Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 122

Jia Cong saw that these four people were only sixteen or seventeen years old. They all had bright eyes, white teeth, and sweet smiles. In terms of appearance, they were by no means inferior to Lan Wei or any of the great masters in Qinhuaihe. They just lived in Yangzhou and were not as famous as them.

Yin smiled and said: "You four don't need to be polite, just show your hands freely and let me feast my eyes on you."

"Then the servants will be embarrassed." The four people laughed in unison and led the musicians to sit on the small stage at one end of the cabin.

The four of them began to perform, playing the harp, playing the flute, singing softly, or dancing.

Jia Cong watched with great interest, but turned a blind eye and wondered how the salt merchants would deal with the new law.

The salt merchants looked at each other. How could they care to watch the beauty singing and dancing? They all looked solemnly and thought about what to say later.

Jia Cong smiled at Jiang Biehe beside him and said, "Unexpectedly, the beauties of Yangzhou have a unique flavor. Cong really wants to live here forever and would rather not miss Beijing."

Jiang Biehe said with a smile: "Master Cong is joking, it is difficult to raise a dragon in shallow water. Master Cong is a dragon and a phoenix among people. Living here for a long time is not too talented."

If I feel that my daughter can watch a little while here, I will send some top-quality thin horses to the third master to take back. He can play with them in his spare time and appreciate the beauty of Yangzhou. "

"What the old man said is very true. If the third master is interested, we will be able to worship him. There is no other place in Yangzhou. The skinny horse is not inferior to other places." Everyone said hurriedly.

Jia Cong hurriedly waved his hands and said with a smile: "If you have any thin horses, please keep them for me for a few more years until I have mastered my martial arts skills before giving them away. But now I can't bear to watch them."

If I take a few more beauties back, I will definitely kill me.

Everyone laughed: "In that case, I will wait a few years before I can honor Third Master."

Jia Cong nodded and said with a smile: "Then I will accept your kindness first. Since I have received a generous gift, I should reciprocate it. What do you think about rebuilding the outline book now?"

When it came to business, everyone immediately suppressed their smiles and fell silent. They only looked at Jiang Biehe. This was a fundamental matter involving the eight major salt merchants. If he didn't take the lead, who would?

Jiang Biehe smiled and said: "To be honest, Third Master, several of our colleagues were shocked when they heard the news. The issuance of additional nest books is a big deal. After all, the current outline was set by the Supreme Emperor back then. This sudden change may cause People's hearts are wandering, which is not good for the salt industry."

Can you scare me by moving out the Supreme Emperor? Jia Cong sneered in his heart and said harmoniously: "What the old gentleman said is very good. The salt law established by the Supreme Emperor is a good law for all generations. How can we allow it to be changed at will? Isn't this unfaithful, unfilial, and treasonous?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and waited for the next step.

Sure enough, Jia Cong continued: "It's just that the outline set by the Supreme Emperor was based on the number of salt imports in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China. After decades of development of the salt industry, everyone knows what the current situation of the salt industry in Lianghuai is.

Therefore, how can we remain unchanged and copy the old laws? Doesn’t this violate the original intention of the Supreme Emperor’s Salt Law? "

Xu Qing said with a smile: "The third master's words are very true. The Salt Method is like a beautiful article written by the Supreme Emperor. We and other future generations should inherit and carry it forward, focusing on its key points, essential points, and mysterious points. We should also introduce the old and bring out the new in response to the times, the situation, and the situation. This is the purpose of our imperial examinations to speak for the saints. The articles of the saints are there, and it is not enough to memorize them by rote. You must also write your own based on the meaning of the saints' scriptures. Only when you write an article can your merits be considered complete, do you think so?"

The salt merchants don't understand these principles. The only thing they can't let go of is profit. They are just obedient and non-committal.

He Shenghua, the old head of the He family, said: "What Third Master and Mr. Xu said makes sense. I wonder what the regulations are for this additional nest capital? Will it only be sold to the eight of us, or will everyone have a share? Back then, the Supreme Emperor appointed us I don’t know if the eight major salt merchants still count.”

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Mr. He is overly worried. The Supreme Emperor has designated you as the eight major salt merchants, and has granted you the right to keep them as nests for hundreds of years. This naturally counts. Who dares to waver? It's just the salt law and the outline. Salt method, in the final analysis, is based on one character.

What is the basis for the nest? Everyone who has the nest book in their hands is naturally one of the eight major salt merchants, but the Salt Law does not stipulate that all nest books must be owned by the eight major salt merchants.

Now that there is a new nest book, it is natural to revise the new outline book according to the practice of the past. As for how many big salt merchants there will be in the future, Cong cannot predict. "

The salt merchants naturally understand what the Gang Salt Law is. To put it simply, it means recognizing the gang and not the people. But what makes it difficult for them to declare it is:

The 70 yuan of nests they had in their hands had actually been used as 500 million yuan. Now that the Salt Institute has re-examined and verified the number of salts, the nests in their hands are of little significance.

Jia and Xu looked at each other, and they were clearly aware of their private thoughts, which was to make them mute and eat Coptis chinensis. They had taken advantage for a long time, and it was time to correct them.

Du Chun, the old head of the Du family, smiled and said: "After listening to the Third Master's explanation, I suddenly became enlightened. Now that I have a new nest book, I don't know how to distribute it?"

Jia Cong smiled and said: "I have to ask Mr. Jiang, Mr. He, and Mr. Du how the nest books were distributed back then? This matter involves the fundamentals of the Gangsalt Law, but Cong cannot speak nonsense. It is better to follow the old rules of the Supreme Emperor. some."

Dealing with the eight major salt merchants was different from dealing with the small and medium-sized salt merchants just now. Jia Cong was more careful and did not dare to be careless in the slightest, for fear that he would lose more than he gained by speaking out. In fact, everyone knows the so-called old rules. Be aware.

Back then, all the salt merchants played a great role in the Emperor's ascension to the throne and his six expeditions to the south of the Yangtze River. They spent tens of millions of taels of silver to get the nest. Now, according to the old rules, they will naturally bleed heavily. Being slaughtered like this for no reason, I feel in my heart. I'm really not angry, but it's hard to refute, because this is exactly the original intention of Tsunayoshi.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Jia Cong said with a smile: "Don't worry, you think that the Yamen will use clever names to collect money again. This time, the distribution of nest funds is entirely based on voluntariness. If you don't want to buy, no one can charge you a penny."

All the salt merchants looked at each other and smiled bitterly. They were unwilling to buy, but some salt merchants were willing to spend money. Without the monopoly advantage of making money, the prosperous days of the so-called eight salt merchants would be over.

Jiang Biehe looked as normal and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, the third master is really safe in doing things. Just follow the old rules, the one with the highest price gets it, which is fair. It's just that we and other eight families have abided by the law and kept the price of salt stable over the years. Constantly being attacked by private individuals and exploited by local governments, the nest in their hands may look like a good thing, but in fact it is a hot potato that is hard to swallow and a pity to throw away.

I finally got through it with great difficulty. I dare not say any credit for the Lianghuai Salt Industry, but at least I have lived up to the great trust of the Supreme Emperor. I wonder if the Third Master, for the sake of our hard work over the years, would be able to show some favor and be accommodating? "

Everyone nodded in agreement, looking like a wronged little daughter-in-law.

(End of this chapter)