Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 299 "New Regulations for the Capital City"? The good days are over!

For the market, supporting price increases is itself a way of supporting the Jiangnan gentry in order to resist the Western Hills.

In the past, there was a prevailing opinion in the market that "Xishan is doomed." Anyone with a little knowledge of finance could calculate that, given Xishan's capabilities, it would be impossible for it to survive in the bottomless pit of Jiangnan.

Once Xishan collapses, those cheap coal briquettes, glass, cloth, and other goods will become a thing of the past.

Their gamble was to rush up and devour the West Mountain the moment it collapsed.

However, Xu Jie and others did not understand this principle, or rather, they simply disdained to understand a heretical theory.

As for the "gamblers" in the futures market who are blinded by money, even if they have doubts, they will convince themselves because of the immediate benefits.

Wenyuan Pavilion.

Shen Shixing had just finished processing a dozen impeachment documents. These numerous impeachment memorials were all in response to the call of "Jia Dao's Memorial," launching one counterattack after another against the "petty villains" in the court.

Even outside the Meridian Gate, there were already censors kneeling and remonstrating with the emperor, determined to force the emperor and the cabinet to make a statement on this matter.

Previously, they had no concrete evidence to impeach Zhang Yunxiu, but now, the evidence of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau's "collusion with the enemy" is right in front of them.

The sheer volume of cargo handled, coupled with the mobilization of naval vessels, is an undeniable fact.

Are the Emperor and the Cabinet going to keep protecting Zhang Yunxiu? Where is the law under heaven?

Shen Shixing looked at the memorials with a worried expression, sighed, and said to Zhang Juzheng.

“Master En, now that things have come to this, there is no need to insist. I humbly request that you enter the palace to meet His Majesty. It seems that matters in Jiangnan should be put on hold for the time being.”

To be fair, Xu Zisheng and the En family still have a teacher-student relationship. Sending someone to persuade them with reason and emotion should be able to stabilize the situation in Jiangnan and Beizhili.

He sighed again, looked at the snow piled on the branches outside the window, and said...

"The people of the Ming Dynasty can't hold on any longer. We can't continue like this, lest it plunge the country into chaos."

"Don't worry about that. There are more important things to do right now."

But Zhang Juzheng interrupted him directly.

It was already dark. Inside the dimly lit and secluded Wenyuan Pavilion, Zhang Juzheng's face was illuminated by the flickering light of the kerosene lamp.

"The Emperor's Residence?" Shen Shixing's eyes widened, wondering what the other party meant.

But then Zhang Juzheng gave his instructions in a deep, resonant voice, very smoothly.

"Firstly, following the example of Xishan, the Ministry of Revenue, in conjunction with the futures trading market, should draft a new set of 'New Regulations for the Circulation of the Capital City,' stipulating the upper limit for the stockpiling of goods by merchants of all sizes, and setting the range for price fluctuations. If there are any significant fluctuations in the future, the crime of hoarding and speculating by merchants of all sizes will be strictly investigated."

If he was completely confused before, Shen Shixing's mind is now blank. What does this mean?
Putting aside the fact that Zhang Juzheng's way of speaking is exactly the same as his youngest son Zhang Yunxiu's.

Judging from the content of this decree, it sounds as if the troubles of "rising prices" and the dispute in Jiangnan have already been resolved.
But Zhang Juzheng, not allowing any dissent, continued speaking.

Secondly, gather 1,000 elite troops from the three major camps and, for the next ten days, intensify patrols and vigilance inside and outside the imperial city to prevent petty criminals from taking advantage of the chaos.

Thirdly.

At this point, Zhang Juzheng paused, a slight smile appearing on his face as he spoke.

"The grain and goods that we stockpiled in the Ever-Normal Granary during the spring and summer can now be put to use. The Ministry of Revenue and the Court of Imperial Stud should keep a close eye on them. If necessary, the silver from the Imperial Granary can also be used."

After saying this, he let out a long breath and slumped down in the armchair, as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden.

"Winter is approaching. The court is not facing any major difficulties this year. We should provide more relief to the displaced people and lower the prices of goods."

"Your Majesty." Shen Shixing belatedly realized that the current predicament had clearly taken a turn for the better.

Zhang Juzheng didn't explain, but simply sat on his somewhat worn-out armchair and spoke leisurely.

"The weather is getting colder and colder. If we burn the fat from this fat pig, more people will live, and our Great Ming Dynasty can live a few more years."

Shen Shixing's eyes widened, and something seemed to be tightly clenching in his heart.

He nodded emphatically.

"Student understands."

In a private room on the second floor of Shop No. 39.

Wang Shimao, dressed in a gray Taoist robe, leaned comfortably against the meditation chair. He glanced at the price list downstairs and sighed to his nephew.

"This futures market is a wonderful thing. In just a few months, I have earned more money than I have in the past ten years."

If we could consistently generate such income, why would my Wang family have to worry about not being able to establish ourselves in Jiangnan?

Wang Shiqi was engrossed in reading a vernacular novel when he said with a smile.

"Making money while lying down? Who would have thought such a good thing could exist? This is all thanks to Zhang Weishi of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If it weren't for him creating this futures market, how could you and I, uncle and nephew, be so leisurely?"

At this point, Wang Shiqi lowered his voice.

"Uncle, I've already made arrangements for a private room at Zuixiang Pavilion tonight. The most beautiful girls in Dongsi Archway will be there to keep us company. You should conserve your energy during the day, Uncle."

Wang Shimao blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but still asked in a low voice.

"It must cost quite a bit of money to hire those girls, right?"

“Uncle,” Wang Shiqi said, frowning, “talking about money is too vulgar. What we have most of right now is money; we should be using it for relief.”

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

The uncle and nephew then burst into a rather manic laugh.

After a while, Wang Shimao said with some emotion, "The futures market is good, but it's a thing of the past. Xishan is now like meat on a chopping board. Everyone wants a piece of the pie. It won't be so easy to make money in the future."

Wang Shiqi, however, said nonchalantly, "Uncle, you're overthinking things. If the futures market in Xishan is gone, we can just open another one."

If the emperor wants to secure his position, he will ultimately have to rely on people like us to guard the region for him.

Even if an emperor forgets his roots, he will still stumble and fall.

By directly using the Wanli Emperor as a topic of conversation, Wang Shiqi can hardly be described as anything but arrogant.

In the past, Wang Shimao would have given him a good scolding, but what Wang Shiqi said was exactly what he wanted to hear.

Just as the uncle and nephew were talking, thunderous shouts rang out from downstairs again.

"Bullish!"

"Bullish!"

"Bullish!"

Wang Shiqi made no attempt to hide his madness, leaning against the second-floor railing, waving his fists and shouting loudly.

The most frenzied time in the futures market is whenever the commodity price display is updated.

Wang Shimao picked up a glass of wine, looked at the frenzied crowd, and shook his head helplessly. He was mindful of his status and naturally wouldn't join in the commotion, but his eyes never left the display board.

"Prices updated!"

With a shout from a teahouse waiter, staff from the futures market came forward to flip through and update the display boards.

The process was incredibly fast, and everyone held their breath, watching the changes on the display board.

But after the last wooden sign was replaced, the futures market fell into a deathly silence.

One person made an incredulous sound.

"It's green? How could it be green?"

To differentiate between rises and falls, the futures market display boards now use "green" and "red" to represent declines and rises, respectively. For the past month, red has almost dominated, symbolizing prosperity.

But today, it suddenly turned green. Most of the dozens of price items on the display board were green, with only a few red ones.

The futures market was immediately in an uproar.

"How can it be green! This doesn't make sense economically!"

"Zhang Shiyuan is about to confess and be punished, how could he possibly turn green? It must be a shady operation. Is Zhang Shiyuan still trying to make a last-ditch effort?"

"No, I need to go to the shop and take a look. Why have the prices suddenly dropped so much?"

The second floor.

"This is impossible!"

Wang Shiqi stared incredulously at the green expanse below, as if that green was a garment he was wearing on his own head.

"Xishan is no good. We clearly won, so prices are bound to rise again. How can they suddenly drop before reaching their peak?"
If it's to be demolished, it will have to be after Xishan has completely collapsed.

This doesn't make sense!

Having been immersed in the futures market for months, Wang Shiqi has naturally developed his own unique theory.

"Don't panic."

Wang Shimao said leisurely from behind.

"It's just a few minor adjustments."

In front of him was an account book, which he wrote and drew on as he explained to Wang Shiqi.

"When an article was published in the Gyeonggi Ilbo, everyone knew in their hearts that Zhang Shiyuan was finished, and they must still be a little panicked."

But when they realize that Jiangnan is the ultimate winner, market confidence will return, and naturally, prices will rise steadily!

Wang Shimao's sharp gaze said, "Uncle Jiong, don't be anxious. It's only dropped by five points, which is common. Wait a moment, and I think that once the market closes today and the news spreads, it will definitely rise again."

Once the imperial court has reached a conclusion and His Majesty has made a decision, that will be the time for us to gradually sell off our holdings and reap the rewards.

That's the way of futures trading: you have to seize the right opportunity.

Wang Shiqi let out a breath and said, "This is indeed my presumptuous remark."

He sat back down in the private room, but his eyes never left the display board, even though the next update wouldn't be until half an incense stick later.

Inside the futures market hall, half-burnt incense sticks were lit beneath the display boards. Once the incense burned out, the prices would be updated.

At this moment, the hall was no longer as cheerful as before, because the drop in prices made many people start to have doubts.

"The news seems unreliable. Could Zhang Shiyuan have a backup plan?"

"It's definitely a case of shady dealings in the futures market. Just look around, where are you seeing anyone selling futures contracts? Everyone is buying them."

"I am optimistic about the rise in soybean prices, and I will purchase all soybeans at reasonable prices."

Many wealthy merchants, upon seeing prices fall, actually start buying up contracts, specifically targeting categories where prices have fallen the most.

Just then, a fast horse suddenly arrived at the entrance of the futures market, and a servant boy came running up, looking travel-worn.

"Master, something terrible has happened! Master, something terrible has happened!"

It's unclear whose futures "scout" he is, but he's dedicated to gathering all sorts of news in the capital for his master, in order to predict the rise and fall of futures prices.

The head of the family tried to avoid it, but others still overheard the news.

"The imperial court is going to issue the 'New Regulations for the Capital'? This is tyranny! How can the imperial court govern the country with such a harsh calendar! Zhang Jiangling is truly despicable!"

Upon hearing that the imperial court intended to control hoarding and speculation, some people immediately began to curse and swear.

He only focused on the "strict calendar" and didn't mention at all that the court should provide relief to the disaster victims.

Everyone knew that once the imperial court implemented this decree, the prices of goods in the capital would inevitably fall.

No one wanted to believe the result.

However, news kept coming in that the "New Regulations for the Capital" were passed by the imperial court in just a few days and issued to the Ministry of Revenue, the Five City Garrison Offices and other government offices for implementation.

Someone cursed, "Zhang Jiangling is bending the law for personal gain, trying to help his good son! Why are the officials of the court indifferent?"

For a time, everyone pinned their hopes on the upright officials in the capital who could put some pressure on this decree.

However, with the release of the "New Regulations on Urban Renewal in Beijing," a series of news items have followed.

"Rumor has it that His Majesty is determined to help Zhang Shiyuan. Xishan earns hundreds of thousands of taels of silver for the palace every month, so the Emperor will surely protect him."

"Rumor has it that the officials in the imperial court are discussing the matter of 'opening up the seas.' If the seas are opened, Xishan can earn even more silver!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's edition of the *Wanli Xinbao* is ready!"

The newsboy's shouts jolted the merchants awake, and they rushed forward like madmen, snapping up all the newspapers the newsboy had sold.

Almost everyone had red eyes, staring intently at the contents of the Wanli Xinbao newspaper, afraid of missing a single piece of information.

"Financial report? What's that?"

After receiving the newspaper, Wang Shiqi looked at the data and tables, somewhat bewildered.

"These must be the ledgers and notices for money and provisions."

Wang Shimao also frowned. The Ming Dynasty did not have an accurate expression such as "financial report", but they could still roughly understand the meaning by reading the words.

As he watched, Wang Shimao couldn't help but feel a little alarmed, and said with envy.

"West Mountain can actually earn so much silver!"

With an income of nearly 500,000 taels per month, and still rising steadily, if Xishan continues to develop, it will truly be richer than a country.

Wang Shiqi was also somewhat envious: "With such income from Xishan, if we had the opportunity to control it in the future, even the emperor would have to give us some face."

The listener may not mean it, but the speaker may have a hidden agenda.

"This is bad." Wang Shimao's eyes turned serious. "This is Zhang Shiyuan's trick!"

"A trick?" Wang Shiqi hadn't reacted yet. He looked at the display board downstairs and cursed again. "Damn it, it's gone down again!"

Wang Shimao, however, spoke in a hurried manner.

"Quickly summon all the gentry and merchants from Jiangnan in the capital, as well as the merchants we know. If we can find Shanxi merchants, that would be even better."

This is Zhang Shiyuan's scheme; we must be on guard!

Unlike the merchants who were crying and wailing, Wang San hid among the crowd.

Dressed in merchant's attire, he had Wang Dengku's instructions firmly in mind.

Wang San weaved through the crowd, gathering information from all sides. He then spotted the Wanli Xinbao newspaper again, and his face seemed somewhat conflicted.

In the end, he distanced himself from the crowd and headed towards the futures market counter.

Ignoring the strange looks from others, Wang San made a decisive move and slapped the receipt on the transaction counter.

"Two hundred thousand taels of futures, all settled!"

(End of this chapter)