Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Four taels?

Zhang Cai was shocked when he heard the price.

The court quoted a salt tax of less than one tael, but these moths actually demanded a full four taels of silver. If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I really wouldn't have thought of such a ridiculous thing, let alone that these gangsters had taken so much.

At this moment, he finally understood why the silver ship that night could send hundreds of thousands of taels to a deputy envoy of the Lianghuai Capital Operations Department. It was because these people were too greedy.

Wang Yue's hand left the tea cup, but he raised his head and looked at Master Li calmly and said: "Your price is higher than what I know. This was not the market in previous years, right?"

"In previous years, it was indeed lower! But if you want to come in, you will naturally have to bid higher than others. What's more, you probably already know what the market is like in the salt market in Huguang. Even if you really want the bastards to pay you five, six or seven taels, you If you can make a lot of money, you have to come and cooperate with us next year!" Master Li reached out and pinched his mustache, looking very candid.

Wang Yue knew that the price offered by the other party was actually very reasonable, and that he was not a real businessman after all. He said readily: "Okay, then the price you said is the price you said. Please help me. Zhang Yue hopes to bring the salt as soon as possible." Go back to Huguang!"

"Haha... Except for Mr. Hu, please don't be anxious about this! As long as you raise enough silver, all the salt coupons will be handed over to you by then. With the stamped salt coupons, you will be able to go to various branches and salt fields without any hindrance!" Seeing that Wang Yue was very wise, Master Li was very excited and forgave him.

Wang Yue actually cleared these doors in advance, and then he slightly cupped his hands and said: "Excuse me, Master Li. This is a little thought for you and Mr. Li. I also ask Mr. Li to say hello to Mr. Li on my behalf!"

With that said, he gave Zhang Cai a wink.

Zhang Cai found that handling the case was not a pleasant experience, so he sent out the two gifts he had prepared. He only hoped that he could get them back by hand in the future, otherwise he might not be able to explain to the emperor.

"It's easy to say! The Huai Yamen will release the money on the first day of February. Then if you bring enough money, someone will teach you what to do!" Master Li saw that Wang Yue was very wise and immediately gave instructions with a smile.

Naturally, the Wang Yue family was not the only one who came to Li Zhiqing for salt. Now that the matter here had been settled, Master Li took the gift and left.

Yangzhou Meng Qinglou was bustling with excitement. At this time, bursts of cheers came from the hall, and an oiran who was good at dancing was showing off her dancing skills on the stage.

Zhang Cai saw Master Li leaving. After sending away the bald broker Zhu Laoliu, Zhang Cai said anxiously: "Wang... Mr. Hu, what should we do now?"

"Let's talk about it when we get back!" Wang Yue had a very calm temperament and looked very vigilant.

"My lord, please come back when you have time!" The lavishly dressed Madam saw Wang Yue leaving and said enthusiastically waving the scarf in her hand.

Thousands of lights illuminate the blue clouds in the night market, and high-rise buildings are crowded with red-sleeved customers.

Yangzhou City is like a city that never sleeps in this era. The curfew system is strictly enforced in every city, but here it has long since expired.

In order to facilitate the investigation, Wang Yue took a group of people to Yangzhou City and rented a private house in Yangzhou City.

"Grandpa, we have been keeping an eye on the Salt Censor's Yamen in Lianghuai for five days. This new Censor is really awesome. All the officials and salt merchants who came to deliver gifts were turned away!"

Wang Yu and Hu Jun are now no longer working as dock coolies, but are responsible for monitoring the Yamen of the Lianghuai Salt Patrol Censor. Wang Yu said with great admiration.

"Has he still not had any contact with Li Zhiqing?" Wang Yue asked seriously, knowing that the only salt censor of Lianghuai and Huaihe Rivers had a low and powerful position.

Hu Jun saw Wang Yu drinking water and answered for Wang Yu: "Master Imperial Envoy, we did not see anyone from the Huaidu transfer envoy's yamen coming. A salt official wearing a seventh-grade official uniform was directly arrested. Boomed out!"

Wang Yue was originally worried that the newly appointed Salt Censor of the Lianghuai River would be dragged into the dyeing vat, but now it seems that this Iron-faced Censor is indeed well-deserved.

"Grandpa, now that we have evidence that Li Zhiqing asked for salt fees, can we reveal his identity and arrest him?" Wang Yu wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth and asked anxiously.

"Not to mention that we haven't raised the salt yet. Even if we reveal our identities and arrest people, these officials will never show up. They can completely push the matter away!" Wang Yue smiled bitterly and shook his head gently. road.

Although he has profound attainments in military affairs, he really has no chance of winning in a battle of wits and courage with these gang of officials. Nowadays, you can disguise your identity to find out, but it is still very difficult to catch them all.

Wang Yu couldn't help but put down the kettle in his hand with disappointment, and said with a grimace: "Grandpa, I'm afraid you won't be able to cover up your fraud for a long time. We need to solve it quickly. I thought I could reveal my identity and find the new Salt Patrol Censor Gang." Try to find that private salt farm!"

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!" Brother Gou said respectfully as he brought the tea.

Last time, thanks to the tip-off from Brother Gou, they fled together. After learning Wang Yue's identity, he has been following Wang Yue, and now he is taking the initiative to do things in the house.

"Brother Dog, I suddenly remembered something!" Wang Yue wanted to make up his mind whether to find the Salt Patrol Censor to act as a foreign aid, but he suddenly looked at this honest middle-aged man and said.

Brother Gou had a natural awe for officials, and he said with a smile: "Master Imperial Envoy, you are really insulting the villain by calling me that! The villain's nickname is Gou Zi, and his big name is Gou Huowang. You should call me Gou Zi. !”

"Then I'll call you Huo Wang! Huo Wang, why did you fall out with the manager of the salt farm?" Wang Yue saw that the other party was really uncomfortable with the name he was being called, so he changed his words.

When Gou Huowang heard this, he immediately cried and said: "This is so annoying! Not to mention that a large area of ​​my grassland was taken up, but the salt field under my name was only ten acres, but it turned out to be twelve acres for their branch. Mu, the people from the Si Yamen who transferred the Huaihe River to the Huaihe River measured the number of twelve mu! This means paying a lot more taxes and salt every year, and as a result, we have to deal with the court's additional taxes. Who do you think can bear it?"

"Isn't this the case with your family alone?" Wang Yue felt vaguely that there was something interesting here, so he continued to ask.

Gou Huowang seemed even more angry, and immediately continued to complain: "Master Imperial Envoy, of course I am not the only one! If they can really have a full stomach, who would be willing to leave their hometown? I don't know how many kitchen households they have forced away over the years!"

In fact, many people don't know that their kitchen households cannot produce food just by relying on salt fields. Instead, they need the court to provide firewood resources for their evenly divided grass fields.

It's just that they are all low-level people, not to mention having to bear a lot of inexplicable miscellaneous taxes, and the property they own cannot be protected, so in the end they can only choose to leave their hometown.

Everyone in the world knows that it is difficult for the common people to eat salt, but they do not know that it is even more difficult for them as kitchen households. No matter how hard they work, they can no longer sustain their livelihood.

"Why don't you report it to the Lianghuai Salt Patrol Censor's Yamen?" Wang Yu listened on the sidelines and couldn't help but interrupt immediately.

Gou Huowang couldn't help but snorted coldly, with a sarcastic look on his face and said: "My mother was obviously burned to death by the general manager who set fire to the house. As a result, I appealed everywhere to no avail. In Yangzhou's officialdom, officials have always protected each other! What do you mean? I don’t believe it at all that the salt patrol censor here is selfless! I heard that when the imperial envoy was trying a case in Jingshan County, he almost asked a petty official to tamper with the scales, and now he sends someone to measure the salt fields. I’m sure It’s still twelve acres!”

Wang Yu couldn't help but frowned when he thought of the scene in the Jingshan County Government Office.

Not to mention whether the new salt patrol censor is selfless, but if the clerks and yamen of the two Huaihe salt patrol censors are sent to measure the fields, it is true that the large amount may be twelve acres.

"Gou Huowang, this imperial envoy can uphold justice for you! It's just that the case is complicated now, and I also have the emperor's orders, so I need your help!" Wang Yue had an idea in his mind and said to Gou Huowang.

Gou Huowang's eyes welled up with tears, and he immediately knelt down on the ground and said: "As long as the imperial envoy is willing to redress my grievances, I am willing to work hard for you!"

The next day, the Lianghuai Salt Patrol Censor’s Yamen received a piece of complaint. The person who filed the complaint was Zaohu Gou Huowang, and the target of the lawsuit was the Taizhou branch under the Lianghuai Capital Transfer Envoy Department. The crime was "shrinking ropes to hide the salt fields and embezzling salt profits."