Chapter 1055: Chapter 891: Establishing the Chamber of Commerce

Gu Chengyu sneered, "Let’s not beat around the bush. Based on recent trends, I can estimate how much grain you’re holding. Before coming to Jiangnan, the Emperor clearly stated that raising grain prices is absolutely not allowed. The flood in Changtian Prefecture is already a major disaster. And yet, you still want to profit shamelessly from grains. Where is your conscience?"

As he continued, Gu Chengyu’s tone grew extremely severe.

Merchants seek profit, and unscrupulous ones have no sense of righteousness at all.

Do they think they’ve seized the lifeline of Hangtian Prefecture, that as long as the grain is in their hands, they can earn Silver at will?

This is an attempt to monopolize, buying rice from farmers at low prices and then hoarding it all together.

Once the grain price is pushed up, the common people will have no choice but to buy from them at high prices.

Just like before, when the disaster victims outside Hangtian City hadn’t been arranged work for river construction, they paid high prices for grain.

During that period, every day there were clerks from city rice shops carrying grain to the city gates to sell. However, these grains were exorbitantly priced, several times the original rate.

At that time, these disaster victims couldn’t enter the city and had to buy from these workers at several times the Silver Coin.

After all, people need food and drink to live, even if it was painfully expensive, they had to buy it.

Until their Silver Coin was all spent and they had no Silver left, they began to gnaw on grass.

It was probably selling grain during that time that whetted their appetite. Otherwise, they wouldn’t so eagerly hoard so much rice.

"Mr. Gu, aren’t you overstating it? We are merchants after all. If we don’t earn Silver through these, then how? Hoarding some grain is entirely normal. The court hasn’t explicitly prohibited hoarding rice, right?"

Xia Hongji was still resentful over Gu Chengyu asking for ten thousand taels of silver earlier. He couldn’t afford to lose face for the Xia Family, so he had to swallow this bitter pill temporarily. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But even if Gu Chengyu is a court official, can he really interfere in their business affairs?

Forty coins, is it that outrageous? He even plans to sell at one hundred and eighty coins per pound, aiming to make up the ten thousand taels of silver somehow.

Unless there’s a court decree prohibiting them from raising grain prices, he doesn’t plan on giving Gu Chengyu any face.

The owners of several other rice firms also looked displeased. They just donated Silver, and Mr. Gu hasn’t even received the Silver yet! Is he planning to turn hostile already?

"I understand, in business, everyone likes Silver. But a gentleman loves wealth and acquires it rightfully. The Silver you earn this time is the flesh and blood of the people. How can you bear it?"

Gu Chengyu sighed deeply and shook his head at the crowd.

Some of the shop owners actually felt uneasy in their hearts, so they didn’t hoard much grain.

Now, being called out by Gu Chengyu, they felt even more guilty.

One of them wanted to speak up but was stopped by someone next to him who tugged at his sleeve. He looked over and saw Xia Hongji’s dismissive expression.

If they agree with Mr. Gu now, wouldn’t they offend many present, and utterly offend Xia Hongji as well?

Xia Hongji is a member of the Xia Family. What they’re afraid of is not Xia Hongji but the Grand Secretary Xia.

"Mr. Gu, you just mentioned, in business, we are not likely to engage in unprofitable trades. The grain price is rising because most of Changtian Prefecture’s farmland has been flooded; this year’s grain yield will naturally decrease. If we don’t stockpile some grain before prices fully rise, the cost of acquisition later on will likely soar several fold! Please, Mr. Gu, understand our dilemma and don’t make it difficult for us!"

Xia Hongji had already prepared his defense. No matter what, he was determined to profit from this grain.

That ten thousand taels of Silver would surely cause the Clan Leader to be furious. But if he arranged the hoarding and high-price selling of grain well, the Clan Leader might overlook this one time.

"But just hoarding and not selling grain isn’t right, is it? Isn’t it precisely to sell when the grain price peaks that you’re planning to make a huge profit?"

Gu Chengyu’s pointed remark left the crowd unsure of how to respond. If they don’t raise the grain price, they just won’t earn as much Silver.

This Silver feels like easy money; who could bear to give it up?

But selling the grain now at a low price, they weren’t willing either.

Seeing the crowd fall silent again, Gu Chengyu knew he had to play his trump card.

"Everyone! When I came to Jiangnan, the court was discussing the formation of a Chamber of Commerce."

Gu Chengyu ordered tea for everyone, then carefully observed their expressions.

Upon hearing Gu Chengyu’s words, the crowd began to quietly murmur among themselves.

"Isn’t your family close to that figure? Did you hear about this?" someone asked the person next to him.

"No, that person didn’t mention anything about a Chamber of Commerce..."

"Chamber of Commerce? May I ask, Mr. Gu, what is a Chamber of Commerce?"

Mr. Wang’s beady eyes sparkled, instantly capturing a hint of something unusual in Gu Chengyu’s words.

Hu Maoshen and the other officials looked curiously at Gu Chengyu; a Chamber of Commerce?

Why hadn’t they heard anything about the court discussing a Chamber of Commerce? It was unheard of!

The few of them exchanged silent glances, and by reading each other’s expressions, they were confident that the court never mentioned such a thing.

Could it be that the Emperor values Gu Chengyu, so he informed him? It’s not impossible!

Hu Maoshen, recovering from the shock, sneered internally.

This Gu Chengyu hadn’t let a word slip before, and now he caught them off guard.

What Chamber of Commerce? It was never mentioned in court meetings, might it just be Gu Chengyu’s suggestion?

Regardless of whether Gu Chengyu discussed it with the Emperor or not, suddenly bringing it up was somewhat inappropriate, wasn’t it?

This Chamber of Commerce idea sounds like a troublesome matter, and it couldn’t be established overnight. Wasn’t Gu Chengyu just looking for unnecessary complications?

"May I ask, Mr. Gu, what’s the concept behind this Chamber of Commerce?"

Mr. Sun was quite interested in the Chamber of Commerce, likening it to the tea tax; once implemented, there must be a reason behind it.

Before the tea tax existed, tea merchants and farmers often clashed. Tea farmers lost considerable benefits, and the merchants weren’t much better off either.

After the tea tax implementation, although tea merchants lost some profit, it guaranteed their safety and reduced many inconveniences.

Mr. Sun always believed that jacking up grain prices and earning unconscionable money wasn’t a sustainable strategy. The court had already sent an imperial envoy for disaster relief; would they watch as grain prices soared without doing anything?

After draining all their savings, would the rice firms watch as disaster victims and commoners starved?

If the people have no Silver to buy rice and become dizzy from hunger, the rice firms’ rice can’t be sold, and grain piles up in warehouses. Wouldn’t the grain ultimately have to be sold cheaply?