Han Xiufeng and Han Chen, a fellow villager who has been a family for more than 500 years, discussed how to knock on the bamboo poles of An Feng, Fu'an and the ambassadors of the Tea and Salt Division. Pan Er, who had just sent Second Young Master Zhang to the post shop and had just returned from the post shop, couldn't believe his ears, pulled Zhang Shiheng and asked, "Ambassador Han in the corner slanting field is really a big man?" ”

"It's really a big man, what did I lie to you?"

"I didn't hear of this person when I was in the capital." Pan Er thought about it and muttered: "I know everything about the Jinshi master of Chongqing Mansion, although I haven't seen some of them, but I know all the names!" ”

"Ambassador Han is not a Jinshi." Zhang Shiheng looked at the officials who were sitting in the public room on the left, and explained with a smile: "I just inquired that Ambassador Han is a member of the Daoguang Daoguang 29th year, and this official is a big pick. ”

Pan Er muttered: "I said I haven't heard of it, he turned out to be from a lifting background." ”

There were still three ambassadors of the Salt Division who had not arrived, Zhang Shiheng did not dare to stay in the yamen for a long time, and said with a smile: "Second brother, I don't care about these subordinates of Ambassador Han, there can't be no one by the river, I have to go back." ”

"Hurry up, don't delay business." Pan Ermu sent Zhang Shiheng away, and was about to go to the public house to greet the guests, Yu Youfu and an archer walked into the courtyard with a few people, and shouted as soon as they came in: "Changsheng, these shopkeepers came from Hujiaji, Qutang, Baimi and Rugao, all of them came to buy salt." What the hell is going to sell, you tell them. ”

"It's just a good time."

"What's wrong?"

"Visitor, Uncle Yu, you can't believe it, Ambassador Han of the Salt Division of the Jiaoxie Field turned out to be our fellow villager, not only a fellow villager, but also recognized Master Ji and Second Master Fei!"

"Ah, what a coincidence!"

"It's not a coincidence, I heard that the fourth brother said that there was a fellow villager who had been the governor of Taizhou before, and there was one in the state chronicle, I don't remember what the surname was."

"I didn't expect to meet fellow villagers here, which is a good thing."

"So they came at an inopportune time, I have to go and greet Ambassador Han's family and the people from the Yamen of the Jiaoxian Salt Division, how can they have the time to sell salt."

"I thought it was a big deal, since I was a fellow villager, I could also go and say hello."

"Okay, you go in and say hello."

……

Wang Ruhai's son Wang Qianbu has not married his mother-in-law in his twenties, and he doesn't have to go home for the New Year, and has been helping to cook in the yamen. A lot of dishes were prepared in Layue, and a table of banquets was soon opened.

Han Xiufeng invited Han Chen into the public room on the right side of the second hall, and said with a smile while helping Han Chen pour wine: "Since I am my own person, I will not be polite to Brother Yuzhi, and when the three of Anfeng, Fu'an and Zhangcha arrive, I will ask Brother Yuzhi to help me beat their side drums." ”

"It's hard work, it's not hard work." Han Chen picked up his wine glass, thought about it and asked, "Zhixing, does Zhang Guangcheng know about this matter?" ”

"I didn't tell him, and even if he did, he wouldn't dare to get involved."

"Why don't you dare?"

"His father is terminally ill, and he has lived well in a few days, and he should have been sick as usual, how can you say that he has the courage to knock on the bamboo poles of Anfeng, Fu'an and Zhangcha. He is now bent on dealing with the surname Bao, wanting to make a windfall before his father breathes. ”

Han Chen, the merchants in Fu'an, knew it, and couldn't help frowning slightly: "He thought about things too simply, since those businessmen dared to collude with smugglers to traffic illicit salt, they must have been ready to be investigated." It's good if nothing happens, but if something happens, someone will definitely come out to carry it, and it won't implicate them. ”

"The person who carried the matter has been locked up, not to mention whether he is really not afraid of death, even if he is not afraid of death and wants to carry it, he may not be able to carry it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The one who helped us find out their smugglers was a local snake, not only helped us find out the whereabouts of the smugglers, but also helped us find out how so much salt got from the hands of the stove to the smugglers' boats, involving a lot of people, and the paper can't hold the fire, if we really find out to the end, those merchants in Fu'an can't get out of it."

Han Chen was about to speak, when there was a sound of footsteps outside.

As soon as the two of them put down their wine glasses, Zhang Shiheng knocked on the door and said, "Uncle Han, Master Jing from the tea field has arrived." ”

"Please!" Han Xiufeng thought about it and ordered: "Shiheng, after inviting Master Jing in, you will go back to the river, if you see Master Huang of Anfengchang and Master Wang of Fuanchang, please invite them to the lobby for a while." ”

"Okay."

Zhang Shiheng responded, and after a while, he invited an official man in his forties to the second hall.

Han Xiufeng greeted him, and Han Chen greeted Jing Tongqing, the ambassador of the Tea and Salt Division, with a bitter face, and then returned to the public room on the right side with his head drooped.

"Brother Jing, it's better for you to come early than to come by chance, the younger brother has prepared a table of thin wine, just waiting for you."

"Brother Han, you're too polite."

"You drove Hai'an overnight for the New Year's Holiday, so you should prepare wine for Brother Jing and Brother Han to catch the wind."

Jing Tongqing came to inspect the front of the Yamen, accompanied by Zhang Shiheng, he saw the seized smuggled salt, and even went to the ship to see the dozens of corpses of private thieves piled up in the cabin. ”

"It's all closed in the classroom outside."

"It's good to have a live mouth, did they confess where they bought the salt?"

Han Xiufeng put down the wine jug, looked at Han Chen, who was dejected, and then looked at Jing Tongqing and said: "Brother Yu has just tried two private lords with Xiufeng, and the more he interrogates the younger brother, the more confused he becomes. Brother Jing and Brother Yuzhi, as far as the younger brother knows, there are group stoves under the yamen of the two of you, each stove has a household and a ding, and every one hundred and ten households are organized into a group, with ten chief urgers. The remaining 100 households are numbered as a first-class household with a first head. How much salt was boiled in the stove in the field, how much salt went into the public wall, how much salt was accommodated, and there were rules and regulations for each ring, so it stands to reason that it should not be leaked, and even if it is leaked, it will not be much, but the younger brother actually seized more than one million catties, counting the nearly three million catties seized by the state government, it is shocking, how did so much salt leak out, and please ask the two brothers to solve their doubts? ”

Nearly three million catties!

Jing Tongqing was taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Yuzhi, have you tried it?" ”

"I just heard the trial," Han Chen sighed, and sighed again: "As the ambassador of the Salt Division, Han is ashamed of the imperial court. ”

The tea was next to the angle, and Jing Tongqing thought that the seized private salt had also leaked from the tea field, and he was suddenly shocked into a cold sweat, because if this matter was reported to the court, regardless of whether he had anything to do with the private lord or not, a single dereliction of duty could make him lose his official position.

Han Xiufeng raised his wine glass and asked, "Brother Jing, the second son of the Zhang family is waiting in the post shop, what do you say this matter should be done?" ”

Jing Tongqing didn't dare to joke about the black gauze hat, so he couldn't help but turn around and ask: "Yuzhi, what do you say?" ”

"What do I have to say? People sit at home, and evil comes from heaven, what kind of sin have I done, why did I encounter this unfortunate thing! Han Chen slapped the table a few times, and then arched his hand and said, "Brother Han, you have never been to the salt farm, if you have been, you will know how easy it is to plug the leak!" ”

"Although I have never been to the salt factory, I know that it is not so easy to plug the leak, but it is more than 30 ships of salt, and even if it is difficult to plug it, it will not leak so much! Besides, how much can you fry in a year, and how much can your two yamen collect and write off in a year? ”

It's an unfortunate thing, and it's something that can't be explained at all. If you have to say that this ambassador of the salt division is not easy to do, then someone has to be willing to do it.

All in all, Han Chen concluded that Jing Tongqing could only admit that he was unlucky, so he pretended to ask helplessly: "Brother Zhixing, what does Zhang Guangcheng want?" ”

Han Xiufeng didn't want to go around in circles with Jing Tongqing, and said bluntly: "Brother Jing, Brother Yuzhi, it's not that the younger brother has to help Zhang Guangcheng speak, but this matter is not trivial, in order to investigate these two batches of salt leaked from the salt field, nearly 100 officials and Qingzhuang died, and even more were injured, if you two don't give an explanation, this matter is really difficult to handle." ”

"What if you give an explanation?" Jing Tongqing asked eagerly.

"It's easy to say if you give an explanation, no one can tell where the salt comes from, and even if it is reported to the imperial court, it doesn't know which salt farm to investigate."

"It seems that you can only spend money to eliminate the disaster, Brother Han, how much do you think is appropriate?"

"Brother Jing, it's not that I think it's appropriate, whether you believe it or not, I'm just a messenger."

Jing Tongqing thought that Han Xiufeng was the same as the previous inspections, but he was just the "shaking head master" of the state government, and he had to listen to the big master for all big and small things, so he hurriedly said: "I believe it, I believe it, Brother Han, don't get me wrong, the foolish brother wants to ask Zhang Guangcheng how much he wants?" ”

Han Xiufeng said lightly: "Three thousand taels." ”

"Three thousand taels, one thousand five hundred taels for me and Yuyi, Brother Han, this is too much. The conscience of heaven and earth, for me and Yuyuki, this is really a disaster! ”

The ambassador of the Salt Division is the fat shortage of the fat, how could Han Xiufeng miss this opportunity to slaughter the fat sheep, stared at his eyes and said: "Brother Jing, you misunderstood, it's not that the two of you add up to three thousand taels, but one person has three thousand taels." ”

"Three thousand taels per person, Brother Han, the foolish brother really can't take so much, please help us talk to Zhang Guangcheng and ask him if he can have less."

"Brother Jing doesn't know, Master Zhang's illness is not light, and he is usually going to be sick, do you think Zhang Guangcheng will be so good at this juncture? I said this in front of the two of you, and he doesn't have any scruples right now. ”

Han Chen suddenly raised his head and said, "Three thousand taels is three thousand taels, but this matter has to be hurried." ”

Han Xiufeng said very seriously: "This is natural, the money is in trouble, if something goes wrong, you two will ask me!" ”

Han Chen agreed, what else could Jing Tongqing say, so he could only stubbornly say: "Three thousand taels is three thousand taels, but I came in a hurry, and I didn't bring so much silver with me." ”

"Zhang Guangcheng will return to Taizhou at noon tomorrow, and the silver will be delivered before noon."

"Okay, then I'll go back and raise money first, Zhang Guangcheng still has to bother Brother Han here."

"Don't talk about labor, who made me and Brother Yuzhi be fellow villagers." Han Xiufeng stood up and said with an embarrassed face: "Brother Jing, the junior brother is soft-spoken, he really can't help, I'm sorry." ”

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