Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 132 You sell and I take, the law does not punish everyone

"Thirteen coins per stone?" Qin Yongning stood up in surprise. "Eight stores opening at the same time?"

"Everyone ran over there, and although they were all sold out, they said they would still have them tomorrow and they would not raise the price."

Qin Yongning frowned and slowly sat down.

"What are these officials doing?" he muttered. "Are they trying to grab the grain market share in the capital? Since they can't make money through the Beijing army, are they trying to do business instead?"

He thought about it carefully and realized that the Caojun was only willing to sell them half of the price and even raised the price. Perhaps it was the meritorious officials who forced them to do so.

The commander-in-chief of the Cao Army was also a meritorious official.

I’m afraid the price they received would be much lower than that of other grain merchants.

Otherwise, how much can you earn at 13 cents per stone?
Since it was already known that Changming had contacts with some top officials, Qin Yongning was unable to decide how to respond.

"We have to meet with the grain merchants in Jiangnan. Go and make an appointment."

Faced with Changminghao's high-profile and forceful intervention in the capital's grain market, other major grain stores were indeed closely inquiring about the news and thinking about how to respond that day.

Changming had no idea how they discussed it.

But the next day, there were many big buyers lining up in front of the eight branches of Changming Grain Store.

"Your Excellency... you want ten stones?"

"Yes, I finally saw your store selling rice at only 13 cents per stone, while other rice shops sell rice at 1 tael per stone. Naturally, I have to buy more to avoid a real food shortage this year."

The people who bought the grain had smiles on their faces and silver coins in their hands.

The shopkeeper looked at him and then smiled and said, "That makes sense. Since we are open for business, we will naturally accept everyone who comes."

After saying this, he weighed the silver and delivered the grain.

They reacted extremely quickly, and that day fewer ordinary people were able to buy food from Changming Grain Store.

In other grain shops, the price of grain still ranges from one liang, one liang and two qian to one liang and five qian.

Another day, still the same.

Such wealthy families who buy large quantities of goods at a time appeared not only in front of Changming Grain Store, but also outside other stores.

When it comes to information and sources, wealthy families naturally have more.

Seeing them buying up grain and storing it, most of the ordinary people in the capital city didn't understand what commercial war was, so they naturally became more agitated.

If you don't buy some now, the price of grain will rise to two or three taels per stone in a blink of an eye.

When Zhu Changluo heard that the people in the capital were already showing signs of panic and that some people were queuing up every day but could not buy food, his eyes couldn't help but turn cold.

"How long does it take for an ordinary family to store enough food to last?" Zhu Changluo asked Chen Ju.

"Those who are a little better off will probably fill up a jar. The ceramic rice barrels on the market can hold three dan of rice in the largest one, and more than one dan in the smallest one. Those who are less well-off may only have a small portion of their rice stored."

"That is to say, a family of three or five can still use it for more than a month."

Chen Ju nodded.

This is also the reason why Zhu Changluo had not started a war before. Most families always have some grain in stock. The price of grain was not more than one or two silver coins before, which was indeed a normal level.

The price fluctuation cycle of such daily necessities is relatively long. It will take some time for those who are interested in completely stirring up panic over food prices in the capital.

Now they have begun to take action, and it has been almost a month since the first movement was made at the end of February.

"Keep a close eye on them." Zhu Changluo ordered, "Don't leave out any of those who buy large amounts of grain from Changming Grain Store. Give them another half month, and have someone keep an eye on them. How can they dare to buy grain so recklessly at 13 cents per stone?"

……

At the door of Jixiantang's grain store in Beijing, unfamiliar faces appeared among the wealthy customers queuing up to buy grain.

"I want one hundred stones. What is your family?"

The shopkeeper couldn't help but be cautious and looked at the person in front of him: "Our small shop only has 300 dan of grain to sell every day. What you are asking for is a bit too much."

"Humph! If Changming Grain Store hadn't sold out again, I would have come to your house. Do you have any grain? Do you want to sell it?"

The people who bought the grain looked quite domineering, and they seemed to be from a wealthy family in power.

But the shopkeeper of Jixiantang just shook his head and said: "The owner of the shop has ordered that each family is only allowed to buy ten stones a day. If you want to buy, you can only buy ten stones."

"Hey, you're such an ungrateful person!"

The grain buyer was furious, and then stamped his feet: "What happened? The grain price changes every day? Ten shi is ten shi, but the shopkeeper, give me a definite answer. Will it be the same price tomorrow? I can report to the master!"

The shopkeeper just laughed and said, "I can only obey the boss's orders. Let's go to the store to check the price tags to see what the grain prices will be tomorrow."

He is keeping his mouth shut, but the tension in the capital must have a source after all.

Not every shop owner is so considerate. In the end, a waiter from a rice shop explained the reason.

"The Huanghuai River is silted up again! And there's been a lot of rain in the south of the Yangtze River this year, so I'm afraid there will be another flood. If you want to buy, just buy. Why bother?"

In the capital, only Changming Grain Store offered a price of 13 coins per dan of grain every day.

"...I want to see how much food they have!" Qin Yongning gritted his teeth. His shopkeeper said, "Thirteen in, one tael, fifteen hundred out. Just buy as much as they have. It only costs half a penny a day to hire someone to buy food."

"Eye-catching! Eye-catching, do you understand?!" Qin Yongning's face was grim. "Since there are already many people willing to buy our grain for more than one tael of silver per stone, why don't they raise the price?"

How could a meritorious official be so kind to his property?
At first, it was thought that they were just using their status to suppress the grain transport troops, purchase new grain at a low price, and try to seize the grain market in the capital.

But now the price of grain in the capital has actually exceeded one tael of silver per stone. How could the meritorious officials refuse to make a profit and still sell grain at thirteen coins per stone?

"The owner is saying... someone set a trap?"

"What trap can a noble official set?"

Qin Yongning appeared to be powerful but was actually weak, because the meritorious official had neither motive nor ability, so it was naturally impossible for him to set up such a trap.

But if he wasn’t a meritorious official, who could it be?

"Buy! Keep buying!" Qin Yongning gritted his teeth, "I want to see how much food they have and how much they are willing to lose!"

"Owner...how about..."

"Or what?" Qin Yongning grabbed his collar, "We are not the only one who did this! If you want to investigate, all the grain merchants in Beijing should investigate together! If no one comes to sell grain to Beijing, let's see who can do anything!"

I don't know whether the shopkeeper should say some of the things he said or not.

As long as we can make money, why worry that no one will sell grain to the capital?

But right now in the capital, people who felt something was wrong were in a dilemma because Changming Grain Store insisted on selling grain at 13 cents per stone every day.

Knowing the identity of the people behind Changming, their choice is puzzling.

Everyone knows that officials love money. Their behavior this time can only mean that there are other forces behind them.

What kind of power could make a noble official willing to give up making money?
However, they still chose to persevere, because... the law cannot hold everyone responsible?
The rumors about grain in the capital continued. Except for Changming Grain Store, the prices of grain in other grain stores in the capital changed every day.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for ordinary people to buy grain from Changming Grain Store at the previous prices.

The imperial court was conducting the palace examination in an orderly manner and did not seem to care about the grain prices in the capital. The matter was not discussed at any time in the court.

"... Changming Grain Store, eight stores, how much grain do you release every day?"

"Total, about 6,000 shi per day, owner."

"…How much have we eaten?"

"We already have more than 8,000 shi, and apart from what we bought ourselves... we have sold more than 2,300 shi."

The place that is being discussed at this moment is not Jixiantang.

The shopkeeper had an idea in mind and found the real owner at night.

"Master, do you still want to do this?" He was worried. "The behavior of Changming Grain Store really makes me feel uneasy."

"About 4,000 koku a day. This has been going on for half a month, right?"

The maid's back obscured the appearance of the nobleman inside, and her voice came out.

"Yes. I estimate that Changming Grain Store has already distributed more than 20,000 dan of grain in the capital, all at 13 qian of silver per dan." The shopkeeper knelt down to report, "Although the difference is only less than 3,000 taels of silver, which is not a large amount, I really don't understand why they do this."

"If you can't figure it out, don't think about it. Just do what I say."

The voice inside was very calm: "It's still the same. Changming Grain Store wants to sell grain, so you can send people to buy it. When you come back, sell their grain first, and sell as much as you can."

"But owner... I estimate that the grain sold by the major grain stores has totaled nearly 100,000 dan. If it is distributed to every household in the capital, it will be enough for a while..."

"Didn't you hear what I said?"

The maids separated, and a cold face appeared behind them: "Is the business yours or mine? Put your heart back in your stomach! The price of grain in the capital will definitely go up! If there is a natural disaster in Jiangnan, how can so much grain be shipped to Beijing?"

His words were powerful, and the report was presented to Zhu Changluo in the Qianqing Palace at night.

"Oh? There might be a flood in Jiangnan this year? Many canal boats are broken down? The Yellow River and Huai River are silted up again?"

Wang Zhizhen lowered his head and replied: "The few words I have collected so far are true, but I have not yet found out who first spread these rumors."

"Even though everyone knows that there is a lot behind Changminghao, they still refuse to change their ways. What a bold man!" Zhu Changluo sneered and looked at Wang Zhizhen, "Ask Changming Grain Store to double the amount of grain starting tomorrow! Tell Changming Grain Store that starting tomorrow, anyone who buys more than five stones of grain at a time, please leave your name and we will deliver the grain to your door! If they want to eat more, just eat as much as you want!"

The "food price defense war" in the capital has been going on for a long time. At the court meeting on the third day, Shen Shixing, who had heard about yesterday's situation, stood up.

"Due to rumors about grain prices in the capital, I would like to ask you to stay for the answer after the court meeting!"

He stated the reason, and did not request to be heard alone. The Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of War all came out at once to request the same thing.

"Rumors stop at the wise, why are you so anxious?"

At the court meeting, Zhu Changluo just looked at the ministers.

"The grain merchants in the capital are all fortune tellers. They know how many grain ships have been damaged before all the grain has arrived. They also know that there may be floods in Jiangnan this year, which will greatly reduce the harvest."

"I want to see if their calculations are accurate!"

(End of this chapter)