Yangzhou City, Yangzhou branch of Mingshang Bank.

Cheng Zhiying didn't delay for a while, and hurried to meet the legendary shopkeeper Wu of Mingshang Bank.

Borrowing usury this kind of business, since ancient times, the Ming Dynasty when the private lending is more active, Wanli period of the "Tongzhou Chronicles" said: "Fangqi valley show in the field, then there is a rent to urge Xu, money lenders, looking forward to the acres and waiting; than its debut, the burden of the unmasking is full of hustle and bustle......"

When the peasants were expecting a bumper harvest, the "rent-mongers" in the government and the "moneylenders" who were usurious were already ready, and when the harvest was completed, these people were "full of hustle and bustle." The peasants paid taxes to the government and the moneylenders at the same time, and in the end the actual income could be geometric

In addition to peasant loans, it is also common for officials to borrow money, and some candidates and newly elected officials often have to borrow money from others because of the huge cost of opening up joints, and when the officials officially take office, the money lenders are like servants.

The first time Cheng Zhiying saw the shopkeeper Wu, she felt that this person was young!

Although Shopkeeper Wu deliberately wore a beard and dressed very carefully, Master Cheng had seen countless people, and his eyes were so vicious that he could see at a glance that the age of the person in front of him was only thirty.

While being surprised, Cheng Zhiying secretly reassured, young people, it is much easier to deal with than those old fritters, and after thinking about it a few times, the interest given should not be too dark.

Wu's shopkeeper is Wu Zhong's younger brother Wu Cheng, and Mingshang Bank is a ticket number established by Wu Cheng according to Zhu Cihong's requirements, and it is operated with the financial support of the Royal Group, and it has become quite famous in just a few years.

Xin'an Dajia, fish and salt for the industry, Tibetan has up to one million, and the other two or three hundred thousand are in Jiaer.

In the Huizhou merchants of Yangzhou City, the family wealth of millions is hugely rich, and the two or three hundred thousand are considered small and medium-sized businessmen, as a salt merchant is hugely rich, Cheng Zhiying's posture is very high, and after greeting Wu Cheng, he sits on the Taishi chair with a big grin, very stylish.

He didn't think that he was here to borrow money, on the contrary, he was a big customer, and this Mingshang Bank should have something to ask him for.

Facing the coercive Cheng Jufu in front of him, Wu Cheng touched his mustache and said with a smile: "Cheng is in charge, I don't know how much silver you want to use?" ”

Cheng Zhiying said: "One hundred thousand taels of silver, how much profit?" ”

Wu Cheng was full of smiles, looking harmless to humans and animals, but the interest he said was like a knife to the other party: "Take three points of profit every month." ”

"So much?" Cheng Zhiying's face shook, a little surprised.

Take three points of interest, 100,000 taels of silver is 3,000 taels per month, 36,000 taels a year, and you will catch up with the principal in three years.

The Cheng family has always lent money to others, and the profits vary from person to person, and sometimes even mention four points, but this is the first time he has borrowed money, and this is hard to say.

He said: "If a certain person plans to take a million taels of silver, can he take less profit?" ”

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Cheng, forgive me, this can't be less." ”

Cheng Zhiying said slightly angrily: "How can your so-called bank be so dark in business? ”

Wu Cheng smiled and said nothing, this profiteer usually lends to others as high as four or five points, but he says that three points are black, which is really shameless.

Wu Cheng suddenly said seriously: "The "Da Ming Law" stipulates: "Where money and pawn property are privately released, the monthly profit shall not exceed three points, although there are many years, but one profit, the violator will be flogged forty, and the surplus profit will be counted as stolen goods, and the heavier one will sit on the stolen goods, and the rod will be one hundred. ”

Seeing that time passed little by little, Cheng Zhiying didn't want to waste time with him, so he had to say: "If the shopkeeper Wu can be less, Cheng still has friends to introduce him......"

Wu Cheng said lightly: "It can't be less, if the shopkeeper Cheng doesn't want to borrow it, then please go back, Wu still has a few salt merchant customers to receive." ”

He sneered in his heart, missed my shop, and when the sun sets, your whole family will be copied, and you will bargain with me!

Cheng Zhiying was so angry that she didn't dare to show it, so she had to swallow her anger and say, "Okay, just take three cents and take one million taels of silver!" ”

Wu Cheng beckoned, and immediately two small servants came with a thick pile of silver tickets, and the other small servant came with pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and began to write documents.

"Three years?" Cheng Zhiying pointed to the agreement on the paperwork and exclaimed with glaring eyes.

Wu Cheng nodded affirmatively, and said: "Although the "Da Ming Law" stipulates that there are many years, but one book and one profit, according to our bank's profit, the three-year interest will reach the principal amount, if it exceeds three years, the remaining profit will be counted as stolen goods, and you will be guilty of stolen goods. ”

Wu Cheng's attitude was very tough: "It's limited to three years, if the shopkeeper Cheng feels unacceptable, he can just borrow it." ”

Cheng Zhiying signed and signed hatefully, took the silver ticket and left, and did not forget to take away the bag of Tieguanyin tea presented by Mingshang Bank when he left.

After Cheng Zhiying left with the silver ticket, Wu Cheng shouted outside: "Please invite the next salt merchant.....

According to the meaning of Zhu Cihong, the big boss behind the scenes of Mingshang Bank, these profiteers have been oppressing the people for a long time, and they don't know how much black money they have made with their conscience.

For example, this Cheng family has to repay one million taels of silver in three years, plus loans from other salt merchants, which is equivalent to giving away millions of taels of silver for nothing every year, which can be said to be a long-term extortion.

In all dynasties, officials have never been afraid of usury disputes, such as Ximen Qing in "Golden Vase Plum", usury is one of his money-making techniques, Ximen Daguan is in the officialdom, is a military attache of the fifth rank, although there is no direct official and business operation, but secretly Li Zhi and Huang Si build a bridge from it.

The author of "The Golden Bottle" is a native of the Ming Dynasty, and many of the plots written reflect the affairs of the Ming Dynasty, and "Water Margin", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and "Journey to the West" are known as the "Four Great Strange Books" in ancient China......

In the afternoon of the same day, the major salt merchants gathered again in the yamen of Yangzhou prefect to pay the salt tax in an orderly manner, some using silver tickets, and some asking their families to carry out gold and silver.

The entire prefect's yamen compound turned into a mountain, which was shocking.

There are also some people who really don't have enough to make up the taxes, and they don't want to sell their property, and they don't want to borrow, so they come to watch with a little luck.

For these people, Zhu Cihong mercilessly ordered the house to be raided, and all the salt merchants who were in arrears of taxes were sent to Dongfan, so as to contribute to the development of the treasure island.

As for their family property, it was naturally confiscated.

Those salt merchants who borrowed money from Mingshang Bank were no better, and they wanted to rely on the salt industry to make a comeback and repay the loan after three years, but Zhu Cihong's next action made them fall into an ice cellar and were dumbfounded.

Zhu Cihong officially ordered the abolition of the Rigid Salt Law and the abolition of the salt introduction system on the grounds that the Gang Salt Law was becoming more and more corrupt, the floating fee was increasing, the official salt was unsalable, and the smugglers were rampant!

Since then, the salt industry has been specially produced by the imperial court, sold wholesale to merchants at low prices, and then retailed by merchants to the people of the world.

In other words, the imperial court controlled the pricing and production power, reducing the profitable value of daily necessities such as salt, but in doing so, it meant that the profit that the imperial court could make by controlling the salt industry was reduced.

The abolition of the Gang Salt Law broke the hereditary monopoly of salt merchants, and the impact on Hui merchants was not small, and even Zhang Dabiao was stunned.

Zhu Cihong's move is for the country and the people, and the second is to beat the Hui merchants who are getting bigger and bigger, don't think that the power is big, and the wings can flutter indiscriminately, in the eyes of the palace, you are just cattle and sheep, the palace will give you a handful of grass to eat, you only have to eat, if you want to become a capitalist and a big consortium in the past, it can be realized in your dreams.

However, for the salt merchants who paid the salt tax, Zhu Cihong did not rush to exterminate them, if they were left without financial resources, what would happen to the loans of Mingshang Bank? Isn't there no wool to spare?

Zhu Cihong set up a special salt administration department, responsible for the production of salt, and at the same time responsible for bidding agents sales, those salt merchants are ready-made agents, not only have sales channels, but also on-site shops.

In the past, the salt merchants were responsible for a road, including pricing, but now they are only responsible for sales, and the pricing is the business of the salt administration.

Anyone who holds the approval of the salt administration department can get a ticket to sell salt, and salt merchants cannot achieve a monopoly.

In order to prevent the price of salt from being raised, Zhu Cihong specially decreed that the price of salt in the Ming Dynasty should be set in one, and the price of salt would be between ten and fifty yuan, and the provinces close to the salt field would be ten yuan a catty.

The cost of making salt is about two or three cents a catty, plus the subsidy for stove households, and half of it can be earned for ten cents per catty.

Because the distance requires a large amount of vehicle and ship freight, the cost increases, and it is acceptable to sell it for 50 wen in Sichuan and other places, after all, the previous salt price was 300 wen a catty.

Once the price of official salt is extremely low, there will be no room for survival of smuggled salt, and the salt smuggling syndicate will be fundamentally cracked down in disguise.

Li Yan, who was accompanying him, thought for a while, bowed down and said, "Your Highness, the minister has a word, if the local government secretly increases the price......"

Zhu Cihong smiled and said, "Secretly increase the price? It's a good thing, whoever dares to increase the price, the palace will copy someone's home! Let them just add! ”

Li Yan nodded secretly, this is a way to make a fortune, as long as the central government has strong supervision, those local officials can't make any big waves.

Zhu Cihong said again: "Set up another supervision office in the Salt Administration Department, similar to the Imperial History of Salt Patrol, as long as you find a place to increase the price, the official will be promoted to one level and rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!" ”

He believes that the officials of the Supervision Department of the Salt Administration Department will definitely become very active for the sake of their official career and profits, keep their eyes open all the time, and keep an eye on the local government.