Mochou Lake.
"Your Majesty, as of yesterday, in the entire Yingtian Mansion, five rice shops have been smashed, and sixteen rice shops have been closed down. The price of grain has risen to 20 yuan of silver coins per dou, but the market is still very low. Lack of food.”
Yingtian Governor Chen Qiyu reported to Colonel Zhu You.
"In the past few days, the patrol camp has been arresting, smashing, and robbing rice shops, as well as stealing and robbing grain and rice. The prisons are now overcrowded, but the public security is still deteriorating. Many people have lost their respect for the law because they are in urgent need of grain and rice. Moral awe, and therefore became restless, in addition, the number of suicides also increased, and some people threw their families into the river because they could not bear this situation."
Zhou Yuji also reported to Zhu Youxiao on the security situation of Yingtian Mansion.
He had to admit that maintaining domestic political security was more troublesome than fighting a war. Although he was dealing with some unarmed and unruly people, the real culprit that caused the unruly people to appear was behind the scenes. Even if he had a knife, he couldn't cut it, even if he knew who was behind it. There is nothing you can do about it.
Because of this, Zhou Yuji clenched his teeth after reporting the report, and he had to suppress the anger that he could not vent.
"Due to the sharp increase in grain prices, merchants who borrowed silver coins from the Ming Dynasty Bank had to use the borrowed silver coins to buy grain. The imperial court spent a huge sum of 15 million yuan in silver coins to help the people of Jiangnan resume work and production. The purpose was not achieved. Not only was it not achieved, but the silver coins flowed into the hands of large grain-producing households, that is, from the vassal kings of Huguang and Henan, as well as local nobles and gentry. Especially the local nobles, most of the fields in Yingtian Mansion were In their hands, most of them were Dukes of Wei;
According to His Majesty's holy will, the silver hair stolen from the hands of salt merchants and rebel gentry will be put into the hands of ordinary people, so as to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in Jiangnan and stimulate the scale of consumption and trading in Jiangnan;
But now things have gone contrary to expectations. Instead of flowing into the hands of ordinary people, the stolen money has become more and more concentrated in the hands of a smaller number of people, that is, in the hands of wealthy families who occupy tens of thousands of hectares or even hundreds of thousands of hectares. "
Li Zhizao also had to frown and report the situation truthfully.
Because the Ming Dynasty cleared Southern Zhili last year, it had very detailed data on the distribution of fields in Tianfu, and Li Zhizao dared to say that the local nobles, namely the Nanjing nobles, controlled most of the fields in Yingtianfu.
"What about Dongchang? How is the grain sales situation of Dongchang's stores? In addition, how is the public opinion surveyed recently?"
Zhu Youxiao sat up straight, looked at the frowning ministers in front of him, and only asked this question.
Wei Zhongxian stood up and said, "Back to your Majesty, all the cheap grains sold by the shops in Dongchang have been exhausted. There were even several shops in Dongchang that were destroyed because they had no grain to sell. Dongchang's investigation found that recently, the people of Yingtian Mansion Resentment towards the government began to increase, especially the patrol camps. From the past, they loved the patrol camps for punishing rape and eradicating evil and making Jiangnan more peaceful. Now, many soldiers and civilians feel that the patrol camps are nothing more than government minions, and they only want to catch them who can't live. The common people are indifferent to the large households with food."
Zhu Youxiao nodded: "It seems that the reason for all this is that the fields in this area are too concentrated in the hands of noble families. Now because a large amount of silver coins have flowed into the market, the price of silver has fallen and the price of food has risen. There is a lot of silver coins." They also have a lot of food and crops, so they will naturally hoard food and release money. However, in order to maintain the royal laws and protect personal property, the imperial court unknowingly became the people who look after the homes and courtyards of these nobles, so that they can rest assured. They are hoarding food behind their backs!"
"Your Majesty, these nobles and nobles only know how to hoard food for profit, regardless of the imperial edicts, or even the safety of the country. It is really abominable. However, their fields are all in their hands, and their food is their own food. They themselves If they don’t sell it, we can’t say they are hoarding grain. After all, they are not buying grain from outside the country to hoard it.”
Xiong Tingbi said.
Zhu Youxiao looked at Han Xu: "Han Aiqing, please summon these nobles for me, as well as the big families who occupy a large area in Yingtian Mansion, and persuade them to take the initiative to put food on the market, or to borrow food. Give it to the imperial court and let it be used to stabilize food prices. If they find reasons to shirk it, come back and tell me."
"I obey the decree!"
Han Xu replied.
…
"Hahaha! Just yesterday, the price of a bushel of rice increased by five silver coins compared to the day before yesterday. The 20,000 stone grain I harvested this autumn has now gained another 100,000 silver dollars in profit! This damn thing is worse than opening a brothel. What a deal!”
At this time, Marquis Funing began to talk to Xu Hongji, Gu Mingjiao and other nobles.
"Isn't it? Nowadays, food is worth more than money! I have spread the word that not a single stone of food in the government is allowed to be sold to the grain merchants below, and everyone in the government is asked to buy food in the future. In this way, the price of food will rise. The worse it is, the richer those of us who have the most food will be!"
Gu Mingjiao laughed.
"What to do with the old grain that is about to become moldy? If you don't sell it, it will go bad. After all, this grain is not money and cannot be kept for a long time."
Zhu Guobi asked.
Xu Hongji sneered and said: "Then burn it! I would rather burn it than let it flow to the market and burn the farmland!"
"The imperial court issued an edict requiring wealthy families like us not to hoard food. What's the use of this edict? If I don't sell my own food, does it count as hoarding food? Haha!"
Zhu Guobi laughed when he mentioned the recent edict issued by Zhu You on prohibiting grain hoarding.
"Of course it doesn't count. It's just your own grain. Not to mention not selling it, even if you burn it, it won't hinder the king's law at all. This imperial edict can only intimidate the grain merchants below. Who cares about this among the real big households? It's just waste paper! At this time, it is obviously unwise to sell the grain and hold the court's silver coins in your hands. If we do this, the court will take away our money without blood by handing out silver coins. Private property can only be of benefit to us if we keep food and put money in this way now!"
Dou Ding, the doorman, started talking.
"Yes, it will just starve to death some untouchables, or there will be another riot! At that time, there is no need for us to take action, the court will help us pacify the rioters, and if a group of untouchables die, food prices may stabilize At the highest price, we will then sell the grain for profit."
Xu Hongji said with a smile.
"Father! Someone is coming from Mochou Lake. They say that Mr. Han Ge has an order to meet with Nanjing nobles and Yingtian mansion officials."
At this time, Xu Wenjue came over and reported to Xu Hongji who was talking.
Xu Hongji nodded after hearing this and said with a smile: "It seems that the imperial court is coming to beg us!"
Zhu Guobi immediately stood up excitedly and said, "I don't know what to ask for! Why, don't they know that they sent troops to raid our home?!"
"How do you copy it, saying that we don't sell our own grain, so we are guilty? Then what use is your Majesty's royal law? We are also citizens of the Ming Dynasty, and our family wealth must be protected by the royal law!"
Gu Mingjiao also stood up and replied with a smile.
Not long after, these nobles from Nanjing and the officials from the countryside in Yingtianfu arrived at a warm pavilion in Mochou Lake.
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