Huang's Grain Store in Beijing.

A man wearing linen clothes left in despair after asking about the price of food.

Huang Dongping watched him leave and knew that another family was about to starve to death.

But he was powerless and did not dare to donate food to save people.

If he dares to do this, all the food in the food store will be robbed by hungry people.

Huang's Grain Store will also cut itself off from the industry and be boycotted by all grain stores.

Huang Dongping saw too many miserable families during this period, and he quickly calmed down.

He listened to the shopkeeper and reported on the grain store's grain storage situation.

"Master, these days are getting more and more difficult.

Now in the grain store, there are only 12,000 shi of grain left.

We originally bought grain from Huguang and Henan, but now Huguang and Henan are both occupied by the Qin army.

No food can be transported in from these two places.

Only the grain shipped from Shandong was left, and not much grain was shipped each time.

The war is now tense, and the food supply on the market has skyrocketed.

It has increased from two-two-fifths to one stone to five-two-thirds to one stone.

Many grain stores, especially those with strong backgrounds, have stopped selling grain.

They wait until the price of food reaches its highest point, then sell the food and earn a lot of money.

Boss, should our grain store also close its doors and hold back on selling the grain?"

Huang Dongping thought for a moment and then ordered: "Old customers, please sell some grain according to the market price.

The old customers who usually take care of our business cannot be allowed to watch them starve to death.

The reputation that our Huang family has built over generations cannot be ruined in my generation.

As for the new faces, we won’t sell them directly.”

After Huang Dongping finished speaking, he took out a piece of red paper and wrote a few large characters with a brush, preparing to post it outside the store.

[The food in the store is limited and can only be purchased by old customers]

Huang Dongping knows the current situation in Beijing.

The grain transported by water from the southeast was limited, and it used to be enough for people in the capital.

Now that King Qin's troops from all over the country have entered the capital, they consume a large amount of military rations, which are part of the rations transported by water to the people of the capital.

There are many more soldiers here in the capital, and the food supplies from Huguang, Henan and other places cannot be transported because of the war.

More people and less food will inevitably lead to food shortages in the market.

Once there is a shortage of such a necessity as food, food prices will skyrocket.

If there is a shortage of one-tenth of the food, the price of food will rise by one-tenth.

If there is a shortage of one-tenth of the food, food prices will rise until one-tenth of the people cannot afford food.

Now it has doubled to five taels of silver and one stone, and Huang Dongping expects the price to rise to about one month.

When most people's grain reserves are exhausted, they will be left with eight taels of silver and one stone.

If the Qin army besieges the city, I don't know how high the price of food in the capital will skyrocket.

With the current skyrocketing food prices, many people cannot afford to eat.

There are many young men and women who directly sign up to join the army in order to have a piece of food.

Nowadays, many grain stores in the capital, especially large grain stores with a background, no longer sell grain to outsiders.

This will cause food prices to skyrocket even faster, and these people will make a lot of money without caring about the people who are starving to death.

The people wanted to file a complaint, but they couldn't even get into the Shuntian Mansion Yamen.

Huang Dongping looked at these people with a sneer. When the Qin army entered the city, these people would not end well.

Behind these businessmen are either high officials or nobles, they are just acting out the final madness of these people.

Huang Dongping was attracted by the sound of rapid footsteps outside the door.

When he saw the yamen servant of Shuntian Prefecture, his heart skipped a beat, it looked like he was about to lose money and avoid disaster again.

He smiled and said: "You guys are here to buy grain again. These are good new grains."

These Shuntian government officials have always bought food on credit, and I have never seen them pay money.

The yamen servant of Shuntian Mansion walked in directly and said, "Shopkeeper Huang, we are not here to buy food today.

In accordance with His Majesty's decree, the cabinet ministers have issued orders, which are now handed over to the Shuntian Government Office for execution.

Big merchants like you, Huang's Grain Company, must pay five thousand taels of silver to pay military pay."

Huang Dongping's face fell, and he immediately took a piece of silver worth two ounces and handed it into the hands of the Yamen servant.

"Sir, we are a small business and we can't afford five thousand taels of silver. Please be accommodating."

The yamen servant weighed the money in his hand and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Huang, I'm just here to inform you.

You are so generous, I will give you a solid foundation.

This time the five thousand taels of silver must be taken out.

Each family has a quota, and if it is not enough, the prefect will personally make up the amount.

The prefect has already issued a message that any family that cannot come up with it will be imprisoned in Shuntian Mansion's prison.

You also know what is going on in the prison of Shuntian Mansion.

When the time comes, the money will have to be spent every penny.

If you walk around in prison, even a healthy person will lose half his life.

I don’t think someone like Shopkeeper Huang will be able to get out of the government prison.”

Huang Dongping showed a smile and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Cha, I will definitely hand over the money to the Yamen as soon as possible."

"Shopkeeper Huang, please hurry up. If you can't receive the money the day after tomorrow, don't blame our brothers for being rude.

Shopkeeper Wang only knows how to be a good person, and he will definitely give Shopkeeper Huang a room in the room when the time comes."

Huang Dongping sent away the yamen servants of Shuntian Mansion. He returned to the grain store and asked people to close the door of the grain store.

He yelled, "What are these things?"

Huang Dongping looked at the shopkeeper and ordered: "Close the door of the grain store, this is five thousand taels of silver, how long will it take us to earn it back.

We must take advantage of this food price increase to earn back this money.

If they are really regular customers, they will go through the back door, and you will be personally responsible when the time comes."

After the grain store closed, Huang Dongping took a carriage to a large house.

He is not a businessman without foundation. An ordinary small businessman cannot survive here in the capital.

He is from the Huang family in Fenzhou, which is also a famous big family in Shanxi. The Shanxi merchants have always been together.

"Uncle Fu, is Bojia at home?"

"The master is at home now. I will take you to see the master right now."

Huang Dongping quickly came to the study room under the guidance of Uncle Fu.

He saw Qi Bojia sitting on the desk drinking tea. This was his brother-in-law.

The two families have been friends for hundreds of years and have always supported each other.

The Huang family's generation had no high-ranking officials in the capital, so he could only learn about the situation from Qi Bojia.

Qi Bojia is nearly twenty years younger than him, but he was born as a Jinshi. He is now a member of the Hanlin Academy and has many friends in the capital.

Huang Dongping immediately told Qi Bojia what happened today in detail.

"Bojia, do you think I should join forces with Shanxi merchants to resist, or should I just hand over the money?"

Qi Bojia said: "This money is money to buy your life. If you pay it, you can live. If you don't pay it, you will die."

Now the imperial court has reached its end.

You businessmen were able to live a prosperous life relying on your network of connections before.

Now His Majesty will do anything to save his life and pay for the army.

The money being collected now is just the result of a compromise between His Majesty and the civil servants.

In the future, if military pay is insufficient, those businessmen with background will not be able to run away."

Huang Dongping believed in Qi Bojia, and he immediately said: "I'm going to hand over the five thousand taels of silver.

Since you are paying for your life, the money must be paid."

He praised the performance of Qi Bojia and Huang Dongping: "Now is the time for dynasties to change. Don't let your wealth and life be damaged because of some small profits.

The current period of changing dynasties is the most dangerous time.

In this period of moral decline, anything can happen."

When Qi Bojia heard the news brought by his brother-in-law Huang Dongping, he was not surprised at all.

Now that the price of food in the capital has skyrocketed, these nobles are still holding back their food and refusing to sell it.

In the Ming Dynasty, the noble civil servants of the Ming Dynasty refused to pay a penny from their own families, but they forced businessmen to pay military salaries.

The noble gentry grabbed the maximum benefits, and the Ming Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse.

The land of the Ming Dynasty produced enough food to keep everyone alive.
To be continued...