My Ming Dynasty, I have the final say

Chapter 157 Changlu Auction Comes to an End
In the Hubu Yamen, a unique "auction" is going on.

For this good show, Zhu Youxiao chose the white dragon fish costume, came quietly, and hid on the second floor to watch the show.

The Changlu Salt Transportation Department has two divisions, Cangzhou and Qingzhou, and two batch laboratories of Changlu and Xiaozhigu. It has 24 salt fields, each with a salt department, and handles more than 18 small salt imports annually.

The salt produced is supplied to Zhangde and Weihui Prefectures in Northern Zhili and Henan.

The salt tax received was responsible for supplying military pay for the three towns of Xuanfu, Datong, and Jizhou, as well as offering sacrifices to hundreds of gods in suburban temples, shameful meals for the inner government, and providing official services.

Annual income of 12 taels of Taicang silver.

From the day Jinyiwei started arresting people, all the merchants carrying salt from Changlu Salt Transport Division concentrated in the capital.

Don't ask how you got the news.

Yuan Shizhen, a loser, specially sent Jin Yiwei to give a "friendly" notice.

If you don't give face and choose not to come, don't sell salt in the future. If you are caught, the whole family will be sent to the execution ground.

As a group of household clerks finished counting the old information brought by the more than 20 salt merchants present, a flurry of ups and downs sounded in the lobby of the household department.

"The Zhao family of Zhangde Prefecture, with [-] unused quotations, has the right to sell the salt from Changlu to Zhangde. It is hereditary."

"The Li family of Shuntian Prefecture, who has not redeemed the old quotation of [-] yuan, has the right to sell Changlu's salt to Wei Hui. It is hereditary."

. . .

A total of twelve merchants were selected from eight prefectures and two prefectures in North Zhili and two prefectures in Henan.

Yuan Shizhen had played this trick before in Lianghuai. Now with the support of the emperor and the improvement of his methods, he was quite familiar with this trick.

Sitting on the main seat in the center of the hall, after the clerk read out the newly allocated places, he looked at the people in the hall and said.

"This old quotation will be purchased by each family with the hereditary right to sell salt, and it will be accepted by the imperial court in the future. Is that okay?"

"no problem."

"Don't worry, sir. When I get back, I will transport silver to those who were not selected to purchase Yanyin."

"That's it."

The old court still recognized it, although they didn't know that salt can only be mixed in the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.

But since the quasi-Hubu Minister has said so, everyone must give face.

After hearing Yuan Shizhen's words, the selected salt merchant immediately patted his chest and said, this is called decency.

And those salt merchants who were not selected did not look as if they were mourning for their heirs.

The transaction had long been completed in private.

Seeing the salt merchants leaving the Household Department one after another, Zhu Youxiao had to sigh, "It's wonderful."

Five days is enough time for these salt merchants and the forces behind them to conduct pinyin transactions in private.

When the emperor ignored all the exhortations and sent them out, who could continue to write them in a trance?

At this time, of course, it is time to seize the time to reap the benefits for yourself.

The whole process is divided into two parts.

In the first three days, the big businessmen worked together to kick out the small salt merchants.

The powerful and powerful ones seize the opportunity to acquire Yanyin from other small households.

Those small and humble people are not even qualified to sit on the table.

The next two days will be the time for Pinyin transactions between the forces behind each.

Everyone knows that this thing is related to the hereditary qualifications for selling salt in the future.

This is related to an iron rice bowl. If you want it, you must pay a high price to buy it.

There is someone behind you, but there is no one behind me.

In a short period of time, methods such as impeachment and getting rid of the people behind the other party are simply useless. All we can do is give each other some dignity and pay a high price to acquire them.

And those who sell, knowing full well that they can't compete, choose to sell the salt in their hands to others at a high price, leave the market with the cash, and split it [-]-[-] with the forces behind it.

In this process, Yuan Shizhen relied on three imperial merchants borrowed from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to sell more than 3 small salts to these people at double the price of salts themselves.

It was a matter of hereditary succession, and suddenly there was such a large wave of black goods flowing in. No one cared where it came from, and they opened their wallets one after another.

From twelve regions, according to statistics, nineteen households were qualified to serve on the table, and six households accompanied them, and twelve merchants were finally selected.Quickly copying the list, Yuan Shizhen came to the second floor and handed it to Liu Shimin.

"Your Majesty, this is the list."

"Good job."

Nodding with satisfaction, Zhu Youxiao signaled Liu Shimin to put the list away.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Next, I plan to send people to rectify the salt fields in Changlu to ensure the production of salt."

"Civil system, commercial transportation, commercial sales, official supervision."

He took out another memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Shimin. Yuan Shizhen continued.

"Commercial transportation and commercial sales can be solved by these twelve merchants."

"The next thing I have to do is to solve the problems of democratic system and official supervision."

"Last year, I heard a young eunuch in the palace talk about the method of drying salt, so I asked him to restructure the Changlu Salt Farm and implement factory methods."

Hearing Yuan Shizhen say this, Zhu Youxiao spoke up.

“Pay according to work, work more and get more, work less and get less, don’t work and you will get less.”

"Yuan Keli wrote me back and said that after this method is implemented, the salt production in Changlu in winter will be almost as good as last summer."

"Your Majesty is smart, I surrender."

After hearing the emperor's words, Yuan Shizhen immediately raised his hand.

"But there is one more thing I have to do, and that is to crack down on illegal activities."

"Now, with His Majesty's policy of paying people according to their work and the method of drying salt, the output of official salt will inevitably increase."

"However, due to excessive, private, and indiscriminate distribution of salt in previous years, salt production in salt farms in various places was insufficient, and the salt administration was lax. Salt farm officials even deducted official salt and turned it into private use. In addition, ordinary people were greedy for money and fried salt secretly. This led to the proliferation of private salt in the Ming Dynasty and the loss of salt tax."

"Now that we are reforming the salt policy, illegal salt sales must be severely cracked down on."

"Ah."

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao nodded in agreement.

He couldn't accept private salt unless it was taxed.

"How do you plan to solve the issue of governorship?"

“The supervision of saltworks in various places cannot be left to the Ministry of Household Affairs alone.”

Hearing this, Yuan Shizhen replied decisively.

"I plan to attack both sides."

"First, set up a Salt Patrol Department, with dedicated officials from the imperial court to inspect salt fields in various places."

"Both, I want to borrow some manpower from Jinyiwei."

"Oh?"

Zhu Youxiao raised his eyebrows when he heard that the civil servants were asking Jin Yiwei to borrow someone.

"I heard that your Majesty ordered the Imperial Guards to set up an Enyin Qianhu House to support nobles and nobles as a sign of kindness."

"Many of these people can read and understand, so I want these people to go to salt fields in various places to serve as field supervisors and be responsible for training salt workers. This can not only combat illegal salt sales, but also prevent Xiaoxiao chaos."

"It's a good idea."

After hearing Yuan Shizhen's words, Zhu Youxiao touched his chin and thought.

"I just don't know if these people can bear this hardship."

"Your Majesty, don't worry."

After hearing the emperor's words, Liu Shimin whispered behind Zhu Youxiao.

"Jin Yiwei, not every day is easy."

(End of this chapter)