The auction finally came to an end, but everyone's heart was not calm yet. On the one hand, they marveled at the powerful strength of the Cui family, and on the other hand, they saw the gap between themselves and the aristocratic families. Of course, the most important thing was to bring Li Xiang to the forefront. Everyone could see that this Prince Changsun might become a dazzling figure in Chang'an City in the future.
The last time he was conferred the title of Prince of a County, many people had already gone to make themselves known to him, but they all regarded Li Xiang as a person with potential for development. Now their ideas have changed. Such a person has swept up so much money in one day. The economic base determines the superstructure. Although no one has said this in this era, most people understand that money can influence politics. If it cannot, it means that you do not have enough money.
For most people, today's auction has ended, but for Li Xiang, there is still a highlight to come, and the people he arranged have already appeared.
"Hey, Shopkeeper Zhou, your auction is over, but I heard you can still lend us money?"
A middle-aged man in his forties stood up and spoke. While no one was leaving yet, this guy had a loud voice and attracted many people who were about to leave back.
"That's natural. We also offer deposit and loan services here. I wonder what Shopkeeper Wang thinks?"
The two of them had practiced for half a day last night, and now they were just performing in front of everyone. This shopkeeper Wang was a good friend of Zhou Huairen, and was considered a powerful figure in Luoyang.
"Then I can just go through the formalities and take the money away?"
If someone observes carefully, they will find that any question asked by the shopkeeper Wang is of concern to everyone.
"Shopkeeper Wang, you're kidding! There's no such thing as a good deal here. Borrowing money here also has conditions. First, you must have collateral. It's pretty much the same as a pawnshop, but of course our interest rates are much lower. For example, this jade ring on Shopkeeper Wang's hand is worth about thirty strings of cash. If you pawn it with us, Shopkeeper Wang can take twenty strings of cash. If you pay it back within a month, we only need twenty-one strings of cash."
Zhou Huairen said happily, this is your monthly interest rate of 5%.
If this were in modern society, people would think this was usury, but in today's era, such interest rates are already very low. If it were real usury, it is possible that the interest rate would increase several times within a year.
For example, in a shop in Chang'an City today, if your item is worth thirty strings of cash and they give you twenty strings of cash, if you want to get it back a month later, you will have to pay at least twenty-three to twenty-five strings of cash, and it may even be as high as thirty strings of cash.
Pawnshops in this era have such huge profits. If you don't want to, no one will force you to go in, so Zhou Huairen's interest rate is considered low.
After hearing what Zhou Huairen said, many people below were calculating in their minds. We are all doing business, and sometimes we are short of money. As long as we still have money in our hands, we can take out money here, and the interest rate is not very high.
Mr. Cui San, who was walking down the stairs, also heard this and his face immediately became nervous. You know, this would affect their family's business. Their family had the most pawnshops, but as Mr. Cui San said, there are so many pawnshops in the world, and we can't take the lead.
"The deposit quota you mentioned just now, does that mean that their money will be used as the pawnshop's recovery money?"
Li Shimin also saw this scene and couldn't help but applaud his grandson in his heart.
To be honest, the world's economy is controlled by the aristocratic families, which is extremely unfavorable to the court. Li Shimin wanted to change this situation several times, but he had limited power and the aristocratic families had too much money. Li Shimin used administrative orders to violate market rules, which might work in the short term, but if it lasted for a long time, it would undermine the court's dignity.
Therefore, some things cannot be done, and the only thing they can do is let the market regulate them, or add some fresh blood into the market to weaken their monopoly position. Now what Li Xiang is doing just meets Li Shimin's wishes.
"Grandpa is right. This is basically how it works. I'm short of capital, and they're also after the 50,000 strings of cash. Otherwise, how could this result have happened?"
Of course, Li Xiang's move was also risky. If the families went back on their word, Li Xiang would probably not have much money in his hands. If they asked him to pawn something, and he said he couldn't pawn the treasure because he didn't have enough money, then his reputation would be ruined.
Li Shimin didn't know what to say to his grandson. He had just done business with the Five Surnames and Seven Families, and now he was trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. He was much more courageous than himself.
"You are so brave, boy!"
Li Shimin always thought that he was brave, but compared with his grandson, there was still a big gap. At least he did not dare to go against the Five Surnames and Seven Families, especially directly entering the pawnshop area.
"My grandson lost, so what? The worst that can happen is that I can go back and be an idle prince. The salary the court gives me is enough for me to live comfortably, so just do as you please. It won't kill me, will it?"
Li Xiang's words made Li Shimin feel comfortable. This kid regarded himself as a supporter, and what he said was right. Business competition was within the rules. If each company followed the rules, Li Shimin would not interfere. But if they did not follow the rules, the example of Zatlk was still there.
"Keep an eye on Zat'elk. We haven't intercepted the assassin at the border. I've already sent people to Tuyuhun to see what their Khan has to say."
Thinking of this incident, Li Shimin felt a little uncomfortable. Tuyuhun had never been honest on the southwestern border, and this time it could be regarded as a lesson for them. However, Li Shimin had already ordered the entire army on the southwestern border to be on alert to prevent Tuyuhun from becoming desperate.
Thinking of this, Li Xiang was filled with passion. It would be best if something happened over there. Since this incident was caused by him, Li Xiang would be able to go into battle. There were so many soldiers lying in the system. If he didn't let them out to get some fresh air, it would really be an insult to the system.
Perhaps it was God's will that, just as the grandfather and grandson were discussing the matter, the flames of war really broke out on the southwestern border. The Tuyuhun army of 20,000 invaded the border...