RPAGF Chapter 762 Selling Grain at a Low Price
Chapter 762 Selling Grain at a Low Price
As the reform laws were implemented, the grain-buying frenzy in Kyoto was constantly being broken.
The price of rice skyrocketed from 300 coins per dou to 400 coins per dou, and there was no market for it.
As a major grain merchant, Zhang Yonglin was overjoyed and even forgot the pain of losing his son.
A son can be born again, but money is gone forever—this was Zhang Yonglin's true thought.
Moreover, besides Zhang Mingfang, he also has his youngest son, Zhang Minghao.
In order to earn more profit, Zhang Yonglin still did not sell a single grain of rice.
Just when he was at his most triumphant, another major event occurred in Kyoto, immediately shocking all the merchants.
"Master, something terrible has happened!" The Zhang family steward rushed in like a lapdog, almost forgetting to wag his tail.
Zhang Yonglin, who was enjoying his tea, was immediately annoyed. "If you don't have a legitimate reason, believe me, I'll break your legs."
His mood had finally brightened, and he hated being disturbed.
“Jia, Jia Zhen, Jia…” the butler stammered.
"Is it true or false?" Zhang Yonglin was furious. He suspected that the butler was making fun of him, and he kicked him with a flying kick.
The steward lay sprawled on the ground, wincing in pain, but his tongue seemed to have cleared up considerably as he said, "Jia Zhenzhen has opened the granary to sell grain!"
"What? Jia Zhenzhen is selling grain?" Zhang Yonglin was taken aback at first, then said disdainfully, "Short-sighted fellow. But it's good this way. After he sells all his grain, I will become the biggest grain merchant, and I will be able to set the price."
Zhang Yonglin didn't think this was bad news; in fact, he felt like laughing.
In fact, the steward missed an even more important piece of news: Jia Zhenzhen was not only opening the granary to sell grain, but also at a price lower than the market price, three hundred coins per bushel.
This will inevitably lead to a situation of looting.
As soon as the news spread, merchants throughout the capital were in an uproar, and even some ordinary people with some savings wanted to buy some grain from him.
Outside the Jia family's shop, it had become a chaotic vegetable market, except that the buyers were all wealthy merchants.
The Meng family also received the news, and Yun'er excitedly said, "Miss, Boss Jia is opening his granary to sell grain. One dou (a unit of dry measure) is only three hundred wen (another unit of dry measure)."
This news was undoubtedly a godsend for the Meng family, and the price of three hundred coins was absolutely fair.
In other words, a price of four hundred coins would be met with a frenzy of buying, let alone a price of three hundred coins.
Some people suspect that Jia Zhenzhen is out of her mind and is clearly trying to lose her own profits.
Hearing Yun'er's words, Meng Qingge instantly perked up; being busy really did help her forget her pain.
"Has the news spread yet?" Meng Qingge asked anxiously.
She didn't think Yun'er could get firsthand information, much less that she could successfully buy the grain.
Even if Jia Zhenzhen was the largest grain merchant in the capital, it was impossible for him to hoard hundreds of thousands of shi of grain. At most, he could have twenty or thirty thousand shi, which was far from enough to meet the needs of the entire capital.
In other words, although grain prices are low, they are hard to buy, and in the end, the highest bidder will inevitably win.
"It's already spread, and the entrance to Boss Jia's shop is packed with people," Yun'er replied truthfully, showing no sign of worry and even a hint of excitement.
"In that case, our chances of buying grain are slim," Meng Qingge analyzed.
“Even if everyone in the world can’t buy food, Miss can.” Yun’er said mischievously, but it didn’t sound like she was joking.
Meng Qingge was somewhat surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Does Miss still remember that Boss Jia visited the old house and even offered 100 coins per bushel? That was clearly a favor to Miss," Yun'er replied excitedly.
Meng Qingge naturally remembered this incident, but she also knew the deeper reason. She immediately shook her head self-deprecatingly, "It's not about giving me face, but about giving Young Master Lin face."
"Give Young Master Lin face? Why should Boss Jia give Young Master Lin face?" Yun'er kept asking Meng Qingge.
She always thought Lin Ping was just a poor boy who only knew some martial arts and couldn't possibly befriend a wealthy businessman like Jia Zhenzhen.
Meng Qingge did not answer, but instead prepared a carriage and headed straight for Jia Zhenzhen's business.
Even knowing the difficulties involved, she had to take the plunge. Sitting idly by and waiting for death was not in her nature.
Rou'er did not go with them; in other words, she was not even in the manor.
Since Lin Ping left, she had been wandering around Kyoto, even searching through various workshops, but still could not find any trace of Lin Ping.
She was too naive; she really thought Lin Ping would go and work for someone else after he left.
Even without any news from Lin Ping, she still didn't intend to give up.
When they were still several hundred meters away from Jia Zhenzhen's shop, Meng Qingge had to get out of the carriage and walk. It was a distance that even a person might not be able to make, let alone a carriage.
The entire street was filled with people who had come to buy grain, all craning their necks and standing on tiptoe to wait for Jia Zhenzhen to open the door.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the door was opened a crack and immediately besieged. The business almost fell, but fortunately Jia Zhenzhen reacted quickly and closed the door again.
"Open the door! Boss Jia, open the door quickly! We want to buy grain!" A group of people started banging on the door frantically.
Several employees stood guard at the door, terrified.
After a while, a reply came from inside the house: "Our boss said that with so many of you, he doesn't know who to sell the grain to."
I wonder who to sell the grain to? That's interesting.
The wealthy businessmen outside immediately erupted in chaos, all shouting, "Sell it to me! I'll buy a lot! Sell it to me! I'll pay the highest price!"
In short, they started arguing and it looked like they were about to come to blows.
Meng Qingge was, after all, a frail woman, and couldn't squeeze in at all, so she didn't even have a chance to talk to Jia Zhenzhen.
At this moment, Bai Tiantian was sitting calmly in the General's Mansion, her face looking rather unpleasant.
Since the implementation of the method of transformation, not many wealthy merchants have paid taxes.
It wasn't that they were deliberately delaying; they genuinely couldn't buy any food.
Therefore, Bai Tiantian was somewhat worried that if these wealthy merchants couldn't buy enough grain, they wouldn't be able to gather enough rations for the army. In other words, the conversion method was of little use and would only drive up grain prices in the capital even further.
He had already pictured Fan Li's despicable, opportunistic behavior, which he found quite irritating.
"Reporting to the General, Jia Zhenzhen, the largest grain merchant in the capital, is indeed opening his granaries to sell grain. Wealthy merchants who have heard the news have already crowded the area," a servant reported excitedly.
"Really?" Bai Tiantian was overjoyed, a smile blooming on her face.
This news is crucial to the success or failure of the matter, and it is very encouraging.
At the same time, Fan Li received the same news. He did not show any panic, but rather a cold expression. "Immediately notify the four major families and tell them to buy up all the grain!"
Fan Li was able to hold a high position because he resolved several economic issues.
This wasn't because he was particularly capable, but because he controlled the four major families of Kyoto and could manipulate the economy at will.
Therefore, he was not afraid of Bai Tiantian's transformation method at all.
At worst, we can buy up all the grain in Kyoto, making the situation even worse, and then blame everything on Bai Tiantian.