Baidu otaku as Chongzhen

Chapter 463 "Foundation Test"

The capital at the end of the first year of Chongzhen was very lively.

Literati and students rushed to the capital to participate in the discussion of running a school, or to prepare for the next exam in the capital in advance; some landlords near the capital rushed to buy stocks in the capital; Businessmen who do business on the way; ordinary people who go to the capital to find job opportunities; officials from all over the country come to Beijing to report their duties;

A few days ago, the emperor said in the mansion newspaper that the stocks of Liulizhai were sold, which made everyone who was waiting for the dividend envious and rushed to buy the stocks. If you can get the stocks of Liulizhai, where can you find such a good deal?

The additional shares were sold out so quickly that a large circle of people came from all over the stock exchange to clamor for additional shares.

……

"Who are these people? Why are there so many?" Yang Reform was wearing casual clothes, looking at the crowds in the stock exchange through the glass window, and asked.

"Master Hui, these people are all here to buy stocks. Many of them are nobles in the capital, butlers or shopkeepers of the officials' families. The one standing at the front, Liniang remembers, seems to be the steward Wu of Wu Shilang's family. He Buying stocks in such a hurry is nothing more than buying for his master... In addition to the dignitaries and officials in the capital, there are also some wealthy locals around the capital. Those wealthy locals heard that this stock is profitable. Few people get out the money that has been buried for decades from the cellar to buy stocks..." Sun Liniang stood beside Yang Reform and explained with a smile.

"Hmm! I didn't expect this stock to be so popular. I was worried that it wouldn't be easy to sell..." Yang Reform was relieved.

"Young master, this is thanks to the 'imperial party' of your son. If they hadn't taken the lead in buying stocks, I am afraid that the stocks would not be so easy to sell. In addition, the nobles of the state have also come to support, and there is also the treasurer Wang. They, but the strange thing is, besides shopkeeper Wang and the others, there are also many businessmen from the south, and they also made a move, which is strange, plus those old rich men who followed suit... so this stock is extremely hot Otherwise, how could it sell so quickly? I am afraid some people have never even seen what a stock is... Your Majesty, do you want to be on guard against them?" Sun Liniang said, and after finishing speaking, she deliberately mentioned the special situation. The southern merchants other than the shopkeeper, this shopkeeper Wang is the first businessman to buy the [-]% stock of Liulizhai, and he is one of his own.

"Heh heh heh... interesting..." Yang Reform said with a smile.The matter of the stocks this time can be regarded as a "test of the bottom line" to test the strength of one's own side. The scope of this "imperial party", except for the "imperial party" in the court, has expanded to all aspects, including nobles, generals, and businessmen , or even pirates, as the number of people buying stocks increases, the scope of the "imperial party" becomes larger.

A larger "imperial party" gradually formed. When the emperor did things, the imperial party naturally had to stand on the platform. Judging from the situation of this "understanding test", Yang Reform has considerable confidence in his own work.

"Businessmen from the south? Hehe, it's okay." Yang Reform said with a smile. This group of southern merchants, Yang Reform reckons, is probably the group of southern maritime merchants. They are close to him. Now this opportunity is in front of them. If If you are sensible, you should come to support yourself. If you are not sensible, then don't blame yourself for not taking care of them.

"Oh, Liniang got it, young master, do you want to issue more shares?" Sun Liniang asked, the stock exchange was crowded with people who wanted to buy shares, but the shares had already been sold out, so they could only issue additional shares, so, Yang Reform will appear here.

Yang Reform thought for a while, and said, "Let's issue another [-]% more." Yang Reform came out of the palace today because he heard that Liulizhai's stock was selling like crazy, so he came here specially to take a look, the current situation is that it is necessary to issue additional shares.Yang Reform originally wanted to make a gesture in the mansion newspaper, explaining how hard he had been cheated by the salt merchants, and wanted to stigmatize the salt merchants. By the way, he wanted to test whether the power of his imperial party was reliable or not. Unexpectedly, the "mass" Enthusiastically cheering for myself, it seems that there are really more people to buy, the more people buy, the better, and when the time comes, the people who buy Liulizhai stock will be all from their side!
"My lord, the original 230% of the additional stock was sold for a total of more than 500 million taels of silver. If the [-]% of the additional issuance is added, it can be sold for [-] million taels. What should I do with the silver?" Sun Liniang asked. road.

"It's still the same as before. It's all deposited in the bank, turned into silver coins, and the part that needs to be distributed at the end of the year is kept. The rest is reserved. At the end of the year, there are more and more places that need money!..." Yang Reform Instructed that in the past two months, Yang Reform spent money like crazy. First, he made up 200 million taels of debts to the frontier army, and then the final payment for the purchase of cotton clothes. Expenses, the expenses of Yuan and Mao, the expenses of the Beijing camp, the expenses of the Jinyiwei, the expenses of the palace, the cashing of head money, the rewards for winning the war, pensions, hiring foreign fleets, training the navy, casting guns, scientific research, etc. Wait, all rely on this method to take out the proceeds of the stock in advance and spend it. As for the dividend, it is a matter of the end of the year, and even some stocks need to be sold secretly to maintain the stability of funds. Now 200% of the stock has been issued. I got more than [-] million taels of silver, but I have money to pay dividends at the end of the year. Fortunately, I own most of the shares of Liulizhai. When I pay dividends, I don’t need to give out a lot of silver. Otherwise, Yang Reform will jump into this bottomless pit. Also not full.

"Yes, son!" Sun Liniang replied, Sun Liniang is now a strong woman who is accustomed to the world. In the past, when she was a girl, her biggest ideal was to earn a hundred taels of silver every year and live happily. This Yang Reform, not to mention a few hundred taels, even a few million taels, she doesn't pay much attention to. She holds the Liulizhai worth tens of millions of taels in her hand, and lives in the so-called No. [-] scene in the capital. In Liulizhai, the graceful and luxurious temperament on his body became more and more intense.

"By the way, I remembered something about the southern merchants that Liniang mentioned just now. There is a 'Master Wang' in the court, who is the backstage of this group of southern merchants. They are maritime merchants. But now the sea is not peaceful, I can't go on, I want to follow my son's footsteps, Liniang will meet this 'Master Wang' for me, I can't come forward, you tell him, their sincerity in buying stocks this time, my son I can see it all, I appreciate it very much, I know what they want to do, and whether it can be done depends on their sincerity..." Yang Reform said in a cloud of mist, this matter, You can't talk about it casually. Whether you can understand it or not depends on them.

"Here, young master, what's going on? Is it Mr. Wang?" Sun Liniang asked quickly. After hearing what Yang Reform said, Sun Liniang couldn't help asking casually.

"..." Yang Reform whispered in Sun Liniang's ear for a while.

"Well, Liniang understands, Master, don't worry, Liniang will definitely handle this matter for you..." Sun Liniang immediately agreed, this matter is not difficult, it is not convenient for the emperor to come forward to do this, so she will do it better.

"It's good if you understand. I wanted to stay a little longer today, but I still have important things to do, so I'll leave first..." Yang Reformed wisely.

"Young Master,...Young Master, are you leaving now?" Sun Liniang looked regretful and resentful when she saw that Yang Reform looked like he was about to leave after seeing it.

"Well, I've been a little busy these days. After the busy days are over, I'll spend some time with Liniang." Yang Reform looked at Sun Liniang, and said with some pity, although Yang Reform also wanted to stay and share the tenderness, But there are more important things to do. After reading the "basic test", it's time to do more important things.

"Then..., Liniang will wait for the young master..." Sun Liniang said with some disappointment.

……

After leaving Liulizhai, Yang Reform's carriage drove around the street a few times, and went straight to a house.

This house does not have any obvious signs, and it is the same as many houses in the capital, and there is no difference.

This is not the first time that Yang Reform has come to this house. Yang Reform came into the house familiarly and sat down.

"The sinner Liu Xingzuo kowtowed to the young master..." This was the third time Liu Xingzuo met the emperor. As soon as he met, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

"Get up! There is no need to be polite." Yang Reformed.

"Thank you, Mr. Liu Xingzuo." Just now, Liu Xingzuo got up and looked at the young emperor. Liu Xingzuo was very excited. He was a little anti-general, and then met the emperor three times. What does this mean?It shows that the emperor attaches great importance to him, and he is of great use. Can you be unhappy?

"Liu Xingzuo, how long have you been with Donglu? When did you make your fortune?" Yang Reform asked.

When Liu Xingzuo saw the emperor asking about this matter, although he felt strange, he was not afraid. These things were all written in his "book". He was taken captive to the Eastern Prison, and as for his fortune...the sinner was during the battle of Saerhu..." Liu Xingzuo dared not go on when he said this, for fear of offending the emperor, Saarhu was here in the Ming Dynasty Bian was a big defeat, the Ming Dynasty's disastrous defeat outside the pass.

"Sarhu! At that time, Nurhachi was still a captive. Before you made a fortune, could you get close to Nurhachi? Can you know something about what he did?" Yang Reform asked again.

"Master Hui..., this, this..., the sinner is the personal bodyguard of the chieftain of the East, and most of the sinners know something about what the chieftain did..." When Liu Xingzuo said this, his eyes flickered a few times, replied.

"Oh, there is something about Nurhachi, do you know?" Yang Reform didn't notice Liu Xingzuo's flickering eyes, and asked his own question directly.

"I don't know what the young master said." Liu Xingzuo asked.

"How much do you know about Nurhachi's seven major hatreds?" Yang Reform asked.

"Seven great hatreds? This, the sinner does know something, but the captive chief..." Liu Xingzuo was a little surprised, why did the emperor ask him these things?The Seven Great Hatreds are nothing unusual, let alone a secret.

"My lord is not talking about that, but my lord is saying... well, I heard that at that time, the slave chief gave generous rewards to sixteen Han merchants who were doing business in Fushun, and let these merchants enter the customs with the 'seven major hatreds' ,...My son now suspects that these sixteen businessmen have tipped off Donglu and had private relationships with Donglu, so I want to ask if this is true..." Yang Reformed.

"Ah!" Liu Xingzuo exclaimed. It turned out that the emperor wanted to ask this. Could it be the case of Shanxi merchants who have been rumored in Beijing recently?He Liu Xingzuo can't go out, but he can also read the residence newspaper.

"Your Majesty, are you talking about the Shanxi Merchants Tonglu case?" Liu Xingzuo asked.

"Yes or no, I just want to ask now, if there is such a thing, can you confirm it? Or, at that time, could you get close to the slave chief?" Yang Reformed.

"My lord, this... At that time, the sinner was indeed serving the chieftain, and I really knew about it. There were indeed sixteen merchants who entered the customs with the 'seven great hatreds'..., this matter, the sinner It can indeed be confirmed that this matter is not unusual among Donglu, as long as anyone who has been with the slave chief for some years knows..." Liu Xingzuo said.

"Look at this, Jin Yiwei discovered this when he tried the Shanxi Merchants Tonglu case..." Yang Reform handed Liu Xingzuo a thick gift.

Liu Xingzuo looked over.The more you look, the more frightened you become!The emperor gave him this thing, but it will kill some people!The Tonglu case suddenly changed from Shanxi merchant Tonglu to salt merchant Tonglu. , Help Donglu indirectly!This thing... Liu Xingzuo was terrified, why would the emperor show him this thing?

"Young master, this..." Liu Xingzuo said in fear, he was caught in a huge conspiracy!If you are not careful, you will die without a place to die!

"It's good that you know about the Shanxi Merchants Tonglu Case. I thought, since a dozen merchants entered the pass with the 'Seven Great Hatreds' and spread all over the north and south of my Ming Dynasty, there may naturally be salt merchants among them. Even if there is no such thing, but now, looking at the actions of the salt merchants, I feel that someone must have instigated them to deliberately default on the salt tax in order to achieve their ulterior purpose, or in other words, under the instigation of Donglu spies , The salt merchants deliberately defaulted on the salt lesson, so that my son and the court will have no money to pay, so that the corruption outside the pass will continue, right?" Yang Reform reminded.

"This..., this, young master, this is possible..." Liu Xingzuo replied sweating.

"This is not a possibility, but an absolute one. My son feels that there were more than a dozen Han merchants who entered the customs back then. After so many years, I don't know how many Han merchants have passed through the captives. They are secretly doing bad things. It's just that everyone doesn't know. ... Now, the Jin merchants have been arrested by Jin Yiwei. This matter, I think, should be known to the world, but I also feel that there is a lack of some key evidence. I think that you, Liu Xingzuo, are a suitable one. The candidate has lived in Donglu for many years, and is very familiar with the high-level officials of Donglu, especially the captives, and can get close to the slave chiefs, so I feel that you are a ready-made witness for this matter..." Yang Reformed.Yang Reform calculated his plan and found that this Liu Xingzuo was indeed of great use. His "seniority" in Donglu proved that the salt merchants had something to do with the Tonglu case, and it would be more perfect. Therefore, Yang Reform came here specially. Seeing Liu Xingzuo, this is the third time. Yang Reform never thought that he would see this anti-general one after another. The first time he saw him, Yang Reform hesitated for a long time whether to see him or not. Unexpectedly, this Liu Xingzuo was like this It will come in handy soon.

"This..., this..." Liu Xingzuo was sweating all over his face, and he already understood the meaning of the emperor. He used his experience in the Eastern Prison to prove that Nurhachi had indeed sent a Han merchant gap to the Ming Dynasty, all over the north and south of the river. The evidence obtained by the Shang Emperor from Shanxi merchants can fully prove that many Han merchants in the Ming Dynasty were cooperating with the captives, and they wanted to climb up to the salt merchants, saying that the salt merchants did not pay the salt tax because of the prostitution, which is the worst. It is also possible that a salt merchant was instigated by someone, so he defaulted on the salt lesson. Although he did not directly contact the captives, he also helped the captives.In this way, the emperor could justifiably start killing within the Ming Dynasty. I am afraid that the salt merchant was the first target the emperor wanted to kill. Presumably, it was the silver that the emperor took a fancy to the salt merchant, or in other words, the salt class?
"How, can you prove it?" Yang Reform looked at Liu Xingzuo, who was dripping with sweat, and patiently waited for him to think.

"My son, this..., the sinner can prove that not only Nurhaci sent Han merchants into Daming for intermission, but Huang Taiji even sent more Han merchants into Daming for interim. It’s nothing new. When we fought against Saarhu, no, when Donglu fought against Saarhu, someone informed the slave chieftains of the Ming army’s every move. Later, when we fought against Shengjing, no, Shenyang and other cities, There is an internal response, and the sinner can fully testify to this point..." Liu Xingzuo immediately made up his mind when he heard the emperor's question, and decided to follow the emperor's thinking completely, and added a lot of "condiments".

"Hehehe, that's right. My son has always been suspicious and guarded against Donglu's spies in my Daming. Jin Yiwei has also been investigating, but the clues are always limited, and the things found are also limited. I have never been able to remove the cancer that remained in the Ming Dynasty, and now you can stand up and testify, which is the best. In the future, my son may need you to testify in the court, do you dare?" Yang Reform smiled and nodded. To persuade Liu Xingzuo to say what he wanted, he still has a lot of confidence. With this Liu Xingzuo, his plan is more righteous and confident, and he doesn't need to be too "barbaric".

"Back to the son, the sinner will follow the son wholeheartedly. Wherever the son tells the sinner to go, the sinner will go. The son will let the sinner go up the mountain of swords and into the sea of ​​fire, and the sinner will not hesitate. I just hope that the son will not despise the sinner..." Liu Xingzuo immediately followed the emperor's words The head agreed.

"Don't worry about this. My son has always been reputable when doing things. You can rest assured about this. My son has never done such things as crossing the river and demolition. Originally, this son still wanted you to be in Donglu. My brother can provide information, but since you are going to testify in court, then you will be exposed, and your brother will be in danger in the East, so I will let your brother leave the East in advance, so that your family can be reunited as soon as possible ..." Yang Reform said again. Originally, Yang Reform planned to wait for the internal news of Liu Xingzuo's younger brother. However, since the staff department formulated the battle plan for next year, Yang Reform felt that it was no longer important whether there was any internal news about Donglu. , was already planning for the worst.Even if there is internal information, it can only be obtained a few days in advance. When he is prepared, this time does not play a decisive role. On the contrary, Liu Xingzuo's role is even greater. Therefore, Yang Reform decided to change plan.

"The sinner thanked the son for his great kindness. The sinner has already written down the matter of the son, and he will never miss the matter of the son..." Liu Xingzuo was overjoyed. He was looking for an opportunity to talk about it. Think about it for him in advance. If the emperor takes his affairs seriously, then he will naturally take the emperor's affairs "seriously". From this point of view, the emperor is also a reputable and reliable person. It is good to follow him to do things!Liu Xingzuo immediately felt relieved.

"Well, that's good. The book you read just now is Jin Yiwei's confession from Shanxi merchants, and the situation of Jin Yiwei's collection over the years, as well as some of my conjectures. You have to memorize them one by one. , so that it can be confirmed in the future, you can read it carefully again..." Yang Reform said again.

Liu Xingzuo carefully flipped through the "stuff" just now, and remembered it carefully.After a good sound, I finished reading, and said: "Return to your son, the sinner has finished reading."

Yang Reform, who had been waiting for Liu Xingzuo, put down his teacup, got the "confession" from Wang Chengen, and set the book on fire.

(End of this chapter)