The next day, the brigade continued south, Huai'an is more than 300 miles away from Yangzhou, and it will take eight days to arrive according to the itinerary.

Wen Tiren left, and Hong Chengchou took over the post of head of the march, and arranged for someone to inform the local government offices along the way of the holy driving time, so that the local government could prepare.

Although he will not stay in the local area, and Zhu Youzhen will not even meet with local officials, the daily consumption of tens of thousands of people is too much, and food, vegetables, and other materials need to be supplied by the local government.

Yangzhou Yuyuan, the garden of the big salt merchant Hu million. Hu Million's original name was Hu Yuanliang, a native of Huizhou, who is said to earn one million taels of silver a year by selling salt, so Yangzhou people call him Hu Million. From the Wanli period, after the Hu family obtained the "nest book" issued by the imperial court, they established the status of a great salt merchant.

According to the Daming salt system, only those who have a "woben" can receive salt from the salt transportation department and engage in the salt business. The so-called "woben" is the qualification and power to practice salt, and the imperial court gave this qualification to a group of chartered merchants. All those who have "woben" are big salt merchants, and without "woben", they can't get salt guides, and other small and medium-sized salt merchants can only buy salt from big salt merchants who have "woben". The big salt merchants don't have to do anything, they just rely on reselling the salt, and they make huge profits every year, which can be called huge profits! The most enviable thing is that this "nest" can be hereditary, that is, it can be inherited from father to son.

The Hu family made a fortune by making a fortune by making salt, became a huge rich man in Yangzhou, and built this elm garden covering an area of hundreds of acres by the side of the slender West Lake outside Yangzhou City, there are mountains and rivers in the garden, pavilions and pavilions, the lush mountains are seen from afar, there are smoke and waves rippling in the Slender West Lake nearby, and the beauty of the scenery can be called the most in Yangzhou.

Hu Million only needs to have a good relationship with the Salt Transportation Division, and the silver will roll in, and he doesn't have to do anything else, he gathers and drinks in the garden all day long, and his life is not happy.

However, today, Hu Million didn't think about tea and dinner, and was irritable, and even his most favored concubine was scolded and cried. Because he got the news that the emperor was coming to Yangzhou, he had a premonition that the good days were coming to an end......

"Master, Master Lin and Master Zhou are visiting." The housekeeper hurriedly came to report.

"Hurry up, please." Hu Million hurriedly said.

Lin Wanpeng and Zhou Fengchun are both big salt merchants in Yangzhou City, and although their family businesses are not as big as the Hu family, they are not much different. The most important thing is that the three are all members of the Hui businessmen, and they naturally come and go closely on weekdays.

"Brother Hu knows the news that the emperor is coming, right?" After a few words of greeting, Lin Wanpeng went straight to the point.

Hu Million sighed: "Naturally, I heard about it, isn't this worrying?" Hey, Brother Zhou, you and Guozhang are distant relatives, can you find a way to find someone to dredge up in front of the emperor? ”

Zhou Fengchun shook his head and said with a bitter face: "Don't mention it, even the silk village of the national lord in Beijing was copied by His Majesty, and my distant relative is the green onion!" ”

Relying on the fact that Zhou Kui is a distant relative of the national abbot, Zhou Fengchun is in Yangzhou, and the officials of the Salt Transportation Department give him a few thin noodles, of course, this thin noodles also have a silver bonus. But in front of the emperor, his status as a distant relative of the country's abbot is not enough at all, and he is not even qualified to meet the emperor.

"Why do you say that this emperor has to tour the south, I heard that Henan was in turmoil, hundreds of thousands of people rebelled, and the emperor was not afraid of losing the Central Plains? What is it that insists on going south, could it be that it is for our salt merchants? Hu Million complained.

"Brother Hu, don't talk nonsense." Lin Wanpeng was taken aback, "We are just some businessmen, although we have some money, where is it worth the emperor to come in person?" ”

"It's not worth it." Hu Million nodded, "The two brothers came to me together, do you have any ideas, you might as well talk about it." ”

Lin Wanpeng glanced at Zhou Fengchun: "Brother Zhou, say it." ”

Zhou Fengchun nodded: "I talked to Brother Lin a little just now, and we all thought that the emperor couldn't have come for us salt merchants, but should really go to Nanjing." What is the purpose of the emperor's southern tour, we naturally can't guess, and we don't dare to guess, the key is how to save our lives. For the sake of today's plan, I think that only by smashing it with silver can the emperor give up his mind of dealing with us. ”

"Silver?" Hu Million was stunned for a moment, "The emperor is rich all over the world, can he still use money to make His Majesty change his mind?" ”

"Rich?" Zhou Fengchun sneered, "Brother Hu doesn't know, the current emperor may be the poorest of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, and he is also the one who likes silver the most." ”

Looking around, seeing that the servants of the Hu family were far away, Zhou Fengchun said in a low voice: "When I went to Beijing to meet the abbot last year, the abbot personally told me that His Majesty confiscated his silk village just to make money, because the treasury has been unable to open the pot, and the imperial court does not even have the silver to pay salaries to officials. ”

Hu Million gasped, but he didn't expect the emperor to be ruthless and not even let go of his father-in-law.

"Two brothers, although Your Majesty did not go south for us, but the wealth of our salt merchants is known to the world, Your Majesty may not let us go when he passes through Yangzhou, for today's plan, when you take the initiative to offer silver, Your Majesty may let us go when you are happy." Zhou Fengchun finally said.

"How much is the silver?" Hu Million asked. If he can spend money to eliminate the disaster, he will naturally be very happy.

"If there is less, it will naturally not work, and if there is more, it will make Your Majesty think that the salt merchant is too rich, and it will not be good to have other thoughts, in my opinion, it is appropriate to take one million taels. The three of us have a big head, but we can let the other salt merchants make a small head, and a million taels is enough to make Your Majesty happy. Lin Wanpeng said.

"I'm afraid that after Your Majesty eats the sweetness, he will continue to do something to us." Hu Million sighed.

"It shouldn't be, if we and other salt merchants are moved, there will be a big chaos in the salt government and even in Yangzhou. At present, anti-thieves are raging in Henan and Jiangxi, and there are also people in Huguang, Shanxi and other places who are in turmoil, and the world is not peaceful, and Your Majesty should not have the heart to deal with us. Lin Wanpeng said confidently.

"Then will I inform the Salt Transportation Division about this?" Hu Million asked.

Lin Wanpeng shook his head: "No." Your Majesty does not move us, may not move the Salt Transportation Division, I heard that Your Majesty in Shandong slaughter, purged a lot of officials, after arriving in Yangzhou, may not let go of the Salt Transportation Division, at this time we still don't get too close to the Salt Transportation Division. ”

"Okay, God willing, bless us to avoid this catastrophe, I am willing to give 300,000 taels of silver!" Hu million said.

"I'll also give 300,000!" Lin Wanpeng said.

"My family background is not as good as the two brothers, so let's pay 200,000." Zhou Fengchun said.

"The remaining 200,000 yuan is for other salt merchants to come out, and it is not difficult to raise a million taels of silver." Lin Wanpeng said with a smile.