Three hundred coins is by no means a normal price. You must know that it is collected from the people's fields, and there are expenses for transporting the grain to the city. If the grain merchants collect this way, according to their contract with Chang'an, basically
No more money will be made. If something goes wrong, you will have to pay a sum of money.
How can anyone do business like this!
The merchants were angry, and naturally they could not harvest the grain. The farmers who had signed the contract in advance also regretted it. The common people who could not read a single word had no spirit of contract. They only knew that their grain was sold cheaply and they suffered a loss.
, of course I regretted it.
If it were normal, these people would not dare. The merchants who go to the countryside to collect grain will not bring a few thugs with them, let alone those who have signed a contract and received a deposit. There is no contract, no deposit, and the agreed price.
People dare not sell it? I can’t beat you to death!
But this time, because there were people from the imperial court in the village, in order not to cause trouble for Li Mu, they did not bring any thugs with them. They only brought with them the accounting clerk, a handful of people, and even Lipa, who helped transport the grain, was a local employee.
.With such a few people, facing a village of angry villagers, how can they be their opponents?
At this time, they thought about the court again and Li Mu's arrival. The contract was written in black and white with fingerprints. How could they say that if they don't abide by it, they won't abide by it?
No, you have to find someone to reason with! The merchants were angry and couldn't harvest the food left and right. They got together one by one, considered each other, and decided that in the early morning of the next day, no one should run away, and they would go to the Hou Mansion to find Li Mu.
Reason!
Go together! Go together!
Everyone was shouting.
…
The next day, in front of the Hou Mansion.
The slogans were shouted loudly, and when it was time to do things, they would have diarrhea. None of the people who were screaming to settle accounts with Li Mu yesterday came, but a few did come. They looked at each other intently, and they all had Chang An behind their backs.
According to the contract, if they cannot hand over the grain when winter comes, they will have to pay a large sum of money as agreed. But at the current price of grain, they really cannot do it. Li Mu has set the price of grain at
If they offer the same price of 300 cents, the common people will definitely sell it to Li Mu rather than to them. If they raise the price, it is already 300 cents. If they raise another cent, it will be a loss. Who is willing to do such a thing?
If this is the case, it is better to go to other places to collect some food and send it to Chang'an. If it is run properly, the compensation may be less.
Shopkeeper Sun didn't expect that things have reached the current situation. But he is the initiator. If he shrinks his head when something happens, he will not mess around in Luoyang in the future. It's already a quarter of an hour after the agreed time. Shopkeeper Sun looks at it
After taking a look at the few people who came, they thought that this was all, and there was no chance that anyone would come again. They gritted their teeth, stepped out of the crowd, skillfully took out a gold ingot from their sleeves, and stuffed it into the hands of the Jin Yiwei who was guarding the door.
"This sir..."
Before he could say anything, why did the ingot come back after he had handed it over? Shopkeeper Sun's face changed. He was not afraid of the people at the yamen gate collecting money. He was a businessman and was inherently inferior to others, but as long as money could handle things, he would
For businessmen, it’s nothing, it’s just more blood. But if it’s something that money can’t handle, no matter how big it is, it’s not a small matter for businessmen, because they only have money and nothing else.
reliance.
The Zheng family in Xingyang can be regarded as a support, and it is considered the number one in the world today, but only at the gate of the Marquis Mansion, he knows that it will not work without anyone's advice.
Shopkeeper Sun hurriedly put on a smile, then came closer and said: "Sir, just a little thought——"
"Don't hurt me." Jin Yiwei stretched out his hand to block it and said: "Jin Yiwei has rules. You can't take money that you shouldn't take. If you have something to do, just say it. If nothing happens, get out of here. Is there anything you can do to wait for me in front of the Hou Mansion?"
"This..." Shopkeeper Sun was frustrated and had to take the ingot back. He cupped his hand and said, "Sir, I have something to do."
Jin Yiwei glanced at him up and down, still with the expression of a grandma who doesn't care about his uncle, and said: "What's the matter?"
"I want to see the Marquis."
"Huh-" Jin Yiwei curled his lips when he heard what he said, and said in a neutral tone: "Looking at how you are dressed, you don't look like you don't know etiquette. Why do you do things so unproportionally? Lord Marquis, what is that?
Is it possible for people like you to meet people if they want to? If they are like you and want to see the Marquis, the Marquis will have to see you. Then the Marquis will not have to do anything else for the day, just serve you." After that, he stopped.
Looking at them, he said: "If you want to see the Marquis, please submit a greeting card three days in advance. The Marquis will let you know if you want to see him. If you have a greeting card, take it out. If you don't have a greeting card, leave quickly. Don't blame me for being merciless if you block the gate of the Hou Mansion again.
Let’s meet.”
"This," Shopkeeper Sun choked again, and he almost suffocated himself to death with his anger, but he couldn't deny that what the gatekeeper said was reasonable. There are hundreds of thousands of people in Luoyang City, if anyone wants to see
Li Mu, Li Mu just needs to meet, and there really is nothing else to do.
It's just that in his heart, he regarded Li Mu as his opponent. It was like two equally matched opponents. If one party lost, the other party should at least show sympathy. That's what he thought, thinking about the outcome.
The grain war was over before it even started. Even if he lost, Li Mu would have wanted to be humiliated in person. Unexpectedly, he came to humiliate Li Mu, but he couldn't even get in.
I felt a sense of loss in my heart.
Seeing that Jin Yiwei had no intention of being accommodating, Shopkeeper Sun was a little discouraged. He turned around and said to his companion: "Master Marquis is missing, let's go back."
The other merchants were not as courageous as Shopkeeper Sun. They all sighed when they saw this and planned to go home. But at this moment, by chance, they heard a creak and the door of the Hou Mansion opened. Ma Zhou came out and frowned.
Wrinkled, as if something was difficult.
Shopkeeper Sun recognized Ma Zhou. When he saw him coming out, he hurriedly greeted him: "Ma Changshi, stay back!"
Ma Zhou was thinking about things and didn't see anyone blocking the door. He looked up when he heard the sound. Seeing so many people blocking the door, he couldn't help but ask: "Who are you? Do you recognize me?"
"We are all the shopkeepers of Nanshi Grain Store. The villain's surname is Sun, and he is the shopkeeper of Dingfeng Grain Store. Ma Changshi certainly doesn't recognize the villain, but the villain recognizes Ma Changshi. If it weren't for Ma Changshi's advice
Mr. Marquis, we and the grain merchants have long since lost their livelihood, so I have to thank Ma Changshi." After saying that, Shopkeeper Sun and his entourage bowed and saluted, Ma Zhou quickly dodged away, stretched out his hand to help Shopkeeper Sun up, and said, "Please don't thank me.
I, I, didn’t help you, and I even tricked you, I—” Ma Zhou was about to continue, but he didn’t seem to know how to say it properly. He was speechless for a moment and sighed.
Shopkeeper Sun borrowed Po Xia's donkey and continued following Ma Zhou's words: "I know Ma Changshi's kindness in my heart and will never forget it. It's just that things have changed now..."
Here, he said cautiously: "I wonder if Ma Changshi knows that the Marquis has announced today that he will collect grain for three hundred coppers per bucket." He looked at Ma Zhou's expression and said, "Ma Changshi, listen to me.
Did you say that?”
"Alas!" Ma Zhou sighed again and said, "If it's only three hundred coins, you're lucky. Three hundred coins was the price in the morning. Today's price is three-grade grains. The third-grade grains are divided into three hundred cents a dou, and the second-grade grains are divided into three hundred cents.
Wait for four hundred coins, wait for five hundred coins!"
"Five hundred..." Shopkeeper Sun and others only felt that their vision was dark. They could not post the three hundred cash if they had finished it. They would definitely lose money for the four hundred cash. Five hundred cash... they couldn't even think about it. But now,
They couldn't help it if they didn't want to, because if Li Mu collects grain at the price of 500 yuan, the price of grain not only in Luoyang but also in lands outside Luoyang will rise, but the contract they have signed cannot rise. If they can't hand over the grain,
Come on, they still have to pay.
Shopkeeper Sun knelt down with a plop. The current situation could no longer tolerate him from bending over. He hugged Ma Zhou's thigh, as if he felt sorry for his money, and cried: "Master Hou, why are you doing this?
I'm just a little untouchable, so I can't commit a crime by competing with us. With Lord Hou's approach, even if I have a mountain of gold and silver, I still have to pay for it. I can't commit the offense, I can't commit the offense!"
Ma Zhou was also puzzled as they thought, and said: "If I knew what he was thinking, wouldn't I have stopped him? Lord Marquis always does things unexpectedly, so he should have a better memory in the future. Don't mess with him.
He can do anything. He can do it even if it costs a fortune to get in. He can do it just for one breath." Ma Zhou pulled out his legs and said, "Don't wait here anymore, go home.
Go ahead, I have to go out to the city to make arrangements and collect grain at the new grain price tomorrow morning."
"Chang Shi, don't go!" Shopkeeper Sun hugged Ma Zhou's thigh and refused to let go, snot smeared on his trouser legs: "I know I made a mistake and accepted the punishment. If the Marquis wants to beat or punish me, we will all suffer.
I beg you, Chief Shi, to take me to see the Marquis and apologize in person!"
Shopkeeper Sun has also thought clearly about how much money Li Mu has in his hands. But if he is Li Mu, even if he spends hundreds of thousands of dollars just to win a breath, the hatred will definitely be ended if he takes such a breath.
He's dead. This is Luoyang, Li Mu's fiefdom. He is like an emperor here. Do you want to have a grudge against him? Can a small businessman survive this fight?
It doesn't matter if he dies, but what will happen to the Zheng family's properties? When Li Mu takes action, will he be able to withstand his anger?
Therefore, he must apologize, or beg for nothing and cannot be forgiven.
Ma Zhou originally didn't want to care about this matter. He was confused now. He just suffered a blow from Li Mu. Now he just wanted to stay as far away from Li Mu as possible, and stay away from this unreasonable lunatic!
Shopkeeper Sun saw that Ma Zhou didn't want to take care of him, but now he had no other way out. He gritted his teeth and said, "Ma Changshi, don't you have no responsibility at all for what happened now? Just take it."
Are we just leaving this place alone?! How can you bear it!"
These words touched Ma Zhou's heart, and he did feel guilty. In the current situation, it was indeed better for him not to stop him than to stop him. If he didn't stop them, how could these merchants not collect grain near Luoyang?
They collect grain in other places, but now, they don't collect grain near Luoyang. If they go to other places to collect grain, the price will also rise. Ma Zhou was sent out by Li Mu to collect grain. What he saw and heard along the way was not in vain.
He is considered a semi-expert.
Thinking of this, Ma Zhou nodded and said: "Okay, I will take you to see the Marquis. I just want to say something first. I can't control how you say it or what the consequences will be."
Shopkeeper Sun was overjoyed and thanked him profusely: "We can't thank you enough for Chang Shi's willingness to take on such a big relationship. There will definitely be a repayment in the future——"
"Oh, okay, I don't dare to ask for it." Ma Zhou waved his hands repeatedly, turned around and returned to the Marquis' Mansion. After a while, Ma Zhou came out to call them. This time, the Jinyi guards at the door did not stop them, and they finally went in.
…
Lobby.
"Master Marquis, we realize our mistake!" Shopkeeper Sun and others knelt on the ground, kowtowing. Li Mu raised his hand, and Ma Zhou helped everyone up for him. He pointed to the seats again, Shopkeeper Sun and others
They didn't dare to sit down, so Ma Zhou gave them a look, and then he sat down tremblingly.
"You know you're wrong?" Li Mu looked at everyone and asked with a smile.
"Master Hou is rich and powerful, and we are no match for you. I know I'm wrong." Shopkeeper Sun felt humiliated. Although he was very careful not to bring out his emotions, he still knew his destiny for people of his age.
It was a bit unpleasant. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he regretted it, but he didn't know what to say to make up for it, so he could only smile.
Li Mu was not annoyed, and still looked like he wanted to be beaten with a smile, and said: "I heard that, and I am a little unconvinced. I think I am a madman, and I will do money-losing business just to relieve my anger." He paused and took a look.
Everyone asked: "Really, that's what they all think?"
"I don't dare, I definitely don't mean that." Shopkeeper Sun shook his head like a rattle, and so did everyone else. Even if they think so in their hearts, who dares to admit it? Doesn't this add fuel to the fire?
Li Mu looked at Ma Zhou: "You think so too, right?"
"Your Majesty," Ma Zhou pursed his lips and said, "I don't mean that."
Li Mu laughed again, and his tone became even more irritating: "You guys, you want to have a fight with me. Your courage is commendable, and I really admire you. But I don't understand. You have been ups and downs in the mall for many years.
You are such a great person, why have you forgotten even knowing yourself and your enemy? Am I so insignificant in your eyes?"
Without waiting, Li Mu looked at Ma Zhou: "You think so too, right?"
"Your Majesty," Ma Zhou pursed his lips and said, "I don't mean that."
Li Mu laughed again, and his tone became even more irritating: "You guys, you want to have a fight with me. Your courage is commendable, and I really admire you. But I don't understand. You have been ups and downs in the mall for many years.
You are such a great person, why have you forgotten even knowing yourself and your enemy? Am I so insignificant in your eyes?"
No wait, why have you forgotten even knowing yourself and your enemy? Am I so insignificant in your eyes?"
No wait, why have you forgotten even knowing yourself and your enemy? Am I so insignificant in your eyes?"