The high price of salt in Luoyang City soon caused an impact in Luoyang City, first the people complained, and then there were merchants hoarding goods and raising the price of salt better. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The price of salt is better, and Luoyang City is a little messy.

After these things happened, Tang Zhou sent people to invite several major salt merchants in Luoyang City to the government office.

Throughout the ages, most of the commodities that are closely related to the lives of the people are controlled by the imperial court, and the imperial court can effectively control the price to ensure the stability of the people.

However, although the imperial court controlled the sale of salt, it was not responsible for selling salt to individual households, they only sold salt to merchants, who then sold salt to the people.

Of course, it doesn't mean that whoever wants to sell salt can sell it, if you want to sell salt, you must get the salt guide issued by the imperial court, and only after you get the salt guide can you sell salt, and the salt guide is in the hands of the court officials, which will inevitably breed some problems, for example, many people who get salt lead have a good relationship with officials, and their background is also very hard, etc.

Salt merchants are not easy to bully, that's for sure.

After Tang Zhou called the salt merchants of Luoyang City to the government, he said directly to the point: "You are all the big salt merchants of my Luoyang City, the recent rise in the price of salt in Luoyang City is related to your deliberate increase in the price of salt?" ”

There are more than a dozen salt merchants here, all of them are very rich, and there is power behind them, but they also know who Tang Zhou is, Tang Zhou is deeply loved by Li Shimin in the capital, and his relationship with the powerful people in the capital is also good, and the things he did in Luoyang City made them understand that Tang Zhou was not easy to mess with.

Therefore, after Tang Zhou asked this question, the hearts of these salt merchants were a little tight, and the last largest salt merchant named Sun Ku stood up and said: "Little Hou Ye, the rise in salt prices has nothing to do with us, the main reason is that there are fewer sources of salt and less salt, so the price will naturally rise." ”

Tang Zhou's brows condensed slightly, he didn't understand how there could be less salt in the Tang Dynasty, he glanced at Sun Ku and said, "What the hell is going on?" ”

Sun Ku sighed lightly and said: "Little Hou Ye, here's the thing, didn't my Datang have a war with Tubo, the Qinghai occupied by Tubo is a place with a high salt production, and now that place no longer supplies salt to us, we can only transport salt from the middle of Shu, but this is not enough to meet the needs of the market after all, now not only the price of salt in our Luoyang City has risen, but also Chang'an City, I'm afraid it has also risen." ”

There is not much difference between more salt and less salt to salt merchants, they are not short of salt anyway, they will increase the price if there is less salt, and the price will increase if there is more salt, which is normal for them, so Sun Ku's worried look is very contrived at all.

A sneer appeared at the corner of Tang Zhou's mouth, he agreed with what Sun Ku said, since Tubo controlled the salt-producing land, then in the event of a war, he would definitely use this to restrain the enemy.

However, in Tang Zhou's view, this is not the main reason.

In recent years, Tubo has expanded a lot of territory in the east and west, but Datang has never purchased much salt from Tubo, on the contrary, the territory of Datang is also very vast, even if there are not many salt lakes, but there are many other salt-producing places, and there is no problem in self-sufficiency.

Since there is nothing wrong with being self-sufficient, why is this happening?

In Tang Zhou's view, the main reason is rumors.

When the Tibetans were at war with the Tang Dynasty, some merchants used this to spread rumors that the Qinghai land occupied by the Tibetans controlled the delivery of salt to the Tang Dynasty, which in turn led to a decrease in salt.

After hearing the news, the people will definitely go crazy to buy salt, and it is this behavior of the people that has led to the increase in the price of salt, perhaps, the salt in the hands of the salt merchants is not less at all, they are just using these rumors to increase the price of salt, and seek huge profits.

And because of the inconvenient transportation in this era, the speed of breaking the rumors is very slow, before the rumors are broken, these merchants have made enough money during this time, and after the rumors are broken, no one can help them, after all, no one said that they will not let the price of salt rise, and they can also push the rumors away.

They are using the war to make their fortunes.

After thinking of this, Tang Zhou glanced at the salt merchants in the living room, and then said with a smile: "So that's the case, but the price of salt has risen too much, which is not good for the stability of my Luoyang City, what do you think?" ”

Several salt merchants glanced at each other, they were very shrewd in business, they naturally understood the meaning of Tang Zhou's words, and now the price of salt has doubled, which is indeed beyond the purchasing power of some people, and now the people are complaining, Tang Zhou is very difficult to do as this assassin.

Several people turned their eyes to Sun Ku, Sun Ku's face was embarrassed, but he still said: "The little marquis has done a lot of things for the people of Luoyang City, although I am not an official, but I also want to make Luoyang City more stable, I don't know if this is feasible, I will wait until I go back, adjust the price appropriately, and then find a way to transport more salt to solve the urgent need of Luoyang City?" ”

After Sun Ku finished saying this, the other salt merchants hurriedly chimed in.

"Yes, little marquis, after we go back, we will reduce the price and strive to stabilize Luoyang City."

"That's right, if salt from other places can be transported, the situation in Luoyang City will definitely be solved."

“………………”

These people said very well in front of Tang Zhou, Tang Zhou smiled at the corner of his mouth, and said: "Since you are willing to work with me Tang Zhou to maintain the stability of Luoyang City, it is really a good thing, without further ado, please go back quickly." ”

After the salt merchant left the mansion, one of them looked at Sun Ku and said, "Boss Sun, is it possible that we really go back to reduce the price like this?" Speaking of this, he said: "Although Tang Zhou is a little difficult to provoke, I don't believe that he dares to do anything to us, after all, he can't find evidence that we spread rumors and raise the price of salt." ”

Sun Ku was a fat man, and when he walked, his two arms shook very sharply, only to see a sneer on the corner of his mouth, snorted, and said, "Just go back and mean it, could it be that you really take that Tang Zhou seriously?" ”

When several people heard Sun Ku's words, they couldn't help laughing, in their opinion, this Tang Zhou is indeed a capable person, but as long as what they do is not illegal and Tang Zhou is not found by Tang Zhou, what can Tang Zhou do to them?

"What Brother Sun said is very true, I heard that there is a new delicacy in Cuiming Building, how about we go and taste it?"

"A few brothers, although we won't really drop the price very much, but the surface work still has to be done, that Cuiming Building is Tang Zhou's territory, we can't go, a few of you really want to drink, and when you go back and make arrangements, how about going to the brother's house for a banquet tonight?"

If you go to the banquet in the evening, you will definitely not be able to go home, and a few people think of the beautiful concubines in Sun Ku's mansion, and they can't help but feel excited.

"Okay, okay, let's go to Brother Sun's house for a banquet."