Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Salt permits existed as early as the reign of Emperor Taizong. Merchants transported grain to the border, and the government issued permits, which could be used to exchange for salt for resale.

Later, during the Qingli era, Fan Xiang felt that this was too troublesome, so he reformed the salt certificate system, directly selling salt certificates and exchanging them for salt. The court then used the revenue to purchase border grain.

During the Yuanfeng era, the salt monopoly law was implemented, which further restricted salt producers. Those who fled or sold smuggled salt were all severely punished!

This means that the government controlled everything from production to sales!

The officials of the Song Dynasty were the most business-savvy and knew how to make money. They would lower the purchase price for salt farmers while raising the price of salt. The profits in between were considerable!

Gao Zhao glanced at the salt certificate in front of him; it was a certificate for salt from the southeast sea, weighing two hundred catties per certificate and worth six strings of cash. He then looked at the salt certificate next to it, and asked, "What's the difference between these two?"

"Jieyan salt is Hedong salt, mainly circulated in the Hedong and Shaanxi areas. Southeast salt is used in more places; it can be used anywhere!"

Seeing his thoughtful expression, the manager asked gently, "Does the young master intend to engage in the salt trade, or would he prefer to use these salt certificates as paper money?"

Gao Zhao understood what he meant: if you want to sell salt, you should take the salt permit to the salt field to exchange for salt, and then sell it everywhere to make a profit.

If used as paper money, this salt certificate is backed by salt, making it very durable and more convenient than carrying copper coins when traveling. Of course, it is even more convenient for other purposes, such as when you want to report your thoughts to your superiors, the appearance of this salt certificate is not so abrupt.

Unlike those idiots, who messed around with the birthday gifts... they got robbed!

After thinking for a moment, Gao Zhao nodded and asked, "How much does it cost?"

The shopkeeper's smile widened, and he tapped the price on the salt certificate, saying, "Fixed price!"

Gao Zhao laughed too, then cursed, "You think I'm stupid! At this price, wouldn't I buy it from the salt commissioner? You're so dishonest, let's go to another place!"

After saying that, Gao Zhao turned to leave.

The steward hurriedly exclaimed, "Young master, please wait! I'm not trying to deceive you. It's true that you can buy salt at the salt monopoly, but it's not easy to do so. The trips back and forth, the queues, and the bribes involved make it even less worthwhile!"

Gao Zhao scoffed and turned to Lu Qian, asking, "Do I have to queue and bribe officials to go to the salt commissioner?"

Lu Qian smiled slightly and looked at the steward, saying, "This is the son of Grand Commandant Gao of the Palace Guard!"

The steward's expression immediately changed, and he said solemnly, "So it's Young Master Gao! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Gao Zhao didn't offer any sarcastic remarks, but simply smiled and said, "It wouldn't be fair for you to sell it to me at the original price now!"

The steward chuckled, "Since you're a young master, the original price is naturally unsuitable. I can offer a discount of five percent!"

Gao Zhao nodded. This was a 5% discount. It seemed that the price of salt permits was indeed firm, and even his great reputation couldn't shake it much!

He then asked, "What if I buy a lot?"

The steward's expression was somewhat strange, but he still said, "Young master, we don't offer much profit here. If we offer any more, we'll have to ask our manager!"

Gao Yi stood behind him, watching him haggle nervously, and really wanted to step forward and remind him, "Young master, have you forgotten you're broke?"

"Here's what we'll do!" Gao Zhao looked up and said seriously, "I want the salt permits, but I don't want to pay for them! Do you have any ideas on how to resolve this?"

The steward's face stiffened, his smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "Young master, are you perhaps joking with me, trying to make fun of me?"

"Do you think I have that kind of free time?" Gao Zhao said unhappily. "I mean, could you lend me the salt permits first? I'll pay the interest!"

The manager's face relaxed, but he was speechless. He just wanted to borrow on credit, but the manager thought he was going to rob him!

The owner behind a money-making shop that can operate here is certainly no ordinary person!

Although Gao Qiu enjoyed the emperor's favor, he was not so lawless as to be completely unruly!

He said somewhat awkwardly, "Please don't be offended, young master, but our shop has no precedent for this!"

Gao Zhao waved his hand and said, "That's because you hadn't met me yet! If you had, you would have had me much earlier!"

"I can't make that decision myself, young master. Please wait a moment while I consult the manager."

After saying that, the steward hurriedly left, and soon returned with a middle-aged man.

"Haha... It's an honor to have Young Master Gao grace our humble establishment with his presence!" The middle-aged man smiled heartily and gestured, "I already know the purpose of your visit, Young Master Gao. How about we come inside for a chat?"

Gao Zhao nodded and followed him into the inner room, where a waiter immediately served tea.

The middle-aged man cut to the chase: "Our shop doesn't usually do lending business, but since you're a young master, we can make an exception!"

Gao Zhao smiled. He naturally didn't believe such words. These salt and tea certificates clearly had financial attributes. You're telling me you don't do lending or mortgages? That's like saying someone's left sock smells bad but their right sock doesn't!

"I'm not asking you for a loan; I want you to borrow salt permits. I'll repay you with the salt permits on the due date, plus interest!"

"Heh, young master is right!" The middle-aged man smiled slightly, but in his heart he was disdainful. What difference was there between salt permits and money?

He knew Gao Yanei's reputation, and figured he must have gotten into trouble and was too afraid to ask his family for money, so he borrowed from here. And yet he was still worried about his reputation, only talking about salt permits and not money. It was truly ridiculous!

"I wonder how many salt permits the young master wishes to borrow? And what will he use as collateral?"

Gao Zhao shook his head, leaned back in his chair, and put on a spoiled, arrogant expression, saying, "There's no need for collateral! Don't you trust me, or don't you trust my father? You own such a big shop, you shouldn't be afraid I'll default on my debts! As for how much to borrow? Hehe, naturally the more the better!"

The middle-aged man, far from being annoyed, smiled meaningfully and said, "Gentleman, I naturally trust you. If you ask how much I dare to lend, even 100,000 strings of cash would be no problem. I wonder if you dare to accept it?"

Gao Zhao looked up at the other person and felt that this person was a bit strange. The meaning behind his words seemed to be provoking him!

He first feigned hesitation, then puffed out his chest and declared loudly, "Of course I'd take it! If you're willing to lend it, I'll take it!"

"Well done, young master! You're certainly generous!" the middle-aged man laughed loudly. "However, let's make it clear beforehand: since you have no collateral, the interest rate won't be low. For most people, it's 10% per month..."

"How much? You're ripping off a fat sheep!" Gao Zhao roared. "It's more than doubled in a year!"

"Young master, please calm down. I'm talking about the interest rate for ordinary people, but as for you, how about halving it?" Seeing his hesitation, the middle-aged man shook his head and said, "If it's any lower, this business deal won't be possible. Young master, you might as well reconsider!"

"No need to think about it! I'll borrow it!" Gao Zhao slammed his hand on the table and shouted.

"Good! That's much better!" The middle-aged man immediately stood up and said, "I'll have the documents prepared right away, and then ask the Kaifeng Prefecture to act as guarantor!"

Seeing that Gao Zhao looked dazed, the shopkeeper, as if afraid that he might change his mind, quickly wrote out the loan agreement, invited people from Kaifeng Prefecture to witness it, and had it signed and sealed in one go.

Ultimately, each of the three documents kept one copy, while the third copy was kept by the Kaifeng Prefecture.

After Gao Zhao left with several boxes of salt certificates, a man came downstairs and sneered, "Manager Wang, well done!"

The shopkeeper, with a fawning smile, said, "It is my honor to serve the Emperor's brother-in-law!"

The person who arrived was none other than Liu Guojiu, whom Gao Zhao had met at Fanlou that night!

"Do a good job, and you'll get your share of the rewards after it's done!" Liu Guojiu patted him on the shoulder, then looked in the direction Gao Zhao had left and said coldly, "The debt is due in a month. Go to the Palace Marshal's Mansion immediately to collect it! I'll make him lose all face and be kicked out of the Gao family..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Zhao's voice came from outside: "Salt certificates, Southeast salt certificates, 10% discount, limited quantity, hurry if you want them!"