When Zhang Yue arranged for Huang Lu to be handed over to prison, Huang Lu was quite reluctant.
He is a man of idle nature, and he is unwilling to take charge of a prison.
What officials at that time advocated was 'It is better to be a minister than to be a minister. It is better to hold a coffin than to be a prisoner.'
What the scholar-bureaucrats admired was ascending to the stage and being promoted to an official position, and they did not care about the speed of promotion. What they talked about was the word "nobility".
But for Huang Lu, being an official and standing out is just idleness.
He was unwilling to take on important roles, and had no intention of getting involved in such a lucrative job as serving as a prisoner. However, Zhang Yue was determined to recommend Huang Lu to the position. He not only recommended Huang Lu to Han Jiang, who was still in Daming Mansion at the time, but also
Huang Lu wrote in his letter that he was just an idle errand and did not care about anything at all.
Huang Lu listened to Zhang Yue's words and went to find out carefully whether it was really the case, and then decisively accepted the position.
As a result, Huang Lu deliberately failed to notify any of the officials in the prison on his first day in prison, and was even an hour late on purpose. He found that no one was in the yamen, and even his disciples had no idea where they were. On his first day as a new official, he was rejected.
outside the door.
As an official, Huang Lu didn't feel displeased at all. Instead, he thought to himself, Saburo really didn't deceive me.
Huang Luhou, who did not seek advancement, was promoted to the position of Zhijianyuan.
This is a prestigious position for an official, but Huang Lu sighed in letters to Zhang Yue.
In ancient times, there were no remonstrance officers. Everyone from officials to workers and merchants could remonstrate with the emperor. But since the Han Dynasty, remonstrance officers have been set up. Is this a good thing for the people of the world?
How will public opinion be heard in heaven in the future?
Zhang Yue laughed when he heard this in the northwest. Businessmen from all walks of life in the capital were vying to get to know Huang Lu. The exchange office was making thousands of dollars every day, and his hands cramped from counting money every day. Huang Lu actually complained to him about these unimportant things.
That day Huang Lu arrived at the Jiaoyin Prison and talked to Zhang Yue about the affairs of the Jiaoyin Prison.
Huang Ludao: "Nowadays, Mr. Han Xianggong, Mr. Fu Zheng, Mr. Zeng Lu, as well as the empress dowagers of the two palaces, and even the empress are all buying up shares in the exchange. As for other important ministers, there are too many to mention."
Zhang Yue said: "It's a good thing to live and protect."
Huang Ludao: "However, although the number of dividend-sharing divisions and Shaanxi Transportation Division has increased in recent years, their proportion has been declining through the issuance of new shares. Most of the new shares issued in recent years have been bought by clan officials, and it is difficult for the stock exchange to ban them.
Of."
Zhang Yue said: "Anzhong, it is not easy to really distribute the benefits to the people. If the court does anything to benefit the people, the officials will get it first. There are two mouths for the official name. Only after feeding the upper mouth, can you finally read it.
Let’s see if there is anything left to give to the people.”
Huang Luze said: "The most difficult thing now is that the annual profit of the Exchange is at three million yuan. It is difficult to increase the profit in the past two or three years. I am afraid that in another one or two years, it will be difficult to reach three million yuan per year."
dividends."
Zhang Yue said: "Can you tell me what you can do?"
Huang Ludao: "The board of directors of the Exchange proposed that the imperial court should come forward and advocate that the 70 or 80 exchange shops on Panjialou Street should be stopped, so that the Exchange could monopolize the exchange trade in Bianjing."
Zhang Yue's eyes sharpened when he heard this and he said: "I'm afraid this move will lead to a large-scale use of weapons."
Huang Ludao: "In retrospect, the price difference between salt and salt at the Exchange has dropped from the original 500 to 300. However, the price at the Exchange has dropped to 300, and the price at the private Exchange has dropped to 250.
, or even two hundred Wen.”
"Before, Mr. Shugu came forward to negotiate with the Exchange and Trade Association on behalf of the Exchange. No matter whether it was for officials or merchants, the price was reduced to 200 yuan, and no one was allowed to increase or decrease the price."
"But they have dropped to less than 200 yuan, and the profits of private exchange shops are also higher than those of exchanges. This is also the reason why the profits of exchanges have stagnated in recent years."
Zhang Yue knew that the branch offices that had been expanded over the years had become the capital of various transshipment and strategic envoys in the Song Dynasty. After the establishment of the exchange and trading systems of each road, the layout had been completed.
After growth reaches its peak, profits also come to an end, and in the face of fierce competition from private exchange shops, profits decline.
Therefore the board of directors of the exchange came up with this proposal to monopolize the market.
Zhang Yue said: "Anzhong, monopoly money is certainly easy to make, but it will also make the industry languish."
"The most important thing is that the exchange rate of salt banknotes has been reduced to less than 200 yuan, which really facilitates the people and turns salt banknotes into currency."
Zhang Yue said to Huang Lu: "The imperial court can issue laws and regulations to restrict private exchange shops. For the rest, let the exchange offices find their own solutions."
"How?"
"Today, the main items traded in the exchange are salt banknotes, accounting for nearly 70%, tea coins, about 20%, and the rest are money coins, fragrant medicine coins, alum coins, and ivory coins, accounting for 10%."
"I plan to restrict private exchange shops to only exchange one or two grades. If you change the salt Yin, you cannot exchange the tea Yin. You can only exchange the Qian Yin, the fragrant Yin, the alum Yin, and the ivory Yin."
The Exchange and the branch offices in various places can exchange any kind of currency, but private shops can only exchange two kinds of currency. At the same time, you can only choose one of salt currency and tea currency that have the largest exchange volume.
Zhang Yue is using administrative means to protect the profits of the exchange and at the same time suppress private exchange shops.
Huang Lu resigned after receiving Zhang Yue's promise.
Zhang Yue asked Peng Jingyi to see Huang Lu out. When he came back, Peng Jingyi said to Zhang Yue: "Mr. Duan Ming, I just saw that Huang Zhijian is using a seven-fragrant treasure chariot."
The rich and powerful in Bianjing competed with each other, so driving was divided into three, six, and nine grades. In the Song Dynasty, there was a shortage of horses. In other cities, there were only ox carts, mule carts, and donkey carts, but in Bianjing, there were mostly horse-drawn carriages.
In addition to the beasts of burden, they were rich in materials for making carts. The best carts were made of fragrant wood. Those using a variety of fragrant woods were called Qixiangbao carts, which is what Huanglu rode.
Zhang Yue smiled when he heard Peng Jingyi.
In the past few years, Huang Lu has been in charge of the Jiaoyin Prison, Zhongshu, and the Third Division often made all arrangements for the Jiaoyin Office, but they were all pushed back by him.
In the eyes of outsiders, Huang Lu is used to being lazy.
But it’s not the case. Sometimes it’s harder to do nothing than to do something. But when a new official takes office, he always likes to have a sense of presence, but he doesn’t know that Xiao Guicao is easy to follow. How many people can control his actions without making trouble?
Huang Lu has withstood a lot of pressure for himself over the years, and everyone in the community feels grateful for his kindness.
Moreover, Huang Lu was not ignorant, but he knew everything about Jiao Yinjian, and he had insight into it, but he did not interfere in any way.
So Huang Lu is not only Zhang Yue's friend, but also his true confidant.
According to Zhang Yue's knowledge, this Qibao Incense Cart was bought by the Exchange Office for Huang Lu to come and go on weekdays.
…
At the meeting between the two governments the next day, Lu Huiqing mentioned to the emperor that he would cast two coins.
The so-called discount of two coins is to alleviate the increasingly serious money shortage. The imperial court minted one copper coin to be worth two copper coins.
The idea of discounting two coins was not first proposed by Lu Huiqing, but by Wang Anshi.
However, Lu Huiqing's proposal was opposed by Feng Jing and Zeng Bu in the court.
To put it bluntly, isn't this two-cent discount just the imperial court stealing money from the people?
As a bachelor of Duanming Palace who was not a member of either government but could participate in major political affairs, Zhang Yue also listened to everything. He felt that the differences between himself and Lu Huiqing were so great that they could not be reconciled.
