"A sharp-tongued fellow indeed! Guards, drag him out and slap his mouth!"
Tang Ke's face turned cold, immediately resorting to force.
"Apologies, Lord Tang, though I am but a humble official, I am a Feng Lang of the sixth rank. If it comes to punishment, I believe you are not qualified!"
As soon as Tang Ke finished speaking, Niu Siyuan puffed out his chest and shouted loudly.
Upon hearing this, the entire office fell silent once more.
Although his position as Feng Lang was bought with his own money, meaning he received no salary from the imperial court annually and enjoyed none of the benefits officials were entitled to, there was no denying that with this official status, it seemed rather irregular for Tang Ke, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to inflict punishment upon him.
"You!"
Tang Ke was now furious, but no matter how angry he was, he truly had no good way to deal with this fellow at this moment.
"Since things have come to this, I won't beat around the bush. This is the 100,000 guan in copper coins delivered by Zhe Wanchun, the head shopkeeper of the Zhe family, yesterday. It bears his personal seal. If you believe your backing is stronger than his, let's test it. If I cannot complete my mission, do you think you will fare well?"
Seeing that he was losing control of the situation, Tang Ke directly brought out his trump card.
The nearby constables quickly took the document from Tang Ke and handed it to the shopkeepers present.
Upon hearing his words and seeing the document he presented, Niu Siyuan's heart sank.
How could this be possible?
This was 100,000 guan!
No matter how wealthy the Zhe family was, they wouldn't be so extravagant as to this extent, would they?
"I won't make things difficult for you. This sum is considered a loan from the court to you. Go back and ponder carefully, how much you should contribute, and how much you can afford. I will be waiting here again at this time tomorrow. Anyone who still intends to get away with a few thousand guan will not be welcome to return!"
As Tang Ke spoke, his threat was quite evident.
Now it was the shopkeepers' turn to look at each other.
Indeed, they had earned a lot of money over the years, but the problem was that the vast majority of the money they earned had gone into the pockets of those nobles.
While they themselves were men of some means, if each of them had to contribute 100,000 guan, it would still be a considerable sum for them.
At least for the majority present, to come up with 100,000 guan would mean severely depleting their resources.
Not to mention that business in Bianliang City was becoming increasingly difficult.
Prices were soaring, especially for grain, which had risen at an alarming rate.
Yesterday, the lowest grade of broken rice was 1,500 wen, but today it had risen to 1,600 wen. As for the superior Hu rice, it was now unobtainable at any price.
Everyone knew that with the unrest in the southeast, the imperial court's canal transport would inevitably be affected.
Even if the imperial court quickly mobilized troops to quell the rebellion, it would take at least several months.
Moreover, once a war broke out, grain would become a scarce commodity.
Whether it was the rebel army or the government army, when they were desperate, they would rather burn any grain they couldn't carry than leave it for the enemy.
Coupled with the consumption of nearly a million soldiers from both sides, it was estimated that by the time the war ended, the grain in the southeast would have been largely depleted. Even if there were some reserves, they would have to be kept for local reconstruction.
It would take at least one to two years for the grain supply to the capital to return to its previous level.
For ordinary people, they could still eat broken rice if they couldn't afford good rice, but for these merchants of the seventy-two main shops, the situation was indeed very different…
With grain prices changing daily, the impact on their businesses was fatal.
Under the current circumstances, to give away half of their wealth for nothing, if they were truly willing, would they not have become saints…
"Show them out!"
After they had passed the document around, Tang Ke simply sneered and prepared to drive them all out.
"Sir, doesn't this document have some issues? A set of jewelry worth 100,000 guan? I wonder if you could show it to us so we can feast our eyes!"
However, at this moment, Niu Siyuan suddenly discovered a loophole in the document.
Jewelry, they had seen their fair share of precious items, but for a set of jewelry to be worth 100,000 guan, it would undoubtedly be a priceless treasure.
Setting aside whether the Zhe family actually had such a thing, even if they did, with their current scale, they would not bother to give such a treasure to Tang Ke.
After all, for the Zhe family at this moment, as long as they had time, they could earn copper coins anytime, but such a treasure, once lost, could never be retrieved!
Treasures were always good things, but copper coins were not necessarily so.
No one would take out such a good item unless they were pushed to desperation!
This was the current universal value system!
With his words, everyone immediately turned their gaze back to Tang Ke.
This time, Tang Ke was truly in a difficult position.
He had already given the item to the Crown Prince. How could he produce it now?
Could he now go to the Crown Prince's mansion and demand it back?
"Such a treasure, of course, I would keep it safe. What? Are you questioning me?"
Although he was inwardly lamenting, Tang Ke dared not show any weakness now.
If he revealed the slightest flaw at this moment, it would be a joke to try and control these people and make them obediently hand over their money!
"Sir, we merely wish to verify the authenticity of this document. What are you doing?"
The more Tang Ke acted like this, the more Niu Siyuan felt something was amiss. His words became increasingly impertinent.
"If you want to know if it's genuine, why don't you go and ask Zhe Wanchun?"
At this point, Tang Ke had a flash of inspiration. He simply pushed all responsibility onto Zhe Wanchun.
"Sir, Sir, an imperial envoy has arrived outside. He has ordered you to take the jewelry from the Zhe family and go to the palace to see the emperor!"
As soon as Tang Ke finished speaking, a constable's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"What did you say?"
Tang Ke almost jumped out of his skin. What was going on?
For some reason, Zhe Wanchun's words, fearing that the lord would not dare to accept it, suddenly flashed through his mind. Was there something strange about the item?