The food from the south of the Yangtze River has a different meaning when it reaches the north.
As the saying goes, "Things that are scarce are valuable." It is precisely because of the severe drought in the north and the scarcity of food that grain dealers dare to drive up the price of food, raising it to a level that ordinary people are discouraged and only a few people can afford it.
Grain merchants are not worried that no one will buy grain, because it is a necessity. People will starve to death if they don't eat grain. Those with a wealthy family will buy grain at any cost in the year of disaster, just to survive this year's famine.
Even if the assets return to before liberation overnight, they are still willing to do so.
From the beginning of driving up food prices, the target group of food dealers is not ordinary people at all. They know that the people cannot afford it, but they don't care.
Grain dealers target the middle class and wealthy families, who have the spending power.
However, when the grain from Jiangnan Road rushing to help the north entered Bingzhou, the grain merchants finally panicked.
Things are expensive when they are rare. If something is no longer rare, can it still be sold at a high price?
I don’t know how much grain the emperor has allocated, nor how much grain has been allocated to Bingzhou, but seeing cartloads of grain from Jiangnan Road entering Bingzhou City is like throwing a mushroom egg over the heads of the grain merchants.
That night, the grain merchants gathered at the inn and discussed countermeasures in confusion.
The guys were sent to the official warehouse to verify the authenticity of the grain. The guys quickly came back and reported that the grain was genuine. After the convoy was escorted to the official warehouse, the guard escorting the car cut open the grain bag with a knife. Inside was golden wheat, which was genuine.
The mood of the grain merchants became increasingly heavy.
There is not much grain entering Bingzhou today, about more than 10,000 shi, but this is only the first batch of grain entering Bingzhou. In the future, grains from Jiangnan will continue to enter Bingzhou.
So, how much more can the grain merchants sell for?
Still 40 cents per liter? Haha, that’s funny, with the food from Jiangnan, who will pay attention to you?
Faced with the severe situation, grain merchants finally couldn't calm down.
"Everyone, it's time for the people behind us to come forward. This matter is no longer ours to decide." An old grain merchant sighed.
…………
Korean Lady's Residence.
There was a guest in the house today. The guest was very mysterious. Before entering the door, the Korean lady had already dismissed all the servants in the front yard and opened the side door alone. The guest went in directly and sat in the flower hall in the front yard.
The Korean lady did not hold a banquet today, but mixed the tea soup for the guests with her own hands.
Drinking tea in the Tang Dynasty was very cumbersome. Tea did not belong to ordinary people, and even the nouveau riche were not qualified to drink it.
It is reserved for dignitaries and literati. I don’t know who passed down the theory. It is said that the preparation of tea soup coincides with Confucianism. Various ginger and garlic oils are mixed into it in strict proportions. When drinking tea, you can taste all the flavors of life. First of all,
Bitterness then produces sweetness and so on.
Korean ladies are not only charming and good at drinking, but they are also masters at making tea.
After grinding the tea, roasting it, and adding it to the tea, the tea soup in the iron cauldron is boiling.
The wooden spoon scooped up the tea soup and poured it into a delicate porcelain cup. The Korean lady smiled like a flower and extended her hand to invite you.
The guest is an old man in his fifties, with white eyebrows and white beard, a stern complexion, not angry and intimidating, and a look of ambition, like a tiger entrenched in a lair in the forest, leisurely licking its paws.
"My craftsmanship is crude and my skills are meager, which makes the Fang family laugh." The Korean lady smiled humbly.
The guest held the cup with a smile, took a shallow sip, closed his eyes and tasted it silently for a long time, and then said slowly: "Madam, you are too modest. This tea has a noble nature, long sweetness and bitterness, just like the vicissitudes of the great road. It is good to explore it up and down."
Mrs. Korea smiled and bowed slightly: "Master Wang is so complimentary."
The guest's surname is Wang, and he is Wang Xingchen, the head of the Wang family in Taiyuan.
Bingzhou, whose real name is "Taiyuan", is not only the place where the great ancestor Li Yuan flourished, but also the place where the Wang family of Taiyuan originated for thousands of years.
The history of the Wang family in Taiyuan can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that they are descendants of Ji Jin, the crown prince of King Ling of Zhou.
Wang Xingchen sat upright, and faced the Korean lady's charming and enchanting style, he was not moved at all.
"Madam, I took the liberty of visiting today. I have something I want to discuss with you in detail."
The Korean lady was very dignified in front of Wang Xingchen, and she also felt pressured in front of the head of a thousand-year-old family.
"Master, please speak."
Wang Xingchen pondered for a moment and said: "Yesterday I heard that about 10,000 shi of grain from Jiangnan Road entered Bingzhou City. It is said that the emperor ordered relief, and my wife is related to the Tian family. I wonder if this is true?"
Mrs. Han was startled, shook her head and said, "I have been living in Bingzhou for half a year. After returning to Bingzhou, I had very little contact with the Tian family. I really don't know."
Wang Xingchen smiled faintly and said: "Madam, why don't you send someone to fly to Chang'an? Although this place is thousands of miles away from Chang'an, if you travel 800 miles quickly, it will only take a few days to go back and forth. This matter is related to the lives of countless grain merchants in Hedong Road, and of course, including
Madam, please send someone to confirm as soon as possible."
Mrs. Han hesitated for a moment and whispered: "Master Wang, even if the emperor allocates food from the south of the Yangtze River, it will take at least several months, and it won't be that fast. I think it's... untrue."
Wang Xingchen smiled: "I also think it is untrue, but the newly appointed governor Li Qinzai is a little overweight. If it is really untrue, why did Li Qinzai dare to collect grain at a high price of forty cents? He had spent a total of 50,000 guan the day before yesterday, and five
Wan Guan is all real money, and everyone saw it with their own eyes."
"The grain harvest was going well. Why did he suddenly complain of illness yesterday? He said that he would personally take charge of harvesting the grain after he recovered. This illness... ha, it seems too coincidental and strange."
"As soon as the governor of the governor's office claimed to be ill, grain from Jiangnan Province was shipped into the city. It is said that a grain merchant asked to see Li Qinzai today, but he still avoided it... Obviously, Li Qinzai had heard the news in advance and knew that the grain from Jiangnan was about to be
By then, food prices will definitely fall sharply."
Mrs. Korea forced a smile and said: "No matter what the truth is, if the price of food in Bingzhou drops, we will not lose anything. The worst we can do is transport the food out and sell it to other cities."
Wang Xingchen stroked his beard and frowned, and said slowly: "The truth is correct, but I always feel uneasy, so I need to use my wife's connections in Chang'an to find out what the emperor has to say. First of all, I need to confirm whether the emperor has issued an order to levy food in the south of the Yangtze River."
Mrs. Han was silent for a long time, then suddenly said: "Master Wang, regarding the sale of grain... I want to withdraw."
Even though Wang Xingchen is a mature man, he couldn't help but open his eyes in surprise: "What?"
"I said, I don't want to do this anymore, so I'll stop here."
Wang Xingchen's expression showed no emotion or anger, but his eyes shone brightly: "Madam, think about it again. It's done. There's no reason to quit halfway. You and I have invested everything in it."
Mrs. Han said seriously: "I have thought twice about it. If the money is gone, I can make more money, but I don't want to lose my life in Bingzhou."
"Why did Madam say this?"
Mrs. Korea suddenly showed a bitter look on her face and whispered: "This person Li Qinzai... I am afraid that the head of the Wang family has underestimated him. After taking office in Bingzhou, his behavior is not simple.
generation."
"Being his enemy, I have no confidence in my body. If I'm not careful, I will lose my head and body, especially my identity..."
Wang Xingchen's face gradually darkened, and he said coldly: "Madam has already been involved in this matter. Is it too late to stop now?"
Mrs. Korea's expression gradually became firmer: "It's hard to escape guilt for stopping at this time, but at least it's a living crime. If you continue to be hostile to Li Qinzai, my life is really difficult to know. It's the lesser of two evils."
, I just want to survive."
Wang Xingchen's tone became colder and colder: "You have stopped, but have you ever considered us? One move of yours will kill countless people. Don't you understand?"
The Korean lady stretched out her hand to smooth her hair, and suddenly revealed her familiar charm. She smiled sweetly and said: "I can't protect myself, and I can't care about other things. It's over here. I will return to Chang'an immediately. The emperor will definitely protect me."
I."
Wang Xingchen stared at her face, his eyes suddenly flashed with murderous intent, and then he quickly regained his composure and said calmly: "Everyone has their own ambitions, so don't force it. Since Madam has made up her mind, I won't force you. I just ask Madam to protect herself."
, don’t betray us.”
The Korean lady smiled coquettishly and said: "I have known the Master of the Wang family for many years, how could I betray my old friend? The Master of the Wang family is too worried."
Leaning over to scoop up a spoonful of boiling tea, the Korean lady smiled and said: "The tea soup is boiling and the heat is just right. The master of the Wang family will taste it again. The taste will be even better than before."