Prime Minister

Chapter 406 Merchant
In a building on Ma Xing Street.

But I saw more than a dozen merchants sitting here, and they were all owners of Dajiaoyinpu in the capital.You need to know that there are hundreds of Jiaoyin shops in Jieshenxiang, but after years of forced sales and mergers, they are now in the hands of these dozens of merchants.

The officialdom and shopping malls are full of blood and blood, and the shopping malls are even more tragic than the officialdom.

Although these merchants seem to be friendly, the ones who can sit here are all people who eat people and don't spit out their bones.They talked very harmoniously, and they felt that they acted lightly, which was completely different from the situation of the big salt merchants downstairs.

Usually these merchants are clothed in fine clothes and jade, wearing gold and silver, but now because Kaifeng Mansion and the Third Division summoned them, they only wear scarves on their heads and soap shirts and belts on their bodies, looking very simple.

When the door opened, two people entered together. The leader was an old man in his sixties, followed by a middle-aged man in his 40s.

This middle-aged man was none other than Shen Chen, a businessman from the Shen Family Jiaoyin Shop who sold Zhang Yue's salt money that day.The man in front of him is none other than his uncle, Shen Yan, the real person in charge of the Shen family's Jiaoyin shop.

After the two entered, everyone stood up to meet them.

After everyone was seated, Shen Yan took a high chair, and he said with a smile, "We've known each other for so many years, we're all old faces, today I'm bringing my nephew to show my face, what do you guys have in the future?" Where it’s difficult, just send him.”

Everyone had known Shen Chen a long time ago, smiled and praised Shen Chen a few words, and then rearranged their seats, and Shen Chen sat next to Shen Yan.

"Mr. Shen, after this ten-year estimate, the salt merchants below all said that if the government insists on reducing the price to half of the current price, they will stop the sale! Let the whole Bianjing have no salt to eat."

Shen Yan smiled and took a sip of tea soup.

Another businessman said: "Mr. Shen, you are familiar with people in the government, and your relationship is deeper than mine. When the time comes, you can come forward and say something."

Shen Yan put down the tea soup and said with a smile: "Although I am a bit sympathetic, no matter how old I am, I am no bigger than the Empress Dowager. I heard that it was the Empress Dowager who spoke this time, so everyone should be worried."

All the businessmen shook their heads.

Shen Yan paused and said again: "Everyone, I heard a saying that 'moral heirs have more than ten generations, followed by farming and reading heirs, followed by poetry and books heirs, wealth and honor are only three generations', we merchants In the future, we will all rely on the imperial court, but now that the imperial court has something to ask of us, we should earn less, and treat it as buying peace."

"That can't be done! The imperial court wants the lower salt merchants to reduce the price by half, but the salt merchants want us to reduce the salt bills to less than ten guan. Just now we discussed for a while, once we reduce the salt bills to ten guan, what will happen to those salt bills?" I'm afraid Nanshang will act on hearing the news and will wipe out all the money in the market."

"These southern merchants have been eyeing our business for a long time. A few years ago they made a lot of money on tea Yin, but now they are eyeing Yan Yin."

One person said: "I remember that last year, the Shaanxi Transshipment Department printed salt banknotes indiscriminately, so that salt merchants in Shaanxi sold salt banknotes wantonly. "

"Who was it at that time? At that time, it was the third division who pointed out that several of us were trying to find the bottom line in the market. Otherwise, where would the food and clothing of the 10,000+ officers and soldiers of the Western Army come from? We also made great contributions. Kill the donkey."

The merchants who made the offer spoke for a while, but refused to lower the price.

Another person said: "I don't know who is the new salt inspector of the imperial court? If he forces us to reduce the salt bill to ten guan, he will definitely not live in peace."

At this time, a person entered the room and said: "I just asked about the salt merchants and the dealers have agreed that the price will not be lowered!"

Several merchants from the Jiaoyin shop said: "They dare not surrender, and we will not surrender either. We all carry it together."

Shen Yan sighed silently, the business of the gold and silver exchange shop in the world is booming day by day, and just looking at the money requires 10,000+ money to pave the way.Ordinary merchants do not reveal their wealth, and they are afraid that they will be used as fat sheep by the court and slaughtered.

But those who dare to put it on the table, their wealth and background can be seen. The most unworthy of these people is also a son-in-law who is a Jinshi.

It's in the tea house across the street from this building.

Zhang Yue happened to be drinking tea in his spare time. Today is the tenth day, that is, the last day of every tenth day.

The so-called science and technology distribution means that the government allocates money to merchants. To put it bluntly, it means buying and selling by force.For example, if some things are needed by the government, they will be bought from merchants, and merchants must give priority to supplying them to the government before selling them to the common people.

Among them, the more famous one is the palace city of the Tang Dynasty. You will know it after reading the charcoal seller.

As for the ten-day assessment, also known as the meeting assessment, this system has existed since the Han Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty, the government gathered the dealers together and divided them into three classes according to the upper, middle and lower classes. Each class set a price and reported it to the government after negotiation.

This matter is under the responsibility of the Department of Records of the Kaifeng Prefecture.

Now Sun He, the secretary of the Silu Division, joined the army and sat in the teahouse with Zhang Yue. As for the Yantie Division and the staff of the Division, they discussed face-to-face with the salt merchants and cross-introduction merchants.

Zhang Yue and Sun He did not show up, but sat in the teahouse drinking tea and waiting for news.

Zhang Yue has heard about Sun He's work. In the past, there was a Xuntou of the rice line who was forced to hang himself because he couldn't hand over his technical support.

Sun He said to Zhang Yue: "Most of the salt in the Bank of Beijing is decomposed salt. Salt merchants get salt with banknotes. If the banknotes don't drop, the salt price will rise again if it drops a little. Bachelor, here you are."

Zhang Yue said: "It's difficult for me. Those merchants in Jiaoyin Shop are not easy to mess with."

Sun He showed a sympathetic smile, and finally retracted and said: "If you should be ruthless, you should be ruthless, if you should kill, you should be killed! You said that these intermediary merchants monopolize the intermediary market by buying cheap and selling expensively. With a little sweat and a drop of blood, the money he earns every day is equivalent to the salary of you and me as officials for a year, do you think such a person should be killed!"

"Before, a deputy envoy of the third division killed twenty pedestrians with a stick because of a mistake in the leather boots provided by the merchant. This official is too soft-hearted. If I sympathize with others, who will sympathize with me in the future? Me, remember this sentence, do what you need to do, kill what you need to do, at least show an appearance, otherwise you will be a scapegoat for those traffickers."

The result of the discussion came from here. The salt merchant said that the unsalted salt prepared by the palace can be supplied at 37 renminbi per catty, but the ten-day estimate will cost 120 renminbi.

After listening to the narration, Zhang Yue thought that the science and equipment would be supplied according to the time when the price of salt had not increased, and the palace and officials had benefited, but in the end it was not the wool that came from the sheep, and the common people paid for it.Not long after the discussion between the third division and Jiaoyinpu came out, all the salt merchants in Jiaoyinpu were unanimous in saying that they would not raise the price.

This result obviously did not satisfy Zhang Yue and Sun He, and both of them had to go to the higher authorities.

Sun He sneered and said: "Since this is the case, you must not be merciful. If these salt merchants do not kill a few or force a few to break up their houses, they will not know what the court's three-foot law is. I will take my leave first, Bachelor Zhang."

Zhang Yue looked at the back of the other party, and knew that there must be bad luck for the salt merchant.

After Zhang Yue and Sun He bid farewell, they returned to the Third Division to give their orders.

He is also weighing whether to use means to force these intermediary businessmen to submit, but he has not yet reached this point after thinking about it.The source of this matter is still in the Shaanxi Transshipment Department.

I reached an agreement with Xue Shaopeng before, and even the Shaanxi transfer envoy Xue Xiang also brought a message to himself through Wu Anshi. If his method is passed by the court, then his Shaanxi transfer envoy will not give himself [-] seats, but [-] seats. money.

The question now is whether the court will approve of itself?
He still lacks a suitable opportunity now.

When Zhang Yue's carriage was driving on Ma Xing Street, he suddenly saw two coolies fell to the ground beside the street.Zhang Yue ordered the car to stop immediately, and at a glance, he knew that the two were doing hard work due to lack of salt, and they fell down and couldn't survive.

After that, Zhang Yue went back to Yantieyuan to meet Fan Shidao.

But seeing Fan Shidao's angry face, it turned out that he was scolding Xue Xiang again.

Fan Shidao reported the matter to the remonstrance court because the Shaanxi Transshipment Department refused to allocate salt and money.Unexpectedly, Xue Xiang was the first to show his merits to the court, saying that he had contributed to the Shaanxi Transit Department for the past three years.

It is said that he has been in the water for three years, how much salt, how much horses, how much cud, how much millet, and how much he has accumulated in his treasury every year.

He also wrote a memorandum, saying that he was the Shaanxi Transshipment Department' the people don't benefit, and the lessons are the best! '

That is to say, he did not add a penny to the common people in taxes, but his taxes were the most among the previous Shaanxi transshipment envoys.For such a great contribution, the imperial court must add officials and ranks to itself.

Anyway, after seeing Xue Xiang's operation, Zhang Yue was completely overwhelmed. There are still such shameless people.

How on earth did you get all this money?I and other officials of the third division don't know that you have the nerve to brag to the court.

And the most intoxicating operation is that Xue Xiang donated 20 yuan to the court in one go for the expenses of the former emperor's mountain mausoleum this time. Knowing where his money came from, it is not easy to deal with him.

Zhang Yue can only sigh, shameless is really shameless.

But I also don't admire that people are really shrewd and powerful. This kind of operation is really unmatched, and they are willing to bow down.

Using the soaring price of salt in Bianjing to fill Xue Xiang's pockets, what's even more hateful is that the salt merchants and foreign merchants also took advantage of this opportunity to never lower prices, and made a fortune in front of the beheading.

After Zhang Yue returned home, he immediately wrote a memorial.

What the memorial said was to intercede for Sun Zhao and Shan Xiang, two medical officials.These two were famous doctors recommended by Han Qi and others to the late emperor, but after the late emperor passed away, the two became scapegoats and are now being sent to prison for interrogation.

After this memorial was handed in, it was a little puzzling.

If it is said that Zhang Yue knew the Taichang Liyuan before, there is no problem with this memorial.

But now he is a judge of salt and iron, and when he is busy with the soaring salt price in the capital, he has published a memorial that is completely irrelevant to this matter. It is really puzzling what is his intention?
This does not seem to be a matter under his jurisdiction, why did he insist on publishing this memorial at this time?

(End of this chapter)