Jiajing Chengming

These wealthy businessmen are truly regretting their lives now.

They never thought that because they wanted to have it all, the imperial court would simply overturn the pot and start a new stove.

However, Yan Song ignored this and even ordered the expulsion of these wealthy businessmen.

Because this was an imperial decree, he as the governor could do nothing about it and could only show his loyalty by strictly enforcing it.

Therefore, wealthy businessmen had to discount the price of grain in advance in order to sell the grain as quickly as possible.

After all, it is foreseeable that once the grain in the supply and marketing shop starts to sell out, their grain will definitely be unsalable, and the price of grain will definitely get lower and lower every day.

Therefore, they could only sell the grain as quickly as possible.

The government at all levels is already actively implementing this matter.

There is no other reason.

This is also an opportunity to increase the income of local government offices.

They are now very grateful that the emperor, while benefiting the people and stabilizing grain prices, also thinks of officials like them, allowing them at all levels to open supply and marketing shops and get a piece of the pie.

It is said that after receiving the imperial edict to open a state-level supply and marketing shop, Wan Lun, the prefect of Changping Prefecture, summoned many ordinary vendors in the prefecture to the yamen, asked them to apply for business licenses for Changping grain, and then organized them to buy limited wholesale grain from the supply and marketing shop.

Although these ordinary vendors were not wealthy businessmen, they were considered to be wealthy families with some background in the local area. Their children or relatives either had academic titles such as students and juren, or served as officials in the government. Therefore, the prefectural government naturally could not force them to buy.

However, since they had some background in the local area, they certainly had more access to information than ordinary people. So they knew the intention of the state government to promote supply and marketing shops, and they responded actively, and came to buy a lot of food.

Although these ordinary vendors have backgrounds, they only have backgrounds in the local area. Their power is not that great, so they cannot really fight against the imperial government. They also have many friendships with the local people, so they cannot force sales.

As a result, it didn’t take long before these ordinary vendors began to retail grain to the outside world, and the prices were much lower than those sold by big grain merchants such as Shanxi merchants.

Although the wealthy merchants were also lowering grain prices, they could not resist the imperial court's direct cuts to their supply, making their prices still appear high, and they had to continue to plunge their grain prices.

"Five cents a stone of grain! This is three cents lower than the previous price of grain!"

"Brother Sun, why are the grains sold at such a low price in your grocery store? Are you making any money?"

Tu Shi, a military household in Changping Prefecture, came to the street on his wheelbarrow to buy some food for his return. He saw that the grocery store run by his acquaintance Sun Tianqu also started selling food, so he started asking about it.

Sun Tianqu smiled and said, "Of course I made some money, but it's not much."

"Can I still make money?"

Tu Shi asked in great surprise.

Sun Tianqu smiled and said, "I said I just like to do business at a loss, do you believe me?"

Tu Shi smiled and said, "Of course I don't believe it. I'm just afraid that you stole it."

"If I dare to steal food, would I need to open a grocery store here?"

Sun Tianqu explained, "We bought this from the state supply and marketing store. The state government requires us to sell it at five cents a stone. Otherwise, we wouldn't be allowed to buy it. I can't afford to offend the government, so I have to listen to them!"

"My eldest son who is studying in the school said that this is the Emperor's way of lowering the grain price in the border towns. He first allocated more than one million dan of grain from the national treasury and asked government offices at all levels to set up supply and marketing shops, and then sell grain to us honest merchants instead of selling it directly to the military and civilians. He is afraid that you will be forced to buy more."

Tu Shi smiled after hearing this and said: "This emperor is really good. He thinks so carefully about us ordinary soldiers and civilians."

"Yes, we ordinary vendors have also benefited from the emperor's grace."

"We don't have to follow our fellow villagers and eat the high-priced grain sold by Shanxi merchants."

Sun Tianqu also said with a smile.

Pooh!
Tu Shi spat at this time and glanced at the deserted grain store not far away: "I didn't expect that they would have this day!"

"However, they have also lowered the price. It seems that they are only selling for five cents per stone, and if you buy three stones, it will be directly charged at four cents per stone. However, the villagers are not in a hurry to buy food now. They all want to wait for the price to drop a little bit before buying more, so there are not as many people as before."

Sun Tianqu said with a smile.

Tu Shi said: "Don't look at me as just a warrior. I know that if it weren't for the emperor, they wouldn't surrender!"

"Brother Sun, give me three stone of rice so I can buy some back."

Tu Shi took out the silver dollar as he spoke. He had a large family and needed to buy a lot of rice at a time.

"Why don't you go buy it from the other side? If you buy three dan from the other side, it's four coins per dan."

"I won't go. I'll just take care of your business, brother."

"Okay, then I won't make more money from you. I'll give you 5 cents less for every stone you buy!"

Sun Tianqu agreed with a smile and gave some benefits to Tu Shi.

Not long after, Tu Shi bought three stone of rice from Sun Tianqu, pushed the rice in a wheelbarrow, and returned home happily. On the way home, when he saw the deserted grain shop, he smiled triumphantly again.

As a soldier and civilian at the bottom of society, Tu Shi had simple moral values. He naturally felt very pleased when he thought about how the big grain shops had been raising the grain prices again and again, and even deliberately closed their stores early in order to sell grain at a higher price tomorrow, thus swallowing up a lot of his money and forcing him to pawn his wife's dowry in exchange for grain.

Like Tu Shi, there were many soldiers, civilians and people carrying or pushing new grain home.

Because food prices were too high, many families who had started to eat only one meal a day now started to cook a second meal, causing the smoke from cooking fires to become thick again inside and outside the state capital.

The aroma of rice became stronger and stronger, filling the air.

"How could this be the result!"

"What a sin!"

"If we let the poor get their hands on food so cheaply, they will become lazy people!"

At this time, Bai Cang, a wealthy businessman who was being escorted to see the Inspector Chen Bangfu, also saw in the prison car many soldiers and civilians carrying and pushing food out of various small grain retail shops, as well as many soldiers and civilians squatting on the ground to eat. He was very distressed and puzzled by this, and could not help talking to himself.

Snapped!
As Shirakura was speaking, suddenly a rotten egg was thrown at him, covering his face with greasy slime.

Shirakura couldn't help but close his eyes and frowned, and then he smelled a stinky smell as if someone farted in front of him.

"Bai, you bastard! My master asked me to ask you, you rely on your family members being officials in the Ministry of Revenue to take everything, but have you ever thought about the consequences?"

"Nowadays, we cannot sell the grains we bought at high prices, and we are losing money."

"You are truly a heinous criminal!"

Followed by.

Shirakura heard the voice scolding him.

Shirakura guessed that these must be local wealthy businessmen who purchased grain from him.

Only these wealthy businessmen would have rotten eggs that expire after being left over.

But Shirakura didn't say much, he just closed his eyes and lowered his head.

He himself is full of regret now.

After all, because he greedily wanted to buy his Bai family's grain at a higher price, he refused to cooperate with Yan Song and give some profits to the government. Now, his Bai family has been completely confiscated.

This allowed wealthy merchants downstream to still make some money by selling grain, but his family's money and grain were confiscated by the government.

After meeting Chen Bangfu, Bai Cang took the initiative to ask Chen Bangfu, because he knew that Chen Bangfu had had dealings with his Bai family, "Mr. Chen, why did we lose? Of course, my Bai family was too greedy, but how dare Yan Song overturn the table and report the truth about the Huai salt business?"

Shirakura really didn't understand.

He originally thought that since Yan Song had adopted a consultative attitude towards his people and did not directly report them for violating the salt sales regulations, it was because he did not want to offend them and did not want to overturn the table, so he discussed with his people to report Yan Song.

But the result was that Yan Song overturned the table, told the court the truth, and caused his Bai family to be raided.

"Of course it's because of Lord Liang!"

"He refused to accept Yan Song's overtures, even if Yan Song was willing to give up 40% of the annual government treasury for Ji and Liao grain and salaries to be divided among the world's wealthy and powerful families!"

"Mr. Liang is indeed an upright official, but you guys are just too greedy. Not only did your family get raided, but you also caused Mr. Liang to die tragically on the gallows!"

Chen Bangfu said. (End of this chapter)