"Either how can you say that ginger is old and spicy, the old lady is really good."

On the way to the county government to discuss with the magistrate, Zhu Wanjian was thinking about this matter in his heart.

The Zhu family did not need to post a greeting post when they entered the county office, and said hello to the porter, and they could go directly to the side courtyard room to wait.

"Second Master Zhu, what kind of wind blew you here?"

When Shen Li saw Zhu Wanjian, he suddenly felt a headache.

Before Zhu Wanjian came to report his younger siblings, intending to rob the orphans of loyal ministers and righteous soldiers, although Shen Li sent a messenger to help, he was very tired of his heart...... For a local magistrate like him, who was born as a jinshi, his official reputation was more important than anything else. Although the farce ended in a hurry, he has always had a grudge.

Zhu Wanjian looked arrogant: "Shenzhi County, let's talk about it first, I'm here to send you a future today, it depends on whether you want it or not." ”

Shen Li frowned.

Shen Li is a six-year jinshi of Zhengde.

Generally, Jinshi was born, either staying in Beijing to observe the six departments, and releasing a Beijing official at the end of the government viewing period, or letting the supervision of the imperial history go to the local area for a few years, and the career is splendid, after all, the Ming Dynasty only produced 300 Jinshi in three years, even if it was born with Jinshi, it is also the fragrance of officialdom.

It's no wonder that Shen Li is a person from Pingliang Mansion in Shaanxi.

If you want to die, the great eunuch Liu Jin is also from Shaanxi, after the fall of Liu Jin in the fifth year of Zhengde, the Shaanxi Jinshi who were taken by the imperial court in these years have fallen into bad luck, and none of them have a good way out. As a fellow jinshi, Shen Li waited for two years before releasing the post of magistrate of Changshou County, Anlu Prefecture, which was attached to Guo County.

"Second Master Zhu, don't laugh at this official statement, just explain your intentions." Shen Li said with a cold face.

Zhu Wanjian smiled: "Shen County Order, my Zhu family is a Jinyi Wei family, my father is a Jinyi Wei Qianhu, my brother Beizhen Fusi is a deputy Qianhu, and my Zhu family is a person close to His Majesty today, if you help, I will never treat you badly." Moreover, this time it is to investigate a case of illicit salt, involving a huge amount of money, if it can be found out, it can not only fill the purse, but also have a bright future. ”

Shen Li took a cool breath.

He thought that the Zhu family came to the door, and asked him to send someone to do the pickled matter of fighting with the festival woman for childbirth, but who knew that it was actually to check the illegal salt?

After the Ming Salt Administration changed the "Grain Opening Law" to the "Folding Color Law" from the fifth year of Hongzhi, the treasury was once full, but then it was a long period of salt chaos.

If the magistrate can seize a huge amount of illegal salt, it can indeed greatly improve the performance of the government.

"Second Master Zhu, this investigation of smuggled salt doesn't belong to Jinyi Wei, right?"

Shen Li will be skeptical.

With Zhu Wanjian's urine, he was asked to send a messenger to rob the family property with the festival woman before, and this time he will kindly take him to check the illegal salt and make political achievements?

Zhu Wanjian said with a smile: "The case was not found out by Jinyiwei, and the informant reported that a merchant wanted to buy a large amount of illicit salt from a smuggler of salt, so I asked if you dare to care?" ”

Shen Li hesitated again and again, and sighed: "It's better to find out." ”

Shen Li is not a fool.

He didn't understand why the Jinyi Wei Zhu family didn't stay in the north and south of Beijing, but chose to settle in Huguang, a corner like Huguang, and then he thought of Xingwangfu and had some understanding, but he quickly threw this idea away.

He doesn't think that if there is a good thing, the other party will cheapen himself.

However, after learning about Zhu Wanjian's intelligence source, he was relieved.

"It's actually the third lady herself admitting it? She...... This is knowing the law and breaking the law, Second Master Zhu, do you want to kill your relatives in righteousness? Shen Li looked at Zhu Wanjian in surprise.

Zhu Wanjian scolded and scolded: "What kind of righteous killing of relatives, it is not a family for a long time, this kind of woman who does not abide by women's morals is better to take it to the pig cage." ”

Perhaps remembering that some words should not be said in front of outsiders, Zhu Wanjian reluctantly squeezed out a smile: "Let her be punished a little, and she will be able to settle down when she returns home in the future, and the spirit of the house brother in the sky definitely doesn't want his woman to come out and show her face." ”

"Hmm."

Shen Li nodded, but he wondered in his heart, what kind of family is this, repeatedly selling people?

And the face boasts?

At this time, the sky was getting dark unconsciously, and the official sent to investigate came to report.

"Back to the county order, the third lady of the Zhu family did take a group of people out of the city and rushed to fifteen miles southeast of the state city, where there was a long convoy with a large number of salt bags piled up on the car, and asked the salt store in the city, and they all said that it was not their own goods, and these people were hiding in the woods, and they were sneaky, and they seemed to be real smugglers......

The news returned from the investigation seems to confirm Zhu Wanjian's statement.

Zhu Wanjian slapped her thigh: "I'll just say that the news won't go wrong, that girl buying and selling illicit salt is a felony." ”

Shen Li cautiously asked, "But the investigation is clear, are those people really smugglers?" ”

Yacha didn't reply yet, but Zhu Wanjian was anxious.

"Shen Zhixian, are you still hesitant? There are only a few salt merchants on the ground in An'an, and it was their handiwork to jointly raise the price before, whether it is the official salt seller I don't know? ”

Shen Li nodded and waved his hand: "Come on, gather the third class of officials...... Then bring the people of the inspection department and go with the official to arrest the salt lord, if there is resistance...... Lawfully kill on sight! ”

Seeing this scene, Zhu Wanjian had a smug smile on her face.

……

……

Night falls.

In the city, the Zhujia rice shop has been separated from the door panel early.

Zhu Niang took Uncle Zhong, Yu San and Gouzi and a group of people to buy salt, Aunt Li was cooking with her daughter, and Zhu Hao was sitting at the desk in the east wing of the middle courtyard, writing and drawing on a piece of paper with an oil lamp.

"Brother Hao, you said that Madame went to batch salt, will it be smooth?"

Aunt Li was a little uneasy that day, because Zhu Hao had grown a lot recently, so she asked in a dependent tone when she was free.

Zhu Hao put down the brush in his hand and said with a smile: "Of course...... It won't go well, if it doesn't go bad, the Zhu family will take the official errand and wipe out the mother and the salt seller. ”

"Huh?"

Aunt Li listened to Zhu Hao's words and was shocked: "Then young master, why don't you hurry up and call Mrs. back?" ”

Zhu Hao said: "Don't worry, I have already inquired with my mother, it is very important to sell salt to our master, and it is the younger brother of Huang Zhan, the new political envoy of Huguang Zuobu...... Huang Zan has just been transferred from the position of political envoy of Jiangxi Youbu this year, will he let his brother-in-law fold here? ”

Aunt Li was stunned.

She was not present when Zhu Niang came back from Zhu Mansion to discuss countermeasures with Zhu Hao, but even if she participated, she couldn't understand the complicated officialdom.

Zhu Ting leaned over, stared at her and asked cutely, "Brother, what is a political envoy?" ”

Zhu Hao smiled and touched his sister's little head: "The political envoy is the biggest official in our Huguang land, compared to the county, there is a governor on the county, and there is a prefect on the top of the prefect, and the prefect has the senator and political participation of the political envoy department, and the top is the political envoy, and the political envoy is also called the ...... of the domain."

Aunt Li was suspicious: "That means, is Madam okay?" ”

Zhu Hao put away his smile and sighed lightly: "It's too early to say that there is nothing to say, but in general, risks and opportunities coexist, if everything goes well, our channel to enter the salt should be guaranteed." ”

……

……

The moon is dark and the wind is high.

I can't see my fingers.

Zhu Niang and a dozen people were outside the woods fifteen miles southeast of Changshou City, waiting to connect with the salt sellers.

As Zhu Hao said, this time the rice is also the official salt, the other party is the brother-in-law of the new Huguang left political envoy Huang Zhan, Huang Zan is famous in history for resisting the rebellion of Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, Zhengde nine years of the first month from Jiangxi right political envoy left to Huguang left political envoy.

Being an official needs money to make a turnover, and there must be white gloves around him, such as the Xuzhou Mi family to Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms, Hu Xueyan to Zuo Zongtang in the late Qing Dynasty, Huang Zhan's money bag is his brother-in-law, and the business channels of his brother-in-law will be laid wherever he goes.

The least worrying thing in the world is the sale of official salt, so soon after he arrived, Huang Zan arranged for his brother-in-law to distribute goods in the state capitals of Huguang.

Because he was a newcomer, Huang Zan needed to maintain his official reputation, and repeatedly reminded his brother-in-law to keep a low profile when selling salt, so as not to provoke the imperial historian and fall into the hands of others.

"Here we are."

Yu San suddenly pointed to the light of the torch in the distance, and said eagerly.

Zhu Niang immediately led someone to greet her.

The convoy on the opposite side was very large, and a group of more than a dozen carriages were carrying official salt.

A man in his thirties, dressed in a full-body suit, didn't meet Zhu Niang, and complained: "I only buy 20 taels of salt at a time, and I have to abandon the waterway to send it here, who will bear the wear and tear of the axle?" ”

At first glance, he is a businessman who must be more calculating.

Zhu Niang hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

"The concubine has seen the owner of the Su."

Through the intermediary before, Zhu Niang knew that the other party's surname was Su Xigui and he controlled a huge business group, so he was honored as Su Dongzhu.

Su Xigui took a torch and took a photo, and asked in surprise, "It's actually a woman?" Rare, rare...... Can you bring money? ”

Zhu Niang said: "It's all in the carriage behind, please count it." ”

Su Xigui waved his hand: "It's okay to simply weigh it, but let's say it first, copper coins are depreciated at ninety-eight, and silver is depreciated at ninety-six, no problem, right?" ”

Not only did he want to ask for the freight of abandoning the ship and the carriage, but he also wanted to deduct some money in terms of folding.

"It's all rules, just according to what the owner of the Su said."

Zhu Niang readily agreed.

In this era of transactions, just counting the payment is very complicated, after all, whether it is copper money or silver, the impurities contained are different, whether it is money shop collection, or to do business payment, it needs to be folded, and silver weighing can not take ordinary scales, to use a special scale.

After a series of processes, it is still night, and it takes half an hour just to hand over.

……

……

"Delivered, delivered!"

At this time, Zhu Wanjian, Shen Li and the others, were on the top of the mountain not far away, staring at everything that happened under the light of the torches outside the woods.

Shen Li solemnly asked the county Cheng on the side: "Looking at this posture, there shouldn't be anything wrong, right?" ”

The county Cheng is a native of Changshou County, and he nodded: "Eight or nine are not far from ten, and there are few official salt transactions like this." ”

Shen Li gritted his teeth: "Then what are you waiting for?" Quickly gather people to cover the past, surround it in all directions, don't run away from the thieves, and get a lot of rewards! ”

The yacha and the officers and soldiers quickly moved and approached the woods.

Su Xigui originally asked people to weigh the money, and after properly disposing of it, he was about to let people carry the salt bags to the carriage brought by Zhu Niang, when he suddenly felt an unusual atmosphere around him.

"Master, let's let the people from the government surround you!"

Su Su Xigui's subordinates hurriedly came over to report.

Su Xigui looked confused.

Official?

What officer?

Am I not just a representative?

Who else has a bigger official position than my brother-in-law in the Huguang realm?

Immediately, there was a shout of killing not far away.

"Disarm and don't kill, and those who resist will be killed!"

Seeing a gang of people looking at each other and at a loss, Su Xigui raised his eyebrows: "Isn't there a thief pretending to be an official to commit murder?" ”

As soon as the words fell, the sound of horses' hooves came, and the inspection department sent more than ten horsemen to rush forward, and the yacha and soldiers rushed up and took down all the two parties who were trading.