Chapter 44

Forty-four: The Good Show Begins

Ouyang Rong discovered a very magical thing: as a "civil servant" of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he could have a statutory holiday for one day during the Dragon Boat Festival. This was an edict issued by the Empress every year.

However, in this era, the few people who could enjoy this holiday privilege were very few, because the common people busy with making a living had no concept of work and holidays.

In this world, working people are really superior people...

The opening ceremony of the Peng Lang Ferry Dragon Boat Festival was nothing special. Ouyang Rong, as the magistrate of a county, just showed his handsome face, gave a simple speech—really just two sentences—and then took the lead in a "Dragon Awakening" ceremony, before going to the stage to sit as a clay bodhisattva.

In the Wu and Yue regions of the south, the custom of dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival has been popular since ancient times, especially in places with many floods, where it can pray for good weather and a good harvest, which is considered one of the most important festivals every year.

Ouyang Rong was just an empty-dropped magistrate. During the entire Dragon Boat Festival, the county government and the folk had their own set of skilled customs, and he didn't need to point fingers, just let it run on its own. He only needed to keep an eye on the county government's expenses.

Ouyang Rong had been busy for the past few days to verify that water conservancy plan, and he was happy to be lazy at the moment.

Besides, the purpose of vigorously organizing the Dragon Boat Festival had almost been achieved, and he was happy to fish in troubled waters for a while.

Well, peel a zongzi first!

There were many viewing platforms along Butterfly Creek, stretching for several miles, and the audience watching the fun wouldn't all crowd in one place.

But the core main viewing platform was the high platform at the ferry crossing where Ouyang Rong was, located at the starting point of the dragon boat race.

However, there were several other viewing platforms nearby with good views, which were also lively and occupied by the big clans and wealthy merchants of Longcheng County.

Liu Ziwen was taking his second brother Liu Zi'an and his family to occupy a viewing platform with a very good position.

Liu Zi'an sat on the chair, silently withdrawing his gaze from the young magistrate with a harmless face on the main viewing platform, and turned to ask:

"Big brother, what do you think this magistrate is thinking? Lifting the grain limit, the grain price has soared to twenty coins a dou. What's the matter, is he also selling grain?"

Liu Zi'an watched the dragon boat race, his eyes fixed, and shook his head lightly:

"Ignore him for now. The rise in grain prices is not harmful to us. The most important thing at the moment is... the sword in the furnace... must be watched at all times, everything else is secondary. As long as this radish magistrate doesn't come over to bite like a mad dog, we will continue to unite the other twelve wealthy gentry to isolate him.

"It can be seen that he really wants to control the floods, but where can he get extra silver and grain in the current disaster situation? And if he wants to repair the Di Gong Gate, without the craftsmen provided by our side, it is impossible to repair it in the short term. Just endure it a little longer, and he will eventually come to beg us.

"The truth is just that simple. Justice cannot be handled casually. Even Master Di, who was demoted, didn't do it. Does this person still want to succeed?"

This young master of the Liu family was confident and steady.

Liu Zi'an looked at his big brother and nodded silently, saying no more.

Like a big ship like the Liu family, besides the helmsman who grasps the general trend, it also needs a deputy military advisor like Liu Zi'an, who does dirty work behind the scenes.

Liu Ziwen likes to look at the trend, is good at planning and decisive, while Liu Zi'an likes to use schemes and is good at making layouts.

Liu Zi'an was quite convinced by Liu Ziwen's decision.

On the other side, there was also a viewing platform packed with heavy money, with an excellent view.

Wang Caozhi sat among a group of grain merchants, feeling good recently.

Also, whoever comes to pick up money for nothing, the mood will not be bad.

He and the Qingliangzhai behind him were one of the earliest foreign grain merchants to discover this treasure bowl of the Longcheng grain market. When the local gentry grain merchants were urgently transferring grain from acquaintances in other places, the outsider Wang Caozhi had already decided to transfer 30,000 shi of grain from the Qingliangzhai firm in Hongzhou.

It can be said that business is fast, and he made a profit first.

After a large number of foreign grain merchants gathered in Longcheng like sharks smelling blood, Wang Caozhi held a banquet at Yuanming Tower, enthusiastically received these peers, shared news about the situation in Longcheng County, and didn't hide anything from these grain merchants who were stronger or weaker than him, immediately uniting a small team to speculate on grain prices.

For half a month, more and more grain merchants came to Longcheng, but the grain price was always maintained at twenty coins a dou. This was their handiwork. Of course, there was also the reason that every household was making zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival and had a high demand for grain, but the most important thing was that they regulated it, the market price was not chaotic, there was a lot of goods but no run, and they slowly harvested these leeks.

Business is business, everyone gets along and makes money together. Why kill each other or dominate the market? It won't last long, even if the background is sky-high.

In addition, Wang Caozhi also had a happy thing.

He met a direct descendant of the Chen Jun Xie family here, and she was a talented woman of the younger generation of the Wang and Xie families in Wu Yi Lane, Jin Ling, who was outstanding and very dazzling. Her father was the famous Confucian scholar Xie Xun in the literary world of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Wang Caozhi didn't have any delusional thoughts. He was just a collateral descendant of the Langya Wang family, and he was engaged in business, and the Qingliangzhai he operated was not valued in the family.

Having self-knowledge, the more one benefits from a high-ranking family, the more one maintains a strict hierarchy.

Wang Caozhi wanted to get along well with this Xie Seventeen, at least to get a familiar face, so that in the future, if a direct descendant of the Wang family who is valued can marry her, he can climb up to the friendship. This is called betting in advance.

"Young Master Wang, I feel that this small Longcheng County cannot digest so much grain of ours."

Among the grain merchants on the viewing platform, a tall, middle-aged grain merchant wearing a purple cap, with a string of small-leaf sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, stopped and frowned, asking the voice of all the grain merchants on the platform.

Wang Caozhi turned his head to look at him. This person was the most financially powerful among the foreign grain merchants this time, and also the one with the biggest background besides him. His surname was Ma, and it was rumored that he was a white glove for a certain founding noble in Jin Ling.

Wang Caozhi smiled: "Master Ma, don't be impatient."

"Oh, how do you say that?"

Wang Caozhi said naturally: "Once the grain price in Longcheng rises, the grain merchants in other disaster-stricken counties will definitely be unable to hold back. Even if there is a grain limit order locally, it is difficult to suppress it. When the time comes, we will pour another fire, hehe...

"This Longcheng water route is convenient, just right to be our transfer station. First transport the grain to this place to store it, and then the disaster counties in the entire Jiangzhou region will be our dining table."

Master Ma relaxed his brows, but a goat-bearded old grain merchant among the grain merchants asked:

"If the grain price doesn't rise for a long time, what if the grain is stored for too long and becomes stale? Stale grain can't be sold for much money, and it can't be cheap for those poor ghosts in the end."

The old grain merchant twisted the blue-black silk fabric of his clothes with two fingers and shook his head again, "The environment for storing grain in this place is too humid, and it's very easy to become stale."

This old grain merchant's surname was Li, and his financial power was second only to Master Ma and Wang Caozhi. It was heard that he had some relationship with the family of the Hongzhou Changshi (Chief Clerk).

Wang Caozhi's expression didn't change, as if he had considered it early, and pointed to the ferry crossing under his feet:

"It still depends on the developed water transport here. So, we must communicate reasonably to sell grain every day. If we find that the market is not good and there is a risk of grain piling up for a long time, we will quickly call ships to transport grain and run away. Now this place is a disaster area, manpower is the cheapest, and it doesn't cost much."

He smiled and showed a mouthful of white teeth, pointed at the grain merchants, and pointed at his smiling face:

"Everyone is not a chick who just walked out of business. Can't you capture this wind and grass on the market? Just run away if you see something is wrong. Do you want to do charity? Which of the uncles is not a thousand-year-old fox? I believe many people have prepared ships in advance. Why ask such a question again."

Master Ma, Master Li, and others looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

A low-key grain merchant praised: "Young Master Wang is indeed copper-toothed and sharp-tongued, and does things thoroughly. No wonder he took over the family business at a young age and took on heavy responsibilities."

"I dare not, I dare not, I still have to learn more from you uncles in the future."

Wang Caozhi smiled and waved his hand, but felt a bit disgusted and impatient in his heart... I am a noble seed of the Langya Wang family. If it weren't for the fact that I'm not good at studying and came out to make money, who would be willing to deal with these merchant-born people.

Wang Caozhi glanced at the dragon boat race that was about to start on the river, turned to instruct his followers to serve some sweet zongzi, and his peripheral vision caught a familiar side profile walking toward the main viewing platform. He looked curious and got up to follow.