In September, the autumn days in Jiangnan were still sweltering, but the merchants' hearts were as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
"Ten thousand taels of silver! Half of it has vanished in the blink of an eye!" Zhang Yande, the owner of the largest silk shop in Suzhou, pounded his chest, his face ashen as he sat in the teahouse, the teacup in his hand already cold.
Several colleagues standing nearby also looked worried. One of them said with a wry smile, "Who would have thought that the imperial court would set up mulberry gardens in the northwest? We're afraid we won't even be able to recoup our costs for the raw silk we stockpiled."
"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have listened to that person!" the other person gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with regret.
The "person" they were referring to was none other than the Ninth Master's men who had secretly incited them to hoard raw silk.
With the price of raw silk plummeting and the imperial court directly procuring from the northwest, the raw silk market in Jiangnan collapsed overnight, leaving merchants with nothing.
A tense atmosphere filled the teahouse. After a long silence, someone finally whispered, "I heard... the imperial court is going to recruit merchants."
"Investment promotion?" Zhang Yande looked up abruptly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Yes, the newly established textile factories of the imperial court have an astonishing output, with cotton cloth piled up like mountains, and they are planning to recruit merchants to distribute it."
The man lowered his voice, "It's said that this is an open auction, with the highest bidder winning, but the imperial court has set a bottom line and will definitely not let us suffer a loss."
The group looked at each other, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Last time they went against the imperial court, they ended up losing everything.
Is it a blessing or a curse that the imperial court has now taken the initiative to extend an olive branch?
"How about... we go take a look?" someone tentatively suggested.
Zhang Yande pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Go! This time, we absolutely cannot go against the imperial court again!"
---
The capital city.
As soon as the cloth merchants entered the city, they saw the imperial edict posted at the city gate, clearly written in black and white: "Notice of Investment Promotion for the Imperial Textile Factory of the Great Qing Dynasty: Effective immediately, merchants from all over the country are invited to distribute cotton cloth through competitive bidding and fair trade..."
The onlookers were abuzz with discussion; some were eager to try it out, while others remained hesitant.
"Master Zhang, do you think the imperial court is sincere this time, or does it have ulterior motives?" A young merchant approached Zhang Yande and asked in a low voice.
Zhang Yande stared at the imperial edict and slowly said, "If the court really wanted to punish us, there was no need to go to such lengths. The raw silk in the Northwest has already given them a foothold. Now that they are recruiting merchants, they probably really want to give us a way to survive."
Just then, a commotion arose in the distance, and a group of soldiers escorted a magnificent carriage slowly approaching.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing the face of the Thirteenth Prince, Yinxiang.
"It's Prince Yi!" Everyone quickly bowed.
Yinxiang smiled slightly and gestured for everyone to stand up: "You have all come from afar, thank you for your hard work. The court is very sincere in this investment promotion and there is absolutely no deception. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, and I will answer them one by one."
His gentle demeanor, a stark contrast to his rumored decisive and efficient image, reassured the merchants somewhat.
---
The investment promotion conference was held in the Ministry of Revenue, and the spacious hall was packed with people.
Yinxiang sat in the main seat, surrounded by several officials from the Ministry of Revenue. On the table were samples of cotton cloth produced by the textile factory, which were fine in texture and uniform in color, drawing exclamations of amazement from the merchants.
"Gentlemen," Yinxiang said in a loud voice, "the imperial court intends for mutual benefit and win-win results in this investment promotion. The wholesale price of cotton cloth is set at 50% of the market price. Merchants are free to set their own prices and sell their goods, but hoarding and speculation are strictly prohibited. Violators will be severely punished."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone below whispered, "Fifty percent? That's a pretty good profit margin!"
Yinxiang continued, "In addition, the court will give priority to cooperating with honest merchants. If they perform well, there will be more opportunities in the future, such as the agency rights for raw silk in the Northwest."
This statement caused a huge stir. Northwest raw silk is currently in high demand; if one could obtain the distribution rights, wouldn't it be a sure-fire way to make money?
Zhang Yande took a deep breath, stood up first, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Thirteenth Prince, this humble subject is willing to participate in the bidding!"
With him taking the lead, other merchants followed suit.
---
The bidding process was intense yet orderly, with merchants vying for the best deals, but no one dared to maliciously inflate prices.
Ultimately, Zhang Yande secured the sales rights for the Jiangnan region for 60,000 yuan, while merchants from other regions also received their share.
After the meeting, Yinxiang kept Zhang Yande behind and said gently, "Master Zhang, the imperial court hopes that the Jiangnan market will stabilize as soon as possible. Are you confident?"
Zhang Yande solemnly replied, "Rest assured, Thirteenth Master, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
Yinxiang nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly changed the subject: "I heard that the price of raw silk in Jiangnan fluctuated recently, and many merchants suffered heavy losses?"
Zhang Yande smiled bitterly: "Yes, it's all our fault for being greedy and listening to the instigation of villains."
Yinxiang said meaningfully, "You'll learn from your mistakes. In the future, when we cooperate with the court, we will never let you suffer losses."
---
As night falls, the lights of the capital city gradually come on.
Standing by the window of the inn, Zhang Yande gazed at the distant outline of the imperial palace, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
This trip to the capital made him fully understand the court's methods: a combination of kindness and severity, which both deterred restless merchants and gave them new opportunities.
"Shopkeeper, shall we set off back to Jiangnan tomorrow?" the waiter asked softly.
Zhang Yande nodded: "After we return, we will immediately prepare for the sale of cotton cloth. This time, we will follow the imperial court!"
---
Meanwhile, inside the Qianqing Palace.
After listening to Yinxiang's report, Yongzheng smiled slightly: "Have the merchants learned their lesson?"
Yinxiang laughed and said, "Yes, especially Zhang Yande, whose attitude was extremely respectful."
Yongzheng snorted lightly: "If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place." He paused, then added, "Continue to increase the production of raw silk in the Northwest, and let the people in the Jiangnan region slowly digest their inventory."
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