After Zhu Yijun said this, he looked at Nanjing City outside the tower.

It turned out that as soon as Zhu Yijun arrived in Nanjing, he came to the glazed tower of Dabao'en Temple to observe the tall tower cast by the Yongle Dynasty in the past.

At this time, Zhu Yijun also climbed this tower, and saw the prosperity of the entire Nanjing market on the tower.

Although it is now the twenty-thirtieth month of Wanli, when the winter is hidden, it also snowed in the southern capital city on this day, and the whole world was chaotic, and there were no birds and birds.

But there are still crowds of people and boats.

"As soon as the snow in the southern capital city falls, it becomes the ancient Jinling City, which is simple and elegant, which is different from the snow in the northern capital."

Zhu Yijun also smiled at the queen and said this at this time.

"What Your Majesty said is that if you don't come here, if you don't climb this tower, it will be difficult to see the entire Jinling heritage with tens of thousands of streams and clouds, and the world has the same white head."

After the queen said with a smile, she glanced at Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun also looked at her, and then, the two of them still leaned on the railing and did not say anything more.

Not long after, Li Chengliang and others came to the imperial front.

And the queen also consciously retreated.

Zhu Yijun also said after Li Chengliang and others came: "The problem of the embankment burst in Jiangbei has been solved and has not caused much damage, but because of this incident, I came to the southern capital in advance and did not stay in Yangzhou, so that even the preparation for the rectification of the salt administration can only be put on hold, and the salt merchants in Yangzhou have obviously succeeded in preventing me from entering Yangzhou City!" ”

"Tell me, what should these salt merchants do?"

"But they can only stop Your Majesty for a while, but they can't stop Your Majesty!"

"The salt in the Lianghuai Salt Farm is getting less and less year by year, private salt is also flooding year by year, and the price of salt is getting higher and higher year by year, even if the imperial court no longer needs to use salt profits to maintain military needs, if this continues, the salt that everyone eats will sooner or later completely degenerate into a tool for the wealthy profiteers to loot the people's wealth, and even use it to blackmail the imperial court."

"Therefore, even if Your Majesty does not go to Yangzhou City, you must reform the salt administration!"

Shen Li spoke first at this time.

Li Chengliang followed: "Your Majesty, salt is as important as ironware, gunpowder, and grain, and even if the imperial court doesn't use him to make profits, it can't let him be controlled by Haoqiang!" Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

Zhu Yijun nodded, and then said about Lin Xue: "I heard that the salt merchants in Yangzhou are all rich, and the salt merchants don't want me to go to Yangzhou, presumably, they are also worried that I will see their wealth, and I will rectify the salt government. ”

"Your Majesty, these profiteers can monopolize the salt market, presumably the forces behind them are not simple, but I am afraid that there are also people in the DPRK and China who are their backers, not to mention at the bottom, I don't know how many stoves and stoves are attached to them, and the forces can be described as intertwined."

"Although this levee burst cannot be directly proved to be related to them, according to common sense, it is impossible not to have anything to do with them, I am afraid that the entire Huaiyang officials, large and small, are all raised by them, so the matter of breaking the embankment, in addition to the imperial court, they can only do it."

"Perhaps, the embankment burst is just a scare and threat, they may also know that there is little hope of damaging Your Majesty's team by breaking the embankment, after all, the imperial court has a brocade guard, and there are sentinels who are ready to deliver news at any time, but if you can prevent Your Majesty from going to Yangzhou by breaking the embankment, and then let Your Majesty realize that unless the salt administration is to send their own people to change, otherwise the people up and down who are related to the salt industry are all monolithic! And if Your Majesty sends someone else to change it, or if you change it yourself, it will only have more serious consequences. ”

Shen has always stated his analysis at this time.

"Your Majesty!"

"Make it difficult and try to go far."

"No matter how monolithic the salt merchants are, they have to change! Otherwise, as the prime minister said, in the future, salt will become a sharp weapon for them to control the court, the country, the people, the nation, and even His Majesty! ”

Shen Li said again at this time.

Zhu Yijun did not express his position directly, but asked: "Where is Wang Ge Lao?" ”

"I'm on my way to Yangzhou."

At this time, Zhang Jingxiu replied.

Zhu Yijun said: "Give him a decree to stay in Yangzhou for a few more days and inspect the salt farm." ”

"Yes!"

Huang Xun replied here.

……

Yangzhou.

Not long after Wang Xijue received Zhu Yijun's will, he happened to come to Yangzhou City.

Yangzhou is rich and wealthy, so as soon as Wang Xijue arrived at the outskirts of Yangzhou, he saw countless children of anointed sorghum, all driving luxury carriages through the city, and many ointment beams were wearing silk clothes of the color forbidden by the people, which was extremely luxurious.

Rao is a wealthy person like Wang Xijue, and he also sighed and said, "No wonder they don't want Your Majesty to come to Yangzhou." ”

"Although it is ten miles of Yangzhou, the lights are endless, and the place is splendid, but it is also the land of the Son of Heaven, and they don't want His Majesty to come, unless they can really buy everyone in the world."

Sun Jigao, who followed Wang Xijue into the city together, said a word at this time.

Wang Xijue said with a smile: "It's hard to say, after the grain was changed to the silver was opened, most of the big businessmen from the north and south gathered here, for so many years, no one knows how many children they have cultivated here, and how many people colluded with them behind them, don't look at the fact that many Jinshi in the court are from Jin and Chu, but in fact they are from Yangzhou, so they are so arrogant and give His Majesty a horse." ”

As Wang Xijue spoke, he saw a horse team on the opposite side that was even more majestic than his Qincha honor guard coming towards him, and several of them rode jujube red horses to him: "Get out of the way!" Be careful, you will die later! ”

"Presumptuous!"

"Do you see clearly what kind of honor guard this is, ask us to give way!"

Wang Xijue's house slave Wang Wu hurriedly shouted.

Whoosh!

But at this moment, these people suddenly took up their bows and arrows and shot at Wang Xijue's guards.

Several of Wang Xijue's guards were hit by arrows.

Sun Jigao looked back at Wang Xijue in shock.

Wang Xijue himself was so frightened by this scene that he was even grazed by an arrow that flew into the carriage, and his face was bleeding on the spot.

"Sir!"

"Pavilion Elder !"

"Escort!"

The accompanying people were shocked.

Wang Xijue himself was also frightened, and said, "Get out of the way!" Get out of the way! ”

As a result, Wang Xijue's entourage had to get out of the way.

The men on the red horses smiled disapprovingly, and then spun their whips and galloped out of the city, followed by a larger group of horses.

Wang Xijue here asked the medical officer to treat his arrow wounds, and at the same time looked at these large numbers of people in brocade clothes and riding out of the city with fear, and said: "This Yangzhou City is indeed the land of Longtan Tiger's Den!" ”

Wang Xijue said and instructed Wang Wu: "Wang Wu, hurry up and say hello, lest next time, they will directly bombard you and me!" ”

"Yes!"

Here, outside Yangzhou City, ten miles long pavilion.

Salt merchant Ye Shouzong also looked at the dust raised by a large number of ointment disciples after passing by, and the salt merchant Fan Shanjun smiled and said: "If they let the elder die of the pavilion, I am afraid that the salt tax in Yangzhou will be as difficult to reduce as the Jiangnan tea tax and field tax!" ”

"Is the Ye Guild the one who cares about that salt tax?"

"Don't say that you don't cut taxes, even if you raise some taxes again, even if you double them, you won't be able to hurt Ye Gong's foundation, right?"

Fan Shanjun also asked with a smile.

Ye Shanzong said: "That is, it is nothing more than to let the price of salt also rise, and it will only rise more, and the extra will be used to buy salt stove households and officials, and the court is afraid that while reducing the salt tax, I beg us to follow and lower the price of salt." ”

"Still, it's better to be angry, there are factory guards everywhere."

Fan Shanjun whispered again.

Ye Shanzong bowed: "I know!" ”

"Ladies and gentlemen! My lord is coming to Yangzhou, I didn't greet you in advance, it was our lord's negligence, so that there was a horse team collision, so now the lord is sending down to talk to you, I didn't expect you to come to the city to greet you first. ”

Not long after, Wang Wuxian appeared in front of the officials and salt merchants in Yangzhou, and said a word.

After hearing this, Zhen Yingsong, the prefect of Yangzhou, hurriedly bowed to Wang Wu, and said: "This official is still criticizing these people, and his own children who are arrogant and indulgent are so nonsense, and they have been strictly investigated, please tell the pavilion elder, and the lower officials must give an explanation to the pavilion elder!" ”

"Thank you!"

Wang Wu replied again.

"Originally, because I heard that His Majesty was on a southern tour, the official strictly ordered them to strengthen their control, but who knew that this incident still happened, and when the time came, I could only think that the elder of the pavilion would personally ask for the guilt."

Then, Zhen Yingsong said again with a guilty and worried face.

Wang Wudao: "It's okay, just please don't go too far, Ge Lao, you can ignore it, but what kind of person Your Majesty looks like, you still have to weigh it, you really want to make the Son of Heaven anxious, some prices are not something that anyone can afford, as the saying goes, when the Son of Heaven is angry, millions of corpses will be ambushed!" ”

"That's right!"

Zhen Yingsong, the prefect of Yangzhou, also agreed, and turned to look at Fan Shanjun and the salt merchant: "Don't really treat Yangzhou as your own Yangzhou!" ”

"We don't dare!"

"We are also very angry, there are salt merchants' children who are so ignorant!"

Fan Shanjun and the other salt merchants immediately replied, their faces full of panic.

Not long after, Wang Xijue also came here by car.

Zhen Yingsong and other Yangzhou officials and Yangzhou salt merchants all greeted Wang Xijue very respectfully.

And after these people welcomed Wang Xijue into Yangzhou City, they also entertained Wang Xijue very warmly, and they all presented a rich gift list.

The gifts in the gift list are either good fields or beautiful women called thin horses, as well as gardens, shops and all kinds of luxury things.

Because the Ming Dynasty is now very strong in punishing corruption, therefore, the gifts on these gift lists will not be directly given to Wang Xijue, but Wang Xijue can let himself or his descendants ask for it when needed, whether it is to fold silver or directly ask for industry, as long as his Wang family still has power in the court, these salt merchants will recognize the authority of the gift list.

But if the Wang family has no power, these gift lists are naturally just a piece of paper.

Of course, if these gift lists are checked by the Jinyi Guard, the salt merchants can also say that the gift lists are not theirs, but made by the palace itself.

"Master, do you accept these gift orders or not?"

Wang Wu also asked after Wang Xijue entered Yangzhou. (End of chapter)