Liu Chengjun's ancestors lived in the Fushan Salt Works for one or two hundred years, and life became increasingly difficult in his generation.

His father poured out all his wealth to tell him about a widow named Ye. Ye gave birth to four sons, all of whom thrived.

Half the size eats the poor old man. Four foodies are like four bottomless pits, emptying up all the little money they have, leaving only salt that can't be sold and can't be eaten.

The four boys were honest and hardworking, cutting reeds diligently every day, burning fires and boiling salt, just to eat an extra bite of food.

It's been a long time since the imperial court has come to collect salt. Faced with a room full of snow-white salt, Liu Chengjun was helpless and had nothing to do. Why doesn't anyone want snow-white table salt? Don't the nobles of Dengzhou eat salt?

"Qiang Qiang ......"

The gong sounded, and the official shouted as he walked: "The imperial court collects salt, and those who have salt goods are sent to the warehouse quickly." Salt goods must not have sand, they must not be variegated, they cannot be deceitful......"

"My lord, what is the price of salt today?" Yan Po asked.

"Eight coins of silver, as long as the salt goods are in good condition. I'm afraid no one wants your salt goods. ”

"So high? That's great. Yan Po shouted excitedly: "The head of the house, the court has collected salt, eight coins of silver, hurry, hurry up and ......"

The official shook his head and continued to knock on the gong and shout: "The imperial court has collected salt, as long as it is ......"

………………

Yan Po found that this time it was not an acquaintance who collected salt, but a foreigner. These outsiders who spoke unpleasant official words were extremely strict in the inspection of salt goods, and they mercilessly eliminated salt goods that were mixed with sand, not white in color, and oversized in particles, and they had no mercy to talk about.

It's Yan Po's turn. She secretly stuffed a silver fruit to the outsiders who checked the salt goods, and showed a smile that she thought was charming enough.

The outsider was expressionless, returned the silver fruit, and said kindly: "Auntie, let's collect salt, only look at the quality, regardless of anything else." Take a look at your salt goods. ”

The outsiders only glanced at it, and then no longer checked it, but said coldly: "Auntie, the color of your salt goods does not meet the requirements, you can pick it back." ”

"Do you dare not accept my family's salt?" Yan Po's head showed a fierce face and threatened viciously: "If you don't accept my family's salt goods, be careful that you can't get out of the Fushan salt farm." ”

The outsider was expressionless, looked at Yan Po's master, and said slowly, "Are you sure?" Do you want us to get out of the Fukuyama Salt Works? ”

"Of course. I don't want to think about it, what kind of place is the Fukuyama salt farm? Liu Yun, the secretary of the salt administration, is my brother-in-law. Yan Po said triumphantly: "In Fushan, no one dares not to accept my family's salt goods...... What are you going to do, what are you going to do? Let go. Oops, tap, tap, tap......"

Yan Po was still proud, and with a wave of his hand, a team of heavily armed soldiers immediately surrounded the two, and took them down in three or two strokes, tied them into zongzi, and dragged out the ranks of the salt sellers.

………………

The Yan Po incident was just a small episode, and the collection and sale of salt continued in various salt factories in Fushan.

Although the outsiders have strict requirements for the quality of salt goods, the price they give is fifty percent higher than usual, and it is in cash, which greatly encourages the enthusiasm of salt farmers.

Liu Chengjun's family made the most money from selling salt this time.

Several children in Liu Chengjun's family have always been looked down upon, not only because their families are poor, but also because they are too honest and only know how to sell their strength when they work.

When other people's houses boil salt, most of them scoop up sea water and boil it, and boil it into sand and salt.

The children of the Liu family boil salt in strict accordance with the process. The seawater is filtered first, and when it is about to become salt, it begins to stir continuously, and the salt produced is snow-white in color and uniform and fine in particles.

In the store, as soon as the Liu family's salt was picked up, they immediately compared all the salt goods of everyone.

The outsiders who received the salt goods were very happy, and not only gave the Liu family a high price of one tael of silver and a load of salt, but also gave his family a reward of one hundred taels of silver. He also said that he would teach his family the secret of making salt.

The Liu family's room of snow-white salt was exchanged for more than two hundred taels of silver. With the addition of the 100 taels rewarded, the Liu family received more than 300 taels at once, and leapfrogged from extreme poverty to small wealth.

Liu Chengjun smiled from ear to ear, and the four boys were also so happy that they couldn't find the north. The thatched hut that no one entered in the past was broken by the matchmaker today, and the girls of the east and the west of the family were vying to marry into the Liu family.

The outsiders who collect salt said that salt farmers like the Liu family who are solid and hard-working are their key support objects, and they give priority to purchasing his family's salt.

The six members of the Liu family are all strong laborers who are willing to work, and with the help of outsiders, this prosperous day is just around the corner.

Honest people also have a day when the salted fish turns over! The salt farmers of the Fukuyama Salt Works couldn't help but sigh. In Daming, there are few honest people who don't suffer. Who are these outsiders who collect salt?

………………

Jiu'an Grain Bank entered Yangzhou Mansion strongly, spread out in Yangzhou prefectures and counties, and soon pushed to the entire Nanzhili, and also tried to enter Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places.

Just after the Lantern Festival in the sixth year of Chongzhen, the people of Nanzhili found that Jiu'an Grain Store actually sold salt. Whether it is official salt or not, whether there is salt or not, everyone does not know, but the price of salt in Jiu'an Grain Store is surprisingly low, and it is so low that everyone can imagine.

"Sell salt, three cents per catty, and supply it openly."

In front of every Jiu'an grain store, there is a big red notice, and they are open to sell salt at a low price.

Citizens buy salt at least 350 wen a pound on weekdays. Even if there is a salt lead, the salt collected from the Huaibei salt field is more than three pennies and a catty.

For a time, everyone bought a large amount of salt from Jiu'an Grain Store. Even if you can't eat so much at a while, you have to buy some and save it. For the same amount of money, you can buy more than 10 times more salt, which is too cost-effective.

And everyone doesn't know, how long can Jiu'an Grain Store sell salt at such a low price? Do they have enough table salt? Will the rich salt merchants in Yangzhou allow Jiu'an Grain to disrupt the salt market?

………………

Yangzhou salt merchants gathered in "Anyuan" to discuss the dumping of salt at low prices by Jiu'an Grain Bank.

Hu Wanan was a little haggard.

Zhu Shunming's dumping of salt at a low price in Nanzhili is like slashing the head of a salt merchant in Yangzhou, which will directly kill them.

These days, not only have citizens come to Jiu'an Grain Store to buy a large amount of salt, but even the low-level salt merchants below have gone to Zhu Shunming to buy goods.

With Zhu Shunming covered, even if there is no salt introduction, no one from the Salt Administration Department in Huguang, Nanzhili, Guangxi, Guizhou and other places dares to seize these blatant trafficking of illicit salt. In order to maintain the private salt business, Zhu Erzi once went on a killing spree in these places, killing all the officials and soldiers of the Salt Administration Department in fear.

If he were someone else, Hu Wanan would have gone to the underworld and the white way a long time ago, causing the other party to raid the family and destroy the family. But when he encountered Zhu Shunming, an outlier who held heavy troops and had various inexplicable relationships in the court, Hu Wanan was really helpless.

The first month of the year was originally the peak season for salt introduction, and salt merchants would rush to get more salt introduction.

But now...... Everyone is waiting and watching. If Zhu Shunming's salt continues to be dumped at a low price, all the salt that the salt merchants buy at a high price and the salt that they buy at a high price will rot in the warehouse.

Fang Yanyun's envoy (Fang Changqing) gave Hu Wanan an an ultimatum, if the salt could not be sold, he Hu Wanan had to swallow it all, and the silver that should be given could not be less.

Yangzhou's No. 1 salt merchant is not easy to be.