"Madame, taste it yourself."

The name of the grocery store owner is Liu Guangming, and he is from the same clan as Laidi's husband Liu Qixian, so he naturally knows Laidi, so he replied with a respectful smile.

Laidi really asked the maid to take some, and tasted it herself: "This is indeed salt, and the color is very good!" ”

Immediately, Lai Di said: "Uncle, how much salt do you have to sell, I want it all!" ”

Because the imperial court only restricted the purchase of wholesale to monopoly households by the government, but not the retail purchase time limit of monopoly households.

Why.

The first is to save regulatory costs.

Second, it is not necessary, after all, the salt that can reach each monopoly is limited.

Therefore, Laidi was able to buy all the salt from this Liu Guangming, and finally bought all the salt in his store.

"I want five pounds!"

"I want ten pounds!"

"I want twenty pounds!"

……

Coincidentally.

When many people found out that a shop was starting to sell cheap salt, they went crazy and rushed to buy it in large quantities.

After all, the price of salt is rising day by day, and because of the lag in information, they don't know that the imperial court has a lot of salt from Hedong and Sichuan, so they are all panicking, and they all want to hurry up and get more cheap salt, so as not to pay a high price for salt.

"Don't rob!"

"Now the official salt store has salt!"

"I have a permit, I can always get salt for you, don't rob it!"

……

In the beginning.

These small salt sellers are also happy to see the phenomenon of panic buying.

But gradually, as more and more people bought salt, and they were able to keep getting salt from the government-run salt stores, they first believed that the imperial court was not short of salt, and in addition, they felt that it was too hard to frequently enter and sell salt, and they were irritated by the conflicts caused by the salt grabbing, so they had to take the initiative to persuade these people to come to the court and no longer conceal the news that they could continue to get salt.

However, the masses are blind.

Once the popularity of this kind of fried salt rises, it is difficult to quickly reduce it for a while.

Therefore, let these small traders and peddlers who sell salt shout to cut their throats, there are still many people who sell salt in large quantities, and there is still a steady stream of people to sell salt.

What's more, the income of the people has indeed increased a lot, so there is no shortage of money, and because the tradition of cannibalism has prevailed for thousands of years, they are even more insecure.

It is also difficult for ordinary people to quickly calm down from the panic of salt being difficult to buy.

If it weren't for the price limit of the imperial court and the constant attention of the Jinyi guards, the merchants who were allowed by the emperor to be directly responsible for selling salt to the people were just small traders with little power, and they would not dare to disobey the orders of the imperial court and arbitrarily raise prices.

After all, if they disobey the order, they will be severely fined by raiding their homes, but the gains outweigh the losses.

These small salt traders and peddlers have already raised the price of salt.

But even so, because there are many people rushing to buy salt, it is still profitable to sell salt.

Especially for ordinary civilians, it is a considerable income.

And so, a magical scene happened.

Because the household department restricts each household to only get one monopoly license, and it can only be used in one store, and it must pay taxes well.

Therefore, in order to get more salt monopoly licenses and make money from selling salt, many people directly split up overnight.

Since the county level can issue permits, and according to the Ming Yellow Book system, the Ming Yellow Book has a special revision column, that is, land transactions, births and deaths, marriage and family separation household registration changes, can be revised at any time in the county government, and then will be summarized and recompiled in the regular recompilation of the Yellow Book every ten years.

Therefore, it is possible to get a few more permits for changing the household post overnight.

Not only did they separate their families overnight, but in order to obtain more permits, there were also cases of widows remarrying overnight, widowers marrying overnight, monks returning to customs overnight, and weddings being held overnight.

The reason why there are widows who remarry overnight and widowers who marry overnight is because although the imperial court can issue permits to all good taxpayers, it is also the minimum requirement, that is, the applicant can afford to operate.

In order to obtain a monopoly salt license, it is needless to say that the hidden population has to pay taxes overnight and voluntarily register for the household registration.

Many counties, such as Yingtian and Fengyang, have suddenly increased their populations, and they have exploded.

Salt shops have sprung up everywhere.

In order to make money by selling salt, many people borrowed money and borrowed money, not to mention, but also spent money to rent stores to operate.

Although selling salt does not make much profit because of the price limit, which makes the rich and wealthy businessmen look down on it, the common people still look at it.

Because of this, Fan Shanjun, a big salt merchant, soon learned that many grocery stores, taverns, and inns in the market began to sell salt.

Fan Shanjun himself also came to the market by horse-drawn carriage.

Outcome.

Fan Shanjun saw that an ordinary grocery store that he usually passed by would not take a second look, but it was marked with a very cheap price of salt, and there was really a clerk who was weighing salt for the people to sell, and the quality of the salt was also good, and it was snow-white high-grade salt at a glance.

"Why is it so cheap!"

"Which salt merchant is so unaligned, doesn't he know that the imperial court is going to dig up our roots now?!"

Fan Shanjun was shocked, and even thought that other salt merchants did not cooperate, and deliberately let the major shops sell salt for him while promising to cut off salt together.

"Master, this battle doesn't look like a salt merchant did it, even if they want to make money, they won't set the price so low!"

"My lord must know that the recently promulgated decree on the reform of the salt industry clearly stipulates that salt sales permits are allowed to be issued to good taxpayers who are willing to engage in self-employment, and there should be a price limit for salt, which is why the price of these salts is sold so low."

Fan Shanjun's housekeeper Fan Fu analyzed at this time.

Fan Shanjun nodded after hearing this: "What you said is right!" ”

Then, Fan Shanjun said with a calm face: "It seems that the imperial court does not plan to make money on salt, and the reform of salt administration only wants to benefit the people, so that everyone can easily eat salt." ”

"That's it?"

Fan Fu asked a little stunned, and said: "Reform the salt administration at the expense of blood and rain, and transfer so many troops to the south, just to let the people eat cheap salt, and don't want any benefit from yourself?" ”

"This seems to be something that he Zhu Yijun can do!"

"He really offered the people on his head as if they were ancestors."

"The people of the world who have always hoped for Renjun have really appeared!"

Fan Shanjun said sourly, and then said:

"I just don't know if this benevolent son has prepared enough salt to do this, or not, but he is just deliberately scaring us like this, as long as this benevolent monarch does not prepare enough salt, he still has to beg our salt merchant to release salt."

……

"Did you hear that?"

"A lot of small traders are selling salt, and they're selling it very low."

"Our salt weaning doesn't seem to be working."

Ye Shanzong also found Fan Shanjun and other salt merchants on this day and mentioned the matter.

Fan Shanjun nodded: "Got it, the key now is to figure out, does the Son of Heaven have enough salt in his hands?" Is he bluffing, or is he really benefiting the people! ”

"Then hold on for a while."

"Hold on for at least a month!"

Ye Shanzong said.

"That's right, hold on a little longer."

"It's a pity that each of their grocery stores orders a limited amount of salt every month, otherwise, we could have eaten a lot first!"

Many salt merchants followed suit.

But a month later, there were more and more small salt sellers in various places, and there was no shortage of salt.

Even the people began to regain their composure, gradually stopped grabbing salt, began to get used to this way of life of buying salt at nearby grocery stores or small hotels, and began to believe that these stores really did not lack salt.

"Is there really a lot of salt in the imperial court?"

Fan Shanjun and other salt merchants also became more and more unable to sit still.

Because once the common people are really accustomed to buying salt from self-employed small traders and hawkers, and are accustomed to the price of salt less than one-third of the usual price, their salt shops will completely disappear, and these salt merchants will be completely cut off from retreat, and there will be no longer any value in existence.

Therefore, on this day, Fan Shanjun asked about Ye Shanzong and other salt merchants.

At this time, a salt merchant named Li Xianshi walked over quickly: "Yes! My brother has just sent someone from Beijing to send news that the case of the King of Shu and the King of Jin selling illicit salt has only now been sent to the Criminal Department by Jinyiwei. ”

"The case of selling illicit salt, this shows that Jinyiwei has raided their home and copied the salt from the mansion of King Jin and King Shu?"

"Yes!"

Fan Shanjun immediately understood, and fainted as he spoke.

"Fan Lao!"

Seeing this, Ye Shanzong shouted and helped Fan Shanjun back to the chair.

Fan Shanjun said weakly at this time: "So ruthless, so ruthless, the son of heaven, now we are finished!" ”

"This is indeed a ruthless move, the Son of Heaven will benefit the people, greatly reduce the salt benefits, no one can object, say that there is something wrong with this, and even can only congratulate!"

"It's just that in this way, everyone doesn't want to make a lot of money in the salt industry."

Li Xianshi saw that Fan Shanjun was fine, so he spoke first at this moment.

Ye Shanzong also blamed Li Xianshi for a while: "Let the Son of Heaven not compete with the people for profit, let the people benefit, just talk, how can Brother Ling, these officials of the court and the central government, really let His Majesty do this?!" ”

"Where is this to blame, my brother, these ministers."

"It is the Son of Heaven himself who wants to benefit the people and benefit the people!"

"All this can only be blamed on Zhang Juzheng, teaching the Son of Heaven to benefit the people, but the Son of Heaven really believes it, exempts the classman from silver and conscription, and now even the salt tax is exempted!"

Li Xianshi defended Li Xianfang for his brother's criminal department, and blamed Zhang Juzheng.

"Why didn't anyone dig Zhang Juzheng's ancestral grave again!"

Ye Shanzong couldn't help but complain.

Fan Shanjun hurriedly reminded: "Be careful! That's the reverse scale of the Son of Heaven! ”

"Sir!"

"Oh no!"

"Just now there is news from the Yangzhou government that the imperial court has issued an order in various places, requiring all the ministers, judges, political departments, Fuzhou counties, Jinyiwei and Dongchang to strictly investigate the sale of salt without a license, as well as salt from unknown sources, and strictly investigate the behavior of deceiving consumers that there is no salt to sell and hoarding salt, and encourage the people of the world to report."

Fan Fu came over at this time and said the latest news from the government.

"What?!"

When all the salt merchants heard this, their faces turned pale with fright.

(End of chapter)