Let's start from the beginning, the original name of Mengdian Shi is Gongming, thirty-four or five years old, one wife and two concubines, both children and daughters, and the little man has a very comfortable life. However, yesterday I was shocked to hear that the new county lord was going to remove him from his post, and he was caught off guard. When he figured out that this was not someone else's joke, but a cruel reality, he was also a little panicked.

According to the rules of Jiangdu County, the canonical history is responsible for arresting thieves and public security, similar to the county lieutenant of the previous dynasty, and his status is only under the county governor, county leader, and master book, and he has some real power. Of course Meng Gongming knew that if he didn't have the skin of the classics, who would be willing to look at him? Not to mention the benefits of acting as an intermediary between the county government and the salt merchants.

Immediately, he rushed to his wife's cousin Jin Million's house for help, but was scolded by Jin Dayuan first: "You deserve it!" After a few years of history, I don't know that the sky is high and the earth is thick, and when the official of the seal took office, you didn't wait for it, and you couldn't get it, so sluggish, who doesn't want to fix you? It's just that this time I encountered hard stubble! ”

"Brother! The younger brother knows that he is wrong, but fortunately he has not reported it yet, so he begs for help! Is it good to go to the government office or the salt transportation department to intercede? ”

Golden million "phew", "You are confused!" I've seen this county, he's young, thin-skinned, small-minded, and probably a person who wants to save face, I guess he eats hard and doesn't eat soft. Therefore, you can't use Shangxian to suppress him, but I am afraid that the more you suppress him, the worse it will be. Maybe he will use it to complete his own name! ”

In fact, the real side of Master Li is that he doesn't eat hard and soft, and Jin Million guesses according to the conventional routine, of course, it is very wrong.

Meng Gongming came up with another idea and said: "Can you send silver to buy?" ”

Jin Million said with contempt: "You dare to send it, I'm afraid he won't dare to accept it!" He is not short of women, so he either sends fame or political achievements. I gave him a political achievement, this year's salt class silver is 5,000 taels, 2,000 more than last year, I don't believe he is not moved. ”

The plan was decided, and Jin Dayan sent one of his subordinates to the county government office with his post.

When Zhang Sanyu reported it, it was not appropriate to call Jin Yuanwai's subordinate a steward, no matter how ignorant Jin Wan was, he would not just send a district steward to see the county, so it would not be a visit but a humiliation.

The person who was sent to the Jin family had a very high status, and was one of the several big treasurers under Jin Million, who was responsible for purchasing and shipping salt from the coastal salt works, and sold 40,000 or 50,000 silver every year.

It's just that now the season has just begun to produce salt, and it is not yet harvest time, so the shopkeeper of Qi Da is temporarily resting in Yangzhou City. It was precisely because he was free and the amount was enough that he was sent by the Golden Million.

However, he said that the shopkeeper of Qi Da arrived at the county office, and after handing in the post, he stood outside the instrument door and waited for the meeting. After only a few moments, I suddenly heard a drum sounding inside. I couldn't help but think in my heart, could it be that Li Xianzun is going to be promoted to the court to try the case today, and he doesn't have time to see him?

However, the soap servant came over and respectfully invited him over, although the shopkeeper of Qi was surprised inexplicably, but remembering his intentions, he still followed the soap servant into the county hall.

Master Li was already sitting in front of the mountains and rivers, his left hand was shocked, and his right hand was staggering, and he was extremely serious.

The shopkeeper of Qi entered the lobby, made a deep bow to Li Xianzun, and said, "I've seen my old parents!" ”

"Bang!" Li You suddenly shook the earth-shattering sound of the shocking wood, and reprimanded loudly: "At the end of the four people, when you go straight to the public court, you actually see that the officials do not worship, and they are noisy, and they take down the twenty boards left and right, and show the public three times!" ”

The shopkeeper of Qi was about to open his mouth, when he suddenly heard the county zun deliberately pick up the courtesy and reprimand, and he was a little confused for a while.

As people say, Yangzhou is the Yangzhou of salt merchants, and salt merchants are inseparable everywhere. As the top three giant businessmen and the big shopkeeper of the million-dollar businessman, he naturally has his status. Except for a few people such as the salt transport envoy, they have not bowed to others for many years.

The shopkeeper of Qi Da was stunned, and the left and right soap servants were not in a daze, and he was about to press to the ground when he stepped forward. The big shopkeeper shouted, "What do you mean, old parents? It is not rude to see the predecessor Jiang Zhixian in the next place, which has always been like this. ”

Li You shouted: "The former magistrate needs your money for official business, so he has to promote you." But what kind of thing are you, just a businessman is afraid that he doesn't even have a reputation, and he dares to pay respects to his official in court? Do you deserve it too? Hit the official left and right! Call him a long name! ”

According to the owner, Li Xianzun is a very shrewd person, how can he meet and be entangled with rotten etiquette? The shopkeeper couldn't help but think resentfully.

Seeing that he was pressed to the ground, he remembered the conditions that Jin Million handed over to him, so he held back his anger and forcibly raised his head and shouted: "There is no harm in hearing the words of the old parents of the county!" The proprietor of my house is willing to pack 5,000 salt class silver! ”

When Li You heard this, he immediately stopped the soap servant who had already raised the board and asked, "What does this mean?" Details are available. ”

Although the soap servant's board stopped, the shopkeeper of Qi was still on the floor, and his heart was extremely humiliated. But for fear that something would go wrong with the seemingly moody county lord, he still replied reluctantly: "The 10,000 quotes allocated by Jiangdu County, the proprietor of my family is grateful for the high righteousness of the county officials, and has always lost money and subscribed half of the salt citations. ”

Li You interjected: "Half of the salt quotes are 5,000 taels, and the quota for salt classes is 5,500 taels, but in previous years, I heard that you could only pay less than 3,000 taels, what does this mean?" ”

What kind of naïve questions are you asking? It's completely out of the world... But for fear of suffering from flesh and skin, the shopkeeper of Qi did not dare to show it even if he had a belly, after all, a hero does not suffer immediate losses. I had to reply 1510: "The proprietor of my family bought salt from the salt factory, but it was transported to Yangzhou City but could not be sold. ”

"Therefore, the proprietor of my family has no choice but to reduce the price to the level of private salt, a pound can only be sold for six or seven cents, and the total of five thousand leads is more than three thousand taels, and he can't even recover the capital, and he has folded half of the silver. The price is more than 3,000 taels minus miscellaneous items, and the proprietor of my house does not leave a penny, and all of them are sent to the county government as a salt class. This year, the proprietor of my family would like to increase by another two thousand, and I only ask the lord to raise his noble hand. ”

Li You was secretly speechless, thinking that the silver that this million gold would reward to the county government every year was only 3,000. Now it seems that the gold million must first receive six or seven thousand taels of salt every year in exchange for 3,000 sales, and pay it to the county government in accordance with the salt law procedures. Six or seven thousand taels didn't care about throwing it away, what a rich man.

Of course, don't think that Jin Million is a good person, he just took out some silver to settle the government. Or if there are other interests, Li You can guess several. For example, when the patrol officers of Jiangdu County searched for illegal salt in transit, they could turn a blind eye to the Jin family's ships.

After a few turns of thought, Li Xianzun pretended to be stupid and said, "What is raising your noble hand?" ”

Stupid like this, how did the magistrate become a county? The shopkeeper of Qi questioned again. But he could only lie on the ground and remind: "What you said is naturally a matter of Meng Dianshi." ”

"Does the salt class have anything to do with him?"

"Yes, Meng Dianshi has made a lot of contributions, otherwise he wouldn't even have these three thousand taels of salt class."

When asked this, Li Xianzun stopped his mouth and nodded to Cui Zhenfei on the bookcase next to him. Master Cui got up with a piece of paper and stretched out it in front of the shopkeeper Qi, "Look at it, this is all what you dictated?" ”

The shopkeeper of Qi read it casually, and sure enough, it was all what he had just said, but I didn't know what Li Xianzun had done in recording this?

Master Cui urged: "If there is no doubt, please draw a charge." ”

Hearing the word "drawing", the shopkeeper finally felt that something was wrong. He may have painted a lot, but he has never painted on his stomach in the Yamen court, so how do you think this is also the work of a prisoner.

"It doesn't matter if you paint or not, anyway, there are so many people in the hall, all of whom are people who have heard and seen, and they can all prove it." The lazy voice of the county lord came from the public case.

The shopkeeper of Qi was completely confused, and he didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in the county gourd.

"Bang!" Li You once again made a shocking sound, and shouted to the big shopkeeper under the stairs: "It has been found that Meng Dianshi colluded with wealthy businessmen, tampered with the salt law, and lost salt, and posted a notice!" It seems that you also took the initiative to confess, corresponding to each other, and the evidence is conclusive! ”

What the? The shopkeeper of Qi was shocked, listening to this tone, he was sincere? It's as if he came over and specifically provided evidence for Meng Dianshi's crime and turned himself in? Why bother!

Under normal circumstances, official salt can't be sold for two or three hundred taels in Jiangdu County, but I'm afraid that I won't even be able to collect three hundred taels of salt.

From the perspective of salt merchants, it is a good thing for the government to claim the unsalable official salt in Jiangdu County and sell it at a low price, and then pay the sales amount as a salt tax. For example, if the gold million lost six or seven thousand taels of capital last year, the government can get three thousand taels of salt.

It was a wishful thinking and a happy thing, but how did it get into Li Xianzun's mouth, and it became a mess of the salt law, disturbing the official price, and losing the salt class? The shopkeeper of Qi really didn't know what to say, and he deeply understood the meaning of the two mouths of the official word.

Master Li sneered: "Since your Jin family has claimed five thousand salt citations, you should pay the salt tax in full five thousand five hundred taels!" I only paid 3,000 taels last year, and I dare to think that I am a favor to the government? ”

Speaking of this, Li You raised his voice: "How can human affection be greater than national law!" If you don't have the ability, you can not admit it! Since it has been recognized, it has a deficit of 2,500 taels of national salt in a year, and it should be no less than 10,000 taels for a few years! Do you want to quibble about it? ”

The shopkeeper of Qi only felt that there was a big word "injustice" flashing in front of his eyes, and he had fallen into the trap from the beginning, and he had repeatedly underestimated this young magistrate.

It's like April Frost! Is there any heavenly reason? It seems that the plan is to give someone ten taels of silver for nothing, but in fact only one tael is given, and the man jumps out and scolds, why don't you give me ten taels?

However, from the perspective of Daming law, the salt merchants represented by the Jin family are indeed inappropriate in this matter. First, it is sold at a price lower than the official price of the shore at a price of two cents per citation, so in addition to the high cost, what is the difference between selling illicit salt?

The second is to recognize the salt but not to finish the class, although because of the human relationship can achieve a win-win situation, generally both sides are easy to speak. But when encountering a county dignitary with ulterior motives and unreasonableness, such as Lord Li, how can the high-sounding shouting of human favor be greater than the law of the country, and you can catch the sore feet.

Cui Jiansheng secretly admired while recording. Now it seems that Master Li decided to depose Meng Dianshi from the beginning, and the announcement wrote that "colluding with wealthy businessmen, tampering with the salt law, and running out of salt classes" is equivalent to digging a pit and waiting for the Jin family to jump by themselves.

Sure enough, the Jin family only thought that those few sentences were made up by the county zun to cover up their narrow-mindedness, and they didn't care, and took the initiative to detain this charge on their heads.

But tossing the Jin family for no reason, what is the purpose of Lord Li?

(To be continued)