Originally, the emperor asked him to rectify a few corrupt officials in the household department to set an example.

Chen Xiao originally thought that the household department was still going to open the knife.

As a result, who knows, his boss, Shiro Kanebe, and Wai Lang were corrupted first.

Moreover, the two of them were corrupt, and they didn't bring Chen Xiao, who was one of the three chief officials of the Ministry of Gold.

If you don't take Chen Xiao to embezzle, it doesn't matter, but she actually embezzled Chen Xiao's head.

How can Chen Xiao endure this?

So I'm going to take the Kinbe Shiro and the Wailang to open the knife.

He picked up the salt tax account book, and after glancing at Kanabe Shiro and Yuanwailang, he turned around and left directly.

Lang Zhong and Wai Lang were anxious, corruption is a fact, if they were found to be corrupt by Chen Xiao, the matter would be serious.

So he hurried to stop Chen Xiao, but Chen Xiao didn't listen to anything, and left the household with the little officials directly.

Lang Zhong and Yuanwai Lang hurriedly went to find Tobe Shangshu and the two waiters.

According to the records in the account book, Chen Xiao went to the salt merchants one by one and asked them how much salt tax they had paid.

After this question, I realized that every salt merchant paid more taxes than on the record.

Basically, the actual salt tax paid is several times more than the recorded salt tax.

After roughly calculating, in just this half month, 200 salt taxes were collected, and each family paid an average of 100 taels, a total of 20,000 taels of salt tax.

The average tax recorded in the ledger was twenty taels per family, totaling four thousand taels.

I actually paid 20,000 taels, minus the 4,000 taels recorded in the account book, and 16,000 taels of silver, where did I go?

After Chen Xiao settled this account clearly, he was directly stunned.

Half a month, light salt tax, embezzlement of 16,000 taels, this Nima is so bold?

And that's not even counting the iron tax, the tea tax, and so on.

In addition, if there are people who are corrupt in the tax on people and the tax on business, how terrible is it?

Chen Xiao felt that this was no longer his own corruption, and it was no longer as simple as the emperor asking him to investigate corruption.

Such terrible corruption is already like a moth, the foundation of the country!

Therefore, Chen Xiao must investigate and investigate to the end.

It's not just a salt tax!

The next day, when he arrived at the main hall, he immediately began to find out the tea tax and iron tax, and visited and investigated them one by one according to the merchants recorded on it.

In the end, it was found that the difference between the actual and recorded iron tax was 5,000 taels. The difference between the actual and recorded tea tax is four thousand taels.

The difference between these three taxes is 25,000 taels.

This is already a real capital crime.

Generally speaking, there is no official and no greed.

However, there is an unwritten standard, that is, greed for tens of taels or hundreds of taels, and the general court will not care.

After all, it is strange for an official not to be greedy.

However, corruption must not exceed a thousand taels.

Thousands of two, dismissed and imprisoned.

Tens of thousands of two, heads on the ground.

This Jinbu Shilang and Yuanwailang have embezzled more than 10,000 taels just for the salt tax, which is definitely enough for them to die.

Chen Xiao sorted out all the tax collection account books and the actual tax payment account books of the merchants he investigated, and then at noon that day, he took these fake account books and actual tax accounts to the palace.

In the imperial study, when the emperor saw Chen Xiao coming, he was very puzzled: "Chen Xiao, what is the matter with you coming this time?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the corruption of the two officials of the household department has been collected by me, and Your Majesty can see it!" As he spoke, he handed over the fake account books in his hand and the actual tax accounts that he had been investigating for a long time.

The old eunuch gave the two books to the emperor, and the emperor said, "So fast? In just over a day, you've already gathered solid evidence? ”

"Mainly, they embezzled me to the top, my family's salt industry paid a tax of 500 taels, but it was recorded that I paid a tax of 50 taels......"

After Chen Xiao finished speaking, the emperor was stunned, and there was a trace of coldness in his eyes.

Immediately, he stopped talking, and carefully opened the ledger, and the two ledgers were compared with each other.

"The sea salt industry, the actual tax paid is one hundred and twenty taels. The Ministry of Household Finance collects a tax of 52 taels......

The most ruthless salt industry, the actual tax paid is 500 taels. The Ministry of Household and Finance collects a tax of fifty taels ......"

The emperor raised his head: "Why is there such a big difference between your family's salt tax and household accounts?" ”

Chen Xiao said: "Maybe because relatively speaking, my family's salt industry is newly opened and makes a lot of money, so they are much more greedy for fake accounts, and it is not easy to find out, after all, many salt industries are forty or fifty taxes." ”

The emperor said, "So, why is the salt industry you opened so profitable? ”

He was really curious about this.

Chen Xiao said: "Because the salt I refine is purer and there are almost no impurities. ”

"Oh?" The Emperor's eyes lit up.

"I've heard that you're making salt, but it's a matter of people's livelihood, and if you can make better salt, that's definitely a good thing. Just ......"

The Emperor fell silent.

Chen Xiao had long guessed that he was dabbling heavily in the salt industry and would attract the emperor's attention.

Regardless of the dynasty, salt was strictly controlled by the imperial court, and only legal salt merchants could do salt business.

In the area of salt, the Ministry of Household Finance has set up a salt tax, which shows that the salt tax is very important.

Therefore, the imperial court also strictly controlled many large salt industries.

Even, I don't want to see the rise of the big salt industry.

In this, there are already political issues involved.

Because salt is indispensable to the people, and if this indispensable thing is controlled by a large number of families, then does it not have some huge risks?

For example, there is a monopoly? Or, a large number of people who control salt, use salt to control the people?

After all, there is a saying that if you have milk, you are a mother.

In a way, this salt is like grain.

If there is a dragon country, there is a person who controls a large amount of grain.

So you say, will the people listen to this man, or will they listen to the court?

Nonsense, whoever can give me food, I will listen to whom!

So, salt is probably the same thing.

Therefore, the emperor absolutely did not want to see the grain merchants and salt merchants, who were concerned with the people's livelihood, become bigger.

Chen Xiao naturally understood the emperor's worries, even if he might become his son-in-law.

But if he had salt of very good purity and very popular, then the emperor would definitely be worried.

So, Chen Xiao hurriedly said: "Actually, this business is not mine alone, this business, Jiu'er has investment, and he can be regarded as the most ruthless boss of the salt industry!" ”

"Really?" Sure enough, when the emperor heard this, his face showed joy.

This salt industry, there are people from the royal family involved, and even his favorite daughter, then he is much more relieved.

After glancing at Chen Xiao meaningfully, the emperor smiled and thought, this kid is sensible!

So, continue to look down at the ledger.

The more I look at this ledger, the more ugly my face becomes.

By the end, his face had darkened.

"For half a month, the salt tax, tea tax, and iron tax, the actual tax payment was 40,000 taels, and the bookkeeping was 15,000 taels. Altogether embezzled...... Twenty-five thousand taels? ”

Chen Xiao nodded: "Yes, there are 10,000 taels more than those reported!" ”

The emperor slapped the table, and in an instant, the table shattered.

"Damn, shit!"