No war in the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 75: Thousand Gold Market Bones
Su Ze took Zhang Wusheng into the store and house affairs office. When they reached the meeting hall, Su Ze asked:

"Have you thought about it?"

Zhang Wusheng knelt down in the hall and said to Su Ze:

"Sir, I've made up my mind. I'm willing to work with the Shiyi Office!"

Su Ze was a little surprised. He had thought that it would take some time to convince the common people to join the market exchange, but he didn't expect that Zhang Wusheng figured it out after just one night.

Su Ze said:

"Tell me how you figured it out."

Zhang Wusheng prostrated himself on the ground and said:

"After the Minister of Justice left yesterday, Monk Qian from the Great Xiangguo Temple came to visit."

Feng Shiyuan said in Su Ze's ear:

"Monk Qian is the monk in charge of lending money at Daxiangguo Temple."

"That Qian Monk said that our company wants to join the exchange, which has displeased the head monk in the temple. He wants to increase the interest rate by 20% next year, otherwise they will withdraw the loan."

"Sir, making soy sauce is a small business to begin with. The beans sold by the peddlers at Daxiangguo Temple are more expensive than those sold outside, and the price of the soy sauce is kept very low. If you raise the interest rate, all the hard work will be in vain."

Sure enough, usury is a huge mountain weighing on the people's heads.

The commodity economy in the Song Dynasty was already very prosperous, and the business of lending money naturally emerged.

Moreover, the interest rates for loans in ancient times were very high. Not to mention the 50% interest rate of the Daxiangguo Temple, even if you borrowed one and repaid two, there were still many such high-interest loans.

Even today, because the people went bankrupt due to borrowing money, the government has issued a special decree stipulating that the interest cannot exceed the principal, that is, the loan interest rate cannot exceed 100%.

Daxiangguo Temple controlled the people in the sauce and vinegar industry through high-priced raw materials, low-priced purchases, and high-interest loans, almost turning them into monk slaves of Daxiangguo Temple.

Su Ze said with satisfaction:
"Okay, go back and empty the soy sauce vat. I'll come and teach you how to make the sauce tomorrow. As for the raw materials, the market exchange will lend them to you this time. You can return them after you make the soy sauce. If you can't make the sauce, you don't have to return it. How do you do that?"

Zhang Wusheng didn't expect that the Municipal Exchange would have such good conditions. He was overjoyed and agreed. Under the leadership of Zhang Shucheng, he signed and sealed the contract to join the Municipal Exchange in the side hall.

After sending Zhang Wusheng away, Feng Shiyuan said worriedly, "Master, buying bones for a thousand gold coins is indeed a good idea, but making sauce takes too long. If the market wants to improve its performance, it should also find some business that can produce results quickly."

Su Ze has always said that making the sauce is fast. In Feng Shiyuan's opinion, no matter how fast the sauce is made, it will still take several months.

Feng Shiyuan added:

"The Market Exchange is newly established. I've heard that many big merchants in Bianjing are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves."

Su Ze smiled and said:

"Making sauce is a quick-acting business."

Feng Shiyuan still looked unconvinced, and Su Ze said again:

"My family's secret recipe only takes seven days from the beginning to the end!"

"Seven days?"

Feng Shiyuan was full of disbelief. How could the sauce be made in seven days?
If you can make sauce in seven days, it is not just a secret recipe for making sauce, it is a magical technique that can turn stone into gold.

However, thinking of how Su Ze had always managed to turn things around, Feng Shiyuan assumed he had some sort of plan and stopped trying to persuade him. He simply followed Su Ze's instructions and went to the market to buy soybeans. Su Ze then summoned his staff to report on their work, as instructed in the "New Official Arrival Ceremony."

The most taboo thing for an official is "laziness". If the chief official does not pay attention to a matter, then at best the clerks who carry out the execution will be lax, and at worst the clerks will see an opportunity and deceive their superiors and subordinates in the name of the government and enrich themselves.

Therefore, if you are a people-friendly official, you must supervise the work done the previous day every day.

However, as a superior, you also have to help deal with difficult problems and cannot just let your subordinates act recklessly.

Lu Dayou and Feng Youcai were caught by Su Ze, and their attitude towards Su Ze was completely different. They were very respectful to Su Ze.

Because of Su Ze's methods, Wei Tong did not dare to be negligent even though he was given a lucrative job, and reported his work to Su Ze carefully.

Near noon, the aroma of food wafted from the backyard of the inn. Feng Shiyuan, who had just returned from work, followed the aroma into the inn and heard the clerks and hall servants happily carrying food.

"This is?"

When the clerk saw Feng Shiyuan, he hurriedly asked, "How is Mr. Feng Kong?"

There was no public kitchen in the store and house affairs. Except for the first day in office, when Su Ze paid for everyone's takeout meal from Daxiangguo Temple, most of the officials and yamen runners brought their own meals.

These days, Feng Shiyuan also ate with Su Ze in a nearby restaurant.

The clerk immediately said, "Su Tiju said that from now on all the clerks and servants in the office will have a free lunch."

Feng Shiyuan frowned. It was normal for government offices to provide meals. For example, he used to work in Kaifeng Prefecture, which had its own public kitchen. However, the taste was hard to describe. However, eating out in Bianjing City was also very expensive. For ordinary lower-level officials and yamen runners, being able to eat in the public kitchen of the government office was also a very good benefit.

Feng Shiyuan glanced over and saw that the food in the lunch box was also very simple, just a plate of soy sauce and egg fried rice, some simple wild vegetables, and a portion of pickled bamboo shoots as a side dish.

Compared to the takeaway food boxes at Daxiangguo Temple, this meal was obviously a bit simple, but compared to the meals that many hall servants brought with them, the hot meal was already quite good.

Thinking of the delicious egg fried rice yesterday, Feng Shiyuan also walked into the backyard, only to see Zhang Shutong distributing food boxes.

"Feng Kongmu, this is the food box that Su Tiju ordered. It's a benefit that Tiju paid for everyone out of his own pocket. Eat it quickly while it's hot."

Looking at the smiles on the faces of the officials and yamen runners around him, Feng Shiyuan couldn't help but secretly admire Su Ze's methods.

Less than a month after taking office as the store and housekeeper, he had already dealt with the accountant who was entrenched in the store and housekeeper, and now he has won over the lower-level clerks and hall servants. With this smooth operation, even if someone incites these clerks and servants to cause trouble for Su Ze in the future, they probably will not be willing to follow.

With such means, the daily affairs of the store and house can be maintained, which is an outstanding ability among the new officials.

The only people Feng Shiyuan had ever seen use such tactics were Fan Zhongyan and Zheng Jian, who were both acting governors of Kaifeng Prefecture.

You should know that Fan Zhongyan has always been considered a prime minister material, and it is only a matter of time before Xuan Ma becomes prime minister.

Zheng Jian was the former ruler and was now the governor of a state.

Both of them have been immersed in officialdom for many years, but Su Ze, a newcomer in officialdom, has such means, and Feng Shiyuan feels that there is great potential in following him.

After receiving a food box, Feng Shiyuan first went to Mingtang to report to Su Ze.

But as soon as he arrived at the main hall, he was stopped by the hall servant. It turned out that Su Ze was meeting guests in the side hall.

Are there visitors?

(End of this chapter)