Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 70
Hu Zongxian has always been aboveboard in his work.He was blunt, and He Liu didn't mean to resent him at all.

He Liu also said what was in his heart: "Hu Butang handed over this memorial. If the emperor can really get me to transfer me back to Beijing, I would like to thank you. I am running an errand that is not human. If If we find out the reason for the shortfall of the Lianghuai salt tax, we will offend Mr. Yan Ge and a large number of officials in Jiangnan. If we can’t find out, we will offend Commander Ben Weilu and the emperor. Oh, it’s hard to be a human being, and it’s even harder to be an official. Jin Yiwei, it is even more difficult."

After drinking a glass of wine, Hu Zongxian stretched his frown halfway: "So, you want to go back to Beijing yourself?"

He Liudao: "I'm not the pillar of the country like Hu Butang. I'm just a small person. I just want to live in peace and stability and raise my daughter. I can go back to Beijing safely and guard the small courtyard of my house. , guarding the pergola, jujube tree, and goldfish tank in the small courtyard, I naturally wish for it.”

Hu Zongxian poured a glass of wine for He Liu: "Then I, Hu Zongxian, will thank Lao Liu on behalf of the officials and people in Zhejiang and Zhizhi provinces!"

But He Liu didn't raise his glass: "I only said half of what I said just now. Before the emperor orders me to return to Beijing, I still have to complete the emperor's mission. I still have to investigate the matter of the Lianghuai salt affairs."

After finishing speaking, He Liu straightened up and left the dining room without looking back.

###### There are three major salt producing areas in Daming.One is Sichuan, which produces well salt.One is Shanxi, which produces pond salt.One is Zhejiang Straight, which produces sea salt.The salt production of Zhejiang and Zhizhi accounts for more than [-]% of the entire Ming Dynasty.

The Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy is in charge of the salt affairs in Zhejiang and Zhizhi, in fact, he is in charge of the entire Ming Dynasty's salt bag for the emperor.

Salt affairs are complicated and complicated, but simple and simple.The pass is nothing more than "salt introduction".

If private salt merchants want to sell the sea salt from Lianghuai to the whole country, they must "ask for salt introduction" from the Yanyun Yamen.

Salt quotations are a kind of certificate. If salt merchants want to sell salt legally, they can get a certain amount of salt quotations as long as they pay the promised amount of salt tax to the salt transportation office.

After obtaining the salt guide, the salt of the salt merchant becomes "official salt" and can be bought and sold legally.

Selling salt to other provinces without a salt guide is considered "illegal salt", and selling illicit salt is a serious crime.

Salt merchants spent one or two taels of silver to collect a load of private salt from salt farmers, and had to pay a tax of three taels of silver to the salt transport yamen in exchange for salt imports.

In other words, the price of official salt is four times that of "private salt" without salt quotations.

The prices of official salt and private salt are so different, the profit of selling private salt can be imagined.This is why countless people risk their heads to sell illegal salt.

The Lianghuai salt tax has been reduced by [-]% in ten years, simply because the number of private salt has increased by [-]% compared with ten years ago.

What He Liu has to do is to catch those culprits who sell illegal salt.

On this day, He Liu decided to visit Mabutang, the head of Zhejiang and Zhisalt Chamber of Commerce.

Before coming to Jiangnan, He Liu had heard all kinds of rumors about the wealth of the salt merchants.

For example: A certain salt merchant built a fire to cook at home, and what he burned was not firewood or charcoal, but candles;These women are both talented and beautiful, and they are proficient in all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.But they are not used to sleep with the salt merchant, but "beauty bowls".Whenever the salt merchant coughed up phlegm, the "beauty bowls" would open their mouths and kneel down in front of the salt merchant.The salt merchant spat out the phlegm into the woman's mouth with an "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" point; "a certain young man from a salt merchant likes to shoot birds with a slingshot.Every time the young master hunted birds, there were always hundreds of people surrounding him.These people are not here to watch the excitement.Because the slingshots used by the little prince are all golden beads, the common people gather around to pick up the golden slingshots.

There are many such legends.Jiangnan salt merchants have become synonymous with wealthy merchants.

The residence of Mabutang, the head of the Jiangnan Salt Merchants Association, is in the west of Yangzhou City.

He Liu and Lao Hu changed into casual clothes, made some inquiries and arrived in front of the Ma Mansion.

This mansion is not as luxurious as He Liu imagined, it's just an ordinary courtyard.

Old Hu said: "This Mabutang is the largest salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River. It can be said to be the richest in the world. How can his house be like the Wu Mansion we just inspected? How can it be so simple?"

He Liudao: "Don't reveal your wealth. This is an ancient motto. I think that horseman must have followed this ancient motto."

There is a porter standing in front of the Ma Mansion.The concierge asked the two of them, "Are you two here looking for my master?"

He Liu nodded: "Yes."

After speaking, He Liu took out Jin Yiwei's badge.

Among the people of Ming Dynasty, who doesn't know Jin Yiwei's notoriety?The concierge was startled, and said: "Small, I'll let you pass it on."

He Liu waved his hand: "You don't need to pass it on, just lead us to see him."

The porter led He Liu to the backyard.

Under a weeping poplar tree, a middle-aged man in his forties was scolding a seven or eight-year-old child.

The child held a slingshot in his hand.The middle-aged man scolded angrily: "You prodigal son! Can't you use stones to beat sparrows? Look at you, secretly asking your mother to buy you so many iron beads! How dare you use iron beads to beat sparrows! Do you really think you Dad has mountains of gold and silver?"

He Liuxin thought: Isn't it said that the children of the salt merchants play slingshots and hit gold beads?How can you be reprimanded for hitting iron beads?
The porter said to the middle-aged man: "Master, these two adults from Jinyiwei are looking for you."

That middle-aged man is the head of Jiangnan salt merchants - Mabutang.

As the head of the Salt Merchants Association, Ma Butang is a person who has seen the world.He was not surprised when he heard the word "Jinyiwei", he just knelt down and kowtowed: "Caomin pays homage to the two adults."

He Liudao: "The horsemen will be free of charge soon."

Ma Butang got up: "May I ask your lords your surname?"

He Liudao: "My lord, He Liu, this is one of my subordinates, the old Hu of a hundred households."

Ma Butang asked: "It turned out to be Mr. He and Mr. Hu. Why are you two looking for me? Are you here to ask me to pay the donation?"

He Liuqi said: "About the donation? Why did the horseman say such a thing?"

Ma Butang smiled bitterly: "People from the official family have always come to me for one thing, and that is to pay donations! This is not a place to talk, please come to the living room."

He Liu, Lao Hu and Ma Butang came to the living room.

He Liu expressed his intention of coming: "I came to Jiangnan by the emperor's order. Naturally, I should ask the customs for the emperor's legacy. This time I came to find Ma Yuanwai, and there is no official business. It is only because Ma Yuanwai is a salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River. Leader, I want to get acquainted with you."

Ma Butang said: "Master He, in the past two months, a total of six officials have come to my house. All of them were asked to collect donations. So I misunderstood your purpose of coming, please forgive me."

He Liu was surprised and said, "Six officials came here? Could it be that you have paid six donations?"

Ma Butang smiled wryly: "The two capitals of the Ming Dynasty and the thirteen provinces, no matter what natural disasters or man-made disasters happened in that province, the imperial court all came to the Jiangnan salt merchants to ask for money. Oh, donations are voluntary, but when they arrive in Jiangnan, they become apportionments. Sigh , It is said that the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are the richest in the world. In fact, we are more difficult than anyone else!"

(End of this chapter)