Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 81: The Conspiracy Between the Ruler and His Ministers Causes Trouble for the Treacherous Officials (Part 2)

Wei Zhongxian has started acquiring shops in the capital again.

This guy's reputation was no joke. The merchants in those shops didn't dare to utter a word. They hurriedly checked their goods, prepared to collect their money and leave. The shop owners didn't dare to say a word either, because they all knew how insidious Wei Zhongxian was.

This guy played a trick last time when he was taking over land. Any corrupt officials who refused to sell their land were not only taken without payment, but also thrown into prison to hand over their ill-gotten gains!
Who in the capital doesn't know about this?
Who would dare to ask this guy for money?
It's just a few dozen shops, and not even one. Each shop will only lose a few at most, it's not a big deal.

If you go to this guy to ask for your money back, he'll arrest you and make you surrender your stolen goods, then you'll lose everything.

In just two days, Wei Zhongxian actually took over forty shops and renamed them all Tianbaotang, clearly telling everyone that these shops were under his protection.

Immediately afterwards, this fellow spread the word that all his godson and godson should be smart and hurry up and go to support him; if they didn't, they would be unfilial descendants!

Who would dare to be disrespectful to the 9,000-year-old grandfather?

Feng Quan might dare.

Few others would dare to do that.

His godson and godson actually went to the store he had taken over to buy things.

And no one dared to buy less; the least they bought over a hundred taels of goods, while some bought hundreds or even thousands of taels.

Those who considered themselves Wei Zhongxian's adopted sons, such as Li Kuilong, Tian Ji, and Ni Wenhuan, were bought for thousands or even tens of thousands of taels.

This is nothing compared to the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of taels of silver they spent building a shrine for Wei Zhongxian. This little bit of money is nothing.

Moreover, they really bought some good stuff; whether they use it themselves or give it as a gift, it's all quite nice.

As a result, the goods in the forty shops were sold out in just a few days. Whether it was glass, mirrors, dried goods, or delicacies, everything was swept away.

The wild ginseng, mink fur, and other wild game that Xinglonghao wholesales are naturally out of stock.

The shopkeepers were busy sourcing goods from all over the place, not only from Xinglonghao, but also from other businesses. They tried to get any valuable goods that could be found in the capital. They even arranged for someone to deliver the goods from Nanjing by express courier.

Immediately afterwards, Li Kuilong, Tian Ji, Ni Wenhuan, and others began to hold lavish banquets, inviting people to eat delicacies from land and sea, and boasting about how good the glass, mirrors, wild ginseng, and mink fur were, and that what Wei Gong was selling was truly excellent, urging everyone to go and buy.

This seems quite normal, after all, they bought several thousand or even tens of thousands of taels of goods, and the money was given to Wei Zhongxian as tribute. They couldn't just leave the goods there unused.

They would then use the delicacies they had bought to entertain guests, and boast to Wei Zhongxian, which could be considered a form of filial piety. Smart people would do the same.

As a result, long queues formed at all forty shops, and the goods in these shops were sold out in just a few days.

The shopkeepers hurriedly went to restock, and Xinglonghao's stock was quickly sold out.

The Xinglonghao branch in the capital immediately ordered someone to send a message back via express courier, urging the head office to deliver the goods as soon as possible.

The goods from Xinglonghao's main branch finally arrived, and they were immediately snapped up by the shopkeepers of forty stores.

The shop owners were very anxious. The weather was getting colder and the New Year was approaching. How could they let us run out of stock?
If we can't make money because we can't get the goods, then Grandpa Nine Thousand Years will skin us alive.

The shop owners were urging them every day, as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

That's pretty much the end of the game.

Even if Fan Yongdou is a seasoned businessman, he couldn't see anything wrong with it.

This is because he couldn't possibly send people to sit in forty shops and count exactly how much merchandise each shop sold.

In fact, the first batch of these forty shops were the ones that really did good business.

That batch was absolutely genuine; Wei Zhongxian's godson and godson really did pay for that much merchandise.

As for the rest, most of them were acting; the people queuing to buy goods were mostly bodyguards dressed as servants!
That makes sense. Rich people can't possibly queue up themselves; it's normal for them to send servants to queue. Actually, the wild ginseng, mink fur, and other wild delicacies in those forty shops weren't sold out. They've all been repackaged and are piled up in the warehouse with other goods.

If Fan Yongdou can't see these things, then he can't see the problem.

Therefore, when the shopkeepers of forty shops all rushed to place orders, even setting deadlines and paying deposits, Fan Yongdou had no doubts; he genuinely believed it was a big deal.

By late October, when the capital region was gripped by biting winds, he had finally prepared the goods and ordered them to be sent to the capital.

His convoy was traveling on the official road from Xuanfu Town to the capital.

This is because they have already cleared the checkpoints along this line, making it inconvenient to take other routes.

At first, everything was going smoothly. The convoy arrived in Baoan Prefecture on the first day and Yanqingwei on the second day, and they didn't see a single thief.

On the morning of the third day, around 7:00 AM, the convoy had just passed Juyong Pass and was about to exit the more than ten-mile-long Guankou Avenue when the accident occurred.

Suddenly, hundreds of masked men in black appeared at the entrance of Guankou Avenue, blocking the entire valley.

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of masked men in black blocked their retreat.

These people were all carrying gleaming knives, clearly indicating they were highway robbers.

Other passersby, seeing this, were so frightened that they hurriedly ran away without daring to look back.

From then on, there was no longer any claim that "this mountain is mine, this tree is mine," nor any requirement to "pay tolls" for passing through.

The two or three hundred people in front and behind didn't utter a sound, but suddenly arrows rained down from the hillsides on both sides!
This is the capital region, and bandits are robbing people in broad daylight!

Who could have imagined?
Before the drivers and guards could react, a rain of arrows descended. A series of screams rang out as two or three hundred men were riddled with arrows on their legs and arms, writhing on the ground in agony.

They must have been hit by countless arrows. It was a miracle they could protect their faces and vital areas; their hands and feet were beyond protection.

Seeing this, the two or three hundred masked men in black remained silent. They deftly tucked their knives into their waistbands, then pulled out large clubs from their backs and swung them down on the heads of those men.

Soon, the entire valley fell silent.

The two or three hundred masked men in black immediately drove dozens of carriages to another valley two or three miles to the south.

No one dared to watch their spectacle. Even if someone tried to peek from afar, they would pretend to chase after them with knives, making the person run away in fear.

By this time, the once-closed valley was already filled with hundreds of carriages. Thousands of guards rushed over and shoveled the goods out of the dozens of carriages. Soon, the dozens of empty carriages left the valley and headed south.

Before long, the hundreds of horse-drawn carriages carrying coal leisurely headed towards the capital.

They seemed to be coal haulers, and at this time, the demand for coal in the southeastern part of the capital was quite high. As long as they hauled the coal there, they could sell it.

That afternoon, as the sun was setting, the coal-hauling caravan finally arrived at the former Tongzhou city.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison who were guarding the city gave them a perfunctory inspection before letting them in.

As soon as they entered, they unloaded the coal, which was separated by wooden frames, directly into the glass factory. Then they disguised it as a cargo wagon, drove through the city, and arrived at the canal wharf on the east side.

Seeing that the goods were already being loaded onto the ship, Zhu Jue smiled slightly and said, "Zhongxian, it's up to you now."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian immediately flattered, "This servant understands. If they dare not pay compensation, this servant will shut down all their shops in Shanxi, one by one!"

This pair of ruler and minister is truly speechless; they actually enjoy doing such shady things so much!

Seeing this, Bi Maoliang could only sigh inwardly and dared not utter a sound.

(End of this chapter)