Daming Town Haiwang

Chapter 157, it's not good if it's too rich
A hidden place in the capital.

"It's really God helping us. At this time of famine, it's hard not to get rich."

A middle-aged man with a big belly said with a smile that what people in the food business like most is a famine, because once a famine occurs, it means that the food in their hands will be more precious than gold.

At that time, they can use grain to reach the heavens, and if they want a good reputation, they will sell the grain cheaply to the court, and they must gain the reputation of a great benefactor.

Next time, grain can be used to harvest people's wealth. The grain that usually costs a few cents a catty can be sold for tens of pennies a catty in times of famine. Only these grain merchants can know how much profit there is.

"It's not difficult to make a fortune. Everyone knows about the business of Gujinlou. Since the opening of Gujinlou, their income has exceeded five million taels of silver. This is what makes them rich overnight."

"It is said that some time ago, everyone in the Eastern Palace received a dividend of one million taels of silver."

"Compared with them, we who trade in grain are nothing compared to them. We can't get on the stage, and we earn hard money."

A young man who looked like a scholar and held a fan in his hand said in a chat.

"What Hu Gongzi said is that we are just earning some hard money, hard money!"

The middle-aged man with a big belly nodded and bowed quickly when he heard what Mr. Hu said, with a fawning look on his face.

This Mr. Hu is not an ordinary person. His name is Hu Wan'an, the eldest son of the Hu family of Huizhou merchants, and the future successor.

Huizhou merchants are definitely synonymous with wealth in this era. Huizhou merchants are not general merchants from Anhui, but their scope includes Huaiyang, Jiangsu.

Because of the presence of salt in Huaiyang area, countless large salt merchants were born, and salt merchants are the richest representatives of this era.

At the same time, because of the special salt industry policy of the Ming Dynasty, if you want to get salt, you have to transport grain to the important towns on the nine borders to get salt. Of course, this policy was changed in the fifth year of Hongzhi because of the prevalence of private salt. , coupled with the fact that the court dignitaries and others arbitrarily challenged the emperor to occupy the nest and monopolize the opening, the distribution of Yanyin greatly exceeded the allowable range of the salt industry's production capacity.

This forced a large number of merchants in the borderlands to have salt but no salt to receive. They could only wait for new salt to be produced in the salt field. The enthusiasm of Liang Zhibian made it difficult to implement the Kaizhong Law, and it was difficult to run it as well as it did during the Hongwu and Yongle years.

Therefore, in the fifth year of Hongzhi, Ye Qi, who was the Minister of the Household Department of Emperor Hongzhi at that time, proposed a method of accepting silver to receive salt, that is, the method of folding color. You can get Yanyin by paying silver taels.

So in the past, if these salt merchants wanted to do salt business, they had to transport grain to border towns in exchange for salt imports, and these Huizhou merchants were naturally the best among them.

Because it is located in the most affluent Jiangnan area, which has been the most important grain producing area since ancient times, it is difficult to separate these salt merchants and grain merchants from each other. The same is true for Huizhou merchants. They are both big salt merchants. , is also a big grain merchant.

The Hu family is a representative family among Huizhou merchants, and it is also the most powerful family. The family power is extremely large, and it has an extremely large influence in the entire Ming Dynasty.

"It's not good to be too rich here."

Hu Wan'an looked at this person, and then said lightly: "The Chaozhong side has also sent a message. This time, we will take this opportunity to wipe out all the wool on it."

"Today, the Son of Heaven is very benevolent, and he is also a benevolent king. He is diligent in government and loves the people, and is very considerate of the people. Now that there is a famine in Beizhili, Shanxi, and Shandong, he will definitely do his best to relieve the disaster."

"But the national treasury is empty. At that time, the princes in the court will definitely let the emperor use his own internal funds. At that time, we can suck up all the emperor's internal funds at one time. However, the internal funds are only a million taels of silver. I don't like it."

Hu Wan'an's tone was very loud, and even a million taels of silver didn't look down on him at all.

Of course, it's not because he speaks loudly, but because all of them, big salt merchants and big grain merchants, are rich and invincible. Compared with them, the Ming court and the Ming emperor are poor beggars.

"This time, it is mainly aimed at someone from the East Palace. His Gujin Building is too profitable. This property must be in our hands."

"It's too rich, and many things are beyond the control of the lords in the court. Moreover, there is a faint meaning of lifting the sea ban. This is absolutely not allowed."

"That Liu Jin from Xishan Coal Industry, he is really capable of tossing around, leaving a good scholar not to do it, so he has to talk about the Golden Continent."

"The Chaozhong side has also sent a message. This time, this Liu Jin must be completely killed, and such a person must not be kept, especially if he is too close to the East Palace."

As Hu Wanan confessed, the people around him also nodded, once again clarifying the goal this time, the action will be more targeted, and the operation will know how to do it.

"Young Master Hu, please give me instructions on how we should operate."

Someone thought for a while and said.

"The first thing we need to do is stockpile food. We don't have enough food in our hands. The winter wheat harvest is over. In the next few months, the food in the three provinces of Beizhili, Shanxi, and Shandong will become more and more expensive."

"Next, in Tianjin and Beijing, we will restrict the sale of Liu Jin's side. Don't be too tight at the beginning, they can still buy some food. Later, we will suddenly tighten the rope, and all of a sudden strangle him..."

……

On the Tianjin side, Tong Yuan hurriedly found Liu Jin again.

"Teacher, all the people sent to the capital to buy grain have returned, and the grain price in the capital has also started to skyrocket. At the same time, it is becoming more difficult for us at Xishan Coal Industry to buy grain."

"I asked people to inquire about some news. Because the winter wheat harvest in the three northern provinces has been exhausted, the price of grain shipped to the north from Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangnan, Huguang and other places has also begun to rise sharply. I guess it will be difficult for us to buy grain."

Tong Yuan seemed very anxious, and things were as expected by Liu Jin. It seemed that someone was targeting him, or targeting Emperor Hongzhi behind him, or Zhu Houzhao, the Prince of the Eastern Palace.

"It seems that the students of our Maritime Academy need to go to sea for training in advance."

After listening, Liu Jin pondered for a while, then said with a smile.

"Go to sea for training in advance?"

When Tong Yuan heard this, he was at a loss. He really didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in Liu Jin's gourd.

"Teacher, should we take some measures to find a way to raise food earlier?"

"I'm trying to find a way. Don't worry, there will be food, and in the future we can eat meat until we feel sick."

Liu Jin smiled, with a mysterious look, then thought for a while and told Tong Yuan: "You send people to keep an eye on the news of grain shipments from various places to the north, I want to know the price of grain in these places every day .”

"Eat meat every meal?"

"Eat until you want to throw up?"

When Tong Yuan heard it, he became even more confused immediately. He really wanted to be different. How could Liu Jin make everyone eat meat all at once, and eat it until they felt like vomiting?
　It's still not suitable for writing conspiracy-like things, um, I still think it's better to be more relaxed~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)