Chapter 525: The Women Settle in the Capital (V)
"Our purchase prices, except for the one from the Kong family in Shandong, which was one tael and eight qian per stone, the rest were at least three taels and two qian, and at most four and a half taels."
"Adding in losses and transportation costs, including the manpower required to coordinate the distribution, the cost of each dan of grain would increase by at least five qian of silver, and at most by almost one tael."
"Our highest selling price was two taels, and on some days it was one tael and eight qian or one tael and nine qian, so we suffered a significant loss."
"Not to mention the unsold grain, we lost 1.12 million taels of silver just from the rice we sold. And this large-scale purchase has also added to our reserve of 1.7 million taels of silver."
"Fortunately, the Kong family and Muring have only paid 60% of the grain and rice they arranged, and the remaining 40% will be delivered within three months, so we still have 1.03 million in cash on hand."
"And this money is still needed to cover the subsequent transportation costs and the allocation of all the shops. It's basically enough, but there won't be much left."
At this point, Wang Xifeng said with a bitter face, "Everyone makes money in business, but our family is losing money, and it's such a huge sum of money to lose. I roughly calculated that after we sell all this grain and pay the remaining money to Jiangnan and the Kong family, we will lose all the five million silver we originally raised."
Thinking about this number, Wang Xifeng felt heartbroken. Five million silver coins would not be enough even if she filled up her courtyard. If she was to buy headgear and jewelry, how many boxes would she need?
Baochai, who was sitting at the head of the seat, smiled and said, "Don't worry, Feng girl. We lost money, and we are compensating nearly a million people in Shenjing. But since someone made us lose money, we naturally have to earn it back."
"Even though you didn't say it, Sister Lin and I also know that all of us sisters have even invested all our family property and jewelry in this matter. If you lose it all, how will Sister Lin and I be able to save our dignity?"
"Really?" Wang Xifeng's eyes lit up.
Daiyu smiled and said, "Now that we have enough food and rice, we invited you here to discuss the follow-up matters."
"Xiangyun, Mu Ning, how long will it take for the grain you purchased from various places to arrive in the Divine Capital?"
"I'm contacting all the nearby provincial capitals. According to the schedule, the latest one will arrive in three days." Xiangyun said.
Muring also spoke up, "Because we need to keep the news secret, we asked Sister Feng to pass a message to Minister Wang. Minister Wang also told us that the grain from Jiangnan will be sent back by the troops from the Shandong camp. And to avoid the eyes and ears of the Cao Gang, some of the grain will be transported by water in Jiangnan under the guise of merchants, and by land in Shandong, while the rest will all go by land!"
"According to the latest news from yesterday, the fastest has already passed Hejian Prefecture, and the slowest has reached Jinan Prefecture in Shandong!"
"So, in ten days, they should be arriving one after another."
At this point, Muring sighed and said, "This time, we are fortunate to have the help of the Kong family. The Kong family helped to mobilize thousands of carts, many civilians, and able-bodied men. Otherwise, even with the help of the Shandong camp, it would not be easy to accomplish this task."
Daiyu nodded and said, " Although the Kong family's help was conveyed by the Empress, we also remember their kindness. If there is an opportunity in the future, we will repay them."
"Sister Bao, now that the food has arrived, it's time for you to share your ideas."
"Most of this silver belongs to Third Brother and Auntie. If it's all lost, not only will Sister Bao be left without a dowry, but Third Brother will also be left without a betrothal gift!"
Baochai scratched Daiyu's face and said, "Don't worry, Sister Lin. Brother Cong must earn back Sister Lin's betrothal gift."
The two girls' words made everyone burst into laughter. When the noise died down, Baochai said seriously, "First, Feng girl, tell Jia Yun and Xue Ke that the people who go to receive the grain this time must be our trusted men. And this batch of grain cannot enter the city without my and Sister Lin's permission. It must be hidden directly in Liangxiang, and have my uncle send troops to guard it."
"Secondly, the New Year is approaching, and the imperial edicts from various prefectures will also be coming to pay their respects. Yuanyang, Muring, Dasaozi, Keqing, you should spread the word that we only have 100,000 to 200,000 dan of grain left and we will soon be unable to hold on."
"Thirdly, most people now have some food, so it's okay to tighten the belt for a few days!"
"Feng girl, have our shop start to tighten up gradually. We will only sell grain in the mornings, and each person can only buy five catties. Anything over five catties will not be sold."
"Also, starting tomorrow, I'll have the food store raise its prices. It doesn't have to be a huge increase, but it will increase every day."
In fact, these shops previously had certain restrictions on grain sales. To prevent grain merchants or members of the grain transport gang from disrupting or purchasing grain from their shops, the Wucheng Military Commission and the county government offices were mobilized. First, they checked household registration, second, they checked for duplicate purchases, and third, they checked for large purchases.
Although there is no limit on the quantity, it is normal for a family of three to buy enough for ten or eight days. But if you buy three months' worth of reserve food at once, will there be no problem?
In this way, even if it cannot be completely eliminated, it can basically prevent the grain from being bought and hoarded by grain merchants and grain transport gangs.
And the Cao Gang has been thinking about causing trouble these days. There are thousands of young men in the Shenjing branch of the Cao Gang. How could they sit back and watch others delay their own fortune?
At first, the Cao Gang secretly sent a number of gang members into the city to cause trouble in the shops, but as soon as they started, they were directly arrested by the government and the military department and thrown into prison. Want to redeem them? First bring the silver and then see how the soldier is feeling!
After losing hundreds of men, the Cao Gang stopped trying to give credit to the military and government offices. It was clear that their own forces had long been under the watchful eye of the imperial court. Even if thousands of Cao Gang members from the capital were to enter the city, let alone dozens or hundreds, they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble to the shops.
Although the Cao Gang is quite powerful and even has connections with many officials, on the surface, it is under scrutiny by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, and patrolled by the government offices and the Military Commission. Even the Jinyiwei are watching behind the scenes. How much trouble can it cause in the capital?
At the feet of the Son of Heaven is not just a saying. If the emperor is far away in other places, the royal family's control is naturally not strong. But if the royal family loses control of the Shenjing City, how can they rule the world?
"When all the grain arrives, it will be time for us to strike back. Whether it's the Cao Gang or the grain merchants, if they want to disrupt the capital, they will have to ask us sisters if we are willing. This time, I will make sure they lose more than they gain. Even if they don't suffer any casualties, they will never be able to return with their lives intact."
Baochai stood up, glanced at all the sisters, and said some extremely domineering words!
