My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 227 Short Selling, Heavenly Khan
Su Ze frowned as well. He had no connection with Zhao Lingyun, and his first thought was that someone was trying to give him a gift through this method.

However, Su Ze shook his head again. Zhao Lingyun had not entered officialdom. If he needed help with something, he could just tell his wife directly. There was no need to use this method.

Su Ze asked:

"Brother-in-law, do you know how this silver dollar came about?"

Zhao Lingxian shook her head and said:
“He said he couldn’t explain it to me clearly, but if you ask, my husband, he can tell you about this magic trick for making money.”

Is this another magic trick for making money? Could it be that the sugar vendor is making money by paying for the sugar?

No, sugar prices have recently plummeted, and speculators have all lost money. How did Zhao Lingyun make money?
Su Ze still couldn't figure it out, so he simply asked his wife to call Zhao Lingyun home.

Half a day later, Zhao Lingyun came to the door.

Su Ze sized up his brother-in-law, who had a square face and wore a silk robe with a mink coat over it.

Both the silk robe and the mink coat were clearly new.

Su Ze frowned. It seemed that his brother-in-law had really made it big.

The Zhao family had strict family traditions, and most of the children studied in their hometown. Zhao Lingyun did not have the talent for studying, so he was left in the capital.

However, if Zhao Lingyun were to use Zhao Zhenji's name or his own to make money, he would likely be sent back to Sichuan the very next day.

Upon seeing Su Ze, Zhao Lingyun wanted to address him as his brother-in-law, but he swallowed the words back.

He was afraid of this aloof younger sister when he was a child, and after their marriage, her maternal authority increased even more. Last time she came to borrow money, Zhao Lingyun was very careful.

His brother-in-law was even more renowned, having already reached the fifth rank in less than two years of official service, and was a trusted and important minister of the emperor.

Zhao Lingyun thought of his great-uncle Zhao Zhenji, and realized that he was under similar pressure when facing Su Ze.

"Brother-in-law, please sit down and have some tea."

Su Ze called to the maids, and Zhao Lingyun finally relaxed. After all, they were family.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Su Ze asked, "Brother-in-law, where did you get these fifty silver dollars? If you don't explain it clearly, Third Sister won't feel at ease holding onto them."

Su Ze spoke casually, but Zhao Lingyun dared not make up a story and honestly replied:

"These silver dollars are what I earned from speculating on sugar coupons at the bulk grain trading market. My brother-in-law and third sister-in-law can take them; they're absolutely clean money!"

Su Ze had a guess in his mind, but still asked:
"But sugar coupons plummeted before the Lunar New Year, so how did my brother-in-law make money?"

Zhao Lingyun smiled. After getting to know Su Ze, he found that Su Ze was the same age as others, just a little more mature.

Moreover, unlike his peers, Su Ze, who came from a Hanlin family, did not discriminate against himself because he did not take the imperial examination.

This was quite rare in the first half of Zhao Lingyun's life.

The Zhao family was a scholarly family, and studying for the imperial examinations was the only criterion for judging the young people in the family.

Being bad at the imperial examinations was considered a waste of time. Someone like Zhao Lingyun, who discovered early on that he had no talent and gave up on the imperial examinations, was simply a rebel.

Feeling a sense of kinship, Zhao Lingyun, seeing that no one was around the study, then said:

"In studying for official positions, I am not as good as Su Lang, but in doing business, Su Lang is probably not as good as me."

"Oh?"

Zhao Lingyun said:
"I made my money from this drop!"

Su Ze had a rough idea of ​​Zhao Lingyun's "immortal arts," and he continued to ask:
"Appreciate further details!"

Seeing that Su Ze was also interested, Zhao Lingyun revealed his "magical method" for making money.

After listening to Zhao Lingyun's words, Su Ze's expression turned strange.

It turns out that Zhao Lingyun's approach had a financial term before Su Ze's time travel: "short selling".

Simply put, when sugar prices were high, Zhao Lingyun "borrowed" sugar coupons from speculators who held them.

Of course, he didn't borrow for nothing. He agreed to a very high interest rate, asked a middleman to pay a deposit, and even bought red notes from the Zhenfu Division to pay the stamp duty before he could borrow the sugar coupons.

After borrowing the sugar coupons, Zhao Lingyun immediately sold them all at a high price.

Before the Lunar New Year, sugar prices plummeted, and the price of sugar coupons dropped even more drastically. At this critical moment, Zhao Lingyun bought sugar coupons from the market at a low price and got back his deposit.

After deducting stamp duty and interest, Zhao Lingyun still made a fortune, even more than those speculators who profited from the rising sugar coupon prices.

Su Ze looked at his brother-in-law and thought, "Brother-in-law, if you're not a time traveler, then you're a financial genius!"

Will future futures traders all treat you like a patriarch and worship you?
You could even think of such a brilliant method?

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh, realizing that this world was indeed not lacking in intelligent people.

Some people thought of speculating on sugar coupons, hoping to profit from the rise in sugar coupon prices, while others were bearish on sugar coupons and hoped to profit from the fall in sugar coupon prices.

Isn't this how futures trading naturally developed?
Su Ze asked again:
"Brother-in-law, how did you predict that the price of sugar coupons would plummet?"

Zhao Lingyun immediately replied, "Of course, it depends on the market!"

Fearing that Su Ze might not understand, Zhao Lingyun explained:

"Before the Lunar New Year, Nanyang and Jiaozhi were frantically shipping sugar to our Great Ming. Next year, the plantations in Penghu will start producing sugar. Merchants all know the market situation before the Lunar New Year, but it is the highest sugar price in recent years. I made a special trip to Zhigu. The dockworkers were unloading cargo hold by hold, and the dock was piled high with sugar."

"But the price of sugar in the capital has risen, which is unreasonable. Sugar is not a necessity. Ordinary people can buy some to take home for the New Year when the price is low, and they can simply not buy it when the price is high."

"High-ranking officials and nobles have their own channels and look down on coarse sugar from the common people."

"The rise in sugar prices is the result of unscrupulous merchants hoarding sugar coupons and driving up their prices."

Goodness, Su Ze could only say that his brother-in-law wasn't just shorting stocks randomly; he had done thorough market research.

Zhao Lingyun said:
"I'm certain that sugar prices will collapse, that's why I came up with this way to make money."

Su Ze was now completely convinced; Zhao Lingyun deserved to make money.

However, Su Ze still took out the money box and said:

“Brother-in-law, you should take these fifty silver dollars back. Third Sister said it’s only right for an elder brother to come and borrow money. Charging interest would only strain the bond between siblings.”

Zhao Lingyun was a smart man. He understood Su Ze's meaning and knew that Su Ze and his wife were not short of money.

He didn't refuse and readily put the money box away.

Anyway, my nephew or niece will be born after the New Year, so I'll prepare a big gift. My sister and brother-in-law can't possibly return it, can they?
It's only natural for a maternal uncle to dote on his nephew.
However, Su Ze still spoke gently:

"Brother-in-law, investing is risky, so you should be cautious."

Zhao Lingyun said:
"Of course! Don't worry, Su Lang."

Looking at Zhao Lingyun's expression, Su Ze wasn't sure if he had listened to Zhao Lingyun, but remembering that he hadn't been able to dissuade anyone from investing in stocks in his previous life, Su Ze could only take Zhao Lingyun home for dinner.
-
Time flies, but this year is much quieter than last year.

Shen Yiguan had not yet returned, so Su Ze led his wife to visit Shen Yiguan's wife, Madam Du, and encouraged Shen Taihong in his studies before leaving behind a pile of New Year's gifts.

Shen Shixing's family has moved to Zhigu, and Zhao Lingxian has prepared holiday gifts and sent them over.

Of the remaining friends, Su Ze, who stayed in the capital, visited them in advance and sent them holiday gifts.

In the Ming Dynasty officialdom, visiting friends was usually done before the Lunar New Year, while visiting relatives was the main activity afterward. However, Su Ze could only visit the Zhao family, a close relative's household, after the Lunar New Year.

Last year during the Spring Festival, Su Ze visited several senior officials, but now that he has been promoted to the fifth rank, it is no longer appropriate to visit them one by one.

Last year, Su Ze was still a newcomer to the officialdom, with a low rank, so paying respects to the bigwigs was considered proper etiquette.

So Su Ze only went to Gao Gong's residence to deliver a gift, did not stay long, and left after exchanging pleasantries.

Grand Secretary Li Chunfang and Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng were visited by Zhao Lingxian with gifts.

This is where the role of the imperial edict becomes apparent.

After being granted the title, Zhao Lingxian became a noblewoman and thus gained the right to associate with the wives of high-ranking officials.

The wives of high-ranking officials were also noblewomen, and it was common for noblewomen to visit each other.

We were busy with things before the New Year, so Zhao Lingxian prepared all the gifts.

What was given to Li Chunfang was a Taoist book left behind by Shao Yuanjie, a famous Taoist priest from the previous dynasty.

The reason why the Jiajing Emperor was a devout follower of Taoism is related to the tradition of emperors seeking longevity, but it is also related to his experiences after ascending the throne.

Shao Yuanjie was the first Taoist priest favored by the Jiajing Emperor.

But this Taoist priest was indeed amazing.

After Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, he remained childless until the age of thirty.

The Jiajing Emperor was able to ascend the throne because the previous emperor had no heir, and the Great Rites Controversy he initiated upon his succession was a terrifying prospect, especially if he too were to die without an heir.

After entering the palace, Shao Yuanjie proposed to perform a ritual for Emperor Jiajing to pray for an heir.

After the ceremony, the emperor began to have children.

When Su Ze first transmigrated, he also studied the records left by the Hanlin Academy and couldn't figure out how Shao Yuanjie helped Jiajing have a child.

This skill, even if it were before Su Ze's transmigration, would probably have been revered as a celestial being by countless successful people.

Shao Yuanjie was a legitimate Taoist priest from the Longhu Mountain lineage and a master of internal alchemy. The Taoist books he left behind naturally suited Li Chunfang's taste.

The gift Zhao Lingxian gave to Zhang Juzheng's family was a set of exquisite nautical charts.

This nautical chart was presented by a foreign merchant and then revised and edited by Su Ze. It is the rubbing of the nautical chart that hangs in the East Palace.

Zhao Lingxian was at the Zhang residence when she chatted with Zhang Juzheng's wife and learned that Zhang Jingxiu had gone to Laizhou, which is why she decided to send this gift.

As expected, Grand Secretary Zhang didn't say anything on the surface, but he immediately returned a very generous gift, clearly very satisfied with the gift Zhao Lingxian had prepared.

As expected, having a virtuous wife makes life much easier. This year's Lunar New Year was much easier and more lively for Su Ze than last year.

In addition to the gifts he sent out, Su Ze's relatives and friends also sent him many gifts.

The most valuable item was a top-quality horse that Qi Jiguang ordered his men to send from Shanxi.

According to Qi Jiguang, this precious horse was a Guli Gan horse.

The Guligan are a tribe near the far north of the Gobi Desert, where the days are long and the nights are short.

This tribe once paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty and presented fine horses as gifts.

Emperor Li Shimin, who was most knowledgeable about judging horses, once commented on the Guli Gan horse:

"His bones are large and thick, his mane is high and broad, his eyes are like hanging mirrors, his head is like a brick, his legs are like a deer but less round, his neck is like a phoenix but thinner, he is strong and vigorous, his nose is large and his breathing is shallow, and he has no shortage of breath."

Having seen the Guligan horse in person, Su Ze confirmed that it was a cold-resistant breed of horse from the vicinity of Lake Baikal.

Su Ze looked at the tall, fine horse and accepted it in front of Qi Jiguang's envoy.

However, Su Ze planned to send the horse to the Martial Arts Academy after the New Year. As a civil official, he didn't need such a good horse, so it would be better to give it to the students of the Martial Arts Academy to practice horsemanship.

In contrast, Tu Zemin, as a civil official, was more reserved.

What Tu Zemin sent was a Western-style clock.

Su Ze felt a little strange when he received the gift, but it seemed that there was no custom of not giving clocks as gifts in the Ming Dynasty. He was also very interested in the Western clockmaking technology of this era, so he readily accepted the clock from Tu Zeming.

But after seeing the clock, Su Ze was somewhat disappointed.

This clock should be considered a wind-up clock, but there is only one hour hand on the clock face, so you can only roughly read the hour.

Moreover, Su Ze discovered that the clock's accuracy was also very poor, with a considerable error every day, even worse than the water clock currently used in the Ming Dynasty.

If you think about it carefully, precise timekeeping clocks didn't exist until Galileo discovered the pendulum motion, and only then did craftsmen create pendulum clocks based on this principle.

Humanity entered the era of precise timekeeping with the advent of the pendulum clock.

However, Galileo was only a short time old at the time and certainly had not yet discovered the isochronism principle of the pendulum.

Clocks in this era were more like decorative items and luxury goods in the homes of the nobility.

Having realized this, Su Ze lost interest.

After the New Year, we'll publish the pendulum principle in the "New Yuefu Gazette" and see if the Ming Dynasty craftsmen can invent a more accurate pendulum.

Before the New Year, the emperor bestowed money upon officials in the capital. Su Ze was exceptionally granted a gold coin, which Zhao Lingxian took and placed in the ancestral hall.

This year, the Crown Prince did not bestow money, but instead rewarded all the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices with a mirror.

Su Ze obtained a half-length mirror, which attracted Zhao Lingxian's infatuation.

The Crown Prince then presented the Empress and Consort Li with full-length mirrors, which caused a sensation among the upper echelons of the capital.

Mirrors that could clearly reflect a person's image, mirrors that did not require mirror polishers to frequently polish away the patina, and full-length mirrors that were as clear as crystal, became the most popular luxury items among the upper class in the capital.

The exorbitant prices have become a symbol of status, and all the large mirrors in the Donggong store have been sold out, with reservations booked until March after the new year.

Besides mirrors, newly emerging glass also became a trend.

Glass, which allows good light transmission but does not leak air, replaced paper windows and became the choice for the wealthy and powerful families in the capital to spend the winter.

Su Ze also replaced all the windows in his bedroom with glass. The warm winter sun shone into the room through the glass. Sitting on the recliner by the window, enjoying the warmth of the heated walls, this became the most pleasant time for Su Ze during the holiday before the New Year.

The festive season has finally arrived, and amidst the jubilation, the third year of the Longqing reign has quietly passed.

On the 14th day of the first month of the fourth year of the Longqing reign, news came from the capital that the mission to Mongolia had arrived at Longquanyi outside the capital.

The Longqing Emperor dispatched his crown prince to welcome the delegation outside the city. Upon hearing the news, the people of the capital also flocked out of the city to welcome the delegation that had returned to bestow titles upon Anda Khan.

Su Ze followed in the procession of officials, and the first person he saw was the deputy envoy Shen Yiguan.

Immediately afterwards, one person stepped forward from the delegation.

Shunyi King Anda Khan sent his grandson, Bahannaji, as a tribute envoy.

Bahannaji, dressed in Han Chinese clothing, knelt and bowed to Crown Prince Zhu Yijun. Immediately afterward, a group of Mongol leaders behind him also presented tributes.

This scene had been rehearsed many times on the road. The Mongolian leaders moved in unison, drawing cheers from the onlookers.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted "Heavenly Khan!" and the crowd erupted in cheers!
(End of this chapter)