When the Queen saw Su Xian's confident look, her eyes couldn't help but light up, and the veiled scrutiny disappeared instantly, and she hurriedly asked: "What can Su Aiqing do?"
"It turns out that the Taiwei already had a way to make me worry in vain." Lan Ling and others breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Xian smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, don't be anxious, please allow me to speak slowly."
"It does cost a lot of money to build a shipyard and build sea-going ships. I also know the difficulties faced by the court. It is true that there is no extra money and food."
"But, the imperial court doesn't have it, others do!"
"..."
After Su Xian finished speaking, he glanced at Qian Zhongshu intentionally or unintentionally, with a faint smile on his face.
There was a buzzing sound in Qian Zhongshu's head. Why was Su Xian smiling at him? Based on what he just said, Su Xian must be trying to snatch it from them!
Search your home?
Su Xian has obviously formed an alliance with Princess Lanling, and Princess Lanling is the biggest threat to the crown prince's accession to the throne, so Su Xian's move makes perfect sense!
This move can not only raise the capital to open up sea trade, but also deal a heavy blow to the prince's party!
It can be said that killing two birds with one stone.
What a great idea!
Qian Zhongshu's heart suddenly felt cold...
Not only did he think of "running a house raid," but the Queen, Lan Ling, Yan Dashan, and Liu Shizhong were not spared either.
Especially the Queen, Emei gradually frowned and fell into deep thought.
"I'm afraid it's inappropriate to confiscate your home!"
Yan Dashan suddenly spoke and looked at Su Xian slowly shaking his head: "Although this move can raise the capital to open up sea trade, it will also make the civil and military officials panic and be detrimental to the country!"
"I second the proposal!" Liu Shizhong bowed to the Queen.
Princess Lanling's eyes were deep. She had accepted Su Xian's method. It was a good idea to confiscate the house. This could just be used to eradicate a group of dissidents, killing two birds with one stone!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance sideways at Qian Zhongshu, with a faint smile on her lips.
When Qian Zhongshu saw this, he suddenly felt the weight of the mountain and his breathing was disordered. If he felt cold just now, now he feels freezing cold!
"no!"
Qian Zhongshu thought to himself: "Even if my house is confiscated and my family is exterminated, I will never let His Highness be implicated. I must do something..."
"..."
Just when everyone was having different thoughts and Qian Zhongshu was in confusion, Su Xian turned to look at Yan Dashan and said with a smile:
"The county guild has made a mistake. My method is not to steal someone's property. That would be too disharmonious!"
"It's not a house raid? What is that?" Yan Dashan asked in surprise.
The Queen, Lan Ling, Liu Shizhong, and the frightened Qian Zhongshu all looked at Su Xian after hearing this, each with different thoughts and changeable expressions.
Su Xian looked at the Queen again and said loudly: "Cooperate!"
"how to cooperate?"
The Queen was obviously relieved, which shows that she was actually quite concerned about the proposal to "ransom the house", but what was this "cooperation" all about?
"Your Majesty, let's not talk about the entire Liang Dynasty. There are countless wealthy families in this divine capital city alone. Of course, this is all the result of your Majesty's civil and military skills and hiding wealth among the people."
The Queen nodded slowly, she liked hearing Su Xian's horse tricks.
Su Xian continued:
"So, my idea is to establish a chamber of commerce through the 'Shibo Division'. The chamber of commerce will collect capital from the entire Daliang. The whole process is entirely voluntary, and no one will force them."
"This matter must be done with extreme caution. I have drawn up a rough charter in advance. Your Majesty, please listen..."
"..."
At the moment, Su Xian dictated the entire charter of the Chamber of Commerce's operation.
Because he had already prepared the draft, now it is clear and logical, and every aspect has been considered very carefully.
To put it simply, the charter stipulates that this chamber of commerce is a semi-official organization, and the court has absolute leadership. Individuals who join the association with equity capital only have no more than 20% dividend rights.
In addition, Su Xian thought of how individuals should invest in shares, how to define the ratio between the amount of shares purchased and dividends, and the rights and responsibilities of other matters, etc.
After the Queen listened to Su Xian's dictation and pondered for a while, Long Yan was delighted and said loudly:
"Su Aiqing has thought it through very carefully. I am very satisfied. It's ready to go!"
"..."
The reason why she is so happy is because the imperial court occupies an absolute position in this chamber of commerce and has more than 80% of the dividend rights.
In the process of establishing the Chamber of Commerce, the imperial court did not have to pay a penny, and only had the responsibility of supervision and coordination... You can't find such good things even if you try to make a lantern.
The Queen has no reason to disagree.
Although the social status of individuals who join the Chamber of Commerce may gradually rise as a result, this is not a serious problem. If someone dares to mess around, just use their privileges to expel them from the Chamber of Commerce.
"It's really a good idea!"
Princess Lanling also agreed very much. Although she could not eliminate dissidents through "house raids", she could use this chamber of commerce to win over a large number of people!
You know, the Chamber of Commerce is affiliated with Shibosi, which is a subordinate government office of Su Xian's Taiwei Mansion, and her relationship with Su Xian goes without saying.
In addition, the imperial court takes the majority of the profits earned by the Chamber of Commerce, which is a good thing for the Queen or her.
"I see!"
Yan Dashan and Liu Shizhong were obviously relieved and cast approving glances at Su Xian.
On the other side, Qian Zhongshu waved his sleeves and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. As long as he didn't use this to confiscate his home, the stone in his heart finally slowly fell to the ground.
But the next moment, he frowned again, so Su Xian's move filled the big hole in Long Wujun?
Although he was unhappy, he had no other choice...
Suddenly, he raised his brows, his eyes lit up, and he thought to himself:
"The method of attracting people to buy shares is indeed a good one. It is equivalent to giving nothing to others, but are they all fools? I predict that there will be people who buy shares, but there will never be many!"
"..."
The Umrah meeting in the imperial study room has ended.
The ministers all retreated.
He said Dashan and returned to the Longwu Army camp.
Liu Shizhong returned to the provincial government office to continue his duties.
Su Xian took Tang Ju to prepare for the Chamber of Commerce in person. He could not hesitate about this matter. The Queen ordered him to complete the plan to attract people to buy shares today.
Lan Ling was very concerned about the affairs of the Chamber of Commerce, so he followed Su Xian and others, using his own power to help...
After Qian Zhongshu walked out of the imperial study, he went straight to the East Palace on the east side of the palace city to meet the prince.
After listening to Qian Zhongshu's story, the prince clapped his hands and said with a smile:
"Hahaha... I'm laughing so hard. Su Xian is still young after all. He actually came up with such a childish method. Do you really think that those wealthy families are all fools?"
"Who says it's not the case?" Qian Zhongshu said with a smile:
"The veteran estimates that the family involved with Na Su Xiansu may join Na Lao Shizi's chamber of commerce, but others will not act rashly."
"After dark, when Su Xian has not collected the capital to open sea trade, let's see how rampant he will be, and let's see how your majesty still protects him!"
The prince was unusually refreshed and laughed loudly:
"You just said that His Majesty ordered Su Xian to complete this matter today? Haha, it seems that we will see this big joke today!"
"..."
The princess sat aside, looking at the prince who was in excitement and ecstasy. She hesitated to speak, but in the end she said nothing.
People are willing to believe what they want to believe. If others try to wake you up, they will still get angry with you. The Crown Princess knew this very well, so she had to sigh deeply in the end.
In her memory, Su Xian had never done anything thankless.
Today's move by Su Xian to prepare the Municipal Shipping Department and the Chamber of Commerce must have deep meaning. Even if there are difficulties, I am afraid that people have already thought of ways to deal with them.
…
after a while.
The city of Divine Capital suddenly became noisy.
Su Xian's plan, that is, the establishment of a chamber of commerce, swept through the entire city of God like a hurricane. Whether it was a deep residence or a tea house or a restaurant, people were discussing it nonstop.
Tang family.
After the head of the Tang family learned about the situation, he immediately waved his hand and ordered: "Prepare twenty-five thousand taels of silver immediately. I will go to support the Taiwei in person later!"
Among the major aristocratic families in the city of God, the Tang family has the strongest financial resources. They can take twenty-five thousand taels without batting an eyelid.
Soon, the white money was ready to stop.
The head of the house was about to escort him out in person, but at this moment, a young boy ran up and said:
"There are rumors on the streets outside that Princess Lanling has invested in the Chamber of Commerce, and several prime ministers have also invested in it!"
"Princess Lanling's investment is within my expectation."
The head of the Tang family nodded. The reason why he bought shares in this chamber of commerce without saying a word was not only to support Su Xian, but also to take the opportunity to get involved with Princess Lanling.
"By the way, how many shares did Her Royal Highness Princess have?" the head of the family suddenly asked.
"Reporting to the head of the family, it is said that...Princess Lanling has bought shares...three hundred thousand taels of silver!" said the young man.
"Three hundred thousand... taels!?" The head of the family was shocked, three hundred thousand taels! What kind of astronomical figure is this? Everyone at the scene was stunned.
"Yes, it's three hundred thousand taels." The boy confirmed.
The head of the house was shocked for a while. He looked back at his twenty-five thousand taels and felt that it was very little. After thinking about it for a while, the head of the house loudly ordered:
"Quickly, add another... twenty-five thousand taels, making up to fifty thousand taels. Hurry, without further ado, I must send it over immediately."
"yes!"
Soon, the head of the Tang family personally escorted 50,000 taels of silver to Su Xian's Fan Yanghou Mansion.
The Chamber of Commerce is affiliated with the City Shipping Department, and the City Shipping Department is a subordinate agency of the Taiwei Mansion. However, the newly built Taiwei Mansion has not yet been built, so Su Xian is temporarily handling the affairs of the Chamber of Commerce in the Hou Mansion.
Lin.
The Lin family also had a close relationship with Su Xian. After learning the news, the head of the Lin family rushed to the Hou Mansion personally with 20,000 taels of silver without saying a word.
The Su family and the Liu family, who are both from aristocratic families, naturally disdain this. Their thoughts are similar to the prince's, and they are all waiting to see Su Xian's jokes.
…
As "Lanling's three hundred thousand taels, the Tang family's fifty thousand taels, the Lin family's 20,000 taels, and several prime ministers, high-ranking officials, and princes' shares of tens of thousands taels" swept through the entire city of God, the number of people who invested in the shares instantly disappeared. .
Although there are many wealthy people in the city of God, they are all waiting and watching and do not dare to act rashly.
So far, the Chamber of Commerce has raised a total of 400,000 taels of silver.
Su Xian himself invested another 200,000 taels, raising a total of 600,000 taels.
Shortly after noon, Nangong Wan'er, on behalf of the Queen, sent 300,000 taels as a shareholding, which was the Queen's internal funds and equivalent to the Queen's small treasury.
So one morning passed, and the Chamber of Commerce raised a total of 900,000 taels of silver!
…
Fan Yanghou Mansion.
Su Xian personally urged the officials of the Taiwei Mansion to register the 900,000 taels of silver. This was the money of the Chamber of Commerce and was used to build ships. No one could touch it.
Princess Lanling also stayed at the Hou Mansion the whole morning. She frowned slightly and looked at Su Xian and said: "Nine hundred thousand taels may seem like a lot, but it is still not enough for Shibosi!"
"That's right! The greater the initial investment, the larger the fleet will be and the greater the profits will be." Su Xian nodded:
"My official has calculated that if we want to support the Longwu Army through the interest earned from opening up sea trade, we must invest... two million taels of silver in the early stage!"
Lan Ling said worriedly: "But now we have only raised 900,000 taels, which is more than half short."
Su Xian comforted:
"Don't worry, Your Highness, today's time is only half over. Besides, there are many wealthy families in the city, especially those big businessmen."
"The official estimates that we should be able to raise 2.5 million taels of silver before dark!"
"..."
The wealthy families and businessmen in the city, as well as the high-ranking officials and princes who have not yet invested in the Chamber of Commerce, are indeed waiting and watching. They may gather together or live alone, all secretly calculating the gains and losses of investing in the Chamber of Commerce.
After all, no one can predict what the future will bring. It’s a small matter if the Chamber of Commerce fails. If it involves yourself or even your family, it will be a situation that is beyond redemption!
They are not as powerful as Princess Lanling and the prime ministers, nor are they related to Su Xian like the Tang family and the Lin family. They must be careful.
…
East Palace.
The prince was happy today and left Qian Zhongshu behind, and ordered him to prepare a banquet with singing and dancing. While they were having a banquet, they waited for the moment of darkness.
The sound of silk and bamboo throughout the East Palace was pleasant and peaceful.
Before I knew it, half of the afternoon had passed.
At this time, a young eunuch who was looking for news came in. The prince took a break from singing and dancing. He looked at the young eunuch and asked with a smile: "What's the news? Is anyone else going to the Hou Mansion to invest in shares?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, since His Majesty bought the shares at noon, the gate of Fanyanghou Mansion has been crowded, and no one has come to buy shares anymore!" the young eunuch said.
"Okay! Hahaha!"
The prince was overjoyed. He had been drinking for most of the day and was already a little drunk. He looked at the dancers and ordered:
"Keep playing, keep dancing!"
"..."
On the other side, the Su family and the Liu family were also secretly happy. They were all waiting to see Su Xian's jokes after dark.
Time flies by like a fleeting moment, and in the blink of an eye, dusk has arrived.
It will be dark soon.
In the East Palace, the prince was already drunk. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, he stopped singing and dancing, shook his head and asked: "What's the result? Is anyone going to buy shares?"
"Your Highness, no one has bought shares yet!" someone replied.
"Hahahaha..." The prince and Qian Zhongshu burst into laughter and said, "Although Su Xian is quite capable, he is just a child with a yellow mouth after all!"
"Yeah, you want to create a chamber of commerce with nothing? Haha, what a joke, what a big joke! Who does he think he is?" Qian Zhongshu was also drunk.
"..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young eunuch suddenly ran into the hall and loudly shouted:
"Your Highness, it's not good. Many people are rushing to Fan Yanghou's Mansion. They are all using carriages to pull boxes of silver. The motorcade stretches for several miles! There is a long queue in front of the Hou Mansion."
"Even...some people even fought in the street in order to buy shares faster, because the Marquis of Fanyang County said in front of everyone that individual shares would no longer be accepted after dark!"
"..."
After the little eunuch finished speaking, the hall became strangely quiet.
"puff!"
Suddenly, the prince spat out a mouthful of old blood, his face turned red, his eyes closed, he fell straight back, and he fainted from anger.
"Your Highness..." There was chaos in the East Palace.
