"Since you have already served the Qing Dynasty with a salary of 1.2 million taels before, then now that my Ming Dynasty has been restored, how are you going to redeem the wrongdoings of the people who helped you at that time?"

Looking coldly at the more than 30 salt merchants in this hall, Zheng Xiaru, who was wearing a four-grade official robe, was not polite, and the meaning revealed between the words as soon as he opened his mouth was blackmail.

Most of these salt merchants have long been accustomed to extortion from the government. Whenever the imperial court was short of military salaries, they would reach out to the salt merchants. Although he has been accustomed to helping salaries, it does not mean that he is used to giving silver to the Ming court. After all, for them, both Shanxi and Shaanxi are currently under the rule of the Manchus. Not only that, but their connection with the Manchus made it impossible for them to come up with the money willingly.

"Master, it's not that we don't want to give money, but, you also know, Lord Daqing, this year, Qingyu has asked for salary several times, and it is not okay to put a knife on his neck! After such blackmail, I have long been very poor, and what money and money are there to help pay there......"

As soon as Lu Chuanfeng's words fell, there was a sudden chord of voices around him, and when they echoed it, Zheng Xiaru just sneered, for this scene, he had already expected it, it was not so easy to cheat money out of these people.

Especially he, the salt merchants of Jin and Shaanxi, most of them have a certain relationship with the eight imperial merchants. How could they be willing to pay for the silver, maybe what they were thinking in their hearts was still looking forward to the Qing Lu coming over and retaking Yangzhou, in this case, how could they be willing to take the money?

But are they willing to come up with the money? Zheng Xiaru didn't care at all, what he needed was to let these people take out the silver, even if it was to squeeze the oil out of the stones.

"No money to help?"

With a cold smile, Zheng Xiaru looked at Lu Chuanfeng, the smile on his face suddenly rose, and then said.

"When Lang Tingyou sent someone here, you didn't say that, Master Lu, I remember that you said at the beginning, even if you destroy the family, you will definitely help the court through this difficulty, what's the matter? Could it be that your Master Lu would rather destroy his family than help each other on the Qinglu side, and when it comes to my Ming Dynasty, your Master Lu will not want to destroy his family! ”

Regardless of whether what he said was a scene or not, but Zheng Xia was like this, Lu Chuanfeng's face couldn't help but change, and the expressions of the others were also embarrassed, and then they realized that this salt envoy was not an outsider, he was also a salt merchant in Yangzhou City, and now he was appointed as a salt envoy by the pacification envoy, responsible for the salt transportation in Yangzhou, and he was naturally very clear about the affairs of Yangzhou.

Do you have any money, can you hide it from outsiders, and how can you hide it from him?

And now he mentions "ruining homes", almost like this, telling these people if they don't want to. He can let these people "taste as they wish."

"Break the county order and destroy the prefect"! They've seen too many of these things over the years. Naturally, he also knew that the salt envoy in front of him could definitely let them "get their wish".

"Master, it's not that we don't want to give out this silver, it's just, it's just that this silver can be raised for a while, how can we prepare it all at once......"

In the face of Zheng Xiaru's sharp voice, Zhang Yuanping, who had been silent, said slowly.

"If I don't think so, wouldn't it be better for me to take out 400,000 taels first, let the eldest lord give a deal to the pacification envoy first, wait, stay for a while, and then help to pay the money when the silver money is prepared?"

Among the Jin salt merchants in Yangzhou, perhaps Zhang Yuanping is not the richest, but because he is the in-law of the Fan family of the eight imperial merchants, he has the most prominent status among the salt merchants, and because of this, in fact, he is almost equal to the leader of the Jin merchants in Yangzhou, so what he says can represent almost everyone. As soon as he said this, there was a chorus of harmony around him.

"I hope the eldest master will understand!"

Zhang Yuanping's tone seemed neither humble nor arrogant, neither deliberately flattering, nor showing weakness.

For his attitude, Zheng Xiaru was not the slightest annoyed, but nodded directly and said.

"Zhang Weng can understand the difficulties of the official, and the official will not be considerate of Zhang Weng, these 400,000 taels, and ask Zhang Weng to prepare it within three days, if it is delayed for three days, when the time comes, when the official is difficult to explain to the military gate, he will naturally ask the council to please and explain!"

In many cases, everyone is a play, Zhang Yuanping is acting, Zheng Xiaru is also acting, both of them are very clear about each other's thoughts, in Zhang Yuanping's opinion, Zheng Xiaru needs silver to hand over to Zhu Mingzhong, so he gave out some silver, so as to delay time.

And for Zheng Xiaru, he needs time, he needs time to master everything, and of course, more importantly, he doesn't need to kill these people now.

This kind of thing is not what he needs to do, he is just a salt carrier. But before that, it didn't stop him from squeezing some oil out of the stone.

"Sir, just let them go?"

As the master of the former salt transport envoy, Zhao Pingyue and Zheng Xiaru are also old acquaintances, and after he took over as the salt transport envoy, he directly left him, after all, he knows more about the affairs in this yamen, and Zheng Xiaru also needs such a person around him.

Naturally, he also knew that the eldest man in front of him and Qinghe didn't want to take money from these salt merchants at all. I am not prepared to take so little money from them.

"400,000 taels, this is too little, in my opinion, they don't pay 2 million taels, how can they atone for the crime of aiding and abetting abuse in the first place?"

Master's words made Zheng Xiaru smile.

"Even if it is another two million taels, what is the use?"

His eyes narrowed into slits as he looked out the door.

"And they are not willing to take out the two million taels of silver, for them, what they are thinking about, I am afraid they are still looking forward to the Qing Lu going south, these 400,000 taels, but just to buy a temporary peace, we will do as they wish, this silver...... Accept it, as for the rest, naturally there are other people in charge! ”

Who will be in charge of this?

Shi Leilai inadvertently appeared in his mind, the middle-aged man who stood beside the military gate and was always silent, although he heard that he was born as a businessman, but Zheng Xiaru, who had been a businessman for many years, knew very well that that person was not from a businessman's background, and he had a businessman's breath.

Zheng Xiaru didn't know how Shi Lei would eventually clean up those Jin salt merchants, but it was certain that compared to 2.4 million taels of silver, the family business of those Jin salt merchants was more than tens of millions. In troubled times, the more silver there is, the more evil it is, not to mention that those people still give people a handle?

"Sir, you mean ......"

His mind tightened slightly, and Zhao Pingyue immediately understood what the eldest master meant.

"I understand, these days, I know what to do!"

"Well, you can only keep the money they give you, and as for the rest ......."

With his eyes slightly closed, Zheng Xiaru said lightly.

"You just have to follow the rules, this rule, as long as he is still there, can stabilize people's hearts......"

Zheng Xiaru's rules refer to the rules between the Yangzhou salt merchants and the salt transport envoys, the salt merchants help pay and donate silver, and they have to give the salt transport envoys an additional percent, the rules of plucking the goose have been set for I don't know how many years, and the rules are still the same.

This rule is the basis for everyone's peace of mind, and it must be known to these people. The rules are still there, but will they not be in the future? I'm afraid it doesn't have anything to do with them!

But until then, you always need to put them at ease. Only by letting them put their minds at ease for the time being, can they slowly clean up those people in the future.

"Don't worry, I know what to do......

Just as Zhao Pingyue responded, there was a sudden sound of announcement outside.

"Master, the Tongzhou branch sent someone to deliver an urgent letter......

Tongzhou Branch is one of the salt field management agencies, with a total of three Tongzhou, Taizhou and Haizhou, responsible for the direct jurisdiction of the salt farms, according to the number of salt farms under its jurisdiction to set up a number of ambassadors of the salt division, when the sweaty messenger sent the letter, Zheng Xiaru took the letter, after tearing the letter, the face suddenly changed.

"Quick, hurry up and order someone to prepare the ship, let's go to Tongzhou Division ......"

"Sir, for ......"

Before Zhao Pingyue finished speaking, the letter was stuffed into his hand, and Zheng Xiaru said urgently.

"Quick, go to Tongzhou, if it's late, we'll all be finished......"

It's all over! It's simply a draw from the bottom of the kettle!

For Zheng Xiaru, who is a salt transport envoy. He naturally knows very well what the foundation of Yangzhou is - salt, and salt is the foundation of Yangzhou. It is also the root of his salt transport envoy!

But now, now the pacification envoy is wantonly recruiting troops on the side of the salt field, and with those stoves in the salt field, there is naturally no salt field, no salt.

If the two Huai salt farms no longer produce salt, how can they still need him as a salt transporter. said a thousand ways and ten thousand, the stove is the root of the salt field, and without those stoves, there will naturally be nothing.

"I don't know who gave the military gate this bad idea, doesn't he know that this salt field can't do without those stoves? Without stove ding, who is going to boil salt? If there is no salt, where will the salt tax come from! Without the salt tax, what will the military rely on to raise soldiers and fight wars? ”

When going to the dock, Zheng Xiaru complained while thinking in his heart, he could still satisfy the military gate, after all, no matter what, the recruitment of soldiers by the military gate is a big deal, and it will definitely not work to refuse rashly, but if the military gate is allowed to recruit soldiers, won't these two Huai salt farms be ruined?

"No, stop the military gate no matter what! The person who came up with this idea really deserves to be killed! ”

After coming to the dock, Zheng Xiaru, who originally planned to go to the salt field from the salt river, suddenly realized that it might be too late to pass by water, so he commanded:

"Prepare your horse and pass on the road!"

Let's hope it's still too late! When he got on the horse again, Zheng Xia thought like this in his heart.

A group of more than a dozen people rushed towards the salt field like this......