Wang Xijue did not rush to answer Wang Wu, but looked at the thin horses in front of him who were singing and dancing in front of him, and took off their golden silk clothes one by one, while gently pressing the arrow wounds on their faces with their hands.

"Ge Lao, the salt merchants call this dance the gold dance, because this dance looks at it from a distance, as if a piece of gold leaf paper faded off and saw the real jade, so it got this name."

"This is the method that Fan Xiaolian of the salt merchant Fan Mansion thought of, and the concubines in his house happened to be one in a million skinny horses, so now they are all offered to make amends for your shock, if the elder feels like it, he wants to give a reward, he wants to advise, and he can move to the Fan Mansion."

Zhen Yingsheng spoke for Wang Xijue at this time.

Fan Shanjun only got up at this time and said with a smile: "Let the elder see the smile, the elder is a wealthy family in Taicang, and he has never seen anything." ”

Wang Xijue just smiled slightly.

As soon as he entered Yangzhou, he was already amazed by the pomp and circumstance of the salt merchants, needless to say, the richness of the delicacies of the mountains and seas, the key is that the houses and carriages are magnificent, and the places that exceed the system can be seen everywhere, and even the horses used are better than the war horses of the pro-military guards.

It's hard not to wonder if it was quietly bought from Taifu Temple at a high price.

Moreover, even the "thin horses" are still raised in large quantities, and even many of them are Han family girls with yellow records, and even the price is clearly marked.

Obviously, the decree issued by the imperial court long ago prohibiting the women of the Han family from selling their bodies and being bought and sold has become a false document here.

What these salt merchants gave the court a little face was that they only did not let these Han women sell directly in the Qinglou, but sold them in these salt merchants' own homes, and they did not say that they were selling, but only said that they were offering righteous women.

Smelling the fragrance of fat powder, looking at the white jade.

Wang Xijue sighed: "Which official can withstand such a test when he enters Yangzhou City?" ”

That's it.

Wang Xijue picked up the gift list directly in front of the table.

Wang Xijue opened it and saw that there were 10,000 taels of silver, 1,000 acres of fertile land, and 100 beautiful women, and there were so many that they were like ordinary things, and he was dazzled by them, and he suddenly seemed to feel that these gifts were just mud and sand, and he should be very honest if he took one or two.

But Wang Xijue still has some determination.

After all, he doesn't lack these things in his own house.

Therefore, Wang Xijue only glanced at Wang Wu, and said with a smile: "What to do if you keep it, keep these, can my broken face be quickly restored, I'm afraid that if the phase is restored, my reputation will be ruined!" ”

Syllable!

Wang Xijue slapped the table as he spoke: "Do you really think that an official can't withstand such a test, it's just some pickled things that life doesn't bring to death!" ”

Wang Wu said yes.

Wang Xijue then looked at Fan Shanjun and the others: "I'm waiting for you to give me an explanation!" ”

Then, Wang Xijue left here.

"It's all a good thing you've done!"

Zhen Yingsong also dropped a sentence, and then got up and left here.

Fan Shanjun and Ye Shanzong and other salt merchants were not very flustered at this time.

Fan Shanjun asked even more lightly: "You say, he Wang Ge is always pretending to be honest, or does he think that we give too little?" ”

"No matter what the case is, since he wants to confess, we will give him an explanation!"

"Each family will take another 500,000 taels of silver out and gather tens of millions of family properties and thousands of family members, thousands of acres of land, thousands of houses, and then give those families who are guilty, and then let the court copy these backmouthers, right?"

Ye Shanzong said disappreciatively at this time.

Fan Shanjun said: "It shouldn't be too much, but it's easy to be targeted." ”

"Yes!"

The other salt merchants chimed in.

After hearing this, Ye Shanzong stood up: "Then I will go to meet a few officials in Yangzhou and discuss with them, and they will hurry up to collect the silver and make up the slaves." ”

Fan Shanjun is the head of the salt merchant.

On this day, Wang Xijue was just about to leave Yangzhou in advance, when he saw the three salt merchants of Han Weijian, Li Yuwen, and Ling Yunzheng, each of them tied up dozens of young men who were gorgeously dressed and had faces as white as girls to kneel in front of Wang Xijue.

"What's going on?"

Wang Xijue asked about Wang Wulai.

Wang Wu replied: "They came to ask for guilt, they said that on that day, they rode their horses and charged the guard of honor, and they were the ones who shot the master and the guards with arrows. ”

"The students are so ineffective in disciplining their children that they are allowed to suffer such a catastrophe, and the students and the whole clan are willing to confess their sins and surrender to the law!"

At this time, Han Weijian said first.

Li Yuwen also followed: "All this is to blame on the students who usually only know how to be busy with business, and neglect to discipline them, but let them be arrogantly indulged by the women in the family and do not know the king's law, so that they have done such a big disaster, and now they have come to surrender to the elder of the pavilion to ask for guilt!" ”

Then, Ling Yunzheng also asked for guilt.

Wang Xijue looked at these people, but he did see several familiar faces from the kneeling people.

"Why didn't there be a few salt merchants such as Fan and Ye who came to ask for sin?"

Wang Xijue asked.

Wang Wu replied: "It may have nothing to do with them. ”

"It seems that their tutors are better than these."

"Let Zhang Zhenchen of the Chinese army take them into custody, and confiscate the family property and servants first, and then wait for His Majesty to dispose of them."

Wang Xijue gave an order as he spoke, and then left Yangzhou City.

……

"Your Majesty!"

As soon as he arrived in Nandu, Wang Xijue met Zhu Yijun first.

Zhu Yijun asked, "What's wrong with your face?" ”

Wang Xijue hurriedly informed the reason.

Zhu Yijun's face sank after hearing this, he sneered, and said, "It's really bold, there will be a time when businessmen are not afraid of officials." ”

"Your Majesty, this can only show that the official has become a businessman, and the businessman has become an official."

Li Chengliang replied at this time.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Xijue: "I have to get this justice back for you, and I also want to get back face for the court. I really don't know if this Yangzhou is not my Yangzhou! ”

"Your Majesty is angry!"

Wang Xijue persuaded Zhu Yijun at this time, saying:

"They have already given an explanation to the imperial court, and the three salt merchants of Han, Li, and Ling have taken the initiative to come to the door to ask the minister for their guilt, and the minister has ordered them to be raided."

"This is an explanation, not justice."

Zhu Yijun replied.

Wang Xijue said: "Your Majesty is clear, but there is no absolute justice in the world!" This matter is naturally that the salt merchants in Yangzhou are working against the imperial court, but it is impossible for the imperial court to exterminate all the salt merchants because of the crimes committed by a few salt merchants, after all, the imperial court is not a bandit. ”

"What do you mean, that's it?"

Zhu Yijun asked.

Wang Xijue arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty Shengming, this matter can only be counted like this, not to mention that the minister is just injured, even if the minister is killed by them, this matter can only be counted, after all, the salt is controlled in their hands." ”

"Who said the salt was in their hands?"

Zhu Yijun asked.

Wang Xijue raised his head and glanced at Zhu Yijun: "What does Your Majesty mean?" ”

"Let me ask you, can I buy salt with money?"

Zhu Yijun asked.

Wang Xijue nodded: "Yes!" ”

Zhu Yijun asked again: "Can you grab salt with a knife?" ”

Wang Xijue replied: "You can too!" ”

"What about knives and money?"

Zhu Yijun asked.

Wang Xijue raised his head sharply.

"Your Majesty is going to bleed a river?!"

Shen Li, who was on the side, asked urgently at this time.

Zhu Yijun did not answer Shen Li, but asked the ministers:

"I ask you again, now, the imperial court does not rely on the salt industry to raise the army, does it still need salt merchants?"

"Naturally, no!"

"If the imperial court is not willing to make a profit, the people of the world don't want to make it!"

Wang Xun replied at this time.

Seeing this, Shen Yi realized that he could no longer stand on the dry shore, so that Shen Li and Wang Xun also improved faster than himself, so he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty Shengming! ”

Seeing this, Wang Xuan, who was about to continue to talk eloquently, had to shut up first and wait for Shen to finish speaking.

Shen Zheng continued to elaborate: "In the opinion of foolish ministers, if the court does not use anything that can control the people for profit, then others cannot use it for profit!" ”

"Otherwise, only the country will not be the country, and the people will not be the people!"

"Therefore, the minister believes that the salt field of the world's stove should be immediately taken over as state-owned! The imperial court directly set up a state commercial house to hire salt to make salt, and then the imperial court and officials at all levels set up official commercial houses to transport and sell it. ”

"All merchants can register with the government and sell salt from the government with the permission of the government, while the imperial court and the official offices at all levels do not sell directly, but are only responsible for transporting salt and wholesale sales, and the purchase price is limited to merchants who sell salt."

"Such a small merchant and hawker are willing to enter the salt to sell, after all, after the purchase and price limit, the profit is meager, for the rich and giant, it is not enough to work hard for this, but for the small merchant and hawker, it can support their families! In this way, the small shops on the street and the small hotels in the village can also sell salt. ”

Shen always said this: "Your Majesty, there is no shortage of salt in the world, whether it is well salt or sea salt, this dynasty has been cooked, and it is really not possible to open another salt field overseas, so as long as the imperial court does not seek its benefits, nor does it allow the powerful and bureaucrats to seek its benefits, and only benefits the people, then salt is just the same as ordinary rice noodles, and it is not necessary to take risks and steal from smugglers." ”

"Shen Qing said the most today, and he seems to have been prepared in advance, quite organized, and coincides with me."

Zhu Yijun said at this time.

Shen Zheng took out the recital that had been prepared from his sleeve: "The minister did not dare to hide it from His Majesty, the minister had already thought about the salt administration, and drafted the book, and intended to wait for His Majesty to go to Yangzhou to personally check the salt administration, and then submit it to His Majesty's imperial review, but unfortunately, His Majesty failed to go to Yangzhou, and now the elder came back from Yangzhou to mention the abhorrence of the salt merchants, and His Majesty also talked about the salt administration, and the minister dared to present it." ”

Wang Xun glanced at Shen Yi in amazement, his eyes full of fire.

Then, Wang Xun turned to Zhu Yijun and said, "Your Majesty! The idea of the great uncle to copy the minister, what he played today is exactly the method of salt reform that the minister mentioned to him a few days ago when he was appreciating the plum with Xue! ”

"Your Majesty, the minister didn't copy it, but the minister and Otsuka Zai also coincided!"

Shen replied very calmly at this time.

Wang Xun looked at Shen Cheng with horizontal eyebrows: "This is the imperial front, please don't joke!" ”

Shen Cheng looked at Ye Xianggao: "Your Majesty, Ye Xianggao, a disciple of the minister, can testify for the minister." ”

Ye Xianggao hurriedly said at this time: "Your Majesty, the minister has never heard Enfu say it, but the minister has mentioned it to Enfu. ”

On the spot, the room suddenly became quieter.

Li Chengliang and Liu Wei glanced at each other, and then whispered to Liu Ling: "You must be cautious in your words and deeds in the court, otherwise, good ideas will be copied." ”

"Then Shen Yinxian copied someone else's idea?"

Liu Wei asked.

Li Chengliang glanced at Liu Ling: "Is this important?" ”

(End of chapter)