Zhurou

Chapter 221 Trouble

Whether it was the two shopkeepers Zhang and Tang, the manager Chen Er, or even a group of merchants from the capital near the dock, or many people who had already gone upstream and downstream, they were just a tiny group of people who hurried out of the city this time.

Not only in the south, but also in the west and east, people rushed there. Everyone racked their brains to compete for goods, ships, carriages, mules, horses and manpower. And wherever they went, naturally there were more merchants and businesses running around working hard for it.

For a while, with the capital as the center, except for the north and northwest where the Di people had just retreated, people did not dare to gamble with their lives. All other places heard the news and took action, mobilizing almost all the abilities they could to earn a little or a lot more money than usual.

  Now that everyone has arrived at the place, they have all been in the business world for a long time. Although they are hiding their own situation and do not know the specific situation of others for the time being, the situation in the city at this moment is clear to anyone with eyes - as long as there is the source of goods and the same route, no matter what is transported to Beijing, there will be a shortage of supply, so how can they not buy more and give more?

A few days later, as cargo ships, mule and horse carts, and teams of coolies carrying loads and pushing carts gathered together in the capital, the local water transport and freight roads were almost forced to gradually become smooth. Even if they were not completely smooth, at least they were restored to some extent or a new road was opened up again.

At the same time, Mo Xiang, who had also been running around outside for many days without stopping for a moment, finally returned to the palace.

She had been eating irregularly these past few days. When she was busy, she couldn't even drink a sip of water. She slept very little, so her mouth had a bit of irritation and she was very tired. But when she reported to Zhao Mingzhi, she was quite excited. After briefly describing her actions in the past few days, she said nervously, "As of today's twilight hour, all the details listed by Your Highness that day have been completed. It's just that the prices have skyrocketed in the past few days, and the silver money given at the beginning is not enough. However, with the increase in the number of merchants going out in the city, we don't even need to pay 30% or 40% for the deposit, but only 10% or 20%. There are also merchants willing to sign the contract. I wonder if it will cause any delays?"

Zhao Mingzhi was not surprised. He flipped through the summary account book presented by Mo Xiang and asked a few questions. After getting the answers, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "You did a great job this time. The time was so tight, but you didn't waste any time. Thank you for your hard work."

Mo Xiang smiled brightly, all the tiredness on his face gone, and said hurriedly: "I am just doing the work assigned by Your Highness, running errands and doing odd jobs, how can it be hard? If you want to talk about hardship, it is Your Highness who is hardworking!"

Her words really came from the bottom of her heart. She wanted to express her loyalty again, but when she opened her mouth, she saw Zhao Mingzhi looking down at the account book. His eyes were full of bloodshot and the dark blue color under his eyes was hard to hide.

Mo Xiang was different from the ordinary palace maids. Although her words were a bit presumptuous, she actually regarded Zhao Mingzhi as a relative and sister. She was very sad at this moment, but she knew she could not help. Seeing that the clepsydra was about to reach midnight, she hurriedly said, "It's already this hour. Your Highness might as well rest early. If there is anything else, it will be the same if you wait until tomorrow morning."

Zhao Mingzhi shook his head and said, "I have something else to do here. You go and rest first and come back tomorrow."

Hearing this, Mo Xiang didn't want to leave anymore, so she stepped aside to add tea to Zhao Mingzhi, and said with a smile, "It's the same if you go later, just wait here for a while - there are not many old people in the palace, so there may not be any experienced maids."

When she said this, she saw Zhao Mingzhi flipping through the account book in his hand. Suddenly, she remembered something and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the prices in the city have risen sharply in the past few days. What if someone wants to ship goods to Beijing but is unwilling to deliver them, preferring to store them in their hands and then sell them at a higher price in the future?"

Zhao Mingzhi smiled and asked, "How was the deed signed that day?"

"We have paid a lot for the deposit, some are 10% or 20%, and some are 40% or 50%. But if the goods cannot be delivered, the seller only needs to return the deposit and give an additional 15,000 yuan as compensation. This little money is not much compared to the current price increase. It's just plucking a hair. I'm afraid some people can't resist the benefits and regret it in the end. Your Highness clearly has good intentions, but the result is..."

"How much money did you take out this time?"

Mo Xiang reported the number.

Zhao Mingzhi did not comment, but only asked: "How much is the total price of the goods you bought?"

This amount was not only written on the memorial, but also in Mo Xiang's mind. She reported it without hesitation. After she finished speaking, she felt that the number was even more terrifyingly huge.

She was the one who took the lead in this matter, and she was the one who summarized and counted the results in the end. The others had their own feelings, but no one understood as well as she did the consequences of spending such a huge amount of money. It really caused chaos in almost all industries in the capital. Even those who had not been visited by her or received orders from her were affected by it, and some contributed manpower, some provided money, and some even provided their own connections, and finally got involved either actively or passively.

"Then how much is the total price of fifteen thousand?"

Zhao Mingzhi continued to ask.

Mo Xiang calculated it several times in his mind, but still felt that the number was too large. After repeated confirmation, he reported the final total. As he spoke, he was still a little bit unbelievable.

Zhao Mingzhi said, "The court has already allocated materials to Beijing. As long as we give it some time, the situation will be relieved. Although food, clothing, housing and transportation are all important, it is the turn of spring and summer now, and the people will not be too cold and hungry. As long as they are guaranteed food and shelter, they will be able to get by. After this period, merchants can stockpile as much as they want. They dare to hoard goods in times of national crisis. I am afraid that they will not stockpile enough!"

And if the war situation really fluctuates, no matter how much you have hoarded, it will all be gone in the end. What’s the use of having gold and silver in dreams?

Not to mention that Zhao Mingzhi was busy with various matters in the city. In the inner court, Zhao Hong had already divided the pills he made into several portions and gave them out one by one according to his ideas. He also sent angels to the ministers' houses.

This time, he did not ask the Hanlin academicians to draft the edict, nor did he ask the eunuchs to bring oral instructions. Instead, he drafted the edict himself. After writing it, he was afraid that there might be something wrong with it, so he gave it to Zhao Mingzhi for review and revision.

Zhao Mingzhi took the manuscript but did not read it. He just said seriously: "Hong'er is serving the emperor. Just follow your heart. Why worry so much?"

Zhao Hong said: "I will not feel at ease if I send it out like this. It has nothing to do with national affairs. I want my sister to take a look at it so that I don't feel uneasy."

Zhao Mingzhi no longer refused, and after reading it carefully, he did not change a single word, and then closed the book again. He asked, "Have you ever thought about how the decree will be reacted to this?"

Zhao Hong lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "They should all be grateful, but only they themselves know what they are thinking."

Zhao Mingzhi smiled and said, "What result do you want when you issue the decree?"

"Of course I want you all to return to the court early." Zhao Hong answered without thinking.

Zhao Mingzhi picked out several imperial edicts and placed them separately on the left. He took a pen and dipped it in ink. He chose another piece of paper, tore off several strips, wrote a few names on them, and rolled them into the two imperial edicts. He said, "The words are all very good, but there is no need to issue an edict. Swap these letters and change the names in order. You can send them out tonight, and tomorrow morning, these officials will end their leave and return to the court."

As he spoke, he picked up a few more imperial edicts and placed them on the right, saying, "As for these few people, there is no need to write letters. Tomorrow, when we know that the two gentlemen will return to the court, at the earliest in the morning or at the latest at noon, they will go back to the government office to cancel their leave."

Zhao Hong held the pen and thought for a whole day. He also took out all the handwritten letters of the emperor that he could find and read them again and again. He studied again and again and finally came up with these letters. He felt that he had learned the basics, but it was actually difficult to analyze them in detail. At this time, he listened to Zhao Mingzhi talking, but did not ask any questions. He just lowered his head and read for a long time silently. Then he set up a small table beside him and copied the letters according to what Zhao Mingzhi said. Some of them contained pills made by the emperor himself, while others contained ordinary medicinal materials. They were different, and he sent people to deliver them one by one.

Strangely enough, as soon as the letter was delivered, the corresponding officials replied, and it was exactly the same as Zhao Mingzhi had guessed. The next morning, everyone returned to the court.

As soon as these ministers showed up, the other officials who had reported sick returned to the yamen without wasting even half a day.

Once the leaders returned to their positions, the complaints from below almost immediately died down. There were still some who would make excuses, saying that someone might have become aware of the situation, but this time they gradually stopped making any noise. Although they still kept asking for people and money, they finally started to push the progress forward honestly.

The contrast between the two was so great that Zhao Hong couldn't help but think too much about it.

He couldn't help but ask someone to sort out the structure of the court, look for the names he remembered on it, and compare them with the recent situations one by one. He also did not forget to ask Zhao Mingzhi about it, such as who is under which subordinate, what faction they belong to, etc.

Zhao Mingzhi naturally answered them one by one, but after answering, he saw his brother angrily draw a big cross on some names with a red pen, and then said: "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Regardless of what people think, and regardless of whether you and I can trust it, things always have to be done by others. There are so many things in the world, and how many people can be truly trusted? Can they all do it?"

"But at such a critical moment, they only think about factions and standing in line. They also want to control me and bargain with me. They want me to bow my head before they agree..." Although he tried his best to be patient, the dissatisfaction in his tone was still difficult to conceal. "Sister, we have to use such people today. If we have the choice in the future, will we keep them for important use?!"

Zhao Mingzhi was not surprised that his brother would say such a thing.

She did not try to persuade him, but just said softly: "If there is a better one, then naturally the capable one will be promoted, but the talent in the court is dwindling, and there are not even enough clerks. As for the factions, they have long been intertwined and cannot be changed overnight - if we replace one person, can there be ten or a hundred? Besides, are new people definitely better than the old ones?"

"In your position, how can you have the time to remember so many names? You should have more important things to remember and more good things to think about. Otherwise, for a great emperor to be reduced to the entanglement of a few petty officials, isn't that too much of an honor?"

She stopped there and encouraged him, "If you want to manage, you can't just manage one official or one faction. When you grow up, learn the methods and acquire the ability, you should correct the atmosphere and not be limited to one person or one name."

Zhao Hong nodded continuously after hearing this, and indeed threw the paper and pen aside and never mentioned the matter again.

A few days later, prices in the city rose day by day. Although the court recruited workers and provided porridge and rice and flour, it was still a drop in the bucket. However, at this juncture, some of the merchants that Mo Xiang had previously approached finally returned with goods.

At first there were only a few porters, mule carts, and a variety of boats, but gradually they formed into teams and became a force to be reckoned with.

But just as Mo Xiang said that day, although the price offered by Zhao Mingzhi was extremely high, even now, it was still much higher than the market price. It can be seen that the prices of various varieties in the market at this time were rising endlessly, and there was no end in sight.

The temptation of profit, and the difference between the amount of fine and the future profit are so tempting that many merchants would rather break the contract and keep the goods in hand, waiting for an opportunity to sell them at a better price in the future.

Apart from those who hoard goods for their own good, there are naturally also those who pay on time.

After Mo Xiang received the goods, she slowly distributed them in Beijing as Zhao Mingzhi instructed. She did not sell them at a low price, but only sold them at the current market price. Because the goods were in short supply at that time, there was often no demand even though they had a high price. Countless people rushed to buy them, especially those items that were hard to find. These items even attracted a lot of attention. Some people even came to her and threatened and bribed her in the name of the business company or the conference, asking her to discuss the pricing, release time and quantity. Once she refused, they would call people to her house to smash and cause trouble, so that no customers dared to approach.

If anyone from an ordinary family were here, it would be difficult to compete, but Mo Xiang knew who he had, so how could he be afraid? He sent someone to inform the government and did not mention it.

When the news got out to the Kyoto government, especially when Lu Xianzhang learned the truth, they dared not be negligent and sent guards to patrol the streets every day for fear of causing big trouble.

This went on for a while, after being arrested and detained several times, those shortsighted people finally came to their senses and no longer dared to use that unconventional method. Instead, they changed their approach and offered to pay a high price to buy the goods in Mo Xiang's hands.

At this moment, and acting in this way, it is easy to tell what the intention is.

When Mo Xiang learned about the situation, he hurried back to the palace to report it, but Zhao Mingzhi didn't care and said, "If he wants to buy it at a high price, you just sell it at a high price."

"But if we sell all of them, they will have all the goods in their hands. Wouldn't that mean they will really be hoarded to a sky-high price?"

Zhao Mingzhi shook his head and said, "If you don't agree, it will look like you are selling it to the public. How do you know who is buying it? How can you tell? Besides, if you sell it, they will buy it from the buyer at a high price. Can you stop them?"

As she spoke, she flipped through the perpetual calendar at hand, counted the dates on the report, and tore off three or four pages, then said slowly, "Let's see how much extravagant wealth they can afford to spend. If you are less greedy, you will die more gracefully in the future."