Chapter 38 The Business War Begins: His Majesty must personally dress Little Nineteen.
The top floor of a restaurant in Jiangzhou City.
When Han Siwen led the two inside, Lan Yan and Xu Yi were already waiting there. They immediately stood up when they saw the two arrive.
"Master Thirteen, Master Nineteen."
Logically speaking, Lan Yan and Xu Yi were of higher rank than Yao Ruyi and Shisan, but as the emperor's trusted confidants, everyone had to address them as "Sir".
Yao Ruyi smiled and waved her hand, "Just call me Nineteen."
I was going to call him Yao Ruyi, but he still doesn't know Thirteen's name, so I decided against it. Thinking about it carefully, the only people who know his name is Gu Huizhou and Wu Yuan.
Thirteen nodded, "Thirteen will do."
Lan Yan and Xu Yi exchanged a glance and chuckled. They then turned to Han Siwen and said, "Miss Han, you don't need to call us 'sirs.' It's too formal for us, as we're about the same age."
Xu Yi agreed, “That makes sense. All our food, clothing and daily necessities in Jiangzhou City were taken care of by Miss Han. How can she act like an adult now?”
Han Siwen dismissed the servant and said without any pretense, "Don't you gentlemen still call me Miss Han? Is that enough of a formality?"
Lan Yan paused, "This..."
This stumped him. It seemed a bit inappropriate for a group of grown men to call a young woman by her name all day long.
Xu Yi, "Miss Siwen."
"Yes! Miss Siwen."
Several court officials of similar age laughed together; they weren't that old to begin with. If they were always talking about "adults" and "young ladies," they wouldn't look like people who worked together.
The local specialties of Jiangzhou City are sweet, and the group ate them all up. After the meal, some tea and snacks were served, which they enjoyed while chatting.
Xu Yi explained the current situation to a few people: "The five thousand bushels of grain that the former magistrate of Jiangzhou City had is still kept in the magistrate's mansion."
After the magistrate was imprisoned, all the people in his household were dismissed. The gold and silver in his residence were transferred to the national treasury, which provided some relief.
“Jiangzhou City is a major city in Jiangnan. It was one of the two cities that the Xiao Kingdom demanded during the reign of the late emperor. There are quite a few people in the city, and the five thousand bushels of grain we have now is just a drop in the bucket.”
Han Siwen nodded, "That makes sense. Xu Da... Xu Yi is right. The distribution of disaster relief grain is also determined according to the city's grain harvest. As a major city in Jiangnan, Jiangzhou City had the most surplus grain last year." The woman was dressed in clean and tidy plain clothes, and her calm and composed expression had the demeanor of Han Dahai in his youth.
She pondered for a moment, "Right now, the majority of the grain is in Deng Zeyu's hands."
"The rice prices controlled by the imperial court are only observed by a few rice shops, and they've already sold out. Simply locking people up isn't a solution; there are always people who find ways to raise prices."
Everyone agrees with this statement; otherwise, they would have arrested the person and dealt with them according to the law long ago, instead of wasting time here.
Xu Yi sneered, "When we first arrived here, Lan Yan and I were planning to take control of a merchant who was raising rice prices drastically. But he claimed that he hadn't sold any rice; he was giving it away for free."
"A gift?"
Lan Yan nodded, his fingers gripping the teacup coldly. "When ordinary people buy a gourd pendant from him, they get a peck of rice as a gift. The imperial court controls the price of a peck of rice to twenty coins, but his family sells a gourd pendant for one hundred and eighty coins."
It's just a disguised price increase.
But if you ask, he'll say the expensive ones are the gourd pendants, regardless of whether they've been blessed or have some other secret, just see if people buy them or not.
"Hmph, they've got too much ambition."
Yao Ruyi asked, "Have you seen Deng Zeyu these past few days?"
Xu Yi shook his head. "No." He then said, "I heard from the common people that Deng Zeyu is about the same age as us, around twenty-seven. He is handsome and knowledgeable in poetry, literature, and etiquette, but unfortunately, he has not mastered any of them. With no hope of passing the imperial examinations, he has developed this idea."
"Alright. Thirteen and I will go check it out tonight, and we'll continue our discussion then."
The group exchanged glances, deciding it was best to investigate further. They needed to understand each other's background before making any further plans.
The nights in Jiangnan are humid and warm, and even the shouts on the street are not so loud. There are also some girls singing ditties in the soft dialect of Jiangzhou City by the river. The tunes are melodious and gentle, but the melody is also melancholic.
"Grandma, are you having rice today?"
"Are these young girls making fun of this old woman again?" The old woman selling rattle drums at the bridgehead smiled helplessly. She looked at the girls in light gauze dresses and smiled as she replied, her hesitant expression suggesting she was looking at them or at her younger self.
The wrinkles on her face subtly revealed her age, but time never defeats a beauty; the charm in her expression remains, and her every smile and frown is understated yet graceful.
"No way, we sisters are just like our mother-in-law now."
"No way, I'm not like you old women."
The group, having disagreed on something, suddenly started singing again with laughter.
Deng Zeyu's mansion occupied a large area in Jiangzhou City, but it wasn't located in the city center. In the darkness, the two leaped from the bustling market with its small bridges and flowing water into the alleyways. The ground was damp and covered with moss, and they easily slipped and fell if they weren't careful.
Yao Ruyi quickly steadied Thirteen, who had slipped, and said, "Be careful."
Thirteen, clumsily bracing himself against the walls on either side, was startled and turned around in disbelief. "Little Nineteen, how come you're living so comfortably in Jiangnan? I'm so hot and uncomfortable right now, my clothes are sticking to my body after only two hours." As he spoke, he tugged at his sleeve, which was now stuck to his wrist.
In contrast, Yao Ruyi wore a white robe that fluttered freely in the wind, looking refreshed and carrying a faint herbal scent, with not a drop of sweat on her forehead.
Helpless, he said, "This alley is difficult to walk in, so it's better to walk on the ice."
"Pfft—"
Yao Ruyi quickly waved her hand, it wasn't him laughing.
"Hey, Little Nineteen."
Yao Ruyi looked up and saw a strange man squatting on the wall, greeting them with a smile. He had narrow, thin eyes, and his high nose bridge supported his face mask. He looked like a good person with a smile on his face.
"Get down here!"
Thirteen's tone wasn't pleasant. "Hurry up and get me a new pair of shoes for you tomorrow." He then reached up and tugged at Eleven's trouser leg, touching it. "And this outfit too."
rub--
Eleven landed softly on the ground and stood firmly. "Nineteen, I am Eleven."
"Hello."
Eleven looked Yao Ruyi up and down several times, a half-smile on his face. He now genuinely believed that what Twelve said didn't seem like a lie.
Tsk tsk, I didn't expect their emperor to like this.
She's truly beautiful, even more so than those young masters in Jiangzhou City.
He smiled at Yao Ruyi, then turned to look at Thirteen, shaking his head sarcastically, "Now you know why His Majesty let us choose a place to stay? You just can't adapt to Jiangnan."
He added, "I'll send you the clothes tomorrow, but these shoes—" Eleven helplessly shrugged, "We're really wearing the same thing."
That forward-leaning expression made Thirteen want to punch someone. "If you can't do it, just say so. Why blame the shoes?"
"hey-hey."
Thirteen turned his head and saw that the voice came from Yao Ruyi. He stared at him with a stern face, "Nineteen..."
The mushroom pursed its lips, "Mmm—"
Thirteen remained silent.
Eleven chuckled and walked in front, waving to the two of them, "This way."
The two spies became three. Eleven was clearly more familiar with the terrain than the other two. He had lived in Jiangzhou City for a while a few years ago, and it was during that time that he learned about the various skilled craftsmen in Jiangzhou City.
Soon, the group found Deng Zeyu's residence. The residence occupied a large area, and from a distance, it looked like a general's mansion. Yao Ruyi was astonished; even Han Jiqing's general's mansion wasn't this large.
The group sneaked to the back door, which was open, and many people were pushing carts in and out.
The vehicle was covered with a white sheet, so you couldn't tell what it was, but you could guess.
"Hey, this cartload of grain, I wonder where our young master delivered it from. It looks pretty good. Much better quality than the last batch, so maybe we can sell it for a higher price?"
Another servant chuckled, "It's said to have been bought at a high price from merchants from the Xiao Kingdom. It cost fifty coins per dou!"
"Tch, fifty coins is nothing. The rice shops have raised prices again today. Our shop sells it for two hundred coins a bushel. Maybe by the time this cart of grain gets there, it'll be two hundred and thirty or four hundred!"
"That's great! Our wages will have to go up too."
"Of course, we'll do all the work. Young master, you just need to wait to collect your payment."
The two were chatting as they worked when a burly man, who seemed to be in charge, strode over with a furrowed brow. His voice was loud and clear: "Hurry up and get to work! The young master has been busy with the county magistrate's affairs these past few days and hasn't had time to look after you. Don't embarrass me when he comes back!"
"Hey, don't worry, big brother!"
The two men smiled obsequiously and showered the manager with compliments before finally managing to coax him away. The instant they turned away, they both rolled their eyes. "He thinks he can become a manager?!"
“The people who have always been by the young master’s side are much stronger than us.”
"Alright, hurry up and take it. There'll still be plenty left after these few truckloads are delivered!"
"Why must you pile up all the grain in the house, young master? The shop has plenty of space."
"What does this have to do with us? But it seems they're saying it's inconvenient for us to take action?"
The two looked at each other and understood.
The surface of the rice bag was dry and translucent, but the middle part required their work.
The group listened with grave expressions. They knew they wouldn't be able to see Deng Zeyu tonight, but hearing this news was enough.
They turned around and went back to Han Siwen's residence.
"This is outrageous!"
Lan Yan was furious. "It's one thing to hoard grain from Xiao Kingdom at high prices, but now they're going to raise the price even more!" He wasn't as handsome as Xu Yi, but he was still a tough and refined scholar. He slammed his hand on the table, almost knocking the cup to the ground.
"We absolutely cannot let them continue to run rampant like this. More and more people are starving to death in the city every day. If this continues, won't the world turn upside down? Does he want to declare himself king in Jiangzhou City?"
Yao Ruyi agreed with Lan Yan's words, "We don't have much grain on hand, but Deng Zeyu doesn't know that. As long as we intimidate him at the beginning and bring down the price of rice, the people will be able to see the harvest in their fields after a while."
"momentum?"
Han Siwen raised an eyebrow. "Nineteen, tell me."
Yao Ruyi nodded. His eyes shone brightly under the lamplight. He seemed quiet and scholarly on the surface, but his words were bold and arrogant: "Five thousand bushels of grain will be sold within a few days."
"this!"
"No! That's too risky."
Lan Yan's tone was resolute. They had been here for several days, and the number of people in the city was definitely not something that five thousand bushels could solve. "Selling these five thousand bushels will only solve our immediate problem. Several days have passed, and if we still can't produce any more grain, Deng Zeyu will continue to raise prices."
Lan Yan was right, and no one said a word.
"So we need to establish our momentum and make sure Deng Zeyu doesn't know exactly how much grain we have." Yao Ruyi glanced around at everyone's gaze. He and Thirteen were the assistants; his actions were overshadowing the others.
But since the emperor told him to do as he pleased, he did so.
Han Siwen thought for a while, then looked at Yao Ruyi with appreciation. "I think Nineteen's idea is quite interesting. Merchants sometimes gamble; it all comes down to who dares to take the risk."
"If Deng Zeyu hadn't taken that gamble, he wouldn't be where he is today."
Lan Yan said, "If it doesn't work..."
Yao Ruyi quickly replied, "I'll take responsibility."
This drew laughter from those around her, and Lan Yan said helplessly, "That's not what I meant."
"If that doesn't work, we must find a way to save the people."
No...
Xu Yi sighed, “We can’t just hang Deng Zeyu up and beat him up, that would make us look like bandits.”
"It's not impossible..."
All eyes fell on Yao Ruyi and Han Siwen. Even Thirteen was surprised. When did his little Nineteen develop such a personality?
He even looks somewhat like His Majesty.
"Is what he does any different from that of bandits?" he said calmly. "He doesn't kill anyone."
"Pfft—"
Thirteen couldn't help himself. He immediately thought of the night he encountered the bandits when he first left the city. He had heard long ago that His Majesty had taken Thirteen to the mountain to practice swordsmanship and kill pheasants and rabbits. However, Little Nineteen's nature was still too soft.
But his softness is different from others, whose softness is manifested in every aspect.
Xiao Shijiu was different; he seemed to think that as long as he was alive, nothing else mattered.
When he woke up that night, he heard two bandits say that he was the one who had shown mercy. But the handsome young man beside him was striking his bones with the hilt of his sword as if he wanted to shatter them.
Hiss... It seems that later Fourteen said that a few people really did have broken bones.
"Alright!" Lan Yan and Xu Yi gritted their teeth. "Then let's do as Nineteen said and start tomorrow. It just so happens that Deng Zeyu is going to raise the price of the rice he bought earlier and put it in the shop tomorrow, so we'll catch him off guard." They were getting excited when they turned to look at Han Siwen. "We still need to rely on Miss Siwen's Chamber of Commerce."
Han Siwen raised an eyebrow. "Siyun Chamber of Commerce has been keeping a low profile in Jiangnan for so long, it's time for them to reorganize properly. Besides, now that Siwen is an imperial merchant, the people should know whose products to buy."
"Alright! Let's get started now." The group immediately stood up.
Shiyi was still squatting to the side, eating a steamed bun, looking surprised. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Thirteen patted his head earnestly, "Are you alright in Jiangzhou City? Then come and help."
"Alright! I'll help you this time."
A group of people prepared to head to the county magistrate's residence, while Han Siwen and Xu Yi led their men ahead to the Chamber of Commerce. They needed to set up a stall, and it couldn't be too small.
The remaining group set off for the county magistrate's office and met up at the Chamber of Commerce before dawn.
"Well, if you have time during the day, make a set of armor for our little Nineteen too," Thirteen said casually as he walked, his manner as if to say, "Go and pull a weed for me."
Eleven paused, "Still doing it?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Yao Ruyi also stopped to look, her eyes filled with longing, "I have money, can I make something nicer?"
Shiyi chuckled dryly, a thousand questions swirling in his mind. Who was that suit of armor he mailed to the capital today for? His Majesty had ordered the finest materials to be used, with countless gold and silver threads, and even the lining was made of moonlight brocade and fragrant cloud gauze.
It looks exceptionally exquisite.
Seeing the moonlight brocade on Xiao Shijiu today, he thought the one His Majesty wanted was for Xiao Shijiu...
No, it must be for Little Nineteen. His Majesty should personally dress Little Nineteen in something like this.
I feel relieved and at ease.
Thirteen nudged him, "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Eleven snapped out of her daze, turned to meet Yao Ruyi's expectant little eyes, and quickly racked her brains. "Sigh, what's the point of armor? I'll get you something else to play with in a few days."
"Okay!" He didn't complain and turned to follow Lan Yan out the door.
Eleven turned and glared at Thirteen, who had slapped him several times. "You're such a busybody!"
Thirteen:……
The magistrate's mansion in Jiangzhou was quite large, but it was currently empty before the newly appointed magistrate took office. All the guards and maids who used to serve in the mansion had also left, leaving only an empty mansion and five thousand bushels of grain.
Han Siwen found about a hundred people and finally managed to transport all the grain before dawn.
As dawn approached, the group collapsed on the spot, panting heavily. Thirteen patted the grain bag next to him and said, "I could cook this whole bag and eat it all now."
"Tch, what a loser."
The top floor of the entire Siyun Chamber of Commerce is now piled high with grain, and even the backyard is full. Han Siwen stands in the yard, directing the people of the Chamber of Commerce to work busily. Her orders are clear, and the farmhands are doing their jobs happily.
"President, someone is looking for us in the backyard."
"Who is it?" she answered briefly. "Over here! There's still room over here. Put all the bags over here!"
Who is it?
The servant replied, "I heard it's a merchant guild from the capital. The man said their owner's surname is Baili."
She was stunned. Baili Qingxiao?
Han Siwen walked over with the servant.
Before even reaching the backyard, several horse-drawn carts for hauling goods were seen parked there. The newcomer was a middle-aged man who greeted Han Siwen with neither servility nor arrogance, saying, "Greetings, Chairman Han."
Han Siwen slowed her pace. "Sir is..."
The man bowed respectfully. "I am one of the managers of the Wanyou Chamber of Commerce. I'm here on a errand for my master to deliver a thousand bushels of grain to Chairman Han." He chuckled. "My master said he was very grateful to Chairman Han for the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce and didn't know how he could do anything for Chairman Han. Given the current urgent situation in Jiangzhou City, he sent me to deliver some grain."
"I hope Chairman Han will accept this."
Han Siwen smiled broadly, "Jiangzhou City is in dire need of supplies right now, so I won't refuse. I'll trouble you to make the trip, shopkeeper. You should take a good rest in Jiangzhou City today."
"It was just a few small favors, Young Master Baili, you flatter me. I will repay you handsomely when I return to the capital."
"No, no," the man declined. "It is precisely because of Chairman Han's help that Wanyou Chamber of Commerce has been able to grow stronger in the capital. The chamber is very busy right now, and if I come back even one day late, my employer will scold me. I'll head back to the capital now."
Goodbye.
"Take care, shopkeeper."
Although he couldn't entertain them all, Han Siwen still had his servant send them quite a few things, including food for the shopkeeper on his journey and notes for the shopkeeper to take back to Baili Qingxiao.
Han Siwen looked at the carts of grain in the backyard in silence, stroking the jade pendant on his waist.
When she returns to the capital, I will definitely visit her to express my gratitude.
As dawn broke, the streets of Jiangzhou City gradually began to bustle with activity. Hungry refugees begged in the streets, and if they saw someone enter a rice shop and leave with a full load, they would be surrounded by a swarm of people who would not be able to calm down for a long time.
At the entrance of Deng's rice shop, there were more guards on both sides than people on the street, escorting a large cart of grain to the shop. It was a sight to behold, but there was nothing anyone could do.
The waiter, dressed smartly and looking wealthy, watched as carts of rice drove into the backyard and busied himself shouting in the street, "Deng's Rice Shop! We just received some top-quality rice today, even better than the rice we had before! Would you all like to try some?"
He shouted hysterically, and soon people gathered there.
“Although there are too many people and not enough rice in the city, our young master is thinking of helping everyone.” He looked around and saw that more and more people were gathering, and the noisy chatter forced him to shout loudly.
"Listen up, everyone! Deng's Rice Shop is stocking premium rice today, and the price will be reduced to 180 cash per dou! Everyone come and take a look starting today!"
"One hundred and eighty coins?!"
"One hundred and eighty coins? Why don't you just rob someone?!"
"Profiteering from national disaster will inevitably lead to the deepest hell!"
...
With that one sentence, everyone scattered. No matter how many people had been there, very few had actually entered the store.
But the waiter didn't care. He turned around and went inside with a smile. It didn't matter whether these people bought anything or not; there were plenty of other people who would buy.
"Hey! Why are there so many people over there too!"
The woman craned her neck to look around, exclaiming, "Come on, let's go take a look!"
The man asked curiously, "Is that the Siyun Chamber of Commerce over there? I heard that Chairman Han of the Siyun Chamber of Commerce returned from the capital a few days ago. Did he bring anything back?"
"What's the point of bringing back nice things? We can't even afford to eat now, let alone buy other things."
The man sighed, "You're right. Let's go home and make some vegetable soup for the kid."
"It's rice!"
"Selling food?!"
Suddenly, someone shouted, and the people who had been indifferent just moments before immediately swarmed around, their eyes gleaming with eager anticipation, pushing and shoving forward one after another, shouting, "Rice! I want to buy rice!"
Even the old ladies on the street weren't going to give way, shouting, "Make way for this old woman!"
The crowd suddenly grew larger, and Han Siwen quickly stepped back. She asked her servant to stop everyone, and then looked down at the several large bags of rice displayed in the Chamber of Commerce store. She then noticed Eleven and Thirteen mixed in with the crowd, and the group nodded to each other.
On the 11th, the hawker started shouting again, "Everyone come quick! Siyun Chamber of Commerce is selling rice! And the rice price is still controlled by the imperial court! Twenty coins a dou, ten and a half coins a dou!"
"Twenty coins for a bushel!"
"President Han! I want to buy it!"
...
Amidst the clamor of bidding, Han Siwen raised his voice, "The Siyun Chamber of Commerce has been operating in Jiangzhou City for several years now, and I am very grateful for everyone's support during these years. It is also thanks to you all that we have been able to obtain the title of Imperial Merchant."
"During this trip to the capital, His Majesty also learned about the current situation in Jiangzhou City. The disaster relief grain has now arrived in Jiangzhou City and is being sold by the Siyun Chamber of Commerce."
She smiled as she looked at the increasingly excited crowd, "Rest assured, everyone, the price is set by the imperial court. As imperial merchants, the Siyun Chamber of Commerce would never do anything to harm the imperial court!"
Some even covered their faces and wiped away tears, exclaiming, "Good!"
"Finally! Finally!"
"His Majesty has not forgotten us after all!"
"Honey! I can cook dinner for the baby when we get home tonight!"
The woman was so excited she couldn't speak, "Good! Good!"
The old woman next to her had just squeezed to the front. Looking at the piles of grain in sacks, she asked loudly, "Can I buy only half a sack?"
Han Siwen smiled gently, "Don't worry, Mother-in-law, food is scarce these days. Siyun will sell a maximum of two dou per household today! There is no limit to how much more than two dou."
"Then let's get started!"
Some people couldn't wait and were so eager that they wanted to take off their clothes to fill the rice container.
Yao Ruyi walked out of the shop; he was in charge of selling rice that day.
"Come on, everyone line up, no rush. There's enough for everyone!"
A young girl stepped forward and bought two bushels of rice in one go. When she handed over twenty copper coins, she asked tremblingly, "President Han, will I be able to buy rice in the future?"
"Don't worry, sister. The imperial court is still sending rice over, so everyone can eat as much as they want."
"good!"
The line grew longer and longer, and even other vendors stopped working; buying rice was the only important thing.
The entire street was packed with people coming to buy rice, stretching all the way to the entrance of Deng's rice shop.
The waiter was dumbfounded; he had already sent someone to inform the young master of this matter.
This! When did the Siyun Chamber of Commerce become imperial merchants? If they can sell rice from now on, then their rice will be...!
The waiter slapped his thigh in exasperation. This was something his young master had bought from a merchant in the Xiao Kingdom at a high price!
In his panic, he spotted a figure and hurriedly went up to him. "Hey! Young Master Qiao! Young Master Qiao, would you like to buy rice? We have some top-quality rice today, 220 coins a dou, it's so fragrant and sweet!"
Qiao Yu shook his head, looking at the waiter as if he were a fool. "Young master, I'm not deaf. The Siyun Merchant Guild up ahead is only selling it for twenty coins a dou. Or do you think I'm naive and stupid with too much money?"
Qiao Yu snorted coldly, proudly raising her head, "Come on, Lao Wang. Let's go take a look too."
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Let me see! Let me see! Let me see!
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