Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 71
Mabutang is not crying poor, he is telling the truth.

For example, in the case of floods in Shandong, the Governor of Shandong will ask the imperial court to set up a "Shandong Flood Disaster Fund Raising Office" in the south of the Yangtze River; the military expenditure in the Northwest is tight, and the governor of Xuanda will ask the imperial court to set up a "Northwest Military Expenses Raising Office" in Jiangnan. . . . .These various yamen raise food and funds, and in the end, all of them will be apportioned to the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River.

Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing merchants is the national policy of Ming Dynasty. Who made your salt merchants rich?When the country is in trouble, you should pay for it!

If you don't pay the money?It is easy to say, that is not loyal to the court, not loyal to the emperor.The officials will present a memorial and ask the emperor to let Lianghuai Salt Transport Yamen cut off your salt quotation.

Without Yanyin, you cannot continue to sell official salt.

Ma Butang said to He Liu: "Master He, you are Jin Yiwei, a person close to the emperor. Alas, I am a bit bitter, so I can only tell you, I just ask you to give us Jiangnan salt merchants a few words of kindness in front of the emperor. Let’s just say that in the past two months, the six donations I received totaled 8 taels. The money spent on donations in these years totaled 80 million taels. My family has been in business for generations, and I still have some savings. Can support it. Those smaller salt merchants really can't support it, so they can only take risks and switch to selling private salt!"

When Mabutang mentioned private salt, He Liu's eyes lit up.The conversation finally got to the point.

He Liu asked Ma Butang: "There is a clear document in the imperial court that those who sell private salt will be killed! The Yanmen of Lianghuai Salt Transport, the Governor's Mansion of Zhejiang Province, and the Canal Patrol Battalion, all prefectures and counties have the right to punish illegal salt dealers. Why is private salt still available? Flooded in the south of the Yangtze River?"

Ma Butang smiled strangely: "Master He, have you heard about the crime of Wu Liangyong, the former Envoy of the Lianghuai Salt Transport?"

He Liudao: "To be honest, the emperor's mission I received was to search Wu Liangyong's house. We found more than 280 million taels of dirty silver in Wu Liangyong's house!"

Ma Butang said: "Master He, Wu Liangyong has been convicted and sent to prison, so I dare to say something to you. Why is there a flood of private salt in the south of the Yangtze River? Why are those private salt dealers driving us serious salt merchants into a corner? Collusion! Let’s say that Mr. Wu holds 300 million dans of salt every year. Among them, 100 million will be sold to serious businessmen like us. Naturally, the money obtained must be handed over to the state treasury exactly. "

He Liu hurriedly asked: "Then what about the remaining 200 million dan?"

Ma Butang replied: "Then only ghosts know! Mr. He, I will settle an account for you. A load of official salt is sold at my salt shop for four taels of silver. Buy a load from the salt farmer." Salt is one tael of silver. Buying a load of salt is three taels of silver. The total cost of buying a load of salt is four taels of silver. Selling a load of salt can only earn two taels of silver. What about private salt? The cost is only one tael Silver! Private salt and official salt can make a difference of three taels of silver in profit. Two million taels is a difference of 200 million taels. This is the amount of a year. Three years is 600 million taels, and five years ten What about the year? It is said that people die for wealth and birds die for food. Heh, do I need to say more about the following things?"

He Liudao: "You mean, Wu Liangyong sells 200 million tans of salt at a low price to those private salt dealers every year?"

Ma Butang whispered: "Master He, let me tell you the truth. It has long been an open secret that the Yanyun Yamen sells salt to private salt dealers. The price of salt is clearly marked on the black market, and a load of salt is quoted for two taels Silver! Just for this item, he can get 400 million taels of private money from the Yanyun Yamen every year! Of course, this money does not all go to Mr. Wu Liangyong. The superiors must be filial, and the subordinates must keep their mouths shut...all money Yes. But he served as a salt transport envoy for three years, and it is very easy to earn millions of silver!"

He Liu sighed: "It is said that the Lianghuai salt transport envoy is the most fat in the world. After listening to what Ma Yuanwai said, it seems that this statement is true!"

Ma Butang complained again: "Master He, in a word, the ones who really make a lot of money from salt are not us well-behaved official salt merchants, but those private salt dealers and salt transport yamen who hide in the dark. Lords of all levels!"

He Liu asked: "Didn't the Emperor send Yan Maoqing and Lord Yan to the south to inspect the salt a few days ago? Didn't he punish those private salt dealers properly?"

Ma Butang shook his head: "Master Yan has arrested a few people - they are all small fish and shrimps. None of the real private salt giants have moved! We law-abiding salt merchants are looking forward to the imperial court's arrest of those private salt crocodiles every day. The salt dealers will be wiped out. Then our business will be much easier! Unfortunately, those private salt dealers are all making a fortune. With money, they can make friends with superior officials, and naturally there are people in the court who secretly protect them."

He Liudao: "How about I make a deal with Ma Yuanwai?"

Ma Butang asked: "What deal?"

He Liudao: "You pointed out who is the biggest private salt dealer, and I will punish him."

Ma Butang suddenly got up from his seat, and knelt down to He Liu: "Master He, absolutely not! I don't want to be decapitated! Those private salt dealers are half-merchant, half-bandit desperadoes! If you offend them, I'm a grassroots person, I'm really afraid..."

He Liu waved his hand: "With Jin Yiwei supporting you, what are you afraid of?"

Ma Butang smiled wryly: "Master He is in the south of the Yangtze River, so you can support me. What about when you return to Beijing? Jin Yiwei can't protect me for the rest of my life, right?"

He Liu sighed: "There are difficulties outside the horse, so I won't force it."

Ma Butang suddenly whispered: "But, I can point you to a place for Mr. He - the Sifang Teahouse in Yangzhou City. The Sifang Teahouse is the largest black market for Yanyin trading in the south of the Yangtze River."

He Liu's eyes brightened: "Yanyin is traded in the black market?"

Ma Butang nodded: "The salt that flows out of the Yanyun Yamen is traded in the Sifang teahouse."

He Liu cupped his hands: "Mr. Ma, thank you!"

He Liu and Lao Hu left the Ma mansion and returned to the imperial envoy's office.

He Liu said to Lao Hu: "Tomorrow, we will pretend to be a private salt dealer and go to the Sifang Teahouse to investigate."

Lao Hu reminded He Liu: "Lao Liu, you and Ma Butang will meet again. Do you think he told you too much? The leader of the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River should be a very cautious person. Tell you all the secrets of the trading place?"

He Liudao: "Maybe it's because he was forced by the private salt dealers to stop doing business, and he wants to use our Jin Yiwei's hand to wipe out those private salt dealers?"

Old Hu sighed: "I don't know when Governor Hu will come to Beijing to attend your memorial."

He Liu asked: "Old Hu, do you also hope that I can leave aside the case of private salt and return to Beijing?"

Lao Hu nodded: "Lao Liu, Ma Yuanwai said that the private salt business in Jiangnan can generate millions of taels of interest every year. For such a large business, there must be important officials in the court as backers. If you find out the case, you will inevitably have to pay for it." Offending people. These days, it’s better not to offend people if you can.”

(End of this chapter)