Chapter 240 Making a fortune...
Wang Chen wanted to cry.
He was so aggrieved.
But this is a blatant scheme, an unsolvable trap. If Wang Chen were to choose again, would he not print more Wang family currency? The amount of Wang family currency circulating in Taiyuan is decreasing dramatically, causing rice and grain prices to plummet! Putting aside the question of whether it's profitable or not, this way the royal family can succeed!
If they were allowed to purchase large quantities of grain to alleviate the immediate crisis, how would the powerful families maintain control over the emperor and the front lines?
But printing more is also wrong.
dilemma.
But no matter how much bitterness we have swallowed, the most urgent task now is to solve the current situation!
"Stop printing more Wang's coins immediately..." Wang Chen said, rubbing his throbbing forehead, his mind in turmoil. "First, transfer cash from other shops to the money exchange. Do whatever it takes to calm them down!"
This means that ruthless methods are acceptable. The money exchange is in such a mess that the situation cannot be allowed to spiral completely out of control; giving money in one hand and beating people with a stick in the other is the right approach.
"Master, these are just the money shops in the two counties closest to Taiyuan Prefecture... We might not have enough manpower for any further out." The head steward asked with a troubled expression.
Don't take this lightly. The Wang family keeps a large number of private soldiers—in times like these, they'd be called guards or tenants. But right now, even using them to maintain the money shop is a stretch; there's no time to mobilize them! The money shop itself has many thugs protecting it, but now the urgent report says that those guards can't hold out any longer.
"I'll go write letters to the other collateral branches right now," Wang Chen said decisively, his brows furrowed, before abruptly getting up and leaving.
In this situation, it would be faster to ask other local members of the Wang clan to mobilize their private troops.
"Brother, you should also go—find the clan elder! Make sure to send several teams to meet the silver carriage; there's always a chance something might happen on the way!" Wang Chenren had already stepped out the door, his voice still echoing as he hurriedly left with his head steward.
The bewildered Wang Kai finally felt reassured and loudly replied, "Understood!"
It was a bright and sunny day, with the sun high in the sky.
Zhang Ji, accompanied by five disguised soldiers, quietly went to the vicinity of the money exchange between Sinong County and the neighboring county to investigate the situation—there was an open-air tea stall in the distance diagonally opposite the money exchange.
It's a chaotic place; even at midday when the sun is at its strongest, there are still quite a few people walking around. The tea stalls are especially crowded.
When Zhang Ji arrived in his carriage, one soldier drove the carriage, and another acted as a servant, lifting the curtain and helping him down. Three others had arrived earlier and were loitering near the tea stall, ready to rush over should Zhang Ji encounter any trouble.
"...Sir, we're not far from Sinong County now. Have some tea and rest." The old soldier acting as the servant spoke with a weathered tone, and with great experience, he took a complete teapot and teacup set from the carriage. He walked to the tea stall, took out a packet of prepared tea from his pocket, and instructed the waiter, "Be careful, these are all valuable items."
"Yes!" the tea stall owner responded, carefully taking the tea.
It wasn't uncommon for wealthy gentlemen on their journeys to want to spend a few coins to buy water at a roadside tea stall, bringing their own teapot and tea leaves. However, the waiters dared not take on the task; the stall owner always brewed the water himself.
"Please have a seat, sir. These are all clean." The waiter deftly pulled out another chair from somewhere and invited him to sit down.
"..." Zhang Ji hadn't thought of any of this before leaving the house. Now that he was seated, everything was arranged perfectly without him having to worry about anything else, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
He composed himself, looked across at the other side, and asked, "What's wrong over there?"
Zhang Ji wasn't afraid to openly inquire, because the money exchange was mostly in ruins, with broken bricks and tiles scattered everywhere, and bloodstains everywhere. Many people were walking around picking things up from the ground, eagerly looting.
The chaotic scene clearly indicated that something had happened, and the conflict had been quite intense. People everywhere are nosy, and there were quite a few others at the tea stall like him asking around.
"This money exchange has been vandalized!" Sure enough, some busybodies from the next table, despite being intimidated by Zhang Ji's status and appearance, still came over to curry favor, expressing their indignation.
"They made such a good promise at first, saying that you could exchange silver for Wang's currency and get a discount when you shopped at their stores. But then they gradually stopped being able to redeem the money... Today, a lot of people rushed in and smashed up the money shop. By the time I heard what happened, there was nothing left. I still had two jiao of silver in there!"
"Wang's currency..." Zhang Ji feigned surprise, then asked in confusion, "I heard that it was issued by powerful families? People dare to smash their banks?"
This question was not for the busybody who hadn't experienced it to answer. He hesitated for a moment, but the waiter who happened to be pouring tea, wanting to curry favor, added, "There are so many people! They don't know anyone to each other. Even if they are from a prominent family, how can you investigate?"
"When the incident happened, quite a few soldiers did come to drive them away and guard the area, but soon they all left in a noisy commotion... They looked really anxious!" As everyone discussed the matter enthusiastically, the people around them gradually became more relaxed and chimed in.
Zhang Ji's eyes lit up, and he seemed to have grasped the key point.
He calmed himself down, sat there and finished a cup of tea. After listening to all the gossip, he got up to leave: "Let's go."
While the others were still excitedly discussing this thrilling event, Zhang Ji quietly led his men away.
On this day, news flew like snowflakes to Zhang Ji's private residence. Countless pieces of bad news also surrounded Wang Chen at the Wang family's old mansion.
"...All five money shops in Daizhou were smashed, looted, and vandalized in the chaos!"
"Sir, there's been no news of a silver carriage on the road..."
"Sir! All twelve managers are requesting an audience, saying that the Salt Commissioner can no longer delay; a large transaction now requires payment in silver..."
Dealing with all those previous headaches had almost driven Wang Chen mad. His carefully maintained composure finally gave way, and he slammed his fist on the table, letting out a furious outburst.
"Why have I never seen Lord Zhao follow the rules so strictly before?! Why does it have to be now when I can settle the accounts?"
The money exchange suffered heavy losses, and even several silver carts were looted, sparking a riot that was about to break out. Wang had already informed the prefect to mobilize troops and impose martial law in many places.
It's such a mess... What's the salt tax official doing getting involved?!
Wang Chen is now on the verge of exploding. Every time he thinks about the loss of the silver carriage, his heart aches as if it were being torn apart.
After running around for several days, the head steward looked much more haggard. He explained, "Master, we used to use Wang's currency for buying and selling, but now... the salt tax authorities don't dare to accept it."
With the Crown Prince's decree in place, they can no longer openly accept private currency. Normally, who would dare disrespect the Wang family of Taiyuan? They could simply have a private banquet and it would be over. Any pretext would do; they would just use Wang family currency as collateral or make an empty promise for a period of time, and the money would be transferred later.
But now...
Amidst the turmoil surrounding the Wang family currency, rumors are circulating that they are unable to raise the necessary funds, and His Highness the Crown Prince is paying close attention to the situation.
The salt tax official handled large sums of money; how could he not have reservations? And this was official buying and selling that couldn't be delayed… if something went wrong, he'd be severely punished. He couldn't refuse.
"What does he want?" Wang Chen just sneered.
Even the biggest troubles will eventually subside. Aren't the salt tax officials afraid of offending them then? The fact that they're pressing so hard now must have a reason.
"Lord Zhao is adamant this time: it's either a cash transaction or we'll have to wait a while longer. His Highness the Crown Prince is here to audit the accounts."
Without a second thought, Wang Chen chose one: "Let them wait."
As for salt, Wang's family isn't lacking anything; they just can't sell much for the time being. If money isn't readily available, they can stop for a couple of days and wait until the money exchange recovers before resuming trading...that's fine.
Wang Chen issued orders swiftly and decisively, working himself to the bone. When he finally caught his breath, he opened the latest letter from the "gentleman" and saw his instructions.
The gentleman humbly admitted that he only had some experience in manipulating wealth, and now the situation was out of control... Only by restoring the reputation of the Wang family coins as soon as possible could he proceed with his next move.
—And how to quell the riots and restore their reputation was the first thing the Wang family had to do.
"Someone must be up to something behind this..."
Even amidst his busy schedule, Wang Chen did not forget the mastermind behind all of this. Ever since the silver carriage was robbed and suffered heavy losses, he knew that someone else must have gotten a share of the profits!
Not only the major and minor aristocratic families, but also the local gentry, powerful clans, and prominent families definitely got a share of the pie.
When the Wang family suffered misfortune, other prominent families would come to their aid, but that didn't stop them from secretly taking a piece of her flesh when she was weak.
Therefore, Wang Chen was extremely angry and, without hesitation, planned to send people to cause trouble elsewhere afterward. Although he didn't know who was behind the scheme, everyone else, including the Crown Prince, was a driving force.
Reporting to others requires careful planning, but the easiest to deal with is the Crown Prince's token. What's the difference between that and their royal currency?
Wang Chen already understood how to bring down someone else's money exchange; he knew every step perfectly well, and even if he tried, he couldn't handle it all. He wanted to see what Liuzhou and Jiangnan would do then!
Wang Chen hadn't even cleaned up his own mess yet, so he immediately wrote a letter to the south, asking the powerful families there to help him succeed.
Three days passed, and reports from other places showed initial results, but the reply from the south said that everything was calm and peaceful, and their people were arrested as soon as they showed their faces! This did not cause any ripples.
Wang Chen was extremely depressed.
He racked his brains but couldn't understand why Liuzhou could resolve the issue using the same methods!
But the next turn of events made Wang Chen, who was completely bewildered by the series of blows, realize what His Highness the Crown Prince's true goal was.
He also understood the deeper meaning behind that inexplicable imperial decree:
The head steward reports—
While the Wang family of Taiyuan was busy cleaning up their mess, more than a dozen families in Taiyuan Prefecture were uprooted, including many local gentry and powerful clans.
Although such minor families could not be considered among the "Five Families and Seven Noble Families," and could only claim a connection, they were all prominent figures in the local community for many years, and some of them frequently associated with the Wang family.
...This time, however, these people were all raided on the grounds of selling smuggled salt and grain and having unclear accounts. The operation was so fast that no one else had time to react.
Wang Chen almost doubted his ears when he heard this: "What smuggled salt and grain?"
"It's just... they couldn't resist going through the silver transfer process... and engaging in private transactions." The head steward quickly glossed over the most serious impact of the matter.
"Master, the Crown Prince is using this as a pretext to launch an attack, but his real intention is to squeeze money out of those middle-class families! I heard that a lot of grain and valuables were seized this time, and they have already been loaded onto carts and transported out."
Wang Chen suddenly slapped his thigh:
"—Oh no! Quick, flag down a car!!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Qi Chengming (happily snatched the item and swaggered away): ...
Wang Chen, who had suffered a herniated disc more than once: ...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com