For several days, Li Zicheng rushed to the outside of the city, compared the drawings, and actually checked it, helping John Tang improve the planning of the new city.

Xining Science and Technology High School, the future scientific research center of Xining, is located in the southeast corner of the new city, almost at the junction of Xining Road and Lanzhou Road, belonging to the center of the new city, and the fence and school building have broken ground.

In the northwest corner of the new city, Lanzhou bicycle factory has also begun to build a plant, although there is no mold, grinding machine and other machinery that Li Zicheng is looking forward to, the bicycle factory temporarily first production, technology, will be continuously improved in the production process, the current production cost is too high, the production of bicycles will not be sold to the outside world, will be given priority to the officials of Lanzhou City.

Not only does the bicycle increase the running speed, but unlike the war horse, it needs to be fed with forage, and the maintenance cost is much lower.

Li Zicheng believes that if the officials of Lanzhou City can ride bicycles to work, it will form a scenery in the city, leading the city's consumption concept, and at that time, it is impossible for the wealthy businessmen, especially their sons and sons, not to be affected, if they catch up with the bicycle price reduction, it is not impossible to take the lead in popularizing in Lanzhou City.

Wu Shen sent his second son, Wu Jing, to Lanzhou to set up a factory with silver, on the one hand, to step up the construction of factories, on the other hand, began to recruit workers among the displaced people.

What puzzled Li Zicheng was that when Wu Jing recruited workers, not only was the remuneration very low, but also specially recruited single strong men, and when he asked, he knew that single strong men were not dragged down by their families, they could live in the factory, and they did not need to rebuild houses, and they needed less remuneration.

On this day, Li Zicheng had just returned to the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Mansion, and He Xiaomi came to report: "Metropolitan Governor, Lord Guo asks to see!" ”

"Oh, please!" In the past few days, Li Zicheng has been focusing on the construction of the new city, but he forgot about the issuance of banknotes, and was about to ask Guo Shijun.

Li Zicheng met Guo Shijun in the study, and after the two met the ceremony, Guo Shijun lowered his voice and said: "Governor, I'm afraid something is wrong about paper money!" ”

"Why not?" Li Zicheng didn't expect it to be bad news, and immediately frowned.

Guo Shijun said: "Governor, in the past few days, Huaxia Bank has recovered nearly 10,000 yuan of banknotes......

Li Zicheng's brows furrowed even deeper, "Shijun is saying that there are merchants secretly selling banknotes?" ”

"There must be someone selling, otherwise there wouldn't be so many banknotes flowing back," Guo Shijun looked worried, "Moreover, the prices in the city began to rise, and the grain was originally one or two silver and two stones, which has been relatively stable, but now it has risen to eighty jiao per stone, that is, eighty wen, an increase of sixty percent, if it is not suppressed in time, other prices will definitely rise!" ”

"What if it is silver?" Li Zicheng said lightly.

"If you buy grain with silver, there will also be an increase, of course, the range is not obvious, and each stone of grain does not exceed six hundred Wen!"

"Shijun is saying that someone is deliberately selling paper money, and then through the rise in prices, so as to devalue the paper money," Li Zicheng thought for a moment, still without a clue, "but what good is this for them?" Don't the leaders of Lanzhou merchants have banknotes in their hands? ”

"This ...... The subordinates don't know," Guo Shijun shook his head and said: "Maybe the subordinates are too careful, and the businessman just doesn't trust the banknotes very much!" ”

Li Zicheng pondered for a moment and said, "Do you know which one is selling banknotes?" Or are several of them selling? ”

"The subordinates have investigated," Guo Shijun said: "In the past two days, there are always some people wearing people's clothes, but they often come to the bank to exchange banknotes, or one or two yuan, or three or five yuan, and the subordinates were suspicious at the time, so they followed them and found that they were basically people from the Liu family......

"The Liu family?" Li Zicheng muttered: "What is the Liu family going to do? Is it just a distrust of paper money? ”

"This ...... The subordinates checked the market, and the most powerful price increase was also the Liu family's grain store, and under the drive of the Liu family, other grain stores also began to increase prices...... If you don't stop the momentum......"

"Check the background of the Liu family for me, investigate secretly, don't startle the snake for the time being," Li Zicheng said: "I will go to the market in person in the afternoon to see, if the Liu family's grain store is ......" He suddenly stopped talking, and there was a fierce light in his eyes.

After lunch, Li Zicheng changed his clothes and pretended to be ordinary people, even He Xiaomi, and they were far apart, pretending to be very casual.

Li Zicheng first asked the prices of a few grain stores, but the price did not rise much, it was estimated that it was not the Liu family, but he just remembered the price and the façade, and left.

When I arrived at the next grain store, there was a big white cloth banner inserted on the lintel, with the book "Liu Ji" on it.

That's it! Li Zicheng suppressed the impulse in his heart and hurriedly went up, "Little Er, buy rice!" ”

Xiao Erxu had just eaten lunch, and while hiccups, he glanced at Li Zicheng, and saw that Li Zicheng's clothes were not only dirty, but also patched in many places, so he said lazily: "Is it silver money or paper money?" ”

"Banknotes!" Li Zicheng's face was terrified, "Doesn't Xiao Er accept banknotes?" Didn't the Mandate of Heaven say that no one should refuse to accept ......"

Xiao Er glared at Li Zicheng fiercely, "Who said that you won't accept banknotes?" ”

"That's good, that's good," Li Zicheng trembled and took out a few dirty banknotes from his arms, unfolded them and held them in his hands, "I have one yuan and fifty jiao, which is just enough to sell three stones of grain!" ”

"Three stones?" Xiao Er suddenly showed a look of contempt, "You should have been last year?" If you buy it with silver, it will cost you 600 wen and 1 stone, and if you buy it with paper money, it will cost you 820 wen and 1 stone! ”

"Huh?" Li Zicheng pretended to be surprised, "Originally, it wasn't five hundred wen and one stone, why did it rise so much?" Didn't the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Mansion issue a document not to increase prices? ”

"Is this also called a price increase?" Xiao Er turned around and wanted to leave, "Besides, what are you doing to buy so much food at once?" I suspect you're secretly transporting food out......"

"No, no, how dare the villain?" Li Zicheng bowed his waist and looked flattering, "The villain has a large population, and they are all for their own use, and the second child doesn't have to be careful......"

"To buy it or not to buy it?" Xiao Er pointed at Li Zicheng with his hand, and said fiercely: "If you want to buy it, hurry up, don't sell it and go farther, don't delay the business of our store!" ”

Li Zicheng looked left and right, at this moment, apart from himself, there was only himself in the store, how could there be any other customers? I wanted to have a seizure, but I still endured it, "Buy is buy, but this price is ...... Xiaoer, can it be cheaper? ”

"Cheap? This is already the cheapest price, do you want the master to subsidize you with remuneration? Xiao Er crossed his waist with one hand and pointed at Li Zicheng's nose with the other.

Li Zicheng's eyes flashed, but he quickly disappeared, and returned to his listless appearance, "I passed by the Huangji Grain Store just now, and each stone of white noodles is only five hundred and twenty ......."

"Then why don't you go to Huang Ji to buy it?" Xiao Er glanced at Li Zicheng disdainfully, and said, "When you go to Huang Ji again, the price should rise again, and come back, Liu Ji is not this price anymore!" ”

"Then I'll go to Huang Ji first......" Li Zicheng said as he stepped back.

"Why don't you get out of here? If you don't get out of here, you will go to the Yamen......" Xiao Er suddenly turned around and shouted: "Brothers, someone has come to the grain store to make trouble, and they are entertaining the brothers......"

Li Zicheng heard a chaotic footsteps, wanted to reveal his identity, and directly sealed the grain store, and remembered that Guo Shijun was secretly investigating, which would make the Liu family alert, so he held back his breath, walked out of the grain store, and ran away.

He ran so badly that he alarmed his own soldiers who were hiding in the shadows.

Li Zicheng held a breath of evil breath in his chest, and then went back with his own soldiers angrily, if it wasn't for the fact that he wanted to investigate the back # of Liu Ji's grain store, it would not be too much to smash the grain store with Xiao Er's attitude.

With such a domineering junior, Liu Ji is likely to have something wrong!

Why is Liu Ji Grain Store so unscrupulous?

Take the lead in raising prices, selling paper money, and have a bad attitude...... Is it the short-sightedness of Liu Ji's proprietor, or is there something else hidden? What benefits did Liu get from this?

Liu should still have a lot of banknotes in his hands, if the banknotes depreciate, wouldn't he suffer losses?

Li Zicheng asked the four major firms of Huang, Li, Liu, and Zhu to subscribe to the banknotes, just to kidnap them, and if the banknotes depreciate, the damage of the four major firms will not be light.

This is obviously a detrimental act that harms others and is not beneficial to oneself, and if something goes wrong, there will be demons!

Could it be that someone compensates Liu's losses?

Li Zicheng was taken aback in his heart, who was behind the Liu family? With Liu's status in Lanzhou Commercial Bank, ordinary people can't command at all......

Is this an act of Liu's firm, or is it a joint effort of the four major firms?

Li Zicheng remembered Guo Shijun's words, since only the Liu family was the only one who pretended to be ordinary people to exchange paper money, it should be the exclusive work of the Liu family, and with the influence of the Liu family, I am afraid that it will be difficult to influence the rest of the family for the time being.

However, Liu's price increase for grain, it is really a bad start, for the sake of interests, the rest of the merchants, will also follow the price increase, now the range is not large, most of them are wait-and-see, if the Mandate of Heaven can not come up with corresponding measures, by the opportunity of issuing paper money, grain, and other goods, will follow the rise.

Li Zicheng came to Lanzhou, in order to stabilize the situation, he did not hesitate to use bloody means, that is, to let the people have something to eat, but now, ......

Li Zicheng secretly went to the market with his own soldiers to investigate, and sure enough, the prices of salt, cloth and other goods have risen, a pound of salt has risen from the original ten to sixteen, and ordinary cotton cloth has risen from one hundred wen to one hundred and thirty wen......

Is this worth it? Li Zicheng was furious, but he still endured it in the end, let's see what Guo Shijun said first.

After waiting for three days, Guo Shijun asked to see Li Zicheng, "Metropolitan Governor!" ”

"Shijun doesn't need to be polite," Li Zicheng gave up his seat to Guo Shijun, and asked He Xiaomi to serve hot tea, "How about it, does Liu have a problem?" ”

"Yes," Guo Shijun scratched his head, "The subordinates are keeping an eye on the Liu Mansion day and night, and even kidnapped the Liu Mansion's mansions, things are really a little strange!" ”