A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1095 Bad News

An autumn rain and a cold,

In the blink of an eye, the hot summer has been blown away by the autumn wind. Sitting in the private room of Fan Tower, drinking osmanthus wine, you can see the pedestrians on the street below.

Chang'an is still so prosperous,

The cold disaster in early spring, which once froze to death thousands of people in Gyeonggi Province, seemed to be just a gust of wind.

"The student is incompetent, please punish the teacher."

Opposite Wu Huaiyu, Li Yifu, the prince's servant, lowered his head and his eyes were red. This young man, after the establishment of the Municipal Yisi, was recommended by Wu Huaiyu to promote the Municipal Yisi, and he was in charge of this new organization and had high hopes.

But now the Municipal Yisi has been running for several months. Urban Yisi has been established not only in Chang'an, but also in Luoyang, Yangzhou, Bianzhou, Jingzhou, Shaanzhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, Qizhou, Xiangzhou, Yizhou, and Jiangzhou , Runzhou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and many other places have successively established Municipal Yi Divisions.
But now when the accounts were settled, Shiyisi actually lost money on its books.

This was supposed to be money making.

Especially in Chang'an, as the largest commodity distribution center, Chang'an Urban Yisi lost the most money.

For example, if some materials are directly monopolized by the Yi Department,

This time, he suddenly changed his position of attack and defense, taking all the initiative in his hands.

I won't let you sell it.

What does it mean to have the right of final interpretation? That means you can make rules or even modify them at any time.

Li Yifu was very ashamed. He originally wanted to do something big and achieve results so that he could go further.

If Shiyisi can continue to lose money, then it’s time to stop doing it.

If you lose money from the court, then there is a problem.

Who expected it to fail like this.

I have told you before that what our company wants is to compete with those merchants. If we want to compete, we must start from the source, compete from the source of the goods, get first-hand goods directly, and then use our warehousing, transportation and other advantages to reduce costs. , regulate supply and demand,

Shiyisi has the advantages of Shiyisi, firstly, its official status, and secondly, its size can be larger than that of ordinary businessmen.

"Buy high and sell low," Li Yifu said bluntly.

"Let all the wine drinkers in Chang'an Winery buy glutinous rice and distiller's yeast from Shi Yisi and sell them exclusively."

Break their monopoly,"

Li Yifu was greatly shocked. He didn't expect it to happen like this.

Wu Huaiyu shook his head, "In order to break the monopoly of rich and profiteers, stabilize prices, and stabilize market order, the City Yi Department buys at high prices and sells at low prices to make a loss for the people. It is good, but it does not really mean losing money.

An organization that was supposed to be profitable ended up losing money.
Li Yifu himself felt that he had no face to face the teacher. This also caused the City Yisi to be attacked by many officials recently, and some even directly said that the City Yisi would be banned.

"Don't be discouraged. Your failure this time is just a temporary setback."

How can wealthy businessmen monopolize glutinous rice and even manipulate the price of wine?
As soon as this idea was changed, the situation immediately changed.

"We can ship goods faster, and even lend the goods to small and medium-sized merchants first, charging only two to four cents of annual interest, and let them take the goods to sell first, and then pay back the money after the goods are shipped, so that we can expand our business. Shipping capacity, reducing the cost of goods backlog.”

The most important thing is that Yisi needs to integrate the market and connect the source of goods with the terminal vendors.

Of course, the one with the most glutinous rice was the imperial court. Shiyisi could get a lot of glutinous rice directly from the imperial palace's official warehouses and Changpingcang, and might not even give it to the merchants, allowing them to buy glutinous rice from Shiyisi in turn.

"We even use our integration capabilities to take over some unsalable goods from small and medium-sized merchants and prepare them for sale."

If you do business well, let's compete fairly. If you don't do business well, then don't blame the authorities for customizing new rules for you.

If you really want to play, who can play with the officials of the imperial court?

Wu Huaiyu encouraged the students and even immediately gave him some countermeasures. Not only did he talk about business, but he also used his official status as the Municipal Yi Department to issue some administrative orders to deal with the uncooperative profiteers.

"Have you found the reason for the loss yourself?"

Wu Huaiyu took the report summarized by Li Yifu in his hand and looked through it. Li Yifu was a person he valued. He was very young, but very smart and energetic. He had a way of doing things. Wu Huaiyu proposed the Market Change Law. In the Han Dynasty, Sang Hongyang It was born out of the equitable law.

In Wu Huaiyu's view, it is much easier for Shi Yisi to make money than those wealthy businessmen. It is not difficult to make money while adjusting prices and stabilizing order.

Shiyisi does not want to become a businessman himself. He is a participant with a supervision and control mechanism. It does not mean that all goods must be adulterated.
We must first control bulk commodities and not allow those businessmen to monopolize and control the market at will.

Trading positions are similar to Changping positions, but they are not set up to lose money, but to make money.

When you faced those wealthy businessmen in Chang'an, your methods were too simple,"

Changpingcang buys grain at a higher price when it is cheap, and sells it at a low price when it is expensive. But when did you lose money? Buying high and selling low is not the truth, but relative to the market price, it is actually buying low and selling high.

"As long as the market maker can lower the price, it will not only facilitate business and benefit the people, but also benefit the public, what's wrong with it?"

But Li Yifu is really buying high and selling low, so he is naturally losing money.

Li Yifu was shocked.
Can you still play like this?
"Teacher, is this too much..."

Just a few administrative orders can wipe out the advantages of those profiteers.
For example, the glutinous rice and distiller's yeast business in Li Yifu suffered a lot of losses, and they were cheated a lot by those monopoly merchants. Those guys joined forces and almost monopolized the glutinous rice and distiller's yeast business in Chang'an.

Glutinous rice is an important raw material for brewing wine.

As for the profit losses of those monopolies who made huge profits, who cares about them, even if they are backed by wealthy nobles, Wu Huaiyu doesn't care too much.

Li Yifu could only buy at a high price and sell at a low price. Not only did he lose money, but he also failed to really lower the price.

Those merchants monopolize Chang'an's glutinous rice and distiller's yeast, Wu Huaiyu has a monopoly, and you hoard the glutinous rice and manipulate the price of glutinous rice?

"The key to your problem now is that you are completely led by those merchants. Even your goods are taken from those merchants. How can you not lose money? The more you trade, the more you lose. You have to change your thinking.

Wu Huaiyu told Li Yifu that you should actually buy at a low price and sell at a high price. You can even lend goods to merchants, not only making profit from the price difference, but also earning interest on the loan.

In the end, we need to make money while also curbing mergers and leveling prices.
Take Chang'an as an example.

This is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, the largest commodity distribution center in the world. Countless merchants from other places bring goods to Chang'an, and they all want to make quick moves to withdraw funds.

However, merchants from various guilds in Chang'an will inevitably unite and find ways to drive up or lower prices. If these foreign merchants want to ship goods as soon as possible, they can only be exploited by them.
Those merchants suppressed their counterparts from other places, stocked goods at low prices, monopolized the market, and raised the prices of goods for sale. Retailers and Chang'an citizens had to be chopped down a few more times.

Now Chang'an Yisi can be more proactive in docking these foreign goods.

To break the joint blockade monopoly of local guild merchants, you can quote a higher price to receive the goods, then contact small and medium-sized merchants, sell the goods to them, or lend them money to sell.
"Shiyisi needs to recruit more dental dealers. They don't need to work full-time for Shiyisi. Instead, as long as they facilitate a transaction, they can get a commission. In this way, Shiyisi can have countless salesmen."

In the long run, the market should take advantage of its own strength to control the source of bulk commodities and reduce the cost of commodity circulation. Only in this way can it truly lower prices and promote circulation, which will benefit the country and the people.

"There are still a few months until the Chinese New Year. You, the City Council, must seize the time, turn losses into profits, and submit a satisfactory report card." Li Yifu promised with a red face that he would perform well.

After drinking a pot of tea, Wu Huaiyu left.

His six months in Chang'an have gone smoothly.

In the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he was well supported by the government officials. After all, who wouldn't like a boss who can benefit his subordinates? Wu Huaiyu doubled the actual income of the ministry officials.

The working meals in the cafeteria alone are very greasy, with meat in every meal, and breakfast is even served now.

I only had one meal before, but now I have two.

Rice, flour, oil, salt, salary, charcoal, clothing, and even fodder for horses and mules were distributed. In the early autumn, under the leadership of Wu Huaiyu, the Hubu Yamen also raised a special amount of funds to acquire a piece of land in the south of Shangcheng and build a new household. Ministry residential compound,
This dormitory area is not small. There are small courtyards for officials and dormitories for single officials. After the dormitory is built, all officials in the department can apply to move in.
You have to pay rent, but it's only a nominal amount.

Nowadays, it is quite difficult for many young officials to live in Chang'an. Houses are generally unaffordable and renting is expensive, and they can often only rent in the more remote Xianancheng Zhufang.
It was too far to go to the Imperial City Yamen to work every day, so mules and horses were necessary, which added another expense.

Now the Ministry of Revenue has built a new dormitory area in Shangnancheng. The rent is cheap, the place is spacious, and it is close to the government office. Calculated, it can save a lot of money every month.

In fact, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development did not spend much money, because after acquiring a large piece of land, only part of it was used to build dormitories, and some was used to build shops and warehouses, which were sold and rented for commercial use. The income from that part could fill a large I only pay a small part of the money for land and construction, and I can still keep some shops and warehouses to collect rent in the future.

Wu Huaiyu made a special trip to the dormitory construction site. The progress was pretty good and the quality of the project was acceptable. When the officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs who were supervising the work saw him coming, they quickly reported in detail.

Wu Huaiyu is very satisfied. According to this progress, it will be completely repaired before the year.

After walking around for a while, Huaiyu went home.

It was only shortly after noon,
Wu Huaiyu, who was not on duty, did not stay at the political hall for long.
The imperial court has been quite calm recently.

Hou Junji now keeps his tail between his legs and is very low-key. Wu Huaiyu has no other political opponents in the court. He does not make grudges with others or take matters into his own hands. He concentrates on doing his job in the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The outer borders of Datang were still very peaceful.

This year, the nomadic tribes in the north were severely affected by the disaster. According to tradition, each tribe began to eat the big fish and eat the small fish. Because of the great power of the Tang Dynasty, Xue Yantuo and others did not dare to go south.

From early spring to now late autumn,

The tribes in Mobei Tiele were about to lose their brains. Xue Yantuo even crossed the Jinshan Mountains to fight against the Western Turks, while the Uighurs went to fight against the Shiwei people, and some also fought with Xi and Khitan.
It’s just noisy anyway.

Every day, envoys from nomadic tribes came to Chang'an to ask Tian Khan for mediation and protection.

Tian Khan Li Shimin issued decrees one after another and sent envoys one after another, but he did not send out troops.

The Tang Dynasty was tight on the outside and on the inside, and was highly wary of Xue Yantuo. In the past six months, many more troops and horses had been sent to the border of northern Xinjiang, and various supplies had been transported to Ling, Bing, and You in the north.

Just entered the house,

As a result, Fan Xuanfu's eyes turned red.

"I'm about to send someone to find Alang."

"What happened?"

"Someone came to Miyuan Ryuqiao's house just now and said that my mother is gone."

"Gone?"

"It was said that she was fine in the morning, but she suddenly fainted, and then passed away before the doctor could come for treatment." Fan Xuanfu said with red eyes. She still liked this mother-in-law very much.

Wu Huaiyu was stunned for a moment.

I heard that it might be a sudden cerebral infarction or a myocardial infarction, and it would be gone immediately.

"Hurry up and pack up and go back to Longqiao for the funeral."

Wu Huaiyu returned to his study and wrote a letter to the emperor, resigning to Ding You and returning home to observe mourning for his mother for three years.

When the seal was finished, all the wives and concubines on Xuanfu's side were also packed up.
So a group of people who changed into plain clothes quickly got on the carriages and horses and returned to Miyuan Longqiao.

Wu Huaiyu also sent people to report the funeral to Huai Liang, the third eldest son in Jiangzhou, and to report the funeral to Huai Yi, the eldest brother in Chanyutai in Saibei.

"Have you informed the eldest sister, the second sister, the third sister, and the fourth sister?"

"Everyone has been notified,"

"Go pick them up and go back together."

Wu Huaiyu felt a little depressed when he thought of the kind-hearted Wu Liu. He still remembered the way Wu Liu held him and cried bitterly in the evening when he first arrived at Longqiao. She was a traditional and kind-hearted woman.
I have suffered a lot in my life,

I have finally enjoyed the blessings of more than ten years in my old age. Now I am about seventy and driving to the west. The departure is sudden, but it is not painful. According to the folk saying, it is a joy and mourning.

It is also a blessing for the Wu Liu family.

In Tai Chi Palace,

Li Shimin received the stamp from Wu Huaiyu, looked at the stamp for a long time, and finally Huake agreed.

Wu Huaiyu's fourth visit to the prime minister ended in just over half a year.

The emperor called Zhang Anan and asked him to go to Sanyuan to express his condolences on his behalf.

He also issued a special decree to give the Wu Liu family a cemetery in the Xianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu and the secret weapon of Dongyuan.

This is a gift given to the warrior Ke and the Wu Liu family to be buried together in the mausoleum.

After Zhang Ananda left,
Li Shimin turned his attention to the Hetao and looked towards Xiangcheng, Shanyu Taiding, where Wu Huaiyi was now the Deputy Protector and Governor of Fengzhou.

Right now, the frontier fortress is experiencing an undercurrent.

No one can say whether Xue Yantuo will go south.

At this time, we shouldn’t have changed coaches.

The emperor can issue an edict to let Wu Huaiyi seize his love and stay in office.
But after much thought, he still didn't make this decision.

If the coach changes, who will he replace?

Zhang Wenjin, his brother-in-law, is also the Deputy Chief Protector and the Governor of Yunzhou. However, the defense line in Saibei is so long that it cannot be delegated to one person.

Duan Zhixuan, Yu Chigong or Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin?

The emperor considered for a long time among these four people and finally chose one.

(End of this chapter)