing business here, in order to ensure that the price they offer is absolutely fair, so that neither the buyer nor the seller feels at a disadvantage, they often make great efforts to ensure that the price is fair.

It is said that the largest dental firm here employs more than 400 people, and is equipped with the same fast horse messenger as the imperial court. At the same time... in the capital and everywhere, accountants are stationed to investigate the current prices in various places at any time. After the prices are summarized, they then perform a set of calculations based on commodity prices and market prices.

And this calculation is the most laborious.

Because first of all, the commodities are different, and there must be a price difference between the market price and the price of the commodity.

Some commodities are easy to store and have a long shelf life, so the price difference may be smaller, but if it is fresh and other prices, it will become larger.

Furthermore, there is also a set of calculation mechanism for different price differences in various places, and a price will be determined according to the calculation, so as to ensure that both parties to the transaction will not suffer losses.

Therefore... Yaxing can ensure that the price is updated every half an hour every day, and the error value can almost be kept within a certain range.

This is the result of the joint efforts of more than 400 people, including a large number of accountants, fast horses, and calculators.

And the price they give must not make any big mistakes, because once a mistake is made, some of the buyers and sellers of bulk commodities may suffer heavy losses.

At first...there were many dental establishments here, but slowly, those non-compliant dental establishments quickly weakened, and those who could stay here to grow bigger and stronger all had their own means.

And because of this, this place has attracted countless merchants, and countless people are looking for opportunities here.

For merchants, the quick buying and selling of bulk commodities is not just about saving time.Rather, the rapid flow of goods and gold and silver was a huge gain in itself.

Others do ten transactions a year, but here you can accurately and quickly sell or buy at the most reasonable price and do dozens or even hundreds of transactions. The profits in this are unparalleled.

With the big merchants fighting desperately here, naturally, there will be countless brokers, and there will be many high-end restaurants, and there will be shops selling all kinds of expensive decorations.

People spend a lot of money here, and slowly, in addition to the gathering place of merchants, it is also a place for luxury and money.

If it wasn't for Zhang Anshi not allowing the establishment of a brothel here, I'm afraid that this place would surpass the Qinhuai River overnight and become the number one selling gold cave in the world.

Of course, there is another huge reason that attracts many people, and that is safety.

This Qixia is at the foot of Nanzhen Fusi, there is a model camp nearby, there is also an official school, and the patrol hall of Taiping Mansion is also nearby. It can be said... here, it is almost rare to see Taoists and all kinds of thieves, they are thieves Also almost invisible.

In fact, the prices of bulk commodities often do not fluctuate much, and it may be difficult for them to fluctuate by a few pennies in a day.

But today, someone noticed a strange phenomenon, food prices are actually rising.

After all, it is already summer, and the summer grain will be harvested soon, which means... there will be a large number of rice merchants, as well as gentry families, who need to sell the old rice in the warehouse quickly, even if they want to hoard it, that is too much. Time to stock up on new rice.

At this juncture... it is often the time when grain prices are the cheapest. In previous years, one stone might even reach eight or nine hundred copper coins per stone.

Only after the old rice is exhausted, the food price will slowly start to rise.By the end of the year, it will be around one tael of silver and five hundred copper coins.

Even so, it seems that the price of food can rise sharply within a few months, and it is profitable to stockpile it for a few months.

But in fact, this is not the case!

Because of storage and loss, it is an expense.Ordinary people can't earn such money at all. Only those sages and rice merchants in the big towns can have their own granaries.

Because of this, the vast majority of people will not have much interest in food prices.

In the summer of this year, there has indeed been a drought for a while. It is expected that the grain production may decrease, but... the reduction should be limited.

This is the south of the Yangtze River, and the south of the Yangtze River is a water town. Even if there is a drought, it is not as easy to fail as in the north.

But now, the food that was supposed to be the lowest price has risen directly from 870 renminbi to 950 renminbi.

This is a commodity, and overnight, such a range is very scary.

Many people couldn't help but sigh with emotion and make tsk tsk sounds.

Because... this business... Even if someone drools, it can't be done. There is no warehouse, no facilities for storing food, everything is empty talk.

Of course, in the market now, there are also people who directly hold a warehouse of goods, and then directly write a contract with you to trade.

When you want, you can pick up the goods at any time with the deed!

However, such things are not popular now, after all, there are still risks, and such bulk commodities, after all, want to be cautious.

However, when these people saw the price, they immediately...began to discuss it.

What's going on, how could food prices suddenly go up?

And it's rising so fast?

Regarding the perception of food price increases, the first thing people think of is the impact of natural disasters.

But soon, this may be ruled out.

So people discussed more fiercely.

Since then... the price... has continued to skyrocket.

It rises faster and faster.

This sudden change made many good people start to be interested.

……

"Zhang Taigong, Zhang Taigong."

In Shangyuan County, someone hurriedly found the Zhang family in Shangyuan, and shouted from afar.

This Shangyuan Zhang family is also a local big family, Zhang Taigong is quite famous in Yingtian Mansion.

He is old, his beard and hair are all white, and he has not lived for a few years.

Hearing the movement at this time, he seemed displeased, and with the help of the maidservant, he slowly came to the small hall.

Immediately, he saw the scholar in front of him.

This scholar is a scholar, who teaches in the Zhang family's ethnology, and his surname is Li.

Li Xiucai said excitedly: "I went to the city just now, Mr. Zhang, do you know what happened?"

The maidservant brought Zhang Taigong a cup of tea, Zhang Taigong rinsed his mouth first and only nodded.

Li Xiu then said: "Mr. Zhang...that dog..."

Hearing the word "Zhang Gou", Zhang Taigong's expression changed suddenly.

Seeing his reaction, Li Xiu paused and said, "It's that Zhang Anshi...it really is in big trouble as the rumors say."

When Mr. Zhang heard this, he suddenly regained his energy, and his face seemed to be much rosier all of a sudden.

Thinking of the three words Zhang Anshi, Zhang Taigong couldn't even sleep well.

The Xia family in Xuancheng County is related by marriage to the Zhang family in Shangyuan, so Xia Chang is still Zhang Taigong's cousin.

Of course, it's nothing. The Zhang family has a century-old family business in Shangyuan, and I don't know how many famous families in Nanzhili are married. If you really want to talk about it, they are all relatives.

The frightening thing is that the entire family of the Xia family was actually ransacked, and many relatives were not exiled, and even their family property was seized, and even the land of the Xia family was distributed.

Thinking of this, Zhang Taigong shuddered involuntarily.

He was so afraid that he even had nightmares every day, dreaming that the Zhang family's family business had finally fallen into his own hands.

Therefore, as long as someone mentioned Zhang Anshi, Grandpa Zhang would scold him endlessly, and he would not care about being gentle.

Zhang Taigong said: "Tell me in detail."

So this Li Xiucai said: "A few days ago, didn't you say that the Taiping Mansion...a large amount of cultivated land was barren? That's what the Chen family and the Zhou family said, and the Zhou family made an oath."

After Zhang Taigong heard this, he said coldly: "It's a crime, it's a crime, the hard-working family business was distributed to those lazy households by that little thief Zhang Anshi, can it be managed well? Those fools, how can they manage the fields well?" ?”

"Yes, yes." Li Xiucai smiled and said: "But... this matter... everyone just spread it, and later heard that there was a power struggle inside the Taiping Mansion, and the fight was extremely fierce. I heard that during the meeting, Someone even smashed the teacup directly, and broke up several times. And that Zhang An Shi..."

Zhang Taigong said: "This matter, the old man knew about it a long time ago. Yesterday the Liu family invited them to drink, and they also said this matter. Mr. Liu is a sincere gentleman, and his words... are trustworthy."

But Li Xiucai said: "Today... I just found out that the price of grain has risen, and some people said that when they saw Zhang's business, they desperately bought grain in private..."

"What?" Zhang Taigong's eyes lit up: "Is this really true?"

"Others can be misrepresentations, but this matter... I really saw it with my own eyes. The students saw it with their own eyes, and the price of food went up by [-]% immediately."

Zhang Taigong may not know how to cultivate land, but as a family with [-] mu of hidden land, he knows the price of grain.

Such ups and downs are very unusual.

In the past few years, the harvest in Nanzhili may decrease a little, but it will not cause such a big fluctuation.

Zhang Taigong stood up slightly trembling, and with the help of the maid, he staggered a few steps, and then said with a bit of excitement: "Okay, okay..."

He smiled.

Li Xiucai said: "Many merchants regret it. They want to hoard food, but it's a pity..."

Zhang Taigong smiled: "Store grain, do they have a warehouse? But...the grain merchant came to collect the grain yesterday, and the old man agreed, but now..."

He smiled, meaningfully.

This is nothing short of double happiness.

Immediately afterwards, he said, "Call the manager to come."

After a while, the manager came.

Zhang Taigong immediately asked, "How many short positions do we have?"

"There are a lot of them. This old rice...is almost exhausted, and we will wait until the summer grain is harvested..."

Zhang Taigong squinted his eyes.

If what Li Xiucai said is true, then... it really is... a windfall.

He has granaries, he has storage facilities, everything.

Zhang Taigong looked at Li Xiucai and said, "You said... why did Zhang Anshi collect grain?"

Li Xiucai guessed, "Maybe it's because the Taiping Mansion has no crops, so... secretly bought some grain... to make up for the shortage? If not... his Taiping Mansion... the fields are barren, I'm afraid the court will see it as a crime."

"Haha..." Zhang Taigong said: "That's right, the old man thinks the same way, this matter... you can go and find out."

"it is good."

Zhang Taigong turned around, pinched the maidservant at the side, and said: "Don't you usually say that my body is not good, sir, today the master is in a good mood..."

…………

At noon the next day, Li Xiucai rushed back from Qixia, he was even more excited.

This time, Mr. Zhang sat upright and was already waiting for him.

When the two met, he immediately asked, "How?"

Li Xiucai said excitedly: "It's gone up again, it's increased by [-] Wen... And it's still a rise for no reason. Now many people... are in a hurry. I also heard that the Taiping Mansion began to send many people to guard the various places. People are not allowed to enter and exit easily at the ferry and wharf, and the checks are very strict. There are also many merchants who say... those rumors and rumors are all nonsense, and the grain growth in Taiping Mansion is very good."

Zhang Taigong smiled: "Haha... This is trying to cover up the obvious. Those lowly merchants are really in cahoots with Zhang Anshi. If it is true as they say, how can the grain increase? This is real money. Is there such a fool in the world?"

"That's right, Grandpa, the students think the same way. I also heard that the Taiping Mansion will organize a group of people to visit their villages so that everyone can see how the food is growing."

Zhang Taigong laughed again, with a hint of sarcasm: "Zhang Anshi is in a hurry. This person is good at making political achievements. I have lived a long life and I don't know how many times I have seen him. It’s nothing more than finding a place with good grain growth and letting you go and have a look, but in fact...it’s just a trick of stealing money.”

"Extremely. Mr. Zhang has a good opinion. The Chen family and the Zhou family also said the same thing. The young master of the Chen family even jumped up and scolded."

Zhang Taigong said: "In this way, when the summer grain is harvested, not only the grain pile will not be enough for the granary, but the grain may also be insufficient. Zhang An Shi is in a hurry to buy grain, and will try his best to make up for and cover up the problems of the Taiping Mansion. If this At that time, the Zhang family also bought a large amount of food for storage, not only... we can teach Zhang Anshi to buy more food, so we can paint him, and we may make a lot of money."

"Students think the same way. In fact, the Zhou family also thinks the same way." Li Xiucai continued happily: "It is said that you can make a lot of money no matter what. It's just a matter of earning more and less. If you leave the Taiping Mansion, it will benefit the country and the people."

Although Zhang Taigong also thought so, he was still somewhat cautious, he paused and said: "Well...the old man thinks about it again."

Li Xiucai said: "I can't think about it any more. If we delay any longer, the price may go up even more. The Zhou family and the Chen family have already started..."

Zhang Taigong was frowned, he already felt that this matter was reliable, but out of an instinctive caution, he was still unwilling to put all his eggs in one basket.

While he was hesitating, Zhang Taigong suddenly remembered something, and immediately said: "Di Bao, where is today's Di Bao? Did you bring it from the city?"

A maid hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I asked someone to bring it early in the morning."

"Bring it." Zhang Taigong said.

Li Xiucai was at a loss.

When the residence report was delivered, Zhang Taigong looked at it carefully.

He seemed to be rummaging for something, and finally, he found what he wanted to see in a corner of a newspaper.

He muttered in his mouth: "A clarification on the situation in Taiping Mansion: The Taiping Mansion government has announced that today there are small people who are rumored everywhere that the Taiping Mansion's summer grains are not harvested. Such rumors and rumors are rampant. With ulterior motives, Taiping Mansion would like to inform you: [-]. Anyone who repeats this statement will never be lightly forgiven, and the first offender will be taken as an example. [-]: The grain growth in Taiping Mansion is very good. Although it is affected by drought, there is no major disaster. , the situation is controllable, this year must be a good year."

After Zhang Taigong finished reading, his dry lips trembled.

Li Xiucai listened attentively.

Zhang Taigong read it silently again.

Then, this grandfather suddenly took the case, his eyes slightly opened and said: "Haha... this time, I have a bottom line in my heart! Take it, collect the food for the old man immediately! No matter what method you use, try to collect the food for me... the family The rice warehouse must be filled up, as much as you have, no matter what price!"

Li Xiucai was surprised, looked at Zhang Taigong and said: "Zhang Taigong...this..."

Zhang Taigong said: "Originally this Zhang Anshi was silent, the old man was not sure yet! You see, now this kid is so angry that he is threatening in the mansion newspaper and saying with great fanfare that his Taiping Mansion is a good year. Zhang Anshi This thief is cunning, you can't listen to half a word of this person's mouth, he said it was a good year, he must be trying to cover up something, he is a thief with a guilty conscience!"

"Now... this old man can assure you that something happened to Taiping Mansion. If we collect grain now, even if we don't let Zhang Anshi collect the grain to cope with the fact that the grain fields in Taiping Mansion are barren, we can make a lot of money from it. According to what this old man sees... Zhang Anshi will Regardless of all the consequences, he collects the grain to cover it up, his banker has a big business, and he is willing to pay all the price for it, I am afraid that by then... the price of grain will rise to seven taels, eight taels a stone, and the old man will not be surprised."

After Li Xiucai heard this, he immediately understood, and quickly said: "Grandpa Zhang has a good opinion, but the students are dull."

Zhang Taigong shook his head, stroked his gray beard, and said proudly: "I have lived my whole life, what kind of rebellious officials and thieves have I never seen? These people's methods, after all, are the same thing."

"This time, not only have the opportunity...to completely collapse the Taiping Mansion, but also have the opportunity to make a huge profit. Only by having the best of both worlds can this old man's hatred be eliminated."

Li Xiucai nodded, but said with some regret: "It's a pity that the student...there is no granary at home..."

Zhang Taigong smiled and said: "It's okay, I can count you as one, you use the money to collect the grain, and the grain collected can also be stored in my Zhang family's warehouse, no..."

He apparently suddenly remembered something, and shouted to the outside: "Come here, come here."

The maid hurriedly came over and said, "Master."

Zhang Taigong said: "Go tell the steward, our Zhang family, build ten more warehouses, and build them for me immediately."

"Yes."

…………

At this time, Zhang Anshi was looking down at the memorials.

At this time, he had to accept the fact that he had become notorious since scoring lands.

In the past, ordinary people would not dare to call him names.

But obviously, someone was irritated, and now...

Looking at the growth of food prices, Zhang Anshi probably understands... There are already many people... wanting him to die.

Chen Li said from the side: "Grandfather... there are many scholars... and they all say a word."

"Don't hesitate, can't you speak in one breath?"

Chen Lidao: "They said, to defend the famous religion, this is the time!"

Zhang Anshi clapped his hands and said: "These words are very passionate, and the simple words are shocking, and they are indeed very appealing. But... I think... it's just passionate, and the atmosphere is not enough. How many scholars do you have eyeliner on hand?"

"A dozen or so."

Zhang Anshi gave him a disgusted look and said, "Why is that so?"

Chen Li showed a bit of grievance and said: "Anyone who is a serious scholar would be willing to be an eyeliner for our Jin Yiwei."

Zhang Anshi said: "Then you call them... Hurry up and spread the word again, tell Zhang Anshi to be captured alive, buy food to save himself, if you don't buy it, you are not a scholar."

"Ah..." Chen Li was stunned again.

He had already begun to suspect that Zhang Anshi had been taken away.

…………

Chapter 2 delivered.

(End of this chapter)