Chapter 327: Being Honest

Chen Li heard this and no longer dared to nag.

Just …… he muttered in his mind, what is this going to be?

Chen Li couldn’t understand it.

But it doesn’t matter if you can’t understand …….

He was already used to following Zhang Anshi’s orders to act.

Immediately after he came out, he heard Zhang Anshi say, “The next person comes in.”

Thereupon, in the waiting room, then, a man rose long and hastily entered Zhang Anshi’s public room.

This person brushed past Chen Li, and Chen Li slightly raised his eyebrows, always feeling that this person looked somewhat familiar.

Only he didn’t think twice about it and hurried away.

It was not many days before many of the messages, intensified.

These are messages that are by no means empty.

Instead, it’s a gradual nose-dive.

It is rumored that the Taiping Province there, the various ferry ports and docks, also seems to have many more people to check, but all foreigners, it seems to be very taboo, do not want them to go in and out at will.

There is a big market at …… there in Suthep.

This is the slow evolution of the auction house.

As more and more merchants gathered here, coupled with the fact that commerce began to flourish, the former business dealings were often between merchants, looking for a stable supplier to trade with.

But underneath this prosperity, the merchants have gone beyond that.

Thus, this place called Dongxiang Temple, originally just an inconspicuous desolate place, it is named, but also just because …… rumor has it, here in a hundred years ago, there is a dilapidated city god temple.

Of course, nowadays this place has become the busiest street in Qixia, a street full of stores, and the most attractive, but it is called Dongxiang City by this place.

This place is different from the ordinary market, the ordinary people rarely come here, come here is mostly all kinds of merchants.

Merchants come here to deliver goods, and slowly, more and more such merchants, and even bigger and bigger trade, this place will become a distribution center for bulk goods.

Here every conceivable good under the sun is available, countless people look for opportunities, sellers commission dental firms to find buyers. And buyers come here with gusto to pick out what they want.

The buying and selling of bulk goods is different from ordinary buying and selling, and a slight rise or fall in price can mean a lot of gold and silver.

Because of this, so …… must ensure that the price is fair, if not, even if a catty of goods less than a penny, accumulating less into more, may be people also a few thousand taels of silver hit the water.

Dental firms here, will be the first time to hang out the price of various bulk goods, and will be placed in the most conspicuous position, so if you walk from the street to the end of the street, what you can see in your eyes, in addition to the people, is that a wide range of transaction prices.

Any dental firm doing business here will often go to great lengths to make sure that the prices they give are absolutely fair so that neither party buying or selling feels at a loss, and they will often go to great lengths to make sure that the prices are fair.

It is said that one of the largest dental firms here employs more than four hundred people, and is equipped with the same fast horse transmission as the court, while …… in the capital and everywhere, are stationed in the accountant’s office, at any time to investigate the current price of the world, the prices in the markets around the world are summed up, and then they make a set of calculations based on the price of the bulk of the goods and the market price.

And that calculation is the most labor intensive.

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

Some items are easy to store and have a long shelf life, so the price difference may be smaller, but if the price is for seasonal items, etc., it will become larger.

Furthermore, there is a computerized system for different price differentials in different places, which will be based on calculations and determine a price to ensure that neither party to the transaction will lose out.

Thus …… dental firms can make sure that the prices are updated once a day for half an hour and almost within a certain margin of error.

This is the result of the joint efforts of more than four hundred people, which include a large number of bookkeepers, fast horses and calculators.

And the price they give, absolutely can not make any big mistake, because once a mistake, may lead to the buyer and seller of commodities, one of them suffered a significant loss.

At first …… here dental firms abound, but slowly, those who do not comply with the dental firm will quickly weaken, but also to stay here to do big and strong, none is not a set of their own means.

And because of this, the place has attracted countless merchants and businessmen, and countless people have sought opportunities here.

For merchants and traders, the rapid buying and selling of large quantities of goods was not as simple as a pure saving of time. Rather, the rapid movement of goods and gold and silver was itself a huge gain.

Other people a year, do ten trading, you are here, can accurately and quickly at the most fair price to sell or buy to do dozens or even hundreds of trading, which profit, is incomparable.

With the big merchants fighting for their lives here, naturally, there are countless brokers, and even more high-class restaurants with stores selling all kinds of expensive decorations.

People here, throw money, slowly, here in addition to the merchants gathering place, but also the place of paper drunkenness.

If Zhang Anshi is not allowed to open a green house here, I’m afraid that this place can surpass the Qinhuai River in one night, and become the world’s number one gold mine.

Of course, another huge reason that attracts many people to come is safety.

This Qixia is the foot of the South Zhenfusi, near the model battalion, as well as the official school academy, the Taiping government’s patrol hall is also in the vicinity, it can be said that …… here, it is difficult to see almost all kinds of Taoist doors and robbing thieves, that is, it is difficult to see almost all traces of the vermin.

Commodities in large quantities, the price actually tends to rise and fall not very much, may be a day down, it is difficult to have a few pennies up and down.

But today, someone noticed a strange phenomenon, the price of food is actually rising.

After all, this has been in the summer, the summer grain will soon be harvested, which means that …… there will be a large number of rice merchants, as well as the gentry family, need to warehouse in the old rice hurry to sell, even if you want to hoard, it is also the time to hoard new rice.

This juncture …… is often the time when grain prices are the cheapest, if it is in previous years, it may even be a stone to reach the point where a stone is eight or nine hundred copper coins.

Only after the stale rice was out would the price of grain slowly begin to rise. By the end of the year, it would roughly get to around five hundred copper coins for one tael of silver.

Granted, it seems as if the price of grain can go up so much in a few months that it is profitable to just hoard for a few months.

But in reality, that’s not how it works!

Because of storage and wear and tear, it would have been an expense. Such silver, ordinary people simply can’t earn, only those big township sages, and big rice merchants, may have their own granaries.

Because of this, the vast majority of people are not going to be very interested in food prices, not by a long shot.

It did dry out for a while this summer, and it is expected that there may be a reduction in grain production, although …… there should be limited reductions.

This is Jiangnan, Jiangnan is a water town, even if the drought, is not like the north as often as the grain harvest.

But now, the grain, which should have been the lowest price, had risen directly from eight hundred and seventy-two to nine hundred and fifty-seven.

That’s a big commodity, and overnight, a margin like that can be very scary.

Many people couldn’t help but sigh with emotion and make tsk-tsk sounds.

Because …… this deal …… can’t be done even if someone is drooling over it, without barns and facilities to store food, it’s all just talk.

Of course, now on the market, there are people who just take a warehouse full of goods, and then just write a deed to trade directly with you.

When you want it, take the deed and pick it up anytime!

But this kind of thing, now is not popular, after all, there are risks, and this kind of bulk goods, after all, want to be cautious.

Only, when these people took a look at the price, they immediately …… began to talk about it.

What’s going on? Why are food prices going up all of a sudden?

And it went up so fast?

The first thing that comes to mind about the perceived increase in food prices is the impact due to natural disasters.

But soon, this possibility was ruled out.

So people talked even more.

Since then …… this price …… has actually continued to keep rising like crazy.

It goes up faster and faster.

This sudden change has caused a lot of good people, to start to come interested.

……

“Zhang Taigong, Zhang Taigong.”

Shangyuan County, someone hurriedly sought out the Shangyuan Zhang family, shouting from a distance.

This Shangyuan Zhang family, is also a local big family, Zhang Taigong in Yingtianfu, is also considered quite prestigious.

He’s old and gray and doesn’t have many years left to live.

At this time, listening to the movement, appeared to be displeased, in the maidservant’s support, slowly came to the small hall.

With that, he met the reader in front of him.

This reader is a Xiucai, teaching in the Zhang family’s clan school, surnamed Li.

Li Xiucai said excitedly, “Just now I went to the city, Mrs. Zhang, do you know what happened?”

The maidservant fetched a tea for Eunuch Zhang, who rinsed his mouth first and only nodded.

Li Xiu then said, “Zhang Taigong …… that Zhang dog ……”

Upon hearing the word Zhang Dog, Zhang Taigong violently changed his face.

Li Xiu looked at his reaction and paused and said, “It is that Zhang Anshi …… when it is really as rumored, out of big trouble.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Taigong was instantly energized, as if all of a sudden, his face was much rosier.

When he thought of the three words Zhang Anshi, Zhang Taigong could not even sleep well.

The Xia family of Xuancheng County and the Zhang family of Shangyuan are in-laws, and that Xia Chang is also the cousin of Zhang Taigong.

Of course, this is nothing, the Shangyuan Zhang family hundred years of family business, in this South Zhili don’t know and how many famous family ties, really talk about it, that are relatives.

The terrible thing is, that the Xia family actually full of people, a lot of relatives have not been exiled, even the family business also copied, and even take the Xia family land, divided out.

Just thinking about this, Zhang Taigong involuntarily shivered.

He was so afraid that he even had nightmares every day about the Zhang family’s family business and how it all ended up in his hands.

As a result, whenever someone mentioned Zhang Anshi, Zhang Taigong had to curse endlessly and could not care less about being civilized.

Mrs. Zhang said, “Tell me in detail.”

Then this Li Xiucai said, “The other day, didn t it say that a …… large amount of arable land on the side of Taipingfu was deserted? This is what the Chen family and the Zhou family people said, the Zhou family side, swore.”

Hearing this, Zhang Taigong coldly said, “Sin, this is sin, the hard-earned family business, by Zhang Anshi, that little thief, was divided among those lazy households, can it be run well? Those fools, how can they take care of the fields?”

“Yes, yes.” Li Xiucai smiled and said, “But …… this …… thing everyone just passes on, and then I heard that, within the Taiping House, there was a power struggle, and the fight was extremely powerful, and I heard that when the meeting was held, some people even directly smashed the tealight, and several times it was Unhappy dispersal. And that Zhang Anshi ……”

Zhang Taigong said, “This thing, I have known, yesterday the Liu family invited wine, also said this thing, Liu Gong is the most sincere gentleman, his words …… are credible.”

Li Xiucai but said: “Today …… only know, grain prices rose, and people say, see Zhang family’s merchant bank, desperately private purchase of grain ……”

“What?” Zhang Taigong’s eyes lit up, “Is this matter true?”

“Other can also be a misinformation, but this thing ah …… really witnessed, is the students have seen with their own eyes, the price of grain should be increased by two percent.”

Zhang Taigong may not know how to plow the land, but as a family with 100,000 mu of hidden land, he does understand grain prices.

It’s unusual to see such a rise and fall.

A few years of harvests in the Southern Direct, may be reduced a little, but not so much as to cause such great fluctuations.

Zhang Taigong stood up with a slight tremor and hobbled a few steps with the help of his maidservant before he said with a few revitalized looks, “Good, good …… ”

He laughed.

Li Xiucai said, “Many merchants, are regretting it, they would like to hoard grain, but unfortunately ……”

Zhang Taigong laughed: “Hoarding grain, do they have a warehouse? But …… yesterday a grain merchant came to collect grain, originally Lao Fu was promised, but now well ……”

He smiled in a meaningful way.

This is nothing less than a double whammy.

Immediately afterward, he said, “Call the steward.”

After a while, the steward came.

Zhang Taigong asked at the head, “How many empty positions do we have left?”

“There are a lot of it, this stale rice …… is almost out, just waiting for the harvest of summer grain ……”

Zhang Taigong narrowed his eyes.

If what this Li Xiucai said is true, then …… it really is …… a fortune.

He had granaries, storage facilities, everything.

Zhang Taigong looked at Li Xiucai and said, “What do you say …… Zhang Anshi collects grain for?”

Li Xiucai guessed, “Maybe it is because the Taiping House has no grain harvest, so …… secretly purchase some grain …… to make up for the shortage? If not …… his Taipingfu …… fields are barren, I am afraid that the court will see the crime.”

“Haha ……” Zhang Taigong said, “Not bad, the old man also thinks so, this matter ah …… you go to inquire again. ”

“Good.”

Zhang Taigong turned back, pinched the maidservant on the side, and said, “Don’t you usually say that the master’s body is not good anymore, 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, Zhang Taigong was seated at the end of the table and had been waiting for him for a long time.

When the two met, he immediately asked, “How was it?”

Li Xiucai cheerfully said, “It has risen to again, up seventy cents …… and still up for no reason, now many people …… are anxious. I also heard that the Taiping government began to send a lot of people, guarding the various ferries and docks, not allowing people to easily enter and exit, checking very strictly. There are also many merchants and merchants said …… that those gossips are nonsense, the grain growth of Taipingfu is very good.”

Zhang Taigong laughed: ”Haha …… this is to cover up, those cheap merchants, they really are in collusion with Zhang Anshi. If it’s really as they say, how can the grain go up? This is real money, is there such a fool in the world?”

“Yes, Taigong, that’s what the student thinks too. I’ve also heard that Taipingfu is going to organize a group of people to visit their so-and-so township, so that everyone can see how the grain grows.”

Zhang Taigong laughed again, with a few points of mockery, “This Zhang Anshi anxious, this person is good at making political achievements, such official deception of things, the old man lived a big age, I do not know how many times I have seen, it is just to find a place where the grain grows well, so that you can go to see it, in fact,…… but it is Stealing the beam is just a trick.”

“Yes extremely. Duke Zhang’s high opinion, the Chen family and Zhou family’s side, also said the same thing, the Chen family’s eunuch, even jumped up and scolded it.”

Zhang Taigong said: “In this way, when the summer grain harvested, not only the grain pile is not full of grain silo, but also may be insufficient food, this Zhang Anshi and anxious to purchase grain, will want to do everything possible, so as to make up for and cover up the problem of Taipingfu. If this time, the Zhang family also purchase a large amount of grain stored, not only …… can teach this Zhang Anshi even more can not buy grain, to go to him to grease, and we may also make a big profit.”

“The student also thinks so, in fact, on the Zhou family’s side, they also think so.” Li Xiucai’s eyebrows fluttered as he continued, “Saying that no matter what, we can make a big profit, it’s just a matter of making more or less. But if we take this opportunity to bring down the Taiping government, it will be beneficial to the country and the people.”

Although Zhang Taigong also think so, but also still have a few points of caution, he paused and said, “Well …… old man think again.”

Li Xiucai, on the other hand, said, “You can’t think about it anymore, and if you delay further, I’m afraid the price will still go up. Both the Zhou family and the Chen family have already made their moves ……”

Zhang Taigong, however, was worried, this matter he already felt reliable, but out of an instinctive caution, he was still reluctant to throw his weight around.

Just as he was hesitating, violently, Taigong Zhang remembered something and immediately said, “Di Di, where is today’s Di Di newspaper? Has it been brought from the city?”

A female servant girl busily came forward and said, “I asked someone to bring it early in the morning.”

“Fetch.” Zhang Taigong said.

Li Xiu Cai was confused.

When the diaper arrived, Zhang Taigong carefully scrutinized it.

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

He muttered under his breath: “Clarification of the situation in Taiping province: Taiping government office Zheng told, today there are small people, rumors around the summer grain grain harvest in Taiping province, such gossip, very clamor, spreading people, can be described as ill-intentioned, this Taiping province respectfully advised that: one, where there is a re-transmission of this statement, will not be forgiven, and will take the first offender, as a warning to others. Second: Taipingfu grain growth is very good, although affected by the drought, but there is no catastrophe, the situation is controllable, this year will be a good year.”

Zhang Taigong finished reading, and he trembled his parched lips.

For his part, Li Xiu Cai listened sideways.

Zhang Taigong read it again in silence.

And then, this eunuch suddenly patted the case, eyes slightly open, said: ”Haha …… this time, the heart has a bottom! Collect, immediately give the old man to collect grain! Regardless of what means, give me every possible way to collect grain …… the family’s rice warehouse, are to collect full, how many to how many, no matter what the price!”

Li Xiucai was surprised and looked at Zhang Taigong, “Zhang Taigong …… this ……”

Zhang Taigong said: “Originally, this Zhang Anshi did not make a sound, the old man’s heart is still not bottom! You see, now this kid is angry and furious, even in the di report and is a threat, and is loud and clear that his Taiping province is a good year, Zhang Anshi this thief cunning, this person’s mouth words, half of the words can not be listened to, he said it is a good year, it is bound to be to cover up what, he is a thief heart false it!”

“Now …… Laofu can guarantee that the Taiping House has an accident, now collect grain, is to not let Zhang Anshi collected grain to cope with the fact that the grain field of Taiping House is deserted, but also can make a big profit from it. According to the old man’s opinion …… Zhang Anshi will not count all the consequences of grain collection to cover up, his money bank family is big, for this is willing to pay all the price, I’m afraid that by then …… the price of grain rises to seven two, eight two a stone, the old man will not feel surprised.”

Li Xiucai heard, immediately also figured out, and hastily said, “Zhang Taigong high opinion ah, on the contrary, the student is stupid.”

Zhang Taigong shook his head and stroked his florid white beard, smugly saying, “The old man has lived his whole life, what kind of chaotic ministers and traitors have he not seen before? These people’s tactics, when all is said and done, are just that.”

“This time, not only have the opportunity to …… completely teach this Taipingfu collapsed, and there is also the opportunity to make a huge profit, which the best of both worlds, in order to eliminate the old man hate ah.”

Li Xiucai nodded, but also said with a few regrets, “It’s a pity that the student …… doesn’t have a granary at home ……”

Zhang Taigong smiled and said, “This is no harm, you can count you one, you take silver to collect grain, collect the grain, but also can be stored in my Zhang family’s warehouse, not ……”

He apparently suddenly remembered something and shouted orders to the outside, “Someone, someone.”

The maidservant hurriedly came and said, “Old Master.”

Mrs. Zhang said, “Go tell the steward, our Zhang family, build ten more barns, build them for me immediately.”

“Yes.”

…………

At this time, Zhang Anshi was looking down at a report.

By this time, he had to accept that he had become notorious since the division of the land.

Once upon a time, the average person would not dare to call him out by name.

But apparently, someone got pissed off and now ……

Then look at the long trend of food prices, Zhang Anshi roughly understood …… that there are already many people …… who want to let him die.

Chen Li said on the sidelines, “Gong master …… has a lot of readers …… still all hang on the mouth a sentence.”

“Don’t stammer, can’t you say it in one breath?”

Chen Li said, “They say that the defense of the Famous Teachings is right now!”

Zhang Anshi stroked his palm and said, “This is very hot blooded, and the simple words are appalling, and it is indeed very appealing. But …… I think …… it is only hot blooded, the atmosphere is not enough, you hand, there are a few readers eyes?”

“Dozens.”

Zhang Anshi gave him a disgusted look and said, “Why only this much?”

Chen Li instead showed a few points of aggravation, “But where there are decent readers, who is willing to give us the Jin Yi Wei as an eyesore ah.”

Zhang Anshi said, “Then you tell them to …… hurry up and pass out some words again, calling to capture Zhang Anshi alive, purchasing grain to save themselves, not buying is not a reader.”

“Ah ……,” Chen Li’s entire body gave another whole confused.

He had begun to suspect that Zhang Anshi had been taken over.

…………