chsdbacks Page 2515
Page 2515
"The officials in the former Song Dynasty's market administration would falsely claim that the merchants' high-quality goods were low-quality goods, forcing them to sell them at low prices."
"They take inferior goods and sell them to local merchants at high prices, and even force the local merchants to borrow money at usurious rates."
"When it comes to extracting bone and marrow, they're even more ruthless than the gang leaders!"
"Exactly, it would have been better if Prime Minister Wang hadn't changed the market exchange laws at all."
“We would rather be oppressed by those gang leaders than be exploited to the bone by officials.”
"This exchange is different; the government does not interfere with buying and selling."
"It's like the government sets up a stage and lets us perform on it, and all we have to do is pay the government a stage tax."
"But what if those big merchants join forces and refuse to buy goods?"
"Relying solely on small merchants to purchase goods is too slow. If it drags on for too long, the warehouse costs will be substantial."
"Yes, I know the stock exchanges of the six major maritime trade offices."
“But it’s different in seaports. Local merchants don’t buy goods; out-of-town merchants buy them and take them away.”
"But this is Tokyo; goods transported here cannot be transferred elsewhere."
"If small and medium-sized merchants can't finish consuming the goods at once, then they'll all be stuck in the hands of us merchants, and in the end we'll have to sell them to those big merchants at a low price."
"Go ask this Master Zhong!"
"..."
The official who had been sitting was named Zhong Qi. He slowly explained while sipping his tea leaves, "I dare not accept the title of 'sir.' I am merely a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, just like you all."
"You can just call me Master Zhong."
Huang Bojian cupped his hands and asked, "Please enlighten me, Master Zhong, what if large merchants (wholesalers) refuse to buy goods, and small and medium-sized merchants (retailers) are too slow to take them in?"
“In the former Song Dynasty, the government would buy up surplus goods in the market exchange, but now the government doesn’t buy them in the exchange.”
"In the long run, we can't afford the warehouse costs."
Zhong Qi held up one finger: "Firstly, when the exchange sells goods, anyone can buy goods long-term by spending ten coins to obtain a subscription certificate."
"Although there is a minimum purchase amount for the goods, even street vendors can pool their money to buy a single order."
He then raised a second finger: "Secondly, the daily market price on the exchange follows the ten-day price in Tokyo, and is mostly lower than the selling price of the major traders."
"Small and medium-sized merchants in Tokyo will scramble to place orders to buy it."
"Because of their large numbers, they had an extremely strong capacity for consumption. The reason why small and medium-sized merchants could not buy much goods in the former Song Dynasty's market exchange bureau was because officials embezzled and profited from it."
"They even forced small and medium-sized merchants to borrow money from the government at high interest rates to buy goods; they wouldn't sell unless they borrowed money at high interest rates."
"Thirdly, no matter how the big merchants manipulate the market, their ultimate goal is to make money."
“If they don’t buy up the goods and instead let small and medium-sized merchants buy them on the exchange, they will never make money and their warehouses will remain empty.”
"If this drags on, they're the ones who should be anxious."
"They'll be even more anxious than you businesspeople!"
"Fourth, the ones who should really be worried are not you, but the small and medium-sized merchants who sell retail goods."
"The major merchants in Tokyo are very likely to join forces to buy up all the spot goods on the exchange."
"Then they hoarded the goods and refused to sell them to small and medium-sized merchants for retail."
"Hehe, let them hold onto the goods."
"If they dare to collectively manipulate the market, the imperial court won't even need to arrest anyone; they can simply urgently contact merchants from other regions to bring more goods to the exchange."
"At that time, small and medium-sized merchants can buy goods at the exchange. How much can the large merchants take if they continue to buy up goods?"
"We can't just fill our warehouses and keep buying up goods to pile up on the streets, can we?"
"The more goods they hoard, the more they lose!"
Huang Bojian then asked, "If the major merchants are really hoarding goods for speculation, can the government transfer goods from other places in time?"
Zhong Qi explained, "The imperial court granted the exchange special privileges, allowing it to use the 400-li express courier service in critical situations to contact merchants from surrounding provinces to transport goods to the capital."
"Moreover, these merchants who received the urgent message to Beijing were allowed to pass through the tax offices along the way without being taxed."
"At that time, they will not pay taxes along the way, and the price of goods transported to the capital will be even lower."
"Those big merchants who hoard and speculate will lose everything!"
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
"As expected of the Holy Emperor, he has even thought of these things."
"From now on, when we transport goods to the capital, we will no longer be bullied by the big merchants."
"Long live the Ming Dynasty! Long live the Emperor!"
"..."
Merchants from all over the world cheered with joy at this moment.
For them, the exchange is not so much about preventing price suppression, but mainly about avoiding business risks.
In the past, if a particular commodity arrived in Beijing in large quantities, the major merchants would collude to refuse to buy it, threatening to charge warehouse usage fees to force customers to sell their goods at a loss and return home.
Chapter 3342 Business War
Huang Bojian straightened his clothes and suggested, "After we finish our business at the exchange, why don't we go together to the Donghua Gate to express our gratitude to the Emperor?"
"Go together, go together!"
The businesspeople laughed and agreed. They were very sensitive to policies and could accurately judge what was in their favor.
The group continued to ask questions, eager to learn more about how the exchange operated.
The following afternoon, Huang Bojian completed the formalities.
Overjoyed, he went to a restaurant outside Tokyo and brought all the caravan members along for drinks.
Meanwhile, the top executives in Tokyo were holding an emergency meeting.
It was a meeting where people from all walks of life gathered together, not just an internal industry conference.
Their business predecessors were dealt with by Wang Anshi, but they quickly colluded with powerful figures to fight back.
Even Emperor Huizong of Song and Cai Jing, in their efforts to revive the market exchange law in order to amass wealth, were forced to compromise by powerful merchants and influential figures.
Despite his formidable abilities, Tong Guan was subjected to a strike and a form of reprimand by the leaders of the Chang'an guilds during the campaign against the Western Xia.
"Is a strike possible?" a foreman asked.
"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!" The other leaders all glared at them.
A strike?
Thinking back to last year's major case, the bank leaders collectively shuddered.
The meeting ended unhappily.
In this situation, the top officials in Tokyo are unable to coordinate because they distrust each other.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, all the brothel owners in Kaifeng had connections with powerful figures in the court, and most of them were spokespeople for the imperial family.
The reason why the imperial family members did not personally intervene was because the brothers Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi severely punished the behavior of powerful nobles who disrupted the market.
Later, a routine gradually formed, in which each side cultivated its own front men, who could reap the benefits while the imperial court also saved face.
Only when things escalate will the imperial court take action to punish them.
For example, the coal industry caused widespread public discontent in Tokyo, with many people freezing to death in the winter, leading to stampedes and looting incidents.
The imperial court could no longer stand it and simply overturned the table, making the government the largest wholesaler and retailer.
As a result, the government monopolized the market and manipulated coal prices, causing widespread suffering. Under pressure from public opinion, the government eventually opened up the private market.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the first thing to be punished was the powerful and influential people of the previous dynasty, and then the prominent families were forcibly separated and relocated.
The heads of various industries in Tokyo suddenly lost their backers, and some were even implicated and had their homes raided.
After the first year of material control ended, the wealthy merchants began to seek refuge with new powerful figures.
Subconsciously, they tried to cooperate with the royal family, relatives, and in-laws using the old methods.
Unfortunately, apart from Emperor Zhao Yuan and his ministers, all the members of the Ming Dynasty's royal family were minors.
Bai Qi could barely be considered one, but he was never in the capital.
And what about maternal relatives?
Zhao Yuan was extremely strict, making it impossible to intervene. He even forbade relatives of the emperor to live in the capital!
High-ranking officials such as cabinet ministers and ministers generally do not have contact with the head of the entourage.
Because—it's beneath you.
At most, it's the subordinates of high-ranking officials who make money and then use the guise of giving gifts to curry favor with the officials.
Therefore, the big merchants in Tokyo all tried to win over the sons and grandsons of powerful and wealthy people, as well as the middle and lower-ranking officials of the Six Ministries.
Last year's major case resulted in the investigation and punishment of a large number of officials from six ministries, and even the sons and grandsons of powerful figures suffered. The wealthy merchants once again lost their backers.
With people in a state of panic, how could these wealthy merchants dare to collude and cause trouble again?
……
Li Dunyi rode home in a luxurious carriage and went straight to see his elderly father.
Chapter 3343 Walking into a Trap and Getting a Rat
"How is it?" Li Mao asked his son.
Li Dunyi replied, "They're all terrified, what outcome can they possibly expect?"
Li Mao nodded and said, "It's good to take it slow. We can't go against His Majesty."
"The reason why my Li family has been able to maintain its wealth and status for two hundred years is because of its obedience to the imperial court."
Leaving aside the imperial relatives and powerful families, if we only consider the merchants inside and outside Tokyo, the Li family is definitely the richest family in Tokyo!
When they were doing business in Kaifeng, Zhao Kuangyin had not yet been crowned emperor.
During the Qingli era of the Northern Song Dynasty, the northwestern border was in dire need of funds, and the imperial court was short of funds, so it borrowed money from wealthy merchants in the capital city of Kaifeng.
The Li family alone borrowed more than 200,000 strings of cash, but the imperial court later defaulted on the debt and only granted official positions to a few members of the Li family to offset the debt.
Moreover, they were all low-ranking officials in the capital, holding only the eighth or ninth rank, with no real power whatsoever, and even if they continued to spend money, they wouldn't be promoted (similar to the kind of official positions that Qian Chen bought with donations).
This event was recorded in history books, but the real names of the people involved were not mentioned. They were only referred to as "Li family merchants" or "Li family, wealthy merchants in the capital."
Because they don't deserve it!
The Li family also hired famous teachers to educate their children to pursue official careers.
However, their children and grandchildren grew up in a pampered environment, and few of them were willing to study diligently. In more than a hundred years, only two people passed the imperial examinations.
Logically speaking, as the richest merchant in the capital, and with a legitimate scholar from his family, he should have been able to advance steadily through the ranks by using money.
The reality was quite the opposite; the powerful maternal relatives to whom the Li family had allied deliberately suppressed the promotion of Li's sons.
The Li family has gone from merchants to gentry, so how am I supposed to control them in the future?
You should just continue to do business honestly!
Not only did powerful figures leech off the Li family, but the imperial court also frequently demanded money, and each time they would appoint minor officials to pay off the debts.
Being the richest person in Beijing isn't easy.
When the Ming Dynasty investigated and punished powerful officials from the previous dynasty, the Li family immediately sold out their patron.
When supplies were scarce in the capital, he donated cloth to the court, which was then used to make clothes for the soldiers.
Even in last year's major case, the Li family was able to extricate themselves with ease, only being fined 200,000 guan.
"Grandfather, Father!"
Li Wenzhong entered with his hands clasped in front of him, bowing respectfully to the two elders.
Li Mao instantly put on a kind smile and beckoned to his eldest grandson, saying, "Eldest son, come here. How did you do your homework today?"