"You are a salt merchant who sells grain to earn your family's business?" Zhu Su sneered. "Just now, your highness is young when you open your mouth, and the prince doesn't know when you shut up."

"Why, is it true that this king is young and ignorant, and is ready to take the chestnut in the fire?"

"How dare the grass people, His Highness is serious, and His Highness is angry."

Ma Fengsun lowered his head and kept begging for mercy, making a frightened appearance, but the eyes hidden in the shadows revealed a bit of disdain and cunning. "Your Highness, Your Highness, the grass people are the relatives of General Yang, the commander of the Suzhou Guard."

"With our Ming court, but it's my own family!"

“…… Yang Lu? Zhu Su was stunned, thinking of the same smiling Commander Yang coming.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes. It's Commander Yang who just had a banquet with His Highness a few days ago! Ma Fengsun Mei smiled, but in the depths of her eyes, there was a touch of imperceptible pride.

"The grass people are the uncles of the Yang Commander in the guard. Really speaking, the Yang Niangniang in the palace is also the niece of the grass people! ”

"Huh." Zhu Su laughed. Sure enough, there are people in the court who are good at doing things, and this surnamed Ma can hold the salt of a rich state capital like Suzhou, and there is really a certain relationship in the court.

From ancient times to the present, salt merchants are not good people, they belong to the battle merchants among merchants, and they are the most difficult existence among merchants. This group often has a very high status in black and white, the rich are not as powerful as him, the powerful are not as strong as him, and the relationship is not as strong as his thugs!

Don't talk about it, let's talk about the last batch, among the Suzhou salt merchants decades ago, who was the surname of the person with the biggest name? Zhang Shicheng!

Zhang Shicheng, who is located in Suzhou and competes for the world, is the origin of a dry salt merchant!

The salt merchants paid the salt tax to the yamen in exchange for the salt to be transported and sold in all directions. Salt transportation often requires the addition of "private salt" that exceeds the number of salt introductions. In order to market these private salts, salt merchants often have salt carriers loyal to them, called "salt sticks". Even some salt merchants themselves are good hands on the rivers and lakes.

Ma Fengsun is a salt merchant in Suzhou, with the support of a powerful general like Yang Lu behind him, and Concubine Yang in the court, who is countless times more "groundhead" than other "land snakes", no wonder, he is not very afraid of his "strong dragon".

Come to think of it, he also heard about his previous politeness to Yang Lu, and Yang Lu borrowed a thousand soldiers from him, which can be regarded as "kindness", so he dared to put this relationship in person, thinking that he would definitely open up the net, right?

After all, it's not nice to say such a thing as hoarding, but it's not a big deal. After all, there is no provision in the law for the time being.

Even if the prefect of Suzhou and others sue in Beijing, with Concubine Yang's face, at most they will only be fined some silver, right?

In the lower compartment, Ma Fengsun looked at Zhu Su knocking on the handrail thoughtfully, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but raise an arc that was under control. Sure enough, as he expected, the young prince threw a mouse trap on himself and weighed the pros and cons.

First, his nephew, who was the commander, said that this prince Wu was just a child, and he just wanted to show his hand in front of his emperor Lao Tzu and support him.

One trick of "grace and power" bluffed so many people into taking out food, which is enough to make a difference, and they will definitely not come to gnaw on their hard hedgehog again.

Besides, even if the shipping of military rations is really profitable, with the relationship of his nephew in the army, can he still have no place for himself?

Why pay such a big price to fill the hole in the bottomless pit of King Wu?

Ma Fengsun thought that Zhu Su would never make a move, but he didn't know that above, Zhu Su was already condescending, and captured the smile on the corner of his mouth in his eyes.

He's really weighing the pros and cons. It is true that he deliberately wanted to "make an example of chickens" from the beginning, thinking of "forcing rebellion" against a few disobedient businessmen.

But now this one is unexpectedly related to Yang Lu, the commander of Suzhou Wei, which makes him have to weigh it.

It doesn't hurt for a businessman to be resentful, and it can just be used to make a layout and be the bait for catching turtles in that urn.

But if it is forced against a government guard...... Although he didn't want to rely on Suzhou Wei Yanglu, that guy who didn't look very reliable. But if this person grows a branch outside the festival, he really has to weigh it.

After thinking about it, Zhu Su still decided to take out the surnamed Ma alone and teach him a lesson. As soon as he came, Yang Lu looked like a selfish person, although this Ma Fengsun and him were close relatives, but this person finally climbed to the position of commander, and he would not necessarily force his head out for this uncle.

Second, I was thinking about the pros and cons above, and some of the businessmen below who had agreed to "give grain" had already expressed regret and pain. If this horse salt merchant is allowed to go unpunished, I am afraid that after these obedient merchants return to the grain, they will definitely have a grudge against themselves!

The lesser of two evils, besides, I do not like this surnamed Ma very well.

"Di Meng." Zhu Su said.

"What does Your Highness command?" When a soldier standing beside Zhu Su heard this, he immediately turned around and half-knelt down in response. The rattling sound of the armor when squatting down also made Ma Fengsun, who thought that the overall situation had been decided, stunned on the spot, and the rest of the businessmen who were watching couldn't help but hold their breath and concentrate.

"No matter whether I am an official or a general, I will be honest and self-controlled. The palace is also well aware of the righteous people and never interferes in politics. ”

"This salt merchant surnamed Ma dared to wantonly slander the generals of the imperial court, and mentioned the names of the concubines in his father's palace in front of the public, wanting to suppress the king." Zhu Su said lightly.

"Gah?" Ma Fengsun was immediately stunned. This...... Isn't that just talking? When did you slander the general? As for Concubine Yang's name, she didn't even say a word!

"This king pinched his fingers, this surnamed Ma must have relied on the name of General Yang Concubine Yang to dare to hoard Juqi. On weekdays, there must be many lawlessness. ”

"Otherwise, how could he, a salt merchant, save so much grain?"

"You go and check, the penalty that should be punished should be deducted. This is the first major case that this king has encountered since he came to Suzhou, and it cannot be ambiguous. ”

"Yes!" Di Meng couldn't help but laugh, trying to make a majestic appearance with a straight face. The merchants below also looked strange. This highness has a sharp mouth, and, pinching his fingers? Your Highness, what is this new framing method?

"Temple...... Your Highness, the grass people are willing to donate! The grass people are willing to donate 70,000 stones! Ma Fengsun's knees weakened, and he immediately shouted screaming. He never thought that this prince would use the matter of hoarding grain to put a hat on his head that "won the name of General Yang and Concubine Yang".

Although the law does not prohibit it, when it comes to "virtue", whether it is Concubine Yang in the palace or the commander Yang Lu, it will definitely not stand out for it.

If you come out, you are betting on your official career and the emperor's favor in the harem!

Your own family knows your own affairs. If it is involved with these things, it is really hard to say whether his nephews and nieces, who have been separated by a layer, will miss their "dearest relatives"!

"It's pretty quick to admit it. It's late. Zhu Su sneered. For this kind of reactionary who is afraid at the critical moment, even if he stops at this time, he will still hate himself to the core. In that case, why not take the food from his house first?

Anyway, if you take it, you have to hate, and if you don't take it, you have to hate. The left and right are hateful, so it is better to give Su Song the victims more confidence first.

"Your Highness! The grass people are willing to donate 80,000, no, 90,000 ......" the horse salt merchant continued to increase. I have to say that this person is indeed a ruthless person, and once he understands the direction of the wind, he will not hesitate to spend his money. It's a pity that Zhu Su has already made up his mind to take him under the knife, not only was he unmoved by this, but even the corners of his mouth were raised, and he had the mind of humiliating and teasing.

"Ahh I saw Zhu Lao Wu holding his heart with both hands, looking frightened. "Do you want to hurt people?"

"The king is too young to withstand such a fright. Di Meng, quickly shut up this person and drag it down! ”

"This king is in weak health, and he will be sick in a while!"

"Yes." Di Meng twitched the corners of his mouth, fortunately he had received professional training and successfully maintained the seriousness of his face and walked on. In Ma Fengsun's frightened and disbelieving eyes, a knife knocked him unconscious, dragged him out of the banquet hall.

(End of chapter)