socalfunplaces Chapter 293 Oh dear, you found out!
Chapter 293 Oh dear, you found out!
On this day, teahouses and restaurants everywhere were waiting for the release of the new issue of the "Floating Life Chronicles" supplement.
Each issue of the supplement includes a countdown timer, making it hard for them not to remember the dates.
"Here I am! Here I am!"
As the storyteller walked onto the platform, everyone's eyes turned to him.
The storyteller sat down and announced in a loud voice, "I know everyone is waiting for some news. Before I begin the story, I will first announce the question that everyone cares about most."
After saying this, the storyteller opened the newspaper, his pupils contracted, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Ten small courtyards are under construction on the east side of the West Garden. This project is led by the Ministry of Revenue and implemented by the Ministry of Works. After the ten courtyards are completed, an auction will be held to auction them off, with the highest bidder winning!"
The phrase "highest price, highest quality" instantly ignited the atmosphere at the scene.
"Did I hear that right? An auction?"
"The West Garden is the imperial garden. That small courtyard is right next to the West Garden. The emperor often goes to the West Garden to escape the summer heat. Even if you can't see the emperor there, you can still see all kinds of princes and ministers."
"Such an important place is going to be auctioned off? Are you sure this isn't fake news?"
"This is 'Floating Life Chronicles,' and the editor-in-chief is Princess Anhe. How could they possibly spread false information!"
"It's true! Good heavens, this is unbelievable!"
"Didn't you all listen carefully? That courtyard was built under the leadership of the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of money. What's so strange about holding an auction? They're obviously after money."
"..."
With the release of the latest issue of the "Floating Life" supplement, discussions throughout Beijing about the ten courtyards in the Western Garden have reached a new high.
While the public was discussing the issue enthusiastically, some people had already begun to take action.
"Immediately send messages to all shops at full speed, and deliver the cash from the shops to the capital as quickly as possible."
"Withdraw all the silver we have in other money shops and deposit it all into Huitong Money Shop."
"..."
The city's wealthiest businessmen have all begun to take action, all with the same goal: to amass wealth.
In addition to stating that an auction would be held after the project was completed, the supplement to the "Floating Life Chronicles" also specifically stated that the auction would only accept cash and bank drafts from Huitong Money Shop; bank drafts from other money shops would not be accepted.
Huitong Money Shop is the largest money shop in the capital, with branches in all the major prefectures of the Great Chu.
In order to participate in the auction, they had to either transport the silver to the capital or deposit it in the Huitong Money Shop.
It can be said that just because of a few lines in the newspaper, money shops all over the Great Chu lost a large amount of silver deposits.
This is the influence of newspapers, especially well-known ones.
Of course, it's also because this news is indeed very important.
County Princess's Mansion
When Wen Zongji returned from his shift, Pei Rujing told him about the changes in public opinion in the capital and the actions of certain individuals after the newspaper was published.
"We've brought a lot of business to Huitong Money Shop, and my husband only wants them to lend the Ministry of Revenue ten million taels of silver interest-free. Isn't that too little?"
This was something Wen Zongji had arranged in advance with Huitong Bank; otherwise, he wouldn't have had Huitong Bank specifically mentioned in the newspaper.
Every word that appears in the newspaper is not for nothing.
Each has its own significance and value.
Wen Zongji took off his official robes: "My lady no longer cares about ten million taels of silver?"
Pei Rujing said, "Ten million taels is a lot for others, but it's just a drop in the ocean for Huitong Money Shop."
As the largest money exchange in the Great Chu Dynasty, Huitong Money Exchange's daily cash circulation is probably more than ten million.
Wen Zongji said, "Everything in excess is as bad as deficiency. Ten million taels is just right. Moreover, if it weren't for the Ministry of Revenue, even if I brought in business for Huitong Money Shop, they wouldn't have agreed to lend ten million taels without interest."
Ultimately, the reason why Huitong Money Shop agreed was due to the Ministry of Revenue.
After all, no matter how capable and well-connected Huitong Money Shop was, it couldn't compare to the imperial court. Establishing a good relationship with the Ministry of Revenue would be beneficial and harmless.
Of course, this does not mean that the Ministry of Revenue and Huitong Money Shop will agree to lend money as long as it is requested, since they are, after all, merchants.
Businessmen make huge profits!
Therefore, Wen Zongji used this incident as a condition to obtain an interest-free loan of ten million taels of silver from Huitong Money Shop.
Neither side suffered a loss!
"I've always wanted to ask, is the national treasury out of money? Why are they borrowing money from Huitong Money Exchange?"
It doesn't sound good for government offices, especially the Ministry of Revenue which is in charge of money, to borrow silver from private money shops.
Pei Rujing never expected that Zhou Shiyue, the Minister of Revenue, would agree.
Wen Zongji said, "Of course the national treasury has silver. However, things are unpredictable, and no one knows what will happen next. The national treasury's silver cannot be used easily. Borrowing silver from Huitong Money Shop is a temporary measure."
"What does my husband need ten million taels of silver for?"
Wen Zongji replied, "Of course, it's about buying land!"
Pei Rujing blinked: "Buy land?"
Wen Zongji nodded: "As long as this auction is successful, the Ministry of Revenue will integrate the land resources inside and outside the city. Many of the lands already have owners, and the Ministry of Revenue cannot openly seize them; they can only buy them with silver."
Real estate is incredibly profitable!
Once the residential buildings are rolled out, those shrewd merchants, as keen as jackals, will rush to imitate them, eager to seize the opportunity. Naturally, the Ministry of Revenue must take the lead.
One step ahead, and you'll be ahead every step of the way!
Although there is suspicion of competing with the people for profits, it is a fact that the national treasury is empty. The most urgent task is to replenish the national treasury, and everything else must take a back seat.
Nowadays, the national treasury's silver reserves can be depleted by a major disaster or a large-scale war.
It was only after reviewing the case files that Wen Zongji truly grasped the extent of the national treasury's depletion.
At the same time, I greatly admire Zhou Shiyue. Given the current state of the national treasury, the imperial court has not experienced a financial crisis, and Zhou Shiyue deserves much credit for this.
Of course, that's how he got his nickname "Pixiu".
Pei Rujing didn't quite understand the key point, and just frowned at him, "Are you addicted to building houses?"
Wen Zongji chuckled: "Don't worry. I'll only supervise this one project. For any future projects, the Ministry of Revenue will send other people to oversee them."
He was a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, after all; he couldn't always be a construction supervisor.
However, the project in Xiyuan was very important, and Wen Zongji needed to implement many ideas, so he had to communicate with the Ministry of Works in real time, which is why he was there every day keeping an eye on things.
Pei Rujing breathed a sigh of relief: "Look how much darker you've gotten. If this continues, you might never recover."
Wen Zongji touched his face and looked at Pei Rujing with feigned sadness: "I thought my wife was genuinely concerned about me, but it turns out she's just worried about me getting darker."
Having been teased by Wen Zongji so many times, Pei Rujing had developed a knack for it and retorted, "Oh dear, you caught me."
Wen Zongji: "..."
Heartbroken!