back to ancient times to be emperor

Chapter 174 The truth emerges
Zhou Zhiruo deliberately said: "Your Majesty is destined to marry many concubines. I am quite lonely in the palace. If there are more sisters Han, I can have more people for myself! There are very few women like this! If I were a man, I would definitely marry Sister Han as my wife..." After finishing speaking, he glanced lightly at Han Feng'er's face, and found that her expression brightened for a while, but soon dimmed again.She laughed secretly in her heart: "Sister Han is obviously moved, but she refuses to admit it..."

Han Feng'er smiled awkwardly, and changed the subject: "Empress, don't tease the girls, it's impossible. However, girls can keep their word, and it's up to girls to teach martial arts in the orphanage. It's just that the folk girl doesn't know many words, and I'm afraid that if I accidentally teach it wrong..."

Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, "Let's talk while walking, it's not a problem to stand here. Sister Han, you have to tell me, you are so powerful in martial arts, who is your master, and how did you get it?"

Han Feng'er smiled bitterly and said: "Minnv's master has never allowed Minnv to say his name. As for how to practice, Minnv doesn't know how to say it. She can only say that it was not an overnight effort. Empress, take a look at Minnv's practice." hands, so I won’t be envious of folk girls..." After finishing speaking, Han Fenger stretched out her hand generously, and Zhou Zhiruo noticed that Han Fenger's hand didn't look like a girl's hand at all, it was even better than someone who did it. The hands of a hardworking man are even rougher!The slender fingers were full of calluses, especially after clenching his fist, the calluses on the surface of the fist were as thick as a small stone.

Han Feng'er smiled wryly, and said, "If the Empress is like a commoner girl, I guess His Majesty won't like it..."

Zhou Zhiruo stuck out her tongue and said, "Practicing martial arts has to suffer so much, sister Han, how do you persist? When I was young, I was forced by my father to learn piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and I felt it was very hard. Unexpectedly, Han My sister has a harder life than me..."

The two began to talk about some interesting childhood stories, and gradually brought the topic to the orphanage.Han Feng'er sighed: "Only His Majesty is kind enough to take in these poor children. If there were no orphanages, women would not dare to imagine what life would be like for these children in the future..."

Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said: "The welfare home is just one of His Majesty's ideas. Your Majesty also wants to open a dispensary where the poor can afford medical treatment, and a nursing home for the elderly! It's a pity that Huangzhuang's money is not It’s enough, otherwise it would have been done long ago.”

Han Feng'er's eyes were blurred, as if she was thinking about something, she said in a daze, "Yes, Your Majesty is a good emperor..."

The two of them were discussing Lu Chengqi's well-being passionately, but at the moment he was listening to Xu Jingchun's report in the Chuigong Palace, and suddenly sneezed.Xu Jingchun, who was focused on the report, was taken aback, but Lu Chengqi waved his hand and said, "Go on, I may have caught a cold, it's fine."

Xu Jingchun continued cautiously: "Your Majesty, I think that this matter must have something to do with those aristocratic families. I investigated those salt merchants and rich gentry, and accidentally discovered that the heads of those aristocratic families in the previous dynasty seemed to be all human beings." It seems to have evaporated and disappeared without a trace. If it weren't for them, how could other people have such schemes and stir up so many things?"

When Lu Chengqi heard this, his eyes flashed brightly, but he didn't comment.Xu Jingchun, who lowered his head and didn't pay attention to Lu Chengqi's expression, continued: "Your Majesty, these aristocratic families have great ambitions, privately raising armored soldiers, and intending to rebel. The supervisors are all damaged, but fortunately they escaped cleverly. They even have crossbows and arrows. Isn't it a clear rebellion!" He said indignantly, the inspector was just a spy, except for the inspector who was clearly carrying weapons, the rest of the spies did not carry weapons.But their official equipment is nothing more than a simple knife, where is there any bow and crossbow!

You must know that bows and crossbows are absolutely prohibited weapons in Dashun, and private individuals cannot own them except for the army.These surviving aristocratic families, using their identities as salt merchants and wealthy gentry as a cover, are secretly raising private soldiers in order to plot rebellion?
For such a sensitive matter, any emperor would never let it go, and Lu Chengqi was no exception.It's just how to kill someone who has no evidence and no evidence. If he hits the door, he will be convicted of hurting innocent people, and Lu Chengqi will also change from a wise king to a tyrant.Such a transaction cannot be done.

"Headache, these aristocratic families, I knew they wouldn't be so simple. It's okay if they don't make trouble, but if they make trouble, it's no more dangerous than a peasant uprising." Lu Chengqi only felt dizzy for a while, quite a bit The mouse pulls the turtle, the pain of having nowhere to start.

These inner activities, of course, cannot be known by Xu Jingchun.After hearing this for a long time, Lu Chengqi asked, "Does Xu Qing have a plan?"

Xu Jingchun could only yell loudly, but he really didn't have any plans.In his opinion, it's just a matter of hitting the door. Can some downcast families still be able to withstand a Dashun court!Can it hold an army of [-]?
But the reality is that if there is no charge and no evidence, arresting people rashly may backfire.No matter how stupid Xu Jingchun is, he also understands this truth.He was silent for a while, and said: "I have no choice, but I also know that these aristocratic families have colluded with the dealers who previously sold private salt..."

Selling private salt is such a distant word for Lu Chengqi from later generations.He actually heard this word again, which also proved that the profit of the ancient table salt was so huge under the official management that some people would risk their lives to commit crimes and sell private salt.

But after Lu Chengqi opened the salt field, the price of salt dropped again and again, and there was still not enough salt to sell.The reason for this, apart from the difficult roads and expensive freight, is more because there are many thieves on the way.These thieves may be private salt dealers.

Lu Chengqi had long received the secret report from the inspectors that there were many armed private salt dealers along the coast of Dashun.They generally do no harm to the people, but only sell salt, which was only half of the official salt before.
The coastal salt gangs in Liangzhe East and West Road, Lin'an Mansion, Pingjiang Mansion, Shaoxing Mansion, Songjiang Mansion, and Yidu Mansion are even more aggressive, and even formed an operating system of production, trafficking, distribution, supply, and guarantee. Covering the surrounding area of ​​Taiyuan Mansion.First of all, the coastal salt people will provide them with cheap salt products, and then the salt will be sailed offshore to other coastal areas by sea ships.There are also small boats prepared at the mouth of the river, which are responsible for river transportation and terminal sales, and then hand over the money obtained, and the gang will distribute it uniformly.These salt-trafficking gangs even established their own production and living bases on the coastal islands and engaged in long-term armed confrontation with the Dashunxiang Army.

In response to this rampant private salt sale, the imperial court has issued edicts many times, requiring local officials to eradicate it.Even the first emperor announced that all officials who wiped out the illegal salt gangs and received more than [-] catties of salt at one time can be promoted immediately.But these officials are not fools. First, these private salt dealers are all desperadoes, and the result of the extermination may hurt both sides.The second is that if there is no hindrance, they will only sell salt for profit and will not disturb social order too much.The third is that catching the "salt" is not lucrative, it is purely hard work-maybe offend the "salt", and the whole family will die!In view of this, no official dared to really suppress the bandits.

Most of these private salt dealers were secretly supported by aristocratic families. They controlled both the official salt business and the private salt business, forming an unprecedented monopoly.It can be said that an invisible salt empire has been established.If Lu Chengqi hadn't broken his wrist, we don't know how long this situation would last.

But now the problem is precisely in this place. These aristocratic families no longer sell salt, and the supply of salt on the market has dropped by as much as [-]%.No matter how low the price of salt is, common people cannot buy salt!Now it depends on whether Lu Chengqi has the determination and the courage to uproot these aristocratic families.

(End of this chapter)