In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 958 It’s rude to come and not return.

"It's gone up! It's gone up again!"

Over the course of three days, this phrase had been repeated countless times in brokerage firms throughout the city.

Countless merchants were excited.
Even some ordinary people are eagerly anticipating it!

Land prices have surged from 1.2 taels twenty days ago to 23 taels!
Holding onto your shares without moving them is a sure way to make money, let alone those who buy when prices are low.

At this point, no one cared anymore about whether to move the capital.
Anyone with a little spare money is concerned about this.

Will today's land price reach 24 taels?
The atmosphere inside the Market and Exchange Bureau was extremely heavy.
The eunuchs walked cautiously, no longer displaying the joyful demeanor of before.

There's no other reason than that they've made too much money, so much so that they're afraid of it.

In the past three days, the market brokerage firm has not bought a single acre of land; it has been selling it off to others.
Even so, the Market and Exchange Bureau still held hundreds of thousands of acres of land.
They were all bought for around two taels of silver.
As for how much money was made, even the people who handled the buying and selling of land didn't know.

All that is known is that the number of silver deposit locations has expanded to thirty-one.
Every corner where silver could be stored was stuffed with silver ingots and paper money.

That's not enough!

Today we will expand our silver storage locations by ten more!
In the side hall of the yamen, Hou Xian carefully examined the documents.

He only felt his lips were dry and his throat was itchy; he had no idea how much he had earned.

But we know how much silver was used at the beginning: two million taels.

And now, just the five newly opened deposit points yesterday alone have already held two million taels of silver.

Although there are many strongholds he cannot go to, which are all managed by the Central Military Commission, he imagines they are no less than these five silver deposits.

Then the others.
Hou Xian's eyes were a little red.

The Ming Dynasty's annual tax surplus was only eight million taels, and it was decreasing year by year.

In just two months, a year's worth of taxes were collected.
Hou Xian was completely baffled. Was the capital really that rich?

It took me a long time to calm down.
Hou Xian picked up the document and strolled towards the main hall of the yamen.

He stopped at the doorway, took a deep breath, and

A sense of fear inexplicably flashed through my mind as I looked at the adults in the room.

After a long, slow knocking, he finally opened the door.

"Sir, it's me."

"Come in."

A calm voice came from inside, and Hou Xian walked in.

The room was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere of the capital and the imperial city.

The adult who caused all this was dressed in ordinary clothes, sitting quietly behind a table, reading miscellaneous notes about the capital.

A hint of admiration flashed in Hou Xian's eyes; to remain so calm in the face of such wealth.

Rumors in the capital say that Lord Lu dislikes money.
He had been skeptical before, but now he truly believes it.

"My lord, these are the documents I have compiled."
The document outlines the remaining farmland, the location of new silver deposit points, and plans for subsequent sales.

"let it go."

Lu Yunyi didn't even look up, his gaze fixed on the notes, reading with great interest.

Seeing this, Hou Xian said in a deep voice:

"Sir, should we sell more while the price is high?"

Lu Yunyi raised his head and glanced at him:
"What's the price now?"

"Based on the accounts sent by Xinchen Trading Company, the average price is twenty-two taels and three mace."

"Hmm, are those salt merchants still buying them?"

"exist."

"Then continue selling according to the plan, until only 300,000 mu of land remain."

"Yes!" A hint of doubt flashed in Hou Xian's eyes:
"Sir, they're still buying, why not sell it all to them?"

Lu Yunyi smiled and shook his head:

"Too much of a good thing is bad. They may be rich, but they're not stupid. Let's leave some land for the future."

"Yes!"

Hou Xian thought of something else and said softly:
"My lord, the mole within the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been caught. It was Lord Du who caught him."

"understood."

"I am resigning."

In the main hall of Zhao Mian's residence, the candles burned brightly, illuminating the silver ingots that filled the room.

On the octagonal table lay land deeds and an abacus. Zhou Tong, a salt merchant, fiddled with the abacus beads, his muscular face trembling with each stroke.
"The price has gone up another three taels in the last three days! In the end, I've not only broken even but also made tens of thousands of taels in profit!"

Yan Han, the silk merchant standing nearby, stroked his goatee.
Her fingertips unconsciously clenched the corner of her sleeve, a hint of regret in her expression.

"If only I had collected more at the beginning of the month."
"It was only fifteen taels back then, now it's twenty-three taels! That's a loss of nearly one hundred thousand taels!"

Others echoed this sentiment.

Someone confidently asserted that the amount would reach thirty taels next month.
Some people regretted not buying it when it was only one or two ounces.
But the side hall was eerily quiet.

Zhao Mian paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his jade thumb ring gleaming from being rubbed.
The hot tea on the table had long since gone cold.
He picked it up and took a sip, but couldn't taste any tea flavor at all.

The Marketplace has been unusually quiet these past few days.

They had previously been competing with them to drive up the price of land.
In the past few days, not even a single official has been seen; it's as if they've vanished into thin air.

"Something's not right, something's really not right," he muttered to himself, stopping at the window.

Looking at the dark night sky outside the courtyard, I felt like a stone was pressing on my heart.

"My lord! Urgent message from Lord Liu!"

The attendant burst through the side hall door, sweating profusely, the letter in his hand crumpled in his fist:
"The missing thousand soldiers of Yingtian Guard have been found!"

Those northern merchants who bought land a few days ago were all imposters!

Moreover, in the past ten days or so, they've sold nearly 400,000 mu of land! All of it was land they'd previously acquired at low prices!

"what?!"

Zhao Mian turned around abruptly, smashing the teacup in his hand to the ground with a clatter. Tea splashed onto the hem of his official robe, but he was completely unaware.

He grabbed the letter, his fingers trembling violently.

"400,000 mu."

As the Minister of Revenue, he immediately understood the key point.
No wonder there's so much land on the market, they're the ones selling it all!
His voice trembled, and his chest heaved violently:

"Well done, Lu Yunyi! Well done, Market Transaction Bureau!"

He stumbled toward the main hall, lifting the curtain with too much force.
They tore off all the silver tassels from the curtain, and the beads rolled all over the floor.

The main hall was still noisy, with Zhou Tong slamming his fist on the table and shouting about transferring silver.

Upon seeing Zhao Mian enter, they all stopped talking, smiled, and stood up:

"Lord Zhao, your arrival is just in time; we were just about to discuss this."

"Bullshit!"

Zhao Mian roared, spitting on Zhou Tong's face, interrupting him.

The laughter that filled the room instantly froze.
Some people were stunned, looking at Zhao Mian's ashen face, and felt a sudden panic in their hearts.

"Stop laughing! Wake up!"

Zhao Mian gripped the table, his knuckles turning white.
"We've been tricked! Those northern merchants who were buying up land like crazy the other day were all people from the Market and Exchange Bureau!"

They sold 400,000 mu of land at a high price, and we took over it all!

"Did they pick us up?"

The smile on Zhou Tong's face vanished instantly, and his lips trembled.

"Impossible! Didn't the Market and Exchange Bureau run out of money? They were trying to take land from us just a few days ago!"

Yan Han's face turned deathly pale instantly.

The abacus in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and the wooden beads rolled all over the table.

He had no interest in picking them up, and said in a trembling voice:

"400,000 mu. How much silver is that? All the land we have belongs to them?"

"if not?"

Zhao Mian, panting, slumped into a chair, his eyes filled with ruthlessness:

"Lu Yunyi had this all planned long ago!"

They first acquire land at a low price, then use us to raise the price, and finally dump all the land on us!

The only thing I don't understand is where he got the money!

The main hall instantly descended into chaos.

Someone collapsed to the ground, yelling, "It's over, it's over!"

Some cried, saying their life savings had vanished, while others wanted to rush out and sell land, but Zhao Mian stopped them:

"Sell now? Who would buy it?"

The current prices are all supported by us.

If you don't buy, the land price will immediately drop, and you won't even be able to break even!

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Their eyes all turned to Zhao Mian, as if they had grasped at the last straw.

Yan Han stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"Lord Zhao, you are resourceful and wise, you must have a solution!"

"Please, think of something! Don't let us lose everything!" Zhao Mian stared at the land deed on the table, his teeth grinding together. After a moment, he slammed his hand on the table.
"I have a plan! Tomorrow morning, we'll raise the price of all the land we have!"

"Move it up to forty or fifty taels!"

Aren't those small merchants in Beijing envious of rising land prices? Let's lure them here!
"If they don't buy, raise the price to fifty taels, then slash it down to thirty taels. I don't believe they won't buy then!"

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Zhou Tong, his eyes red, suddenly understood.
The Marketplace had previously used this method to lure them into making purchases.
When the price dropped from forty taels to fifteen taels, they were still glad they hadn't bought it, but when it rose again from fifteen taels to twenty taels, they couldn't sit still anymore.
No one spoke again; everyone tacitly accepted this method.

They had no choice but to dig the hole they had dug even deeper so that others could jump in.

Before dawn the next day, the brokerage firms in the capital were already bustling with activity.

The merchants' assistants from Jiangnan, clutching the land deeds, shouted out prices:

"Thirty taels! Land near the official road in the capital region, thirty taels per mu!"

"Thirty-five taels! Mulberry fields south of the city, thirty-five taels!"

The small merchants were indeed tempted, and gathered around the entrance of the brokerage firm, discussing the matter animatedly.

Some people hesitated, clutching their silver coins: "Isn't this too expensive?"

"What's so expensive about it? Anyway, we're not moving the capital."
Yesterday it was twenty-three taels, today it's thirty taels, and tomorrow it might even be sixty taels! If you don't buy now, you'll miss your chance!

"Let's wait and see, let's wait until the price stabilizes before making a decision."

In the main hall of the Market and Commerce Bureau, Lu Yunyi had just finished reviewing the new account books sent by Hou Xian.

Hou Xian then lifted the curtain and entered, his voice tinged with urgency:

"My lord, there's been some activity at the Zhao residence!"

Their men started driving up prices at the brokerage early this morning; the land in the south of the city is already asking for thirty-five taels!

Lu Yunyi put down the ledger, tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes:
"You learn very quickly."

He looked up at Hou Xian, his tone resolute:

"Send an order to have Yingtian Trading Company post a notice immediately."
They said they would be sending staff up north soon to prepare for the opening of a new branch.

"Have the Embroidered Uniform Guard spread the word that His Majesty has finalized the plan for relocating the capital and construction will begin after the spring."

"Everyone is preparing to dump their land; within five days, we'll drive down land prices!"

"Huh?" Hou Xian was stunned.

"My lord, isn't this the method the rebels used before? Are we going to do it now?"

"If he can use it, why can't we?"

Lu Yunyi picked up a pen and quickly drew a circle on the paper:
"They want someone else to take over, so let's cut off any other people's hopes first."

As soon as the news of the relocation of the capital was released, land prices plummeted. Who would dare to buy land?

Once you're at the card table, you have to be prepared to lose everything. You can't just walk away whenever you want.

Hou Xian then realized what was happening and quickly bowed:
"Understood! I'll make the arrangements immediately!"

He turned and walked out, his steps quickening by a third compared to usual!
In less than an hour, the entrance to Yingtian Trading Company on Fudong Street was crowded with people.

The notice, with its red background and black lettering, was posted in the most conspicuous place.
The news of the preparations for the northern branch hit the onlookers like a hammer blow, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

Even the dumbest of them would know what this means.
Isn't this a blatant attempt to move the capital?

The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the brokerage firm.

The small merchant who was originally hesitant about buying land,
Upon hearing the words "relocate the capital," they immediately panicked.
The initial rush of heat subsided, and I snapped back to reality.
"No, we can't buy this land! What if the capital is moved? The land won't be worth this much!"

Some people turned and left, while others rushed to find the guy who had bid the price earlier, wanting to cancel the land deed they had just settled.

But the waiter refused to give up:

"The thirty-five taels have already been ordered, how can you return it? If you don't buy it, there are plenty of others who will!"

Despite saying that, he felt uneasy inside.

The people who were just asking about the price,

Most of them had already left, leaving only a few elderly farmers still observing.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the street.

A dozen or so carriages, each bearing the flags of various merchant houses, stopped in front of the brokerage firm. The clerks jumped down, carrying thick land deeds, and shouted:

"Land for sale! Twenty-five taels per mu! Anyone interested!"

"Twenty-five taels?"

The brokerage firm erupted in chaos.

The waiter who had just been shouting "Thirty-five taels!" suddenly turned pale.

"I'm not buying this land!"

Someone ran up to the guy and said...

"Thirty-five taels is too expensive, twenty taels is more like it!"

The waiter was sweating profusely and had no choice but to lower the price:
"Thirty taels! I'll sell it for thirty taels!"

But nobody paid him any attention. With land priced at twenty-five taels right in front of them, who would buy land for thirty taels?
Even so, no one bought the land for twenty-five taels!

Land prices plummeted like a kite with a broken string.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the price dropped from thirty-five taels to twenty-five taels.

Before noon, it had fallen to twenty taels again.

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), someone called out a price of fifteen taels.

Now, even the merchants who had come to watch the spectacle started to panic; some clutched their land deeds and wept.
"I bought thirty taels yesterday, how come it's only fifteen taels today?"

Inside the Zhao residence, spies came one after another, reporting land prices that were lower each time.

"Sir, the Market Bureau has sold the land! It's already worth fifteen taels!"

"Sir, Yingtian Trading Company has posted a notice that they are going to open a branch in Beiping!"

"My lord, rumors of the capital being moved are circulating throughout the capital, and the people are afraid to buy land!"

Zhao Mian sat on the grand master's chair, and the jade thumb ring in his hand fell to the ground, cracking.

He suddenly stood up and kicked over the coffee table next to him, shattering the teacups on the floor.
"Lu Yunyi! How dare you!"

Yan Han walked in, trembling, the land deed in his hand almost torn to shreds.
"Lord Zhao, what should we do now?"
The Market and Exchange Bureau is still driving down land prices; the land we hold can't even be sold for fifteen taels now!

"How about we take over the land they sold?" someone suggested.

"I'm out of money! I only have 30,000 taels of silver left. What can that do?" Yan Han shouted angrily.

Zhao Mian's eyes were red, and his voice was distorted:
"Throw it! Throw it all out with him, throw all the land you have in your hands, sell as much as you can!"

Even if it drops to ten taels, it's still better than having it stuck in your hands!

But it's too late.

Just after 3 PM, land prices, like flowing water, had already reached twelve taels.

Moreover, this time even more land was being sold; just one brokerage firm in Chengnan, Yuxing, had 20,000 mu of land waiting to be sold.

Zhou Tong stood at the door, looking at the entrance of the brokerage firm.

Looking at the thick land deed in his hand, he breathed heavily and his face flushed.
"The land was bought for thirty taels, but now it's only worth twelve... What do we do? What do we do?"

There are many people like him.
Most of them were merchants, both large and small, who wanted to make a quick buck amidst the chaos.

They were equally distraught.
The cries of anguish in the capital spread from the brokerage shops to every corner of the streets and alleys.

A small-time merchant who had just bought 100 acres of land slumped down in front of Yuxing Real Estate Brokerage.
The land deed in his hand was blown inside out by the wind.

He was completely oblivious, only muttering to himself:
"How could I have believed them? My money!"

Old Wang was also squeezed into the crowd.
Looking at the twelve-tael wooden plaque in the brokerage, I felt a wave of fear.

Fortunately, he sold the land when it was only worth three taels last time.

Otherwise, I'd be crying now too, no.

He felt a little bad about losing so much money.

But seeing the people wailing everywhere, he felt a secret sense of satisfaction!
He patted an old farmer on the shoulder next to him:

"Brother, don't wait any longer, sell it while you can, or it might drop to one or two coins!"

Inside the main hall of the Market and Exchange Bureau, Hou Xian held the newly delivered account books, his face full of complex emotions:

"Sir, a total of over 80,000 mu of land was abandoned today."

We have taken back more than 70,000 mu of land, and the land price has stabilized at 12 taels.

Merchants in the capital were either crying or making a scene.
Some people even went to the capital to file complaints, saying that someone was deliberately disrupting trade.

Lu Yunyi raised his eyes, looking at the darkening sky outside the window, and said calmly:
"Withdraw half the people, and we won't have to abandon the land tomorrow."

"Yes!"

Hou Xian responded, but did not leave immediately.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"Sir, if we can lower the price further, we can get many people to give up their land, and we can buy it at a low price."

"All right!"

Lu Yunyi raised his hand to stop him.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew. There are many ways to make money; there's no need to use this method."

The wealthy merchants could withstand the turmoil, but the ordinary people of the capital could not.
The land price will be kept at ten taels of silver.

"Yes!"

At this moment, a senior eunuch in red robes hurriedly entered.

Upon seeing Lu Yunyi, he hurriedly said:
"Lord Lu, His Majesty summons you. Please come quickly."

(End of this chapter)