Compared with the people of Qingzhou, it is not a big deal for the commander in Qingzhou City to be replaced, and they still live their small lives, but some careful people have found that since last month, there are often sergeants patrolling the streets of Qingzhou City.

These heavily armed sergeants were draped all over their bodies even on hot days, and although they were all sweating hot, they still maintained a straight posture, and most importantly, these sergeants were all fresh faces, and the original sergeants seemed to have disappeared one by one. A well-informed person broke the news that all the original Qingzhou defenders were ordered to be disbanded. However, even this kind of news still has nothing to do with the people of Qingzhou, but for others in Qingzhou City, it is the beginning of a nightmare.

Since these sergeants were stationed in Qingzhou, they began to be strict in the inventory of entering the city, especially for those merchants who entered the city, which is not to say that they will eat and take cards, but to say that they are particularly strict in the inventory of those goods, but all those who are found to be privately entrained will be confiscated or severely punished.

At first, those gentry and wealthy households didn't think about it, thinking that this was just the three fires that Pang Gang, the commander of Qingzhou, took office as a new official, and he would stop burning for a while, but what they didn't expect was that a month had passed, and the inspection at the city gate had not only not been lax but more severe, and now it would kill those merchants.

Whether in that era, private entrainment or tax evasion was the favorite thing for businessmen to do, but in the Ming Dynasty, this atmosphere was indeed carried forward to the extreme, and the Ming Dynasty stipulated that the tax on commerce was one in thirty. This percentage is already very small, but the merchants are not satisfied, and in their eyes it is better to abolish the commercial tax altogether, so they have come up with countless ways to avoid the tax, such as bribing the guards of the city gates, entrapment, concealing or even not reporting, and so on.

Of course, their most common and effective means was to bribe the soldiers and officers of the gates. After dealing with the city gate officials of the Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years, all the businessmen believe in a truth, as long as the hoe dances well, there is no corner of the wall that cannot be dug down. Over the years, all the gate officers and sergeants of the four gates of Qingzhou City have become familiar with them, and they have almost become their own family members, and they carry goods into Qingzhou as easily as visiting their own back gardens.

But this habit has changed over the years, and the new gate officers and sergeants are like hungry wolves, with a nose as clever as a hound, and they can find out even if there is even a little stuff in their goods that they shouldn't have carried. Now those merchants have fallen into blood mold, and those city gate officials are ruthless when they are fined according to the system, and they have no feelings to talk about at all, even if the merchants tempt them again, it will not help.

The merchants were puzzled when they saw the failure of the invincible Silver Bullet Offensive in the past, and it was only later that a sergeant who understood the situation told them that the new commander had ordered that if the gate officer found out that he had concealed the goods he had concealed, the city gate officer and the sergeant who collected the city gate would be divided into forty percent. And the errand of guarding the gate is not static, they have to be rotated, it is this rule that will make these soldiers guarding the door stare at those merchants like hungry wolves, these merchants are all shining gold in their opinion, under the stimulation of military discipline and gold and silver, how can their city gate officials see that they do not search desperately?

Those businessmen saw that their silver bullet offensive was ineffective, and began to complain to the Qingzhou prefect, but the Qingzhou prefect did not bird them, Wei prefect said, it is the duty of people to guard the city gate and find out the prohibited entrainment items, and it makes sense for you to entrain? In this way, the merchants dispersed stupidly, but then those businessmen's hatred for Pang Gang was even deeper, but Pang Gang didn't care, he knew that since he killed the grain merchant in Qingzhou last time, the rich gentry in Qingzhou sued him to the court, and the contradictions between him and those merchants belonged to irreconcilable conflicts.

Chongzhen nine years of the fifth day of the seventh month of the fierce fierce undisguised exuding the scorching sun, the roadside wild dogs also hide in the shade of the place to spit out bright red tongues, there are almost no pedestrians on the street, although the street is deserted, but the various teahouses, teahouses are crowded with people who come to drink tea to escape the heat.

In the inner courtyard of the yamen of the Qingzhou prefect, Wei Tongnian was sitting in a pavilion full of creepers to escape the heat, holding a report from a subordinate official in his hand while frowning, and his daughter Wei Manyao and his concubine Rou Niang were sitting beside him, Wei Manyao's personal maid Qiao'er and another maid were standing aside and waiting.

Seeing that Wei Tongnian's face didn't seem to be very good, Rou Niang got up and poured Wei Tongnian a cup of tea, and then asked, "Master, the concubine looks at you frowning, is there anything difficult to solve?" ”

Wei Tongnian put down the report after hearing Rou Niang's question, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea before saying: "This is sent by the Qingzhou Salt Transportation Division, which said that a large number of refined salt appeared in Qingzhou City, and due to the large quantity and relatively cheap price, it has caused the dissatisfaction of many salt merchants in Qingzhou City, and they collectively jointly put pressure on the Salt Transportation Division, asking the Salt Transportation Division to give them an explanation." But after the Salt Transportation Division checked and found that these refined salts were related to the Yamen of the Commander's Command, the Salt Transportation Division did not dare to make decisions without authorization, so they reported to the prefect's Yamen and asked us to deal with it. ”

Rou Niang asked puzzledly, "What is this?" Those salt merchants are too dark, the price of refined salt they sell is even 150 Wen per catty, not to mention the ordinary people, even few families with a solid family dare to eat it, isn't it good to be cheaper now? ”

Wei Tongnian couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this, he shook his head and said, "Rou Niang, you really don't understand anything!" ”

Wei Tongnian didn't plan to explain anything to his concubine, he turned his head to Wei Manyao on the side and said, "Manyao, what do you think about this?" ”

Wei Manyao said puzzledly: "Dad, the salt and iron were not in the sole charge of our prefect's yamen, when did they ask you for anything in Pingyu, but now I see that the other party is too big, I am afraid that I can't bear it, so I handed over this hot potato to you, is there such a good thing in the world?" ”

Speaking of this, a look of disdain appeared on Wei Manyao's face, and he continued: "It stands to reason that the salt and iron are in charge of the imperial court, and it is illegal to command the yamen to sell illegal salt without authorization, but do you also know that how much of the salt tax in these years has fallen into the hands of the imperial court, and has it not been privately divided by those salt envoys and salt merchants from all over the country?" Now they are so anxious just to see their silver robbed, and they are anxious to want your father and them to come out, usually they hold a lot of silver, and they have not seen them come to honor the prefect's yamen, but once something happens but beg you to make the decision for them, how can there be such a good thing in this world. ”

"Hmm!" Wei Tongnian nodded, the arrogance of those salt merchants was really very arrogant, Wei Tongnian had contact with them, even for him, the prefect of Qingzhou, they only maintained a polite appearance, and the filial piety they sent to the prefect's yamen during the New Year's holidays was also pitiful, although Wei Tongnian was not a person who was greedy for money, but he couldn't stand so many people in the yamen under him, but not everyone had a court servant, and those people all opened their mouths to him, and his prefect was honestly short of silver.

Thinking of this, Wei Tongnian snorted coldly, and put the report in his hand on the stone table in front of him, it seemed that he didn't plan to pay attention to this. He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, then put down the teacup before saying slowly: "Manyao, I heard that you met Pang Gang in the teahouse on the street yesterday. ”

Wei Tongnian didn't say this tightly, but he scared Qiao'er on the side, he looked at his own young lady nervously, and looked at Wei Manyao vigorously, asking her not to agree, but found that his own young lady said calmly: "This is indeed the case!" ”

As soon as Wei Manyao said this, Qiao'er was frightened, her heart sank, and she said secretly: "It's over, this time the young lady will definitely be punished by the master." ”

Sure enough, Wei Tongnian's face sank and he immediately reprimanded: "Manyao, what's the matter with you?" You are also a person who is familiar with "The Female Ring" and "The Analects of the Woman", a girl who has not left the cabinet actually meets a married woman in a teahouse, if others see where you let your father's face go! ”

Wei Manyao sneered: "Dad, if no one else saw you, how would you know that your daughter met with a huge person, hmph, what my daughter hates the most are those villains who can only sue themselves in the field but dare not stand up." ”

"You!" Wei Tongnian was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, pointed at Wei Manyao and said: "Wang Gongzi, he is also for your good, he happened to see you go to the teahouse yesterday, and then Pang Gang also went up, if you have no selfish feelings, how can you meet in private!" ”

Wei Manyao shook her head: "Dad, my daughter and the huge people also met by chance, yesterday the daughter was upset, so she and Qiao'er went to the teahouse to drink tea to relieve boredom, but saw a huge number of people coming from outside the city, and frowned, the daughter invited him to go upstairs to talk about it under curiosity, just chatted for a while and the daughter went downstairs, what can be any personal feelings?" On the contrary, the prince is not doing anything, but staring at his daughter all day long, does his father think that he is doing it for the good of his daughter? ”

"This" Wei Tongnian held back his anger and said earnestly: "Manyao, you have to understand, that Pang Gang is already a man with a wife, if you have gossip with him, how will you deal with yourself at that time?" ”

Wei Tongnian asked himself very patiently, but Wei Manyao still held his head high and said: "That's a hundred times better than that prince who can only play lip service." ”

"Bastard!" Wei Tongnian couldn't help but reach out and pat the table anymore

(To be continued)