From the Red Mansion, you can travel through the world of martial arts

Chapter 111 Jiang Family
"drive!"

"Drive!"

The roars of people and the neighing of horses shook the sky. A team of Ti cavalry dressed in black brocade clothes broke through the rain and headed straight to the west of Yangzhou City.

Suddenly, a Jinyiwei in a white flying fish uniform joined the team. It was the centurion Jin Yichuan. He came to Jia Wei and reported: "My Lord, the Salt Administration Office has sent troops, and the salt soldiers are on their way."

A smile appeared on Jia Wei's lips. The salt soldiers needed to obtain solid evidence and weigh the forces of all parties before taking action, but the Jinyiwei were the emperor's personal army, so it would be much easier.

Although tonight's action was sudden, it was not without cause.

This was the original working process of the Jinyiwei: first frame someone with a crime, arrest them, and then torture them to extract a confession, find evidence, and make a solid case. That’s why the Jinyiwei was so notorious and had a bad reputation.

Jia Wei naturally became the leader of the Jinyiwei, and he would not boast of being noble, but would restrict himself. Seizing opportunities and solving problems is the most important thing.

As for whether he could find evidence after taking action against the Jiang family, Jia Wei was not worried at all.

Since ancient times, there has been no salt merchant who did not sell private salt.

Because although they earn a lot, they also have a lot of places to spend money.

There are operating costs, paying taxes, and bribing officials at all levels. When there is an emperor like the retired emperor who likes to travel to the south of the Yangtze River, there is also the need to receive him and practice in the palace. The money required for each expense is enormous.

And maintaining their own extravagant life.

If they did not sell contraband salt, they would not be able to grow big, let alone become the eight major salt merchants.

The second thing the salt merchants must do is to bribe and corrupt the local salt administration, local officials, and even senior officials in the court.

Making friends with local officials and high-ranking officials in the court was to enhance power and protect oneself, while bribing salt administration officials was to allow them to secretly over-issue salt permits in order to gain more profits.

"After confiscating the Jiang family and transporting the silver back to the capital, my mission is complete. Now I can enjoy traveling..."

Liangheng Street, West City, Yangzhou.

The Jiang family mansion leads directly to the main house through a gatehouse with exquisite brick carvings and hanging flowers.

Next to a plum blossom-shaped lacquered square table were two armchairs with dark blue golden python cushions. To the left and right were two rows of silver-red scatter-flower chairs with footrests underneath.

There is a plaque on the hall with the words "Chengde Hall" inscribed on it. There is a crab-eye skylight on each side of the back of the hall, providing excellent lighting and ventilation.

At this moment, amidst the misty sandalwood, several men in rich clothes, some with white hair and beards, some in middle age, were sitting in the hall, all with sad faces.

"The kid from the Jia family was assassinated outside the Salt Administration Office." The man sitting in the main seat had a terribly dark face.

"God is so merciful. Is that little beast from the Jia family dead?"

"Second brother, calm down. He is a master of the Xiantian realm. Even Qiu Chuji of the Quanzhen Sect is no match for him. How can he die so easily?"

"How can you ask me to stay calm? It wasn't your son who died, right?"

"What you said..."

"Alright! The disaster has come, what are you still arguing about?"

The hall was silent for a moment, and the third son of the Jiang family asked again: "Second brother, is this the assassin you hired?"

"I did pass the message to Wei Lao Er from the Salt Gang, but he didn't have the courage..."

"That's it, isn't it? The Jia family kid was assassinated, what does it have to do with our Jiang family?"

"Have you forgotten what he does?"

Suddenly, the hall fell silent, and everyone remembered that the Jia family boy they were talking about was the commander of the Jinyiwei. Everyone was familiar with the Jinyiwei's methods...

"How dare he be so unruly? We in the Jiang family are not without people in Beijing, and there are seven other families. How can they just sit there and watch?"

The head of the Jiang family sat at the main seat with a gloomy face. “Have you heard the saying that when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter? The Jiang family is in trouble, and it’s good that the seven families don’t add insult to injury… I have sent someone to the government office to pass on a note, and there is also an imperial envoy. He will certainly not let the Jia family kid do whatever he wants.”

Suddenly a servant came in, looking anxious. Without waiting for anyone to yell at him, he said, "Master, the officials are here!"

Everyone was shocked!

Under the rain, teams of Jinyiwei and salt soldiers broke into the Jiang Mansion.

"Guard all gates, prohibit entry and exit, confiscate property and account books, and anyone who dares to disobey will be killed without mercy!"

Jia Wei rode into the main courtyard and saw that a group of guards had gathered in the courtyard, all holding sharp weapons.

He laughed in his heart. He kept private soldiers and assassins, and was caught with a serious crime as soon as he entered the industry.

"Put down your weapons! The Jinyiwei are investigating this case. Anyone who resists with force will be charged with treason!"

Some of the guards stood there in a daze, while others raised their weapons and rushed forward to attack. Jia Wei led his men to charge in directly.

After dispersing the guards, Jia Wei ordered the Jinyiwei to confiscate the property, arrest the Jiang family members who committed crimes, and ordered the salt administration officials to check the accounts.

"Master, the head of the Jiang family wants to see you..."

"He is the main culprit. What can I say to him? How much silver did you take from him? Help him pass on the message."

"I don't dare to be humble!"

Jia Wei glanced at him and said, "Go and do your work." "Master, search for the bribery account books of the Jiang family and the salt transport envoys and salt roads."

"Master, we found several items that were beyond the scope of the regulations..."

"My Lord, I have found the correspondence between him and the Minister of Finance of Jinling."

"Master, there seems to be something wrong with this account..."

After hearing the good news, Jia Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. About two quarters of an hour later, another imperial guard reported that the Yangzhou prefect and the imperial envoy had arrived.

Jia Wei went out to greet them and saw that the imperial envoy Zhao Zongxian was followed by a fat middle-aged man, and both of them had gloomy expressions.

Jia Wei smiled and said, "Thank you for troubling Lord Zhao to come here in person. I was just about to report to you."

Zhao Zongxian said in a deep voice: "Master Jia, what do you mean? The Jiang family is one of the eight major salt merchants. How can you make decisions on your own without my permission?"

The Yangzhou prefect standing nearby also laughed and said, "Master Jia, are you mistaken? The Jiang family is a prominent family. When the former emperor went south, they also participated in the reception. They were given sticks, coins, and other favors, which made them somewhat respectable..."

"Master Zhao, why don't I understand what you are saying?" Jia Wei said coldly, "I was assassinated tonight. Under torture, the assassin revealed that the mastermind behind the scenes was Jiang Zhongxia, the second master of the Jiang family. What is the crime of assassinating the Jinyi commander? Do I need to elaborate on it?
"I rushed to the Jiang family to arrest the thief. Not only did I find items that violated the rules, but I also discovered that the Jiang family was guilty of selling illegal salt, keeping assassins, and bribing officials! Now that the evidence is irrefutable, what else can I say?"

Zhao Zongxian thought that Jia Wei's actions would complete his mission, but his work of rectifying the salt business would become more difficult, so he said angrily: "I will report to His Majesty about what happened tonight and report it to the cabinet! Lord Jia, you can do whatever you want!"

Jia Wei said, "Don't worry, Lord Zhao. I will lead the emperor's personal army and will personally inform your majesty."

At this point, Zhao Zongxian had no choice but to leave.

The Yangzhou prefect laughed and said, "Master Jia is really swift and decisive. I have one question that I don't understand. How will Master Jia deal with the Jiang family and others?"

"Jiang Zhongxia, the second son of the Jiang family, bribed martial artists and intended to assassinate me. This crime is unforgivable and must be executed immediately!"

The Yangzhou prefect's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He thought that if this assassin killed all the members of the Jiang family, the Lianghuai Salt Administration would be in chaos.

Jia Wei naturally understood this principle. Although the eight major salt merchants were not a monolithic entity, they were all closely related. If things were done too drastically, they might become desperate and do something desperate.

"As for the rest of the Jiang family, they will naturally be escorted to the capital along with the confiscated property and handed over to His Majesty for interrogation and judgment."

The Yangzhou prefect heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. If this is the way to handle it, there shouldn't be any trouble.

It would take more than 20 days to escort them to Beijing. This buffer time was enough for them to establish connections and deal with the whole matter...

After Jia Wei saw off the Yangzhou prefect, he saw Huang Zhiyun outside the Jiang residence. Jia Wei knew that Huang Zhiyun was sent by the other seven salt merchants to gather information, so he summoned him.

"I am Huang Zhiyun, a student, and I am here to meet you, Uncle." Huang Zhiyun felt weak when he saw the miserable condition of the Jiang family.

"You are really well-informed."

Huang Zhiyun smiled on his pale fat face and said awkwardly: "The Huang family is nearby and heard the noise, so they came to see..."

Jia Wei thought for a moment and said, "The Jiang family tried to assassinate me first, and was found guilty of various serious crimes by the Jinyiwei. The evidence is irrefutable. I have ordered that the property of the Jiang family and others be taken to the capital for questioning."

Huang Zhiyun took a breath and said hurriedly: "Master, you are wise, Master, you are wise..."

Jia Wei added, "The Jiang family is in chaos, but the salt business cannot be in chaos. The Jiang family's salt permits will be handed over to the other seven families to manage. But how will the seven families divide it? You bring out a charter and I'll hand it over to the Salt Administration Office."

Huang Zhiyun quickly thanked him and agreed, thinking that Jia Wei had a good plan, dividing the profits and appeasing the other seven families.

Originally, the seven companies were all prepared to sit together and wait and see, but now the conflict has shifted internally. Salt permits are the basic foundation of salt merchants, and everyone wants as much as possible.

Of course, the Huang family benefited the most. It seemed that the three hundred thousand taels of silver and a Liu Rushi were not given in vain!
Huang Zhiyun didn't know that if nothing unexpected happened, the salt permit would be changed to salt ticket soon...

Jia Wei smiled and said, "My mission is accomplished. With this money, I can finally return to Beijing to report. On the 15th of next month, no matter where the imperial envoy's salt affairs are rectified, I will set off to return to Beijing."

Jia Wei has already expressed his stance in this way. If the other seven families still don’t give him face, they would be ungrateful.

Huang Zhiyun also felt that the death of a member of the Jiang family was worth it in order to get rid of this plague god.

As the saying goes, a dead Taoist friend will never die a poor Taoist.

The eight major salt merchants were replaced every hundred years. Every time they were replaced, countless people were killed and tens of thousands of people were implicated.
In comparison, Jia Wei’s actions tonight were nothing.

Huang Zhiyun said quickly, "I will host a banquet at the Misty Rain Boat tomorrow night to thank you for helping the Lianghuai Salt Administration eliminate this great scourge. Please come and have a look."

Jia Wei smiled: "Okay, okay..."

Looking at Huang Zhiyun's departing back, Jia Wei knew that the other seven families had already gathered and were waiting for his news.

Tonight is done.

A cavalryman reported: "My Lord, we have seized 900,000 taels of silver and 76,000 taels of gold. There are also four boxes of real estate deeds and two boxes of loan bills, all of which were used to illegally take interest."

"Seal them all, transport them back to the Divine Capital, and hand them over to Your Majesty for disposal!"

Jia Wei went to the south of the Yangtze River to accompany the imperial envoy. Now he is in Yangzhou, which is not his sphere of influence. Raiding the Jiang family is undoubtedly stirring up a hornet's nest. He has no idea how many eyes are staring at him.

Without the right time, place and people, even being greedy for a few ounces of silver can lead to trouble.

Jia Wei naturally knew what was going on.

(End of this chapter)