Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 110 Salt Merchant
Jingchunlou is a restaurant located in the west city of the capital. Its business is booming due to its variety of dishes and delicious dishes.If you don't make a reservation in advance, the private seats upstairs will not be free at all.

It was almost noon, and Jingchun Building was very lively. Various carriages had already parked in the wide space in front of the building, and there were more carriages coming continuously.

The large and small salt merchants from Shuntian, Baoding, Zhending, Hejian, Yongping, Daming and Xuanfu were either coerced or voluntarily came to Jingchun Tower to see if it was really as white as snow. , and cheaper table salt.

Zhao Sihai, a salt merchant from Zhending Mansion, got out of the carriage and looked around, but he didn't see any familiar people.Just as he was about to walk towards the restaurant, he suddenly heard someone shouting: "Brother Zhao! Wait a minute, brother!"

Looking back, Zhao Sihai saw a person getting off from a carriage that had just stopped, wearing a brown cloth robe, a six-in-one hat, and holding a folding fan, walking towards him with a smile on his face.

Zhao Sihai laughed and said, "Who am I? It turns out to be Brother Li! Haha!"

The person who came was Li Youjin, a salt merchant from Baoding Prefecture. The two met when they went to the Lianghuai Salt Field to purchase goods several years ago.Zhending and Baoding are adjacent to each other, but they each distribute in the mansion, there is no competitive relationship, and because of their speculation, they became friends.

This time when he came to the capital to attend the meeting, Zhao Sihai thought he would make an appointment with Li Youjin along the way, but he didn't know until he arrived in Baoding that Li Youjin had already entered Beijing a few days in advance, but he didn't expect to run into his old friend just as he got off the carriage.

After the two bowed their hands to salute, Zhao Sihai looked around and said in a low voice, "Brother Li, tell me the truth, you came to the capital after Jin Yiwei approached you, right?"

Zhao Sihai has been selling salt in Zhending Mansion for many years and has accumulated a lot of property.He doesn't have much ambition, so he just plans to continue the business like this and pass it on to future generations.

Some time ago, two strangers with capital accents came to the door, saying that they wanted to discuss business with Zhao Sihai, and the servants of the Zhao family hurriedly went to the inner house to report to their master.

Zhao Sihai was enjoying the shade in the gazebo in the garden. After hearing the report, he asked his servants to send him away. He was very satisfied with his current life and had no intention of intervening in other businesses.

Who knew that the visitor came directly to the garden without permission, and Zhao Sihai was so angry that he wanted to call someone to beat the two of them out of the mansion.

Many salt merchants with relatively rich family fortunes started from selling private salt. Many of them had their lives on hand, and there were also a few desperadoes under their hands.After earning the first pot of gold from selling private salt, they turned to hook up with people in the government, bought salt, and distributed it after getting the goods from the government's salt field. Of course, the distribution site is the site that he brought down with a knife and licked blood.

Zhao Sihai's territory is mainly in the northeast of Zhending Prefecture, Zaoqiang, Wuqiang, Wuyi, and Shenzhou counties.He is a native of Zaoqiang. He practiced martial arts with his second uncle when he was young, and sold illegal salt with his second uncle when he grew up.

When he was there, the second uncle was beheaded when he was fighting with another salt dealer.He was also stabbed in the right rib by a long spear, and escaped by jumping into the river. It took more than half a year for him to recover from his injuries.

In the past six months, he dreamed countless times of the scene where his second uncle was beheaded.He vowed to take revenge on his second uncle, and to enshrine his enemy's head in front of his second uncle's grave so that his second uncle could rest in peace.

After recovering from his injuries, Zhao Sihai finally figured out the law of the enemy's life after half a year of tracking.On a dark and stormy night, he invited a few dead brothers to climb over the wall and enter the enemy's house, slaughtering more than 30 members of the other's family, old and young, and then set fire to the enemy's house after recovering tens of thousands of taels of silver. Into ruins, finally a wish was fulfilled.

This shocking case alarmed the government, but the police from the Yamen found nothing after investigating the scene, so they could only treat it as an unsolved case and let it go.

Zhao Sihai endured again for more than a year, and when the matter subsided completely, he recruited dozens of desperadoes with the money in his hand, led them to fight everywhere, and finally laid down the current territory, and then spent a lot of money to wash his identity and start a new life. rich man.

Following Zhao Sihai's shout, a few brawny men with naked upper bodies and sticks in their hands ran over from the front yard, surrounded the two of them, and knocked them to the ground as soon as the master gave an order. Throw out of Zhao Mansion.

The two strangers didn't panic, one of them grinned, reached into his arms and took out a wooden sign, shook it at the strong men and said, "If you don't want to bring trouble to your master, get out of here!"

The other older one stood with folded arms, silent.

Zhao Sihai was far away, so he couldn't see the few words engraved on the wooden sign clearly, but he was also a person who had seen the scene, and had dealt with many people in the government.Knowing that people in the Jianghu did not reveal their identities, this wooden plaque is obviously only equipped by people in the court.

He hurriedly ordered several strong men to retreat, then bowed his hands respectfully and said: "I don't know where the two distinguished guests came from? The young one is quite familiar with Sun Butou of the county government, and if the young one is the host, at noon Please invite Sun Butou to accompany the two distinguished guests to have a drink in the basement, if the two are short of money, I will honor the little one!"

The young man with the badge snorted when he heard Butou Sun.After Zhao Sihai finished speaking, he waved his waist badge in front of Zhao Sihai's eyes, and said slowly: "Mr. Open your eyes and take a look! We are the emperor's army!"

When Zhao Sihai heard the words "Tianzi pro-jun", his face turned pale immediately, and the sweat that suddenly appeared on his head flowed down his forehead.

Could it be that the case of the year was made?Otherwise, Jin Yiwei came to the door?No, how many years have passed, who still remembers what happened back then!

The young man put the waist card in his arms, looked at Zhao Sihai, and laughed aloud: "Zhao Yuanwai was a character back then! At least dozens of lives in his hands? Why have you been a rich man for a few years and become so courageous?" So small? Don't worry, I'm looking for you today because I want to give you a fortune!"

Zhao Sihai finally relaxed when he heard the last word. He had thought too much just now.If the crime had happened back then, people would have rushed to the door and ransacked the house to arrest people.

Zhao Sihai didn't care about wiping his sweat, so he stretched out his hand with a "snap" and slapped his big mouth: "The little one has eyes but no eyes! I don't know noble people! Please take a seat, you two servants! Come here! Set up a banquet! The ingredients must be the best! "

The two Jinyi guards sat down on the stone benches in the gazebo, and after looking around, the young captain who spoke sighed softly: "I have always heard people say that the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are rich, but I didn't expect that our salt merchants in the north are also rich. Don’t underestimate it! Zhao Yuan’s house costs a lot! If two people count on the salary of the imperial court, dozens of generations may not be able to afford it! Tsk tsk!”

Zhao Sihai did not dare to sit down, took the teapot and poured tea for the two of them, and said with a smile: "You two are joking! The young one is a local rich man, how can it compare to the honor of the two of you? Wait for the two of you to drink If you are full, here are some small local products!"

The school lieutenant praised: "Member Zhao is knowledgeable and interesting! You are worthy of being picked by the two of us! This is Li Liang, the banner of the [-]th household in Fusi, Jinyiwei North Town, and this brother is the school lieutenant Zhao An. The two of you were ordered to come to you Zhao Yuanwai to discuss the salt business with you!"

At this time, several maidservants successively served the wine and dishes on the stone table in the gazebo. Li Liang and the two of them washed their hands in the copper basin and entered the table, picked up the chopsticks and began to eat unceremoniously.

Zhao Sihai stood aside, thinking about Li Liang's words.

How did Jin Yiwei start a business?Could it be that he was trying to find out his old background and threaten to intervene in his family's business and embezzle his own family property?
Li Liang looked up at Zhao Sihai, chewing a piece of sauced beef in his mouth, and said vaguely: "Mr. Zhao, why don't you sit down? Don't be polite! It's like home here!"

The school lieutenant named Zhao An buried his head in his mouth, without even looking at Zhao Sihai.

Zhao Sihai sat on a stone bench with a wry smile, and said, "The young one has just had a meal, and the two servants enjoy it slowly! There is no good food in the country, so please take care of it! Why don't the two servants drink alcohol? "

Li Liang put down his chopsticks, swallowed a rib in his mouth, took a sip of tea and said, "Good tea! Quite thirst-quenching!"

Zhao Sihai secretly despises: ah top-notch Biluochun!Why are you Jin Yiwei so vulgar?It's like I haven't eaten in eight lifetimes!
He thought that Jin Yiwei was a picky eater who was dressed in fine clothes and jade food every day.Don't you know that Jin Yiwei's junior officers and school lieutenants usually rely on their salaries to support their families, so how can they have the opportunity to enjoy big fish and meat all day long.Especially after Luo Yangxing's rectification within the guard, the former slack atmosphere in the guard has completely changed.Some veteran military academies, who relied on their family backgrounds for several generations of Jinyiwei, have intertwined relationships in Weizhong, and are connected with each other. Those who have been targeted, and who do not repent after several warnings, will be directly removed from the list.Those who dared to intercede for him, or held grudges against him for a reason, and abused power in the name of official business to tarnish Jinyiwei's reputation, were all removed from their names and arrested in Beizhen Fusi Prison, where they died of illness soon after.

After this iron and blood rectification, Jin Yiwei knew that the Commander was serious about it.Whoever still does not have long eyes can only call himself a dead end.

Chongzhen also allocated 20 taels of silver to Jinyiwei from the internal funds. Since Luo raised his character, the salaries of all the staff were doubled, supervised by the Nanzhen Fusi, and distributed to each person on a monthly basis.After the two-pronged approach, Jinyiwei's style has taken on a new look.

Li Liang said: "Mr. Zhao, someone knows that your salt road comes from the Lianghuai salt field. You get the salt from the government and then go to the salt field to buy salt for distribution. During this period, you will be exploited and divided. The capital should be more than two dollars, right?"

Zhao Sihai cupped his hands and smiled wryly: "What the boss said is true! The small ones are worth two cents and four cents per catty, and they are still large grains of bitter salt, which tastes very bad. But the common people can't lack salt in every meal, so they can still be sold. move."

Li Liang stared at him, and slowly said: "If there is a kind of table salt that is as white as snow, as fine as flour, and the transportation distance is very short, without salt, you can have as much as you want, and the price is less than a hundred dollars. , are you interested in selling it?!"

(End of this chapter)