No war in the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 72 Daxiangguo Temple
Entering the Ming Hall, Zhang Shucheng reported to Su Ze:

"Master, I've been trying to convince the tenants in the shop and house office to join the exchange these past few days, and we've been seeing some success. But yesterday, all of a sudden, these tenants told me they want to withdraw from the exchange."

"I personally went to their homes to persuade them and to inquire about the situation. It turns out that these merchants were threatened by the Daxiangguo Temple and dared not join the Shiyi Exchange."

Su Ze frowned and asked, "Daxiangguo Temple?"

Zhang Shucheng said:
"Daxiangguo Temple is the big business behind these merchants. They buy and sell goods to Daxiangguo Temple. Many merchants have borrowed money from Daxiangguo Temple's Changsheng Treasury and are afraid to even take out low-interest loans from our exchange."

Su Ze looked at Feng Shiyuan and asked:
"Does Daxiangguo Temple have so many industries?"

Feng Shiyuan nodded and said:
"Tiju, you may not know that Daxiangguo Temple has over a thousand registered monks, and monks and Taoists are exempt from tax when entering the city, so many Daxiangguo Temples have started to deal in shipping goods. Many workshops in the city are backed by Daxiangguo Temples."

"Also, the amount of money donated by believers was so great that it was all left in the Changsheng Treasury of Daxiangguo Temple. Some monks took this money and lent it out, calling it 'Changsheng Loan'. These monks were willing to lend money, even at a 50% interest rate, and many people still borrowed."

It turns out that Daxiangguo Temple is not only a large shopping mall, but also a large monopoly merchant and banker.

However, temples in all dynasties have been doing this kind of business, but Su Ze did not expect that Daxiangguo Temple's economic penetration into the city of Bianjing would be so great.

Su Ze looked at Zhang Shucheng and asked:
"What are these workshops manufacturing?"

Zhang Shucheng said:
"They're all from the same workshops that make soy sauce and vinegar. They all make vinegar and soy sauce. They buy soybeans from the monks at Daxiangguo Temple, then sell them back to Daxiangguo Temple, which then sells them to their food shops."

"Making sauce is a long-term business. It takes nearly half a year from the start of making the sauce to the end of producing it. Their orders are all in the hands of Daxiangguo Temple, and many people also have loans from Changshengku."

"Making sauce?"

Zhang Shucheng was afraid that Su Ze didn't understand how to make sauce, so he said:

"It's the sauce and vinegar that you add to dishes. The production methods of sauce and vinegar are similar, and both use beans as the raw material."

Su Ze interrupted Zhang Shucheng and said:

"I know what sauce making is. Does that mean these workshops are unwilling to join the City Trade Division because their orders are all in the hands of the Daxiangguo Temple?"

Zhang Shucheng nodded repeatedly.

Su Ze said to Zhang Shucheng:
"Now take me to the sauce and vinegar."

Then Su Ze took out some account papers and handed them to Feng Shiyuan beside him and said:

"Take these and go find Sun Dayou, Feng Youcai, and Wei Tong. Tell them to return the money they've embezzled over the years according to the figures in the accounts."

Feng Shiyuan took the account papers and was secretly shocked.

This is a detailed account that lists all the records of the two people's embezzlement, which can be said to be conclusive evidence.

Feng Shiyuan secretly felt lucky that he had confessed everything to Su Ze and that the accounts he handed over were all true!

Feng Shiyuan knew about the mountains of account books for the store and household affairs. Even if he brought a few skilled accountants with him, it would take him nearly half a year to sort them out.

Su Tiju was indeed very powerful. He had finished checking the account books in the Jiage Treasury so quickly!

Feng Shiyuan took the account paper and asked cautiously:

"How are you going to deal with them?"

Su Ze asked:

"What do you think?" Feng Shiyuan said:
"First, order these two to make up for the shortfall, and then adjust their positions."

This is exactly what Su Ze wants, he said:
"Then let Wei Tong be responsible for collecting rent and managing the officials who plunder money and marry officials, Su Dayou will be responsible for construction, and Feng Youcai will be responsible for renting the houses."

Zhang Shucheng was originally a shopkeeper and did not understand official affairs. He objected:
"Tiju, since you have already caught these two people committing corruption, why don't you hand them over to your superiors for punishment?"

Feng Shiyuan is a veteran in the officialdom. He said:
"After the money is handed over to the higher authorities, even if they make up for the embezzled funds, it will have nothing to do with our store and house affairs. That's one thing."

"These two are deeply entrenched in the store and house affairs. Their corruption is bound to affect the entire store and house affairs department. If they are handed over to the law, it will also cause panic among the store and house affairs department. If someone with ulterior motives pushes things to happen, it will be detrimental to the promotion."

"First, we'll make them pay the stolen money and adjust their positions. This is a delaying tactic to stabilize them and weaken their influence within the store and the house."

"Once we have reliable replacements, it won't be too late to remove and prosecute the two."

Zhang Shucheng suddenly understood.

Su Ze also agreed with Feng Shiyuan's approach in his heart. This was similar to how corrupt officials were dealt with in later generations, where they would often be transferred from key positions and given sinecures first.

Su Ze's current work focus is still on the Municipal Exchange, so he needs to stabilize the affairs of the store and house first.

Su Ze handed it over to Feng Shiyuan with confidence, and then took Zhang Shucheng to the sauce and vinegar shop.

In sauce and vinegar.

This is a run-down alley in the northwest corner of Bianjing City. The shops and houses are basically low-rent housing, so most of the properties are in bad locations.

But because it is far away from the city center, the area is relatively open. Every household here has a slightly larger yard, and the yard is filled with jars of soy sauce.

As soon as he came into the sauce and vinegar, Su Ze smelled a strong strange odor.

This is the taste of fermented soybeans. Whether it is sauce or vinegar, the principle is to use the amino acids produced by fermented beans as the source of umami flavor.

The smell was so intoxicating that several officials accompanying him were about to vomit. Su Ze frowned, but forced himself to walk into the sauce and vinegar.

Seeing Su Ze in official uniform walking into Jiangcu, many people poked their heads out from the yard.

Zhang Shucheng pulled out a middle-aged man from one of the larger houses.

"Tiju, this is the head of the village, Zhang Wusheng. Come meet my Tiju."

The village head named Zhang Wusheng quickly knelt down and saluted Su Ze.

In order to facilitate the management of the city, there were still so-called village heads, neighborhood heads, and district heads in Bianjing City. However, these only represented the local tyrants in the area, and were not formal employees of the government like those in the Han and Tang Dynasties.

It was not until Wang Anshi implemented the Baojia Law that these people were incorporated into the system.

Grassroots social management in the middle and early Northern Song Dynasty was so loose that it was basically in a state of civil autonomy.

Su Ze helped Zhang Lizheng up and said kindly:
"I'm here to inquire about the implementation of the Market Exchange Law. If you have any difficulties with the sauces and vinegar, please feel free to tell me. I'll go to your house first and discuss it slowly."

Zhang Wusheng looked at Su Ze in confusion. Based on his impression of the Song Dynasty officials, every one of them was arrogant and violent. Although those scholars and officials appeared to be kind and righteous on the surface, they were actually ruthless and cruel.

How could there be such a gentle official like Su Ze, who condescended to come to this dirty and messy place in person?

The official was so polite that Zhang Wusheng quickly welcomed Su Ze into his room.

(End of this chapter)