Chapter 149
There are many prominent families in Yizhou, with large and small clans entrenched within.
But if one were to ask which Yizhou family should be least provoked, four families would definitely make the list: Sun, Tian, Xie, and Bai, collectively known as the Four Great Clans of Yizhou.
Because they are large families, they have well-informed networks and daily expenses and income beyond count. If anything unusual happens, they are the quickest to detect it.
The biggest source of income for Yizhou’s prominent clans is white sugar. This is especially true for the Four Great Clans, who control most of Yizhou’s land. Nearly seventy percent of the white sugar flows from these four families.
Recently, the Sun family discovered that their income was gradually decreasing.
Their accounts are checked every half month. One month ago, the Sun family’s income was over 67,000 taels, but half a month later, it dropped to over 59,000 taels.
They lost nearly 8,000 taels in half a month.
When the steward first saw the decreased income in the accounts, he did not take it seriously.
Although he felt somewhat suspicious, he thought that business always had losses and profits; earning more or less was still earning something. Perhaps a small place had some issue, so he did not report it immediately.
But when he checked the accounts the next time, the steward panicked. Because the money had decreased again.
Half a month later, the Sun family’s income was only over 45,000 taels!
In just one month, they had lost more than 22,000 taels?!
Even though the Sun family was large and prosperous, losing more than 20,000 taels in one month, if the cause was not found, it would surely lead to trouble over time!
This was his oversight. To make up for the mistake, the steward hurriedly began an investigation.
Two days later, after discovering where the problem was, the steward broke out in a cold sweat and hurried to see the family head.
At that time, the Sun family head was playing chess with the head of the Bai family.
The two families were related by marriage and had a longstanding friendship; the steward was not dismissed but directly allowed to report.
Once he spoke, both families were shocked!
The Sun family’s monthly income had dropped by more than 20,000 taels, and the root cause was that their sugar shop’s income was declining sharply!
Sugar shop income, not any other shop.
White sugar was the lifeblood of every family in Yizhou. If the Sun family’s sugar shop income was falling, wouldn’t the other families be affected too?
The Sun family head directly questioned the steward, “Why report this only now? Do you know where the problem lies?”
The steward explained it was due to the normal fluctuations in business profits and losses. Only when he saw this time that the income dropped abnormally did he realize something was wrong.
He said, “I sent people to investigate. The sugar shops within Yizhou are normal; the accounts don’t differ much from before. But once outside Yizhou, the accounts begin to go wrong. Compared to previous income, the income from other places has started to decline.”
“No problem inside Yizhou, but outside Yizhou, it’s abnormal…” The Sun family head frowned, deep in thought, then suddenly exclaimed, “Could it be that someone outside has leaked the sugar formula?!”
This suspicion was tantamount to striking at the lifeblood of the Yizhou families.
But the Sun family head immediately dismissed the idea himself, “No, it’s probably not someone leaked the sugar formula, but that someone found a way to make sugar!”
They have controlled the sugar formula for too long, with no incidents over so many years. Now that there is suddenly a problem outside, it is most likely not their own mistake but that someone has discovered the method to make sugar.
This was a huge matter. The Bai family head became uneasy, “No, I must go back and check the accounts, see if there’s a problem there too.”
The Sun family head nodded solemnly, “Yes, you’d better check your accounts. If your family also has problems, then my suspicion might be true.”
If the Bai family accounts were fine, it might just be a false alarm and no need to panic. But if the Bai family also suffered huge losses, then it would be a serious matter.
All the Yizhou families might face a catastrophe of a reshuffle.
To verify the possibility, the Bai family head went back heavily burdened to check their accounts.
And when they checked, good heavens, their monthly income had also dropped by more than 18,000 taels!!
This was a big problem.
Finally realizing that their lifeblood was being broken, the Yizhou families gathered again, with the heads of the Four Great Clans sitting at the forefront to discuss how to handle the current situation.
But what could they do?
The long-entrenched families in Yizhou were not idle. After sensing something was wrong, they each sent people to investigate.
But what did they find?
It was the Jiaozhou government leading the sugar production!
Not the families or merchants, but the government, the court!!
The court had somehow obtained the sugar formula and silently brought it to Jiaozhou. They first produced a new kind of white salt packed in glass bottles, then started openly selling white sugar and the sugar formula to merchants!
They had always kept the formula secret, but the government was now openly selling it—not just to a few merchants but after checking registrations, selling to any merchants who paid!
With the government acting like this, now not only did Ziyang County build a white sugar processing plant, but the government led sugar production was flourishing everywhere in Jiaozhou, with many merchants’ sugar factories sprouting up!
Were the Yizhou families angry?
They were furious, enough to make many heads and heirs faint.
But at this point, what could they do?
The die was cast, no room to turn back!
With the information they gathered, a simple thought told them one thing: the court was dissatisfied.
Whether the court was unhappy with the high sugar prices or with the Yizhou families’ entrenched power and disobedience, one thing was certain: Jiaozhou and Yizhou were neighboring states, very close, but no information about white salt or white sugar had leaked to them before. This showed the government was well prepared.
The rare gathering of Yizhou family heads had everyone seated.
“The court has plans but no heart. They have the white sugar formula but keep it hidden. They first sold sugar to merchants, then sold the sugar formula to large merchants elsewhere, not to the families. They clearly don’t want the families to keep controlling white sugar anymore.”
The Sun family head was helpless, “Now, sugar factories are everywhere in Jiaozhou, producing endless white sugar. The merchants are under government price control and dare not set prices high. Otherwise, they would offend the government, and the people wouldn’t buy. With their quality and affordable prices, it makes our Yizhou-produced sugar look superfluous.”
The Sun family head described the current situation in Yizhou, which everyone understood, but the purpose of their meeting was not to listen to this but to find a solution!
Now that Jiaozhou sugar is good and cheap, what are they supposed to do with their high-priced sugar?!