Zhao Mengqi had planned everything as early as when he decided to sell grain.
Taihu Lake belongs to three prefectures, Changzhou in the northwest, Anji Prefecture in the south, and Pingjiang Prefecture in the east. This flood was released ahead of schedule. Except for Pingjiang Prefecture, which was affected, the other two prefectures were safe and sound and had a bumper harvest.
There was food in the two states of Chang'an, and Xietang and the others naturally knew it, but they didn't pay much attention to it at first, because firstly, they thought that the gentry in the two states would not like to see King Yan, and secondly, they felt that King Yan would not have the money to buy food even if he wanted to. .
But they didn't expect that King Yan didn't spend any money at all.
He sent people from the Imperial City Department, armed with a bunch of illegal and taboo documents and the regulations of the fields, to secretly contact various large households, and quickly pocketed the surplus grain from the two places, and then created a five-guan-one-stone purchase system on the market. Illusion.
Then only more than two million stones of grain were transported back, most of which remained in the original owner's granary.
At that time, the gentry in the two places were still surprised by this behavior. After thinking about it, they just thought that King Yan kept the grain to stabilize local grain prices.
Soon after, Xie Tang and others realized that King Yan used Wu Guan to buy in Liangzhou and then sold in Pingjiang with Wu Guan, hoping to stabilize the price of grain.
In order to cut off King Yan's supply of goods, Xie Tang and others had to go to two states to buy grain with real money and silver at the same price of five guan, but they did not realize that the real seller was King Yan.
King Yan did not take the money he got from selling grain, most of it remained in the local area.
When the gentry of the two states were wondering, the powerful people of Pingjiang sent people to the door again. They took their assets as collateral and borrowed more than 10 million guan from the previous purchase of grain. They transported it back to Pingjiang and bought it at an average price of more than ten guan per shi. King Yan's "last" two million stones of food were empty.
This operation made the gentry of the two states who acted as middlemen dumbfounded and chilled in their hearts. Of course, King Yan did not treat them badly and took one-tenth of the profits as their commission.
With this combination of kindness and power, naturally no one took the risk to inform the Pingjiang gentry. Anyway, a dead Taoist friend will not die a poor Taoist!
It turns out that there are still many people who are extremely envious of the gentry of the two states. They think that King Yan and the people of Xietang are the snipe and clam fighting each other. The gentry of the two states make a lot of money through this, and they are the fishermen who benefit from it.
Who would have thought that the gentry of the two states only got a little money for running errands, and there was only one real winner from beginning to end, and that was His Highness King Yan.
By this time, there was no need for secrecy. More and more people were figuring things out, and their eyes on King Yan became more and more complex.
Even though Zhao Mengqi was not thin-skinned, he felt a little uncomfortable under the intense gazes of hundreds of people. He touched the bridge of his nose and decided to relax the atmosphere, and at the same time completely disintegrate the persistence of those stubborn and powerful people.
"Ahem... Gu is also a reasonable person. It is not impossible to pay off the loan in advance. It is also possible to pay off the debt with food. However, Gu's money does not come from the strong wind. The price of two yuan and one stone is a bit unrealistic, but it is acceptable to pay one and a half. , if you feel it is appropriate, you can go to the side to register, and within a day or two there will be a dedicated person responsible for handing over, including property declaration, tax payment, debt settlement, etc., all in one solution."
After Zhao Mengqi finished speaking, the whole hall fell into silence.
Haha, your money is indeed not blown by the strong wind, it is all given by us stupidly!
The powerful men felt so uncomfortable that they really didn't expect to be stabbed if they gave in, but if they continued to hold on, they would really lose everything.
Not waiting for long, someone walked towards the registration place, signed his name, and then walked out of the hall in a daze, like a zombie.
With those who take the lead, there will be those who follow, and gradually more and more people will register and leave.
Looking at these lonelier figures, the foreign gentry also felt sad and had mixed feelings.
A rough calculation shows that under the successive attacks of King Yan, all the powerful people who participated in this operation will lose at least half of their family property. This is even if King Yan is "merciful".
Half an hour later, the west side of Dacheng Hall began to look empty. Of the original three hundred people, only twenty or thirty people were left gathered in a small group, and it was a miserable place.
Lu Wencai looked at Xie Tang with a bitter look on his face, "Cangshi, now that the situation is over, what should we do?"
Xie Tang's eyes were full of sinister birds of prey, "Why are you panicking? Even if we lose, we will only lose a little money. With the status of people like us, how dare he, King Yan, to take our lives? He still has the green hills, but he is afraid that there will be no firewood." ? What he did shook the interests of the great gentry in the world. Even if he gains power for a while, it will not last long. By then, we will finally be able to take back what belongs to us with the principal and profit!"
"Cang Zhi is right! Let him be proud for a while, it's not certain who will have the last laugh!" Xu Xueqian's eyes were full of hatred and madness.
The remaining people nodded in agreement, determined to walk all the way to the dark side.
The reason why these people are stubborn is that firstly, they are the backbone of this operation and have invested too much. Even if they surrender, they will not be able to recover much. Secondly, they all have something to rely on, and they think that King Yan does not dare to do anything to them. Sample.
For example, Xie Tang is a relative, and the Xie family has a real queen, which is enough to protect his safety.
The Xu family is a large Huating family that has been prosperous for hundreds of years and has an unbreakable local influence. Moreover, the Xu family's in-law Li Zengbo sits in the southwest of the Song Dynasty and is also a big backer.
The Lu family did not have a deep foundation, and their fortune had only lasted twenty or thirty years. However, with the decline of generals such as Meng Gong and Yu Jie, Lu Wende gradually became the mainstay of the Song army. The military group composed of Lu family members and relatives has taken shape. The imperial court was both afraid of and dependent on him.
For others, either the aristocratic family has strong social connections, or someone in the family holds an important position in the court, or has a high reputation in the scholarly community. Anyway, they have golden bodies to protect them. Even if they are injured, they will not be injured. Sooner or later I will be able to recover.
But the key point is that Lu Wen cannot represent the Lu family.
Perhaps the Lu family was not ignorant of Lu Wencai's behavior, but probably adopted a tacit attitude. After all, winning was a good thing, but losing would probably throw Lu Wencai out as the scapegoat.
Therefore, Lu Wencai did not have the confidence to persist.
"Cangshi, Lu has something unspeakable, and it's really difficult for him to accompany me. Please don't blame me."
After saying that, Lu Wen didn't dare to look into Xie Tang's eyes anymore. He lowered his head and ran to the registration office as if he was running away. He picked up the pen and signed.
As soon as I wrote the word "口", the brush was snatched away.
Lu Wencai looked up in shock and anger, suddenly frightened out of his mind, "Shi Kui? You, aren't you in Ezhou?"
It turned out that this person was Lu Shikui, Lu Wende's legitimate son, who had been following Lu Wende all the time. At this time, Lu Wende had just been appointed the governor of Ezhou by the imperial court, and was controlling the military in western Hunan to guard against the Mongols in the direction of Dali.
Lu Shikui was in his twenties. Although he came from a family of military generals, he was dressed as a Confucian scholar. He had a strong body and a look on his face. He looked like he had both civil and military skills.
"Haha, eighth uncle, if my nephew hadn't come, I'm afraid you would have led the Lu family into the abyss! Fortunately, my father has always trusted you more and entrusted you with the family's finances, but you don't think about the right way. How dare you act recklessly in the name of the Lu family, just annexing land for private benefit, and actually dare to openly oppose His Highness the King of Yan in an attempt to obstruct the government's administration, where did you get the courage!"
Lu Shikui looked upright and scolded his uncle with righteous indignation. Then he straightened his clothes and turned around to pay homage to King Yan.
"The humble minister Baoyi Lang, Lu Shikui, pays homage to His Highness King Yan. On behalf of my father, I would like to express my sincere greetings to His Highness."
Zhao Mengqi looked at the person in front of him and felt a little disgusted in his heart. This guy was not a good person. After surrendering to the Yuan Dynasty, he actually dedicated the Song Dynasty's daughter to Boyan.
It's just that I had to be cautious when dealing with the Lu family at this time, so I didn't express my anger or anger easily, and said calmly, "No need to be polite, just stay calm."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lu Shikui straightened up and looked at Zhao Mengqi calmly, "Your Highness, Rong Weichen reports that although Lu Wencai is a younger brother of his father, he only manages some properties on his behalf and is not qualified to represent the Lu family. What he has done My father didn't know about it beforehand. This time, someone also told him urgently. Only then did my father learn that he dared to risk the disapproval of the world and rebelled against the emperor in the name of the Lu family. Because he specially sent a minister to stop him, but the journey was far away. I’m still a step late.”
As he said that, he bowed again and said, "The Lu family has been greatly favored by the emperor, which is why they are so prosperous today. We must not do anything unjust to the court or to officials."
The infidelity in the family occurred, and Lu Wencai did it. Although it was not the Lu family's intention, my father said that this was ultimately caused by the Lu family's lax discipline. The Lu family is willing to bear all the blame and will respect and obey His Highness's orders and will never do anything. The complaint is just a merciless request. I hope that Your Highness will allow the Lu family to deal with this scum Lu Wencai on their own, so as to set a warning for others and correct the family tradition! 》.z.br>
Ha, this Lu family seems to be respectful, but in fact they don't have much respect for themselves as the prince, and they dare to make terms.
Zhao Mengqi pinched his chin, his eyes flickered, and he thought seriously for a long time.
Whether it is from his own perspective or from the perspective of the Song Dynasty, forces like the Lu family will never be allowed to appear in the army. But now is obviously not the time to take action against the Lu family. In order not to alarm the snake, I am afraid I can only appease them first. Dispose of it properly in the future.
Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Zhao Mengqi made his decision with a smile on his face, as warm as the spring breeze.
"Shuai Lu is worthy of being the pillar of the country. His loyalty and demeanor make the little king admire him very much. Lu Baoyi also stood upright and did not hesitate to kill relatives for justice. He can be regarded as a role model for the youth of the Song Dynasty. The Lu family defended the country and the people, guarded one side, and made great contributions to the Song Dynasty." How can Xiao Wang not bear to be dissatisfied with this small request? You can take Lu Wencai away as long as you want, and we will deal with the follow-up matters when you have time."
It seemed that the result had been expected by Lu Shikui. There was no surprise on his face, and he thanked him calmly and calmly, "Your Highness is so magnanimous, and I am deeply grateful, so I will take my leave now and apologize to Your Highness another day."
Then, he picked up a writing brush, signed his name on the register, then made a bow, glared at Lu Wencai, and walked out. Lu Wencai followed cautiously, with lifeless eyes.
