My Brother-in-law is the Prince

Chapter 463: profiteering

   In the past half a year, there has actually been a charter.

  Water and land routes, including personnel and support, are all readily available.

  In addition, Taiping Mansion is densely populated with car dealers, and there are many merchants. Therefore, the County King's Mansion began to set up a list, soliciting cars, horses, boats, and suddenly, there were a lot of people who responded.

   Immediately, carts of grain and boats of grain began to set off.

  First use the Zhili railway to send grain to the boundary of Henan and other places, and then start transporting it into Henan by land, or into Huguang along the waterway.

  Here, all under the banner of Jinyiwei.

  A convoy and fleet, accompanied by three Jinyiwei personnel, and more than a dozen model battalion captains assigned to them, took driving stickers and posted them to the post stations along the way in advance.

   In addition, Zhang Anshi also found a way to allocate a large number of fans from the East Factory to coordinate actions.

  The manpower, chariots and horses of the car dealership have received the money from Taiping Mansion, and they have worked hard since then.

What's more, with the development of sea trade, Taiping Mansion has already had contact with a few local gentry in various counties and counties in the world. The focus of these people is not on the land now, but relying on their own connections in the local area to start Dumping products from Taiping Prefecture.

Now these people...although they are still gentry, but because they do more business, their relationship with Taiping Mansion is getting closer. , Responsible for contacting fellow villagers from all over the country, using them to provide local support, and using their usual caravans and horses to carry goods, and paying them some money afterwards.

  These people also knew that they couldn’t resist and offended Zhang Anshi, not to mention whether Jin Yiwei would make trouble for them, but it would be difficult for them to use Taiping Mansion’s goods to make profits for themselves in the future. So had to agree.

  Everything seems to be going extremely well.

  However, there were also times when it was not going well. For example, at this time, many workshops under the Qixia Chamber of Commerce, some people began to complain.

  There are many people who are dissatisfied with the Qixia Textile Workshop, because the workshop starts early in the morning and returns in the evening. In order for everyone to have the energy to work, the Qixia Trading Company, as the employer, will pack a lunch.

  But following Zhang Anshi's edict, he asked to save food, and the lunch size dropped a lot.

   Even the smell of oil is much less.

Although it is enough to eat and not starve, after all, the salary is reduced, which makes people feel that this must be the shopkeeper of the workshop holding a chicken feather as an arrow, in the name of His Royal Highness Wuhu County, deliberately lacking the portion they should eat .

   Even the workshop was in trouble for a while, and even the shopkeeper was beaten by someone.

The servants of the Taiping Mansion even excitedly ran to various inns to post food saving notices, which also provoked a lot of merchants and gave birth to dissatisfaction. Everyone rarely came out to go to a restaurant, either because they wanted to eat enough Have you had enough? As a result, such a thing was posted everywhere, and servants came to stroll around from time to time. Who can eat this meal?

   Such a commotion made Yin Gaoxiang of the Taiping Mansion very angry, but there was nothing he could do about it, after all, it was an order from the Prince's Mansion.

   At this time, a lot of food finally began to slowly enter the prefectures and counties.

  As soon as the food arrived, the banner of relief was immediately hung up.

  In addition, there are Jinyiwei and model camp guards, and the accompanying porters and coachmen are also equipped with some simple weapons, so I don’t worry about any robbers along the way, who will dare to make mistakes.

  Kaifeng Mansion.

  The sudden and uninvited guest immediately caused turbulent waves in the Kaifeng mansion. Hearing that food might be distributed, it seemed that many refugees began to come to the city.

   Jin Yiwei also took out some food, set up a porridge shed himself, and started distributing it.

  Seven porridge workshops were built outside and inside Fucheng.

  As soon as the news came out, there was an uproar inside and outside Kaifeng Mansion.

  Just at this moment...someone is in a hurry.

   Liu Jin, the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, has a good official voice. What he pursues is to govern by doing nothing. Now that the disaster is urgent, he has urged the court several times to distribute food.

  As for the food sent by the imperial court before, after all, the disaster was so severe that it was too much to deal with.

At this time, he was leisurely admiring a calligraphy and painting, his eyes fell on the place where the ink fell, he made a sound of tsk tsk in his mouth, pinched his beard, nodded and said: "Okay, okay, okay, this painting is majestic, it really deserves to be Zhou Zhou. Juren's handwriting, Zhou Juren's painting skills have improved a lot."

  He was talking, but an officer came in a hurry and said, "Zhou Juren and Mr. Zhang are here to see you."

  Liu Jin stood up straight, with his hands behind his back and his belly straight, and said calmly, "Please come."

   Not long after that, Zhou Juren and a gentleman surnamed Zhang entered the hall.

   When they met each other, they greeted each other naturally, and slowly took their seats. Someone offered tea cups, and they took a sip of tea slowly.

  Liu Jinfang calmed down and said calmly: "A few days ago, when I was reading the Book of Changes and mentioned the six dragons in the Qian Gua, I saw the word Qianlong, which gave me a lot of experience."

  Zhou Juren said with a smile: "I also ask the governor to enlighten me."

   Liu Jindao: "Those who dive into the dragon are those who are virtuous and reclusive. This dragon is not easy to be in the world, and it is not easy to become famous; it is not boring to escape from the world. ", just like the hermit who has both ability and political integrity, although he is talented, he is hidden from the world."

  Zhou Juren said with a smile: "My husband's words, do you mean something?"

Liu Jindao: "Duke Zhou has a great talent, but he hides in the village and refuses to be an official. But I can see the knowledge of Duke Zhou. No matter poetry, calligraphy or painting, it can be called excellent and admirable. Duke Zhou would rather put his love on mountains and rivers. It is really a great misfortune for the world to refuse to become an official."

  Zhou Juren laughed loudly and said: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. The students don't have any talents. It's just that they know their morals are weak, their talents are ignorant, and they don't dare to overestimate their capabilities."

  Speaking, everyone laughed, and bowed their heads to drink tea again. The magistrate Liu Jincai said: "Your Excellencies, what are you talking about?"

  Zhou Juren said: "Jin Yiwei suddenly came to the city, and they also brought food, saying that they were going to help the people. Does the Lord know about this?"

   Liu Jin said indifferently: "I know a little bit, and I say it's an order. Since it's an order, what can I say, a small magistrate?"

   "My lord, the prefectures and counties have been helping the people all the time, and now Jin Yiwei has come to make such an unnecessary move. I don't know what the intention is? The lord of the government is a parent, so why don't you find out?"

  Liu Jin sighed, shook his head and said: "It's not that the official doesn't want to investigate, but it's just that he can't. It's good that the Jinyiwei didn't trouble the official. They are used to being aggressive. What can I do to them?"

  Zhou Juren smiled slightly, he saluted like a ceremonial, still polite and said: "In my opinion, they are here to grab the relief. Who doesn't know that the disaster has eased after the government has given relief for more than half a year, hey... that's all..."

  He shook his head, showing regret.

  Liu Jin raised his eyebrows, and said: "I know the purpose of your visit, but... I am also a clever woman who can't cook without rice, and I really can't control it..."

   Zhou Juren and others showed disappointment.

  However, he also understood that this time, Liu Jin couldn't help, so he had to talk to Liu Jin about some calligraphy and painting, and then he left.

  Leaving Fuya, everyone came to Dadian Street.

  This Dadian Street is adjacent to the Drum Tower built in the 12th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It is the most prosperous place in Kaifeng. It mainly deals in calligraphy, painting and the four treasures of the study, so many scholars are also willing to come here.

   And the Zuiyue Tower here is the busiest place in the area. It is said that some Yangzhou skinny horses are brought here every few days. These women have learned piano, chess, calligraphy and painting since they were young, and all of them are beautiful. Not to mention the beauty of the country, they are all excellent appearance.

It has become more and more lively here recently. It is not that there are a large number of new lean horses. It is necessary to know that raising a lean horse is not a one-day job except for training from a young age, from makeup to reading and writing, to words and deeds. Only such a woman can be called the top card.

  It's just because this Zuiyue Tower has acquired many maids recently. These girls are all beautiful and the prices are said to be low. Now they teach them to tidy up one by one, and they come here to serve the literati who come and go here.

  Zhou Juren and several other acquaintances entered the Zuiyue Tower, but the old bustard did not let the old bust pick someone to accompany him. He even refused to play and sing, and only sat in the side room near the river bank.

Everyone drank their tea, and someone said angrily, "Prefect Liu is really hateful. He has been given a lot of favors on weekdays. He is also a literary play and a calligraphy and painting. There is no such thing as ice respect and charcoal respect. Now, it's hiding."

  Zhou Juren suppressed his hand: "Hey, Brother Wang, there is no need to say such a thing. Liu Zhifu has his own difficulties. How can he provoke this Jinyiwei?"

  The person called Wang Xiandi is called Wang Jin, who came from a big family in Kaifeng, known as half-Kaifeng. This means that his family has a lot of land, accounting for nearly half of the land in Kaifeng. This is naturally an exaggeration, but... his family has a big business, which can be seen.

Wang Jindao: "I've heard that the price of grain...has dropped by 30%. Duke Zhou, if someone really distributes grain to those lazy refugees and feeds them well, who will buy grain? We...do you have any food in the warehouse?" What about the lack of food, Duke Zhou... I'm afraid..."

   Needless to say, the following words are self-evident.

  So everyone fell into a worried look.

   Someone couldn't help but hate and said: "The king of Wuhu County has evil intentions, this is to buy people's hearts. Poor those stupid people who are lazy and greedy, now..."

  Zhou Juren opened the folding fan, pressed the fan, and said, "Okay, there is no need to say such frustrating words. I wait here, even if I curse day and night, so what? He is the king of the county, and it is Jin Yiwei who came..."

   "In my opinion..." Wang Jin gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "It's better... simply teach people to grab food..."

Zhou Juren sneered and said, "Didn't you see that there are captains from the model battalion accompanying them? They are carrying firearms, not to mention...you have forgotten the lesson from Jiangxi? I'm afraid that Zhang Anshi would like us to do it." .”

Wang Jin jumped anxiously and said: "This will not work, and that will not work. After a catastrophe, there is a little food at home, but I teach those idle people to eat and drink for free. The price of food will fall again." Let's go down, who are we going to sell this barn of grain to? We spent a lot of money to stockpile grain this time."

On the other side, there was a grain merchant, who was also wiping his sweat at this time, and stammered: "Yes, yes... we can't go on like this, you are all capable people, if you can't think of a way , I'm afraid..."

  Zhou Juren stood up, pacing with his head slightly lowered, as if he was contemplating something.

  After a long time, he sighed: "The government is useless now, and it is impossible to rob it. That Zhang Anshi has sinister intentions, and obviously expected that we would have no way to take him..."

   After finishing speaking, he was very worried, and then he continued slowly: "It's not that there are other ways..."

  Everyone looked at Zhou Juren: "Please enlighten me."

   "Receive grain!" Zhou Juren gritted his teeth and said, "There wasn't much grain in the market, but the biggest variable now is the grain shipped from Taiping Prefecture. As long as we collect grain, we can maintain the price of grain."

  As soon as this remark came out, Wang Jin was shocked: "But...but...who knows how much food there is in Taiping Mansion, and besides, the current price of food...is unattainable."

  Wang Jin's words are ridiculous to say, but when he talked about the grain hoarded by his family, he was worried that the price of grain had dropped by 30%, and life would be difficult.

  But when it comes to harvesting grain, he can blurt out the words that the price of grain is unattainable.

  And when this was said, no one thought it violated the sense of harmony.

  Sell high and sell low, and make huge profits from it. This has been the case in all dynasties. For them, this is what they should be.

  Zhou Juren said: "Didn't you read the mansion newspaper?"

   "Di Bao..." Wang Jin was taken aback.

Zhou Juren said: "In this mansion newspaper, the Taiping Mansion has already advocated saving food. From this, it can be seen that this Taiping Mansion... must also be short of food, but... Zhang Anshi has always liked to show off, so I want to take this opportunity , showing that he can only share your worries. And he has so many places to help, how much food can there be in Kaifeng? As long as we collect it, those lazy people will have no food to use. Naturally, the price of food to sustain it.”

   "This..." Someone felt that this was reasonable, but still hesitated.

  However, Wang Jin was a little worried: "Could this be a trick by the Taiping Mansion."

   Collecting food requires real money, so Wang Jin will naturally be more careful.

Zhou Juren said: "There is also some news from the Taiping Mansion, saying that it is true that in Taiping Mansion, many commercial firms have begun to save food. It seems... It has caused a lot of controversy. Buy people's hearts, use some small favors to cover up your wolfish ambitions, and definitely won't cause public resentment in Taiping Mansion..."

  Wang Jin and the others seemed to have begun to think, with gloomy faces.

   After a long time, Wang Jin said: "The food escorted by Jin Yiwei will also be willing to sell us?"

"As long as the price is right, I'm not afraid of not giving in." Zhou Juren said calmly, "When the government gave us relief in Kaifeng, didn't the government's relief food appear in various grain stores the next day? The court is like this, Where can Jin Yiwei be any better?"

  He appears confident.

  Wang Jin and the others nodded, and said: "There is only one way. That being the case, all of us need to help each other. Let's find a way to collect food."

  Everything is agreed.

   Immediately, someone began to secretly contact the personnel of Taiping Mansion.

  The other party is also straightforward, and the food can be sold, but it needs to be 20 to 30% higher than the market price.

   When asked how much food the other party had, the other party just smiled and said nothing.

  However, Wang Jin and others have long been familiar with these things.

  Every time a relief is given, the imperial envoys of the government and the imperial court generally contact each other in this way. As long as the price is sufficient, there is no need to worry about getting stuck.

  So... everyone began to raise money.

   Then there were bags of grain, which were moved to the barns of each family overnight.

  The next day, Jin Yiwei continued to distribute porridge.

  However, for Zhou Juren, Wang Jin and the others, they understood very well that Jin Yiwei was ordered to come here, even if he had to do superficial work for a few days, there was no need to worry.

  Not only in Kaifeng, but in almost all prefectures and counties.

  Many people quietly invited the Jinyiwei people to go, secretly hooking up and dating each other.

   At the same time, Jin Yiwei's fast horses were constantly sending reports to Qixia from all directions almost day and night.

  In Qixia, a group of scribes recruited by the Changshi Mansion were almost crazily counting the amount of grain delivered every day, as well as the money earned after the grain was sold.

   This is definitely a huge profit.

  The price of grain is directly seven times the price, and even the retail sales are saved. After excluding the cost of transportation and loss, there is also a small amount of grain for porridge. The profit is also about four to five times.

   Zhang Anshi looked like a mouse that fell into a rice bowl, his eyes were shining, and there was an unstoppable smile on his lips.

  Looking at these overwhelming reports and numbers, he was really happy.

   However, there are many problems in it.

  So after being overjoyed to the fullest, Zhang Anshi asked Zhu Jin, Chen Li and others to be called over.

With his eyes wide open, he scolded: "Why hasn't the food in Xi'an been shipped yet? And...what's going on in Luoyang? Why hasn't anyone contacted me to buy food? The price of food in Luoyang has almost dropped by half." gone."

"By the way, the latest batch of grain must be transported as soon as possible. Everyone has sold the grain. If the grain on hand is not enough for porridge, can you teach the refugees how to live? Besides, I still have a lot of grain. It's for sale!"

Paused, seemed to think of something important, rolled his eyes, and said immediately: "That's right, teach people to make a fuss in Qixia, saying that the common people have no food to eat, and our Taiping Mansion actually took food Relief to other prefectures and counties, those who make troubles must be selected well."

"Is there a thorn in Qixia Iron Works? Ah... no, there is a worker named Chen Liu? This guy once had a big fight because of a colleague's work-related injury. This guy is okay, let him Come and take the lead, the movement should be louder, and the most important thing is to have momentum. Let the workers not be idle, I will wait to see their performance."

"We must show the aura of the workers and tell the shopkeepers that if any shopkeepers are injured by the workers, the king will pay for the medicine, the tuition of the children will be paid by the king, and the salary will be tripled during the recuperation period! It is really impossible, and the king will support them lifetime!"

  Zhang Shian spoke with great pride.

   Zhu Jin's face turned green: "Ah...this..."

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