In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 953 Everything is ready
The setting sun dyed the palace walls of Yingtian City a reddish-brown color.
The evening wind, carrying dust, swept across the street, but failed to dispel even a trace of the summer heat.

In the imperial city, in front of the Five Military Commands' office, the number of imperial guards was twice as many as usual.
He looked even more nervous than the people on the street, his hand on the hilt of the knife.

As soon as Lu Yunyi arrived, the gatekeeper quickly came forward and said in a low voice:

"Lord Lu, the Duke of Wei is waiting for you in the study of the Central Military Command."

"lead the way."

In the courtyard of the Central Military Commander's Mansion,
The ground beneath several old locust trees was covered with fallen leaves, and no one had had time to sweep them away.

The study window was open, and one could see the piles of military newspapers inside.
Xu Huizu was sitting at the table, holding a vermilion pen in his hand, but he didn't write anything on the documents.

There was a note on the corner of the table, which listed the major events that had happened in the capital that day.

"Wei Guogong."

Lu Yunyi strolled in, his voice soft yet clear.

Xu Huizu looked up, put down his pen, and pointed to the chair opposite him:

"You've arrived? Have a seat. I just received news that the price of mulberry leaves in the south of the city has dropped to 1.4 taels."

Fighting continued unabated, and the officials in the capital dared not intervene.

Lu Yunyi sat down, took the iced tea Xu Huizu offered, took a sip, and his expression was serious:

"Duke of Wei, that's why I've come to ask for your help."

I have already made arrangements with the Prince of Kaiping's Mansion and the Duke of Cao's Mansion.
They provided the funds, and the Market and Exchange Bureau took the lead in dealing with all those who were causing trouble in the capital.

"Oh?" Xu Huizu looked surprised.

"How to do it?"

Lu Yunyi smiled, but did not speak directly:

"We'll see how things unfold; nothing's been decided yet."
But no matter how they retaliate, it will require a massive amount of money.

Xu Huizu tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze sharp:
"You want to compete with them for land? They have powerful families in Jiangnan backing them, they're not easy to deal with."

"Rest assured, Duke of Wei, I will not waste this money."

"Just know what you want me to do."

Lu Yunyi's expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, the capital is surrounded by enemies, making it very inconvenient to do anything. Could you please ask the Central Military Command to help cover things up?"

Xu Huizu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"Alright, I'll send someone to the Market Exchange Office to stand by. You can give him any orders you need, but let me make it clear beforehand that only one thousand soldiers can be assigned to you."

"That's enough." Lu Yunyi smiled and asked:

"Is the Duke of Wei interested in getting involved? If it works out, he'll surely make a fortune."

These words struck a chord with Xu Huizu.
Last time, Lu Yunyi and his group bought land when prices were low, and later, as prices rebounded, they all made a fortune.

Xu Huizu regretted not participating at the time.

In this chaotic situation, it's a sure way to make a fortune and help the court stabilize the situation. Why not?
He nodded immediately:
"Very well! The Duke of Wei's mansion will contribute 300,000 taels of silver."

The Central Military Command can also allocate some silver, but it should not be used except in times of crisis.

Lu Yunyi stood up and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Thank you very much, Duke of Wei, for your help these past few days."
If anyone from other governor's offices inquires about the movement of the Imperial Guards, please, Duke Wei, be as discreet as possible.

Xu Huizu waved his hand:

"Don't worry, as long as you succeed, it doesn't matter if there's a lot of noise."

"Thank you, Duke of Wei. I shall take my leave now."

Lu Yunyi, who was about to leave the Governor's Mansion, had just reached the door when he heard a shout behind him.
"Lord Lu, please wait!"

Looking back, he saw Xiao Qi, the Vice Commissioner of the Left Army Commandery, dressed in casual clothes, walking briskly towards him.

"Is there something you need, Vice Minister Xiao?" Lu Yunyi stopped in his tracks.

Xiao Qi's lips trembled slightly as she lowered her voice and said:
"Lord Lu, several officials from the Left Army Commandery are waiting at the mansion and would like to invite you to come and sit down."

Lu Yunyi raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and nodded:

"it is good."

The main building of the Left Army Commander's Mansion was brightly lit, and a large round table was placed inside.

Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, was sitting in the main seat, toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand, his brows furrowed.

Li Xin sat to the side, flipping through an account book, his expression not very pleasant.

Vice Commander-in-Chief Chen Chun held a document, motionless.

Not far away, Marquis Han Xun of Dongping stood in front of the map, his back to the crowd.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around.
She spotted Lu Yunyi approaching at a glance and greeted him with a smile:

"Yunyi, please sit down. I just brewed some good tea."

Lu Yunyi glanced around and was somewhat surprised to see everyone from the Left Army Commander's Office gathered together.

He sat down, picked up his teacup but didn't drink, and said calmly:

"What business do you gentlemen have with me?"

Zhu Shou sighed and placed the jade thumb ring on the table:
"Yunyi, I did indeed have something to discuss with you this time."

After saying that, he sighed and asked:
"Given the current state of decline in the capital, how does the Market and Commerce Bureau plan to respond?"
To be honest, the Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office has some military farms outside the city.
Land prices have now fallen by 70%.
The Governor's Office's floating funds have suddenly vanished by more than half. What are they going to do?

Upon hearing this, even Li Xin, who disliked Lu Yunyi, sighed.
"That's right, my mansion has three hundred acres of land in the west of the city."
The day before yesterday it could sell for sixty taels per mu, but today it has dropped to ten taels. If it drops any further, it will be given away for free!

Lord Lu, His Majesty summons you to the capital.

"Now that we've given you the official position of Director, you must have some way to deal with it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunyi immediately understood; it turned out he had been mistakenly injured.

At the same time, he also realized something.

Some people were plotting it, while others were passively involved.
More often, however, are people like the adults before us, who neither fight nor compete but are still affected.

At this moment, Xiao Qi, who was in charge of the accounts, rubbed his temples and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Lu, if you have any plans, could you perhaps share some with us?"
The entire government office is now in a state of panic.
If this land is truly destined to plummet, then the Governor's Office must act swiftly; otherwise, they'll be stuck with it, and there will be no way to explain it later.

Lu Yunyi picked up the teacup and gently blew away the foam on the surface:
"The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Market Regulation does not intend to interfere in the land and housing price fluctuations in central Beijing."
I have no knowledge of fields or houses, nor do I understand them.

His Majesty summoned me back to the capital primarily to reorganize commerce.

Furthermore, given the current situation in the capital...
Even if I had three heads and six arms, I couldn't have salvaged the situation.

The group exchanged glances, knowing he was talking nonsense.

Last year, everyone watched helplessly as the good land plummeted in value and then soared back to its former glory.

Amidst this confusion, some survived the ordeal, some remained bewildered, and others made a fortune.

Now, even big shots like them almost all know which group of people made the money.

It's easy to guess who the core is.

The candlelight burned brightly, illuminating the expressions on everyone's faces clearly.
Zhu Shou's jade thumb ring spun rapidly.

He leaned forward, his voice tinged with urgency:

"Yun Yi, you're being too polite!"
Last year's sweet potato incident, who doesn't know that you were the one making money behind the scenes?

If you hadn't given him pointers, would Li Jinglong have been able to earn so much?

You are also a member of our Left Army Commander's Office.
They didn't even include our own people in this lucrative opportunity!
"If you had no solution to this problem, His Majesty wouldn't have summoned you back from beyond the Great Wall."

Li Xin also put down the account book, his brows furrowing even more deeply:

"Exactly! To tell you the truth..."

"If you have a solution, just say the word. As long as you stabilize land prices, the Governor's Office will not hesitate to help!"

Chen Chun nodded in agreement:

"Lord Lu, the capital is in such chaos..."
We are all people of the imperial court; we can't just stand by and watch the rebels cause trouble.

If you need manpower, the Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office can provide it; if you need documents, they can show you the office's confidential ledgers.
Now, all we need is a clear path forward; it's not like the Governor's Office can't afford the losses.

This state of being stuck in limbo is making me feel uneasy.

Xiao Qi went even further, placing the abacus in his hand directly on the table:
"My lord, to be honest..."

This morning, thousands of households came to ask whether they should sell their land ahead of schedule.
If things continue to fall like this, not only will the governor's office lose heart, but even the morale of the soldiers will plummet!

Everyone talked at once, until their throats were dry.

Lu Yunyi simply held his teacup, rubbing his fingers along the rim, without saying another word.

Only then did Han Xun slowly speak:
"Yunyi, I know you have concerns. The situation in the capital is complicated, and no one else wants to get involved."
But I, Han Xun, am not the kind of person who doesn't know what's important.

My son is still serving in your army. He wrote to me saying that you treat him like a brother. For that reason alone, I trust you!
If you have a plan, just tell me.

"I'll hold the fort for you at the Left Army Commandery!"

The moment those words were spoken, the main room fell silent.

Han Xun was Lan Yu's confidant, and was known for his upright and honest nature.

Now that his son is in Daning, this trust is more effective than any words.

Lu Yunyi looked up at Han Xun.
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, without a trace of pretense, he finally put down his teacup and slowly began to speak:
"My lord, since we've come this far, I won't hide anything from you."

The sharp drop in land prices in the capital is a deliberate act by the rebels, intended to sow discord among the people and force His Majesty to postpone the relocation of the capital.
As the government office in charge of commerce, the Market and Trade Bureau naturally had to retaliate.

But this is a risky undertaking and requires substantial financial backing.

Those who trust the imperial court should hold onto their land tightly and not blindly follow the crowd; they will naturally be safe.

"If you want to make money, put in real money and work with the Market and Exchange Bureau."

Zhu Shou's eyes lit up, and he quickly pressed for an answer:

"How much silver do you need? Our Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office can easily scrape together ten thousand taels."

Li Xin nodded in agreement.

“I can come up with eight thousand taels from my household, and if we can scrape together another ten thousand taels, that will do.”

Xiao Qi fiddled with the abacus:

"The Governor's Office can spare 15,000 taels of public funds, which adds up to about 40,000 taels. That should be enough, right?"

Lu Yunyi blinked and gently shook his head:
"Ten thousand taels is too little, not enough. If the Left Army Commander-in-Chief wants to participate, at least two hundred thousand taels of silver will be required."

"Two hundred thousand taels?!"

Zhu Shou's eyes widened suddenly!

Li Xingang nearly dropped the teacup he was holding, and Xiao Qi and Chen Chun's expressions changed.

Zhu Shou was the first to react, his voice trembling slightly:
"Yunyi, you're not kidding, are you?"
Two hundred thousand taels! Even the Ministry of Revenue would need a while to raise that much.

Where would we get so much cash?

"My lord, the Market Exchange Bureau's opponents are powerful clans that have been entrenched in the region for hundreds of years. They can easily come up with this amount of money."

Compared to it, the Market Exchange Bureau only had the home-field advantage of having the backing of the imperial court.

If you don't have enough money, the risks of participating will actually be much greater.
"It's fine to keep the land and property; their value won't drop too much."

At this moment, Han Xun spoke in a firm and powerful voice:
"take!"

Everyone looked shocked and turned to Han Xun, who explained:

"It's not about steaming buns, it's about saving face. These bastards are acting recklessly, doing things that harm others and themselves without any benefit."

Are we supposed to just put up with this?

Leaving aside the matter of moving the capital for now, let's just talk about the fields and houses.
They've already come to our doorstep; if we don't fight back, won't we be looked down upon?

These words immediately sparked resentment within the Left Army Commander's office.
The assembled lords nodded repeatedly; they were happy to observe the situation regarding the relocation of the capital.

But it's really unacceptable that such a dispute has come to their head.

Zhu Shou looked up at Lu Yunyi, who was sitting not far away.
Thinking of his money-making skills, he gritted his teeth.
"The Governor's Office still has 130,000 taels of silver for replacing military equipment."
If Yunyi needs it, you can transfer the funds at any time.
But it can't last too long; I can only stall for two months for you!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi, who was in charge of the Governor's Office's finances, widened his eyes in surprise.

I think the Marquis has probably gone mad.
How could such money be misappropriated? What if His Majesty found out?
Thinking of this, Xiao Qi's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

He suddenly realized that even if His Majesty found out, it wouldn't matter!
If His Majesty could spend 130,000 taels of silver to silence those who oppose moving the capital, he would be very happy.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Li Xin understood the key point and nodded emphatically:

"Let's do it! Let's make it clear beforehand: we can't afford to lose money."

If the money is gone and the matter isn't resolved, we'll all be left watching from the sidelines.

Seeing that they reached an agreement so quickly,
Lu Yunyi nodded:
"Don't worry, if this is handled well, we'll make a fortune."

He looked at Zhu Shou, who sat at the head of the table:

"May I ask, sir, when will the money arrive?"

Within three days!

Lu Yunyi nodded, his tone certain:

"Alright, transport it to the Market Exchange Office within three days. Once the money arrives, the business can begin."

At this moment, Han Xun asked, somewhat exasperated:

"Yunyi, what method do you intend to use to deal with these people?"

Lu Yunyi smiled mysteriously:
"My lord, this matter will be kept confidential for now. I hope you gentlemen will understand."
After all, walls have ears, so it's always better to be cautious.

"It should be."

Zhu Shou nodded repeatedly, having decided to invest the money.
He was the last person who wanted the money to go down the drain.

He even harbored a secret hope that he might actually make a fortune this time.

Although Lu Yunyi was somewhat arrogant and rarely interacted with others,
But Zhu Shou did not doubt his ability to make money.

Lu Yunyi spoke softly:
"My lords, Zhang Gou of the Censorate is causing trouble in Liaodong and has impeached me."

I believe that since road construction has already begun, there's no need to worry about other minor details.

"Do any of you gentlemen have any methods to deal with this impeachment?"

The group exchanged glances, and Zhu Shou, the Marquis of the Boat, spoke decisively:
"Tomorrow I will go to the Censorate and tell Yuan Tai to tell his men to behave themselves and not to hold us back!"
Yunyi, don't worry, if His Majesty blames you...
The Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office will take full responsibility and ensure you suffer the slightest injustice!

"Thank you, Lord Marquis. There is another money-making opportunity. I wonder if the Governor's Office would be interested?"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present's eyes lit up, and they all looked up, their faces filled with anticipation.
This is a good thing!
Lu Yunyi touched his chest and realized he hadn't brought the documents, so he said directly:
"Before coming here, I met His Highness the Prince of Yan in Beiping."

One of the plans, involving trade with the north, I found particularly interesting.
If this can be accomplished, it will greatly benefit the Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office.

"Talk about it!"

Lu Yunyi then connected the entire north.
The story of building a commercial network centered on Beiping was revealed.

The people present were horrified!

None of the people present were fools.
It's easy to connect this to the recent turmoil between Daning and Liaodong.
This also explained why Lu Yunyi was in such a hurry to repair the road.

What's being shown now is only part of the plan!

However, the idea of ​​connecting all directions through newly built roads...

It is indeed shocking, and profitable!
Taking the example of Yingtian Trading Company as an example

Once a business becomes large enough, it can form a cohesive force and have appropriate overall planning.

The power it unleashed was in no way inferior to that of the imperial court.

At least, in the villages of the capital region where the Yingtian Trading Company's trade routes extended,

The words of the people in the county government are far less influential than those of the people in the merchant guild.

"Yunyi, how do you want the Governor's Office to support you?" Zhu Shou asked.

"After this incident has passed, I will report this matter to His Majesty and hope that the Governor's Office can offer some assistance."

Zhu Shou nodded:

"This is a good thing for the imperial court and the governor's office, there's no problem!"

However, building a road from Beiping to Shaanxi would be extremely expensive, and the imperial court might not agree to it.

Even if they agreed, the proceedings in the imperial court would be lengthy and protracted; it simply wouldn't be possible in less than three years.

Lu Yunyi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I will handle the finances as I see fit."

The imperial court is short of money, but there are plenty of wealthy people in the world; we can simply take from them.

"Be careful what you say; a country should not compete with its people for profit."

Lu Yunyi chuckled lightly, a hint of mockery in his eyes:

"Since they've already set up their stage in the capital, don't blame them for losing miserably."

(End of this chapter)