It didn't take long for Jiangnan governor Xue Qing to rush over, and Yushi Guo Zheng who had been dawdling in the backyard finally came to the front hall. At this time, the four officials who presided over and supervised the opening of the inner treasury finally gathered in one place. Guo Zheng is no longer the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which is famous in central Beijing, but he still has a certain amount of power when he inspects various places. The old grudge between him and Fan Xian has not been resolved, so it is inevitable to be awkward when they meet. The four officials salute each other Sometimes, I always felt that there was a hint of danger hidden in Fan Xian's calm and indifferent eyes.
Among the four officials today, Eunuch Huang, who came from Beijing, naturally represented the Palace, Xue Qing, Governor of Jiangnan, represented the official system, Guo Zheng, the doctor of imperial history, represented the official system, and Fan Xian...represented a lot of power , such as the Internal Treasury Transfer Department, such as the Overwatch Council, and even Taichang Temple, the institution that manages the royal family.
Of course, everyone represents the imperial court and His Majesty.
Fan Xian sat on the second chair, smiled and talked with Xue Qing, but saw the situation today clearly. There are too many people staring at this matter, no matter who it is, no matter what power it is, it is difficult The transaction under the table is completed with one effort, and the historically formed internal library bid opening procedure is extremely effective in ensuring fairness.
At least it is fair on the surface, as long as the merchants have money, they can come and compete for the consignment rights of the Neiku Shiliu project.
He thought so, and so did the other three people. Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng looked at each other. Although there was a hint of uneasiness, in their view, it was always impossible for Fan Xian to play anything in front of everyone. It's a trick, what they want to guarantee is that the Ming family can still get the same share as in previous years.
The father-in-law and the censor were originally two classes that were incompatible with each other in history, but today they stand in the same camp with a tacit understanding, but these two people don't know many secrets, and they don't have a clue about the final entry into the treasury. Xia Xifei, the head of the door, paid enough attention to it.
Xue Qing was different. The governor of Jiangnan held the mentality of watching a theater, and watched the giant businessmen and people around him peacefully. Watching a movie is not afraid of the height of the stage, and it is always easier than acting.
There are several people singing on one side of the stage.
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The thick door of the inner treasury mansion was slowly closed again, and the soldiers outside the door and the officials of the Overwatch Council put up a tight defense. In previous years, the bidding in the inner library usually ended in one day, but the rules of the imperial court actually allowed each merchant to bid for two days.
There was a loud bang.
Fan Xian smiled and covered his ears, looking at the spring thunder that soared into the sky outside the courtyard.
The spring thunder shot straight into the sky and exploded under the shallow clouds. The sound was clear and crisp, and it spread far to the ground, shocking countless people.
The brothel girls who had worked hard last night in Suzhou City were awakened by the thunder, cursed a few words, and then got into the quilts and fell into a deep sleep. The child who was begging his parents for a lot of money on the street to buy candy to eat, thought it was God saying that he was not good, and punished him with thunder, and started crying in fright. The black dog in the backyard, which was urinating on the roots of the old tree with its legs crossed, trembled from the thunder, and bent its front legs to the ground, burying the dog's head in the furry package, just like an ostrich.
The reactions of human beings are different, but the sound of spring thunder fell on some people's ears, but it had a different meaning. Whether it was the shopkeepers of various masters gathered on standby at the North City Wharf in Suzhou City, or the residents of Suzhou City who were discussing today’s bid opening in the teahouse, everyone looked towards the direction of the South City, looking at the invisible house, knowing that the bidding for the inner warehouse had already started. up.
In the sixth year of Qingli's Spring Festival, the opening of internal warehouse bids actually went very unsatisfactory from the very beginning.
First of all, the internal treasury transshipment department made a summary of the profit and loss of each firm last year, and naturally there were many words of encouragement, and the deputy envoy of the transshipment department, Ma Kai, who was in charge of the speech, finally notified the imperial court of the investigation and punishment of the Cui family. In this situation, this is a warning to those merchants below, don't think that the imperial court is not watching you.
These are all old rules, no one cares, but when Ma Kai mentioned the specifics of today's bidding, the house exploded. Those businessmen stood up to express their opposition, and even the four officials sitting in the main hall began to argue.
Because the Transshipment Department suddenly decided to subdivide the original 16 items into 34 sub-items, and no longer conduct bundled bidding this year.
This change may seem insignificant, but for the following businessmen, it is simply unacceptable!
The reason is very simple. Every three months before the bidding, these giant merchants in the south of the Yangtze River have already connected in private, drawing up the boundaries and divisions between each other, so that the well water does not violate the river water, so as not to hurt each other. Raising the price hurts the fortune. For example, the Xiong family in Lingnan must compete for the northward bid for wine and beverages this year, while the Sun family in Quanzhou is fighting for the right to sell porcelain products overseas.
Today, if the sixteen major items are divided into thirty-four sub-items according to the intention of the Transshipment Department, although on the surface, everyone can still hold the bottom line, but it is expected that the eight major items that should belong to the Ming family will be divided into two parts. After the first bundled bidding, after everything has been detailed, who knows if any businessman will suddenly become jealous and want to grab some shares from the Ming family? After all, after they are no longer bound, it seems that the most profitable items do not require too much money.
And once someone is tempted by the Ming family's share, what will the Ming family do? They will definitely grab other people's shares when they look back. This is determined by the profit-seeking nature of businessmen. I'm afraid that the opening of the internal treasury for bidding today will be a mess.
These Jiangnan merchants... What they are most afraid of now is chaos. The Ming family has already agreed that they will not interfere with the share that originally belonged to the Cui family. .
In their view, the reason why the imperial envoy made such a change is actually very simple. One is to make the big guys look red in the chaos and raise the price. The fixed silver needed for each item, let... Xia Qifei, who entered the hospital last, also get a piece of the action!
These cunning businessmen have already noticed that Room B and No. 4, who has been silent all this time, is the spokesperson that the Imperial Envoy prefers.
It's just that your imperial envoy wants to make money, we can all understand, but you can't use this seemingly fair, but actually vicious method!
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"Lord Fan, this discussion is inappropriate." Eunuch Huang was still calm enough after being shaved by Fan Xian, with a smile on his fat face, and said: "In previous years, sixteen items were ten. Six items, why do you suddenly have to specify them in detail? This matter has to be decided by Jingli."
Fan Xian frowned, said a few words, then turned around and whispered to Xue Qing: "Your Excellency, divide it into items and no longer bind them. In fact, what you want is to allow more people to be eligible to enter... this matter Son, it is always good for the court."
Xue Qing pondered for a while, with a look of embarrassment on his face, and said: "Although this is the case, it's just that this matter is not trivial. I think Master Fan should report it to the Ming court. After it is discussed in the palace, it will not be too late to implement it slowly next year."
Seeing that Xue Qing also expressed his objection, Fan Xian felt a little unhappy. Looking at the chaotic merchants in the hall, a trace of pity and hatred flashed in his mind. In fact, the reason why he had to prepare the division today was not at all what these merchants thought. reason.
Indeed, he wanted to test whether it was possible to dig out the two most profitable items from the Ming family's eight items bundled together in one place and give them to Xia Qifei, but the really important reason was actually because of these For the sake of the businessmen.
These merchants are always thinking at this time that the six items left by the Cui family are in their own pockets, so they will not compete with the Ming family... But Xia Qifei will definitely take all the six items from the Cui family later. Swallowing it into their stomachs, these businessmen can only eat the poor two items. There was information beforehand that both the Xiong family in Lingnan and the Sun family in Quanzhou had prepared a large amount of money this time, and they were eagerly preparing to accept the Cui family's line. loss.
Due to the bankruptcy of the Cui family, the number of businessmen who came to Neiku to open bids today was three times higher than in previous years. Fan Xian originally thought that these merchants would also have something to eat, that's why he proposed subdividing the proposal, but he didn't expect that no one would appreciate it—although he understood that it was because these merchants didn't know what the situation would be like later. He strongly objected, but Fan Xian still couldn't suppress Lu Dongbin's aggrieved feeling in his heart.
After arguing with Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng next to him, and explaining for a while, he found that the merchants still insisted on following the usual practice, while the other three officials also insisted on the word "rule" and did not dare to let go. Finally decided to give up, the so-called retreat is sometimes the truth.
Deputy envoy Ma Kai looked back at Fan Xian in embarrassment, Fan Xian waved his hand, indicating that the discussion was over.
The merchants were overjoyed and bowed one after another, saying that the imperial envoy is wise. Fan Xian looked at these businessmen coldly, and couldn't help but shook his head, thinking that you should stop crying for a while.
Xue Qing sat next to him, smiling and stroking his beard, but in fact, his eyes were fixed on the room closest to the main hall and the room farthest away from the main hall. There was a lot of noise in the room before, and those two rooms were the calmest. He knew that Xia Qifei belonged to Fan Xian, but he didn't know where Fan Xian prepared the money and how the Ming family planned to deal with it.
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It didn't take long for the bidding to take place, and some businessmen began to regret it, and the head of the Lingnan Xiong family became the first poor guy who almost cried.
Officials from the Internal Treasury Transit Department stood on the high steps and sang salutes, and then each room began to bid. Of course, the bids cannot be shouted out like bidding girls in a brothel—fifty taels! One hundred taels! ——The imperial court must always have some rules, so if you want a certain mark, for example, the merchants on Miansha North Road will calculate last year's profits and this year's trend after the officials sing the ceremony, and the old shopkeepers they bring will make detailed calculations, and then Write down an accurate amount on the paper, seal it in a kraft paper bag, and hand it over to the flower hall on the left side of the main hall by the official of the transshipment department.
There are three chances for merchants to raise prices, and the bids are open, so if someone bids more than you for the first time, these merchants will still have the opportunity to increase the price again, and finally the third time will prevail. It is a very simple principle of winning the bid - The highest price wins. Then the merchant who wins the bid must take out as much as 40% of the fixed silver in the first time, either with great joy or heartache, and hand it over to the flower hall—in the flower hall are the accountants of the Transit Department, and The old accounting officials transferred by the Ministry of Accounts are responsible for comparing the amounts proposed by various merchants and checking the bank notes handed in by the merchants who finally won the bid. It has been many years since no merchants have foolishly carried more than a dozen boxes of silver to open the bid …
From this point of view, bidding in Neiku is actually not much different from bidding for a celebrity in a brothel, except that the girl in Neiku is a bit expensive. Whether it is a businessman or those busy officials, they are no strangers to this kind of scene.
At this time, in the courtyard, the officials were busy walking around, holding the envelopes handed in by each family. The officials of the Overwatch Council watched everything vigilantly to prevent fraud that was difficult to happen in the first place.
At this time, it was the northbound bid for alcoholic beverages, and this was the third bid.
The person who came to Lingnan Xiong's family today is Xiong Bailing, who is now the head of the family. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, looked at the previous two quotations from the other party, his facial muscles twitched, and he felt like crying without tears. The Lingnan Xiong family has always been doing business in the southern part of the country of Qing. Due to the problem of geography and opportunity, they have never had the opportunity to expand their reach to the north, so the business situation is extremely difficult to open up. However, due to the downfall of the Cui family this year, it has given these merchants the opportunity to seize northern marketing. Therefore, Xiong Bailing was determined to win this mark, and he was also the one who opposed Fan Xian's subdivision project most vigorously.
... However, at this time, he began to regret it. Obviously, he had already prepared enough money for the family, but the first two bids were unexpectedly suppressed!
Xiong Bailing's eyes were reddened, and he was in a hurry. If this bid could not be won, it would not be a matter of how much less money he would earn this year, but that the family would be forced to slow down as they bypassed the big mountain of the Ming family and marched northward. , so he really hated the person who didn't follow the rules and dared to compete with him for bids, but besides the hatred, he also had countless fears, because he knew that the person had the imperial envoy as his backer, but the problem was... the other party Where did so much money come from
"B4!" He looked bitterly at the quiet room at the end, Xia Qifei and his party in room B4 had been extremely quiet, but they were very ruthless when they grabbed the bid. The most important thing is that the other party didn't know who was there to help out, but he calculated the profit of the wine business in Beiquan so clearly for one year, and he also estimated the bottom line of his family very clearly. They all happened to overwhelm themselves.
Xiong Bailing couldn't help feeling a sense of frustration in his heart. Could it be that he, who has been in business for generations, is not as good as a bandit leader
The old shopkeeper next to him was full of defeat, and reminded: "Master, you can't add more, if you add more... you won't make much money."
Xiong Bailing thought for a while, his eyes were stern. It is a trivial matter for the Xiong family to make money from this bid, but opening up trade routes is a major matter. He decided to fight the robbers from the second and fourth rooms.
"Just quote the price directly." Xiong Bailing made a gesture, determined to break the boat, and said through gritted teeth: "A robber doesn't feel sorry for the money he robbed... But there is no need to lose money to compete with me for business."
At this time, the courtyard was already quiet, and no one else cared about the third bid, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Lingnan Xiong's house and room B No. 4.
Although Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng had doubts in their hearts, they glanced at Fan Xian, but they still didn't pay enough attention to it, because after all, it was just a small matter, and maybe Fan Xian just wanted to get some money, as long as it didn't hurt the Ming family or hurt the Ming family. The interests of these people are good.
The two officials took out two kraft paper bags from the two rooms respectively, and entered the flower hall in silence.
Everyone is nervously waiting for the result. Although this bid is not the biggest and most profitable among the 16 items, people in the courtyard have already begun to feel the weirdness of the second and fourth rooms at this time, so everyone wants to know, Is the fourth room B here to compete for bids, or is it used by the imperial envoy as an entrustment to raise the price.
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"Sifang B, Xia's family, 370,000 taels, got..."
The official of the Transshipment Department who was in charge of singing the ceremony stood on the stone steps and sang the result expressionlessly. The singing was extremely melodious, and even the last word was fluttering, giving it a taste of being on stage.
The courtyard suddenly fell into a deathly silence. After a while, people seemed to wake up from the shock and let out a shocking exclamation.
Three hundred and seventy thousand taels! It's just selling wine to the north... If calculated according to previous years, this price must be at a loss. Lingnan Xiong's family quoted 300,000 taels. Four rooms!
But in this way, the merchants also became aware of the fact that Xia Qifei from the second and fourth rooms was definitely not a babysitter used by the imperial envoy to raise prices, but was really going to compete with people like himself for business.
For a moment, everyone didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
At this moment, there was a muffled sound in the room of Lingnan Xiong's family, as if some heavy object fell from the chair to the ground.
Everyone stared at the room with lingering fear.
Xiong Bailing, the owner of the Xiong family, got up from the ground. With great difficulty, he took a cup of cold tea and poured it into his stomach, panting and said: "You bastard... Damn it, you actually bid 370,000 taels, this robber is a robber, and he is still so gangster in business , count you as ruthless."
Fan Xian sat on the grand teacher's chair in the hall, lowered his head slightly, and felt a little displeased with the price. The price was indeed too high. Originally, Xia Qifei's bid was extremely beautiful in the first two bids, and it just beat the Xiong family. The final price was an extra 70,000 taels of silver.
No matter how rich he is, he can't help spending like this—he sighed in his heart, but he also knew that Xia Qifei was definitely not in charge of asking the price. It seems that the household officials still overestimated the determination of the Lingnan Xiong family.
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Not long after, a brocade box was taken out from Room B, and handed over to the flower hall for inspection, it was indeed a full 150,000 taels of silver, issued by the Taiping Bank, with authentic seals and no deceit.
At this time, everyone knew that the person sitting in the quiet second room was a businessman among robbers, and a bandit among merchants would not show any respect when he snatched the bid, and would only throw money at him in a bloody way. People, moreover, the other party does have so much silver.
It's just that I don't know how many bids the robbers in the second and fourth rooms are going to grab.
The subsequent development of the situation made everyone except the Ming family despair. Xia Qifei, the leader of the Jiangnan water village, perfectly carried forward the gangster's style, using silver tickets as knives and exquisite bidding prices as punches, and forced to fight against the enemy. Shengdi blazed a trail amidst the crowd of merchants. Amidst the sound of officials singing salutes on the stone steps, the brocade boxes kept being passed to the flower hall. People seemed to see countless extremely beautiful silver bills flying in the air, while Xia Qifei was holding a big knife and shouting lewdly: "Who is richer than me?"
Two hours passed, except for missing a small bid that was not too important, Xia Qifei actually won four bids in a row, including the third bid that originally belonged to the Cui family's northern route. Not only did Xiong Bailing fall to the ground, The faces of the Sun family in Quanzhou who were also killed were pale, and the rest of the merchants were even more frightened, thinking that I am here today not to win the bid, but to watch the robbers kill.
It wasn't until this time that the merchants regretted that they didn't accept Fan Xian's initial proposal. If they were split up, there would be ten major items behind.
They would rather fight with the Ming family than confront the robbers in the fourth room of the second house. This is the biggest feeling of Jiangnan businessmen today.
Fan Xian sat on the grand teacher's chair with a face full of calm, chatting with Xue Qing, but actually he was jealous of Xia Qifei in his heart, thinking that this kind of cute game of beating people with money would not be his turn to appear on stage, but Good death for you.
Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng had already shaken off the shock of the previous moment, and they looked at each other with half-smiles, thinking quite the same thing in their hearts, where did you, Fan Xian... get all this money from? I'm afraid that the Minister of the Household Department in Kyoto will not be clean.
The fifth bid has begun, which is the Xingbei glass product that originally belonged to the Cui family.
The door of Room B's fourth room was pushed open again, and another brown paper bag was handed out.
At this time, there were no merchants willing to play with the robber, so they were all quiet, hoping that the robber would be full sooner.
But at this moment, the door of Room A, which had been unusually quiet all this time, was pushed open, and the Ming family... for some reason, made an advance move!
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"I don't want to win the bid, but I have to delay the time, at least until today." Ming Qingda closed his eyes and rested his mind, and said to his son beside him: "The other party has already gained momentum, we have to be careful, and give ourselves a night to deal with it time."
Ming Lanshi was silent, knowing that his father was also worried about the seemingly bottomless amount of money in the fourth room of the second house, and planned to raise money at night.
Ming Qingda didn't open his eyes, but he was thinking about the robber in Room B, why did he make himself so uneasy? Why does that Xia Qifei look familiar