For several days, Zhu Ming did not have any contact with the students. He only stayed in the office, familiarizing himself with the school rules and regulations, and looking through student test papers from previous years.
In a blink of an eye, the little vacation is coming.
June 6th, Tiankuang Festival, is a three-day holiday.
When we got up early in the morning, the temperature was quite high. Before the sun rose, Ju Ming went out on horseback early.
All the way to Shuqiao, this is the most prosperous area in Tokyo.
Large ships from the south all stop here after entering the city. Because the Zhouqiao Bridge is too short to cross, they can only be transferred by small boats in the city.
As a result, there were many inns and restaurants on both sides of the Zhouqiao Bridge, specifically for merchants to stay and eat.
By the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Bianhe River on the east side of Zhouqiao was no longer allowed to dock large ships from other places due to long-term congestion. They could only sail to Xiangguosi Bridge at most.
The section of river between Zhouqiao and Xiangguosi Bridge has become a dock for loading and unloading goods, making it even more prosperous and lively.
Early in the morning, there were already vendors selling food along the street.
Many wealthy businessmen from other places came out of the "Zhangjia Hotel" south of Zhouqiao and went to the "Li Si Tea Shop" across the street to drink tea and play chess. There was no fried tea here, and the wealthy businessmen were not used to drinking loose tea, so they all used group tea to grind it.
Brew.
Ju Ming got off his horse and went to the "Zhouqiao Tan Zhangjia" next door to the hotel.
This is a century-old store, the earliest private coal shop in the inner city of Tokyo. Across the street from it is the "Chejia Tan Store".
"Chejia Tan Store" opened near Zhouqiao, obviously trying to capitalize on the popularity of the "Zhouqiao Tan Zhangjia" brand.
Similar practices are very common in Tokyo.
For example, inside Nanxunmen, there is the famous "Qingfenglou Hotel".
So next to Taiping Xingguo Temple, someone opened another "Qingfenglou Wubi Guesthouse", and the name of the store is full of the aura of the middle class.
Ju Ming wears green uniforms, a futou on his head and leather boots on his feet.
As soon as I walked to the door of the store, the waiter came up to me and said, "Tan Hua Lang, please come in quickly!"
Ju Ming smiled and asked, "Do you recognize me?"
The waiter said: "On the day when Tanhua Lang came to call his name, I rode past here. I could see clearly from the roadside. Tanhua Lang wants to buy charcoal? Just give the order and I will have it delivered to your house."
"Tie the horse for me and call your shopkeeper," Ju Ming said.
The boy quickly took the reins and shouted inside: "Uncle, Tanhua Lang is here."
Boss Zhang from the charcoal shop walked out quickly. He was about forty or fifty years old. He bowed and said, "Tanhua man, please come in quickly." He then shouted to another waiter, "Hurry up and serve tea!"
Ju Ming said: "There is no need for tea. I will ask a few questions and then leave."
Boss Zhang asked Ju Ming to sit down and said, "If Tanhua Lang has anything you want to ask, just say it."
Ju Ming asked: "Why is the coal in Tokyo getting more and more expensive? The imperial court set the price at 4 cents per catty, so why is it sold at 10 cents per catty?"
Boss Zhang thinks this question is very funny: "4 cents per kilogram of pebbles was the official price set by the court when my great-grandfather was still alive. It has been decades, how can there be no reason not to increase the price? It is still summer.
"Charcoal is not expensive. In winter, it can be sold for twenty or thirty cents per catty."
"How can the common people afford twenty or thirty cents per catty?" Zhu Ming asked doubtfully.
Boss Zhang said: "If you can't afford it, you will freeze. It will be fine until spring. If you freeze to death, you will have to consider yourself unlucky. The price of collecting charcoal is too high, and there is nothing I can do. I can't do business at a loss."
The days when coal was tax-free are long gone.
Four major charcoal tax stations have been set up inside and outside Tokyo to specifically tax coal arriving in the capital.
Ju Ming asked again: "No matter how high the carbon tax is, it won't be so expensive, right?"
Boss Zhang was hesitant to speak, as he seemed to have some words that were inconvenient to say.
Ju Ming whispered: "If someone levies taxes indiscriminately, I will report it to the Ming court. It affects hundreds of thousands of people in Tokyo. Even officials have to burn charcoal in their homes. The officials will definitely not sit idly by."
Boss Zhang is a small and medium-sized businessman and is the main type of businessmen in Tokyo. This type of businessman is the largest in number and has some official background, but he is completely unable to fight against the government. At most, he is covered by a few subordinates.
Probably because he had heard Ju Ming's story and knew that Tanhua Lang had offended Cai Jing, Boss Zhang whispered: "In the past ten years, there have been more than 20 government-run charcoal plants. Officials sent by the Carbon Coal Office Division intercepted charcoal at the tax charcoal field.
Ships, forcing merchants to sell coal to the officialdom. Only when the coal mines in the officialdom are full can they be sold to private companies. Many private coal mines have been forced into bankruptcy by the government-run coal mines. In my coal shop, I often cannot buy coal.
If you want to buy goods, you can only go to the official store to get them at a high price."
The imperial court's arrangement for the Tokyo coal market was to allow government and private companies to compete with each other.
Moreover, the tax charcoal yard also has to store goods. Once the private charcoal yard raises the price indiscriminately, the official can quickly adjust the goods to equalize the price.
The tax charcoal market and the government-run market were originally used to balance the market, but now they are taking the lead in establishing a semi-monopoly.
This situation appeared in the Zhezong Dynasty and intensified in the Huizong Dynasty. In just ten years, the imperial court established more than 20 government-run factories, blocked supply channels, forced private enterprises into bankruptcy, and then manipulated the retail price of coal.
Cai Jing cannot escape the blame!
If Ju Ming wants to make and sell briquettes, he can't just keep collecting coal ash as raw materials. He will definitely have to buy coal in the future, but with the official mess, he can't even get regular supplies.
After chatting for a few more words, Zhu Ming stood up and left.
Boss Zhang sent him to the door of the store and said in a low voice: "If Tanhualang can find out about the officials and punish the officials of the Carboniferous Works, not only will I benefit, but hundreds of thousands of people in Tokyo will also be less likely to freeze to death."
A few. It’s just that my name cannot be written on the memorial. I am a small businessman and I can’t afford to offend anyone who is an official.”
"Don't worry, I won't mention you a word." Zhu Ming comforted him.
After leaving the coal shop, Zhu Ming continued to lead the horse south. After passing the Zhangjia Hotel, there was the "Jade King Tower Cave Plum Blossom Buns" shop.
The name of the store is quite unique. Zhu Ming tied his horse under the eaves and planned to buy some steamed buns to eat.
"Tanhua Lang is here!"
As soon as I entered the store, the waiter shouted.
On the day of the roll call, Ju Ming happened to pass by this street and rode a tall horse to attract everyone's attention. The shop assistants on both sides of the street were deeply impressed by him.
There is also a story about the second-place pick, the top pick, who rejected Cai Jing’s recruitment of a son-in-law, and it spread quickly in Tokyo, and the people had a very good impression of Ju Ming.
Ju Ming was sitting in the shop eating steamed buns, and diners peeked in from time to time.
While waiting for the check, the waiter said: "Tanhua Lang, the guest at that table has already paid."
Ju Ming turned around and saw a man smiling at him.
"Thank you for the hospitality!" Zhu Ming returned the favor.
Immediately, he threw out more than ten copper coins and refused to accept the stranger's treat.
Such behavior makes people feel better.
When Ju Ming left the bun shop, the diners were talking a lot. They all said that Tanhua Lang was an upright man and even asked for a few buns in vain. He would definitely be honest if he became a high official in the future.
Ju Ming rode out of the Northwest Water Gate, where there is the largest charcoal tax yard in Tokyo.
The coal in Tokyo City originally came from Huaizhou (Qinyang, Jiaozuo), and now it has formed a network in all directions. For example, Yangzhai (Yuxian) in the south and Xiangzhou (Hebi) in the north.
In particular, the Xiangzhou Coal Mine was discovered hundreds of years later.
The mine is 46 meters deep, has 10 mining working faces, and has complete tunnels and drainage systems underground. It is the earliest large-scale coal mine site in human history.
Ju Ming dismounted and stood outside the charcoal tax yard until mid-afternoon. After waiting for more than five hours, he finally found a charcoal boat passing through to pay taxes.
There are a total of twelve ships, and the tax amount is determined according to the size of the ship, and the tax is directly deducted in kind from the coal.
These in-kind taxes are used to stabilize coal prices at critical times.
But the cargo was not unloaded here at all. The tax collectors boarded the coal ship and continued sailing to Tokyo.
Ju Ming followed on horseback along the river and stopped at the White Tiger Bridge because the bridge was too short for the boat to pass.
I saw many small boats in the city beginning to transfer the coal, and there were officials watching over the cargo, obviously wanting to transport it all to the official charcoal yard.
Not all of them, one was left.
After a while, the coal could not be transferred, so the businessman left the rest of the affairs to his assistant and went to the restaurant to eat with a frown on his face.
Zhu Ming led his horse to follow him and sat at the same table with the merchant.
The merchant saw that he was wearing a green uniform and was obviously an official. He quickly stood up and bowed: "A commoner has seen an official!"
"Please take a seat," Zhu Ming announced his whereabouts. "My surname is Zhu, and I am the third person to be a Jinshi scholar. I have offended Cai Jing and Wang Fu, but the officials valued me highly and allowed me to become the Imperial Academy Xuezheng."
When the merchant heard this, he was immediately stunned.
To be continued...