Tianliangyuan

Chapter 355 The target isn't just the gambling den.

Xie Zheng just couldn't figure it out.

He knew that Xu Zhaozhao had initially targeted the Jiang family's businesses. Apart from the gambling den, the Jiang family's other businesses had also suffered losses to varying degrees. However, he never expected that Xu Zhaozhao's ultimate goal was the gambling den.

is it?

right!

Xie Zheng couldn't figure it out either.

He's not stupid, after all. He started learning early in his childhood and has read a lot of books over the years. So why can't he understand what his wife is doing?

Not only did he not understand, but even the top scholar Fu Pei didn't understand!

Having received some information, Xu Han couldn't understand what his daughter was planning to do.

Stricter bans on gambling in Daxing would indeed benefit the imperial court and the overall social atmosphere of Daxing.

But none of them could understand what benefit Xu Zhaozhao could gain.

If there were no benefit to it, why would Xu Zhaozhao deliberately pull this stunt?

Is it simply that they dislike the Jiang family?

Can't you?

Xie Zheng came to Xu Zhaozhao with questions in mind, and even offered to serve her tea and water, just so she could answer his questions.

Xu Zhaozhao is not the type to be a good person; there must be another key reason for this.

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and drank the tea Xie Zheng offered, then tilted her head slightly, with a hint of teasing: "What does Sanlang want to know?"

Xie Zheng also adopted a humble attitude, lowering his head slightly.

"Why is Your Highness making such a big show of banning gambling in the Great Xing Dynasty? Please enlighten me."

Xu Zhaozhao laughed twice: "No rush, let's wait a bit longer. I'll say it when everyone's here, so I don't have to repeat myself later."

Xie Zheng: Hmm?

Are there more people coming?

Sure enough, Xu Han, Xu Junan, and Fu Pei arrived in less than fifteen minutes.

The questions they all had were the same.

Xu Zhaozhao's gaze swept over the group of people, finally settling on Fu Pei.

"Gambling dens actually have a more widely known name: counter shops. I believe you all know that, right?"

Xie Zheng didn't know, and neither did Fu Pei.

Xu Han and his son Xu Jun'an nodded slightly: "Indeed, I have heard that most of the pawn shops now have gambling dens."

"Actually, the existence of money exchange shops is a good thing. They can provide people with money deposit and lending services, and merchants can withdraw their money with the money they have. This not only makes it easier for them to do business, but also boosts the economy of Daxing."

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Due to the lack of supervision, some of these money shops colluded with wealthy young people and gradually evolved into underground banks, becoming strongholds for gambling activities. Moreover, many managers of these money shops were well aware that the profits from running gambling operations were not only substantial but also yielded quick returns.

Therefore, this fueled their greed, leading them to collude with the sons of powerful and wealthy individuals, solely to satisfy their own desires, attract more business to their shops, and secretly target their rivals. In this way, the existence of these shops became more of a disadvantage than an advantage.

Xu Zhaozhao's explanation was understood by everyone.

No matter how fancy or elegant the names of the gambling dens outside may be, none of them are as harmful as a gambling den operating within a counter.

Ordinary people cannot see its drawbacks, but the people present were either born into wealth or were well-versed in history, and they understood the key points very quickly.

"The money shops already had plenty of money, so once they opened gambling dens, they would have the greatest advantage. If this wasn't stopped, usury would naturally arise. Besides, if these profit-driven money shops really grew bigger and stronger, they would pose a great threat to the imperial court."

No wonder he was a top scholar who could become prime minister in his previous life. He is indeed amazing. His intuition is sharp, and he sees things very clearly.

However, Fu Pei was, after all, a person from ancient times, so his thinking was limited.

Xu Zhaozhao was thinking that although the counter shops were much more convenient than before, they still had too many drawbacks.

One of these issues is the lack of oversight.

The imperial court was unaware of the immense profits and credibility this would bring, but Xu Zhaozhao could see it.

Although she can see it, she still needs more wise people to help her devise strategies.

Moreover, she won't get involved.

This requires the imperial court to accomplish; she cannot do it alone. However, that doesn't prevent her from providing the court with some strategies, which the court can then refine, ultimately allowing her own caravan to profit.

Yes, she's really smart.

In the past, banks were so powerful that almost everyone needed them.

In this lifetime, although I may not be able to establish an online bank in Daxing, setting up a money shop shouldn't be a problem.

But if you want to establish a money exchange, the first thing you have to do is to eliminate the existing money shops!

Because this involves issues such as gambling and usury, these are major problems that hinder the development of money shops and even affect the credibility of the imperial court.

So, let's solve this problem first. After that, the money shops in the private sector still exist. But after the government's money shops have taken action, which is more convincing: Daxing Money Shop, which only allows legitimate merchants and ordinary people to borrow money, or private money shops that lend money at exorbitant interest rates and have even encouraged people to gamble?

The answer is self-evident.

Now, Xu Zhaozhao just needs to be the driving force behind the scenes.

She was not involved in cracking down on money shops, nor in the decision-making process for establishing money shops; she was only responsible for providing some scattered ideas and suggestions.

With quick-thinking individuals like Fu Pei and Gu Dongyang offering their ideas, everything fell into place naturally.

Of course, this is also a good opportunity to strike a blow against the Jiang family, so why not?

The Jiang family secretly invested in as many as eight gambling dens in the capital alone.

In addition to these, there are also counter shops!

In the previous dynasty, the money shops were under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. However, after the establishment of the Daxing government, in order to reward some of the merchants and nobles, it was decreed that money shops could be opened privately, but on the premise that they had to pay a certain amount of silver and silk to the government as collateral.

Therefore, during the Daxing Dynasty, private shops emerged.

Others might not be able to find out, but they can't hide it from Xu Zhaozhao.

It turns out that the Jiang family had a secret stake in the pawn shop more than 20 years ago.

Throughout the year, not to mention anything else, the share that the money the Jiang family received from the money exchange alone amounted to over a million strings of cash!

What is this concept?

Daxing's annual tax revenue is only a little over three million guan.

The Jiang family, without doing anything, earns over a million strings of cash a year. Add to that their other businesses and shady gray income, and the Jiang family's annual income is equivalent to the national treasury's annual tax revenue.

It's terrifying to even think about!

His Majesty is kind to the Jiang family now because he is unaware of some of the things happening behind the scenes. If he were to find out, given Emperor Yong'an's wisdom and his great affection for Consort Jiang, he would certainly not let the Jiang family off easily.

Xu Zhaozhao's move may seem to be targeting gambling dens, but in reality, it is aimed at private money exchange shops!

Because private gambling dens are the biggest gathering place for gamblers.

Because he's everywhere in Daxing!