Zhang Yue and Cai Jing walked out of the West Hall of Zhongshu and rode back home together.
Royal Street is still bustling at night.
Whenever Zhang Yue returns to his home after a business trip, looking at such a bustling night scene, he can't help but think of the bright lights along the way when he took the bus home from the city's CBD in his previous life.
The cars and BMWs all over the street passed by the window. I was wearing a wrinkled suit and worn leather shoes, as if I was just a passerby in this world and had nothing to do with the blooming flowers.
Now, the cavalry is leading the way, the officials are shouting, and the ceremonial guard is paving the way, fully displaying the majesty of the prime minister.
Zhang Yue even had a feeling that the entire prosperity of Bianjing depended on my breath.
The higher you are in a high position, the stronger this feeling becomes. It is said that people have human nature and officials have official nature. It is the feeling that I am not flying in a plane, but that I am carrying the plane.
"It's really cold at high places!" Zhang Yue said with emotion, which was heard by Cai Jing on the side.
Cai Jingdao: "Does your husband think about Su Zizhan who was demoted?"
Zhang Yue said: "No, I'm thinking that the dangerous building is a hundred feet high, and I can pick the stars with my hands. When I am here, I always have the illusion that I am waiting to pick the stars, but the illusion is an illusion after all, even if it is thousands of feet, the stars
It’s still out of reach.”
Hearing this, Cai Jing said: "My husband's words are telling Jing that he must be prepared for danger in times of peace, and even more so when he is at high altitudes. When serving as an official, he must be cautious and cautious, just like walking on thin ice."
Zhang Yue said: "Yuan Chang is a smart man, and he can know my thoughts at a glance."
"I heard that you hired a dozen more cooks at your house last month."
Cai Jing looked ashamed and said, "I'll report back to you, Sir, Beijing is really good at banquets."
Zhang Yue said to Cai Jing: "I heard Yuan Du say that if my brother has no guests on a day, he will get sick, and on a certain day if he has no guests, he will get sick."
Although Cai Jing and Cai Bian are brothers, their temperaments are completely opposite.
Cai Jing loved feasting very much and entertained guests every day, so Cai Bian said that he would get sick if he did not entertain guests for a day, while Cai Bian said the opposite.
Cai Bian didn't like to meet guests, and his stomach and intestines were not good. He would even vomit after drinking too much tea.
Zhang Yue said: "I know that you hold an important position, and there must be many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen who come to visit you every day!"
"I want to tell you, don't associate with these people!"
Zhang Yue said to Cai Jing: "I have experienced this in the past. These businessmen spend a lot of money. They can spend dozens or even hundreds of dollars on a meal. This is the annual expense of a middle-class family. But they feel that it is mediocre.
strange."
"On the contrary, when you look at them every day, you feel that these people are treating you disrespectfully and even asking for help from you. So you are on an equal footing with them? Therefore, you live the same life as them, eating, wearing, and being extravagant. Little do you know that this is the source of corruption.
.”
Zhang Yue's words hit Cai Jing's mind.
It is true that if you have been in contact with these people for a long time, their daily living habits will subtly change you, and even corrode you.
Cai Jing is also a very fond of food. After being in contact with these rich people for a long time, he feels that he is also a rich person.
Cai Jing felt that they were not as good as you and still begged for himself, so he could not help but have the same illusion as them. And his official salary was not enough, so he relaxed on himself.
"It's your husband, Jing will be more cautious in the future."
After Cai Jing sent Zhang Yue back to his home, he looked at the big house of Zhang Mansion and couldn't help but thought, Mr. Zhang really can stand and talk without pain in his back. Your wife comes from a famous family and has been given a lot of money as a dowry, so she has no worries about food and clothing after becoming an official, so she can be honest.
But what about me?
How can I compare with you.
Thinking of this, Cai Jing sighed silently.
…
The next day, the salt banknotes at the Stock Exchange plummeted inexplicably.
Suddenly, people in Bianjing were panicked. Such a sharp drop in salt banknotes had never happened before. After all, salt banknotes were different from Jiaozi, which were hard currencies that could be exchanged for salt.
The people don't know why and are still kept in the dark.
The emperor called Zhongshu to discuss with the third division.
Cai Jing, Huang Lu, and Xiong Ben were also present.
Zhang Yue learned that salt banknotes on the Stock Exchange had plummeted today, and he already knew that someone had taken advantage of inside information to sell salt banknotes on the Stock Exchange in advance and went short on a large scale.
Because the mechanism of the stock exchange is for next day delivery.
This is for large, reputable merchants.
In other words, if a big merchant calls me at the exchange today to sell a thousand salt notes, or even ten thousand salt notes, it is fine. You don’t need to take out the salt notes on the spot, as long as you hand in the salt notes the next day.
When the exchange closes, just place the salt banknotes you hold directly on the counter.
So some people took advantage of this space to buy short on a large scale, sell on the same day, wait for the salt notes to plummet the next day, and then buy from the market to earn the difference.
At this moment, the officials were shocked when they learned that the Jieyanyan Pond had been submerged.
"Jiechi produces 3 million guans of salt a year, and the imperial court issues 5 million guans of banknotes! Now the salt banknotes have dropped to 70%, which means that the 500 guans have dropped to 3.5 million guans."
Huang Ludao: "Your Majesty is more than that. The three departments and the Exchange all hold a large amount of salt banknotes. According to my statistics, there are nearly ten million salt banknotes circulating in the market. Once the salt banknotes plummet, the consequences will be disastrous."
The official looked at Zhang Yue and asked, "What can you do?"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, I am still thinking."
“How low will it fall tomorrow?”
Zhang Yue said: "It is estimated that many people will know about the flooding of Jiechi tomorrow, and the salt banknotes may fall to 50%."
"Then what?"
Zhang Yue said: "If the court is unable to do anything, the salt banknotes will drop to 10% or even be worthless."
The official looked solemn when he heard this and said: "Sima Guang had advised me not to use salt banknotes as coins too much."
"I agreed, but Shaanxi's military expenditure is vacant. I have been urging the Third Division to issue more money to make up for the lack of military expenditure. I didn't expect that this would eventually happen."
Huang Lu said: "Your Majesty, at this point, the court must have thunderous means."
"Otherwise, the only option is to suspend the exchange and prohibit the trading of salt banknotes!"
Wang Gui remained silent, while Cai Queze said: "Your Majesty, the imperial court can first stabilize a few big salt merchants in Beijing and prevent them from selling out, so as to stabilize the people's sentiments."
The official nodded and said: "This is a solution, but it is a drop in the bucket."
Afterwards, the officials changed their clothes.
The chamberlain brought tea and food to several officials, and Wang Gui and Zhang Yue sat down together.
Wang Gui asked: "Is it true that the History Museum has no countermeasures against the salt banknote issue?"
Zhang Yue said: "It's not feasible yet, does Zhao Wen have any good ideas?"
Wang Gui sighed: "Why? I'm so worried about the businessman outside holding a lot of salt banknotes. It's really cruel."
Seeing Wang Gui's compassionate look, Zhang Yue was very moved.
The officials continued to discuss countermeasures. The officials even skipped lunch and accompanied everyone to think about countermeasures.
Time passed very quickly. Zhang Yue calculated that it was almost the closing time of the Exchange, so he stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I will think of a plan!"
The official family looked very worried. The salt notes they had just reported had dropped to 60%. If the price dropped any further, the country would be shaken. At this time, they heard Zhang Yue's words and said with great joy: "Please tell me quickly!"
Zhang Yue said: "The current strategy is to let go of the salt administration and transport salt from the southeast to solve the salt problem. To transport salt from the southeast, change the official transportation to commercial transportation."
Zhang Yue immediately stated Cai Jing's countermeasures yesterday in detail in the hall, and then affirmed: "As long as your majesty can tell the people at the exchange tomorrow, the salt banknotes will not only stop the plummeting, but also
Skyrocketing!”
At this moment, Wang Gui's expression turned extremely ugly.