Shandong, Dengzhou Mansion, Haiyang Thousand Households.

The waves were constantly crashing against the shore rocks, and around a simple shack made of bamboo, all kinds of men and women were busy with their work.

On the path, a sturdy man with his shirt was pushing a wheelbarrow, and the wheelbarrow was loaded with many sacks, each of which was filled to the brim.

Everyone is very happy, but they all know in their hearts that such days will not be there again soon.

In February of the fourth year of the Apocalypse, at the turn of spring and summer, the area around Denglai seemed much more deserted than before.

Since the end of last month, the official salt works in various places have been closed one after another, and Dongchang Ti rode out from Beijing to all directions, ordered to investigate the salt matter.

Not long ago, the Dengzhou government also issued a notice announcing that all states and counties were said to have formulated a new salt law to control private salt.

Zhang Daqi, the local prefect of Dengzhou Mansion, has always made a fortune by virtue of this law.

The imperial court controlled private salt, although he did not oppose it on the surface, but secretly he deliberately led the atmosphere, wanting to arouse the hostility of the coastal people to the imperial court.

In this government notice, Zhang Daqi deliberately pinched the head and removed the tail, and the imperial court did not mention anything about the arrangements for the coastal people, but emphasized that it was not allowed to sell illicit salt.

He was still fantasizing that if there was chaos among the coastal people, the imperial court would abandon the implementation of the new salt law and let the coastal areas continue to be in this chaos.

There are still many people like Zhang Daqi, and the first task of the imperial court to implement the new salt law is to find out how many salt farms exist in the imperial court, and how many salt fields are registered in the salt fields.

How much salt is available in each salt factory also needs to be clearly investigated, so that the next policy can be implemented smoothly.

However, such a policy touched the interests of Denglai and Lianghuai, officials and businessmen in coastal areas.

In fact, not only the officials and businessmen, but also the local powers in some coastal areas, the sphere of influence of each region, and the kind of salt goods produced, have long had their own system after many years.

The implementation of the new salt law by the imperial court is obviously to form a systematic management, and these original rules must be abolished, and the imperial court will not sit idly by and watch the powerful control of the salt road, so not only the officials and businessmen, but also the powerful are even more opposed.

In order to oppose the implementation of the new salt law, these people can be said to do everything.

Although the implementation of the new salt law has been unanimously approved by the court, it is difficult to go down to the local level.

Years of corruption in the coastal areas have resulted in a situation in which most of the localities are now in power.

These local officials would not explicitly oppose the new salt law, but they would inform the local powers of the imperial court's actions and cooperate with each other in order to organize change.

......

Haiyang is a well-known place for boiling salt in Denglai and the two prefectures, and now these people, although they have heard the news that the imperial court will vigorously control private salt, still plan to try it.

There is nothing to do, if you don't sell smuggled salt to the salt works for half a month, they will all starve to death.

"Alas!"

A man walked on a remote path with a cauldron of boiling sea salt on his back, sighed and said: "It's so decent, why does the imperial court suddenly want to control private salt!" ”

"It's not simple, I know that the private salt is making a lot of money!" Soon someone replied, full of sarcasm, "I told you a long time ago that this day will come sooner or later, and we can't live only by selling smuggled salt!" ”

The man glanced at the hill in front of him, smiled helplessly, and said optimistically:

"After walking another five miles, you will arrive at the Haiyang Salt Farm, which is now one of the few salt farms in Dengzhou that can still sell salt, and selling these salt goods can support some time."

"Yes, let's wait, maybe in the next ten days and a half months, the new salt law will be abolished!" Someone said in the back.

Soon, a group of people pushed a wheelbarrow and came to the Haiyang Salt Farm.

Alarmingly, from afar, they saw that the periphery of the Haiyang Salt Works was crowded with many coastal people like them who had come to sell illicit salt.

"Why is it suddenly not allowed to be sold!"

"It's fine in the morning, and you won't be allowed to sell salt in the afternoon, I heard that there is a fan who came to check the salt, and Li Dongjia temporarily closed the salt farm for the sake of all of us."

At this time, a salt ding appeared on the wall of the salt field and comforted the many people below:

"Wait, everyone, Fanzi Xiang doesn't do anything good, maybe when Fanzi leaves at night, he can go to sell salt again!"

The people looked at each other and nodded.

"Or Li Dongjia knows to sympathize with us!"

"Then let's wait for the evening and come back, those fans, you can't even leave us this little way to live."

When the people gradually left, Yanding got down the wall and sneered:

"The news has spread, these people in Dongchang, even if they have great ability, they can't turn the sky on our land!"

Another salt boy also smiled and said, "I'm going to go and bring this good news back to the owner!" ”

......

At dusk, the two fanzi hurriedly knocked on the door of Li Eel, the owner of the Haiyang Salt Farm.

Li Eel was discussing with his henchmen, and when he heard the voice, his expression changed, and he hurriedly put on a purple silk robe, greeted him, and said with a smile:

"The two of you are here!"

The two fans were wearing soap boots, with the waist card of the East Investigation Factory hanging from their waists, and their faces were cold when they entered the door, and one of them looked around, looked at the precious calligraphy and paintings on the wall that he had not had time to take off, and sneered:

"Li Dong's life is free, I think, it's not much worse than the factory father!"

Li Eel let out an "oops", so frightened that he almost collapsed on the ground, "What did the two factory masters say, my Li family's filial piety to the factory father, but every year is a lot." ”

Fanzi seemed to have returned to his home, sat down and took a sip of tea, glanced sideways, and said with a smile:

"You give a lot, and others give a lot!"

"Now that the imperial court has implemented a new salt law, the factory has ordered it to be obeyed everywhere, and the Wang family and the Zhao family have closed the salt works early."

"Why, your Li family is more unique than others, why is the salt farm still closed! Why hasn't the field book been handed in for a long time! ”

In addition, the fan clenched his fist with his right hand, hammered the table hard, his face was angry, and his temper was obviously more irritable, and he asked:

"Li Eel! I told you to take a field book, push three and four, three days! If you don't see Tian Ji tonight, I will blame Uncle Hugh for not showing mercy, and I will immediately return to thousands of households and expose your old bottom! ”

"Wait, wait!" Li Eel screamed aggrievedly, and under the attention of the two fans, his expression changed, and he seemed to say with great difficulty:

"Alas! Now, I have to say, it's all those people! ”

"On weekdays, I sell illicit salt, and I, Li Eel, can't bear to see them starving, and they are all sold at a higher price than the official price, but they are good, and they will take revenge, and when they hear that they are going to close the salt farm, they refuse to leave."

"For three days in a row, I tried to persuade them, but they didn't listen or speak, but stayed outside the salt yard and didn't leave... There's nothing the villain can do! ”

"You can't let Yanding catch up, they are all people of the Ming Dynasty!"

Hearing this, the two fans got up and glanced at each other, and one of them sneered:

"I don't think so, the imperial court has implemented a new salt law, and there are also arrangements for coastal salt sellers, how can these people make trouble for no reason?"