Yangzhou has a population of up to one million, and this famous riverside city that thrives on salt and prospers on the canal is known as the largest city on the canal, although there are countless people in the city who live on salt. But there is no local in Yangzhou among the large and small salt merchants.

The salt merchants in Yangzhou can be divided into Jin merchants, Shaanxi merchants, and Hui merchants according to their origins. These Shanxi and Shaanxi merchants, who came from the northwest and were known as "Western merchants" at the time, lived in the most prosperous area of Yangzhou, Xiaguan, which was close to the official salt transportation department and banknote customs along the Grand Canal. Both sides of the strait are full of garden villas built by salt merchants.

On this day, when the heads of their families went to the Zuixian Mansion for a banquet, a team of officers and soldiers suddenly poured into this area, and according to the orders of the prince, Lu Yuxiao led a battalion of nearly 3,000 officers and soldiers to raid the homes of sixteen Jin salt merchants, including the Qiu family, the Zhang family, the Tian family, and the Wang family.

Like all salt merchants, although they had residences in the city, the Qiu family lived in the beautiful gardens around Xiaguan, in fact, they all did. In addition to taking the gardens directly and confiscating the property, their shops in the city, the warehouses at the wharf and other materials must also be sealed, and all the personnel were arrested.

When the mighty thousands of soldiers appeared on the street and began to act, the people of Yangzhou all closed the door one after another. And when the salt merchant housekeepers like the Zheng family and the Lu family saw this, two words immediately appeared in their minds - copy the house!

For a time, the people in Yangzhou City were in turmoil and the atmosphere was suddenly tense. The salt merchants were not involved, and they were sent to the Zuixian Building, wanting to tell the news to their own owners, but at this time, they found that the building was full of soldiers, and there were even a little blood stains on the street, and there were still a few corpses lying on the side of the road.

"Those who dare to collide are the only ones who are in the military!"

The cold words made the salt merchants stand there in the drunken immortal building, which should be festive and full of laughter.

They don't know what's going on.

It's even more unclear what the prince wants!

Is it to fish with all your might, or to make an example of the monkeys? Or is it a reckoning after the fall?

Of course, they are more concerned about whether they are on the list of the princes?

Now they're the ones who regret it. If it weren't for people being locked up here, maybe there would be some way to deal with it, but how would people be trapped here now?

Everyone stayed here in a panic, they didn't even dare to come out, and the local officials sat there restlessly, their eyes falling on the prince from time to time.

He, what the hell does he want to do?

Their psychology is the same as that of these salt merchants, there is no bottom, after all, the master in front of them is really unreasonable!

……

The Qiu family's garden was as brightly lit as ever. After hundreds of soldiers rushed into Qiu's house, they immediately controlled all the people and things in the garden.

For a moment cries, shouts, and scolding echoed throughout the garden.

Because the Qiu family is the key, Lu Yuxiao personally led the team to raid the Qiu family. In the main hall, Lu Yuxiao was drinking tea with a teacup, and he was waiting for the final result. The scribes who accompanied him were registered and confiscated everywhere.

As for the people on the side of the Fu Wei Division, they went directly to the study to search for evidence of the Qiu family's collusion with Jiannu. Even if it is a raid, it has to pay attention to a piece of evidence.

This is the second time Lu Yuxiao has come to Qiu's house. Last time, he was a guest.

Sitting on the chair, Lu Yuxiao sat there quietly drinking tea.

He didn't really just sit there. was thinking about the words of the prince, because the prince told him that the Qiu family's collusion with Jiannu was really damned, and this was a sure thing. However, it is also necessary to collect evidence of other salt merchants trafficking in illicit salt, and no evidence of Shaanxi merchants and Hui merchants is needed, and they are in good competition with each other, but they are also partners.

There are so many people involved in the matter, what will the prince do after getting the evidence?

While he was thinking, dozens of women and children of the Qiu family had been escorted to the front of the hall, and they were all kneeling there in panic, and the cries of the women and children only made people's hearts ache.

Because some scribes were temporarily invited from the yamen to assist, a scribe who had received the favor of the Qiu family may not be able to bear it for a while, so he stepped forward.

"Lu joined the army, Master Qiu broke the law, but how can the women and children of the Qiu family be innocent? Can you tolerate one or two ......?"

At this time, Chen Jian, who went to search for evidence, came in and reprimanded.

"Nonsense! Qiu Yilin was willing to betray the country and act as a traitor, working hard for the construction of slaves, and killing more than one million of our soldiers and civilians. How should such traitors not be punished? How can you be worthy of my martyrdom, the prince said that the punishment of traitors should be strict and severe. Nanjing, I have made great achievements in the Tiger Army, and I am still waiting for the prince to reward his traitor's wife and concubine, when he Qiu Yilin betrayed the country, did he ever think about today! If you don't punish severely, how can you be worthy of the people! ”

As the internal guard of the palace, Chen Jian hated the traitor in his heart because his family died at the hands of Jiannu, from his point of view, this is not only an errand, but also revenge!

After being reprimanded, the scribe resigned.

Chen Jian snorted angrily, and Lu Yuxiao said when he saw this.

"Why are you so angry? It's just an old official! Well, what evidence do you have on your side? ”

Only then did Jian Chen hand over a few ledgers in his hand to Lu Yuxiao.

After taking the account book, Lu Yuxiao looked through it, although he could see that it was an account book of correspondence, and it was a private salt and profit. But it also needs a professional account room to verify, so he said.

"Let's go back and hand it over to the prince together!"

After that, Lu Yuxiao said again.

"This time, the most important thing for us is the silver, and the Qiu family's silver will be copied out of a lot of money! In the future, the prince will be of great use! ”

These silvers are not used to enjoy, but to raise the army, and the salary is 4.8 million taels a year! The prince doesn't have five million taels a year, and he definitely can't support it.

There are some things that everyone knows very well, since the raid is for punishment, it is also for the silver.

Even, Lu Yuxiao could guess in his heart that the reason why the prince needed evidence from other salt merchants selling illicit salt was probably for the silver, but if he did it all at once, there would be chaos in Yangzhou City, and so many salt merchants would have copied them all at once?

But in this case, who will transport salt everywhere in the future?

"Lu Senjun rest assured, he can't run a penny!"

Lu Yuxiao nodded, exhaled a long breath, patted the armrest of the wooden chair, and then said.

"That's good, that's good!"

As a member of the army, Lu Yuxian glanced at the women and children in the courtyard, including the wives and concubines of the Qiu family, daughters-in-law, daughters-in-law, slaves and maids, and even family musicians...... It's all up to fate!

…… While raiding the house, while drinking,

Of course, Zhu Guoqiang was the only one who was drinking, and he was sitting alone at the table, and he would occasionally look at the salt merchants in front of him who were already frightened, perhaps because of his actions, people misunderstood, looked at his face, and misunderstood his thoughts, so Li Kunyang, the imperial envoy of the salt patrol, stepped forward.

"Lord Shizi, although some salt merchants colluded with Jiannu, most of the salt merchants are good people, can you let them go home first."

"Go home!"

Throwing chopsticks on the table, Zhu Guoqiang reprimanded.

"Good person, Li Kunyang, you are just talking nonsense! If these salt merchants are good people, there will be no profiteers in this world, although these people did not collude with the construction of slaves, but when it comes to crimes, they are no worse than colluding with the construction of slaves. Trafficking in illicit salt in disregard of national law. How should such profiteers not be punished? ”

As the imperial envoy of the salt patrol, Li Kunyang's status in Yangzhou is far more than anyone else's, and he may have always been arrogant, where he can be reprimanded like this, and he also shouts his name. Annoyed, Li Kunyang scolded loudly.

"Lord Shizi, do they sell smuggled salt, I have the imperial envoy of salt patrol and the salt transportation department to ask, what does it have to do with Shiziye, besides, ......"

Without waiting for him to finish, Zhu Guoqiang said coldly.

"Well, you have asked the imperial envoy of salt patrol, tell me, what have you asked since the day you took office? As a salt patrol envoy, you actually spoke for profiteers, and told me how much silver you were greedy for! ”

"You, you bloody mouth!"

Without waiting for Li Kunyang to reprimand angrily, a salt merchant who was originally paralyzed on the ground hurriedly shouted when he saw this.

"Shiziye, I, I exposed, I, I once sent 50,000 taels of silver to Li Kunyang, begging Shiziye to spare his life!"

"Lord Shizi, I, I also sent ......"

The salt merchants who sent the ships all stood up as witnesses. Their idea is very simple, they just want to save their lives.

Regarding the testimony of these salt merchants, Zhu Guoqiang just smiled and said nothing, letting them eat dogs there. It wasn't until they had bitten down that they suddenly yelled.

"Okay, this is hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, okay you Li Kunyang, have you really forgotten Emperor Gao's ancestral system of "peeling the skin and pulling the grass" for corrupt officials? ”

What the?

Li Kunyang looked at the prince in front of him in horror.

What did he say?

Ancestral!

Peeling and weeding?

What year and month has this been?

Looking at Li Kunyang, who was pale and full of panic, Zhu Guoqiang sneered.

"Come on, drag him out, and do it according to Emperor Gao's ancestral system - peeling and pulling grass!"

"The prince of the world is around, the prince of the world spares his life, and the officials don't dare anymore. Don't dare, I want to atone for my sins, I want to denounce, I want to ......"

When Li Kunyang was crying and being dragged out by the soldiers, Zhu Guoqiang just sat there quietly, as if he was enjoying the feeling of mastering the power of life and death.

But in fact, what he was thinking at this time was...... Peeling and pulling grass, this job is not professional!

Since it's unprofessional, how do you do this job?