Although these businessmen may not have committed any serious crimes or serious crimes.
But if your hands and feet are not clean, if you are caught, even if you don't die, you will definitely shed a layer of skin.
Now he suddenly heard that Jin Yiwei had summoned him, and Liu Ping'an almost peed.
If it were another yamen, maybe they could talk about family relationships and talk about love or something.
But Jinyiwei.
This is the yamen led by His Royal Highness himself.
Who doesn't know that His Royal Highness the King is selfless and never bends the law for personal gain?
Now, they are really going to suffer a lot.
At this time, Liu Ye is relatively calm, or he is fearless for the ignorant.
He was not afraid of missiles, but could encourage Liu Ping'an: "Uncle, don't worry, it may not be a big deal. If Jin Yiwei really wants to do something to us, I'm afraid they will arrest people directly, and there is no need to send a message to invite you over."
Liu Ping'an didn't get much comfort from this, but said angrily: "What do you know? Pulling meat with a dull knife is the most terrifying thing."
"I would rather Jin Yiwei just catch me and put me in jail than this."
Although he was reluctant to do so in his heart, at this point, he had no choice but to refuse to agree.
He forced himself to stand up: "Xiaoye, come with me."
When the two of them went out, there was indeed a captain of the Imperial Guard waiting there.
When he saw them, he hugged his fists politely: "This is the owner of Ping'an Grain Store, Mr. Liu Ping'an, Mr. Liu, I am the Imperial Guard..."
Liu Ping'an basically didn't hear a word of what the captain said later.
The more polite the Jin Yiwei people were, the more desperate Liu Pingan felt.
Originally it might have been just a broken muscle, but this Jin Yiwei man was so polite.
Isn't that a rhythm that will lead to bankruptcies?
Liu Pingan wanted to turn around and run away, but he really didn't have the courage.
With the help of his nephew, he tremblingly got on the carriage, and together with the captain of the Imperial Guard, rushed towards the residence of the Prince of England.
At the same time, many carriages were driving towards the British Prince's Palace throughout Yanjing City.
Sitting on every carriage are well-known grain merchants in Yanjing City.
In the palace of the British King, Xu Da looked at Zhu Han with a serious face: "Qiwu, are you really planning to do this?"
Zhu Han, who was immersed in processing official documents, raised his head with a puzzled look on his face: "Brother Xu, what do you think is wrong?"
Xu Da's face looked extremely ugly at this time: "Do you understand clearly what the consequences of doing this will be?"
"Although you are the Great Master Qingtian in the hearts of the people now, once your decision is known to the people, you will immediately become a traitor that everyone calls for beating!"
What Xu Da said was already very serious, but Zhu Han didn't seem to take it to heart at all: "Don't worry, Brother Xu, I know what's going on."
"What's the matter with being scolded? It doesn't hurt or itch and I can't lose a piece of flesh. Besides, do you think I am the kind of person who cares about a false reputation?"
"You..." Xu Da didn't know what to say for a moment. As long as Zhu Han made up his mind, even nine cows couldn't pull him back.
And Zhu Han also explained to him before why he did this.
Xu Da also knew that Zhu Han had his own reasons.
However, he still felt that the damage to Zhu Han's reputation would be too great.
He was really scared and finally got into a situation that he couldn't handle.
"Besides, it doesn't matter even if the people don't understand. For the people who were affected by the disaster in Datong, I, Zhu Han, can't bear this infamy."
"Besides, my brother, I had a somewhat good reputation before, so I wouldn't be like Qin Hui, being reviled for thousands of years."
Seeing Zhu Han's determination, Xu Da knew that he really couldn't persuade him this time.
He could only turn his head angrily: "I know you are extremely smart, but we old men can't compare to you."
Zhu Han knew that Xu Da was not angry with him? He told Xu Da seriously: "Brother Xu, Yan Jing, please help and keep an eye on him. At such a critical time, no one can take advantage of the loophole."
Xu Dashuang raised his eyebrows and said murderously: "Don't worry Qi Wu, if anyone dares to be dishonest, I will definitely make him regret coming to this world."
The two of them had just chatted for a while when Jin Yiwei came to report: "Reporting to the prince, all the grain merchants you informed have arrived."
"Very good!" Zhu Han stood up and adjusted the prince's crown clothes: "I really want to see what these guys are doing if they know that I am going to give them a fortune.
what expression."
The newly renovated reception room of the Wang Mansion.
All the grain merchants and shopkeepers were sitting here anxiously, looking at each other.
All of them could see the deep anxiety on each other's faces.
As grain merchants, their business sense is extremely keen.
This time, the imperial court had just begun to collect grain, and they had already guessed that somewhere in the imperial court must have been affected by the disaster.
If it were in the past, they would definitely know this information before the people in the imperial court.
But now Ming Dynasty is developing rapidly, and the emergence of trains has brought about earth-shaking changes in communication speed.
Because of the existence of the train, the court's message transmission speed has far exceeded theirs.
However, this does not stop them from taking the opportunity to hoard and raise prices.
Although everyone is worried, there is also a big benefit for businessmen.
As long as there is benefit, people like them are not even afraid of death.
Even some people have already guessed the purpose of Zhu Han calling these businessmen here.
Of course, the so-called truth they guessed was only based on their past experiences.
Even if they were beaten to death, they would not be able to imagine what Zhu Han's real purpose was in calling them here.
However, this no longer prevents these people from collaborating.
"Shopkeeper Zhou!" Feng Xueyi, one of the largest grain merchants in Yanjing, lowered his voice and said to Zhou Ziliang in front of him: "Shopkeeper Zhou, you must also understand what the prince means by inviting us here this time, right?"
Although these words were only spoken to Zhou Ziliang alone, his voice could be heard by everyone.
The palace guards nearby, whether intentionally or accidentally, were all standing outside the living room, and no one came in.
Moreover, this living room was obviously renovated later, and the space was not particularly large. This also meant that the distance between these businessmen was not far.
There are certainly some big families or some aristocratic families behind these people.
But their status is not particularly high.
It was naturally impossible for Zhu Han to use the main hall of the palace to entertain people like them.
Seeing that everyone's ears were dumbfounded, Zhou Ziliang cleared his throat: "Brother Xue, let's stop playing riddles now."
"Obviously, the prince came to us this time to discuss the price of food with us."
After hearing Zhou Ziliang's words, everyone's eyes lit up at the same time.
The situation is urgent now, and the King of England may come at any time, and they really don't have time to talk about those scenes.
Everyone hopes to get straight to the point.
Use the shortest possible time to discuss a suitable solution.
Feng Xueyi quickly asked: "Brother Ziliang means that we must not lower food prices?"
"I'm afraid I have to surrender." Zhou Ziliang didn't even blink.
This answer was beyond everyone's expectations.
what's the situation?
Could it be that you, Zhou Ziliang, were bribed by His Majesty the King of England and came here to be a traitor?
Otherwise, why should you directly speak for His Royal Highness?
During natural disasters, grain merchants like them are often the most profitable.
No matter how conscientious you are, it is easy to make two or three times.
At this time, even if a knife is placed on their necks, they are still unwilling to lower the price of grain. You, Zhou Ziliang, actually want us to take the initiative to lower the price?
Before Feng Xueyi could finish speaking, Zhou Ziliang had already said in a deep voice: "Brother Xueyi, can't you still understand what happened now?"
"Now, His Royal Highness the King personally asked us to lower the price."
"Those people outside are either royal guards or soldiers of the palace. If we don't agree..." As he said that, Zhou Ziliang made a beheading motion.
Feng Xueyi and others couldn't help but swallow their saliva, feeling their necks feel cold.
But even so, driven by greed, they are still unwilling to lower their prices.
Someone suddenly said unconvinced: "The food belongs to us. We can sell it for as much as we want. Why should the court interfere with us?"
However, even the speaker himself felt that his words were very unfounded.
The sound became quieter and quieter, until finally it was almost inaudible.
Zhou Ziliang sighed and said: "We are just businessmen, and we have nothing to argue with the court."
"In short, if the court is determined to get us to lower prices, we will not be able to fight against the court."
Just when everyone was depressed, Zhou Ziliang changed the topic and said with a smile: "But..."
Hearing this word, everyone's heart couldn't help but move."
Everyone knows it, but what matters is later.
Zhou Ziliang said unhurriedly: "Although we are grain merchants, we don't have that much grain on hand."
"It's not that we don't want to sell, it's just that we really have no food."
"If we don't have food, we can't conjure up food and sell it, right?"
When all the grain merchants heard this, they all smiled knowingly.
They had often used this method before, but this time something unexpected happened and they didn't even think of it.
Liu Ping'an, who had been worried, was now completely relieved.
Yes, the imperial court can control the price of food, but it cannot control the quantity of food.
No matter how low the price is, if they don't have food in hand, the price will definitely not be lowered.
After making a plan, the grain merchants were completely relieved.
No longer anxious as before, everyone regained their composure and started chatting with each other.
It was as if he was waiting for them to discuss a countermeasure.
Just when they had the result, they heard a sharp voice: "His Royal Highness is here!"
When the grain merchants heard this, they naturally did not dare to neglect and stood up one by one.
They all said in unison: "Students have met the prince."
Yes, these grain merchants are basically well-known.
These days, even the reputation of being a scholar is very important.
Without this fame, no matter what you do, it will be difficult.
So no matter how hard they work, these people will at least take the exam.
At least at this time, merit and recognition still need to be tested in person.
Even if someone with a good reputation goes into business, it is very criticized.
But those who really do this don’t care about those supercilious looks and contempt.
In the later Ming Dynasty, as long as you have money, you can even buy fame directly.
And at that time, the status of many big businessmen was not even much lower than that of scholars.
At that time, there were not many businessmen who took the examination for a meritorious career just for the sake of convenience.
With fame and honor, there is no need to kneel down when seeing Zhu Han.
Everyone clasped their fists and saluted: "I have seen the prince a thousand years old, a thousand years old."
"No gifts." Zhu Han's thoughtful gaze swept over these grain merchants one by one.
The gaze was not sharp, but it made them feel as if they had been seen through.
Everyone couldn't help but hide, not daring to look at Zhu Han.
Zhu Han walked to the top, sat down with a big horse and golden sword, and motioned for everyone to take their seats: "Everyone, please take a seat first."
Although a way to deal with it had been discussed before, everyone was still a little uneasy after Zhu Han appeared.
After all, this is the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, King Zhu Han of England, who assisted His Majesty today.
God knows whether the method they discussed will be of any use to His Royal Highness.
They had just sat down when Zhu Han's voice sounded.
"Everyone must have noticed that the Ming Dynasty has been hit by disaster recently."
"I am not hiding anything from you. It is indeed the case. There is a severe drought in Datong. The land is bare for thousands of miles and there is no harvest."
Buzz!
In the lobby, a burst of discussion suddenly erupted.
His Royal Highness, the King of England, seems to not play by the rules.
Before, wasn't this kind of thing strictly confidential?
Even if everyone knows about it, the court will try its best to conceal the information and prevent anyone from knowing it.
Why did His Royal Highness the King of England release this news directly?
Seeing the King of England act like this seems to be telling them that the court is short of food now, so you should hurry up and raise prices to deceive the court.
A prince who can help Zhu Yuanzhang conquer the world cannot be so naive.
So, this should be just the prelude to the thunderstorm.
Zhou Ziliang pretended to be in pain, and sighed longly: "Why is this happening? It has only been a few days of peace, and famine has occurred again. The people are really suffering."
"Is it true that there is a severe drought in Datong Mansion?" Liu Ping'an suddenly became excited.
The reason for this is because the Liu family is a noble family in Datong Mansion.
I originally thought that the Liu family could only drink some Tangtang water this time.
But they didn't expect that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was right under their noses.
On their own territory, whether it is mobilizing grain or controlling prices, is it not a matter of a word for the Liu family?
Even if it doesn't embarrass the court too much and requires some restraint, it will be enough for the Liu family to make a lot of money.