Listening to politics behind a curtain?Kill the Queen Mother at the beginning!

Chapter 85

"Well, the guilty minister has been executed."

"Then let's continue talking about the Northern Expedition."

Zhu Ming looked at the young man standing with the knife in his hand and nodded silently, then he turned his eyes to the trembling ministers and said.

"Your Majesty, there is enough silver now. If you want to raise food, according to the old minister,"

"We still have to try to avoid buying grain from markets and grain shops in various places, so as not to cause prices to skyrocket in the market."

Li Zhijie was the first to speak when he heard the sound.

"Well, Mr. Li is right."

Zhu Ming also nodded when he heard the sound and said, it is a common practice for the prices of firewood, rice, oil and salt to soar during wars, not to mention losing a war will inevitably cause panic.

In addition, in order to make up for the food and grass, if such a large sum of money is suddenly invested in the folks, it will definitely cause market changes. In the end,
It is the court that suffers, and the common people suffer.
"Li Gong, do you have a good strategy?"

Zhu Ming asked.

"The veteran remembers that the world's four major merchant gangs also have standing granaries in the capital. If the imperial court directly bypasses the grain shops and local merchants in the city and buys grain directly from them, it will probably be able to make up for the gap in the Northern Expedition."

"Also raising food on the spot in Gyeonggi is also convenient for unified deployment and escort, which saves a lot of trouble, and also reduces the pressure between states and counties, and the loss of transportation and aggregation along the way."

"Affected by the Northern Expedition, it is inevitable that the price of food in the capital city will rise somewhat, but, for the common people, it is not impossible to afford food..."

After thinking for a moment, Li Zhijie said,

In fact, there has never been a shortage of food in the world. It is only the imperial court and the poor people who are short of food.

What Li Zhijie wanted was to minimize the impact of the Northern Expedition on the common people as much as possible.

"Well, since that's the case, let's start buying food."

"Leave it to the household department to purchase."

"Old minister, take orders!"

"Old minister, I will live up to your majesty's trust!"

If there is money from the imperial court, the courtiers have nothing to do.

Zhou Xuebin, Shangshu of the household department, took the lead to lead the way, and the servant of the household department had just been beheaded, so he, the chief official, naturally had to show some appearance.

Only Prince Nashuo narrowed his eyes slightly,

I don't know what I'm thinking about.

"Hurry up and do it."

Zhu Ming waved his hand.

"promise!"

Hubu Shangshu bowed and said.

The rest of the time went over to some specific charters.

"Minister, please leave!"

After negotiating,

Baiguan resigned,

"Hey hey..."

When all the officials bowed and retreated, the censor who pointed at Luo Porridge just now, probably because his right foot stepped out of the threshold first, staggered and fell directly to the ground.

The moment he fell to the ground, for some unknown reason, his heart froze, and he stretched out his right hand in a weird posture. When he suddenly came out of the ground, he heard a "click", and it turned out that his forearm was turned outward and fractured... …

"Lord Luo, you really are a genius!"

The censor ignored the surprised gazes of the people around him, but endured the severe pain, turned around and flattered the young man in the boa robe.

"Oh?"

Luo Congee was quite surprised when he saw this.

"As the saying goes, if you are injured for a hundred days, you may not be able to go to court tomorrow, and you have to recuperate at home..."

The censor said embarrassingly.

"Tomorrow will save a trigram."

Luo Congee couldn't help but smile,
Didn't expect him to be so knowledgeable.

"Your Majesty, look..."

After hearing this, the censor looked at Zhu Ming resentfully.

"That's it!"

Seeing this, Zhu Ming also couldn't laugh or cry.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Hearing the sound, the censor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his still moving hand as if he had been amnesty.

……

"Luo Aiqing, I have another errand for you."

After the courtiers dispersed,

Zhu Ming looked at Luo Congee and spoke again.

"Your Majesty, just give orders."

Luo Congee bowed.

"The amount of grain purchased by the court this time is too large, and I am also worried that the four major merchant gangs will take the opportunity to raise the price of grain...

Zhu Ming said worriedly.

"What does your majesty mean?"

"You should send someone to keep an eye on the movement of the four major merchant gangs, and report any trouble at any time."

"If those business gangs take the opportunity to drive up grain prices and want to earn money from the court, I allow you to deal with it yourself."

"all in all,"

"I disdain to compete with those lowly merchants for profits, and I also pity their exhaustion in escorting warehouses, so let's calculate according to the market price in Beijing..."

"Can,"

Zhu Ming paused and continued.

"The imperial court is also determined not to be taken advantage of."

Zhu Ming said coldly.

"Sir, take orders!"

Luo Congee bowed.

"Your Majesty has also changed..."

Looking at the fierce light in Zhu Ming's eyes, Luo Congee was also deeply moved. If it had been placed earlier, according to his temperament, he might have invited the heads of those big business gangs into the imperial court and treated them with courtesy. Treat each other, discuss it carefully, make a promise, let them taste the sweetness, and do things well.

Now it is indeed a lot of vigorous and resolute.

Doing nothing is to let yourself deal with it...

"Go."

Zhu Ming waved his hand.

"Sir, retire!"

There is nothing wrong with Luo porridge.

……

Luofu,

"Bai Xiaosheng, where are you?"

As soon as Luo Porridge returned home, he sent someone to find Bai Xiaosheng.

"Lord Luo, please tell me!"

"Recently, letting you keep an eye on the wind direction in Shangjing City has been somewhat effective. I will ask you first, how is the price of food in the city recently?"

Luo porridge cut to the chase.

"Reporting to Master Luo, in the prosperous period of the previous dynasty, rice buckets reached thirteen coins, and Qingqi Gudou reached five coins. Since then, there have been no valuables in the world. In Beijing, a bucket of rice is only twenty coins!"

"Nowadays, there are endless wars, and there are occasional natural disasters in various parts of the world. The grain production is unstable. The price of rice is twenty yuan, and the price of grain in Qingqi is nine. Thirty Wen!"

"The situation has not changed much in recent years, and the news of the failure of the Northern Expedition has not yet spread among the people. Therefore, the price of grain in Gyeonggi is still maintained at between 28 and 32 cents a dou. "

"As for today's grain prices in Gyeonggi, Qingqi Gudou reaches 31 Wen, and Dou Mi costs [-] Wen."

Bai Xiaosheng spoke in a leisurely manner, apparently he had all the news in his mind, and he spoke in great detail without any stuttering.

"Ah."

Luo Congee nodded upon hearing the sound.

"Come here, bring a pen and paper."

After Luo Conge thought for a while, he sent servants from the mansion to bring pens and paper.

With a swipe of the pen, write down a few sheets,
There are only a few numbers on the paper,

"The price of grain must not be higher than today's market price."

After Luo Porridge finished writing,
He stamped his seal on the letter again.

There is not a single threatening word throughout,

Only the personal seal was scarlet and frightening.

"You send these letters to the heads of the four major business gangs in Shangjing..."

Luo Porridge handed out the letter after stamping.

"Lord Luo, are you following the market price?"

Bai Xiaosheng received the letter hesitating to speak but stopped talking. You must know that the market price of land in prefectures and counties is different from that in Gyeonggi, and the price is indeed a world of difference.

"I suppose they'll understand."

Luo porridge plays with flavor.

"Your Majesty disdains to compete with merchants for profit,"

"Scholar, farmer, businessman, scholar, farmer, businessman..."

"This is the policy of the past dynasties to stabilize the country. However, although these merchants are ranked at the bottom and their reputation is not obvious, they have made a lot of money because of it."

"Speaking of which, the imperial court is still too pampered for these people, and the commercial tax of my Great Leaving Dynasty is even pitifully low..."

Luo porridge said quietly,
"This official disdains to compete with the people for profit,"

"But the officials of these merchant gangs are still willing to earn their money. I feel at ease if I can earn their money."

Luo Congee murmured, although the business gangs in this world are not obvious, they are essentially no different from those capitalists in the previous life. Big, all lying on the back of the dynasty to suck blood.

the only difference,
don't care

A master holds power, a deputy makes money,

One is in charge of the money, the subordinate is the power,

"Only wish,"

"They can also be as knowledgeable as the censor."

Luo Porridge recalled the scene in the court hall and smiled lightly: "If not, I will have to work hard to make a fortune for them myself."

"Go!"

After finishing speaking, Luo Porridge waved his hand.

……

The next day,

At noon,

haven't retreated yet,
Several carriages with the logo of the chamber of commerce on their wheels had already parked outside the back door of Luo Mansion. The trademarks were Shanxi merchants, Huizhou merchants, Chaozhou merchants, and Ningbo merchants.

Taking a look at the sky, he guessed that he was about to step back. Several merchants in common clothes but with rich faces did not dare to slack off. They got off the carriage and waited anxiously at the front door.

"Lord Luo, Lord Luo..."

A few people from far away saw the young man wearing a python robe riding a horse and greeted him enthusiastically, seeing that he looked like a lowly dog ​​leg.

"You are?"

Luo Conge turned over and got off the horse.

"Lord Luo, you are such a noble person that you forget things too much."

"You sent someone to deliver a letter to us yesterday."

The middle-aged man at the head smiled embarrassingly.

"Let's go to the house first."

After Luo Porridge finished speaking, he walked towards the mansion.

"crunch, crunch..."

The door of the mansion opened slowly,
Two porters wait at the door,

Luo Porridge entered the mansion calmly, but several merchants looked at the main entrance but did not dare to lift their feet. They waited until the side door was opened before lowering their heads and entering the mansion.

"Tell me."

"Why are you looking for this official?"

Luo Congee asked with a smile.

"Reporting to Mr. Luo, Caomin came to thank Mr. Luo according to the wishes of the master."

"Oh?"

"How can I say thank you?"

"To tell you the truth, Mr. Luo, regarding the purchase of military rations by the imperial court, each of our families has signed a contract with the Ministry of Households, and we can sell them at the price of grain in Shangjing City. I think it is the result of Mr. Luo's nod..."

"We came here to make up for the price difference. Calculated according to the price difference in various places, a bucket of rice will be paid at eleven cents."

"These golds are just the first batch of price difference. The rest of the gold will be delivered to Lord Luo's residence after the court settles the final payment."

The leading merchant said in a low voice, after getting Luo Porridge's tacit consent, dozens of people unloaded large boxes from the carriage at the back door and brought them into the courtyard.

"Master Luo, please accept it."

After the leading merchant finished speaking, he casually opened the nearest large box, which was full of gold, and under the sunlight, the luster flowed, which was extremely attractive.

And the same boxes were piled up in the yard for a full twelve.

"Well, it's quite interesting."

Luo Porridge was not polite when he saw this, and asked people to carry the gold to the warehouse next door.

"Lord Luo, you are satisfied."

"There is one more thing. The master asked us to discuss it with Mr. Luo."

When the leading merchant saw the gold being put into the treasury,
Rolling his eyes, he smiled and said.

"Oh?"

"But it doesn't matter."

Luo Congee raised his hand and said.

"Our families have now signed a contract with the household department. According to the market price in Beijing yesterday, we have delivered all the grain in the warehouse. Now the household department is arranging the receipt and escort."

"After selling the grain, each of our families also has some free money in their hands, so we are thinking of doing some other business besides selling grain."

"Oh?"

"What business?"

Luo Congee twisted his neck and said.

"Collect food!"

"Collect food?"

"Receive grain at a high price!"

"Nowadays, the market price in Shangjing is probably around 34 Wen. What I mean is to collect grain at a high price of 35 or [-] Wen."

The leading merchant spoke out.

"You sold it to the imperial court for 31 renminbi a bucket, and now you receive it at 34 or 35 renminbi?"

"Do you still have to pay out of your own pocket?"

Luo Congee said suspiciously.

"Lord Luo, you must have misunderstood."

"The grain sold to the imperial court is sold to the imperial court, and our warehouses in various places are sufficient for delivery."

"As for the grain collected from the people, there are other uses, and the two should not be confused."

"Now the imperial court bypasses the market and collects grain directly from our families. Although the price of folk grain has risen, there is no shortage of grain and grass in the capital, and the supply exceeds demand, so it won't increase much..."

"When every household has stocked up on some food and finds that the food is still sufficient, it will drop down naturally."

"But if I keep collecting grain at a high price, it will inevitably cause panic among the people. In addition to the news of the failure of the Northern Expedition, the price of grain will inevitably soar."

"And the batch of grain we sold will be sent to northern Xinjiang in a short time. This is military grain. It is absolutely impossible to recover it, and it will not solve the situation in the capital."

"As for the grain business in the prefectures and counties, we have also been involved, not to mention that we can't quench our thirst far away. There is absolutely no possibility of losing money in this business."

The merchant said firmly.

"in this case."

"Do you want to raise the price of food in Gyeonggi together?"

Luo porridge plays with flavor.

"But what if the government releases food?"

Luo Congee continued to ask,

There is a government-run granary in Gyeonggi, which has existed since the Great Leaving of the country. It is only used as a strategic reserve and has never been used. Even the Northern Expedition has just never been used. It is not impossible.

The supply of grain was opened, and when the people felt at ease, the price of grain dropped again. At least those merchants who hoarded a large number of high-priced grains could not hold on, so they had to sell them cheaply. If you can use the money from selling grain to buy back a batch of new grain, why not do it?
things like that,
It's not like the previous dynasty didn't happen.

After all, the officials of the imperial court are not all eating dry food.

"I have also thought of the question that Mr. Luo thought of."

The leading merchant continued.

"If the government releases food, then we will continue to collect it!"

"Oh?"

"Can you accept that much?"

"My lord, don't underestimate us. The masters of our families have been in business for generations. Although they are not as high-ranking as your lord in the court, their positions are high, but their family background is also very rich. No matter how much the official granary sells, we can do it." Eat it!"

"What if the household registration is restricted to purchase food?"

"If the household registration is restricted, the people will become more panicked, and the price of food will not be lowered."

"The food I'm waiting for is not bad."

"It's just about earning more or less."

The man said firmly.

"But even if the government opens up the supply of cheap food, do you have the guts to buy it?"

Luo Congee continued.

"Of course I didn't have the guts to buy it directly."

"However, no matter how much grain they release and what price they sell, we will take it back at a price that is one-tenth higher. Small people are chasing profits. If you buy ten buckets, you can make a bucket of it when you change hands. Why not do it? ?”

"When the people buy it, they will naturally sell it."

"As for our families, we only accept and don't sell!"

"By the time they wake up, it's too late."

"There is no grain to buy in the capital, and there is no rice to cook at home. The price of grain in Beijing will double!"

"After shorting the grain market in Gyeonggi, how to set the grain price is naturally up to us."

The man was spitting, and when he talked about making money, he still had the same submissive appearance as before, and he was really high-spirited.

Luo Porridge could understand that what they did was no different from that of the Jin Yuan Juan in their previous life.

Luo Porridge didn't doubt whether they had this ability, after all, similar things had happened in the previous life.

It is no exaggeration to say that if there is no restraint, these people can even raise the price of food in the world.

As for how many people will starve to death behind the scenes, it is naturally not in their consideration, they only calculate how many taels of silver they can earn in their pockets.

"You guys compete with the people for profit like this,"

"Aren't you afraid of losing your head?"

After being silent for a long time, Luo Congee said quietly.

"That's why I found my lord."

"Someone has to be up there to keep the weather out."

The leader smiled shyly.

"If it can be done."

"Every one of us would like to,"

"Take out another [-]% of the profit and give it to Mr. Luo!"

"[-]%?"

Luo Congee murmured,
to be frank,
Are you excited?
Very exciting!

In contrast, the imperial court asks them to buy grain and grass, and the price difference I earn from it is only a drop in the bucket, but I don't know how many lives it takes to pile up this [-]% profit.

Earn their money and have a clear conscience!

You can use the little life of ordinary Shengdou people,

After earning a few taels of silver, I can hardly sleep or eat.

In the end, I am not a good person, but I don't bother to do such dirty things.

"If the adults think it's too little, the villain has the guts to set a tone for the masters of each family. Lord Luo will share equally with the four of us, and the family will have [-]%. What do you think?"

"You don't need to pay a penny. After the matter is completed, we will naturally send the [-]% bonus to Mr. Luo's residence."

The man saw that Luo Congee was silent for a long time,
Gritting his teeth, he continued to seduce Yili.

"Oh?"

"Do you know who was the last person who seduced me for profit?"

Luo Congee ignored the man's words,

Instead, he said inexplicably,
"Please also, my lord enlighten me."

The man was puzzled,

But he also listened patiently.

"Military Minister Feng Linqing."

"The Minister of War?"

The man was surprised,
Of course he didn't know the details.

"It doesn't matter if you don't know about it, you just need to know one thing, the grass on his grave should be quite tall now..."

"How tall is it?"

The man never recovered,
subconsciously asked,
"Moyo is about the same height as you."

Luo Congee took a look at the man and said seriously.

"This……"

The man was speechless.

"Lord Luo,"

"Is there no room for negotiation?"

After being dazed for a long time,
That person is still unwilling to give up.

Luo Congee didn't answer but just stared at the man coldly.

Inexplicably, I remembered a sentence from my previous life,

Merchants have been chasing profit since ancient times,

When the profit reaches 50.00%, they will be eager to move; when the profit reaches [-]%, they will take risks; when the profit reaches [-]%, they dare to trample on all laws in the world; At three hundred, they dared to risk hanging.

Luo Porridge doesn't know how many times the profits of the four major business gangs can be short-selling the grain of the entire capital, but it is very clear that the benefits are enough for them to trample on the law and kill countless lives.

"call……"

"It's the villain who is abrupt."

"Since Mr. Luo is unwilling, the villain will not persuade him much."

Seeing this, the man dared not speak out, took a deep breath and squeezed out a stiff smile.

"The difference in the price of grain purchases will still be made up in the future, and now I won't bother Mr. Luo."

The man said,

Everyone also bowed and said goodbye together.

"My lord, let them go like this?"

Those people just left
Bai Xiaosheng leaned over and asked, how could he not see the repressed anger in Luo Porridge's heart as a thoughtful person who is good at observing words and expressions.

"Oh?"

"Did the officer say to let them go?"

"Four heads are not enough if you think about it."

"How do you cut off more heads if you don't let them go?"

Luo Congee took a sip of tea.

"also,"

"I also like silver very much."

"However, this official disdains and competes with ordinary poor people for profit. In comparison, it is more refreshing to rob these fat and oily giants."

"Go."

"I am very unwilling to see these people."

"I think there are other arrangements. After we find out their background, we will kill them all together."

"I haven't ransacked the house for a long time."

"This official is a bit raw."

Luo Porridge looked at his slender fingers and said softly.

……

Luofu,

outside the door,

"Shall we go back like this?"

"I'm afraid it's not easy to explain to the master."

A younger shopkeeper said anxiously.

"Humph,"

"He doesn't do this business!"

"Some people do it..."

The leader said coldly.

"But the officials in the capital who can talk, we have already gone all over yesterday, and no one dared to take over..."

"Isn't it because there is no way to find this embryo killer?"

Some people said helplessly, thinking back to the conversation in the mansion just now, they still feel a little palpitating. After all, Luo Congee's name is too scary. It's not because he has to, no one wants to cooperate with him.

"Officials don't dare, there must be others, right?"

"People with foreign surnames dare not, but people with the surname Zhu will always dare?"

"Treasurer Zhou, what do you mean?"

"Let's go and talk to the princes in the city."

The leading merchant speculated.

"The gang is nothing less than,"

"Relying on my surname, I have a bigger appetite."

"If it doesn't work, each of our families will suffer a little loss. I don't believe that they will not be tempted to see this mountain of money!"

(End of this chapter)