Someone else asked.
"Since you're here to collect the money, of course it's fine. The court is trustworthy and won't owe you a penny."
The official said, "Come to the gate to register, one at a time. No cutting in line, no noise, no commotion. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
The merchants nodded in agreement.
They had set up an open conspiracy, but had no intention of confronting the government head-on, so they all behaved well.
Soon merchants came into the Jiaozi shop one after another. The Jiaozi shop was a bit like a government office. After entering from the outer gate, there was a large courtyard. Dozens of tea merchants lined up in a long queue outside the door, extending into the streets.
Kang Xi, who was standing outside on the Xiangde Building, watched the scene below and said, "You need to register in advance to withdraw money. The government said that the money can be withdrawn within ten days at most. If you do this, they will also have ten days to turn it over. Aren't you afraid that the court will be able to come up with the money?"
Zhou Yunsheng sneered, "June and July are the busiest times for trade in Bianliang. Within ten days, more Chengdu merchants will arrive in Bianliang. At worst, we can withdraw the money and then purchase an equivalent amount of Jiaozi from others."
"There's no need to do this. It's like fighting to the death."
Kang Xi still persuaded.
Wang Min shook his head and said, "Brother Kang, there's no need to persuade me. This is unavoidable. You're selling salt, but you don't know how hard it is for us to make tea. The court is acting like this now, and it's practically wiping out our livelihoods. We're helpless."
"All right."
Kang Xi had no choice but to shut up and not talk about it.
There was a long queue below, including tea merchants, as well as other merchants from Chengdu.
Chengdu merchants deposited money in Chengdu so they didn't have to carry copper coins with them. After arriving in Bianliang to continue their business, they had to withdraw the money.
There was no need to rush, but today, seeing so many people withdrawing money from the Jiaozi shop, it caused a certain panic of bank run. Many Chengdu businessmen who heard the news rushed over to line up.
Therefore, at this time, the amount of currency stored in the Jiaozi Shop in Bianliang was put to the test.
From the moment the Jiaozi shop opened in the early morning until the morning, there was still a steady stream of people coming. There were already more than a hundred registered merchants, and the amount of money they wanted to withdraw had reached more than 400,000 strings of cash, far exceeding Zhou Yunsheng and Wang Min's expectations.
When the person they sent out to get the money came back to report this to them, both of them couldn't stop smiling, thinking that it was God's will and that God was helping them.
However, just when they were planning to go back at noon to wait for news from the government, the door of the Jiaozi shop was opened as wide as possible.
The official in the cyan uniform came out again and said to the people outside, "The court opened the Jiaozi shops to facilitate merchants' commerce. When commerce flourishes, the people prosper. Therefore, the court has prepared sufficient currency for merchants. Take it today, and you'll have it today."
He clapped his hands.
Behind him, more than ten clerks came out, each carrying two baskets on a shoulder pole and placing them on the street in front of the shop.
Everyone could see clearly that the basket was full of copper coins bundled together.
One bundle is one guan. At a rough glance, each basket has at least ten or twenty bundles, weighing more than one hundred jin. The number picked out by more than ten officials is probably only three or four hundred guan.
Although it's not much, it still has a strong visual impact. After all, for ordinary people, three or four hundred strings of cash might not be a sum they can earn in their entire life.
The official said, "The imperial court is trustworthy. Since the money has been deposited in the Jiaozi shop, they will definitely not let the merchant get it without money. Where is Mr. Cheng? Is Mr. Cheng here?"
Cheng Da Weng was not a tea merchant, but an ordinary businessman who came to Bianliang to do business. He wanted to withdraw 800 strings of cash. When he heard the official's words, he quickly stepped forward and said, "I am here."
"Did you bring anyone with you?"
the official asked.
Cheng Da Weng immediately said, "I thought I couldn't withdraw the money today, so I just came to report and register. I didn't have time to hire anyone."
"Then hurry up and don't delay others from getting their money."
The official said.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Cheng Da Weng quickly squeezed out of the crowd to hire a carriage and porters.
The official added, "The rest of you who need to hire someone should go quickly. You can come and redeem your money in the next few days."
The surrounding merchants woke up as if from a dream and hurried to do as they were told. The tea merchants looked at each other in bewilderment. No one had expected that the imperial court's Jiaozi shop actually had cash.
Upstairs in Xiangde Building, Zhou Yunsheng, Wang Min, and other tea merchants looked extremely unhappy. Zhou Yunsheng gritted his teeth and said, "This must be a tactic of the imperial court to stabilize the people's hearts. Don't worry, we will continue to wait and see."
Everyone continued to watch from above.
Time passed quickly, and merchants with a large number of carriages and manpower crowded into Zhouqiao Street. The originally wide street became completely crowded with traffic. From morning to evening when the Jiaozi shop closed, there was a constant stream of people coming to redeem their money.
A rough estimate shows that nearly 100,000 strings of cash were paid out today alone. I originally thought that the Jiaozi shop did not have that much money, but the Jiaozi shop was like a bottomless pit. There were always a large number of officials carrying out money to deliver on the spot.
In a short time, the reputation of Jiaozi Shop spread throughout Bianliang. Merchants from other places envied Chengdu merchants because they could have such an easy thing and did not have to carry tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of kilograms of copper coins when going out.
By the time it was almost dark, Zhou Yunsheng and others in Xiangde Building had dazed expressions on their faces.
Kang Xi sat with them for a whole day. After watching the officials outside the Jiaozi shop below announce that they would stop here temporarily today and continue to redeem tomorrow, he stood up, patted Zhou Yunsheng on the shoulder, and left a word.
"There's no good ending to going against the imperial court, so it's better to just go along with it."
He said this and left with his hands behind his back.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
