Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 535 Father-in-law, don't worry, the Jia family has no talented people~
"Eunuch Xia."

"This is perfume from the distant Western land of Gaul."

With a friendly smile, Lin Dao placed the perfume he had bought online in the modern world in front of Xia Shouzhong, a eunuch in the Six Palaces.

"Just a small token of my appreciation~"

"Good, good, good." Xia Shouzhong smiled, stroked his fake beard, and picked up the perfume bottle to examine it.

He exclaimed repeatedly, "The craftsmen of Gaul are truly skilled."

"They've really come up with all sorts of creative ways to use glass bottles."

These perfumes bought online not only have a rich fragrance, but their packaging is also very beautiful.

Of course, the price is also very cheap.

For eunuchs who were used to the strong smell of urine, perfume was indeed a good thing.

This is a private room at Taibailou, the most famous restaurant in Beijing.

Because of its great fame, Xia Shouzhong, a eunuch in the imperial court, had to disguise himself to attend the appointment.

After receiving the gift, we began exchanging pleasantries and chatting.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, they finally got down to business.

"Lord Lei of the Dali Temple is from the same hometown as us."

Perhaps it's because he desperately wants to have a beard.

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Shouzhong stroked his fake beard. "He made the appointment on your behalf, so naturally we can't refuse him."

"Tell me."

"What brings you here?"

Not all palace attendants were eunuchs.

One had to reach a certain rank to be called a eunuch.

At this time, there were two emperors in the imperial palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The current emperor, and the retired emperor who still holds onto military power.

The retired emperor had his own trusted eunuchs, and the current emperor naturally does too.

Xia Shouzhong is the current eunuch's confidant.

"Eunuch Xia."

Lin Dao put down his wine glass with a smile. "I have my eye on a group of estates outside the pass."

"I would like to ask Eunuch Xia for help in getting my hands on it."

"The estates outside the pass?" Xia Shouzhong's face immediately showed a look of doubt. "Which one are you going to target?"

There's a reason he said that.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the country collapsed. The emperor of the Great Zhou rose from humble origins, drove out the Tartars, restored the Central Plains, and established the Great Zhou.

Jia Yuan, Jia Yan, and others even followed the founding emperor out of the pass to fight the Tartars and reclaim the Liaodong Peninsula.

The Tartars at that time were only defeated, but not completely eliminated.

They retreated all the way, disappearing into the land between the white mountains and black waters.

The weather was freezing cold, and the terrain was complex.

The Zhou army was unable to pursue the enemy deeply enough and lost the opportunity to completely annihilate the Tartars.

Before returning to the capital, Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou distributed the lands in Liaodong that had been seized from the Tartars to various nobles.

Because the Tartars from the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River still raided the area from time to time, there were not many people in Liaodong, and most of them rented government land.

Therefore, if Lin Dao wanted to acquire a manor, he could only be eyeing the manors owned by nobles.

These estates, in theory, cannot be bought or sold.

However, as time goes by, all the rules are loosening.

Over the years, many noble families have fallen on hard times and have resorted to selling their estates to make ends meet.

The imperial court turned a blind eye to this.

“The Rongguo Mansion’s estate.”

Upon hearing Lin Dao's words, Xia Shouzhong immediately frowned.

"Do you know that the eldest daughter of the Jia family has been appointed to the Phoenix Palace and is at the height of her fame?"

So what if he was at the height of his fame? In the original novel, it was Xia Shouzhong who personally strangled Jia Yuanchun.

"I've heard about it," Lin Dao said with a smile. "But often, being at the peak of one's popularity means the beginning of a decline."

Xia Shouzhong gave him a deep look.

"I don't know what grudge you have against the Jia family, but this matter is difficult to handle and almost impossible to accomplish."

Those civil officials who rise to the top are all shrewd and astute.

Those eunuchs who managed to rise to the top were the most shrewd of all.

Xia Shouzhong realized that Lin Dao was going to touch the Rongguo Mansion's purse strings.

He didn't want to get involved in this.

Lin Dao smiled slightly, reached into his robe and took out a stack of silver notes, which he placed on the table.

"Eunuch Xia, here is three thousand taels."

"I only ask Eunuch Xia to put in a few words on my behalf."

Upon seeing the silver notes, Xia Shouzhong's eyes lit up immediately.

He reached out and squeezed the banknote, expressing satisfaction with its thickness.

A smile appeared on his face as he said, "Tell me more details."

"Two days later, Imperial Censor Chen of the Guangdong Circuit of the Censorate will submit a memorial at the meeting."

"It refers to requesting the redemption of the land owned by nobles outside the pass, so that it can be used to provide provisions for the border troops nearby."

Lin Dao's strategy was, of course, carefully considered and researched.

After nearly a century of recuperation, the Tartars, who had been driven away, have returned.

They have even recaptured Hetu Ala.

Faced with the threat, the Great Zhou Dynasty had no choice but to strengthen its military forces in Liaodong.

However, the land in Liaodong was almost entirely monopolized by various noble families.

Only a small portion of the locally produced grain could be sold as military rations.

The reason is simple: Shanxi merchants bought up large quantities of local grain and sold it to the Tatars and tribes on the grasslands.

The Tartars and the nomadic tribes were willing to spend money, and they offered even higher prices.

Of course, the imperial court would not pay a high price for grain.

In order to keep the army running, it was necessary to transport troops from within the Great Wall, which caused costs to skyrocket.

The idea of ​​buying the estates of nobles and thus providing them with food nearby has existed for some time.

Otherwise, Chen Mogong would not have readily accepted Lin Dao's suggestion to write a memorial.

As the saying goes, those who rise to the top in officialdom are all shrewd and calculating.

The bond of incense is the bond of incense; I wouldn't sacrifice myself for it.

Xia Shouzhong was even more puzzled.

What do you want us to say?

"I certainly agree with this plan." Lin Dao smiled again. "I suggest that the Jia family take the lead and redeem the property first, setting an example among the nobles."

"This..." Xia Shouzhong pondered carefully, "It's a good thing." For him, it was indeed a good thing.

The current emperor is determined to consolidate power, especially the crucial military power.

Taking down the Jia family and thus dividing the powerful noble group is the obvious benefit.

The unspoken benefit was that it strengthened control over the border troops.

Unlike the capital garrison controlled by nobles, the border troops relied on the imperial court for their provisions and weapons, making them easier to control.

"only."

"The Jia family isn't stupid."

"Are they willing to do it?"

If the Jia family agrees, it would be a betrayal of the collective interests of the nobility group.

After all, the so-called redemption money is definitely not comparable to the annual income.

For over a century, those estates outside the Great Wall have been the most important source of income for the various noble families.

Whether from the perspective of practical interests or the interests of the group, the Jia family should not agree.

"It doesn't matter."

Lin Dao waved his hand, "Those in charge of the Jia family are all narrow-minded people."

"Jia Zhen, who truly had some discernment, is already dead."

"Jia Jing became a Taoist priest; the rest are not worth mentioning."

As for Jia Lian, Jia Yun, and others, they were merely average in ability, and most importantly, they had no voice.

The younger generation of women in the Jia family are quite talented.

Jia Yuanchun's ability to rise through the ranks must be considerable.

Jia Tanchun was also an outstanding one.

Unfortunately, they also lack a voice.

The real masters of the household were the greedy Jia She, the incompetent Jia Zheng, and those masters of palace intrigue.

"Just give them a little something sweet."

"To make that virtuous concubine even more favored."

"Say some nice things~"

"They'll agree in their confusion."

Xia Shouzhong then asked, "But what about the other major families that are closely related to the Jia family, and their sons-in-law? They might try to persuade us."

"So, we need to be quick." Lin Dao sat still, a smile on his face. "Keep it a secret beforehand."

"Send an imperial edict to the Jia family immediately after the incident."

"Forcing them to make a decision in a short period of time."

"Not giving others a chance to speak up and enlighten us."

Lin Dao had come prepared. "Once things are settled, there's no going back on it."

"Moreover."

"What future can a family have that uses precious ancestral connections to make exorbitant profits?"

Xia Shouzhong nodded repeatedly. This matter had long been a laughing stock among the upper echelons of the capital.

For nobles, silver was actually the least valuable thing.

The Jia family used their most valuable incense offerings to exchange for the least valuable silver coins, making them a laughing stock for countless people.

"Young Master Lin."

Xia Shouzhong sized up Lin Dao and asked, "Do you have any ambition to take the imperial examinations?"

"I have no interest in the imperial examinations," Lin Dao shook his head. "I only wish to indulge in the beauty of nature."

"What a pity~" Xia Shouzhong sighed repeatedly. "Young Master Lin is a man of great talent~"

"Let's drink! Let's drink!"

The estates outside the Great Wall, with their annual income of tens of thousands of taels of silver, were the most stable source of income for the Jia family.

Lin Daobu's move was aimed at cutting off the Jia family's economic income.

More importantly, it forced the Jia family to sever ties with the powerful aristocratic group.

With the Jia family taking the lead in selling their estates, the emperor had ample reason to force other nobles to also redeem them.

In the end, it might even be forced collection.

By betraying everyone's interests, who will help the Jia family in the future?
Without the support of the nobles, the Jia family would only perish even faster.

As they returned to their room, Xiao Hong and Ping'er came out to greet them.

"Young Master Lin, the meal is ready."

"Okay." Lin Dao waved his hand. "I've already eaten. You can eat as you like."

After saying that, he went inside to handle the paperwork.

Ping'er is here because she is the security deposit.

It's not collateral, it's a deposit.

Lin Dao's loan of a huge sum of 30,000 taels of silver naturally required collateral.

Wang Xifeng had no choice but to seek help from Jia She, Lady Wang, and Grandmother Jia, ultimately using the Xue family's several shops in the capital as collateral.

Why the Xue family's shop?
That's because, like all previous dynasties, the Great Zhou Dynasty strictly prohibited officials from engaging in commerce.

Officials who engage in business will use their power to curry favor with others; this was something the ancients understood thousands of years ago.

But you still have to do things that make money through business.

If you can't do it directly, then you can only be a figurehead.

The reason why the Xue family was able to rank among the four great families was because they were the money bags for the other three families.

The businesses of several families are basically registered under the Xue family's name.

The Xue family were imperial merchants, so doing business was a matter of course for them.

Lin Dao had anticipated this outcome, and he was simply taking advantage of the situation to drag the Xue family into the mess.

As for Ping'er, she wasn't a deposit of 30,000 taels.

After all, she was just a maid. No matter how pretty she was, she was still just a maid, not a princess.

Even for princesses, during the Jingkang Incident, each imperial princess was only worth a thousand taels of gold or ten thousand taels of silver.

Ping'er is the margin for interest.

Out of consideration for Jia Lian, Lin Dao offered a discount on the interest, charging it on a ten-day basis.

The loan is for only one month in total. Interest is paid in the first two weeks, and the principal and interest are repaid together in the third week.

Ping'er is the deposit for the first ten days' interest.

If the interest for the first ten days is not paid, then Ping'er will be confiscated by Lin Dao.

It's confiscated, not exempted.

No matter how beautiful Ping'er is, she's not worth three thousand taels.

The interest earned in the first ten days should continue to accumulate.

Lin Dao offered Wang Xifeng a 30% discount.

Wang Xifeng lent money at exorbitant interest rates, causing countless families to be ruined and destroyed.

She has to experience firsthand the despair of having nowhere to turn!
(End of this chapter)