The moon is in the window.

Before and after the Chongyang Festival, the night air was already quite cold, and people were falling asleep when they were quiet, but Mu Zaohua was tossing and turning, and he couldn't sleep.

On the other side of the house, Chen Sanni called her: "Sister Zaohua, aren't you sleepy?" Let's get up and count the money, shall we? ”

"Good!"

Mu Zaohua jumped up, but did not light the lamp.

Usually the lamp oil is issued by Wu Gongzi, the more generous Wu Gongzi is, the more Mu Zaohua feels that he should be sensible and save money for Gongzi.

The two women gently poured the broken silver they had saved over the past four months to the ground.

There was a piece of moonlight there, which shone brightly on the silver floor, and also illuminated their hearts.

Chen Sanni said happily: "It's almost six taels!" I've ever been able to touch so much silver in my life. ”

Mu Zaohua hated her: "How old are you, just this life and that life." Following Miss Zheng and Wu Gongzi, we will have sixty taels, six hundred taels, and even my in-laws dare not underestimate us. ”

Chen Sanni said: "I don't want to get married, although Miss Zheng said that if she gets married, she will have other assignments." But I still want to keep on special duty, you see I went down to the river to fish for sacks this time, and exposed the fraud of the premium money, and Miss Zheng sent me a special salary of two taels of silver. The money in my kiss's little pouch bag suddenly increased by 30%. ”

As she spoke, she put the silver into her bag, and had just two of them, but they were poured back to the ground.

Appreciate it again.

Chen Sanni moved around, and put a dozen or so pieces of broken silver out of various pictures, shining like stars, and she was happy to see it.

Mu Zaohua had already put away his more than five taels of silver and hid it.

Miss Zheng gave them one tael of silver every month, and they lived in a small tiled house rented by Wu Bangde, with a stove, and they collected firewood to start a gang by themselves, saving some money, and they saved more than three taels in four months.

This time, Mu Zaohua pretended to be a prostitute to find out Zhou Hu's silver ticket, and the special salary she got was also two taels.

Mu Zaohua turned her head and said to Chen Sanni, who was still staring at the silver and smirking: "I thought that your special salary would be more than mine, after all, you went to the bottom of the river, such cold water." ”

Chen Sanni said "ah", didn't raise her head, and said casually: "What is this, Miss Zheng told me that those women in North Korea are even more powerful." ”

Mu Zaohua went to the couch, hugged the quilt, and said curiously: "How can you give birth to a powerful law?" ”

Chen Sanni said: "Miss Zheng said that the pearl divers in North Korea can hold back in the cold sea for a long time without delaying digging beads, but men can't. Although men have brute strength, they are not tolerant of cold. After those men marry their daughters-in-law, they expect their daughter-in-law to go to the sea to dig beads to make money, so Sister Zaohua, look at it, what's so good about getting married. ”

Mu Zaohua pouted.

She said in her heart, I still want to get married, but I can't tell you who I like, for fear that you will laugh at me for daydreaming.

Mu Zaohua paused, and then asked, "Sannier, when you went to Wu Gongzi to receive the special salary, was Miss Zheng there?" ”

Chen Sanni said: "Yes, Wu Gongzi still praised me to Miss Zheng." ”

Mu Zaohua suddenly felt a little strange in her heart, when she went to get the money, she also saw Zheng Haizhu sitting and drinking tea with Wu Bangde, so the two talked for a long time in Wu Bangde's inner house.

"Sannier, do you think Miss Zheng and Wu Gongzi are so compatible?"

"Huh?" Chen Sanni was stunned for a moment, and sneered, "How can there be a female owner who takes a fancy to her shopkeeper, the troupe sings, and the rich son takes a fancy to the daughter of a poor family." ”

Chen Sanni said, finally yawned and picked up the stars in the moonlight.

"Sleep, Sister Zaohua, tomorrow Wu Gongzi will teach us to make daggers."

Mu Zaohua answered in the darkness and turned over to look out the window.

When Wu Bangde taught martial arts, he would teach both male and female intelligence officers hand-in-hand.

Mu Zaohua thought wistfully, that means that Wu Gongzi will also hold my hand.

I wonder if Wu Gongzi also taught Miss Zheng like this?

Only Chen Sanni, a stupid girl, would think that the descendants of a famous general like Wu Gongzi are really just Miss Zheng's subordinates.

……

The two boat bosses who cheated on insurance were sued by Zheng Haizhu to the county government, and after being punished with a flail to show the public, Zheng Haizhu took Tang Ayuan and Zheng Shoukuan to deliver Chongyang cakes to the boatmen of various gangs one by one.

"Little eucalyptus, where can I bother the old man I know to help me check, just rely on the big brother of the boat who can't see the cheats and abduction to give me the news, our trading company will not ask people to take advantage of it. So in the future, I still have to rely on the help of the big brothers on the water, this is our Tang shopkeeper, he and my nephew, have something to talk to the big brother. ”

Zheng Haizhu finished talking with a smile, leaving the shopkeeper Tang and the boss of the ship to help sell the share of shipping insurance, and then went to do more important things.

She was going north with Wu Bangde.

In the past few days, Mao Chengbei sent people to charge Hangzhou brocade and other goods, and they went to Zhenjiang by water, and were received by Zheng Haizhu.

The one who pledged the goods was a personal entourage that Mao Wenlong used for his son to run a business road, named Xu San.

When Mao Wenlong went to the island in order to curry favor with Yan Siqi and kidnap Zheng Haizhu, Xu San was also there, knowing that this Zheng girl had a strong relationship with Yan Siqi and the Mao family.

Xu San had already followed Mao Wenlong to bet on the goods once, bribed the sailor in Dengzhou, and went to sea smoothly.

This time, however, it wasn't so comfortable.

"Miss Zheng, after getting on the canal ship from Hangzhou, the two major banknotes in Hangzhou and Suzhou, as well as the tax cards that will pop up in the corners, will collect a total of almost two hundred taels of silver from us. Mother, now Xu San, when I see those soap-robed tax collectors, I feel that my hairs stand on end, and when I followed the Mao garrison to fight the slave Tartars, I was not so cowardly. ”

At the Zhenjiang wharf, Xu San took out the tax deed and complained to Zheng Haizhu.

Zheng Haizhu smiled strangely and comforted him: "Sometimes doing business is more sinful than fighting, you have to get used to it." Previously, the Mao garrison had the survey of the military department in his hands, so you weren't exploited on that trip, right? ”

Xu San nodded: "Yes, the five hundred gold that the girl lent to the garrison on that trip was converted into four or five thousand taels of goods, and we bribed the sailor in Dengzhou to let him go, and it cost one hundred taels of silver." This time, not only did we have Hangjin Hangluo tea, but Chengbei Gongzi also collected a lot of rice, and the boat we hired was bigger. The tax collectors at this banknote customs are all looking at the size of the cabin to estimate the value, and there is no official family to ask for permission, so we will suffer a loss. ”

Zheng Haizhu motioned for him to be calm, turned around and walked a few steps, and beckoned Wu Bangde to come over.

"Xu San, this is Wu Gongzi, a person with meritorious reputation. Let's go to Liaodong together. ”

Xu San's eyes lit up, and he said happily: "That's great, a famous lord, the court doesn't seem to collect taxes." ”

……

The ship set sail from Zhenjiang and arrived at Yangzhou Banknote Customs not long after.

The headscarf on Wu Bangde's head was really useful, and the tax collector saw it at a glance, and saw that although Wu Bangde was only in his twenties, he was richly dressed and had good manners, and he thought that he was the son of an official eunuch, so he didn't make any trouble and signaled for permission.

After leaving the customs, driving to the open river, Zheng Haizhu broke a piece of osmanthus cake bought at the hawker at Yangzhou Wharf, handed it to Wu Bangde, and said with a smile: "There are three banknotes in Huai'an, Xuzhou, and Jining ahead, you can, only this trip, the three hundred taels you spent on Guozijian will go back to the book." When the goods are sold, I will give you the silver ticket. ”

Wu Bangde pursed his lips, did not make fun, did not excuse himself, just ate osmanthus cake unhurriedly, while looking at the bustling scene of hundreds of boats on the canal.

For a person with a heart like him, it is not difficult to hide the attitude of "you are happy".

Behind them, Mu Zaohua was coming out of the cabin.

Mu Zaohua and another male intelligence officer, Li Daniu, were taken north by Zheng Haizhu.

One is Zheng Haizhu's maidservant, and the other is Wu Bangde's little servant, and outsiders see it as the most ordinary master and servant family, and they will not be suspicious when they leave the ship with better privacy and return to the land to walk.

After Mu Zaohua was hit by Zheng Haizhu, her heart bloomed.

The opportunity to experience is rare, and what makes her even happier is that she can walk with Wu Gongzi.

"Miss Zheng, Wu Gongzi, the cabin is all packed."

It was past the beginning of the unitary year, and the late autumn night was very early, and the water on the deck was cold, so a few people got into the cabin, ate the noodle soup prepared by the ship, and went to bed.

"Jujube flower, I don't need this, you can use it."

Wu Bangde leaned out of his cabin and handed a soup woman to Mu Zaohua.

Zheng Haizhu praised: "Hey, the heart of the jujube flower is so fine, and I even brought this." ”

Mu Zaohua's face turned red, and while taking the soup woman in Wu Bangde's hand, she hurriedly got into Zheng Haizhu's cabin, found the same one, and explained: "Jiangnan is cool in autumn and cold in Jiangbei, I am afraid that the ship is shabby, and the girl and son are frozen. ”

Wu Bangde nodded at her kindly: "It's a good thing that the intelligence officer is careful, you should rest early." ”

Nothing was said all night.

Zheng Haizhu is in the gentle embrace of the river, and her sleep quality is very good.

I never thought that when I arrived at Huai'an Banknote Customs the next day, the Confucian scarf on Wu Bangde's head was no longer working.

……

In front of the Huai'an Water Pass, the voices of pleading and scolding came and went.

Five or six tax collectors in soap robes jumped up and down, constantly reporting the amount of tax and silver that the ship's cargo owners were not satisfied with.

"Not convinced? If you are not satisfied, you will go to Banzai Ye to sue Lao Tzu in front of the emperor. Damn, Lao Tzu is eating the cold wind and fighting wits and courage with you, not for the will of Long Live the Will, for the distribution of the household department, and for the sake of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Among the tax collectors, he looked like the leader, with a sallow face, a rat beard, and a mouth full of buckteeth, and reprimanded those who tried to resist with great righteousness.

When it was finally Zheng Haizhu's turn to their merchant ship, the mousebeard's eyes lit up obviously.

The ship was not small, and the male and female servants on the ship were also neatly dressed and had full faces, and they should have come from a decent and well-to-do owner.

It's time to collect a big tax.

Rat Beard, with his little tax collector, jumped on deck.

Xu San greeted him and said with a courteous smile: "Tax master, our young master is the prisoner of the Guozijian. ”

The rat beard raised his chin, glanced at Wu Bangde, who was standing behind Xu San's back, and snorted.

"What? The prisoners of the Guozijian are not good at studying, and with a turban, they are entrained by the profiteers? ”

The rat beard is not unfounded.

On the canal, some nimble merchants, when approaching the banknote customs, would observe the passenger ships on the water, and if they saw guests dressed as scribes and most of them famous, they would take the initiative to talk to them, pay a few taels of silver, and beg them to move to their merchant ships.

Because of the rules of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, scholars with meritorious reputations, even if they are just a showman, are exempted from Tian Fu and forced labor, and they will also be released with local banknotes and tariff cards.

However, in recent years, the state treasury has become more and more embarrassed, and the household department has simply implemented a fixed amount of money handed over to the local banknotes, and no matter what goods are actually carried by the ships and how much money they carry, the amount of silver handed over by the banknotes customs each year must not be less than the fixed amount.

Huai'an is not as prosperous as Yangzhou and Hangzhou, but Huai'an has to hand over 80,000 taels of silver to the household department this year.

This figure, combined with the three-percent proportion of corruption at all levels in Huai'an, means that the banknote customs officials will have to collect 120,000 taels of silver this year.

The ships that collect the grain and military salaries cannot be collected, the assessed tributes sent by the localities to the various ministries in Beijing cannot be collected, the private ships of the incumbent officials cannot be collected, and the ships of the gentry cannot be collected.

However, a few months ago, Shandong made a fuss about the Xiangjiao, which affected the pond fish, and there were fewer passing merchant ships in Xuzhou and Huai'an.

Finally, after autumn, it was a little more peaceful, and there were more ships.

The official in charge of Huai'an Banknote Customs calculated, your mother, in the last two months, you have to collect 1,500 taels of silver every day in order to complete the fixed amount collection of the household department and the quota corruption of the boss at the same time.

Therefore, the grass-roots tax collectors such as rat beard, the current caliber of implementation is that as long as they are not people who go together and go to Beijing to take the exam, they will still collect taxes from those who are lone prisoners and show talents.

Yes, the rat beard didn't pay attention to Wu Bangde, who came up to discuss, and only waved his thin arm.

The subordinate immediately jumped into the warehouse, stretched out his neck and reported: "The cabin is wide, the goods are full, and the tax is four hundred taels." ”

Xu San was shocked, and hurriedly stuffed the benefit fee into the mousebeard's hand, and said at the same time: "Tax master, this, this can't be." Our goods are worth two or three thousand taels of capital, and four hundred taels of tax silver, isn't it eight taxes and one? Let's Daming, when did you collect such a high tax, don't joke about it. ”

"Which one is kidding you!" The ratbeard threw the small taels of silver on the deck, and said solemnly, "The court now needs money everywhere, and if you don't take it out of your pocket for business, do you expect silver to fall from the sky?" Don't talk nonsense, if you don't pay taxes and silver, don't think about our Huai'an banknotes. If you delay and block the pass, even if you can't be detained, the other people on the ship don't have the headscarves of the national eunuchs, and they all have to go to prison for the night. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a young woman wearing an embroidered armor and a golden horse-faced skirt come out of the cabin and walk onto the deck.

Zheng Haizhu stopped in front of the tax collector, owed slightly, and said: "No matter how angry the tax master is, he can't delay this ship to Jining." ”

The mouse beard saw that this woman's set from head to toe was more luxurious than the son's lake aya naoji next to him, and when he opened his mouth to speak, two eyes shot straight over, and there was no ordinary woman's shrunken and dodging posture, and he immediately put away his arrogance a few points.

He only asked in a cold voice: "There are too many ships going to Jining, what's the matter, is there anything expensive about your ship?" ”

Zheng Haizhu said: "The ship is not expensive, but there are some things on the ship, and the weight is not light. ”

As she spoke, she walked to the end of the warehouse and said to the tax collector who was still standing by the warehouse, "Little brother, open those cedar boxes and see what they are." ”

The tax collector opened it suspiciously, turned to the mouse's beard and said, "Chief, it's a lantern." ”

The rat beard stared at Zheng Haizhu: "What about the lanterns, the merchants who carry the lanterns to sell still have to pay the silver." ”

Zheng Haizhu said tepidly: "These lamps are made by our family, not for sale, only for delivery." We will disembark in Jining and then send the lights to the Lu Mansion in Yanzhou to celebrate the Princess's birthday. ”