In the office room, the tea was cold, and the conversation continued.

"Why is that?" Although he already had his own guesses, Shen Mo still wanted to hear what the parties had to say.

Shen Hongchang wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and said: "I also felt strange, so I paid attention to observation and inquired in many ways, only to know that many people bought this cake, not for themselves, but as gifts for relatives and friends." And the person who receives the gift may not necessarily eat it himself, because everyone has a personal affair, and if you want to give a gift, you still prefer Wan Fu Ji. Said with some pride: "Our shortbread of Wanfu Ji is beautifully packaged, the materials are exquisite, and the method is unique, and the people of Suzhou are recognized." ”

Shen Mo nodded, motioned for him to continue, and listened to Shen Hongchang say: "So those who buy don't eat, and those who receive gifts don't eat either, and even such a family can be passed on forever...... But the problem is that after being stored for a long time, the shortbread will grow and become flavorful, and it will not be able to give it away. He said with a smile: "Moreover, carrying a huge cake box to someone else's house is both inconvenient and eye-catching. ”

Hearing him say this, Shen Mo couldn't help but glance at the cake box on the table, which caused Shen Hongchang to be nervous for a while: "This is the villain's own production, of course it is not eye-catching to honor the adult." ”

Shen Mo smiled and didn't answer, but said: "So, many people bought this kind of white strip to give away, anyway, whoever wants to eat shortbread can go to your house to redeem it, if you want to continue, don't exchange it, so you are not afraid of rotting and deteriorating, right?" ”

Shen Hongchang sincerely admired: "My lord is really amazing. ”

Shen Mo smiled faintly, shook his head, and said, "What about later?" ”

Shen Hongchang took a deep breath and whispered: "Later, I secretly pondered that to make a box of shortbread, you need to use oil and noodles, and you have to take up labor, and you can't produce hundreds of boxes a day." But this kind of blank strip can be used to collect money out of thin air without investment, isn't it useless? ”

Shen Mo frowned slightly, pursed his mouth and didn't blame him, and listened to Shen Hongchang continue: "So I began to print cake coupons stamped with my private seal and sell them in the storefront." The benefits of selling pie coupons are really tempting...... As soon as the shortbread is not baked, I can collect the account in advance, and I don't have to worry about asking for credit as before. Second, the money from the sale of cake coupons can also be used for other businesses, and there is no need to pay interest, which is equivalent to others lending money to me for nothing. In addition, some of the cake coupons in the hands of customers will always be lost or damaged, and these shortbreads that cannot be redeemed will be earned in vain. ”

"So the owners of those cloth houses, butcher shops, and rice shops were all red-eyed, and they swarmed to imitate them, selling cloth coupons, meat coupons, and rice coupons?" Shen Mo asked out loud.

"Yes......" Shen Hongchang whispered.

"The abacus is indeed shrewd." He said silently: "If you can control the ** of the empty glove white wolf within a certain limit, it will be a genius idea." ”

"Yes......" Shen Hongchang covered his cheek with his hand and said, "But the development of events later greatly exceeded my expectations." Because the face value of the cake coupon is not indicated on it, pay according to the price at the time of purchase, and you do not need to refund more and make up less when you pick up the goods. After a pause, he explained to Shen Mo: "Shortbread is made of grain, and the price changes with the price of grain. Originally, Jiangnan was the land of fish and rice, and the grain was harvested almost every year, but in recent years, the war disaster has been severe, and the Japanese have come and gone without a trace, resulting in great fluctuations in grain prices, and also making the difference between the highest and lowest shortbread prices several times. Some shrewd people kept cake coupons at home and sold them to others when the price of shortbread rose. ”

Afraid that Shen Mo would not understand the mystery, Shen Hongchang asked cautiously, "Do you know what is going on?" ”

"Chase the rise and kill the fall." Shen Mo said lightly.

Shen Hongchang was completely convinced, it seems that although this Lord Fuzun is young, he is very shrewd.

"That's right, it's chasing up...... Kill the fall. Shen Hongchang nodded and said: "But there are also people with the surname Zi Anxious, who disdain this kind of practice of waiting for the rabbit, and they start a business of buying and selling short by gambling on the harvest of the coming year." If the coming year is a good year, the price of the cake will fall. If the coming year is a famine, the price of the cake coupon will increase now. ”

"It's not just cake coupons, but other coupons on the market are also used for speculation. Among them, there are even those powerful pawnshops and ticket numbers that are profitable, not only relying on their own strong capital to get a piece of the pie, and easily raising the price, but also accepting the mortgage of all kinds of coupons from the people, and putting up the profits. ”

After Shen Hongchang finished speaking, Shen Mo asked, "Have you thought about such a hazard?" ”

"I've thought about it," Shen Hongchang swallowed and foamed, and said, "If all the cake coupons released by our store are to be cashed out, it will take fifteen years without accepting new orders...... And we are still conservative, and the coupons released by other stores have not been completed even in 50 years. Saying that, his face turned pale and said: "Once there is a run, the consequences are unimaginable." ”

"If you know the danger, why don't you stop?" asked in a deep voice.

"I can't stop," Shen Hongchang looked at Shen Mo with begging eyes, "Now we want to stop, and those powerful pawnshops and silver horns are not allowed." ”

"Are they threatening you with force?" Shen Mo asked: "Don't worry about speaking out, Lang Lang Qiankun, this official will make decisions for you." ”

"No need to threaten by force," Shen Hongchang said with a bitter mouth: "They have a lot of coupons in their hands, and they threaten us in private, as long as anyone dares not to listen to the mercy, they will squeeze them to death...... They are all backed by noble officials behind their silver number bank, how can our small account compete with them. He said with a long sigh and said: "Actually, now, the entire city of Suzhou has been kidnapped by them, and they have the final say on how much things are worth and how many coupons should be issued." ”

"If this continues, sooner or later, the prices in Suzhou City will completely collapse, these tickets will be worthless, everyone will lose a lot, and the angry people will cramp and peel us." After speaking, he knelt on the ground and said: "The villain was greedy for a while, and embarked on this road of no return, willing to bear all the blame, just ......" and kowtowed to the ground: "Wanfu Ji is the painstaking efforts of the villain's ancestors for hundreds of years, please help protect the signboard and reputation, otherwise the villain will have no face to see the ancestors under the nine springs." ”

"If you think of your ancestors, you shouldn't just think about money," Shen scolded silently: "You get up, this official will not sit idly by." ”

"Thank you, sir!" Shen Hongchang was pleasantly surprised: "If he can be rescued, the villain is willing to give up his ill-gotten gains in the past few years." He added: "If necessary, the villain can make an appointment on behalf of the adult to meet with a few ticket numbers and the owner of the pawnshop." ”

"This matter has to be considered in the long run." Shen Mo said slowly: "Don't startle the snake. ”

"Then if they ask me, what are the adults looking for me, how should the villain reply?" Shen Hongchang asked.

"You just say," said silently, "recognize your own family......"

When Shen Hongchang heard this, he burst into tears with excitement, he knew that if the adult said this, he would definitely protect himself, otherwise how could he recognize his relatives indiscriminately? kowtowed to Shen Mo and said, "Nephew Hongchang, I have seen my cousin." ”

Shen Moxin said that you are really good at climbing the pole, and couldn't help laughing: "I don't dare to be a ......" but he didn't refuse.

The reason why he recognizes this family is indeed to keep this Shen Hongchang, because this person is the first person to release coupons, if this person falls, Suzhou's 'ticket world' will definitely cause a crisis of confidence, and then a chain reaction, causing a major earthquake!

After Shen Hongchang retired, there was only one person left in the signing room, he stood in the hall with his hands in his hands, looking at a plain white hall on the wall, and said: "The worries of the world are worried, and the joy of the world is happy." Look at the title, this is left by the previous prefect, and he didn't bother to take it off.

Looking at those two lines of big characters, his silent thoughts flew out of the clouds, and in the past, he could not have imagined that in the Ming Dynasty in the sixteenth century, there had been such a rudimentary financial transaction. If it continues to develop smoothly, it may become a securities market and a futures market of a certain scale, right?

But if you are a little more sensible, you will know that this kind of short buying and selling, which is full of speculation and luck, as well as mortgages on non-performing assets, is more likely to trigger a small financial crisis, wipe out the wealth of Suzhou Prefecture, and nip this gratifying gadget in the bud.

These days, Shen Mo has figured out that he can challenge the order of the whole society by himself--there is no great era and a big trend, and this damned society with the supremacy of imperial power, the rule of landlords, and the consciousness of small peasants will not be changed by anyone.

Therefore, what I should do is to take care of some things that have already sprouted or even existed; puncture some window paper that blocks people's view; Strangling some potential dangers, and being able to do these three things well, he is worthy of his heart.

Leave the rest to this great era that contains all possibilities!

The dead knot that had been entwined in his heart was finally untied, and Shen Mo felt full of strength, and suddenly heard a cooing sound, and when he looked down, he realized that it was the voice in his belly. couldn't help but laugh, and said loudly: "Come on, the master is going to eat." ”

The maids had been waiting outside with their plates for a long time, but they did not dare to enter the signing room without being summoned.

At the beginning of the afternoon, I was full of food and drink, and took a lunch break, and came to the second hall to continue the office in silence and spirit. The entrance to the second hall is called Yin Gong Gate. Yin Gong, from the "Book of Shang" 'Tong Yin Xiegong', means that colleagues should work together and cooperate sincerely. Because this is where the prefect often works, and most of the important institutions of the government are arranged around here, such as the grain collection hall on the east side, the punishment hall on the west side, the tax department on the southeast side, and the light mill office on the southwest side.

The subordinates had been waiting in the second hall for a long time, and after asking about the case, Shen Mo ordered the clerk's office to collect the notes written by everyone, and after a few glances, he frowned slightly, and instructed the clerk on the side: "Bring a blackboard and chalk." ”

The clerk hurriedly went to the ear room to get it, and according to Shen Mo's request, he supported it on the side of the big case, and Shen Mo ordered the two clerks, one to sing and one to write, and write all the contents of the note on the blackboard.

After reading and writing, he glanced at the blackboard silently, and said with a smile: "You are really enthusiastic, the tax department of Beppu is only responsible for collecting taxes, but our tax ambassador, in addition to his own work, is also responsible for public security, horse administration, and inspection in the market...... With so many capabilities, what do you need to do with the inspection department? As he spoke, he looked at the inspection department and said, "Oh, it turns out that the inspection department has gone to work part-time in warehouses, canals, ditches, and roads." ”

Then go through the various departments and houses, there are very serious problems of confusion of rights and responsibilities, for those fat and shortage, there are often several departments claim to be responsible for it, but those drudgery and poor, no one cares, as if it never existed.

Looking at the smiling crowd, Shen Mo also smiled brightly: "Everyone is very active, with everyone sharing, the official will be much easier." ”

Everyone said yes, but they secretly laughed in their hearts: "It's because I want you to carry the black cauldron." On the one hand, it is to deceive him that he is young and has no Taoism, on the other hand, because there is no post responsibility system at this time, and the rights and responsibilities of each person are extremely unclear.

Someone asked, isn't it 'the official level crushing people'? How could it be that the prefect carried the black pot to his subordinates? It is still the disadvantage that the tenure of the official is too short, if it is like in the early years, he has been in office for nine years, and any of the subordinates who are slippery and thorny can also be cured.

But now officials are transferred every three years, and there are even those who change within three years. In this way, the Fuzun has changed one term after another, but most of their subordinates have died here, and the officials will only be perfunctory for the Fuzun Lord who is like a marquee, just like sending a god, sending away one by one.

But silence is not easy to play, I saw him pull his face and said in a deep voice: "You may not know that the official's father went from a small secretary in Shaoxing Mansion to the Shaoxing General Judgment step by step. He said with a sneer: "I knew that you would call the errand outside the government a five-flavor shop, the 'sour' is the student officer of the school department, the 'sweet' is all kinds of taxes, river parks, slaughtering ambassadors, etc., the 'bitter' is the post station, the boat, and the 'spicy' is the patrol inspection and city defense; 'Salty' is the yin and yang shop and the medical hall and so on...... Everyone is afraid of the heavy, likes the sweet and hates the bitter, and I can't think of our Suzhou Mansion, which is the same. ”

When the officials heard this, the adults turned out to be knowledgeable, and they couldn't help but regret it, so they said: "The main thing is to share more for the adults, and it's not all the work of the government to respect you alone, and the people below us should run more legs and be a little tired." ”

"That's a nice thing to say." If you want to do something practical, you naturally can't let your subordinates be perfunctory, so you just listen to him frown, and said in an accentuated tone: "What if the errand is messed up?" It's all my fault, so that you have neither motivation nor pressure, and you can just focus on making money, which is obviously inappropriate. ”

"I can't think of it...... I understand," everyone couldn't help but be a little surprised, but still full of nonchalance in their hearts: "But what should be done?" ’

But he heard Shen Mo raise his voice and said: "Therefore, this official will implement a set of assessment methods in the government office, redistribute your errands according to the regulations of the imperial court, set a time limit for the things that should be done, and register them in two account books, one is left in the official here as the bottom, and the other is each of you to hold, and the things that should be done, each time you complete a piece must be registered, otherwise you must truthfully declare, this official will check once a month, once you have not completed the fine, twice you have not completed the demotion, if there is a third time, congratulations on your liberation, I don't have to go to work in the future. ”

The crowd was in an uproar, and their hearts said that this will not force us to death? Glancing at each other, they boldly said: "My lord, we don't care if you're like this, but as soon as you take office, you're different, I'm afraid it will cause unhappiness from the top......"

Shen Mo sneered, arched his hand in the direction of the Northern Jingshi, and said: "The emperor's grace is vast, and this official is granted the right to dispose of the officials under his jurisdiction on the spot, and he only needs to file it afterwards...... Hu Butang also supported this matter. ”

Everyone was dumbfounded, and they had no choice but to put their arms on their thighs, so they had to comfort themselves: "According to the previous law, the new official took office three times, and he was ambitious once, and he did whatever he wanted to do after the burning, so gritted his teeth and straightened out, right?" One by one, they cheered up and took over this errand.

Gui Youguang was quite supportive, and asked in a low voice: "Fuzun, will this regulation be implemented in the following states and counties?" ”

Shen Mo slowly shook his head and said, "No need. "Of course, he will implement it sooner or later, but now he has not established authority, and second, he has not seen results, and it is not the time to promote, so he should try it out under his nose first, and then see the effect.

Let the officials go back and wait for the summons, silently out of the back hall, then saw Sanchi looking at the door, and when he saw the adults coming out, he hurried over and said, "Gonggong Huang is here." ”

Shen Mo was slightly moved, and said, "Take me over." Then he followed Sanqi to the outer signing room, and sure enough, he saw four purple-clothed little eunuchs standing at the door.

"Father-in-law Huang is here, he has missed the distance, forgive his sins!" Silently adjusted his mentality, and walked in with a hearty smile.

Sure enough, I saw Huang Jinmaitreya's fat face like a Buddha, but I couldn't see the signature smile, but a sad face like a chrysanthemum.

(To be continued)