The household order of the Shaofu was a little confused when he received Gu Jiu's invitation.
He read the greeting card inside and out several times, it only said that he would visit tomorrow, but he didn't say what the reason for the visit was.
The housekeeper bowed and reminded: "Old man, the people who ordered Madam are still waiting at the concierge, waiting for the old man's reply."
The Shaofu's family order said: "Young Master Zhao is not in the capital, and Mrs. Zhao came to visit alone, but she refused to say what happened. The old man's heart is a little beating."
Upon hearing this, the steward asked, "Is the old man going to reject Mrs. Zhao?"
The Shaofu's order stroked his beard and was silent for a moment, "Tell the visitor that the old man will be free after noon tomorrow."
The implication is that Gu Jiu will not be invited to stay in the mansion for dinner.
If you are free in the morning, after talking about business, you will naturally have lunch.
The butler led the way.
Afternoon the next day.
Gu Jiu brought generous gifts and came to the Shaofu Jialing's residence.
Seeing the family order of the Shaofu, she hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to salute, "This junior has seen the old ancestor, how is the old ancestor?"
Gu Jiu held the ceremony of juniors, and today he only talked about relatives, regardless of their respective identities.
The surname of Shaofu's family order is Liu, a member of the clan. In terms of seniority, he is a generation higher than the emperor. Although he is not yet sixty years old, he is a few years younger than the emperor.
It's right for Gu Jiu to call his ancestors, and it's also right for him to perform the junior ceremony.
The Shaofu family order stroked his beard, "Madam Zhao is polite."
"The old ancestor beat the younger generation. If the old ancestor doesn't dislike it, call me Xiaojiu, and everyone in the family calls me that."
The Shaofu family order laughed, "Sit down and talk."
He flipped through the gift list, the gift is very expensive.
"Xiao Jiu came to the door suddenly, and the old man had many guesses. Seeing this gift list, the old man had a lot of doubts in his mind. Can Xiao Jiu tell the old man that he came to the door today and gave him a generous gift, why?"
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and smiled, she didn't expect that the Shaofu Jialing would cut straight to the point and directly ask her why.
But this is also good, save unnecessary trouble, let's go straight to the topic.
Gu Jiu was also very straightforward, directly took out a large stack of house deeds and land deeds, and placed them in front of the Shaofu family order.
Bai Zhong set up a scheme to find someone to pretend to be a businessman from the northwest, and successfully used 10,000 taels to win the house and land deeds of the entire Yuhua Lane from the Li family.
The Li family bought Yuhua Lane for 50,000 taels, and sold it for 10,000 taels, a total loss of 40,000 taels.
However, at this moment, the Li family still felt that the deal was worth it. Otherwise, Yuhua Lane would fall into his hands and become a burden.
The Li family is still mocking the 'Northwest businessman', laughing at the Northwest businessman as a fool.
Given the current situation in Yuhua Lane, only the unemployed, the extremely poor, and people with unknown identities would live there.
In that kind of place, collecting rent is very troublesome. Not ordinary trouble, but super trouble.
The Li family, from top to bottom, was unwilling to set foot in that place.
It is simply thankful that someone can take over Yuhua Lane from them. Even if you lose 40,000 taels, you will admit it.
"Please look at the old ancestor." Gu Jiu said softly.
The Shaofu family order frowned slightly, full of doubts, "What is Xiaojiu's intention?"
"The younger generation uses the land deed as a guarantee, and if they want to borrow money from the Shaofu, please ask the ancestors to accommodate them."
The Shaofu family order was stunned, "You mean, you want to borrow money from the Shaofu?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "Exactly!"
The Shaofu family order stroked his beard and did not rush to make a decision.
"Why do you want to ask Shaofu to borrow money? Shaofu never does lending business."
Gu Jiu smiled lightly, her eyes shone with confidence.
She said in a gentle tone: "The Shaofu didn't do lending before, but since I started, the Shaofu has made a living, the loan business.
In my opinion, Shaofu is the richest place in the whole world. Don’t the ancestors think it’s wasted if so much money is put in the treasury
The rampant use of usury and loan sharks outside has forced countless people to go bankrupt, their families destroyed, their families reduced from property to property, and even to become slaves. If it is more serious, it will directly go up the mountain and fall into the grass to become a bandit and harm the place.
If there is a government-run lending institution, the interest rate is lower than the usury loan to the poor people, big and small businessmen who need capital turnover. Let me ask, in this world's loan business, among the major private banks, who can compete with the Shaofu? "
Seeing that the Shaofu's family order was unmoved, Gu Jiu added another fire.
She said emphatically: "Assuming that the Shaofu borrows five million taels a year, and the monthly interest is one cent, there will be an income of six hundred thousand taels a year. This is still the least.
As far as I know, in the Gyeonggi area alone, no less than 20 million taels of silver circulate in the loan market a year.
Not to mention much, the Shaofu is half of the business, borrowing 10 million a year, and the interest alone is 1.2 million taels. If the monthly interest rate is increased to 1.5%, there will be an income of 1.8 million taels a year.
The monthly interest rate of one cent and five per cent may seem high, but compared to usury loans with a monthly interest rate of three cents or four cents, it is already a conscience price. It is also a price that the majority of ordinary people can afford.
With Shaofu's background and financial resources, as long as the ancestors are willing to let Shaofu enter the loan market, private banks will have no place to survive.
From now on, in addition to the usury of private banks, Xiaomin also has one more choice. They can choose to borrow from the Shaofu, so that the small people will not be ruined because of the high interest rate.
Those who have permanent property have perseverance. Xiaomin kept his family property, so naturally he would not become a slave, let alone go to the mountains and fall into the grass to become a bandit and a disaster. They will continue to be self-cultivators, property owners, and continue to pay taxes to the court.
If these small people go bankrupt, become slaves, refugees, or grassroots bandits, it means that the government will no longer be able to receive a penny of tax from them. Not only can they not collect taxes, but in turn they have to spend money to send troops to suppress bandits and settle refugees, which will increase the burden on governments at all levels.
Let the Shaofu control the loan market, lend money to the small people at low interest rates, and protect the property of the small people. This is so beneficial to the country and the people. It is a great thing related to the economy and people's livelihood. If the Shaofu does not do it, who will do it
Moreover, it can bring millions of taels of income to Shaofu every year. With ten years of effort, if the Shaofu can control more than half of the world's loan market, it will not be empty talk to bring tens of millions of taels of income a year. Such a good thing can even leave a name in history, the ancestors really want to push it out. "
Shaofu Jialing's originally muddy gaze suddenly burst into a scorching light.
He asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you can speak well?"
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and smiled, changing from her toughness before to becoming gentle, "A lot of people say that I have a sharp tongue and a sharp tongue."
"Haha, the person who said that about you must have suffered a disadvantage. Xiao Jiu, this old man really admires you. Just based on what you said just now, it is enough to go to the court to argue with the courtiers."
"The old ancestors praised it absurdly, but the younger generation can't afford such a compliment."
"No, you deserve it. But the old man has a question I want to ask. Is what you said just now your own idea, or is there an expert behind your back?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It's all the junior's own thoughts."
Hearing the words, the Shaofu family order immediately looked at Gu Jiu with admiration.
"The old man underestimated you before. I didn't expect you to be not only eloquent, but also unique in thinking. Do you know why Shaofu doesn't do lending business?"
Gu Jiu shook her head, "I don't know."
The Shaofu family order asked again: "Then do you know how many big money houses there are in the capital?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "I know, there are six major banks in the capital, each with strong financial resources."
The Shaofu family order stared at her, "Then do you know who are the backers behind these six big banks?"
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled, "The old ancestor is asking me to test me. Although the juniors don't know who the backers behind the six big banks are, I guess they are civil servants, military generals, and royal family members. Maybe our Ning Palace will also participate. A share. But so what?"
The Shaofu family order frowned slightly.
Gu Jiu said loudly: "I don't believe that the backers of the six big banks are stronger than the emperor? The emperor was angry and laid down millions of corpses. With the power of the emperor, to endorse the Shaofu, let alone the six big banks, even if it is ten Big banks, in front of Shaofu's financial background and financial resources, are all farts!"
The Shaofu Jialing was taken aback for a moment, and then burst out laughing.
He pointed at Gu Jiu and kept laughing non-stop.
After laughing, he said: "You are right, the sky is big and the earth is big, and the emperor is the biggest. Regardless of how powerful his backing is, he is not as big as the emperor. If you fight for money, the Shaofu will be the second, and no one in the world will dare to recognize the second." One. I was blinded by the old man before. Tell me, how much money do you want to borrow."
Gu Jiu smiled all over his face, "The old ancestor is willing to lend me money from the Shaofu, what is the interest?"
The Shaofu family order laughed, "You have said so much, how can I not agree to you. The monthly interest rate is one cent and five per cent according to what you said. This is already the price of conscience, but you said it yourself .”
The corners of Gu Jiu's mouth twitched.
The Shaofu family order asked her, "You haven't said how much money you want to borrow?"
"I want to borrow two hundred thousand taels of silver."
Originally, Gu Jiu planned to borrow one hundred thousand taels, but when the words came to her lips, she suddenly changed her mind and borrowed two hundred thousand taels directly.
After finally being able to borrow money from the Shaofu, if you don't borrow a little more, wouldn't it be a waste of this great opportunity.
"How long is the deadline?"
Gu Jiu considered it for a while, "One and a half years."
"No, the old man can only borrow for one year. After one year, you will have to pay the principal with interest, a total of 236,000 taels, and all of it will be returned to the Shaofu."
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth, "One year is one year."
At this moment, Gu Jiu was very happy and regretful at the same time.
If she had known that she could borrow money from Shaofu, why would she have to save money and expand her business like a snail.
If she had borrowed hundreds of thousands of taels from Shaofu last year, her property would have expanded tenfold. She has long been a rich woman.
In Gu Jiu's eyes, there are business opportunities everywhere in Beijing, Jiangnan, and Northwest.
And she has status blessings, except for people like the Li family who don't open their eyes, she can do business without any disadvantages.
With her mind and business model, there is no business that does not make money.
Lesson learned this time.
In the future, if she has no money, she will seek alms from the Shaofu family order.
This time she borrowed 200,000 taels, and she will try to borrow 1 million taels directly next time.
As for the interest, based on her profit, she doesn't care about the interest at all.
The Shaofu's family order told her that tomorrow, someone will be sent to the Shaofu to complete the formalities. After the procedures are completed, the money can be taken away from the Shaofu.
Gu Jiu smiled sweetly, "Thank you, old ancestor. I will go to Shaofu on time tomorrow to complete the formalities."
The Shaofu's family ordered tea to be sent off to the guests, and Gu Jiu was also very sensible, so he got up and bowed to leave.
After she left, the Shaofu family order ordered people to prepare court clothes, and he wanted to enter the palace to face the saint.
…
Imperial Palace, Xingqing Palace.
The Shaofu family order was dressed in court clothes and sat on a chair.
He is a rare person who was bestowed a seat in Xingqing Palace.
At this moment, he was chatting with the emperor about the loan from Shaofu. And the content all came from Gu Jiu's thoughts.
After listening to the words of the Shaofu's family order, the emperor asked, "Is this what Gu Jiu said?"
"I dare not lie to Your Majesty, these thoughts come from Madam Zhao."
The emperor walked back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.
"It's a good idea, if it can really bring millions of taels of income to the Shaofu a year."
"Weichen also knows a thing or two about the lending market in the Gyeonggi area."
Shaofu Jialing subconsciously used Gu Jiu's words, loan market.
He continued: "Eight out of ten households in the Gyeonggi area, especially the self-cultivated farmers, need to rely on loans to survive.
If you don't borrow money, you will have to go hungry, and you will have no seeds and cattle, which means that you cannot guarantee a year's harvest.
These self-cultivating farmers usually borrow money from local gentry, and repay them in spring and autumn. After repaying the loan, there is not enough food to eat, and I have to borrow again in the next year, and the cycle repeats.
If there is a famine and the grain production decreases, then the self-cultivating farmers must not be able to borrow money, and can only sell their sons and daughters, sell their fields and land, and become landless tenants.
To make matters worse, you can only sell yourself as a slave, or become a refugee, and become a bandit and bring disaster to the place.
Most of the squires who borrowed money were backed by one or several banks. As for the small people in the capital, merchants borrowed money, and the amount was even greater. "
After a pause, the Shaofu Jialing continued: "Your Majesty, according to the statistics of the Shaofu and Jing Zhaoyin Yamen, last winter, the number of refugees in the capital was nearly double that of previous years, and most of them came from bankrupt homeowners in the capital area. .Further still there are people fleeing famine from the northwest.
These people have already brought serious problems to the security of the capital. According to Jingzhaoyin Yamen Bandit Cao, this year alone, the number of theft cases in the capital has increased by 30% compared to last year. Most of them are made by refugees. Many places in the capital have become hotbeds for hiding filth and criminals.
The minister thought that we must make great efforts to rectify the law and order in the capital, and we must also make great efforts to solve the refugee problem. With Shaofu taking the initiative to control the loan market, Weichen thought that the generation of homeless people could be reduced from the root. At least the Shaofu will not force the self-cultivated farmers to ruin. "
The emperor looked serious, "Then have you ever thought about what to do if the money borrowed by the Shaofu cannot be recovered?"
The Shaofu family order laughed, "Mrs. Zhao gave me an idea. She said that if the self-cultivator borrowed money and still can't pay, there are two ways to solve it. One is to extend the loan period and tolerate it for a year or two. Let them Take it easy. The second is to pay with labor and pay back the loan. The common people suffer from hard labor, and it is a good way to let those who owe money to do hard labor."
"You only mentioned self-cultivating farmers, so what should the small people in the capital and businessmen do?"
"Mortgage!" The Shaofu family order said loudly, "A merchant must have a mortgage of equivalent value when borrowing, or a house deed, a land deed, or goods of equivalent value. If a person has a house, use the house as mortgage, and if you have wages, use the wages as collateral. "
The emperor frowned, "What you said, did Gu Jiu tell you?"
"Most of them are her ideas, and some of them are Wei Chen's own ideas."
"You are modest."
The Shaofu family order solemnly said: "I dare not lie to Your Majesty."
The emperor hummed, "The idea is very good, but the remote villagers will not come to your young mansion to borrow a few taels of silver."
"You can set up another yamen in the local county government."
"Absurd! The villagers suffer from being exploited by subordinate officials. You are adding another layer of burden to the villagers."
The Shaofu family order said: "Your Majesty clearly learned that the borrowing matter does not need to go through the hands of the county officials. All loan matters are only under the management of the Shaofu, and no local government is allowed to intervene. However, the local government has the responsibility of supervision."
"Are you planning to recruit thousands of bookkeepers?"
The Shaofu's family order said firmly: "Madam Zhao gave me an idea, I thought it was very good, and I will report it to His Majesty."
"Say!"
The Shaofu family order thought about it for a while, and said: "Madam Zhao suggested that veterans be recruited as loan officers, go deep into the villages, publicize the imperial system, and handle loans for the villagers.
In order to prevent usury from harming the villagers and the people of His Majesty. Each county can set up two to ten accountants, and then set up a general leader. Wages are measured by the amount borrowed and the amount recovered.
In this way, it can not only prevent subordinate officials from harming the villagers, but also reduce the burden on the court, without having to pay a large amount of retirement fees. "
The emperor nodded, "This method can serve multiple purposes. I didn't expect Gu Jiu to have the talent to govern the country."