My Brother-in-law is the Prince

  Chapter 327 Be Honest

  After Chen Li listened, he didn't dare to talk anymore.

   It's just... he muttered to himself, what is this for?

  Chen Li couldn't understand.

   I don't understand...it doesn't matter.

  He is used to obeying Zhang Anshi's orders.

   Immediately after he came out, Zhang Anshi said, "The next person comes in."

   Then, in the waiting room, a person stood up and hurried into Zhang Anshi's office.

  This person passed by Chen Li, Chen Li raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that this person looked familiar.

   It's just that he didn't think about it, so he left in a hurry.

   Not many days, many news, intensified.

   These news are by no means groundless.

   But gradually have a nose and eyes.

   According to reports, in Taiping Mansion, there seemed to be many more people checking the ferries and wharves everywhere, but all foreigners seemed to be very taboo, and they didn't want them to come and go at will.

  There is a big market in Qixia...

   This is the gradual evolution of the auction house.

  As more and more merchants gathered here, coupled with the prosperity of business, the previous business transactions were often between merchants, looking for a stable supplier for transactions.

   But under this prosperity, the merchants are more than that.

  Thus, the place called Dongxiang Temple was originally an inconspicuous and desolate place. It got its name only because... According to legend, there was a dilapidated Chenghuang Temple here a hundred years ago.

  Of course, now this place has become the busiest street in Qixia, a whole street full of shops, but the most attractive place is the place called Dongxiang City.

  This place is different from ordinary markets, ordinary people rarely come here, and most of the people who come here are merchants of various colors.

  Merchants come here to deliver goods, and gradually, there are more and more such merchants, and even the business is getting bigger and bigger, and this place has become a distribution center for bulk goods.

  Here, all the goods imaginable in the world are available, countless people are looking for opportunities here, and sellers entrust dental firms to find buyers here. Buyers also come here excitedly to choose what they want.

  The trading of bulk goods is different from ordinary trading. A slight rise or fall in price also means a large amount of gold and silver.

  Because of this, it is necessary to ensure that the price is fair. If not, even if it is a penny less per catty of goods, the accumulation of less money may lead to thousands of taels of silver in vain.

The dental shops here will immediately display the prices of various bulk goods, and they will be placed in the most conspicuous position. Therefore, if you walk from this street to the end of the street, what you see in your eyes, apart from people, is that A wide range of transaction prices.

   Any dental firm doing business here, in order to ensure that the price they offer is absolutely fair, so that neither the buyer nor the seller feels at a disadvantage, they often work hard to ensure that the price is fair.

It is said that the largest dental firm here employs more than 400 people. It is equipped with the same fast horse messenger as the imperial court. At the same time... in the capital and everywhere, accountants are stationed to investigate the current prices in various places at any time. After the prices are summarized, they then perform a set of calculations based on commodity prices and market prices.

   And this calculation is the most laborious.

  Because first of all, because the commodities are different, there must be a price difference between the market price and the price of the bulk commodity.

  Some commodities are easy to store and have a long shelf life, so the price difference may be smaller, but if it is fresh and other prices, it will become larger.

  Furthermore, there is also a set of calculation mechanism for different price differences in various places, which will determine a price based on the calculation to ensure that both parties to the transaction will not suffer losses.

  Therefore... Yaxing can ensure that the price is updated every half an hour every day, and the error value can almost be kept within a certain range.

   This is the result of the joint efforts of more than 400 people, including a large number of accountants, fast horses, and calculators.

  And the price they give must not make any big mistakes, because once a mistake is made, it may cause heavy losses to some of the buyers and sellers of bulk commodities.

  At first... there were many dental establishments here, but slowly, those non-compliant dental establishments quickly weakened, and those who could stay here to grow bigger and stronger all had their own means.

   And because of this, countless merchants are attracted here, and countless people are looking for opportunities here.

  For merchants, the quick buying and selling of bulk commodities is not just as simple as saving time. Rather, the rapid flow of goods and gold and silver was a huge gain in itself.

  Others do ten transactions a year, but here you can accurately and quickly sell or buy at the most reasonable price and do dozens or even hundreds of transactions. The profits in this are incomparable.

   With big merchants fighting desperately here, naturally, there will be countless brokers, and there will be many high-end restaurants, and there will be shops selling all kinds of expensive decorations.

  People spend a lot of money here, and gradually, besides the gathering place of merchants, this place is also a place for luxury and money.

  If Zhang Anshi did not allow the establishment of a brothel here, I am afraid that this place will surpass the Qinhuai River overnight and become the number one selling gold cave in the world.

  Of course, there is another huge reason that attracts many people, and that is safety.

This Qixia is at the foot of Nanzhen Fusi, there is a model camp nearby, there is also an official school, and the patrol hall of Taiping Mansion is also nearby. It can be said... here, it is almost rare to see Daomen and all kinds of thieves, even thieves. Almost invisible.

  In fact, the price of bulk commodities usually does not fluctuate much, and it may be difficult for a few pennies to rise or fall in a day.

   But today, someone noticed a strange phenomenon, food prices are actually rising.

After all, it is already summer, and the summer grain will be harvested soon, which means... there will be a large number of rice merchants, as well as gentry families, who need to sell the old rice in the warehouse quickly, even if they want to hoard it, they should When hoarding new rice.

  At this juncture...it is often the time when grain prices are the cheapest. In previous years, it might even reach the point of eight or nine hundred copper coins per stone.

   Only after the old rice is exhausted, the price of food will slowly start to rise. By the end of the year, it will be around one tael of silver and five hundred copper coins.

   Even so, it seems that the price of food can rise sharply in a few months, and it is profitable to hoard it for a few months.

   But in fact, this is not the case!

  Because of storage and loss, it is an expense. Ordinary people can't earn such money at all. Only those sages and rice merchants in the big towns can have their own granaries.

  Because of this, the vast majority of people will not have much interest in food prices.

  In summer this year, it has indeed been dry for a while. It is expected that the grain production may decrease, but...the reduction in production should be limited.

  This is Jiangnan, and Jiangnan is a water town. Even if it is drought, it is not as easy to fail as in the north.

  But now, the food that was supposed to be the lowest price has risen directly from 872 to 957.

   This is a commodity, and overnight, such a range is very scary.

  Many people couldn't help but sigh with emotion and make a tut-tsk sound.

  Because...this business...even if someone drools, it can't be done. There is no warehouse, no facilities for storing food, everything is empty talk.

  Of course, in the market now, there are also people who directly hold a warehouse of goods, and then directly write a contract with you to trade.

  Whenever you want, you can pick up the goods at any time with the contract!

  However, such things are not popular now, after all, there are still risks, and such bulky commodities, after all, want to be cautious.

  It's just that when these people saw the price, they immediately... began to discuss it.

  What's going on, why did food prices suddenly rise?

   And it’s rising so fast?

  The first thing people think of when they think about the increase in food prices is the impact of natural disasters.

   can be very fast, this may be ruled out.

   So people discussed more fiercely.

  After that...the price...continues to skyrocket.

  The higher the rise, the faster it will be.

  This sudden change has made many good people interested.

  …

   "Zhang Taigong, Zhang Taigong."

  In Shangyuan County, someone hurriedly found the Zhang family in Shangyuan, and shouted from afar.

  This Shangyuan Zhang family is also a local big family, Zhang Taigong is quite famous in Yingtian Mansion.

  He is old, his beard and hair are white, and he has not lived for a few years.

  Hearing the movement at this time, he seemed displeased, and with the help of the maidservant, he walked slowly to the small hall.

   Immediately, he saw the scholar in front of him.

   This scholar is a scholar, who teaches in the Zhang family's ethnology, and his surname is Li.

  Li Xiucai said excitedly: "I went to the city just now, Mr. Zhang, do you know what happened?"

  The maidservant brought Zhang Taigong a teacup, Zhang Taigong rinsed his mouth first and only nodded.

  Li Xiu then said: "Mr. Zhang...that dog..."

  Hearing the word "Zhang Gou", Zhang Taigong's face suddenly changed.

  Looking at his reaction, Li Xiu paused and said, "It's that Zhang An Shi... It really is in big trouble as the rumors say."

  When Mr. Zhang heard this, he suddenly regained his energy. It seemed that his face became much rosier all of a sudden.

  When thinking of the three words Zhang Anshi, Zhang Taigong couldn't even sleep well.

  The Xia family in Xuancheng County is related by marriage to the Zhang family in Shangyuan. Speaking of which, Xia Chang is still Zhang Taigong's cousin.

  Of course, this is nothing. The Zhang family in Shangyuan has a century-old family business. In Nanzhili, I don’t know how many famous families are married. If you really want to talk about it, they are all relatives.

   What's frightening is that the entire family of the Xia family was actually ransacked. Many relatives were not exiled, and even the family property was seized, and even the Xia family's land was distributed.

  Thinking of this, Zhang Taigong shuddered involuntarily.

  He was so afraid that he even had nightmares every day, dreaming that the Zhang family's family business had finally fallen into his own hands.

  Therefore, as long as someone mentions Zhang Anshi, Grandpa Zhang will scold him endlessly, and he will not care about being gentle.

  Zhang Taigong said: "Tell me in detail."

  So this Li Xiucai said: "A few days ago, didn't you say that the Taiping Mansion...a large amount of cultivated land was barren? This is what the Chen family and the Zhou family said, and the Zhou family made an oath."

After Zhang Taigong heard this, he said coldly: "It's a crime, it's a crime, the hard-working family business was distributed to those lazy households by that little thief Zhang Anshi, can it be managed well? Those fools, how can they manage the fields well?" ?”

"Yes, yes." Li Xiucai smiled and said: "But... this matter... everyone just spread it, and later heard that there was a power struggle inside the Taiping Mansion, and the fight was extremely fierce. I heard that during the meeting, some people even He smashed the teacup directly, and ended up unhappy several times. And that Zhang An Shi..."

  Zhang Taigong said: "This matter, the old man knew about it. Yesterday, the Liu family had a drink and also said this matter. Liu Gong is a sincere gentleman, and his words... are credible."

  Li Xiucai said: "I just found out today that the price of grain has risen, and some people said that when they saw Zhang's business, they desperately bought grain in private..."

   "What?" Zhang Taigong's eyes lit up: "This is serious?"

   "Others can be misrepresented, but this matter... I really saw it with my own eyes. The students saw it with their own eyes, and the price of food went up by 20% immediately."

   Zhang Taigong may not know how to cultivate land, but as a family with 100,000 mu of hidden land, he knows the price of grain.

   Such ups and downs are very unusual.

  The harvest in Nanzhili may decrease a little in a few years, but it will not cause such a big fluctuation.

   Zhang Taigong stood up slightly trembling, and with the help of the maid, he staggered a few steps, and then said with a somewhat excited expression: "Okay, okay..."

   He smiled.

  Li Xiucai said: "Many merchants regret it. They want to hoard food, but it's a pity..."

  Grandfather Zhang smiled: "Store grain, do they have a warehouse? But... Yesterday, a grain merchant came to collect grain. I originally agreed, but now..."

  He smiled meaningfully.

   This is nothing less than double happiness.

   Immediately afterwards, he said, "Call the manager."

   After a while, the manager came.

   Zhang Taigong immediately asked: "How many short positions do we have?"

   "There are a lot of them. This old rice... is almost exhausted, and we are waiting for the harvest of summer grain..."

   Zhang Taigong squinted his eyes.

  If what Li Xiucai said is true, then...it really is...a windfall.

   He has granaries, storage facilities, everything.

   Zhang Taigong looked at Li Xiucai and said: "You said... Zhang Anshi collected grain, why?"

  Li Xiucai speculated: "Maybe it's because the Taiping Mansion has no harvest, so... secretly bought some grain... to make up for the shortage? If not...his Taiping Mansion...the fields are barren, I'm afraid the court will see the crime."

   "Haha..." Zhang Taigong said: "That's right, the old man thinks the same way, this matter... You should go and find out."

"it is good."

  Master Zhang turned around, pinched the maidservant beside him, and said: "Don't you usually say that my body is not good, master, today the master is in a good mood..."

  ...

   At noon the next day, Li Xiucai rushed back from Qixia, and he became more and more excited.

   This time, Mr. Zhang sat upright, already waiting for him.

  When the two met, he immediately asked, "How?"

Li Xiucai excitedly said: "It's gone up again, it's increased by 70 Wen... and it's still a rise for no reason. Now many people... are in a hurry. I also heard that the Taiping Mansion began to send many people to guard the various ferry crossings." And the wharf, people are not allowed to enter and exit easily, and the inspection is very strict. There are also many merchants who say... those rumors are all nonsense, and the grain in Taiping Mansion is growing very well."

   Zhang Taigong laughed: "Haha... This is trying to cover up the obvious. Those cheap merchants are really in cahoots with Zhang Anshi. If it is true as they said, how could the grain price go up? This is real money. Is there such a fool in the world?"

   "Yes, grandpa, the students think the same way. I also heard that the Taiping Mansion will organize a group of people to visit their villages so that everyone can see the growth of the grain."

Zhang Taigong laughed again, with a hint of sarcasm: "Zhang Anshi is in a hurry. This person is good at making political achievements. I have lived a long life and I don't know how many times I have seen him. It’s nothing more than finding a place with good grain growth and letting you go and have a look, but in fact... it’s just a trick of cheating.”

   "Extremely. Mr. Zhang has a high opinion. The Chen family and the Zhou family also said the same thing. The young master of the Chen family even jumped up and scolded."

Zhang Taigong said: "In this way, when the summer grain is harvested, not only the grain pile will not be enough for the granary, but the grain may also be insufficient. Zhang An Shi is in a hurry to buy grain, and will try his best to make up for and cover up the problems of the Taiping Mansion. If this At that time, the Zhang family also bought a large amount of food for storage, not only... we can teach Zhang Anshi to buy more food, so we can paint him, and we may make a lot of money."

"Students think the same way. In fact, the Zhou family also thinks the same way." Li Xiucai continued happily: "It is said that you can make a lot of money no matter what. It's just a matter of earning more and less. If you leave the Taiping Mansion, it will benefit the country and the people."

  Even though Zhang Taigong thought the same way, he was still somewhat cautious. He paused and said, "Well... think about it again, old man."

  Li Xiucai said: "I can't think about it any more. If you delay any longer, the price may rise even more. The Zhou family and the Chen family have already started..."

  Mr. Zhang was frowned. He already felt that this matter was reliable, but out of an instinctive caution, he was still unwilling to put all his eggs in one basket.

   While he was hesitating, Zhang Taigong suddenly remembered something, and immediately said: "Di Bao, where is today's Di Bao? Did you bring it from the city?"

  A maid hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I asked someone to bring it early in the morning."

   "Bring it." Zhang Taigong said.

  Li Xiucai was at a loss.

   Waiting for the residence report to arrive, Zhang Taigong looked at it carefully.

  He seemed to be rummaging for something, and finally, he found what he wanted to see in the corner of a newspaper.

He muttered in his mouth: "A clarification on the situation in Taiping Mansion: The Taiping Mansion government has announced that today there are small people who are rumored everywhere that the Taiping Mansion's summer grains are not harvested. Such rumors and rumors are rampant. With ulterior motives, Taiping Mansion would like to inform you: 1. Anyone who repeats this statement will never be lightly forgiven, and the first offender will be taken as an example. 2: The grain growth in Taiping Mansion is very good. Although it is affected by drought, there is no major disaster. , the situation is controllable, this year must be a good year."

   After Zhang Taigong finished reading, his dry lips trembled.

  Li Xiucai listened attentively.

   Zhang Taigong read it silently again.

Then, the grandpa of this piece suddenly took the case, his eyes slightly opened and said: "Haha... this time, I have a bottom line in my heart! Take it, collect the grain for the old man immediately! No matter what method you use, try to collect the grain for me... the rice warehouse at home , have to collect all, as much as you want, no matter what price!"

  Li Xiucai was surprised, looked at Zhang Taigong and said: "Zhang Taigong...this..."

Zhang Taigong said: "Originally this Zhang Anshi was silent, the old man was not sure yet! You see, now this kid is so angry that he is threatening in the mansion newspaper and saying with great fanfare that his Taiping Mansion is a good year. Zhang Anshi This thief is cunning, you can't listen to half a word of this person's mouth, he said it was a good year, he must be trying to cover up something, he is a thief with a guilty conscience!"

"Now... the old man can guarantee that something happened in Taiping Mansion. If we collect grain now, even if we don't let Zhang Anshi collect the grain to cope with the fact that the grain fields in Taiping Mansion are barren, we can make a lot of money from it. According to what I see...Zhang Anshi will do whatever it takes As a result, the crops are covered up, and his moneymaker has a big business, so he is willing to pay all the price for it, and I am afraid that when the price of grain rises to 7 taels, 8 taels a stone, the old man will not be surprised."

  After listening to Li Xiucai, he immediately thought about it, and said quickly: "Mr. Zhang is a good idea, but the students are dull."

  Eunuch Zhang shook his head, stroked his gray beard, and said proudly: "I have lived my whole life, what kind of rebellious officials and thieves have I never seen? These people's methods, after all, are the same thing."

   "This time, not only will I have the opportunity...to completely collapse the Taiping Mansion, but I will also have the opportunity to make a huge profit. Only by having the best of both worlds, can I dispel the old man's hatred."

  Li Xiucai nodded, but said with a bit of regret: "It's a pity that students...there is no granary at home..."

   Zhang Taigong said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, I can count you as one, you use the money to collect the grain, and the grain collected can also be stored in my Zhang family's warehouse, no..."

  He obviously remembered something suddenly, and shouted to the outside: "Come here, come here."

  The maid hurriedly came over and said, "Master."

  Zhang Taigong said: "Go and tell the steward, our Zhang family, to build ten more warehouses, and build them for me immediately."

"Yes."

  ...

  At this time, Zhang Anshi was looking down at the memorials.

  At this time, he had to accept the fact that he had become notorious since scoring land.

  In the past, ordinary people would not dare to name him by name.

   But obviously, someone was irritated, and now...

  Looking at the growth of food prices, Zhang Anshi probably understands... There are already many people... wanting him to die.

  Chen Li said from the side: "Grandfather... there are many scholars... and they all say a word."

   "Don't hesitate, can't you speak in one breath?"

  Chen Lidao: "They say, to defend famous religion, this is the time!"

  Zhang Anshi clapped his hands and said: "These words are very passionate, and the simple words are shocking, and they are indeed very appealing. But... I think... it's just passionate, and the atmosphere is not enough. How many scholars do you have eyeliner on hand?"

   "A dozen or so."

  Zhang Anshi gave him a disgusted look and said, "Why is this?"

  Chen Li showed a bit of grievance and said: "As long as there are serious scholars, who is willing to be the eyeliner for our Jin Yiwei?"

  Zhang Anshi said: "Then you call them... Hurry up and spread the word again, telling Zhang Anshi to be captured alive, buy food to save himself, if you don't buy it, you are not a scholar."

   "Ah..." Chen Li was stunned again.

  He has already begun to suspect that Zhang Anshi has been taken away.

  ...

  The second chapter is delivered.

  (end of this chapter)