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

"Mr. Cheng, the imperial court's interest rates are already quite high."

"Although you and I start a bank to make a profit, our ultimate goal is to make it easier for merchants all over the world."

"If banks were run like the incense-based loans in the temples of Chang'an, causing public outrage and widespread suffering, wouldn't that be a disaster?"

"Moreover, the real money-making opportunity for Huinong Bank lies not in lending, but in the fees charged for depositing and withdrawing copper coins, as well as the freight business that complements the copper coin transportation. Focusing on these two areas is enough to recoup funds, so why fixate on interest rates?"

Yin Shaokang shared his "successful model" of Huinong Bank, which had been operating for about a year, with Cheng Zhuo and the others without reservation.

"...Your Jiannan Bank lacks circulating copper coins, and my Huinong Bank can help you transport some, in exchange for silk. In short, if this matter is accomplished, the branches of the Jiannan, Huinong, and Yangzhou banks can cover Jiannan, Guanzhong, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangnan, and Shannan, and the prototype of a nationwide remittance network can be formed!"

"If new banks are established in Bianzhou, Youzhou, Taiyuan, the Western Regions, and Guangzhou afterward, and they connect with our three banks, the flow of wealth throughout the world will be many times smoother than before. What a huge business this will be."

Having been in business for decades and seen many ups and downs, Cheng Zhuo still couldn't help but feel a sense of unease upon hearing Yin Shaokang's vision.

With the added "endorsement" of Yangzhou Bank, Cheng Zhuo was even more tempted.

"Young Master, please wait a moment. I need to discuss this with my colleagues."

The result of the discussions was, naturally, an agreement to cooperate.

Huinong Bank will inject 200,000 strings of cash into Jiannan Bank, which will be credited to the bank in five installments over five months. Jiannan Bank will initially open ten branches: five in Jiannan Circuit, and one each in Chang'an, Hanzhong, Liangzhou, Yutian, and Luoyang. As the bank expands, it may open more branches in the future.

By this time, hundreds of bank branches from the Western Regions to Chang'an, and then to Guanzhong, Jiannan, the Central Plains, and Jiangnan were interconnected, with the same interest rates. Money could also be withdrawn between the three banks: for example, if a merchant deposited money in Huinong Bank in Chang'an, he could also withdraw the money in Jiannan Bank in Liangzhou in the northwest by presenting a draft.

Merchants in the Tang Dynasty quickly learned of this major business event and praised the Huinong, Jiannan, and Yangzhou merchants highly.

Some ambitious businessmen even started making contacts: We also want to open a bank!

Yin Shaokang himself stayed in Yizhou Prefecture for more than ten days. After discussing and finalizing matters with Cheng Zhuo and others, he rushed to Chang'an to handle the final matters before setting off for Shandong.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in Chang'an, he was entangled by the city's wealthy people and couldn't get away for a while.

The first person to come knocking was Cen Lun, the money-catching magistrate of Chang'an.

Upon hearing that Yin Shaokang had arrived, Cen Lun rushed to the Chang'an branch of Huinong Bank and grabbed him, saying, "Well, well, we've finally caught our God of Wealth!"

"Brother Cen, what makes you say that?"

"Come on, come on, two important people are waiting for you!"

"No... Brother Cen, you..."

"Oh dear, hurry up, hurry up, I wouldn't hurt you..."

Cen Lun dragged Yin Shaokang onto the carriage, and after traveling for a while, they arrived at a magnificent mansion.

The plaque above the mansion reads "Pei Mansion".

"Brother Cen, the person living in this house should be Pei Mingli, the Assistant Minister of War, right?"

"You rascal, you're such a liar. Fine, since you already know, I won't bother introducing you."

Pei Mingli was a legendary merchant in the early Tang Dynasty.

He was originally from Shanxi. He was poor since childhood and drifted to Chang'an, where he made a living by collecting scraps.

While others simply collect trash, this person is adept at "turning waste into treasure." By sorting and reselling waste, he eventually became a well-known businessman and earned his first pot of gold.

Later, he used his first pot of gold to buy a piece of wasteland in the suburbs of Chang'an, where he engaged in animal husbandry, beekeeping, fruit trees, and printing. He succeeded in everything he did, and after several years of accumulation, he eventually became a very wealthy man in Chang'an.

When Fang Xuanling, a high-ranking official of the imperial court, heard about Pei Mingli's deeds, he summoned the man for an audience.

After the two exchanged poems, Fang Xuanling felt that he was a rare talent, so he found him an official position.

Pei Mingli is quite capable as an official. He started from a lowly position as the Registrar of the Imperial Secretariat and is now the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, a sixth-rank official.

Although such official titles are not something that would impress the scions of aristocratic families, it is already quite remarkable for someone who started as a commoner and rose to officialdom through commerce.

"Wei Kang has met with Lord Pei."

"Young Master, please take a seat!"

Pei Mingli had never met Yin Shaokang before, but he was still very enthusiastic.

Just as Cen Lun said earlier, Yin Shaokang at this time was a living god of wealth.

"Let me introduce you. This is my old friend, Zou Chuan."

Yin Shaokang was slightly startled: "Could it be Senior Zou from Zou's Bookstore?"

Zou Chuan smiled and said, "It seems that the young master knows a lot. This Zou's Bookstore is one of my businesses."

Yin Shaokang cupped his hands and said, "Disrespect, disrespect!"

"No, no, Xiao Cen. Now that our distinguished guest has arrived, shouldn't you serve the wine?"

"Of course! What are you waiting for? Bring on the wine!"

This Zou Chuan was also a giant in the Chang'an business community. His family, the Zou family, not only focused on the printing industry, but also dealt in grain, tea, and bamboo products. They were also one of the wealthiest merchant families in Chang'an.

After several rounds of drinks, the guests were all in high spirits.

Pei Mingli said, "Young Master is exceptionally intelligent and broad-minded. He has truly accomplished a great feat by connecting the Jiannan and Yangzhou banks!"

Yin Shaokang smiled and said, "Does Master Pei also want to get into this business?"

"Haha, that's exactly what I was thinking. How could my great Tang Dynasty's Chang'an, the capital of such a mighty nation, be without a Chang'an Bank?"

"Excellent! With the help of Lord Pei, Lord Zou, and Lord Cen, this great undertaking of connecting the world through trade is just around the corner!"

While four wealthy merchants were having a drink together, the fourth bank of the Tang Dynasty—Chang'an Bank—was about to emerge.

Yin Shaokang explained the terms of the cooperation to Pei Zou Cen and the other two in detail.

"...That's basically it. Guanzhong has the densest population, and Chang'an Bank has a geographical advantage, allowing it to expand north, west, and east. Liang Wenjin, the head manager of my Huimin Bank's Chang'an branch, is one of Wei's capable lieutenants left in Chang'an. You can ask him for specific details."

"Furthermore, I have a merchant friend named Shi Lin, who is also worth four or five hundred thousand strings of cash. He has lived in Chang'an for over ten years and can be considered a half-Chang'an resident. I would like to introduce Shi Lin to invest in Chang'an Bank. Would you all be willing to accept this?"

"Shi Lin? I've heard of him before; he's a leading figure among foreign merchants."

"Since you are a friend of the young master, you can naturally become a shareholder."

"Very well, I agree as well."

"On behalf of Shi Lin, I thank you all!"

"Young Master, there's no need to be so polite. Without your pioneering spirit, how could we have gotten involved in this business? Come on, bottoms up!"

"Dry!"

"Dry!"

This drinking session lasted for two hours.

Yin Shaokang was careful and didn't drink too much; Pei Mingli and Zou Chuan were too old to drink much.

So most of the wine ended up in Cen Lun's stomach, and he got completely drunk. In the end, Yin Shaokang had to carry him back.

Five days later, after finishing all his business in Chang'an, Yin Shaokang was finally able to pack his bags and head to Shandong.

When he was about to leave, Cen Lun came to see him off.

"Brother, isn't the business in Chang'an enough for you? Why are you going to Shandong?"

"I'm planning to lease a few large salt fields; would you be interested, Brother Cen?"

"The saltworks... I understand. You want to do business in white salt, the kind you gave me as gifts during the holidays?"