Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 118 Benefits of the Salt People
  Jia Cong returned to the room and handed the third lady's handkerchief to Qingwen to keep.

Qingwen took a look at the handkerchief, rolled her eyes at Jia Cong, and said, "Which girl did you go to hook up with again?"

Qianxue pursed her lips and served the tea with a smile.

Jia Cong took it and took a sip, sighing: "Don't mention it. I have really worked hard on this trip, and all I have to do is sacrifice my appearance. How can I have the leisure to hook up with any young lady? I picked up this handkerchief. I will have the opportunity in the future. It must be returned to others.”

Qingwen wrinkled her nose, showing a coaxing expression, pouting her little lips and putting away the handkerchief. Now she has two pieces in her hand, and the other one belongs to Qin Keqing. He is too bad and shows no mercy at all. , just a big carrot.

Jia Cong thought for a long time, got up and went out, deciding to go to Lao Xu first to make a calculation.

Even though it was night, the Yanzheng Yamen was still brightly lit, and all the officials were working overtime to prepare for the reform of the Salt Law. Lin Ruhai's deputy, Xu Qing, the censor, did not go home for several days, and lived and ate in the Yamen, feeling very tired. All smaller.

Jia Cong walked into his office and saw that he was busy writing at his desk, so he knocked on the door.

Xu Qing raised his head and saw Jia Cong, his fish eyes showed a hint of joy, and he stood up to greet him.

Jia Cong saw that his round face had two thick dark circles under his eyes. Coupled with his short stature and big belly, he looked like a panda. He couldn't help laughing and said: "Old Xu, I haven't seen you for a few days, you are getting more and more cute." .”

"Cute? What do you mean?"

"Yeah, it means cute."

Xu Qing smiled bitterly: "Brother, don't make fun of me. I'm almost exhausted these days. Please, let's talk in detail."

Jia Cong and he entered the inner room and said with a smile: "Fortunately, Cong has fulfilled his mission. The joints of the Zhen family have been opened."

"Okay." Xu Qing slapped his thigh and said with a smile: "From my brother's "Meeting Happiness" message, I knew it was a sure shot. I am indeed a veteran of flowers and the leader of the prodigal team. Such wonderful words, let alone girls, I’m afraid that my mother-in-law will also be tempted.”

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and waved his hand: "Brother, please don't mention this. Writing lyrics is a pleasure for a while, but after that, I don't know how to explain it later."

Xu Qing thought he was talking about Daiyu and said with a smile: "With the support of Mr. Yanyuan in this matter, are you still afraid that Miss Lin will be awkward? It doesn't matter if it doesn't matter."

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and shook his head silently. Things are fine at Daiyu's place, but things are serious at Sister Jinglibao's place.

Xu Qing has experienced the world for a long time and has already guessed a few things. He smiled and said: "I didn't expect that I actually have a confidante? Hahaha, he is indeed a heroic young man. I can't match him. But don't worry. With my literary talent, I can fill in another question. That’s what Que Ci is.”

It would be nice if it was that simple. Now every question I fill in in Jiangnan is like laying a trap for myself. I don’t know what will happen when I go back. Jia Cong sighed secretly and said: "There is no problem with the Zhen family. Okay, what's going on here in Yangzhou?"

When it came to business, Xu Qing immediately put away his mischievous expression and whispered: "Master Gu, the governor of Liangjiang, is of the same mind as us. As long as the Zhen family is solved, the Jiangnan officialdom will be settled. I don't know how valuable the Zhen family is in Jiangnan." , it is no exaggeration to say that they can call upon the wind and rain. On the official amulet of Jiangnan Province, the Zhen family ranks fifth, so you can imagine it."

Jia Cong asked suspiciously: "I have heard about the official talisman. The first four families are Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue? Since the Zhen family is so prosperous, why is it only ranked fifth?"

Xu Qing smiled and said: "The family on this official amulet was handed down from the beginning of the founding of the country. The four families of King Jia Shi and Xue are a century-old family. They have been good friends from generation to generation. They have close ties. They are both prosperous and disadvantaged. Although there are four companies, they are actually one company, so they have always occupied the top four.

The Zhen family is a wealthy family that has risen in the past thirty or forty years. Although it was powerful for a while, its background in the officialdom is somewhat weak. It seems to be ranked fifth, but in fact, with the strength of the family, it is comparable to the fourth noble family. The power of the family is strong. "

So that's it. Jia Cong nodded and asked curiously: "What is the slogan of the Zhen family on the guardian amulet?"

Xu Qingdao: "There is a real person in Jinling City who can reach heaven to hear it."

Jia Cong nodded. The slogans of the four major families all talked about their wealth, but the Du Zhen family talked about their nobility. It was really different. "Except for the officialdom, how about other aspects?" Jia Cong asked.

"The total annual output of the Lianghuai Salt Farm has been preliminarily determined. As expected, it is more than 500 million jin, and one jin is about 200 kilograms, which is one billion kilograms! If there is a good year, this number will increase by %.

And the salt class only charges 70 yuan, which is less than yuan. Damn it, why are the salt merchants so fat? "Xu Qing said bitterly.

Jia Cong knew what was going on, so he wasn't surprised. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a rude and hoarse voice coming from outside the door.

"Old Xu, where did I die?" A tall official in a greasy purple official uniform opened the door and walked in. The peacock patch on his chest was soaked with all kinds of dirt, and his true appearance was almost invisible. .

Jia Cong was slightly stunned. How could he be so rude and pay no attention to official conduct and etiquette? If he were a third-rank official, he would have been sieved by the censors and officials in Shenjing.

Xu Qing introduced with a smile: "Third Master, this is the Salt Transport Department of the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River, that is, the Salt Transport Department, Master Zhang Ning. I said, Lao Zhang, you were also a commoner back then. He has the knowledge of a saint, but now he looks like a rough man in the market, and he hasn't come to see Mr. Cong yet."

Zhang Ning suddenly burst into laughter, cupped his hands and said, "But Lin Hua thanked Chunhong's Third Master Cong? I have admired him for a long time. I would like to ask Third Master for your full help in this salt affairs reform."

Jia Cong was busy and humble: "How dare you, how dare you, Mr. Zhang's words are serious."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "You came just in time. Third Master and I are talking about salt. You can talk about your yamen affairs."

Zhang Ning sat down and cursed: "Master Ge, I get angry when I talk about this. As soon as I heard that the government was required to collect, store, and distribute salt in a unified way, the salt people, salt merchants, and salt lords were all involved. As if they were visiting the ancestral graves, one or two people would jump very high. Some of them were disobedient and incited them to gather together and fight with Yanding.

These days, more than a dozen of my brothers from the Inspection Department have died. Damn, I think these people want to rebel! "

Xu Qing looked at Jia Cong. This method was his idea. If he couldn't control the salt field, all other methods would be useless.

Jia Cong had already expected that this was a tough nut to crack. Since he had fired his bow, there was no turning back, so he said decisively: "Sir Zhang, the people who will suffer the most from this change are the salt merchants and the salt lords. The salt people are just stupid and ignorant. They are just instigated by others. As long as the salt people are under control, the salt merchants and salt lords will naturally have nothing to do. What does the salt people mean?"

Zhang Ning nodded and said: "What the third master said is true. The salt people are afraid that the government will suffer a loss due to the unified acquisition, and they don't want to think about their little oil and water. The government is interested in it? What a bunch of stupid and cunning people!"

"What is the purchase price that the salt merchants give the salt residents?" Jia Cong said. It is nothing more than a question of money.

"One tael of silver for each salt." Zhang Ning said,

"A pound of salt is less than 10 cents?" Jia Cong asked in surprise. Is salt so cheap? At his peak, the salt merchant could sell it for hundreds of coins per pound, and it had to be mixed with sand. It was true that there was no evil businessman.

Zhang and Xu nodded and said, "That's true."

"How much salt can a salt farmer cook in a year?"

"About 10 words." Zhang Ning said.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "It's easy. The instigation of those with ulterior motives is not worth real money after all. Mr. Zhang might as well pass on a message and order the salt people to pay salt to the salt farm. The government purchase price is within 5 yuan." 8 liters per catty, 5-10 citations per 10 citations, and more than 10 citations per jin, 15 citations per catty.

In addition, it should be made clear to the salt people that the government has given a higher purchase price than the salt dealers because of the hard work of cooking salt. If anyone is greedy and cooks or sells salt privately, they will be severely punished. He also issued a notice asking salt people to supervise each other, and anyone who reported selling salt secretly would be rewarded with a thousand gold coins! Let me see who dares to commit a crime against the wind! "

(End of this chapter)