Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 617 Setting Up Cards to Collect Taxes
The weather turned cold, and snow fell on the vast land of the lake. Amidst the falling snowflakes, Wang Yan and his party returned from the school grounds, and the horses galloped past, splashing a piece of mud.

After entering Wuchang City, the cavalry galloped to a large house in the east of the city and stopped. A group of craftsmen were carrying a pair of stone lions at the gate. Nailing the door, it seems very busy.

This is Wang Yan's governor of the five provinces, Xingyuan. The house was originally owned by the Li family of Wuchang. Knowing that Wang Yan has no office, he specially donated it to him.

This Li family is an offshoot of the Li family in Gaoyang. In the early years of this sect, there were two chief assistants. One was Li Guojin from the Chongzhen Dynasty, and the other was farther away. It also benefited a lot. There are thousands of grain fields in the clan, and the clan has nearly a thousand people, and it is very prosperous.

A few years ago, the situation in the Ming Dynasty was not good, and Wang Yan was looking for money everywhere, but now rich and talented people come to him from time to time. From this, we can also see the changes in current affairs in the world.

A group of people dismounted in front of the mansion, and a person from Xingyuan greeted them. It was Wang Yan's reward for the donation of the Li family. Li Wenyuan, a member of the Li family, was left behind. Wang Yan's relationship is at least the official title of the governor of the prefecture when he is devolved to the local government.

This kind of relationship and relying on connections is the normal state of the entire bureaucratic system. As the Ming Dynasty gains a firm foothold, there will be more and more such things.

Not only the Li family in Wuchang, but also Wang Yan, as the highest official of the Hengyang Wang family in the court, the entire Wang family is the most connected household, and his children are now spread across the military and political circles. Besides, as the descendant of the Jiangyou Wang family, uncle Wang Chaopin, clan brother Wang Fuzhi, Wang Jiezhi's classmates and old friends, Wang's apprentices, especially Wang Jiezhi's drinking for the Imperial College, and the teacher of thousands of students, these are the objects that Wang Yan wants to take care of.

Of course, Wang Yan didn't want to recruit everyone. These people had to pass the imperial examination first. If they didn't pass the imperial examination, there was no other way.

Now there are admonishment officials in the DPRK, calling Wang Yan’s faction the Chu Party. Some old Wang families have been exposed for abuse of power, corruption, and even been found to have embezzled money for making weapons. Therefore, Wang Yan has also become more cautious in employing people. , Even people who are close to each other, without fame, ability, and evil intentions, will not be appointed.

Wang Yan walked to the door and took off the cloak on his shoulders. Li Wenyuan took it immediately, and then followed behind Wang Yan and said: "Mr. A deal was made, but the bid was low."

Wang Yan stomped his feet, patted the snowflakes on his body, stepped forward, and said with a smile: "Junkai, you did a good job. As long as they are willing to trade, the truth can't dig out a piece of their flesh? You take him to Come to the second hall."

To say that this kind of matter does not need to be handled by Wang Yan, just leave it to Chen Bangyan, but at the end of the year, he has to pay back the money and send money to the Wuzhong Army to celebrate. He is now in the eyes of money, as long as it is about money, No matter how big or small, he does it all by himself.

"Yes, my lord will bring you here later." Li Wenyuan saluted, took three steps back, and turned to leave.

After a while, Wang Yan sat down in the hall, and his subordinates immediately raised the stove in the hall, lit the charcoal fire, and then served hot tea.

This transaction with Shanxi merchants was also a matter of Wang Yan's whim. At that time, Man Dazhuang suddenly sent people to escort back more than 20 cargo ships to Wuchang, all of which were loaded with copper ingots, which attracted his attention.

Wang Yanzheng was worried about the armor and equipment of the Ming army. Although these twenty ships were a drop in the bucket, they were a surprise. Afterwards, Manda Zhuang reported that the water transportation had been cut off, and thousands of boats traveling from south to north were blocked on the Grand Canal. The cargo ship, together with Man Dazhuang urging grain to Huguang, gave him the idea to talk to Shanxi merchants.

For this matter, he didn't expect much. After all, the Jin merchants could no longer turn back. Just to remind you, he has always encouraged commerce. Once this commerce develops, merchants will definitely become a powerful force, and they will inevitably influence the court situation in the future. Shanxi merchants, Eastern Zhejiang maritime merchants earlier, and Jiangnan big families are all like this. How is this? Regulating the conflict of interests between the business group and the imperial court will be a big issue for him to think about in the future.

At this time, Wang Yan took a few sips of hot tea, and Li Wenyuan brought him in.

Yan Congnian entered the second hall. He was reminded by Li Wenyuan that he knew that the red-robed official sitting in the middle hall was Wang Yan, so he didn't dare to look more, so he quickly knelt down and saluted. .”

Wang Yan frowned slightly when he heard this, and just now Li Wenyuan was probing, saying that the conditions offered by Jin merchants were very low, so Wang Yan didn't let him get up, so he said: "Fan Yongdou really has no face, the truth is read in the mansion newspaper, his Fan family business name , wasn’t it called San Jinrong before?” Wang Yan paused, glanced at Yan Congnian, “You’re the one Man Dazhuang sent back?”

"Reporting to Mr. Wang, he is a villain." Yan Congnian kowtowed back in cold sweat when he heard that Wang Yan was dissatisfied with the name Qing Yongchang, and was full of ridicule and contempt for Fan Yongdou.

"Since Man Dazhuang was the one who was sent back, there is no need to say more, just tell what Fan Yongdou said." Wang Yan took a sip of tea, his attitude was not a negotiation, but an order.

Since Fan Yongdou is willing to send someone to this matter, it means that he wants to trade with the Ming army and cares about the assets of the Fan family in Jiangnan. In this transaction, the Fan family can still recover the cost, and even make some money. The army occupied Jiangnan, and he lost everything.

Wang Yan was afraid that the Fan family would be determined to be loyal to the Qing court, and would rather lose Jiangnan's family business than talk to him, but now it seems that a businessman is a businessman after all, and his own interests are still put first, so Wang Yan knows that up.

Seeing that Wang Yan's attitude was not friendly, Yan Congnian felt uncertain, and said tremblingly, "Report to Xianggong, my master said that he is willing to spend 10 taels of silver to sell the road to Xianggong."

Wang Yan took a sip of tea and said coldly: "10 taels? The Fan family took advantage of the Qing army's occupation of the south of the Yangtze River to expand in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The money they searched for may be close to tens of millions. 10 taels are just trying to get rid of the truth. What about the food that the truth requires?"

Yan Congnian knew that this job was not easy to do. Fan Yongdou wanted him to transfer the assets of the Zhengzheng company in Jiangnan, but he didn't want to let the Ming army take advantage of it and threaten the Qing Dynasty, and he didn't want to provide food and grass for the Ming army on the Yangtze River.His behavior of being a whore and asking for a memorial arch made it impossible for Yan Congnian to come up with conditions that Wang Yan was satisfied with.

Seeing Wang Yan's anger, Yan Congnian quickly explained: "Mr. Xianggong calmed down. Once the water transportation was cut off, the whole of Beizhili and Shandong were short of food. The Qing government strictly controlled the food, and the merchants could not get food. Mr. Hong in the south of the Yangtze River... "Hong Bandit..." Yan Congnian wiped his sweat, "Although there is food in Jiangnan, the Hong Bandit also prohibits large-scale trading. The food was received by the Qing army in Jiangning, no, it is Nanjing, Nanjing, and it is stored in a high warehouse The company really can't get food, but the company can use silver to pay for it, and how much silver taels the husband needs can be negotiated."

Wang Yan stood up after hearing this, "Shanxi merchants colluded with the Qing Dynasty and betrayed Ming Dynasty. There is nothing to talk about the truth. You go back and tell Fan Yongdou that you will send 10 taels to Wuchang first, and then copper, iron, salt, and grain cannot be transported. Bingjia, firearms, and gunpowder of the Manchu Qing Dynasty cannot be transported, and other porcelain, silk, tea, woodware, etc. are allowed to pass, but the truth has to be taxed, and each shipment is taxed by four. If you do not agree, then the truth So he took down Jiangnan and went to get it himself, and let him lose his blood."

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(End of this chapter)