The salt merchants, like many of the industrial and commercial gentry, had a greedy side, but also a weak and naïve side.

I always fantasize that as long as I give up a lot of money and show favor to the person who holds the sword, the person who holds the knife will let me go.

Just like in the Chongzhen period in history, Chen Yan, who was essentially also a businessman and a gentleman, took the initiative to donate 30,000 taels of silver after Li Zicheng entered Beijing, thinking that giving 30,000 taels of silver would save him from death and torture, but as a result, he stimulated the greed of Li Zicheng's general, Liu Zongmin, and others.

Now these salt merchants are no exception, they are naïve when they are about to be destroyed, and they forget the cruelty of this world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, since you are suspected of rebellion, in order to avoid major changes in Yangzhou, the old man can only cut first and then play!"

Shen Yi said something to shatter the illusions of the salt merchants at this time, and waved his hand as he could.

So, a sergeant with a loaded gun ran over, arrested Fan Shanjun and others, and forcibly pressed Fan Shanjun and others to kneel by the river.

Fan Shanjun and other salt merchants were shocked by this.

"We are not going to rebel, you are slandering, pure slander!"

Cao Youke, a salt merchant, even shouted at this time, his face full of indignation.

"Shen Yin County, how can you be so vicious, deliberately trying to kill us!"

Xu Weihe, a salt merchant, was also so angry that he wanted to cry.

He didn't expect that Shen had always directly accused them of rebellion and didn't give them a way out.

Fan Shanjun understood a little at this time, and smiled bitterly:

"I forgot, at this time, the one who wants us to die the most is no longer the Son of Heaven!"

"Slash!"

With Shen Zhengzhong, Zhao Wenming gave an order.

A silver light appeared on the side of the canal in an instant, and the people on the bank of the canal and on the boat couldn't help but close their eyes.

Suddenly.

When the people opened their eyes again, the salt merchants had already landed on the ground.

Soon the surface of the river was flushed red.

Fan Shanjun and the salt merchant broke his neck.

"Tell all the people that this is the fate of disloyalty!"

"No matter how rich you are, you must also fear the king and the king's law!"

Shen Cheng said a word to the officials around him at this time, and then instructed Zhao Wenming:

"Although the salt merchants are guilty, their family members are at most guilty of annexing and concealing, so when they are used to reverse their property, they must be treated well, and they must not be insulted, and the friendship of their compatriots is ruined, and no criminal responsibility can be added until the specific trial and conviction of the three legal divisions."

"Yes!"

……

"Your Majesty, according to the imperial history of salt patrols in Zhejiang and other places, in order to prevent stove households and salt merchants from losing too much profit due to the reform of salt administration, please allow them to apply for opening up new salt farms at sea, and draw up the proportion of overseas salt tax."

"Moreover, some salt merchants have expressed their willingness to pay five million silver dollars as security."

Zhu Yijun also received Wang Xijue's proposal on the reform of salt administration in the imperial history of the salt inspection in other salt-producing areas other than the two Huai.

And Zhu Yijun naturally knows that there are naturally stove households and salt merchants in these places expressing their willingness to take the initiative to invest in the sea to open up new salt profits for the imperial court, and cooperate with the imperial court's salt tax reform.

In this regard, Zhu Yijun is naturally willing to see it.

He also knew that it could not be ruled out that the salt merchants in these places were the minions of Wang Xijue and Shen Yiyi, who were ministers of the ministers.

And this also means that these people are actively seeking a win-win situation with the emperor, and Zhu Yijun will not refuse, so he said: "Do what you want." ”

"Yes!"

As a result, only two stove households and salt merchants suffered the greatest losses, and were almost uprooted and wiped out, while other local stove households and salt merchants took the initiative to cooperate, and the resistance to reform was not so great.

This is related to the fact that the two Huai salt merchants were the most powerful, and most of them were the great salt merchants who moved to Yangzhou from Shanxi and other places after the reform of the Hongzhi Dynasty.

Therefore, these big salt merchants did not succeed in resisting the reform, and the salt merchants in other places naturally did not dare to do so, but only cooperated more.

However, salt merchants in other places also suffered losses.

After all, what they lost was a huge domestic market.

And they are more or less hoarding salt, especially those who have nothing to do with the DPRK and China, and do not know the relevant important news.

In fact, it was not only the salt merchants who suffered.

Many wealthy and middle-class families who had robbed large quantities of salt suffered losses.

Because as the government put a large amount of salt into the market, the price of salt began to continue to fall.

Naturally, those who used to pay more for salt have suffered.

On this day, Lai Di said while dressing Liu Quxian:

"After so many years of trading, I lost money for the first time, master, you punish me!"

"It's not your fault!"

"The whole people were grabbing salt at that time, and in order to crack down on salt merchants, the imperial court said in advance that they had copied the salt of the two princes' mansions, and they also sealed the news to death, only asking everyone not to grab salt, and few of them could stabilize their hearts."

Liu Quxian smiled and comforted Laidi.

Then, Liu Quxian smiled again: "However, through this matter, you and I have to understand more, if you want to make money, you have to follow in the footsteps of Your Majesty, you must be loyal to the monarch, you must take the country to heart, otherwise you will lose it, maybe you will put your life into it, these Yangzhou salt merchants are the best example, with their ability, they should know that the imperial court is going to reform the salt government to benefit the people, but they not only do not cooperate to touch the dragon's beard, the result is that Your Majesty can't do it if you want their lives, and there are many powerful bureaucrats waiting to divide them in the world!" ”

"So, this is the reason why the steamship manufacturing bureau you are in charge of has lost more than two million silver dollars for the development and manufacture of steamships, even if many officials impeach you for corruption and incompetence and embezzlement of national funds, but you are not worried?"

Lai Di asked with a smile at this time.

Liu Quxian also replied with a smile: "Naturally! As long as His Majesty says that he is worth it, then the loss in this is nothing, and what about the impeachment of the imperial history, all I have to do is to make a big loss because of the research and development of steamships while trying to find a way to let the Daming Central Commercial Bank make more money in other aspects. ”

After hearing this, Lai Di said: "From the fortune of the country to the fortune of a person, it is all in the thought of the Son of Heaven, we are lucky, we are born to meet the holy monarch and benevolent lord, so that we can be so rich now!" ”

"yes."

"The people in the market can now eat cheap salt, and it is because of the birth of such a holy monarch and benevolent lord that they have such a great creation."

"No matter how confused the people of later generations are, when they see the price of salt, I am afraid that it will not be easy to discredit His Majesty today."

After Liu Quxian answered, he personally put on his official hat and left Laidi's room.

After Liu Quxian came to the street, he saw that because of the sharp drop in the price of salt, the number of people who bought back the cured meat has also increased significantly, and the swelling of many people's faces has also been greatly reduced, and many people are much more energetic than before.

Don't underestimate the impact of the imperial court on the entire nation by no longer benefiting the people through salt.

You must know that salt, a necessary nutrient for human beings, once the intake is insufficient, it affects the cranial nerves, muscle nerves, as well as digestive ability, etc., which is very related to the improvement of a nation's intelligence and physical strength.

Of course.

This also made ordinary civilians more daring to fight against officials and slaves.

There is no other reason.

In the past, the people's salt intake was insufficient, and their physical strength and intelligence would be poor, but the people's intake was sufficient, and their physical strength and intelligence were naturally much stronger.

And now the decline in salt prices has greatly increased the salt intake of the people, and they are naturally more physically strong, their intelligence has improved, and it is easier to understand all kinds of imperial court propaganda.

In addition, the decline in salt prices has also greatly improved the domestic demand economy.

Consumer discretionary goods are starting to be bought by more people.

Even the barbecue stalls have increased a lot all at once.

"Grilled pork belly!"

"Kebabs!"

……

When Ye Xianggao went to Xiaoling with Hu that day, he heard shouts from the nearby streets, and also smelled the aroma of barbecue, and swallowed saliva for a while and said to Jiao Hong:

"When I came to Nandu at the beginning of last year, I didn't hear so many voices of shouting and buying barbecue here, but now there are a lot more, and the fragrance is stronger."

"Because of the sacredness, the price of salt is far less than the price of meat, so there are many barbecuers! In the past, it was not that no one wanted to do a barbecue business, but it was like sprinkling salt with silver. ”

Jiao Hong replied with a smile.

Ye Xianggao nodded, and secretly thought that he would come to taste it in the evening, and by the way, he also learned from Su Dongpo to write a "Lao Glutton", which not only remembered the food, but also remembered the country's peace and security, and praised the saints.

Not long after Ye Xianggao thought like this, he arrived at Xiaoling with Hu.

Because this day is the 24th year of Wanli, and the salt administration has been rectified, and many affairs of sacrificing filial piety have been prepared, Zhu Yijun decided to worship filial piety on this day.

Xiaoling is the place where Zhu Yuanzhang is buried.

Zhu Yijun came to worship the filial piety tomb, which is different from other emperors' sacrifice to the filial piety tomb.

The sacrifices he offered were all kinds of soil gifts from the soldiers and civilians along the southern tour, such as pickled meat and salted fish, chickens, ducks and geese, etc., and even a jar of ordinary pickles.

In order to let Zhu Yuanzhang see how popular the Ming Dynasty is under his rule, and how rich the people under his rule are.

Then there is the head of a dry salt merchant and a table of various economic data and martial data.

Zhu Yijun faced Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "I know that you are a pragmatic and loving monarch, so you don't plan to use some mundane things to sacrifice, and now I am offering a gift from all the people to me, maybe this makes you feel even more happy, if you feel this in your heart, please bless me in the world, bless the people in the world to be peaceful!" ”

After Zhu Yijun said, Zhu Yuanzhang made a big salute and said:

"There is another head of a profiteer, showing my courage to overcome thorns and thorns, and a table of prices, I hope you can see the merits of protecting the people and protecting the country!"

"Whether it is the price of grain, or the price of salt, or the price of cloth has been able to make the people of the world know what is the prosperous age, in order to encourage future generations, I have decided to erect a monument on the side of your mausoleum to remember this merit, so that the king of the future generations will come to sacrifice you again, if you are not as good as this merit, and boast of your good governance, and please shame him!"

After Zhu Yijun said, he got up and ordered: "Erect a monument!" (End of chapter)