Li Longji listened to the officials argue back and forth, but in the end, they all wanted to find Zhang Xiaobao. He was extremely dissatisfied. In his view, it was better to only find Zhang Xiaobao when there was no other way.
If he could avoid using Zhang Xiaobao, he would avoid using Zhang Xiaobao. Otherwise, if he needed Zhang Xiaobao every time there was a problem, what was the point of having other people? What if he exhausted Zhang Xiaobao to death?
Seeing that none of the officials could come to a decision, his expression gradually darkened.
"Could it be that none of you have been attentively studying Xiao Bao's books? When it comes to economic matters, there must be a reason. You can either lead the way or cut off the foundation. If it really doesn't work, you can still compete with the other party in terms of attrition. Xiao Bao sent word a few days ago that he was busy with the Turkic matter. Don't distract him, right? "
"Your subjects are incompetent," the officials replied in unison, bowing in tacit agreement.
Yu Wenrong straightened up and suggested, "Your Majesty, since you want economic matters, why don't you ask the people on the top ranking of billionaires for advice and use commerce to govern commerce?"
"Oh? Who does Minister Yu think is suitable? "Li Longji indicated for Yu Wenrong to continue.
"This subject has heard that there are many new talents on the ranking, and that the names of the people on the ranking change frequently. But no matter how many changes there are, the top three have never been replaced. The other people on the ranking also have considerable wealth. The third person on the ranking is a great merchant from Hedong Road. He seems to be in charge of all the merchant associations in Hedong Road.
The second person is Song Jinggong from Sanshui County. In the past, he had always been in the first place, and it could be said that he had received Zhang Xiaobao's teachings. But since last year, he has fallen to second place. The first person is Xin Er, who is of marriageable age, the granddaughter of the former Minister of Revenue, Bi Gou.
However, many people said that it was not because she was powerful, but because she had someone by her side who was now hiding behind her. Her name was Fang Liu 'er, and she had a younger brother, Fang Xiao Man. He was a family that had fled from Tuqiao Village in Sanshui County. He was valued by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. He was very intelligent and learned a lot of things. He had settled down in the Joy Residence and studied the ways of finance diligently.
This subject believes that we can ask Fang Liu 'er to come over and ask about the plan. Using the spear of Shang to attack the shield of Shang, we will definitely gain something. Also, that Bi Xin Er is currently in charge of the largest clothing and toy stores in our dynasty. Anyone from the Great Tang is proud to be able to own one of these two stores, they should have quite a bit of money on hand. "
Other than Zhang Zhong and Zhang Jiuling who were familiar with the names mentioned by Yu Wenrong, the others only knew of the former minister, Bi Gou. It was not because of Bi Gou's great achievements, but because Bi Gou was able to live. He was almost eighty years old, but he was still able to wander around. Furthermore, he liked to be a storyteller. He would often go to a certain tavern to chat and exchange for some wine, dishes, and tea. This made people envious and speechless.
Li Longji usually did not ask about this kind of thing. When he heard that the number one of the richest people had changed, he was very curious. "There is such a thing? Good, go and ask Fang Liu 'er to come over. Let her think of a solution."
*****
South of the Yellow River, Eastern Capital Luoyang.
As the winter snow melted, rows of oxen were plowing the fields outside the city. Carts of compost were piled up in the fields and scattered everywhere by people. As the fields were turned up, the compost gradually mixed with the soil in the fields. The busy people's faces were red from the wind, but it couldn't hide the joy that came from their hearts.
There were countless people coming and going in the city. Carriages and horses were clamoring. The restaurants and teahouses were already filled with all kinds of people by noon. Some were walking, some were resting, some were working, and some were drinking turbid wine, accompanied by a plate of side dishes.
There were also scholars who were preparing to go to the capital to participate in the Spring Imperial Examination. They were discussing the current political situation and the ways of learning. They were waiting for the warm weather to continue for a few more days before they took the fast boats specially prepared for the High Scholar candidates to go to the capital. Firstly, the boats were fast and there was no need to worry about delays. Secondly, the capital was expensive. Those who were not rich did not dare to stay for long.
There were also merchants who took advantage of the arrival of spring to inquire about the prices of various places. They had professional smiles on their faces. Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, whenever they met someone in the same trade, they would find something to talk about. This way, when they needed to be together in the future, they would not seem so distant.
If one were to ask which restaurant was the best in Luoyang, it would naturally be Between the Clouds and the Water, not far from Luoyang's capital. It was a five-story building. The bottom two floors were cast from cement and steel. There were all kinds of exquisite patterns in between, complementing the fragrant green grass in front of the restaurant. The top three floors were made of mahogany, with ribbons dancing in the wind.
The transparent glass windows, the warm winter and cool summer environment, and the feeling of gazing into the distance made Between the Clouds and the Water in the Eastern Capital a place for the rich and powerful to show off their status.
At this time, in the fifth floor of the Luo Water Pavilion, there were three people sitting by the window. Below them was the gurgling Luo Water. Above them were floating clouds. The room was neither hot nor cold. The temperature indicator hovered between twenty-five and twenty-six degrees.
"Lord Yamamoto, you've worked hard. Storing and storing garlic is an important matter. With Lord Yamamoto's hard work, I can finally free up my hands to do other things." One of the three people sitting in a triangle raised his wine cup and loudly praised the person sitting in front of him.
The person called Yamamoto had no joy on his face. On the contrary, he was rather worried. Hearing the other party praise him, he also raised his wine cup and said, "Lord Yamamoto, you were the one who suggested this.
I was just running errands, so you can't say that I've worked hard. If we're talking about hard work, Lord Yamamoto has worked harder than me. Lord Yamamoto has been busy using the garlic he's stored up as collateral, obtaining short-term money from other people and depositing it in a bank so that the merchants who collect the garlic can rest easy. His contribution is greater than mine.
And also, Lord Yamamoto, you were able to think of a good plan to raise the price of garlic. As long as we wait for three months, we'll definitely have a great harvest. We'll be able to buy many good things from the Great Tang and transport them back to our country.
"No, no, no." Lord Yamamoto downed the wine in his cup in one gulp and exhaled a breath that reeked of alcohol. He shook his head and said, "I'm not buying things back. I'm continuing to make money with money. The Great Tang sold their useless cloth to Japan in exchange for a large amount of sulfur and silver. Many people in our country don't know about the Great Tang's insidiousness, but I can't ignore it. Once I've earned enough money, I'll buy their technology and their good craftsmen back to build ships, cannons, and guns."
Lord Yamamoto, who had been listening this entire time, had already drunk three cups of strong wine, but he hadn't touched a single bite of food. When he heard Lord Yamamoto's words, he worriedly said, "Lord Yamamoto, it's already not easy to earn money in the Great Tang. It's best if we stop as soon as possible. Otherwise, when Zhang Xiaobao realizes what's going on, we'll be at a disadvantage."
"Lord Yamamoto, I don't like what you're saying. We haven't broken the laws of the Great Tang. No matter how powerful Zhang Xiaobao is, he's still a human, not a god. I hope that he'll know as soon as possible so that I can compete with him and let him know the methods of the Japanese."
Lord Yamamoto clearly didn't think highly of Zhang Xiaobao. When he thought about fighting with Zhang Xiaobao, he seemed eager to give it a try.
When Lord Yamamoto heard Zhang Xiaobao's name, his face immediately paled. His hand that was about to pour wine couldn't help but tremble. In the end, he put down the wine pot and advised, "Lord Yamamoto, don't provoke him.
"Lord Wind Bridge, don't provoke Zhang Xiaobao. I heard that he is not in the capital, nor is he in Jili Province. There are rumors that he went to the Turkic Khaganate. Since he is not here, the three months are up. Let's finish this deal and see how he reacts. Otherwise, it will be too late for regrets."
"Lord Yamamoto, I'm not you. I won't buy cement and turn it into hard lumps. I also won't spend a lot of money to buy radishes and plant them like ginseng. Don't blame me for your failure. The price of garlic has already risen. Even if he knows, he can't do anything about it. This time, I've shipped over a million strings of silver and sulfur from the country. I can't just earn a little and go back.
Lord Yamamoto, you have to quickly exchange all the sulfur and silver for Great Tang's money. Three months later, I'll enter other industries. You have to listen to my orders and contribute to Japan together. "
Lord Yamamoto and Lord Yamamoto gloomily looked at Lord Yamamoto and Lord Yamamoto. He was clearly dissatisfied with their cowardice.
"Yes!" Lord Yamamoto and Lord Yamamoto replied respectfully at the same time.
Lord Yamamoto revealed a troubled expression. "Lord Yamamoto, Great Tang no longer uses copper coins and silver. The silver we brought isn't easy to sell. Ordinary people don't need so much sulfur, and the production of firecrackers is strictly controlled. If we want to sell it to them, the purity of the sulfur must meet the requirements. Furthermore, Konan Province doesn't allow people to refine sulfur privately. We have to think of other ways."
"Sulfur can't be refined privately, so we can sell it to the place where it is refined. The price can be lowered so that the people who collect the sulfur can benefit. I'm in urgent need of money. Sell the silver to the jewelry shop. You have to contact more merchants in this area. If there's no other way, we can use the silver to exchange for money. I need a large amount of cash to carry out the next plan."
Lord Yamamoto was once again dissatisfied with Lord Yamamoto's efficiency.
Lord Yamamoto looked at the wine and dishes in front of him and suddenly suggested, "We can send the silver directly to the Great Tang Bank as collateral to exchange for a loan. That bank can eat a lot of silver, but the value of the silver will be much lower. One tael of silver can only be used for a loan of 400 copper coins. It won't be the same as before."
"Collateral, hurry up and do it. As long as I have Great Tang's money, I can earn even more. Don't hesitate and don't be afraid of the loan amount. Cash, cash, I need a large amount of cash."
For the sake of his plan, Lord Yamamoto no longer cared about the depreciation of silver. He believed that as long as he had enough currency in Great Tang, he could do many things that others didn't dare to dream of.
This time, Lord Yamamoto and Lord Yamamoto didn't try to persuade Lord Yamamoto. No matter how Lord Yamamoto saw it, they could only follow suit. After all, he was the leader.
However, the worry in their hearts didn't lessen. This was a matter that affected the livelihood of the people, and Zhang Xiaobao would definitely interfere if he knew about it. Lord Yamamoto hoped that Zhang Xiaobao wouldn't be so sensitive to the price of garlic when he received the news later.
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