Qing Yao

Chapter 213 Borrowing Flowers to Offer to Buddha, the Eighth Master Accepts Them with a Smile
It's a case of losing money to gain publicity, but what you gain besides publicity is people's hearts.

The current financial market is essentially a usury market, because even emperors themselves made their fortunes through usury, so there is no healthy financial environment at all.

Zhao An then wanted to launch "low-interest loans" that could be accepted by farmers and ordinary citizens, in order to build a good reputation and popularity for Xianfeng Bank, and at the same time win the hearts of the grassroots people.

It should be noted that the income of farmers in the Qing Dynasty was pitifully low. A family's total income after a year of hard work would not exceed 32 taels of silver, but their expenses exceeded 35 taels of silver.

The extra three taels of silver may not seem like much, but in reality, it became a mountain of debt weighing on the farmers.

In good years, they can barely make ends meet; in bad years, they are trapped in a vicious cycle of usury; and in the event of natural disasters or man-made calamities, they have to sell their children.

"The rich and ordinary people who are doing well deposit their money with us, and we give them high interest rates. These people will hope that we will prosper and not let us collapse. This is the will of the people."

Conversely, if we lend money to the poor at the lowest possible interest rate, they will surely be grateful to us. If that day ever comes, we will forgive their debts, and they will certainly support us. Grandfather, you must know that the hearts of the poor are the hearts of the people.”

The hearts of the poor are the hearts of the people. If it really came down to fighting the Qing government, it would be the poor and their children who would charge into battle and risk their lives.

If you want the poor to help you conquer the world, you must pay attention to "benefiting" them from the beginning, instead of resorting to the last-minute tactic of offering huge rewards to attract brave men.

Actually, there's one more thing Zhao An didn't mention: while high-interest loans can be very profitable, you also have to consider whether you can get your money back after lending it out.

It's fine to lend money to officials and wealthy businessmen, but if it's lent to ordinary people who can't repay, the consequences of forced collection can be very serious.

Zhao An didn't want Xianfeng Bank to be associated with the infamous reputation of private loan sharks; he was even hoping that Xianfeng Bank could one day transform into a national bank.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Xianfeng Bank had to be presented as a bank that ordinary people could trust.

How much money can a poor person borrow?

Three to five taels, at most ten taels.

Furthermore, poor people have a habit of helping each other among relatives, and very few actually go to money shops to borrow money. To be precise, in Ganyuan County, it would be remarkable if 10,000 taels were lent out each year.

But this 10,000 taels of silver allowed Xianfeng Bank to harvest the hearts of the lower classes like a sickle, and to make them say that Xianfeng Bank was good when they were "chatting". Once the word spread, the wealthy would take the initiative to deposit their silver into Xianfeng Bank.

It's like spending 10,000 taels of silver on an advertisement.

Even if the ten thousand taels are lent out and never recovered, the deal is still worthwhile.

Because what Zhao An needs are the savings of wealthy people.

Or rather, what he wanted was a huge amount of principal.

"It's called doing business, but it's actually doing business with people's hearts."

Old Ding nodded slightly, having to admit that his grandson-in-law was quite farsighted; rather than doing business, he was playing a much bigger game.

Whether you make money or not is not important; what matters is who holds the pieces.

Whether they are poor or rich, as long as these people support them, achieving the third stage will not be empty talk.

He immediately decided that after the government office reopened next year, the Xianfeng branch would be set up, and he would personally handle all the formalities.

Actually, there weren't many procedures; it was just that the Qing government stipulated that a new money shop or bank needed to be jointly guaranteed by five entities.

Although there were fewer money shops and pawnshops in Yangzhou than in the capital, there were still one or two hundred. It was easy to find a few to act as guarantors for the county magistrate's bank. Zhao An would handle the principal issue with Manager Shi of Hengli.

“I have other things to attend to here. If you have time, go and see your parents-in-law. They were just complaining to me yesterday that you haven’t come back to visit since you got married to Wanqing.”

As he spoke, Old Ding straightened his clothes and hat, looking as if he was about to leave the yamen on business.

Zhao An asked Lao Ding curiously what he was doing.

"With the New Year approaching, I specially had some gifts purchased to visit the elderly in the nursing home. Lord Song said that next year is a crucial year for my career, and I must let the higher-ups know how approachable I am to the people."

As they were talking, Old Ding had already left the house, unaware that his grandson-in-law inside was watching his retreating figure with utmost respect.

As expected of a genuine top-ranking scholar, he not only grasped the concepts immediately but also applied them to other situations.

With the titles of "capable official" and "people-friendly," it would be difficult not to get promoted.

However, he didn't have time to visit his parents-in-law because he really had to go to Hengli Money Shop. It wasn't to take the old man's principal, but because Manager Shi had sent him a message yesterday, saying that his brother-in-law, Nala Eighty-Six, who was a captain in the Eight Banners in Jiangning, had come.

On the surface, Ba Liu brought his wife to Yangzhou to visit his brother-in-law, but in reality, he was there because of the canteen business his brother-in-law mentioned in his letter.

He had a rather unsatisfactory life in Jiangning these past few years, with setbacks in his official career and financial difficulties at home, so he was very interested in the canteen business that his brother-in-law mentioned.

This person is also the only Central Army officer that Zhao An has come into contact with so far.

Zuo Ling was a fourth-rank official, equivalent to a senior colonel.

Even a second-rank deputy general in the Green Standard Army couldn't match the prestige of a captain in the Eight Banners.

The officers and men sent by the Ministry of Justice to protect Censor Zhao have already returned to their posts. Now, Baili Yunlong and ten of his men will act as the "Young Master's" security personnel.

After leaving the county government office, Zhao An asked everyone to follow him to Hengli Money Exchange. Upon arrival, they discovered that although the money exchange was not closed, it had actually ceased operations.

One of the waiters recognized Lord Zhao and quickly invited him inside.

When Manager Shi, who was talking with his brother-in-law and his wife, heard that Lord Zhao had arrived, he naturally gave him a warm welcome and introduced Zhao An to his brother-in-law.

Unexpectedly, his brother-in-law, who was eighty-six, didn't even lift his buttocks, but just nodded at Zhao An.

He seemed to think he was very important.

It was probably because they felt that although Zhao An held the positions of censor and commissioner, his main job was a seventh-rank professor, and even if he were a bondservant, he wouldn't be worthy of their attention as a fourth-rank Eight Banners captain.

However, Zhao An, who was eighty-six years old and was also the younger sister of Manager Shi, got up and rushed in, and nodded and greeted her.

The Shi family were registered as bondservantes under the Imperial Household Department, and like other Manchus, the women of their household did not avoid outsiders.

This put Manager Shi in an awkward position. He thought to himself, "No wonder my brother-in-law has been stuck in his position as a Zuo Ling ever since he returned from the Jinchuan campaign. His interpersonal skills are not just bad, they're really terrible."

He had clearly said that Lord Zhao was currently favored by Grand Secretary He and highly regarded by the Emperor, and that his brother-in-law should be polite to him. But his words were like a fart.

She couldn't help but feel a little angry, but after all, he was her brother-in-law; could she really lose her temper on the spot?
Just as he was about to speak up to smooth things over, Zhao An chuckled and took out a box, from which he pulled out a golden rat and handed it to his wife, Madam Shi, who was eighty-six: "In a few days, it will be the Year of the Rat, as the Han people say. I have no gifts to offer to you and your wife, so I will use this golden rat as my way of wishing you and your wife a Happy New Year in advance."

(End of this chapter)