Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 121
Four taels?

Zhang Cai couldn't help being startled when he heard the price.

The imperial court only asked for a salt tax of less than one tael, but these moths actually demanded a full four taels of silver.If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I really wouldn't have thought of such absurd things, let alone thought that these salt officials got so much.

At this moment, he finally understood why the silver boat that night was able to send several 10 taels to a Deputy Envoy of the Operation Department of the Two Huaihe Rivers. It was because these people were too greedy.

Wang Yue left the teacup, but looked up at Master Li calmly and said, "Your price is higher than what I know, isn't it the same price in previous years?"

"In previous years it was indeed lower! It's just that if you want to come in, you will naturally have to bid higher than others. Besides, you probably already know what the price of Huguang's salt market is. Even if you really want five, six or seven taels, you You have to make a lot of money, and you have to come to us to cooperate next year!" Master Li reached out and pinched his mustache, looking very frank.

Wang Yue knew that the other party's asking price was actually very reasonable, and he was not a real businessman after all, so he immediately said: "Okay, then the price you said, please help me out for the old man, Zhang Xi hopes to bring the salt as soon as possible. Go back to Huguang!"

"Hehe... Outsiders, please don't worry about this! As long as you raise enough money, all the salt tickets will be provided at that time, and you will be able to go to various branches and salt farms with the stamped salt tickets!" Master Li saw that Wang Yue was very good, so he forgave him very excitedly.

In fact, Wang Yue had cleared up these doorways in advance, so he cupped his hands slightly and said: "Thank you Master Li, this is a little sympathy for you and Master Li, please also ask Master Li to say hello to Master Li on behalf of the old man!"

As he spoke, he gave Zhang Cai a wink.

Zhang Cai found that the handling of the case was not pleasant, so he sent out the two gifts he had already prepared. He only hoped that the house could be copied back by hand in the future, otherwise he might not be able to explain to the emperor.

"It's easy to say! The Yamen of the Huaihe River will be released on the first day of February. When you come here with enough money, someone will teach you what to do!" Seeing that Wang Yue is very smart, Master Li pointed out with a smile.

Naturally, Wang Yue's family was not the only ones who came to Li Zhiqing to ask for Yanyin. Now that the matter here has been settled, Master Li left with the gift.

Yangzhou Mengqinglou was very lively. At this time, there were bursts of applause from the hall, and an oiran who was good at dancing was showing off her dancing posture on the stage.

Zhang Cai saw Master Li leaving, and after sending away the bald broker Zhu Laoliu, Dang Li said anxiously: "Wang...Hu Yuanwai, what should we do now?"

"Let's talk when we go back!" Wang Yue said with a very calm temper, appearing very vigilant.

"My lord, come again when you have time!" The fancy-dressed procuress enthusiastically waved the incense scarf in her hand when she saw Wang Yue leave.

Thousands of lights in the night market illuminate the green clouds, and there are many people with red sleeves in high-rise buildings.

Yangzhou City is like a city that never sleeps in this era. The curfew system is strictly enforced in every city, but it has already expired here.

In order to facilitate the investigation, after Wang Yue brought a group of people to Yangzhou City, they also rented a private house in Yangzhou City.

"Grandpa, we have been patrolling the salt censor's yamen in Lianghuai for five days in a row. This new censor is really good. All the officials and salt merchants who came to give gifts have been turned away!"

Wang Yu and Hu Jun no longer serve as coolies at the dock, but are responsible for monitoring the Lianghuai Patrol Yan Yushi Yamen, Wang Yu said with admiration.

"Has he still not had contact with Li Zhiqing?" Wang Yue asked seriously, knowing that the only Lianghuai patrol salt censor had a low position and high power.

Hu Jun looked at Wang Yu drinking water, so he answered for Wang Yu: "Master Imperial Envoy, we haven't seen anyone from the transfer envoy's yamen from both the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River, and a salt official wearing a seventh-rank official uniform was directly arrested. Blast out!"

Wang Yue was originally worried that the new Lianghuai inspector salt censor would be dragged into the big dye tank, but now it seems that this iron-faced censor is indeed well-deserved.

"Grandpa, since we already have evidence of Li Zhiqing asking for the salt fee, can we reveal our identity and arrest him?" Wang Yu asked anxiously, wiping the water stains from the corner of his mouth.

"Let's not mention that we haven't mentioned Yan at all, even if we mention Yan to reveal our identity and arrest people, these officials will never show up, so we can completely push the matter away!" Wang Yue smiled bitterly, and shook his head gently. road.

Although I have profound attainments in military affairs, I really have little chance of winning against these gang of slippery officials.Now you can disguise your identity to find out, but it is still very difficult to catch them all.

Wang Yu couldn't help but put down the kettle in his hand in disappointment, and said with a bitter face: "Grandpa, I'm afraid you won't be able to cover up your fraudulent injury for a long time. We have to solve it quickly. I still thought that I could find the new Xunyan Censor Gang by revealing my identity." Let's find that private salt farm!"

"Master Imperial Envoy, please use tea!" Brother Gou brought the tea, looking respectful and authentic.

Last time, thanks to Brother Gou's tip-off, they fled together.After knowing Wang Yue's identity, he has been following Wang Yue, and now he is actively doing things in the house.

"Brother Dog, this old man suddenly remembered something!" Wang Yue was undecided whether to find Xunyan Yushi as foreign aid, but suddenly looked at this honest middle-aged man and said.

Brother Gou has a natural awe of officials, so he said with a smile: "Master Imperial Envoy, you are really a villain when you call me like that! The villain's pet name is Gou Zi, and his big name is Gou Huowang. You should call me Gou Zi." !"

"Then let me call you by your real name, Huo Wang! Huo Wang, why did you have a falling out with the steward of the saltworks?" Wang Yue saw that the other party was really uncomfortable with his address, so he changed his words.

When Gou Huowang heard this, he immediately cried out: "It's just a matter of anger! Not to mention that a large area of ​​my grassland was taken away, and the salt field under my name was obviously only ten acres, but it was written as twelve acres for their division. Acres, the people in the Si Yamen of the two Huaihe Rivers have been transshipped, and the number is twelve mu! It will cost a lot of tax and salt every year, and in the end, you have to deal with the additional levy from the imperial court. Who can bear it?"

"Your family should not be the only one in this situation, right?" Wang Yue faintly felt that there was a lot to be said here, so he pressed on.

Gou Huowang became even more angry in his heart, and immediately continued to complain: "Master Imperial Envoy, of course my family is not the only one! If you can really fill your stomach, who would want to leave their hometown? I don't know how many kitchen households have been forced away by them over the years!"

In fact, many people do not know that their kitchen households cannot produce food only by relying on salt fields, but need the imperial court to provide firewood resources for their evenly divided grasslands.

It's just that they are all low-level personnel, not to mention many inexplicable miscellaneous taxes, and the property they own cannot be protected, so they can only choose to leave their hometown in the end.

Everyone in the world knows that it is difficult for the common people to eat salt, but they don't know that it is even more difficult for them as stove households. No matter how hard they work, they can no longer sustain their own livelihood.

"Why don't you report it to the Lianghuai Patrol Salt Censor's Yamen?" Wang Yu couldn't help interjecting as he listened from the side.

Gou Huowang couldn't help snorting coldly, and said with a sneer on his face: "My old lady was obviously burned to death by Zong Tuiyan, who set fire to the house. In the end, I appealed for grievances everywhere but to no avail. The officialdom in Yangzhou has always been protected by officials and officials! What do you mean?" I don’t believe the censor who came to inspect the salt is selfless! I heard that when the imperial envoy was adjudicating a case in Jingshan County, he almost let a small official tamper with the scale. Now that he sends someone down to measure the salt field, I’m sure It's still twelve acres!"

Wang Yu couldn't help but frowned when he thought of the scene at the Jingshan County Government Office.

Not to mention whether the new Yanyan censor is stern and selfless, but if the scribes and yamen of the Huaihe River and Huaihe Rivers are sent to measure the land, it is true that there are a lot of twelve acres.

"Gou Huowang, this imperial envoy can uphold justice for you! It's just that the case is complicated now, and the old man has the emperor's order, so I need your help!" Wang Yue had an idea in his heart, and said to Gou Huowang.

Tears welled up in Gou Huowang's eyes, and he immediately knelt down on the ground and said: "As long as the imperial envoy is willing to avenge the young one, the young one is willing to work for you!"

The next day, the Yushi yamen, who inspected salt in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, received a complaint.The person who submitted it was Gou Huowang, a kitchen household, and the object of the lawsuit was the Taizhou Branch under the Transfer Envoy of the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River.

(End of this chapter)