Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Cen Lun was undoubtedly a greedy person.

If it weren't for his greed, he wouldn't have become a minor official dealing with money.

Of course, greedy people are often easier to deal with because their weaknesses are obvious enough.

Huang Chaojun's establishment of Huimin Bank is a business open to the public, inevitably involving dealings with such people. Cen Lun's current position is crucial to Huimin Bank's development in Chang'an. Through Cen Lun, one can also make connections with other useful individuals, which is why Yin Shaokang had to make a trip to Chang'an to meet him in person.

In July, Chang'an was gradually becoming hot.

By August, the hottest days in Chang'an will have arrived.

Upon arriving in Chang'an, Yin Shaokang took advantage of the slightly cool morning weather, accompanied by his servants and leading his horse, to Liquanfang and Qunxianfang near the West Market of Chang'an to trade with the foreign merchants there.

To facilitate the management of foreign merchants, the Tang government designated Liquanfang and Qunxianfang as "Fanfang" (vassal wards), specifically for foreigners to reside and trade.

Yin Shaokang was a regular customer here. When they saw him arrive, the Hu merchants greeted him warmly, and some even brought out their best goods to promote to him.

"Young Master Wei, this is newly arrived Persian glass, and also agate..."

"Come and see my ivory..."

"Young Master Wei, my household has recently acquired a batch of Sogdian female slaves. Their skin is as white as porcelain, and they can dance the dances of seven countries..."

Yin Shaokang instructed his men to select and purchase in-demand goods, while he himself wandered through the streets and alleys of Liquanfang, finally stopping in front of a large mansion and knocking on the door.

The person who opened the door was a burly Kunlun slave. When he saw Yin Shaokang, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Young Master Wei, the master has been waiting for you for quite some time."

Kunlun Nu, speaking broken Chinese, bowed and invited Yin Shaokang inside.

Yin Shaokang took out a few silver coins and handed them to Kunlun Nu, which made the latter very happy.

The owner of this place is a wealthy merchant from the Kingdom of Shi, whose Chinese name is Shi Lin.

Shiguo is present-day Tashkent, which was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty at the time, and the imperial court even stationed troops there. The area was a thriving commercial center, and many people made their fortunes through business.

"Brother Shi!"

"Young Master Wei!"

"Come, come, please have a seat."

After the guests were seated, the host's singers and dancers filed out, and meat soup and fine wine were served.

Shi Lin was very enthusiastic because this young man had brought him considerable benefits in the past.

Every transaction between the two parties was settled using high-purity Persian silver coins, a practice that differed from that of other Tang Dynasty merchants. Compared to Tang Dynasty copper coins, Shi Lin, as a foreign friend, preferred Persian silver coins.

"This is white wine from Gaochang, Young Master Wei, you must try it."

Shi Lin personally poured fine wine for Yin Shaokang, using a Persian glass cup with a raised ring pattern.

The wine is clear and has a pale green color, which complements the glass perfectly.

Yin Shaokang took a sip and his eyes lit up.

"This liquor is really strong!"

"Isn't it delicious? This wine has another name in Gaochang Kingdom, called 'shaojiu' (烧酒), and it's incredibly strong."

To avoid getting drunk and making mistakes, Yin Shaokang only drank a few cups before putting down his drinking utensils.

"Brother Shi, are the things you prepared for my friend ready yet?"

"Alright, the imperial court is cracking down hard, so these kinds of goods dare not enter Chang'an. I'll just temporarily store that thing at my manor in Hu County."

Hu County is a county near Chang'an, where many wealthy people own villas in the countryside.

As he spoke, Shi Lin instructed his servants to bring a bamboo tube used for holding water. After removing the wax seal, an unpleasant smell immediately wafted out from inside.

Yin Shaokang took the bamboo tube and looked inside.

No problem, it's kerosene.

"Brother Shi, where do you get your kerosene from?"

"That place is very far away, in the territory of the Abbasid Caliphate, in a city called Maluo."

Malho is the same as today's Bashida.

"My friend makes ink, so he might need some of this. Could you please send some more, Brother Shi?"

"Okay, but the journey is long, and it will take at least half a year to make it."

"No problem, Brother Shi, you can bring more over. I'll cover the expenses and costs along the way."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lin repeatedly agreed.

As he spoke, Yin Shaokang took out a bank draft and handed it to Shi Lin.

"Young Master Wei, what is this?"

"A new people-benefiting bank has opened in Chang'an, Brother Shi, have you heard of it?"

"I've heard of it. It's like a money exchange that lends money to depositors. They charge extremely low interest rates, so many businessmen who are short of cash go to them to borrow money."

Yin Shaokang laughed and said, "This Huimin Bank is my creation."

Shi Lin asked in surprise, "You opened this? Why did you decide to open a pawn shop again?"

"Because the teller shops make money, and our Huimin Bank not only allows you to deposit and lend money, but also allows you to withdraw money in other places."

Yin Shaokang then explained the operating model of Huimin Bank to Shi Lin.

"...To put it somewhat arrogantly, I currently earn five thousand guan a month just from handling fees, and it will be even more in the future."

Shi Lin, a seasoned businessman with decades of experience, quickly realized how dangerous Huimin Bank was.

"This draft is specially made for you, unlike the ones issued to others. Others can use drafts to withdraw copper coins at the bank; but yours is the only one that can be used to withdraw Persian silver coins. Come with me later, and I'll introduce you to Manager Liang at the bank. It will make things easier for you to withdraw money and handle other matters in the future."

"Alright, I'll go with you right now... Young Master Wei, what's wrong with your head? How could you come up with such a brilliant idea?"

"Haha, as long as you read more books every day, your brain will become smarter."

Shi Lin followed Yin Shaokang to Huimin Bank, located in Yanshoufang.

There are quite a few business people here doing business, both depositing and borrowing money.

Upon seeing the young master arrive, Manager Liang, who was in charge, immediately came forward to greet him.

"Is this the Manager Shi you were talking about?"

"Good, from now on, you will personally handle Manager Shi's affairs."

"promise!"

Manager Liang's real name was Liang Wenjin. He was a silver-tongued man and a natural businessman. He not only arranged the withdrawal of silver coins for Shi Lin, but also persuaded Shi Lin to deposit another seven thousand strings of cash into the bank.

Before leaving, Yin Shaokang, together with Liang Wenjin, escorted Shi Lin out of the neighborhood.

"Wenjin, have you found out anything about Cen Lun's background?"

"We found out. The Cen family originally ran a tea business. Because their business was so large, they were noticed by the government, and someone from the Cen family was selected to be the 'Chang'an Money Catcher'."

The selection of officials to be in charge of catching money was based on the candidates' economic capabilities.

First, candidates must be "well-off," meaning their families must already be wealthy.

Secondly, candidates must be "physically capable of business operations," meaning they must have practical business experience.

Luo Yuyang from Xiangzhou and Cen Lun from Chang'an both met these two criteria, which is why they were selected.

What does this person like?

"Nothing special, just money, fine wine and women, especially good wine."

He turned out to be a debauched man.

"He likes to drink? Looks like I'll have to go find Manager Shi again and bring him some of his good wine."