Li Xiucai was really moved, and planned to return to Fu'an overnight.

Han Xiufeng felt that the more he was in the middle of things, the more cautious he had to be, not only waited until the morning of the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month to let him go, but also asked Yu Youfu to go with him, and even walked with some fanfare. First, let him go to the street to buy a load of pork, fish, candy, cloud cakes, baked cakes, steamed buns and other New Year's goods, and then let the archers help him pick up the boat.

made such a big move, naturally it can't be hidden from someone who cares.

As soon as their boat left, the man selling peanuts at the yamen excused himself to go back to the boat to get something, and ran to the Zhongbakou River to report to Xu Lequn on the flower boat.

“…… said that he was going back to give New Year's gifts, and by the way, he worshiped his ancestors, but his mother-in-law and his second son did not go back. Master Han not only sent him to the yamen, but also asked the archers to help him pick up things, and asked his family surnamed Yu to go back with him. ”

"That's all?" Xu Lequn asked while lying in the flower boat.

"That's all," the peanut seller became more and more unsteady the more he thought about it, and he couldn't help but remind through the boatshed: "Mr. Xu, don't you think it's strange?" ”

"You mean that Master Han asked his family to go back with him?"

"Hmm."

"What's so strange about this, if you just let him go back alone or as a family." Xu Lequn didn't even bother to open his eyes, hugged the boat prostitute in his arms and yawned and said: "A few days ago, he asked him to go back to pick up his family and his family members, and his family followed, he said that he wanted to go back to give New Year's gifts to his elders, and he wanted to go back to worship his ancestors, so naturally he had to let his family stare at it." As for his mother-in-law and son, they must not be able to go, and if it were me, I would not let his mother-in-law and son go. ”

"Mr. Xu, are you saying that Master Han was afraid that he would make a ghost, so he not only let his family stare at him, but also put his mother-in-law and son under house arrest in the yamen as hostages?"

"Master Han never believed him, but it's not a bad thing."

"Then I'm going back?"

"Go back," Xu Lequn thought about and said: "Today is twenty-nine, tomorrow is the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve, the people who farm the land will celebrate the New Year, and those who do small business will celebrate the New Year, you will shout until the afternoon to close the stall, and then hold the boat to Huangsha Port and go to Huangsha Port to wait for news." ”

"Mr. Xu, what should you do when I'm gone?"

"What can I do, go back and sell peanuts quickly, lest people become suspicious."

……

Fu'an field is very large, bordering Anfeng field in the north, diagonal field in the south, junction with Hai'an under the jurisdiction of Taizhou in the west, and reaching the sea in the east, more than 40 miles wide from north to south, and nearly 200 miles long from east to west. However, Fu'an Town, where the Yamen of the Salt Division is located, is very close to Hai'an, and it only takes more than half an hour to hold a boat along the Kushiba River, and it will be faster if the wind and water are smooth.

As soon as the boat landed in the gap, Yu Youfu took the initiative to help jump the New Year's goods ashore.

Li Xiucai was not polite, said "tired" and settled the boat money, went ashore and walked to a small courtyard in the south of the town with Yu Youfu, who was carrying New Year's goods.

Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the owner is busy pasting a welcome (similar to a window grille) on the door beam, and pasting a couplet on the door. In the morning, a group of children rummaged through the firecracker crumbs for small firecrackers that had not exploded, and found one cheering, some covering their ears, some hiding far away, and the bold one lit it with incense...... Although it is not as lively as the town, it is full of strong New Year's flavor.

Yu Youfu was a little homesick, and he was looking at it attentively, and the person who posted the greeting suddenly shouted in surprise: "Big brother, didn't you and your sister-in-law celebrate the New Year in Hai'an, why did you come back again?" ”

"Outside is not the place to talk, go, go in and talk."

"Oh," the man looked at Yu Youfu curiously, and hurriedly put aside the small stool that was used to step on his feet just now, and welcomed Li Xiucai and Yu Youfu into the courtyard.

"Second brother, this is the head of the Yamen of the Hai'an Inspection Division, we came out early in the morning, and we didn't bother to eat breakfast, you first let Su Lan hurry up and make two bowls of egg tea."

"Okay, Yu Bantou, you sit first."

Yu Youfu put down his burden and walked into the hall with Li Xiucai, and Li Xiucai asked the two and a half children who had just come out of it to hurry up and call someone. They spoke in the local dialect, and Yu Youfu could only vaguely understand a few words.

It was important to do business, Li Xiucai didn't have time to explain to him, sent the two and a half children away, and told his cousin about the purpose of this trip.

Li San is also a scribe, but he has no fame, he has been helping the officials of the Salt Division all these years, and I heard that he has to deal with Bao Daijie, who is not only rich but also powerful, and he couldn't help but remind: "Big brother, don't forget that the Qing Dynasty is a rogue official, and the locals can't be officials in the local area, so you can be trusted as the ambassador of the Salt Division?" ”

"Locals can't be local officials, but the Qing Dynasty doesn't only have two Huai salt transportation divisions, and it's not just us who produce salt here. Others don't know that you know, in addition to Huai Salt, there are Changlu Salt, Shandong Salt, Fujian Salt, Guangdong Salt and Sichuan Well Salt. ”

Li Xiucai paused, and then said: "After the matter is completed, it is naturally good if you can be promoted, and it doesn't matter if you can't be promoted." I dare to conclude that Master Han's news will not be fake. The surname Bao is either not smuggled, as long as he smuggles the salt he smuggles, there will be no less, and when the time comes, it will be enough to share some work salt! ”

Li San was still a little unsteady when he thought about it, and reminded again: "Big brother, Master Han has a background and a backer, and the surname Bao has the same heels." His relatives and fellow villagers in Huizhou are all salt merchants, and almost all of them have donated their tops, who has not taken their benefits from the top and bottom of the Yunsi Yamen? It's no joke to offend him, you have to think about it! ”

"No matter how big the salt envoy is, can he be bigger than the two Huai salt officials? The two Huai Yanzheng are concurrently served by the people who make Taiwan, and the one who cleans up the surname Bao is the errand assigned by the people who make Taiwan. Although Master Han didn't say it explicitly, I dare to conclude that Lord Dingtai cleaned up the surname Bao because the drunkard did not mean to drink, but to use this case to rectify the salt affairs of Lianghuai. ”

"So the salt merchants in Yangzhou and even the salt officials in the Yunsi Yamen can't protect themselves?"

"You need to ask."

"Since it's an errand assigned by the master of Taiwan, there's nothing to worry about, but we still have to be cautious, only help find out the news, and can't show up during the investigation."

"It's nature."

Li San thought about it and asked, "Big brother, did Master Han say how to divide the merit and salt that was found?" ”

"Two percent," for fear that his cousin would not believe Han Xiufeng, Li Xiucai emphasized again: "Third brother, this master of Han and Fu'an, and the old men of the Yamen of the Hai'an Inspection Division, are really different. Although he is a donor, he is a person who does great things, and he is really true to his words and follows the law. ”

"It's only half to take such a big risk, big brother, it's too little."

"It's a lot, you have to know that it is Bao Daijie who is going to be cleaned up this time, he is different from Yizhen and those smugglers on the canal, he has both capital and salt, or he will not smuggle it, and if he wants to smuggle it, it will not be less than four or five million catties! By the way, Master Han has just arrived, and he can't find a market for a while after seizing the gongyan, and when the time comes, we can still help sell that eighty percent, the opportunity is rare, if you are afraid of wolves and tigers, I will go to find someone else. ”

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