Chapter 595: Many corpses floating outside Suzhou City

The first to take action was the Changping Newspaper.

Today, with the help of Changping Academy, Changping Daily has long become a must-buy and must-read item for scholars. Starting from Beijing City and along the 3,000-mile Caohe River, it has a huge influence on countless scholars.

From the very beginning, Changping Daily positioned itself as a newspaper promoting the philosophy of mind. Later on, it also published some high-quality vernacular novels and occasionally commented on events in the court and in the local areas.

Even without Yan Shaoting's suggestion, Changping Daily had already independently developed the function of publishing advertisements.

For example, a certain store has something to sell urgently, and the price is what. Those who want to buy it can go to a certain place to discuss. Or, someone wants to buy a large amount of something, and those who have it can bring samples to a certain place.

The development of society is always accompanied by the emergence of new things, which play their due role autonomously under the influence of time.

And this issue.

The first issue of Changping Newspaper in the second year of Longqing.

It published a detailed news on the front page, which was impartial and described in detail the court's intention to implement the copper-for-copper tax collection in Nanzhili and Zhejiang, as well as the significance contained therein, and also published the latest gold, silver and copper coins of the gold bank.

Judging from the content of Changping Daily.

This is a piece of news that accurately relays the court's latest decree.

But the latest copies of Changping newspapers were carried by the grain ships from north to south, distributed to various places on both sides of the Caohe River, and finally fell into the hands of scholars.

But it immediately caused an uproar.

No one missed the latest government decrees from the court because of their remote location.

After reading this content, these scholars naturally understood one thing instantly.

They are finished!

The later you delay, the greater the loss will be.

Because everyone knows that with the imperial court's decree and the gold industry's adjustment of the ratio of gold, silver and copper, the price of silver will continue to plummet.

That's why.

When the Changping newspaper spread the latest news everywhere, those who had previously participated in the run on the gold banks and withdrawn large amounts of silver coins all rushed to the provincial capitals for fear of being late for a day.

When these people rushed to various provincial capitals, they naturally took the silver coins they had taken out of the gold shops with them.

At this time, silver coins no longer hold their value.

Only by exchanging them for gold or copper coins as soon as possible can you protect your property and minimize your losses before the silver price continues to plummet.

When the news reached the south of the Yangtze River, the gentry and wealthy families in various places north of Caohe River were already on their way to Shuntian Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, Kaifeng Prefecture, Fengyang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture.

In the city of Suzhou.

This is also the beginning of spring.

In February, the temperature rises, buds bloom on branches, grass grows, birds fly, and the water in rivers and lakes warms.

If it were in previous years.

This season must be a good time for the wealthy families in the city, men, women, young and old, to ride horses and carriages out to find scenic spots outside the city for an outing.

But now.

The entire city of Suzhou was in panic.

However, apart from Suzhou City, this kind of situation is common in various cities in southern Jiangsu.

Songjiang Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, etc., were all in panic and chaos because of the copper-reduction tax.

But it was in the Grain Inspectorate Office in Suzhou City.

Gao Hanwen sighed softly: "Brother Uncle, is it really possible to succeed this time?"

The young Right Censor-in-Chief had flickering eyes and a look of hesitation on his face.

Zhang Juzheng, who had taken advantage of the good weather today to move a chair outside to bask in the sun, glanced sideways at the young junior and smiled slightly.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then picked up the fish food from the coffee table next to him, pinched a handful and threw it into the pool in front of him.

After enduring a winter, the water temperature in the pond warmed up and schools of koi started to panic and scramble for food.

Zhang Juzheng chuckled and said, "Things have been done as you wished. Why are you hesitating and hesitant now?"

Gao Hanwen frowned, "I know what the court means. This time the emperor issued an order to collect taxes in Nanzhili and Zhejiang in exchange for copper. The purpose is to relieve the people in the two places from the hardship of transporting grain, and to cooperate with us to lower the silver price and force the wealthy families in Jiangnan. But even so, I still don't understand a little bit."

"What's the matter that you don't understand?"

Zhang Juzheng asked.

He felt that Gao Hanwen might be very similar to the man surnamed Hai in some aspects, but he was still not as skilled as him.

If it was someone named Hai who was here, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find him by now, and he would have been out on errands long ago.

Gao Hanwen asked in confusion: "All the actions this time are to lower the price of silver, but now the silver coins in the gold shop have been taken away by those people. As long as they keep the silver in their hands, the official plunge now is not a big deal, and the impact is only temporary. After all, the silver is still in their hands, and it has not increased or decreased. As long as we can endure this period of time, the price of silver will always slowly rise back to its original position. By then, won't everything we did this time be in vain?"

This is what Gao Hanwen is most worried and hesitant about.

Nowadays, even if the gold exchange company lowers the price of silver to the point where one tael of silver can only be exchanged for one hundred copper coins, or even ten copper coins can be exchanged for one tael of silver.

But as long as those upright gentry and wealthy families hold on to the money in their hands, it will not have any substantial impact on them.

After all, it comes down to it.

The silver is still in the hands of these upright gentry and wealthy families.

Zhang Juzheng was stunned at first when he heard this, and then a smile appeared on his face.

He smiled and shook his head, thinking that this is what young people are like. They can only think about what is in front of them, and more importantly, they often ignore the most important key reasons.

Gao Hanwen saw Zhang Juzheng's reaction and became more and more confused: "Could it be that what I said is wrong?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head, then nodded: "What you said is not wrong. As you said, the silver is still in their hands. They have not suffered any loss, but you have overlooked the most important point."

Gao Hanwen's eyes flickered.

After thinking it over again and again, the young censor bowed to Zhang Juzheng and said, "I would like to ask for your guidance, uncle."

"The human heart."

Zhang Juzheng did not hold back and directly pointed out the points that Gao Hanwen had overlooked.

He turned to look at the young censor who really should give up writing and join the army.

He smiled and explained, "You have to know that people are always dissatisfied, but money can stir people's hearts. Do you think that all people in the world are of one mind? Or do you think that the so-called civil servants in the court are of one mind? Or do you think that those upright gentry in the Jiangnan area are of one mind?"

Gao Hanwen said immediately: "People often say that we, the civil officials of the court, are one body, but that is not the case. It is just that the upright gentry..."

Zhang Juzheng suddenly became interested and gently guided him, "Do you think the upright gentry are of one mind?"

Gao Hanwen shook his head silently.

Zhang Juzheng added: "No one wants to suffer a loss, and no one can guarantee that others can keep the silver in their hands and maintain a stalemate with the gold bank. So they will be in a state of panic at home, thinking that others must have taken the silver coins originally taken out from the gold bank back to the gold bank and exchanged them for gold or copper coins to ensure the minimum loss."

After saying this, he closed his mouth at the right time and looked at Gao Hanwen silently.

Although the young censor in front of him is generally not as good as the one with the surname Hai.

But in some aspects, he is better than the one with the surname Hai.

At least in Zhang Juzheng's opinion, Hai Rui was the most stubborn person in the world, the kind that could not be pulled back by nine bulls. But Gao Hanwen was the kind that could be saved. As long as he was taught slowly for two years, he would definitely become a new star among the imperial censors in the future.

When I take charge of the cabinet in the future, this man will be the most useful sword in my hand.

And Hai Rui.

The magic sword of the world at any time.

But if you use it yourself, you might hurt yourself when you are not paying attention.

After hearing this explanation, Gao Hanwen's eyes finally lit up: "Brother Uncle, what you mean is... the Gold Bank will take action to cause these people to become disloyal and eventually lead them to come to the door and rob the silver and copper coins?"

Only then did Zhang Juzheng take out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Gao Hanwen.

"This is the news that the Nanjing Jinyiwei sent to you when you went to the Suzhou government office this morning." Gao Hanwen immediately took the note and lowered his head to read it.

Zhang Juzheng sat comfortably on the imperial chair and said with a smile: "Since the gold shops can restrict the withdrawal of silver coins, then they can naturally restrict the withdrawal of gold and silver coins. The latest news is that gold shops in various places have begun to post notices. Unlike the last time, this time the gold shops will not restrict the number of people, but will restrict the withdrawal amount of gold and copper coins."

This is the artificial creation of a scarcity of gold and copper coins.

It can be regarded as an alternative form of hunger marketing.

Zhang Juzheng added: "And don't forget the Westerner named Bai Fugui from a few years ago."

Gao Hanwen had already finished reading the contents of the note and was convinced that gold shops in various places were limiting the amount of gold and copper coins that could be withdrawn. Upon hearing this, he immediately looked up at the other party.

He spoke in a voice that gradually rose: "Years ago, Bai Fugui and a group of Western merchants came here by ship with silver. The amount was no less than 7 million taels. It seems that they had attracted all the noble gentry in Jiangnan to run on the gold shops, and they mortgaged their properties in exchange for silver..."

suddenly.

Gao Hanwen's face flushed red.

He got it!

I can figure out everything that happened before and after.

Gao Hanwen asked impatiently, "Is the gold shop in contact with Bai Fugui and his group, and wants to use the gold and copper coins in the gold shop's inventory to purchase the properties that Bai Fugui and his group had previously taken from the Jiangnan nobles?"

This way.

Once these upright gentry who had mortgaged their properties learned of this news, they would no longer be able to sit still.

There was no way they would just sit there and watch their property disappear.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and nodded, agreeing: "It is indeed so, but not only so."

After saying this, he looked at Gao Hanwen again.

But seeing that the other party seemed unable to figure out the root of the problem for the time being, he began to explain.

"Shaobao Yan must have reached an agreement with these Westerners, or...used some benefits in exchange for their cooperation this time."

“So, although the gold bank publicly announced that it would use gold and copper coins to purchase the mortgaged properties in the hands of Westerners, it actually would not pay the gold and copper.”

"Although I don't know what benefits or deals Yan Shaobao promised them, I think Jinxing will only need to use the 7 million taels of silver to repay the Westerners. They just helped Jinxing put on the stage."

Speaking of this, Zhang Juzheng also showed curiosity.

He could guess Yan Shaoting's plan and layout, but he couldn't figure out what kind of deal the other party had with the Westerners.

Gao Hanwen's eyebrows were already furrowed with anxiety, his mind completely occupied with thinking about everything that had happened.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "You don't need to think about it. Just know that the gold bank will not suffer any loss this time, and the court will not be affected at all. However, those noble gentry will suffer a huge loss this time. It is possible that many of them will lose all their property. The benefits here are what the gold bank or the court gets for free."

After saying this, he began to think silently.

The gold bank has now announced that it will restrict the withdrawal of gold and copper coins.

Then naturally a group of people will be attracted to exchange the silver coins they had taken away. In this way, the gold shop can get the profit from the current plunge in silver prices for free.

Wait until the news of gold shops and Westerners purchasing the mortgaged properties of the upright gentry in Jiangnan gets out.

Those people will definitely not be able to sit still any longer.

The gold shop will eventually get a large sum of money, and will also get countless houses, shops, and fields that were originally held by the gentry and wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River.

"Seven million taels..."

Zhang Juzheng muttered to himself, thinking that the Westerners had brought no less than seven million taels of silver this time.

perhaps.

This time, the gold shop can make a profit of more than 7 million taels through a series of operations before and after the New Year.

However, those upright gentry would actually suffer such a huge loss.

wrong!

According to Yan Shaoting's temperament, the loss of the Qingliu gentry this time will definitely be no less than tens of millions!

After all, the current price of silver in the gold shop is only one tael of silver to eight hundred copper coins, but once the situation gets out of control, the price of silver will inevitably plummet again.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but smile. He stood up with the fish food and walked to the pond.

He held out his arm holding the fish food and then turned it around.

A full bowl of fish food was poured into the pond.

For a while.

In the entire fish pond, countless koi fish were stirring the water, making a loud splashing sound.

"Oh no!"

"Oh no!"

"Mr. Xie from the east side of the city jumped into the river!"

"Someone come quickly! Go to the moat and pull the person out."

"Oh my god, who is that on the water?"

With a huge sound of falling into water.

Outside Suzhou City, beside the moat under the city wall.

The calm surface of the water was broken.

A floating corpse was lying in the water, drifting gently along with the waves and ripples caused by Mr. Xie jumping into the river in the east of Suzhou City, and it floated out from the water plants on the river bank.

The crowd on the shore was in chaos for a moment.

Some went to rescue people.

Some people went to retrieve the corpse.

however.

Since the latest imperial decree was issued by the court, the detailed contents have been published and distributed in Changping Daily.

Along with the gold shops once again posting the latest notices.

The number of floating corpses in the moat outside Suzhou City increased day by day.

In the wealthy houses in the city, which ordinary people dared not approach in the past, there were corpses hanging on the beams.

Silver prices plummeted.

Countless upright gentry who participated in the run on the banks saw their properties lost and their wealth destroyed, so they had no choice but to commit suicide.

When the news spread that upright gentry in various parts of Jiangnan had committed suicide or gone crazy.

On a spring day when flowers are blooming.

Kong Zeyang, the former prefect of Leizhou Prefecture, walked into the Nanjing Governor's Grain Storage Office with great joy and became the new Governor's Grain Storage Minister.

then.

The latest official reports and news are placed on the desk.

Looking at the entire Jiangnan region, almost all the wealthy families wear white silk.

The newly appointed Governor-General and Minister of Grain Storage shuddered all over.

A blank memorial book was placed in front of him.

"Your Highness, I am the Minister of Grain and Food of the Governor-General of Nanjing, Kong Zeyang..."

"Please leave and return home."

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(End of this chapter)