"Your Highness, on the way to the lower ranks, I saw the crowds in Yangzhou City, and the crowd was angry! Tens of thousands of people are crowded, many of them are queuing up to buy salt in the salt shop, can Your Highness know how much the price of salt has risen this morning? Seventy-five Wen, there is still a trend to rise! At this price, the salt shops in the city were full of people. ”

Xia Yiyu stood up and said, "Do you know why? ”

Zeng Gong was also very aggrieved in his heart, and he didn't even start building a shelf.

"The lower officials heard them talking about the fact that the imperial court wanted to take a share of the salt industry, and the price of salt on the market in the future would be 100 wen a bucket, and even the price of rice would rise by 10 wen in an instant."

Xia Yiyu was very confused, "There are such rumors?" I have my own opinion on this matter, you go down first! Go to the selected official office and hang out the sign of the Salt Industry Division! ”

"Retire!" Zeng Gong's face turned pale, and he got up and saluted and retired. What can be claimed? He would not discuss a solution with me.

"What do you think about this?" After Zeng Gong walked out, Xia Yiyu couldn't wait to ask.

"Your Highness, someone must have instigated this matter." Cheng Chen also frowned slightly, and the counterattack of these people began.

"The people believed?" Xia Yiyu was still very confused.

Cheng Chen explained: "Your Highness is a tiger for three people, if hundreds of thousands of people spread messages at the same time and deliberately arouse public anger, then the people who are watching have to believe it." The purpose of the instigators behind this is to make Yangzhou all over the city panic, which can not only make a lot of money but also add to the blockage of His Highness, the longer the time passes, the more he earns, and the more His Highness will be blamed.

Your Highness, the so-called law does not blame the public, the restlessness of tens of thousands of people, and the need for people with status like His Highness to come forward to appease, His Highness only needs to guarantee them that the price of salt will not exceed eighty-five Wen, and His Highness has sent people to go to other places to buy full salt and come back to stabilize the price of salt.

Then feast all the big salt merchants in Yangzhou City, eighty percent of the salt shops in Yangzhou City are their identity to pressure them to reduce the price of salt, they promise to disobey the yang and the yin, we don't need them to really do it, as long as they think that His Royal Highness has no power to resist. ”

Xia Yiyu agreed: "Eighty-five Wen? Okay, I'll go right away. Luckily we were prepared. In addition, is it called Qin Er, Qin Da, they can be transported in? Qin Er's salt ship pretended to be a merchant ship and was already waiting on the waterway five hundred miles away. ”

Cheng Chen sneered: "That's all the tricks these people can use." Your Highness, let him bring all the 500,000 stones. ”

"I'll have people pass the word."

Outside a salt shop in the north of the city was crowded with people, some queuing up to buy salt, some discussing the topic of salt around the side, and some watching the excitement, and there was noise and noise everywhere.

"Shopkeeper! Stock is running out. A shopkeeper whispered as he walked over to the smiling shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper didn't explain what was going on, but just picked up a pen and wrote 'Eighty Words' on a blank sign. Then he replaced the sign that said 'Seventy-Five'.

The shopkeeper is happy, the salt shortage in Yangzhou City is coming, within a hundred texts, you can rise as much as you want, and the queue at the door of the store is endless, and there is no worry that no one will buy it.

"Hey! How do you do this as a shopkeeper, and why do you increase the price when Lao Tzu buys it! A man who bought salt yelled at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper said in an unhurried tone: "Guest officer, let's leave if you don't buy it!" Next! ”

"Buy, give Lao Tzu twenty-five buckets!" The man was convinced, and bought a family of three in one go, and ate salt for eight or nine months. I don't know if it will go up later.

"Your Highness, something is wrong, there are thousands of people surrounding this salt industry office, the officials of the household department are blocked inside, and some people are piling firewood at the foot of the office wall and lighting it. Xiaguan has ordered Changshi to take his subordinates to the rescue. Xia Yiyu just walked out of the gate of the house, and Yangzhou Thorn Shi hurried over.

"Lord Li, how did you become an official?? If something happens to one of the people in the Salt Industry Division, don't be an official! I don't care about you! Xia Yiyu said angrily, and left without waiting for Li Huan.

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"Go back to Chang'an, why do you want to increase the price of salt! We bitter haha will not be able to afford to eat salt! ”

When he took Xia Yiyu to the office of the salt industry department, he saw that several layers of people were surrounded by the office, and several voices kept shouting in the crowd, and there were also people who were setting fire to the yasmo.

Xia Yiyu threw the horsewhip in his hand to the ground, "General Zhu, open the way for this prince, let the five hundred people you bring maintain order, and arrest those who set fire and make noise." ”

When the arsonists saw the arrival of the officers and soldiers, they scattered and fled, but they had already been surrounded by a wall of people formed by the officers and soldiers, armed with weapons, and none of them escaped.

Seeing this, those who were clamoring for the crowd also hurriedly squeezed through the crowd and stumbled to escape, but it was also in vain, and they were all arrested.

"Get out of the way!"

Xia Yiyu walked to the door of the office under the escort of the soldiers of the Shence Battalion.

"Ladies and gentlemen! This prince is the third prince today, this prince promises as a prince, the price of salt will not exceed eighty-five Wen, this prince has sent people to other places to buy a large amount of salt to Yangzhou, as soon as possible to reduce the price of salt, please believe in this prince! It's all scattered, don't be deceived and used by people with intentions! ”

Xia Yiyu said that, the crowd of people who were full of emotion stopped shouting with righteous indignation, and turned into chaotic discussions, staring closely at the young man in front of him who was dressed in luxurious clothes and had a lofty spirit, claiming to be the prince.

"Your Royal Highness the Third Prince, what you said is true?" A common man stood up boldly and knelt down to the third prince and asked.

Xia Yiyu was not annoyed that someone dared to question his words, and said in a firm tone: "This prince is guaranteed as a prince!" Disperse, everybody! This siege of the Yamen is a crime of treason! Cut according to the law! ”

It was the last sentence that dispersed the crowd......

When the crowd dispersed, the door of the office opened suddenly, and Zeng Gong walked out with more than 20 people.

Zeng Gong stepped forward and bent down to salute, and said earnestly: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your rescue!" ”

Xia Yiyu smiled heartily: "Hehe! Lord Zeng is polite, this is a matter for this prince, go! Let's go into the yamen to discuss the reform of the salt industry. ”

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In a luxurious deep house compound, Cheng Chen walked leisurely in the garden, full of rhododendron fragrance.

Cheng Chen smelled the fragrance of flowers leisurely, and looked back at Dao Lihong walking over.

Cheng Chen asked a little eagerly towards Lihong, who was coming over, "Lihong, but His Highness is back?" ”

Li Hong shook his head and said, "It's Qin Er who is here." ”

Cheng Chen sat in the main hall and looked at Qin Er, who was standing respectfully in front of the hall, burly and mediocre.

There was silence in the hall for a long time, and Cheng Chenfang slowly opened his mouth to break the silence, "Steward Qin, has His Highness asked you to do something?" ”

Qin Er said without being humble or arrogant: "Miss! His Royal Highness's instructions to the old slave are to listen to the young lady. ”

Cheng Chen smiled: "Hehe! Then I will act on my behalf, as long as Steward Qin carries the salt to the dock, someone will come to negotiate and sell it for eighty wen and one stone. If someone really comes to buy it, sell it to him, and then go out of the city directly and don't come back, just send someone to come back quietly to report the news. ”

Qin Er was a little confused, and cautiously asked tentatively, "Miss! Will anyone really come when it sells so expensive? ”

Cheng Chen's smile deepened a little more, and said, "Steward Qin, we should make a windfall!" ”