Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 851: Chapter 17: Doing Business Together

When Yan Huarong transported the new salt to Qilu, the salt prices there were immediately suppressed. The salt merchants of Qilu were restless, but they dared not act openly because Song Weikang was present.

No matter how arrogant and rampant the salt merchants of Qilu were, they dared not make trouble in front of General Song. General Song’s formidable reputation was well-known, it could be said to shake the lands. Moreover, years ago, Song Weikang was extremely ruthless in eradicating aristocratic families and salt merchants in Yangzhou, making salt merchants in other regions fearful.

Not daring to confront Song Weikang, the salt merchants of Qilu could only comfort themselves, thinking the new salt transported by the imperial court wouldn’t be enough to sell. Once the court’s new salt sold out, they would immediately raise their salt prices.

Yan Huarong did indeed transport only over a thousand jin of new salt from Swamp Prefecture, not enough for the people of Qilu, but the emperor had previously sent people to the seaside in other areas to produce new salt. Once the new salt from Swamp Prefecture was sold out, the newly made salt from other places would then be transported to Qilu.

The salt merchants of Qilu could not believe the court had indeed produced new salt, and in such large quantities.

The new salt sold by the court was cheap, tasted pure, without the slightest bitterness. Naturally, the people were more willing to purchase the new salt from the court.

The salt merchants of Qilu were thoroughly unsettled, they hurried to lower their salt prices from the previous six hundred coins per shi, down to three hundred coins per shi. They initially thought that as long as they lowered the price, the people would obediently buy their salt, but that was not the case.

The people preferred to spend a hundred coins more to buy the court’s new salt and were unwilling to buy the salt from the merchants.

The merchant’s salt was cheaper than the court’s new salt, but it was not as tasty.

Seeing the people were willing to buy the more expensive court’s new salt instead of theirs, the salt merchants panicked. They could only lower prices again, decreasing the salt price to two hundred coins per shi. This price was twice less than the court’s new salt.

Indeed, quite a few people went for the cheaper option, buying the merchants’ salt, but immediately regretted it. Because the salt bought from the merchants was the worst quality, containing quite a bit of stone mixed in, and as for the taste, there was little saltiness, but plenty of bitterness.

Salt merchants reduced their salt price to two hundred coins per shi, of course not wanting to incur a loss, so they sold the worst quality sea salt.

After getting deceived once, the people wouldn’t be fooled a second time. Originally intending to save money, the people no longer bought the merchants’ salt, returning to purchase the court’s new salt.

Seeing they could not sell much at two hundred coins per shi, the merchants lowered the price again, to one hundred coins per shi.

A hundred coins per shi for salt, not just during Great Zhou but even in previous dynasties and the dynasty before that had never appeared. This was the lowest price in history.

The salt merchants thought by lowering the price to one hundred coins per shi, the people would surely rush to buy, but the people showed no interest. They continued to buy the court’s new salt.

Seeing that lowering the price to one hundred coins per shi did not work, the merchants could only reluctantly offer previously good salt for sale.

Before the new salt appeared, most salt in Great Zhou was well salt. The well salt in the hands of merchants was not as good as tribute salt but still decent. Certainly, compared to new salt, it was far inferior.

Salt merchants thought that by offering good salt for sale, they could hit back at the court’s new salt, but there were still not many people buying it.

Some families were very poor, having no choice but to buy the salt from the merchants. Of course, they would also buy some of the court’s new salt.

The merchants’ cheap sale of their salt not only failed to strike against the court’s new salt but instead made the court’s new salt sell even better.

The people were not foolish. Before the court sold new salt, the merchants manipulated salt prices, keeping them high, making it hard for them to afford salt. Now, the merchants reduced prices, hoping to gain the people’s support, but unfortunately, the people did not fulfill their wishes.

Over the years, the people deeply resented the salt merchants of Qilu. They prayed day and night for misfortune and retribution to befall the merchants. Now seeing the merchants face misfortune, the people were jubilant, eager to light firecrackers in celebration.

The people were well aware of the merchants’ ruthlessness and greed, knowing that the reason the merchants had lowered prices was due to the court’s new salt forcing their hand. If the merchants’ salt were to defeat the court’s new salt, they would surely raise prices immediately, and even higher than before. Then, the merchants’ arrogance would become even more rampant, and the ordinary people would be bullied once again.