Chapter 86: Ming Dynasty version of Xixi? Such a business war? !
On June 6th, the sky cleared up after the rain.
The sky is as clear as water washing.
In the early morning after the rain, there are bursts of refreshing moisture in the air.
The streets of Yingtianfu are already crowded with people, businessmen and workers, carrying their trades on their backs, have been calling out on the streets.
The busiest streets and alleys in the city can no longer be described as lively.
It was completely crowded.
The streets and alleys were full of people, all looking curiously.
Today is the day for selling salt in Beijing.
King Salt is the name that the new top scholar named his salt industry, Kyoto Salt Industry.
Although it has not officially opened yet, various rumors have already spread in the city.
Early on, people from various markets and rural areas came to wait. Some really wanted to buy salt, some were curious about how much lower the price would be for salt that had been advertised for so long, and some just came to take a look. Lively, people are divided.
Roadside.
There is a teahouse on the third floor opposite the Kyoto Salt Industry.
In the private room on the third floor, several middle-aged people wearing 'coarse linen clothes' were looking down indifferently.
They did wear a layer of coarse linen on the outside, but the lining inside was all made of fine silk and satin.
Government regulations prohibit merchants from wearing brocade clothes.
They did not dare to disobey, so they all wore coarse linen and linen clothes when they went out.
But inside the jacket, it’s all about preference.
In the private room, a lean businessman surnamed Luo was holding a bowl of freshly brewed tea, looking coldly out of the window, his eyebrows and wrinkles almost squeezed together, and sneered: "This champion Lang, he really knows how to create momentum. He didn’t sell even a grain of salt, but he attracted the attention of the whole city.”
"It's a pity that there are so many people. I don't know how many people really want to buy it, and how many people want to see his joke."
"Haha."
A man with a big belly on the side touched his round belly. , chuckled and said: "I am the number one scholar, and I am very high-spirited. Otherwise, why would I be shouting in the city every day, to relieve the people's difficulties, to relieve the people's worries, and to ensure that the people can afford salt and eat well?" Salt is the best salt to eat.”
“I just don’t know how I will feel if I can’t sell it at a high price.”
“Now the emperor is just. Give him three months.”
"It's the third month now."
Luo Gan took out ten copper coins from his arms, placed them in rows on the table, looked at the steward aside and said: "When the salt shop opens, come and help me If you go and buy some, think of it as selling to this top scholar, otherwise we will feel uneasy if the dignified top pick is bullied by businessmen like us."
There was a burst of laughter in the private room.
Others also took out a few copper coins from their arms.
Let this servant buy it for you.
Luo Gan teased: "This scholar is not very old, but his ambitions are not small. Before the sale is officially launched, he has been talking about greatly reducing the price of salt, and he is also trying to make salt affordable for the people." The slogan of good salt, but there is no such good thing in the world. "
"Salt is expensive even if it is not expensive."
"Everyone has to eat it. "
"It's not enough if I don't eat it."
"But the merchants like me got salt from the court, and with the salt tax, it's already five cents per pound of salt. There are all kinds of transportation costs, as well as up and down management, etc., which directly exceeded 16 or 17 yuan. I also have a large family to support, so the price of salt will naturally exceed 20 yuan.”
"There were floods in Shouzhou and Chuzhou a while ago, and the supply of salt was insufficient. The price of salt rose to thirty cents."
"How much lower can he lower it?"
"Twenty cents" Five?" someone said with a smile.
Luo Gandao: "Twenty-five, we can do it, but I'm afraid he can't. He has to be responsible for making salt, transporting salt, and selling salt. The expenses are much higher than us. Even if he wants to please the people, If it really sells for twenty-five cents, we can just sell it at a lower price.”
“This salt business is not something he can participate in.”
Luo Gan sneered, stood in front of the window sill with a large bowl of tea.
He glanced at the sky and saw that it was time.
Sure enough.
Luo Gan grasped the time very accurately.
As he walked towards the window sill, the closed Kyoto salt shop, which was sealed by more than a dozen door panels, was finally removed piece by piece. This had been rumored in Yingtian Mansion for a month or two. The 'Kyoto Salt Shop' was also unveiled for the first time.
But the first thing that catches your eye isn’t the salt.
But a wooden sign.
There are a bunch of '0' symbols hanging on it.
The only thing they recognized was the word 'jin' at the end.
While everyone outside was curious and asking, a white-faced civil servant came out.
He said coldly: "Quiet."
"I know there are a lot of rumors in the city recently."
"Some are slandering, some are slandering, some are pursuing, and some are complaining."
“I, Kyoto Salt, don’t care.”
“Facts speak louder than words.”
"Today is June 6th. The chief of our department set this day because he wants to get good luck."
"You should also know that our chief is the number one scholar in the new department. He is talented, and he cares about the people and serves the people. To relieve worries and understand the sufferings of people’s livelihood.”
“This is why we take the initiative to engage in business.”
“I want to reduce the burden on the people and make the world eat more.”
"So our commander said it."
"You can also remember these words."
"Anyone who comes to my salt shop in Kyoto to buy salt within seven days will only pay eighteen cents per pound."
The official's words just As he spoke, there was a roar all around, and the crowd rushed to the front of the case like a flood from a broken embankment.
The civil servant was caught off guard and was almost knocked over.
“Eighteen cents? It’s so cheap, give me a pound.”
"I'll come first, I want two kilograms."
"."
Hearing this low price, people from all around came like a tide.
In the past few months, the price of salt in Yingtianfu has been rising.
From the initial price of twenty-five cents, it has increased to thirty cents, and there is a faint trend of price increase. The clerk barely managed to steady his body, and was also shocked by the scene in front of him. However, before the sale started, he had been reminded many times by Xia Zhibai, so he could still steady his mind.
He knows the people's demand for low-price salt. The price of salt has been intentionally raised by other salt merchants in the past two months.
At first they were very happy to hear that the price of salt had increased.
Because their salt can also be sold for more money.
It was only Xia Zhibai's words that made them wake up instantly.
A businessman cannot afford to be too early if he has no profit.
Who would have heard of a colleague deliberately raising the price of salt after grabbing business?
Wouldn’t that be giving yourself an advantage in vain?
It all has a purpose.
The purpose is to let them set a high price, and then use 'low-priced' salt to completely defeat their salt, thereby driving the Kyoto Salt Industry out of Yingtian Mansion completely. Others don't understand it. How could he not understand the truth?
The whiteness of summer is as immovable as a mountain.
The salt originally planned to be sold in May has been postponed to June.
And they are constantly releasing news in the city.
There are mainly two aspects. One is that Chuzhou and Shouzhou were hit by the disaster, and the supply of salt to Yingtianfu was reduced. The price of salt is likely to continue to rise.
On the other hand, he has been constantly releasing news that when Kyoto Salt Industry opens, it will hold a special promotion to thank the salt buyers, and the price will be much lower than usual.
The salt merchants in Yingtian Mansion thought that he did not understand business warfare.
Xia Zhibai could only laugh. The salt merchant in Yingtian Mansion didn’t understand marketing at all.
After more than a month of publicity, the name of his Kyoto Salt Industry has spread throughout Yingtian Mansion.
Everyone in the streets, old, young, women and children heard about it.
Moreover, the deliberate publicity by salt merchants and Xia Zhibai also created pressure on the people to increase the price of salt. People's lives are already difficult, and the rise in salt prices is difficult for many families. Bear the weight.
Even if it's just a few pennies.
Under this kind of publicity, many people have turned their attention to the Kyoto Salt Industry, hoping that the Kyoto Salt Industry, which is blooming in the summer, will really have a big price reduction as rumored in the city.
The people do not have high demands.
Just restore it to before the price increase.
Twenty-two and three articles.
So when they heard the official said that it only cost eighteen coins, the people who already had a need to buy salt went crazy.
Too cheap.
They also know that businessmen are snobbish.
With this kind of big price reduction, it is likely that only the people in front can buy it, so there is a rush of people squeezing forward.
Everyone wants to take advantage of this.
Clang clang clang.
Just when the people were huddled together, the civil servant took out a gong and banged it hard, causing the people around to huddle reluctantly to quiet down. The civil servant said coldly: "Everyone is in public. What's the point of being huddled together like this?"
"Don't worry."
"The salt tube is enough."
"And I haven't said anything yet. Finished.”
"After I finish what I said, you guys are not in a hurry to buy anymore."
But the clerk's words obviously didn't have much effect, and the people who squeezed to the front couldn't listen at all, they just thought about it. If you push forward, you must grab the cheapest 18-cent salt. You must not let anyone else get there first. When the crowd rushes you again, the clerk and his gong are knocked down.
It took a big fall.
The civil servant got up from the ground depressedly.
There was also a fire in his heart. He was originally a small official in the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Following the imperial court's instructions, he came to work under Xia Zhibai. Today, he and three other people fought for a long time to win the opening of the store in the city. He was secretly proud of it for a long time, thinking that he could make a splash, but it turned out that Here comes a dog chewing mud.
He was very annoyed.
I just don’t dare to have an attack.
When Xia Zhibai handed over the matter to him, he reminded him again and again that he must maintain his tolerance and never show any dissatisfaction.
Otherwise he will send himself directly back to the Ministry of Finance.
The clerk took a deep breath and put a smile on his face again, but it was very dry.
He picked up the gong again and struck it hard. Regardless of the image, he shouted loudly: "Don't squeeze me, wait until I finish saying it. Eighteen pennies is not the minimum." The price, if you can meet certain conditions, the price of a pound of salt can be even lower."
"Fifteen cents per pound"
As soon as the words fell, the surroundings were silent.
“Fifteen articles?”
"Did I hear you correctly?"
"This scholar has come to open a charity hall?"
"Shop, what are the conditions for buying fifteen cents of salt?"
"Yes, tell me."
"."
Literary official Fang Mo coughed lightly, trying to maintain a certain demeanor, and continued to yell at the top of his lungs: "My parents have said that if more than ten people can form a group to purchase, they can directly enjoy the special low price, as long as fifteen Wen, but each person can only buy one catty at a time.”
“If you don’t want to form a group, within these seven days, one catty of salt will cost you eighteen wen per catty, no limit.”
"And my parents also said that if within this month, the salt sold by Yingtian Prefecture, that is, Kyoto and the eight counties below, reaches 500,000 jins, from now on, the salt of our Kyoto Salt Industry will be equivalent to People in Tianfu will never increase the price, and they will only sell for fifteen cents."
Said.
Fang Mo took out a piece of paper from his arms and said loudly: "This is the written document signed by my parents and Yin Tianfu Yin."
"The official seal is proof!"
"If there is any violation, you can directly sue the official."
"The government will convict the chief."
"But I have also warned him in advance. It was agreed that the low-price salt of eighteen cents per catty is only available for seven days. After seven days, it will return to the original price of twenty cents per catty."
"As for the special group price of fifteen cents per catty, One month only.”
"If the requirements are not met within a month, there will be no more special prices in the future."
"My parents are kind-hearted enough. These salts are made under the supervision of my parents personally. The cost is It is very high, but in order to benefit the people, and to prove it to His Majesty, I dare to be the first in the world."
"Don't wait until the time comes."
(End of this chapter. )