While the crown prince was studying the East Palace course, Xu Ying also arrived in Yangzhou, the capital of Jiangsu.

The entire Jiangsu officialdom is wary of the new political envoys. There is no way, Xu Ying's previous identity was too sensitive, and the emperor actually sent the "Jinyi Wei Chief" to govern Jiangsu?

However, after being in Yangzhou for more than half a month, Xu Ying didn't seem to plan to change anything.

He is a normal summoning of subordinate officials, listening to the reports of various prefectures, prefectures and counties, and handling official documents in a step-by-step manner.

With this practice, some people are more vigilant, and some people are completely relaxed.

Wang Mingran, who had been boating on the West Lake, heard that Xu Ying had done Jiangsu Zuobuzheng, and was so frightened that he took a speedboat to Yangzhou overnight to meet him.

After several days of postings, Wang Mingran was finally summoned.

"The grass people meet the lord of the domain!"

As a top salt merchant, Wang Mingran stepped forward and saluted in a proper manner, standing in front of Xu Ying like a primary school student.

Xu Ying's attitude was very kind, and there was even a smile on his face, and he greeted warmly: "Brother Mingran, please take a seat." You and I have known each other for many years, so why do you need to see each other like this? ”

"Master Xie." Wang Mingran sat down nervously.

Xu Ying said: "It has been nearly ten years since I said goodbye last time. Brother Mingran is not old, he is still so energetic, and there is no gray hair on his temples. ”

Wang Mingran smiled and said: "There is Lord Lao's concern, but in fact, they are all dyed, and the temples are already white." ”

According to the Book of Han, in order to calm people's hearts, Wang Mang dyed his hair and beard black to show that he was not aging.

There are also wild history records that Kou Zhun of the Song Dynasty dyed all his beard white to show that he was old and serious, and used it to win the trust of the emperor. Su Shi also wrote a poem to ridicule Wang Tinglao, saying that this guy dyed his hair and dressed up tenderly, shamelessly befriending the powerful minister Lu Huiqing.

In the Ming Dynasty, hair dyeing was more popular, and small advertisements were even posted to the yamen of the ministry.

Xu Ying asked people to watch tea, and didn't talk about business at all, and said along the topic of hair dyeing: "I came to Yangzhou to take up my post this time, but I also found an interesting thing. There was a noble boy in the city, who dyed his temples purple, and swaggered through the city with his entourage, and everyone looked at him. ”

"This hair demon also!" Wang Mingran said.

Purple hair was not allowed to be dyed casually in the Ming Dynasty, but it was not forbidden in the Datong New Dynasty.

Xu Ying did not criticize this, but said: "The green silk and purple sideburns are also novel and interesting, and they look more graceful and noble." ”

The two chatted for half an hour, Xu Ying only talked about trivial matters, and Wang Mingran became more and more restless. He once helped Xu Ying develop a secret agent, and knew that Xu Ying seemed to be harmless to humans and animals, but when he actually did it, he didn't recognize his six relatives.

However, Wang Mingran couldn't guess Xu Ying's thoughts.

He wants to be completely subdued and reveal all kinds of dirty things and dishes, but he is afraid that it will be self-defeating, what if Xu Ying will not check the salt business?

Finally, Xu Ying picked up the teacup and sent it off: "Brother Mingran, it's not too early." I still have official business, let's raise a glass and talk again on another day, and we will definitely get drunk and rest when the time comes. ”

Wang Mingran stood up and bowed to say goodbye, and when he walked to the door, he couldn't step across the threshold. His right foot was raised and lowered several times, as if he had some foot disease.

Xu Ying didn't speak, just held the teacup and sat there quietly.

Suddenly, Wang Mingran gritted his teeth and turned around, and knelt down and said, "Lord Domain, help!" ”

Xu Ying put down the teacup: "Say it." ”

Wang Mingran said: "The villain will take the initiative to pay the salt tax that the Wang family has evaded over the years...... No, double the make-up! ”

"That's it?" Xu Ying was still expressionless.

Wang Mingran finally determined in his heart that Xu Ying was sent by the emperor to clean up Jiangsu. He didn't dare to hide anything, and said: "The officials of the Jiangsu Salt Department have more or less accepted bribes. The higher the rank, the less daring the officials are to openly collect cashiers. The salt merchant had a calligraphy and painting shop in Yangzhou, and secretly bought the official Mobao at a high price, and the most expensive character was sold for 3,000 taels. ”

Xu Ying still had a wooden face: "Go on." ”

Wang Mingran said: "Hui ...... The Hui merchants and the Jiangxi merchants united with the government and annexed all the business of the Western merchants (Shanxi merchants) in Jiangsu. ”

Commercial mergers are normal, and government interference is obviously chaotic.

Xu Ying asked, "How was it merged?" ”

Wang Mingran replied: "Although Western merchants are declining, there are also many Western merchants who have obtained a salt merchant franchise license. Some Western merchants opened salt farms in Jianghuai; Some Western merchants were allowed to transport salt and sell it to other provinces. Every time the government thoroughly inspected the salt business, it only vigorously investigated the Western merchants, and found that those Western merchants did not dare to break the law. But if it is not illegal, it will also be illegal, according to the laws of the imperial court, the first few times are just warnings and fines, and then the franchise license can be revoked. ”

Gan merchants, from the land of Longxing in this dynasty.

And the Hui merchants supported Zhao Han very early, and even helped Zhao Han's soldiers take Yangzhou without blood.

These two forces are united, and the government is still pulling the shelf, where can the Shanshan merchants bear it? Even if they were forced to sell their shops and salt farms, the Shanshan merchants did not dare to cry out for fear that they would not even be able to save their lives in the end.

In the past few years, the industry of Western businessmen in Jiangsu has been swallowed up completely.

Xu Ying was still not satisfied: "Are you avoiding the important and light?" What's going on with the rising price of salt in recent years? The Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly announced the guide price of salt every year, why is the price of Huai salt more and more expensive? ”

Wang Mingran swallowed his saliva and explained: "The weather is getting colder and colder, and it is not easy to dry salt. Salt workers, wages are also getting higher. ”

"I see, you can go." Xu Ying does not refute this kind of nonsense.

Wang Mingran was even more afraid to leave, he became more and more sure at this time, Xu Ying had already grasped the truth, after all, this was the "head of the brocade guard" before.

Wang Mingran stiffened, gritted his teeth and said: "After the industry of Western merchants was annexed, Jiangxi merchants and Hui merchants joined forces to raise prices. Transporters (salt transporters) are also our people, and they will rise with them. The imperial court sent people to investigate, and they said that the cost of making and transporting salt had increased. ”

This is with the cooperation of the Jiangsu Salt Department, Jiangxi merchants and Hui merchants jointly monopolized Huai salt, not only monopolizing the manufacture of Huai salt, but even monopolizing the export of Huai salt.

Xu Ying was still dissatisfied: "If you want to keep your business, don't hide it, Your Majesty is most concerned about Tian Zheng." Manipulating the price of salt will only result in a fine if it is light, and at most the license will be revoked if it is severe. On this matter, Your Majesty will send me to Jiangsu to govern? ”

"Tian ...... Tian Zheng? Wang Mingran's mouth was dry.

Xu Ying said: "Are the household officials in Jiangsu involved? ”

Wang Mingran shook his head: "No." Such a trivial matter can be done by the household officials in the county, and there is no need to alarm the government, let alone the province. ”

"Bang!"

Xu Ying, who had always been moody, finally became angry when she heard this, and she threw out the teacup in anger: "A trivial matter? Plundering people's land, you actually say it's a trivial matter! ”

For the sake of political achievements, the officials in Jiangsu allowed the merchants to expand the salt farms, skillfully seized the land of the common people, and turned many lands that could grow grain into salt pans. Farmers who lost their land were forced to work in the salt works, so that there would be enough workers in the salt works, and the wages of the workers would be depressed.

The government, on the other hand, increased the tax revenue on the salt industry, so the entire Jiangsu officialdom turned a blind eye.

Wang Mingran knelt nervously, anxiously waiting for his disposal.

Xu Ying patted the table: "There is paper and pen here, write down everything you know." Which officials, which merchants, the clearer it is written, the better. Fight for atonement, and I can keep your salt merchant's license. However, it is necessary to make up the tax evasion, and prepare a large amount of silver as a fine. ”

"Yes!"

Wang Mingran crawled and ran to write a confession, his forehead and vest were full of sweat.

Xu Ying really didn't dare to get rid of all these salt merchants, otherwise the market would inevitably be chaotic in the short term, which would affect the livelihood of the people in several provinces. But it must be severely punished, otherwise the imperial court will be swept away.

The approximate way to deal with it is to revoke one-third of the salt merchants' licenses. Then, these franchise licenses were redistributed, and merchants from Shanxi, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang were recruited to enter the game, breaking the monopoly of Jiangxi merchants and Hui merchants on Huaiyan in one fell swoop.

Salt traders who have not had their licenses revoked will also be subject to tax payments and heavy fines.

Xu Ying represents the emperor and the imperial court, as long as he dares to make a move, no matter how awesome the salt merchant is, he must be obedient. This is not Europe, and the merchants don't even have the power to jump.

Take the Qing Dynasty in history as an example, the salt merchants of Yangzhou, who were rich in the world, actually made "Yang merchants have been poor" in the Daoguang period.

At that time, there were hundreds of businesses dealing in Huai Salt, but they quickly went bankrupt to only a few dozen, and the bankruptcy rate of Jianghuai salt merchants was close to 90 percent. Jiang Chun, the friend of Emperor Qianlong's cloth and the chief merchant of Jianghuai, died in poverty. Some of the children of big salt merchants, the men worked as the master's account room, and the women even fell to the flower street and willow lane.

What happened to the salt merchants? Of course, he was killed by the imperial court!

Emperor Qianlong was a good hand at making money, but silver could not be conjured out of thin air. Every time Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, he was received by local businessmen. Merchants not only had to bear the emperor's extravagance, but also donated silver taels to the imperial court, and then quietly sent silver to the emperor's entourage.

Regardless of those who were secretly given to officials, only those who were openly donated to the imperial court. In the early years of Qianlong, it was less than 10 million taels. In the late Qianlong period and the early years of Jiaqing, it quickly increased to 27 million taels.

In addition, the whole country continued to revolt, and the two Huai floods and droughts were frequent, so the salt merchants were asked to donate silver when something happened.

It is impossible for the Jianghuai salt merchant to be stupid to make an ATM, since he has given the silver, he naturally has to get it back from somewhere else.

As a result, the salt tax of the imperial court plummeted, and the price of salt among the people skyrocketed.

In the second year of Daoguang, the imperial court felt that it was time to clean up the salt administration and block the loopholes for salt merchants to make money. For a time, Jianghuai salt merchants could not make ends meet, and in more than ten years, they went bankrupt one after another.

This is the ancient Chinese society, where merchants faced the imperial court and could only stretch their necks to be slaughtered.

Xu Ying got the confession written by Wang Mingran, and for the next month, she still handled official business as usual, without any intention of doing anything at all.

However, the salt merchants moved and went to the government to surrender themselves and make up the full amount of the salt tax they had evaded. At the same time, he also collectively lowered the price of salt, frantically earning performance, for fear that he would become the chicken that was killed.

Xu Ying secretly wrote a letter to the emperor, the general content of which was:

"According to the secret investigation of the State Security Yuan and the Supervision Yuan, there are not a few farmland encroached upon in the coastal areas of Jianghuai. Even in some villages a few miles from the sea, because of the river, there are merchants who set up salt factories and bring seawater to boil salt by boat. There are also many small illegal salt works, most of which are related to local officials. ”

"The encroached farmland has been salinized, and it is very difficult to restore it to farmland, and the gains outweigh the losses. These farmlands can only maintain the status quo. However, the salt merchants had to pay heavy compensation to the farmers whose land was encroached upon. Half of the salt merchants suspected of encroaching on farmland had their concessions revoked and were instead recruited to take over by merchants from other provinces. The remaining half of the firms retained their licenses, but all the license holders went into exile and the licenses were replaced by their families. Only by treating it in this way can we ensure that the salt is not messy. ”

"Jiangsu's household department, finance department and salt affairs department, the chief official suggested that it should be dealt with severely. In particular, the salt affairs department has taken bribes in disguise to be extremely serious, and a group of people must be killed in order to establish the prestige of the imperial court. ”

Zhao Han received Xu Ying's secret recital, and when he saw the list of officials who recommended execution, he sighed a little sadly for a while.

They are all young doers with outstanding political achievements!

The court is estimated to be in trouble, and Li Rixuan will probably not be able to help it and take the opportunity to impeach the faction headed by Yu Shiqin.

As for the cleanup of Jiangsu officialdom, there will be no accidents. The authority of the founding emperor is there, as long as Xu Ying, who has the emperor's order, dares to make a move, the local officials don't even have room to jump.

Even with Xu Ying alone, the magistrate had to be restrained, and he didn't see the big salt merchant Wang Mingran take the initiative to come and confess?

It is impossible for such a thing to happen, at least at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China. If you really dare to mess around like that, you are forcing the emperor to raid the house and turn one person's sin into a disaster for the entire family.

7017k