People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 752 Sure enough, someone faked it
The sound of the loom speeding up came from the backyard, as if in response to her words.

Three days later, in the evening, Magistrate Zhao personally came to the workshop with his yamen runners. He wiped his sweat and said, "Princess, the tax revenue from the orders these days is equivalent to the commercial tax revenue of half a year in the past."

Zhu Youwei was teaching the female workers to identify fake orders, and she put down the sample cloth in her hand. "The court wants real money, so they can do whatever they want. As long as the tax is not high and the goods are genuine, they can do whatever they want."

As the night deepened, a merchant ship flying the English flag floated on the canal. As soon as the ship docked, a red-nosed merchant jumped off and headed straight for the workshop.

"I want an order! Any time!" he shouted in a strange accent.

The gatekeeper shook her head and said, "Sir, the earliest time will be March next year."

The red-nosed merchant stamped his feet anxiously, and seeing a few local merchants sitting in the teahouse across the street, he rushed over, took out a handful of gold coins from his pocket and slammed them on the table.

"Who has a spot order? I'll give you 60%!"

The teahouse suddenly fell silent. A yamen runner walked over slowly and knocked on the notice on the table: "60% is too much, the maximum is 50%."

The red-nosed merchant was stunned for a moment, then he grabbed the gold coins and ran out: "I'm going to the Treasury Department! I'll exchange them for notes first and then settle the account!"

On the roof of the workshop, Zhu Youwei looked at the numerous foreign merchant ships in the canal and gently stroked the silver scissors at her waist. Xiaotao came up with tea and followed her gaze.

"My Lord, are these people crazy? They are fighting over a few pieces of cloth."

Zhu Youwei took the teacup, and the heat blurred her eyes. "What they are robbing is not the cloth, but the monsoon. If we can't catch this monsoon, we will have to wait another half a year." She took a sip of tea, "Tell the weavers that starting tomorrow, the working hours will be delayed by half an hour, so that the women workers can rest more and weave better cloth."

At dawn, the sound of looms in the workshop was already heard.

The new female worker Chun Xing was busy connecting the wires and was patted on the shoulder by Aunt Liu.

"Girl, what are you daydreaming about? If you weave half a piece more today, you can get an extra 15 cents!"

Chun Xing looked at the foreign merchants waiting in line outside the window for orders and felt the shuttle in her hand was heavy. She didn't know what futures were, but she knew that the cloth these blue-eyed people were vying for was woven by her own hands.

As the sun rose higher, the sound of the tax commissioner's abacus became as loud as heavy rain. Jiang Hai, the head of the tax bureau, looked at today's tax bill and laughed out loud.

"What a good Princess Zhu! This merchant's trick of snatching orders has caused the court to increase tax revenue by 30% for nothing."

The yamen runner asked quietly, "Sir, should we arrest those who exceed 50%?"

Jiang Hai closed the account book and said, "We must arrest them. We cannot break the rules. The princess thinks long-term. If we don't arrest too many people, the situation will deteriorate."

He pointed out the window and said, "Look, even merchants from Songjiang Prefecture have come here to resell orders."

On the canal, cargo ships are raising their sails.

The foreign merchants on the deck held the orders they had just purchased as if they had found a treasure.

They didn't know that these pieces of paper bearing the seal of the Women's Workshop were causing a silent storm in the city of Hangzhou.

At the center of this storm, Zhu Youwei was looking at the summary of the latest orders.

……

The morning mist on the canal had not yet dissipated, but the Lin Family Villa in the west of Hangzhou was already full of people. A dozen silk shop owners sat around in the flower hall, and the Longjing tea in the cups had long gone cold, but no one had time to take a sip.

Shopkeeper Lin stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes. "Everyone, the orders for Jinguo Workshop are already scheduled until March next year. We can make 50% profit by reselling the real orders in our hands."

The owner of Li's Silk Shop, who was sitting in the corner, rubbed his hands. "Master Lin, 50% profit is not a small amount, but if it can be doubled..."

"Mr. Li is right." Shopkeeper Lin took out a stack of papers from his sleeve. "This is a counterfeit workshop order. The same rice paper is used, and the seal is also engraved by the old seal in the south of the city. As long as it is mixed with the real order, who can tell the difference?"

Everyone was looking at the fake order, some were amazed, while others frowned. The young master of Zhouji Silk Shop was full of vigor and slammed the table and said, "Damn it! Foreign merchants are so eager to grab the orders now, who would take a closer look?"

Shopkeeper Lin nodded with satisfaction, and took out a small notebook from his pocket. "This is the numbering rule for the workshop's orders. I spent twenty taels of silver to get it from their account office. If we follow this, we will definitely not find any flaws."

Everyone came over to take a look, and saw numbers like "Hongzi No. 37" and "Hangzi No. 92" written densely on the book. The date and quantity were also marked behind each number.

"Mr. Lin, if this gets discovered..." The oldest shopkeeper, Zheng, was hesitant to speak.

Shopkeeper Lin sneered, "Check? The workshop has to process thousands of orders every day, how can we have the time to check carefully? Besides, the foreign merchants are in a hurry to catch the monsoon, and they will set sail as soon as they get the goods. By the time they find out that they are fake, we will have already exchanged the money for treasure notes."

The hall was quiet for a moment, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd to be heard. Finally, Mr. Li was the first to extend his hand: "I'll join us!"

With the leader in hand, others followed suit. Manager Lin asked the butler to bring pen and paper, and everyone signed a partnership agreement on the spot, agreeing to share the profits equally.

"Remember, don't sell more than ten orders at a time, and mix them with real orders." Shopkeeper Lin reminded, "Test the waters with the first batch first and see how the workshop reacts."

Everyone nodded and left with a few fake orders. Shopkeeper Lin stood at the door, watching their backs disappear in the morning mist, with a sneer on his face.

At the same time, in the accounting office of the Women's Workshop, Xiao Tao was checking orders with three literate girls. She picked up an order and looked at it in the sunlight, and suddenly said "Huh".

"The order number is wrong." She pointed to "Hangzhou No. 103" on the paper. "The workshop only sent No. 99 yesterday, where did the 103 come from?"

Chun Xing, who was standing next to him, came over to take a look and asked, "Could it be written wrong?"

Xiao Tao shook her head and took out the register from the cabinet. "Look, every order has a stub. Where is the stub for number 103?"

Several girls searched the registration book but couldn't find the corresponding stub. Xiao Tao's face gradually became serious. "Go and invite the princess."

Zhu Youwei was teaching the female workers in the backyard to identify the quality of cotton yarn. When she heard that something happened in the account office, she rushed over immediately. She took the suspicious order and looked at it carefully for a moment.

"The seal is a replica." She pointed to the large seal of the workshop in the corner. "The real seal has tiny gaps on the edge. This one is too neat."

Xiao Tao took a deep breath and said, "Someone forged the order?"

Zhu Youwei did not answer immediately. She walked to the window and looked at the cargo ships coming and going on the canal. The morning light shone on her profile, outlining a resolute outline.

"Go and invite Prefect Zhao and Mr. Jiang from the Taxation Department." She turned and ordered, "Also, from today on, all orders must be stamped with my private seal."

Just as Xiao Tao was about to leave, she was stopped again. "Wait, don't alert the enemy yet. Let the female workers take orders as usual, and you secretly write down the names of all the merchants who come to transfer orders."

As the sun rose higher, the line in front of the workshop grew longer. Alberto the Redbeard was at the front, holding the newly exchanged banknotes in his hand. Behind him stood a few unfamiliar merchants, talking in low voices.

"How much do you want to sell, sir?" Xiao Tao deliberately raised her voice and asked. A businessman in a silk shirt came forward and took out five orders. "These five are for next month, and I'll add 50% to the market price."

Xiao Tao took the order and pretended to check it carefully. She noticed that the numbers on two of them were particularly new and the ink was lighter than the other three. She quietly wrote down the characteristics of the businessman in the register: a black mole on his left eyebrow.

Alberto was getting impatient and shouted, "Butler, when can my order be processed?"

Xiao Tao looked up and said with a smile, "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll do it for you right away." She deliberately slowed down her movements, but glanced at the unfamiliar businessmen out of the corner of her eye.

One of them seemed to notice something and quietly retreated to the back of the crowd. Xiaotao winked at the female worker at the door, who understood and pretended to block the man's way.

At noon, Magistrate Zhao and Jiang Hai arrived at the workshop one after another. Zhu Youwei received them in the backyard, with several suspicious orders on the table.

"I have already sent people to check the origins of these orders." Prefect Zhao wiped his sweat and said, "But the orders are circulating too quickly now, so it may take some effort to track them down."

Jiang Hai picked up an order and looked at it in the sunlight. "The paper quality is almost the same, and the seal is also very similar, but there is a problem with the number." He pointed to the number on it, "The workshop numbers are in order, and this one has four numbers skipped."

Zhu Youwei nodded: "I suspect someone mixed fake orders with real orders. Foreign merchants are in a hurry to catch the ship, so they often don't look carefully. By the time they find out, the counterfeiters have already exchanged the money."

"I will go to the Baochao Tizhusi to check the payment records." Jiang Hai stood up and said, "Such a large amount of money must be exchanged into Baochao before it can be circulated."

Prefect Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "My Lord, should we arrest a few suspicious merchants and interrogate them first?"

"No rush." ​​Zhu Youwei shook her head. "You can only catch big fish if you let the line run long. I've asked Xiaotao to note down the characteristics of the suspicious merchants. When they come next time, we'll catch them all in one fell swoop."

As dusk fell, the Lin family's courtyard was filled with people again. This time the atmosphere was much more lively than in the morning, and everyone had a happy look on their faces.

"Master Lin, this is a brilliant move!" Young Master Zhou slapped his thigh and said, "I mixed the five fake invoices with the three real ones and the foreign merchants accepted them without even looking at them!"

Others also reported their results. Li Dongjia was the most greedy, selling eight fake orders at once and earning more than 400 coins.

Shopkeeper Lin stroked his beard, his eyes sparkling. "Everyone, this is just the beginning. Tomorrow we will increase our efforts, and everyone must buy at least 20 copies!"

Shopkeeper Zheng was a little worried: "Isn't it too risky? The workshop seems to be particularly careful today..."

"Old Zheng, you are too timid." Young Master Zhou said disdainfully, "There are so many orders now, can they check it all? Besides, even if they find out, we will deny it to the death, what can they do?"

Everyone burst into laughter and raised their glasses. Shopkeeper Lin squinted his eyes, as if he could see the room full of gold and silver.

They didn't know that at this moment, on the roof of the Jinguo Workshop, Zhu Youwei was looking towards the Lin Family's Villa. The night wind blew up the corners of her clothes, and the silver scissors on her waist shone coldly in the moonlight.

"Princess, everything is ready." Xiao Tao whispered, "Prefect Zhao sent twenty yamen runners to ambush around the workshop, and Lord Jiang also transferred personnel from the Taxation Department."

Zhu Youwei nodded: "Tomorrow morning, we will proceed according to the plan."

When the morning bell rang, the people of Hangzhou City discovered a new notice posted in front of the Jinguo Workshop: From now on, all transfer orders must be jointly verified by three managers and stamped with a special seal.

In the queue, several merchants exchanged glances and quietly retreated. They did not notice that several yamen runners in plain clothes followed them.

Shopkeeper Lin was having breakfast when he received the news. He put down his chopsticks and sneered, "It's just bluffing. Tell the guys to go ahead with the order today and add a few more real orders to confuse the audience."

At noon, the line in front of the workshop stretched to the canal. Alberto was getting impatient and kept looking at the sky. "If we delay any longer, the monsoon will be over!"

Xiao Tao said loudly behind the counter: "Dear guests, please be patient. We will check carefully today to be responsible for everyone."

A businessman with a black mole between his eyebrows squeezed to the front and took out a thick stack of orders. "All of these need to be resold, and the price will be increased by 50%."

Xiao Tao took the order and pretended to read it carefully. She noticed that the paper of some of them was a little thick and the edges of the seals were too smooth. She quietly stepped on the mechanism under her feet, and the bell in the backyard rang immediately.

"Sir, please wait a moment. I will ask the other two managers to check it." Xiao Tao said with a smile and winked at the female worker at the door.

The businessman's face changed slightly, but he quickly calmed down. "Hurry up, I'm in a hurry."

A moment later, Zhu Youwei came with two older female managers. She picked up the order and looked at it, then suddenly looked up at the businessman and said, "This order is fake."

The businessman's face turned pale and he turned to run, but was stopped by the female worker at the door. The yamen runners who were lying in ambush in the crowd rushed over and pinned him to the ground.

"It's unfair! I bought this order from someone else!" the businessman shouted while struggling.

Zhu Youwei sneered: "Really? Then tell me, who did you buy it from?"

The merchant was speechless, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Just then, there was a commotion at the corner of the street. Shopkeeper Lin came with a dozen servants, shouting, "Who dares to arrest my people!"

Magistrate Zhao walked out of the workshop, followed by fully armed yamen runners. "Boss Lin, you are so majestic."

Shopkeeper Lin suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face instantly turning pale. He turned around and tried to run, but was blocked by the tax commissioner.

Jiang Hai walked out of the crowd, holding an account book in his hand. "Manager Lin, this was found in your account office. It clearly records the number of forged orders and the profit from the resale."

Shopkeeper Lin's legs went limp and he fell to his knees. "Please spare me, sir! They forced me to do this!" He pointed at the silk shop owners behind him, "They were the ones who came up with this idea!"

The people who were pointed at all changed color, some wanted to run away, some knelt down and begged for mercy. The scene was in chaos for a while.

Zhu Youwei stood on the steps, her voice clearly heard throughout the room: "According to Ming Dynasty law, those who forge official and commercial orders are subject to exile for three thousand miles. Since you dare to do it, you must dare to take the consequences."

The yamen runners arrested Manager Lin and his men. The onlookers talked about it, some clapped their hands in joy, while others shook their heads and sighed.

Alberto squeezed to the front and asked anxiously: "Princess, can our real order still be fulfilled?"

Zhu Youwei turned to the foreign merchants and said, "Don't worry, the Jinguo Workshop will keep its word. All genuine orders will be honored as usual, and the losses of fake orders will be borne by the workshop."

The foreign merchants were relieved and gave thumbs up. Some even raised the price on the spot to order more goods.

In the evening, the backyard of the workshop was filled with newly arrived looms. Zhu Youwei looked at the busy figures of the female workers and her lips curled up slightly.

Xiao Tao came over holding the account book: "Princess, although we lost some money today, our reputation has become even better. Foreign merchants all say that the credit of Jinguo Workshop is more real than real gold."

Zhu Youwei looked at the sails sailing away on the canal and said softly, "The most valuable thing in the world is not gold or silver, but reputation. People like Manager Lin will never understand this truth."

As the night deepened, the sound of looms in the workshop continued to rise and fall. The women workers were concentrating on weaving cloth, as if they were weaving a brand new tomorrow...

(End of this chapter)