Yang Wencai got dressed and was about to go out. The workers in the newly built weaving factory were on strike and he wanted to go see the situation.
A few months ago, the governor's office auctioned the property of the gentry.
Everyone else had concerns and listened to the advice of their friend Ding Wannian.
Yang Wencai dug out the money buried in the yard and bought two large weaving factories.
In accordance with the requirements of the governor's office, he signed a contract with the female weaver.
Yang Wencai wanted to enter the silk industry.
In the past, the silk business, the most profitable link, was occupied by the gentry.
He could only travel around and earn money by making some raw silk.
You can only make a small amount of money from raw silk, but you can't make as much money from silk.
As soon as Yang Wen just walked out of the house, he saw his friend Ding Wannian walking out with a glowing face.
He sent out a young man wearing a red official uniform.
This person should be his prospective son-in-law Wang Zhongce, who is now the Minister of Personnel.
That means one person is inferior to others and superior to others.
Yang Wencai was extremely envious, but he didn't have such good luck.
Seeing that Wang Zhongce had left, he immediately went over to say hello.
"Old Ding, look at your happy face, is this your son-in-law here to get engaged?"
With a smile on his face, Ding Wannian replied cheerfully: "Yes, it has been confirmed. We will get married on April 10th. It's only a few days away."
Yang Wencai asked in surprise: "Why are you in such a hurry? I remember you said before that it would be after the autumn harvest this year."
"I heard that his sister is also engaged. According to the etiquette in our place, the brother must get married first before the sister can get married."
Ding Wannian briefly explained the reasons, but did not go into details.
Yang Wencai saw that Ding Wannian was hesitant to speak, and knew that this matter was not easy to find out.
He immediately changed the subject.
"Old Ding, the commander-in-chief has been making a lot of moves these days.
They launch new coins.
They actually asked everyone not to use old money and had to go to the bank to exchange for new money.
Any merchant who dares to collect old money will be fined heavily, starting at one hundred taels."
While Yang Wencai was speaking, he also took out a silver coin from his sleeve.
He then said with great heartache: "The silver coins made are very beautiful. I will go back and weigh them, and they will be exactly the same weight.
It’s just that the exchange price is very shady, I need fifteen taels of silver to exchange for ten taels of silver coins.”
Ding Wannian saw Yang Wencai's face in pain, and he chuckled:
"Your fifteen taels of silver only contain about ten taels of pure silver.
I just said that the silver in Nanzhili is very dark and contains too many impurities.
Silver coins are very good and have a high silver content. Each silver coin has the same silver content.
It is very convenient to use it for transactions, and there are also small denomination silver coins, so you no longer have to cut the silver."
Ding Wannian exchanged all the Tibetan silver into silver coins and copper coins.
He traded with merchants from the Ming Dynasty, and they all accepted silver coins.
Yang Wencai remembered the flyers posted at the door of the department store when he went to buy food.
"Old Ding, I saw the flyer posted at the door of the department store.
Grain transactions are tax-free to the Grain Reserve Bureau. As long as you purchase 10,000 tons of grain from other places, you can obtain the title of ninth-class Lord.
If you pay one million taels in taxes, you can also obtain the title of ninth-class lord.
You are very well informed. How much are these 10,000 tons of grain? What is the use of it, Lord?"
When Ding Wannian heard the question from his old friend, he happened to know the situation and advised:
"Lao Yang, if you can get a title, don't let it go.
Its benefits are many.
The most basic benefit is that you can be an official with a title.
But this doesn't do much for us.
The biggest role for us is safety and security.
Once we obtain the title of Lord, although the title does not exempt us from crime, our arrest must be ordered by the Criminal Department of Hanzhong Prefecture.
The sentence must be passed by the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Supervisory Office at the provincial level.
We also have the right to appeal, and the highest we can appeal is to Dali Temple.
There is really nothing wrong. It will be beneficial to us if things get serious.
Some corrupt officials have no excuse to arrest us.
We have a title and can directly meet with local officials and put forward our suggestions.
When the government makes normal policy adjustments, it also convenes knighted observers to consult and give suggestions.
After hearing this, the Lord can also report official corruption.
This is a very high privilege, and any report will be investigated.
Of the two people, one will definitely go to jail.
This is just a rumor, it should not be taken lightly, nor should it be disbelieved."
When Yang Wencai heard the effect of the title, he was very moved.
You must know that in the past, a single Dianshi could destroy his family.
After obtaining a noble title, it must be handled by a high-ranking official at the palace level, and the matter can be raised to the highest level. Obtaining a noble title can give you a great sense of security.
Ding Wannian continued: "Ten thousand tons of grain is probably more than 160,000 dan but less than 170,000 dan.
These grains are almost the same as those in a large official warehouse.
It is difficult to purchase these grains on your own.
But my son-in-law told me that I could set up a company and organize a large group of grain merchants to go to Huguang to buy grain.
As long as the benefits are distributed well and the company becomes bigger and stronger, the owner of the company can become a lord.
Company is a new word, it means a group of people doing business together.
Just like my Okura account, or Lao Zhang's caravan, after registering with the accounts department, bank, and tax bureau, it can become a company."
"I plan to contact several big grain merchants in Hanzhong Prefecture to set up a company to buy grain in Huguang Province.
With our local connections, it is not difficult to buy 170,000 shi of grain this year."
Ding Wannian did not invite Yang Wencai. He had no local connections in Huguang and was of no use in purchasing grain.
If you invite friends in, the benefits will be difficult to distribute.
Yang Wencai said goodbye to Ding Wannian, and he thought about how to obtain the title.
Yang Wencai thought of the company Ding Wannian mentioned.
If the company buys 10,000 tons of grain, the owner will receive a title.
Then he can also gather some silk merchants, set up a company, and pay a tax of one million taels to see if he can get a title.
With this question in mind, Yang Wencai rushed directly to the Hanzhong Taxation Bureau for consultation.
As soon as he entered the tax bureau, he saw a tax policeman dressed in black.
They tied up a middle-aged man with a big belly and wore silk and satin with a rope.
Yang Wencai knew him, he was Yu Dingsheng, the manager of Fugui Building.
Su Que came out and said with dignity: "Yu Dingsheng, your Fugui Building should pay five hundred taels in taxes.
Taxes were calculated starting from January this year, before the tax bureau was established.
As long as you pay back the tax, you will not be penalized.
If you refuse to pay the taxes, you can meet the amount of the sentence."
Yu Dingsheng was sweating all over his body and said tremblingly: "I'll pay it now, I will never evade taxes.
But at that time, I didn’t understand how much tax I would have to pay.”
Yu Dingsheng could only quibble, knowing that he must have been betrayed by his peers.
After the tax bureau is established, it will collect taxes from January to March.
At the same time, a policy was launched whereby anyone who reports tax evasion by others can receive a reward of 1% of the amount of tax evaded.
If a peer reports tax evasion by another peer, he or she can obtain the tax evasion share and half of the tax reduction.
The clerks in his shop don't know how much tax he pays.
The only way is to be a colleague, bribe his shopkeeper, and get the account book.
Several generations of people have been the shopkeepers. I didn’t expect that there would be a traitor. I must find out who has the problem this time.
We agreed to boycott paying taxes together, but someone secretly reported us behind our backs.
Yang Wencai looked at the intensity of tax inspections by the tax bureau.
He knows that where there is a tax bureau, tax evasion is absolutely prohibited.
Yang Wencai consulted the tax bureau.
Understand that if you set up a company and pay taxes of one million taels of silver coins, the owner of the company can obtain the title of ninth-class lord.
With joy, Yang Wencai immediately prepared to find a few colleagues with whom he had good relationships to set up a company together.
As long as the company becomes bigger, they can all become nobles.
Yang Wencai then went to the weaving factory to see what happened.
He came to the weaving factory and asked the steward why the female workers were on strike.
The housekeeper said with a depressed look: "My boss, the female workers don't accept the copper coins you gave me. They want copper coins or silver coins.
We give them more money as before, but these people are not willing."
Of course Yang Wencai knew the reason for this. The copper coins they used were basically low-quality copper coins.
In the past, I could send out more money and hire workers, and this money could also be spent.
Now, as soon as copper coins come out, these low-quality copper coins are forcibly eliminated by the commander-in-chief.
"Hurry up and go to the bank to exchange for new money. Don't delay the start of work."
Yang Wencai felt that his heart was bleeding. Once these copper coins were exchanged, his money would shrink by half.
