"What are you going to do?"
Li Shimin said nervously that only half of Tuyuhun's compensation had been received, and the remaining half was all cattle and sheep. Even if the court wanted to deal with it, it would take some time.
"I'm trying to make them die faster. When the court auctioned off the grasslands, they borrowed all the money I had. If the court wants to auction off the salt permits, I guess they'll come back to borrow money again. Lend them the money in the national treasury and take over their large amount of collateral. We can take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune."
Li Xiang had the face of a profiteer. Under normal circumstances, Li Shimin would have certainly scolded him. How could a prince of the court be so greedy? However, Li Shimin also admired Li Xiang's ability to make money. The loan policy he had previously devised had already allowed Li Xiang to earn millions of coins every year. The money in the treasury was just being thrown away. If he took it out and put it to work, he might be able to earn back half of it.
"Go and invite Mr. Tang from the Ministry of Revenue."
Li Shimin was aware of the general situation of the Ministry of Revenue, but he had to set aside enough operating funds. Otherwise, if the various departments of the court stopped operating, it would be fatal to the entire Tang Dynasty. Making money was important, but the operation of the entire court had to be guaranteed, otherwise the entire dynasty would be over at any time.
When Lord Tang, the Minister of Revenue, came in, he became suspicious of the situation. People from all walks of life in the court and the country were saying that Li Xiang had fallen out of favor, but today's situation was different. The emperor summoned Li Xiang alone, and it seemed that the relationship between the two was quite good. This did not look like he had fallen out of favor at all!
"How much money can the Ministry of Revenue take out now? We need to ensure the normal operation of the court for three months."
Li Shimin gritted his teeth and said that he originally wanted to ensure operation for five to six months, but such opportunities to make money are rare. The Five Surnames and Seven Families have some high-quality assets in their hands and can be sold out soon.
Before the auction of salt permits, Li Xiang's salt had not been widely marketed across the country, and many people did not even know about the existence of this kind of salt. They would definitely try their best to auction the salt permits and push the price to the highest. After these people spent huge sums of money to get the salt permits, Li Xiang would immediately promote his salt across the country.
In fact, this is equivalent to a price limit. My best salt only sells for five hundred coins per catty. If you sell it at a higher price than me, will anyone patronize you?
At that time, these people will have to lower the price, otherwise all customers will go to Li Xiang. Even if they want to raise the price, it will be within a controllable range. In short, they will definitely not be able to make back the money from the auction of salt permits, and this will be a direct loss.
The Five Surnames and Seven Clans have tremendous power across the country. It is impossible for you to kill them with one blow. What Li Xiang is doing now is to cheat them in various ways. He will take a piece of your flesh from the grassland and a piece of your flesh from the salt permits. By the time you realize it, several pieces of your flesh have been cut off. Even if you want to resist by then, you probably won't have the strength.
"Four million strings of cash."
Lord Tang hesitated for about an incense stick's time, and calculated all the major expenditures in the country. If he hadn't been so dedicated to his work, he would have had to go back and do a careful calculation. To be able to come up with this number in such a short time, Lord Tang must have really paid attention to it.
"I still have two million strings of cash here."
When Li Xiang heard what Li Shimin said, he thought, "Take out all your private money." It seems that he really wants to make a big profit this time. According to Li Xiang's estimation, this money is basically enough. After the major families get this news, they will definitely ask Zhidaobao to borrow money. However, for every penny lent, you must provide a collateral of two cents. If there is no collateral, then I'm sorry, we won't lend you a penny.
"You should step back first."
With Lord Tang present, Li Shimin couldn't say some things. Li Xiang also felt a little restrained, so he was sent back. Lord Tang, based on such a brief meeting, immediately guessed that the court rumors were false. Li Xiang had not fallen out of favor at all. He was already a close confidant of Li Shimin, but when these issues were discussed, even he could not be present. How could he fall out of favor when Li Xiang and Li Shimin discussed it personally? Lose your uncle.
"How much do you think you can earn?"
After Lord Tang left, Li Shimin said anxiously that he had taken out his coffin book. If he had not made that much money, Li Shimin would not have invested the money. This might be the capital for his comeback.
"After the price of salt was controlled, these people's desire to sell salt at a high price was shattered. They borrowed money for a maximum of three to five months, but I estimate they will not be able to repay within three to five months. Then they will inevitably dispose of a batch of assets. As the creditor, we are their creditor and can be selected first. In the process of liquidating assets, I estimate we can make at least 30%, and if we are more aggressive, 40% to 50% is also possible."
Li Xiang made a conservative estimate. If these people defaulted on their loans and could not repay the money, Zhidaobao would directly take back all the collateral, and they would lose even more. According to the agreement, a loan of one cent required a collateral of two cents. If you could not repay the loan after the due date, interest would be increased every fifteen days. If you could not repay the loan within two months, the collateral would be taken back directly.
Whether these people sold their assets to repay the debt or directly collected the collateral after obtaining the treasure, it was an opportunity to make a lot of money for Li Xiang and the emperor.
"I don't ask for too much, as long as I can make 30%."
Li Shimin did not have such big ambitions. After all, this was taking out money from the national treasury. Even if he made a profit of 30%, it would be nearly two million strings of cash. Just one business operation could reach one-sixth of the court's tax revenue that year, and it was sucking the blood of the top families. Even if he did not make money, Li Shimin would feel happy.
At first, Li Shimin always wanted these top families to fall, but no matter how he planned, they refused to jump into the pit. Or maybe this grandson was capable. He operated twice and took away at least one-third of their property. If this goes on for a long time, no matter how powerful the Five Surnames and Seven Families are, as long as you have no money in your hands, can you survive just by relying on your reputation?