novelonline Chapter 1164: Teaching a lesson
Chapter 1164: Teaching a lesson
Chapter 1164: Teaching a lesson
Zhang Yue and Cai Jing walked out of the West Hall of the Secretariat and rode back home together.
At night, the Imperial Street is still bustling.
Every time Zhang Yue retired from work, he would return home looking at the bustling night scene, and he couldn't help but think of the bright lights along the way when he took the bus home from the city CBD in his previous life.
Luxury cars and BMWs flew past the window on the street. I was wearing a wrinkled suit and worn leather shoes, as if I was just a passer-by in this world, having nothing to do with this prosperous world.
But now, the riders lead the way, the officials shout, and the ceremonial guards pave the road, fully displaying the majesty of the prime minister.
Zhang Yue even had a feeling that the prosperity of the entire Bianjing depended on me.
The higher the position, the stronger this feeling is. It is said that people have their own nature and officials have their own nature. It is the feeling that I am not flying on the plane, but carrying the plane.
"It's really lonely at the top!" Zhang Yue sighed and Cai Jing heard it.
Cai Jing asked, "Are you thinking about the exiled Su Zizhan?"
Zhang Yue said: "No, I was thinking that if I were in a dangerous building a hundred feet high, I could pick the stars with my hands. Being in this position, I always have the illusion that I can pick the stars, but illusions are illusions after all. Even if this building is a thousand feet high, the stars are still out of reach."
Cai Jing heard this and said, "What you said is to tell me that I should be prepared for danger even when I am at peace, and even more so when I am at a high position. I should be cautious and tread carefully as if I were walking on thin ice when I am an official."
Zhang Yue said: "Yuan Chang is a smart man, he knows my intention at once."
"I heard that you hired a dozen more cooks last month."
Cai Jing looked ashamed and said, "My Lord, I do like banquets."
Zhang Yue said to Cai Jing, "I heard Yuan Du say that my brother would get sick if he had no guests on a certain day, and would get sick if he had guests on a certain day."
Although Cai Jing and Cai Bian are brothers, they have completely opposite personalities.
Cai Jing loved banquets very much and he would entertain guests every day, so Cai Bian said that he would get sick if he didn't entertain guests for a day, while the opposite was true for Cai Bian.
Cai Bian didn't like meeting guests and had a bad stomach. He would even vomit if he drank too much tea.
Zhang Yue said: "I know you hold an important position, and there must be many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen who come to visit you every day!"
"I'm telling you, don't get involved with these people!"
Zhang Yue said to Cai Jing: "I have had this experience in the past. These merchants are very generous. They can spend dozens or even hundreds of strings of cash on a meal, which is the annual expenses of a middle-class family. But they think it is nothing special."
"On the contrary, you see them every day, and feel that they are servile to you, and even ask for favors from you. So you are on an equal footing with them? So you live your daily life the same as them, eating and dressing extravagantly, but you don't realize that this is the source of corruption."
Zhang Yue's words hit the nail on the head for Cai Jing.
It is true that if you come into contact with these people for a long time, their daily living habits will subtly change you, or even corrupt you.
Cai Jing was also a man who loved to indulge in food. After spending a long time in contact with these rich people, he felt that he was also a rich man.
Cai Jing felt that they were not as good as him and they were still begging him, so he could not help but have the same illusion as them. And his salary was not enough, so he relaxed himself.
"Yes, my husband. Jing will be more careful in the future."
After Cai Jing sent Zhang Yue back home, he looked at the huge mansion of Zhang and thought to himself, "Mr. Zhang is really talking without any worries. Your wife comes from a prominent family and she brought a lot of wealth as a dowry, so she has no worries about food and clothing after becoming an official, and that's why she can be honest."
But what about me?
How can I compare with you?
Thinking of this, Cai Jing sighed silently.
……
The next day, the price of salt notes in the exchange suddenly dropped sharply.
For a time, people in Bianjing were in a panic. Such a sharp drop in the value of salt notes had never happened before. After all, salt notes were different from Jiaozi, which was a hard currency that could be exchanged for salt.
The people don't know why and are still kept in the dark.
The emperor summoned the Secretariat and the Three Departments to discuss the matter.
Cai Jing, Huang Lu and Kumamoto were also present.
Zhang Yue learned that the price of salt notes at the Exchange plummeted today, and he already knew that someone had used insider information to sell off the salt notes in the Exchange in advance and went short on a large scale.
Because the mechanism of the exchange is next-day delivery.
This is for large and reputable merchants.
That is to say, if a big merchant shouts at the exchange today that he wants to sell 1,000 or even 10,000 salt notes, it is all right. You don't need to take out the salt notes on the spot, you just need to put the salt notes you hold directly on the counter when the exchange closes the next day.
Therefore, some people took advantage of this opportunity to buy short on a large scale, sell on the same day, and then buy back from the market after the salt currency price plummeted the next day to earn the difference.
At this moment, the officials were also shocked to learn that the Jieyan Salt Pond was flooded.
"Jie Chi produces 3 million strings of salt a year, and the imperial court produces 5 million strings of banknotes! Now the salt and banknotes have dropped to 70%, which means that the 500 strings of banknotes have dropped to 3.5 million strings of banknotes."
Huang Lu said: "Your Majesty, it's not just that. The three departments and the exchange offices all hold a large amount of salt notes. According to statistics, there are nearly 10 million salt notes in circulation on the market. Once the salt notes plummet, the consequences will be disastrous."
The emperor looked at Zhang Yue and asked, "What do you think?"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, I am still thinking about it."
“How low will it fall tomorrow?”
Zhang Yue said: "By tomorrow, I estimate that many people will have heard about the flooding of Jiechi. I'm afraid the salt money will drop to 50%."
"and then?"
Zhang Yue said: "If the court can no longer do anything, the salt notes will drop to 10%, or even become worthless."
The emperor's face was solemn when he heard this, and he said, "Sima Guang advised me not to use salt notes as currency."
"I agreed, but Shaanxi's military funds are insufficient. I have been urging the three departments to issue more banknotes to make up for the shortfall in military funds. I did not expect this to happen in the end."
Huang Lu said: "Your Majesty, at this point, the court must take drastic measures."
"Otherwise, we will have to suspend the trading of salt notes at the exchange!"
Wang Gui remained silent, while Cai Que said, "Your Majesty, the court can first stabilize several major salt merchants in Beijing and ask them not to sell off their salt in order to stabilize the people's hearts."
The official nodded and said, "That's a solution, but it's only a drop in the bucket."
Afterwards the official changed his clothes.
The eunuchs brought out tea and snacks to several officials who were discussing the matter. Wang Gui and Zhang Yue sat next to each other.
Wang Gui asked, "Does the Historian really have no solution to the issue of salt and banknotes?"
Zhang Yue said: "There is no practical solution yet. Does Zhao Wen have any good ideas?"
Wang Gui sighed and said, "How could there be such a thing? I am worried about the merchants outside who hold a lot of salt notes. It is really inhumane."
Seeing Wang Gui's compassionate look, Zhang Yue was deeply moved.
The officials continued to discuss countermeasures, and the emperor even skipped lunch, accompanying everyone in thinking about countermeasures.
Time passed quickly. Zhang Yue calculated that it was almost time for the exchange to close. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have thought of a plan!"
The emperor was in a state of panic, as he had just received news that the value of salt notes had fallen to 60%. If it fell further, the country's capital would be shaken. When he heard Zhang Yue's words, he was overjoyed and said, "Tell me quickly!"
Zhang Yue said: "The only solution now is to relax the salt administration and transport salt from the southeast to solve the salt problem. The salt in the southeast should be transported by merchants instead of by the government."
Zhang Yue immediately told Cai Jing's countermeasures yesterday in detail in the palace, and then affirmed: "As long as Your Majesty can announce it to the people at the exchange tomorrow, then the salt currency will not only stop plummeting, but will also soar!"
At this moment, Wang Gui's face became extremely ugly.
As for Cai Jing, he lowered his head.