Seeing such large numbers of people coming, grain shops all followed their peers in raising prices, while some simply closed their doors entirely. This made the people even more panicked and at a loss.
Ever since Xiliang people became wealthy from jade brocade, furs, and paper, the Xiliang people, who already had little farmland, became even more unwilling to labor at farming. Instead, they all focused their efforts on jade brocade, hunting, and papermaking. Since grain prices were cheap and supply was stable, the people felt that farming grain brought low returns. Over time, farmland became abandoned.
But just at this moment, not only did Yunjing’s grain shops suddenly raise prices, they also suddenly closed one after another, refusing to sell to the public. Grain was the people’s primary livelihood concern – wasn’t the people’s toil all for the matter of food and clothing? Rising grain prices was like grasping Xiliang people by the throat – how could the people not panic?
It was already deep night. In Mingyang Hall, lamp shadows flickered. Azure cloud-mist gauze curtains hung from both sides of red coral hooks with gilt bronze, swaying gently in the breeze. The Xiliang Empress sat behind a bead curtain made of strung jade beads, reviewing memorials. The Empress had bound her long hair atop her head, wearing a jade crown and dressed as a man, yet her features were intensely beautiful, like a peony queen blooming in brocaded splendor – radiant and captivating.
Two ministers knelt outside the gently swaying bead curtain, reporting to the Xiliang Empress about the chaos caused by today’s sudden grain price increases in Yunjing. Yun Poxing forcibly suppressed his coughing, his expression grave as he stood to one side, remaining silent throughout.
When the Xiliang Empress received the news, she looked as if she had expected it all along. Setting down her brush and picking up her teacup, revealing a small section of her pale, luminous wrist, she looked up toward the Minister of Revenue and Vice Minister of Revenue, who had come to report: “It has finally come…”
It was just a pity that she and the court officials had realized it somewhat late, and Cui Gongxing stubbornly refused to confess.
However, there was an old saying: “Better late than never.”
The earlier this problem was discovered, the more timely the remedy could be. Though this hole was already quite large, it was better than watching it grow ever larger.
After arresting Cui Gongxing and throwing him in prison last month, the Xiliang Empress had issued a series of edicts encouraging farming, but the results were minimal.
The Xiliang Empress wanted to be ruthless and eliminate Cui Gongxing’s shops, but now most of Xiliang’s people could be said to make their living from jade brocade, with a minority relying on furs, and Cui Gongxing’s shops had the largest purchasing volume in Xiliang.
If she rashly closed Cui Gongxing’s shops, Xiliang didn’t have merchants large enough to absorb all the jade brocade the people made daily, which would cut off the people’s livelihood.
Moreover, Cui Gongxing was a clever person. His business was large… and he had also drawn Xiliang’s most powerful eight families to participate. Though two of the eight great families were no longer a force to be reckoned with, the influence of the remaining six families could not be underestimated.
Not to mention the complex web of relationships involved, with the support of Xiliang’s nobles and several great families, Cui Gongxing had become the largest grain merchant providing grain to Xiliang. This was also why the Xiliang Empress had delayed killing Cui Gongxing – if she killed him, half of Xiliang’s people would probably have to drink the northwest wind.
The Xiliang Empress, who had previously looked down upon and despised merchants, had initially favored Cui Gongxing because he could tell her about the Jin Kingdom’s customs and share strange tales from his travels through various states and voyages overseas. Cui Gongxing didn’t look down on women, and his words even contained ideas of equality between men and women, which greatly pleased the Xiliang Empress. So… later on, even if the Xiliang Empress didn’t consider Cui Gongxing a confidant, she still regarded him as someone she could talk to.
She never expected that such a person… would harbor malicious intent to harm Xiliang.
Indeed, just as her father had said, Jin people… and Yan people were the most scheming and cunning.
It was also because over these years, Xiliang had been like other states, too dismissive of merchants, never taking a mere small merchant to heart. Who would have thought that this merchant could wield such great power, silently weakening a nation?
During the period when Cui Gongxing was imprisoned, the eight great families continuously came to plead for him. Later, they only quieted down after receiving a promise from Da Zhou’s Empress that she would not interfere with the business of shops under Cui Gongxing’s name or affect the eight great families’ profits.
“Tomorrow, sell the grain supplies that I previously ordered the Minister of Revenue to transport from Great Yan to the people at normal market prices…” After the Xiliang Empress finished speaking, she asked Yun Poxing, “What does the General think – if this continues for a period, can we adjust grain market prices back to normal?”
Yun Poxing forcibly suppressed his coughing, turned and bowed toward the Xiliang Empress inside the bead curtain, then said: “Your Majesty, this old subject believes… the urgent priority should be to release Cui Fengnian. Cui Fengnian’s interests are deeply intertwined with the eight great families. During this period, because their business hasn’t been affected, everything has been manageable. Now that Cui Fengnian’s people have raised grain prices, I fear this is just the beginning. If we still don’t release Cui Fengnian, there will certainly be further measures, perhaps involving jade brocade.”
The Xiliang Empress pressed her lips together, her beautiful and intense eyes half-lowered, her voice carrying a trace of laughter: “Who would have thought that my Xiliang’s once mighty and renowned general would fear the eight great families?”
“Cough cough cough…” Yun Poxing could no longer suppress his coughing, coughing several times before continuing to hold it in, his face flushing red from the effort. “This old subject isn’t afraid, but through this matter, I’ve come to understand that these eight great families… have learned to hide their strength and yield ground. They’re not as we thought – that promoting the humble and lowborn has already taken effect and can contend with the eight great families. It’s not yet time.”
The Xiliang Empress couldn’t bear to see Yun Poxing forcing himself to speak with her, and gestured for the attending eunuch to grant Yun Poxing a seat and serve tea.
Yun Poxing accepted the teacup and drank a couple of sips, coughed lightly twice to suppress his coughing, then continued: “For instance, this time… if the eight great families hadn’t been tempted by profit and blinded the entire court’s vision, who would have known that in Xiliang, which already had so little farmland, the people would abandon farming en masse to weave jade brocade and hunt wild animals! Cough cough… cough cough cough…”
The Xiliang Empress closed her eyes in heartache.
Yun Poxing’s coughing grew severe. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth, coughing even more heart-wrenchingly.
“General, please sit quickly!” The Xiliang Empress was very worried about Yun Poxing’s health. Seeing that he really couldn’t hold on and sat down, the Xiliang Empress slowly spoke: “The nation’s interests aren’t as important to them as making silver! I think… this time the eight great families deliberately concealed information because they valued the substantial profits that jade brocade could bring, and even more so… they valued that after jade brocade, they could use grain to scrape the silver that people earned from jade brocade back into their own pockets again.”
After a long while, the Xiliang Empress opened her eyes: “If I’m not mistaken, these eight great families probably have quite a lot of hoarded grain! The eight great families have been waiting for the day when grain prices would suddenly double – that’s why they care so much about whether Cui Gongxing lives or dies.”
It wasn’t that Cui Gongxing, the merchant, was so capable, but that the eight great families were too greedy.