The so-called salt road yamen is just the abbreviation of the people, and the salt class lifting division is the full name. The Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info Sichuan Salt Division is in Chengdu, the capital city, and Fushun has the Fuyi Salt Division. It stands to reason that Li Yongzhong should go to Chengdu to visit the lifting master, and no matter how bad it is, he should go to the Fuyi Salt Division, and he doesn't have to go all the way to Yibin.

But since the beginning of the year, Yun'an, Shangliu, Yongtong, Fuyi, Xianquan salt accounted for more than sixty percent of the total amount of the province, but "rich stove Ren Yi, Yong stove Ren Li", salt well gradually by the "rich households" controlled, Chengdu salt class lifting division and Fuyi and other salt division has no post road, contact can not be reached, specifically set up in Yibin Xuzhou salt class, in charge of Fushun area salt well digging, stove households, silver, salt and other things.

Xuzhou salt class in the east of Yibin City, half a street away from the state government, with the deputy promotion from the seventh grade as the main official, from the ninth grade there is a person who is an official, one ambassador who has not entered the stream, one deputy ambassador who has not entered the stream, and the rest belong to the Kuding soldiers. The first two are the daily office places, and the last one is the place where the officials live. Compared with the government office, it is much smaller in scale because it only treats salt classes.

Soon after, the lamp in the salt division was turned on, and the official held his hands, shrunk his shoulders, and swayed with the lantern to push open the door of the salt division, and the helper took a broom and dustpan to remove the stagnant water and branches and dregs at the door first. Even if the salt merchant who had been waiting outside for a long time had his hands red and swollen from the cold, his feet were stiff, and his body and mind were cold, he still had to squeeze out his smiling face and send the post to the hand of the official on duty, and most of the money sent together was a few pieces of broken silver, a few dollars and half a tael -- this was the usual amount, and at the end of the day, the official would always get six or seven taels of silver, and at the end of the middle of the year, he was afraid that there would not be a dozen taels of silver in his bag every day.

"That's a good fat shortage." Li Yongzhong put on a rabbit skin sleeve with his gloves and smiled with He Tai in a low voice: "Ren is a poor man with four walls, and he can collect tea money for a year and a half here (Sichuan handers call it 'take it to drink tea'), and he can also put it in a good field house." He wrapped a mink wool for the bottom of the blue plain cloak, because of the cloudy and rainy weather, on the head wearing a sheep felt black hat, inside is Songjiang fine cloth stickers and Dai Qing plain face straight, because it is filial piety, there is no ornaments and other things, especially conspicuous among a group of merchants wearing brocade silk.

He Tai smiled sullenly, but this place was unusual after all, so he just replied euphemistically: "Zhong Guan'er also likes to laugh too much." ”

A cautious voice suddenly interjected: "This brother, it seems that he is very familiar with the salt class?" ”

Li Yongzhong and He Tai turned their heads when they heard the sound, and saw that it was a fat man standing near Li Yongzhong with a shy and wide face, wearing a square Ruyi cloud pattern straight jacket, with dark green chrysanthemum patterns on the outside, and a square flat scarf on his head tightly around his head.

Seeing that the master and servant turned their heads to look at him, the fat man's face turned red, and he raised his hand in a panic and said: "The two of you are invited, and the next is the salt merchant of Changning, and the surname is Zhou, which is noble, because the family is three, others will call it Wednesday." He was a little nervous, his eyes rolled on Li Yongzhong, and said: "I see that the two of them are very different from the peers around them, and they are going back to Yibin Salt Class Division to pay salt, and they don't know all kinds of doorways," Speaking of this, Wednesday showed some pitiful looks on his face, and with his sweaty head, it really made people sympathize: "Listening to the tone of the two virtuous brothers, I am afraid that they are very familiar with the yamen, if they are willing to say a little bit together, I am really grateful!" ”

"Brother Zhou is so polite!" Li Yongzhong returned the salute, he was waiting for boredom, and when he saw that this Wednesday Gui sincerely asked, he also pointed out casually: "The contemptible person is Fushun salt merchant Li, line two, Brother Zhou calls me Zhongguan'er with everyone; This is my milk brother, just call Atai. Everything else is easy to say, our lifting master is not a person who loves to be embarrassed, and his temperament is not stingy, as long as he is filial piety as usual. However, the king of Hades said that the little ghost is difficult, and it will be Brother Zhou's turn in a while, and he will give some tea money when he sees someone. ”

Wednesday Gui was overjoyed, bowed deeply, straightened up, his face was half anxious, he sighed heavily, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Thanks to Zhongguan'er's kindness!" In Yibin, I don't know about it, and my family has just been in charge of the salt industry for a short time, and all kinds of doorways are not allowed to enter, and I am distressed, and I have a lot of guidance from Zhongguan'er, and I am grateful! He made another gesture, and the smile on his round face was so bad that he couldn't even see his eyes, and said: "I heard that there is a restaurant in Yibin that makes good fish and meat, and I will be in the east for a while, and I will have to invite two people to appreciate their faces!" ”

Li Yongzhong politely refused: "I am also speaking in generalities, Brother Zhou is really too polite." ”

Wednesday Gui suddenly shook his head into a rattle when he heard this, he sighed and said, "Zhongguan'er doesn't know anything, my ghost-like diligence is all forced out by a salt word!" ”

These words more or less aroused Li Yongzhong's interest. Whether it was before or after he crossed over, as long as he was touched with half a point of salt, huge profits would roll in. The two Huai salt merchants of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the salt company hundreds of years later, the former can be called a rich country, and the latter is a place where many young talents sharpen their heads and also want to camp. This Wednesday, Gui actually said with a bitter face that his current embarrassment was all caused by salt?

He Tai looked at Li Yongzhong's face and knew that the protagonist, who had grown up with him since childhood, had a curiosity about the fat man. It is still early in Chenguang, they came a little late, and there were already a few people lined up in front, and now it is not delayed to sit in the tea shed on the side. Just thinking about it, Li Yongzhong seemed to look at him unintentionally, and he understood, and proposed: "I came all the way just now, I saw a tea shed, it looks clean, it's still early, Zhong Guan'er might as well go to the tea shed with Master Zhou to sit for a while, and the villain is on duty here." ”

"So good, very good." Wednesday Gui nodded busily, and invited Li Yongzhong politely: "I see that Zhongguan'er doesn't have a sedan chair, I'm afraid that he came by car, so it's better to take my sedan chair with you." ”

"I've been sloppy since I was a child, and I'm not used to this." Li Yongzhong said with a smile, "I have also seen the tea shed, it is only half a minute away from here, Brother Zhou will go first, and I will arrive after a while." ”

"Very, very, yes, then I'll go first."

He Taimu sent Zhou Guigui's sedan chair swaying away, and then turned around and said to Li Yongzhong with a suspicious face: "Zhong Guan'er, this person is unknown, do you really want to go over?" ”

Li Yongzhong smiled, he took the reins from the little guy's hand, turned over on the horse, strangled the horse's neck and turned in place, leaned down and said to He Tai: "If there is nothing to do, I will go over and listen to the excitement." "Say just pinch the horse's belly lightly, and you won't be able to see the figure after a while.

He Taikou watched him run away in amazement, and only after a long time did he hold back a sentence and mutter: "Brother Zhong'er, this is ...... Dumping the lid as before? ”

Li Yongzhong rode a horse, but it was more expensive and faster than Wednesday. As soon as he jumped off the horse, he saw Wednesday's expensive palanquin driver rushing with a sedan chair. He smiled secretly, and there was some enthusiasm on his face. Throwing the reins of the horse to Xiao Er of the tea shed, he smiled at Zhou Gui, who walked out of the sedan chair, and said, "Brother Zhou, I'm faster than you." ”

Wednesday Gui wiped the sweat on his head with a handkerchief, and sighed and said: "Sorry, sorry, brother, I have been a fat man since I beat my mother's womb, and I have never lost weight, and my father is even worse than me." And I heard from his old man that my grandfather and great-grandfather were also fat. ”

"That's a blessing for the family, which is enviable." Li Yongzhong snorted and made a gesture: "Please!" ”

The teashed was only about a dozen paces long and wide, wide on three sides, with seven or eight tables and bamboo chairs inside, and a few red peat stoves outside, on which sat brass kettles, steaming. Li Yongzhong glanced at it, and also saw that there was a board set up on the edge of the shed, with some white noodles on it, presumably there were steamed buns and steamed buns sold here.

As soon as Zhou Gui sat down firmly on the chair, he hurriedly shouted: "Little Er, serve me two pots of tea to the master!" What else is there to eat? ”

The guy in the little hat trotted over with a smile on his face, wiped the chair with his hands and feet, and then asked with a smile: "What do you want to use this guest officer?" The small shop here does not dare to say that Longjing melon slices, but there are still Mengding jade leaves, the taste is heavier, and there are five years of Pu tea, if the picture is simple, there are also Tuo tea, Laoyin tea. ”

"You see, the master sent you a few flowers?" slapped it on the table, Wednesday Gui glared at the table and patted the table, "Pick up the good top and give it to the master, I'll have a pot!" ”

Li Yongzhong sat down opposite him and said with a smile: "Xiao Er, a pot of tea, and some dried meat." ”

The two drank a cup of hot tea, and when the cold subsided slightly, Li Yongzhong took the initiative to ask: "Brother Zhou, the younger brother has something to understand. ”

Zhou Gui took a broad bean and threw it into his mouth, chewed it for a while, squinted his eyes and kept his face silent for a long time, and suddenly sighed and said: "Zhongguan'er, what you want to ask is probably why I am so embarrassed since I am a salt merchant, right?" ”

"Exactly."

"Ugh." Zhou Gui put down the teacup, sighed for a long time, and then said with a bitter face: "Zhong Guan'er is a Fushun person, and he must have been familiar with salt since he was a child. But you don't know, the last generation of my Zhou family is just a landlord in the countryside, and my brothers have only understood the style of the field since they were young, and they never knew what the salt well was. ”

"Who knew that a few years ago, my eldest brother listened to people and opened a new well! God bless, fortunately, there is a lot of salt, and it is a small harvest in a few years. Speaking of this, Wednesday Gui's face was not half happy, and the look of sorrow became more and more obvious, "But since this year, an official has sent someone to my house, and the words are that my family's salt tax has not been completed, and my eldest brother asked someone to inquire, and I heard that it is from the salt department!" That's weird! Changning is a place, but I have never heard of any salt division, we are the duty of the family, should pay a grain of salt dare not be less, just because of a few joint shares, tax payment has always been entrusted to the joint stock of the family, so there must be a reason for this. ”