The long wind in January blows down from the western plateau and blows through the warm Mexica Valley, dry and slightly cold.
Shulot tightened the large priest's cloak slightly and walked slowly towards the priest's temple. In the Texcoco Lake area, the early morning in January is about 10 degrees, while at noon when the sun is shining, it is a comfortable and pleasant 20 degrees.
.
Along the way is the big market of Tenochtitlan. A little chill can't stop the enthusiasm of the crowd. There are still a few days before the New Year's Festival on January 12th, and nobles and civilians from all over the country are flocking to the main city.
The big market is crowded with people, with at least 30,000 people trading here. The trade square in Beicheng is even more astonishing, with a trading scale of 60,000 people.
Shulot paid attention to the transactions in the market. The villagers were always in rough clothes and barefoot, carrying various vegetables and grains, fruits picked from the mountains, spices and even honey, looking for suitable trading partners. Their purpose was very clear
, usually in exchange for stoneware, pottery, tools and cloth.
Shulot stood and looked at it for a while. The value of the same piece of cloth was not fixed at all. Sometimes it could be exchanged for a turkey, sometimes it could be exchanged for a turkey and half a bag of black beans, and sometimes it could even be exchanged for more.
"Your turkey is too small. If you want to replace this piece of cloth, you need to add some extra hair. Just use the jar of honey in your hand!" The cloth merchant seemed casual and careless.
The farmer hesitated slightly. He looked around and found no one to ask, so he tried to refute himself.
"That's not possible, honey is not that easy to get. The villagers say that city people are transformed from hummingbirds and naturally love to eat honey. One jar can be exchanged for a piece of cloth. And my jar is worth a large piece of cloth.
"
The cloth merchant chuckled.
"Change a piece of cloth? Why don't you become a warrior and just go and grab it? Your jar is broken, who would want it from you? I will return the jar to you later."
The farmer was slightly embarrassed. He stood there, holding the honey and just shaking his head.
The cloth merchant looked at it for a while and then said impatiently.
"I just want to taste the sweetness. I'll give you half a piece of cloth. Just don't change it. I'm still busy!"
After saying that, the cloth merchant turned sideways, wondering what kind of work he was busy with.
The farmer stood for a moment longer, looked at the merchant's face in profile, and then spoke anxiously.
"Change. I'll change! But as agreed, I have to return this jar to me."
The cloth merchant then raised his eyes slightly and smiled.
"You can return the jar, but the turkey is too small and needs to be fastened with some cloth, a total of one and a half pieces." As he said this, he handed one and one-quarter pieces of cloth to the farmer.
Shulot secretly thought that it was one-quarter of a horse, but it should be only a little more than one-fifth. There is no standard scale to measure it in the market.
The farmer handed the turkey and the honey pot to the merchant. He watched the merchant pour the honey into a intact clay pot, and left happily holding the cloth and the chipped pot.
As soon as the farmer disappeared, the cloth merchant immediately hugged the honey pot, letting the people next to him look at the stall, and hurried into the market.
Shulot followed silently. He watched the cloth merchant arrive at the edge of the inner market and was blocked by the guarding warriors. He waved to the inside and shouted softly. A big businessman in gorgeous clothes walked slowly over.
"Look, fresh honey! This is the favorite of nobles. I got it with great difficulty."
The cloth merchant bowed his head in greeting and smiled.
"As long as five pieces of cloth are worth the spices, I will sell them to you."
The big businessman shook his head slightly.
"You can eat the spices for five pieces of cloth yourself. You can't enter this inner market, and you can't sell things to the nobles. You want to extort my things, how brave you are!"
The smile on the cloth merchant's face paused, and then he continued to smile.
"Isn't this still negotiable? You can tell me a price!"
The big businessman held out three fingers and said nothing.
"What's the deal? I only bought three pieces of cloth." The cloth merchant shouted.
The big businessman glanced at the cloth merchant contemptuously, and the other man immediately stopped talking.
"Let's do this, everyone takes a step back, four pieces of cloth!" the cloth merchant shouted through gritted teeth.
The big businessman turned around and left.
"Okay, okay! Three pieces is three pieces. I want vanilla for home use! I know the price!" the cloth merchant shouted distressedly.
The big businessman then turned around and nodded slightly. He called a guard and gave a few instructions. After a while, the guard brought over a small cloth bag with a handful of processed herbs in it.
The cloth merchant counted the numbers, and a smile appeared on his face. He saluted the big merchant, and hurried to his stall. Shulot watched from a distance. He frowned slightly, these vanilla
The price seems to be much cheaper than I knew.
Shulot thought for a while, then slowly followed the richly dressed businessman and watched him walk to the luxury store. The shops here had cloth awnings. He walked under the cloth awning and completely covered his hands. He waited until he came out.
, there is already an exquisitely crafted stone bottle in his hand.
Soon, the big businessman also hurried away. With a friendly smile on his face, he walked to the foreign businessman's shop, found a big noble in the city, and bowed respectfully.
"Dear Sir, I am blessed by the patron saint today. I received a jar of fresh nectar. It was collected by hummingbirds from near the king's garden. It should be dedicated to such a noble person as you."
As he spoke, he lowered his head deeply and held the stone bottle filled with honey in both hands.
The nobleman was slightly stunned. He waved behind him. An experienced servant came over respectfully, leaned over to salute, and then took the stone bottle. The servant checked the quality of the honey, then came forward and said respectfully
He whispered back to the great nobles.
After hearing this, the noble nodded with satisfaction and waved casually again. The servant accepted the honey and gave out a small tube of gold sand worth ten pieces of cloth.
The big businessman saluted respectfully again. Then he lowered his head, took the gold sand with both hands, and walked away with a smile.
Shulot stood sideways at a nearby stall with his head lowered to avoid being recognized by the nobles.
Soon, the big businessman hurried past him, bringing with him a gust of breeze. Vaguely, Shulot saw an angry face that had put away its smile.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Shrewd old guy, miser!" The big businessman lowered his head, leaving an inaudible whisper.
Shulot thought for a moment. He continued to wander around the inner market and came to the foreign merchant's shop. After a while, he realized how insignificant the transaction of the big merchant just now was.
As the New Year and the festival approach, foreign businessmen also bring out the best products. These multinational businessmen are the real big businessmen.
Tarasco merchants wear moon ornaments, which are considered evil by the Mexicans, and sell expensive Western copperware. A copper pot that is only the size of an arm costs at least twenty pieces of cloth.
Huastec merchants, wearing only shells and feathered cloaks, sell bright feathers from the north. A feathered coat is worth fifty bolts of cloth.
Mixtec merchants wear exquisite gold and silver jewelry and sell beautiful gemstones from the south. They only accept gold and silver, and one turquoise requires half a small bag of gold sand. They will reprocess the gold sand into expensive gold jewelry.
Mayan merchants have a distinctive appearance. Their slender heads and sincere cross-eyes are signs of their divinity. Sacred smoke rises sparsely from their stalls. A bag of cigarettes is a bag of gold sand, the god of exquisite spices.
The price of cigarettes has doubled again.
These foreign businessmen grouped together according to regions and formed autonomous groups in the trading area, similar to chambers of commerce. There are three duty judges and one inspection judge in the inner market, plus more than a dozen accompanying warriors. The judges are responsible for maintaining order in the market, combating theft and
Shoddy goods.
Shulot stepped forward and revealed his identity. Then, amidst the other party's fear and fear, he asked about the situation of the foreign caravan.
“What do these foreign traders mainly come to the big market to sell?”
"Mainly all kinds of luxury goods. Divine smoke, spices, embroidery, feather clothes, gems, gold and silver jewelry, copperware... By the way, there is also carmine dye." A judge on duty reported in detail.
"That's right. Then what did they buy?" Shulot asked seriously.
"The Tarascans will take away a large amount of cloth and well salt from the state. The Huastecs will buy some exquisite musical instruments and flowers, as well as some weapons and equipment. The Mixtecs will take away a lot of gold and silver.
Sometimes they also buy cotton armor. As for the Mayans, they want everything."
On the other side, the law enforcement officer rushed to answer with a smile on his face.
Hearing the name of the product, Shulot frowned slightly. He continued to ask: "What is the number of transactions per day?"
The judges were speechless. They only had four people and a dozen assistants, and they had to manage a large market of 30,000 people. Obviously, the statistics were far beyond their capabilities.
Shulot thought for a while and then changed the question.
"How do you collect taxes?"
"There is no tax in the outer market. Each merchant in the inner market will pay a market fee. Local merchants usually pay in kind, while foreign merchants like to pay in general cloth. Their business groups will coordinate with us on the amount of payment, and pay it in full once in a while.
." An old judge on duty reported.
"So, we neither limit the types of commodity transactions, nor can we control the quantity of commodity transactions. Commercial taxes are very meager and have nothing to do with the amount of commodities. And in the market, foreign merchants are autonomous?"
Shulot looked seriously at the old judge on duty.
The old judge bowed his head and saluted. He understood the meaning of the rebuke and hurriedly explained.
"All city-states do this. Those numbers can't be calculated at all, not even the Mayans. If some merchants bring enough supplies, we will also receive an extra batch of physical goods."
Hulot thought for a moment. The law enforcement force was insufficient and he could not grasp the figures. Businessmen must have many ways to avoid taxes, but there was no way to punish the judge harshly. He continued to ask.
"Then how do you measure the value of the goods of both parties to the transaction? If there is a dispute in the transaction, how do you manage it?"
"Value? Dispute?" The only inspection judge was slightly startled. He thought for a moment.
"We have a rough idea of how much the various goods in the country are worth. The goods of foreign merchants need to be negotiated with their business groups. As long as both parties to the transaction are mutually willing, the transaction will be established without interference.
If there is a dispute between the two parties, we will check the quality and quantity of the items, and the thief will die if the goods are shoddy. If the transaction can be terminated, both parties will return their own items. If the dispute is really unclear, let both parties have a duel, and the loser will die.
, the winning side wins."
Hearing this handling method, Shulot had no expression on his face and was speechless in his heart. He pondered for a moment and then continued to ask.
"What will happen if foreign businessmen encounter vendetta and robbery here?"
The inspecting judge has the highest status, and it is still he who answers.
"Vendettas are prohibited in the capital. Those who kill below the nobility will die. Duels witnessed by the God of War can be carried out. As for the alliance outside the Seven Bridges, they will ignore it. Facing small groups of bandits, large caravans can usually resist them.
.”
Having said this, the inspecting judge looked around. Then he smiled respectfully and lowered his voice.
"Your Highness, if you are interested in any goods, just ask foreign merchants directly for them. If you do anything outside, the news will always leak out and damage your reputation. After all, you are a great figure who wants to inherit the alliance! Ordinary nobles
I can't compare with you."
Xiulote was slightly startled. The thought in his mind was spinning. Does this mean that a big noble is intercepting and killing foreign businessmen? He looked at the inspecting judge, who bowed his head in greeting, but did not speak again.
Shulot thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded to the inspection judge. Then, with the other party's respectful farewell, he left the capital market. He thought about what he had seen in the market, recalled the past memories, and each thought flashed in his mind.
Recommendations for molding.
It was already noon when we arrived at the priest's temple. The priests and elders were old, and they were a little tired after discussing and formulating the teachings all morning. Now, the elders were eating snacks, drinking some cocoa and light wine, and discussing life in the capital.
trivia.
One of the priests and elders of the capital city smoked the sacred smoke happily, and the air was filled with the relaxing smell of tobacco and spices. The other elders of the capital city were used to it, but the elders of the holy city frowned slightly. Shulot looked at his grandfather. He heard from his grandfather's
There was a hint of hidden dissatisfaction on his face, and he remembered his grandfather's teachings in the Holy City, and he felt convinced in his heart.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Seeing Shulot, the elders smiled and greeted him, and Shulot also smiled and bowed his head in return, and the atmosphere was harmonious for a while.
Then, he sat down next to his grandfather. His grandfather touched the young man's head and smiled slightly. Next to his grandfather was Akapu, who was some distance away. He smiled and nodded to the young man, who happened to be sitting between the capital and the holy city.
among the priests.
Shulot first asked his grandfather.
"Dear High Priest, how is the teaching progress this morning?"
"My son, in the morning we discussed the daily code of conduct of the royal family, nobles, warriors and common people. It stipulates which behaviors are worthy of admiration, which behaviors should not be interfered with, and which behaviors are expressly prohibited.
The advice you gave me last time was very good. In order to save lives and wealth, large amounts of gambling will be strictly prohibited for nobles and below. Warriors and commoners are not allowed to participate in gambling or games involving life, except for duels witnessed by the Lord God."
Shuttle smiled and nodded. He looked at the boy gently.
"My child, do you have any advice?"
Shulot pondered for a moment and saluted his grandfather solemnly. This action attracted the attention of other elders, and everyone paid attention. Shulot also straightened his body and responded solemnly.
Shulot then slowly spoke:
"Dear High Priest, I propose to reform the commercial law.
First, unify market regulations. Establish written transaction regulations and dispatch magistrates who are familiar with the regulations to mediate trade disputes.
Second, manage currency and weights and measures. Integrate existing cocoa, cotton, gold and silver, agree on appropriate exchange ratios, and dispatch currency exchange managers. Try to unify length, weight, and volume units.
Third, manage market prices. Establish benchmark price signs in the market, label them with pictures and texts, and send people to explain daily to provide farmers and civilians with a basic reference for commodity prices. Keep abreast of merchants' commodity prices and control them when necessary!
Fourth, strategic material control. Officials, mountains and seas. Control the outflow of salt, cotton cloth and weapons and equipment, stockpile copper ore and tin ore for making bronze weapons, and leather for making leather armor. Add a large number of manpower to manage the market, and can forcefully purchase important materials when necessary.
!
Fifth, control luxury goods. Purify customs and prohibit civilians and ordinary warriors from spending wealth on expensive luxury goods. Increase commercial taxes and do not restrict the use of luxury goods by nobles and priests, but increase taxes on luxury goods.
Sixth, control the sacred smoke. The sacred smoke can cure diseases, but it can also make people addicted and cause them to lose their vitality. Warriors and priests need to strictly abide by the precepts. If not necessary, they should try to stay away from the sacred smoke.
Seventh, manage foreign merchants. Search for foreign spies and prohibit merchants from approaching military locations. Cancel the autonomy of foreign business groups and require them to provide strategic materials needed by the alliance. Ensure their safety in the Mexican city-states and dispatch the army when necessary.
, conquer the 'bandits' along the way!"
After saying the seven words, Shulot bowed his head and bowed to the ground. There was silence all around. The elders had solemn faces and shocked eyes.
High Priest Shuter was at the top. He looked at the young man in front of him with a serious expression and a calm and thoughtful face. Finally, he smiled faintly.
This chapter has been completed!