"You all came out of the village with my men, are you so patient?"

"Give birth to a son, we have to live, you can go."

"So how are we going to live?"

"This, this is also his greed."

"One pound of rice and eight cents, there are so many people in a family to support, and you also have a family, do you say that he is greedy and cheap, and does not lose his conscience?"

Before the woman's words fell, Hu Shan's attendant Hu Er came over and urged: "Let you come back to the past?" ”

"Yan Xu's two elders, are the mentors of my master, eight of the six Shangshu of the two capitals are the old friends of my grandfather, and the three close ministers of the East Palace, Li Zhang and Ning, are the same year as my master."

"Whichever funeral you fall in love with, where do you fall in love?"

Hu Er said this, but he didn't dare to look at the widows of the three families, but just looked at the laborers behind him and said, "Do you still want the eight taels of silver?" Do you want to do it yet?! ”

The laborers who had been ordered to drive the three families looked at each other.

Without further ado, he blasted out the three corpses and their widows, and the mournful cries echoed in Liujiagang, but even if these three families used up their strength, the cries could not cover the busy wharf.

Go to the corner.

Only then did those people grope up from their bodies, and each of them took about twenty or thirty copper coins, and put them in front of the three widows one after another.

There is not even a way out for the laborers on the docks, and making a living is always the first thing.

It's just that after the laborers left, the three women found that there was an extra note in the handful of copper coins, and after going home, they learned that the note was written to remind them to go to the yamen to complain and ask the county lord for documents.

"There's not much we can do brothers, that's all we can do, don't come to this ancestral hall, these lords can't care about you, go and sue."

"Where can we go to sue?"

"Go to the county office, go to the capital city, go to Yingtian, go to the palace, there is always someone who can cure them."

"But the dignitaries they are talking about ......"

"That's it for our lives, don't the babies still have to live?"

The three widows left Liujiagang one after another, taking the papers they had painstakingly begged for to find a way to live.

Even so, no one cares about such a thing, after all, such things have long been common after the new law.

"This state is not under the jurisdiction of this county."

"Women don't know the number of etiquette, isn't this Liuyang Town under the jurisdiction of our Chongming County?"

"But this case was born in Liujiagang, Liujiagang has a city ship, a town guard, and a supervising hall in the future, which is beyond the beak of this county, so you should go home."

Hearing this, the eyes of the three women immediately dimmed.

"Please also ask my old parents to open an official letter and allow me to wait to go to the state capital and find a way to live."

The county commander's face sank when he heard this, and then he spoke: "But according to the system of this government, if you want to take this official letter, you will have to eat twenty rods." ”

"County honor, when does this mansion have this ......" Before the messenger finished speaking, he was glared back by the county commander.

The three women glanced at each other, and then one of them bowed and said, "There are three of us, and I will accept the twenty canes of the Chongming County Ya." ”

After retiring, the county magistrate saw Hu Shan who was eating tea in the back office.

"Hu Xueling, did you hear everything?"

"I hear you."

"Then you are reluctant to spend such a little money?"

Hu Shan took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "This is not a matter of silver, there is Laosun County." ”

After that, Hu Shanjing got up, and only a small ingot of gold was left on the table.

After twenty rods, the three women left the county office with a bloody letter and supported each other.

Shortly after walking out of the county office.

But a young man dressed as a scholar came to him.

"Our newspaper is asking for a manuscript, and I can help you."

The woman, who had long been numb, raised her head blankly, and sat in the tea shed accompanied by the scholar and finished talking about everything she had encountered in Liujiagang.

In the early morning of the next day, various tabloids that had sprung up since the new law had sprung up like mushrooms after a rain rushed to report on the incident.

The popularity is unusually high.

Wherever the wharves, weaving yards, and kilns have leisure, they must go to the newspaper hall to inquire.

Various tabloids rushed to report it, and finally the three widows had the strength to continue suing.

In a sense, this is the first time in history that so many people have paid attention to such a case.

Hu Shan's inappropriate people, the prevarication of officials at all levels, almost every accident has poked at the place where these laborers feel the most.

Chongming County, Taicang Prefecture, and Suzhou Prefecture are not affected, and these magistrates in Jiangnan seem to have discussed it.

Even as soon as I saw these three people, it was a meal on the head.

Until someone reminded them that there was a Haixian Zun from Xishan's hometown who was the master of the people.

Liujiagang, Huiguo Wengong Ancestral Hall.

Hu Er ran into the ancestral hall with a brand new tabloid.

"Master, this matter is making a big fuss, and if it continues like this, I'm afraid even the Son of Heaven will know about it."

"I know, the newspaper has my shares."

Hu Er, who originally wanted to persuade Hu Shan for the three women, closed his mouth.

"Yes, there are our shares?"

Hu Shan snorted coldly, and then said leisurely: "If you don't let them use all their strength, won't I toss in vain, master?" ”

"Let them sue." Hu Shan got up with a purple sand teapot and said proudly: "Master, I'm just afraid that they won't sue me!" ”

"Go down and pack your things."

"Master, what are you doing when you pack up?"

"Go and order some cloth for the next day."

Hu Er couldn't help but look embarrassed: "Master, there is such a fierce commotion outside, isn't it self-defeating when we go to Jinling?" ”

"Panic? Didn't I make it clear to you earlier, sir? Yan Xu and the two elders, that is my teacher, the sixteen scholars in the two capitals, eight of them are my father's old friends! Go clean up! ”

Hearing Hu Shan say this, Hu Er went to clean up.

——

The streets of Jinling.

Ning Jue, who was bored, casually walked into a newspaper studio.

It's just that as soon as Fang entered the door, a scribe from the Metropolitan Procuratorate came over.

"Yo! Isn't this Ning Yixian? How did you have time to sit today? ”

The scribe suddenly shouted, which really startled Ning Jue, who pulled out his ears and pulled out a stool and sat down.

"Doesn't the minister of Fengxian have to go deep into the people."

Ning Jue sat down with him, but unexpectedly, the newspaper hall in front of him had become silent.

Everyone in the newspaper hall was staring at Ning Jue with wide eyes.

Ning Jue subconsciously touched his face, looked at the scribe cautiously and asked, "I don't have anything on my face, right?" ”

The scribe had to laugh and say, "No, listen, there is still something going on in the ministry, and I will retire first." ”

"Hey, then you talk about you, leave me alone, I'm here to listen to the news."

Everyone in the newspaper hall looked at each other, and even two people got up and said, "That, man, I suddenly remembered, there is something going on in the weaving field, we have to go back first, can the tea money be refunded?" ”

"Oh, my daughter-in-law asked me to accompany him to tailor his clothes, everyone, listen, I have eaten this tea, so I don't have to return it."

“……”

The people in the newspaper hall got up one after another.

The guy also ran cheekily in front of Ning Jue.

"You Xian, it's unfortunate that you're here, our newspaper has finished singing today."

Ning Jue's brows furrowed.

"Nonsense, I used to sing every day until the first moment of the hour, and I didn't come for a few days, and I stopped singing before the sun went down?"

"I'm sitting here when you're not singing! Sing! ”

Hearing Ning Jue say this, many people in the newspaper hall sighed and prepared to get up and leave.

The man looked embarrassed, and then ran up to the stage and whispered a few words in Mr. Sing's ear.

Mr. Duna slapped the fan in his hand and said loudly: "Everyone, I have another new news!" ”

"The leader of the Qingliu in the early years, Xu Shaohu and Xu Ge are old, and his family wealth is hundreds of millions!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the newspaper hall sat down.

"Mr. Wu, elaborate."

The Mr. Singing Newspaper had no choice but to shake his head and sigh: "Someone is willing to risk death to go to Songjiang to find out Xu Ge's family business, this is the first-hand news that I just got." ”

"Shocking, shocking!"

"All 24,000 acres of paddy fields have been replanted with cotton."

"The Xu family has another weaving yard, and there are fifty or sixty thousand weavers alone! Our biggest cloth merchant in Jiangnan turned out to be Xu Xianggong! ”

There was a lot of scolding in the newspaper hall.

“……”

"For so many years, so many people have spoken for Xu Xianggong, who would have thought that this Xu Xianggong is also a raccoon dog!"

The "snap" of the singer was another fan.

"That's right! Who would have thought it would be a raccoon dog?! But I just don't believe that these people can cover the sky of my Ming Dynasty! ”

Hearing this, even Ning Jue couldn't help but stand up and applaud.

"Good!"

As soon as these words came out, Ya Que fell silent in the newspaper hall again, and everyone looked at Ning Jue, who was singing harmony.

"Yiqiuzhi scolded well, I found out a long time ago, isn't that a hill...... What do you say about me? ”

The fellow hurried forward.

"You Xian, you misunderstood, this is a rural village woman's chat, this is your tea money, you better come back another day."

"It doesn't matter if you scold me, you can tell me what's going on!"

"You Xian, the small one is also a helper, so don't be embarrassed about the small one."

Just when the guy was pulling with Ning Jue, the scribe of the Imperial Court of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who was the first to recognize Ning Jue, ran back quickly.

"You Xian, something happened to the ministry, you better go back first."

Hearing this, the guy breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're busy."

Ning Jue turned around and said, "I'm not leaving, I haven't figured out anything here." ”

"Didn't you tell me? As long as the Haixian Zun of Xishan is impeached, let the lowly officials report you. ”

Hearing the name of "Hai Rui", Ning Jue came back to his senses.

"Haixian Zun has been impeached?"

"Hmm."

"Did you transcribe it?"

"The prince has already sent the original manuscript, and it is in the ministry."

Ning Jue turned his head to look at the newspaper singer on the stage, and the newspaper singer also twisted his head to the side, and Ning Jue finally followed the scribe and left the newspaper hall.

Seeing Ning Jue leaving, the newspaper hall resumed its previous enthusiasm.

It wasn't until he returned to the Metropolitan Procuratorate and saw the copy of Hai Rui's note on the bookcase that Ning Jue came back to his senses.

"Hai Rui impeached me?!"

"Which one is this surnamed Hu? Zhang Juzheng, as well as these officials of the Sixth Department of Nanjing, let this surnamed Hu pull the tiger skin as a banner? ”

The scribe glanced at Ning Jue with a look of "I understand".

"You Xian, how did this become a banner of pulling tiger skins, we all understand, this Master Hu is in Jinling, if there is a fake, he would have escaped to sea a long time ago."

Only then did Ning Jue react.

"Nobody cares, does it?"

"All the pants in the Metropolitan Procuratorate get out of here, take the guys, and follow me to the Hu family to get people!"

"Really?" The scribe was stunned and said: "Xian, these three women have sued all the way from Chongming to Suzhou Mansion, and no one dares to take this case, even if you are not, at least half of the remaining ones are true." ”

"Preferably true!"

The only few officials in the Metropolitan Procuratorate gathered out.

Ning Jue's face sank.

"Just a few of you?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, we'll go find someone here."

Nanjing's yamen are all idle yamen, and the officials do not come, and these officials will come over when they have something to do.

Ning Jue suddenly summoned people, Rao is team leader couldn't change so many people, fortunately, the Metropolitan Procuratorate was not far from the other six departments, so he could only borrow people from other yamen.

Originally, the rest of the officials of the yamen didn't want to take care of it, but they heard that it was the Hu family in the city that was in a uproar to clean up.

Everyone scrambled to come over.

Although they are officials, these people have never seen many big scenes on weekdays, and this is a rare melon for them to eat.

The group walked out of the gate of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and soon the people along the road came over, and the tea customers in the newspaper hall ran away.

Singing the newspaper is just a person standing on the stage and saying, how can there be benefits to see with your own eyes.

Not long after, a typical Hui courtyard appeared in front of Ning Jue, with a white-gray and blue-tiled horse-head wall, and a lot of bluestone carved decorations directly on the street door.

The scribe who had just followed behind Ning Jue also ran towards the Hu family quickly and knocked on the door knocker twice.

The porter poked his head out and found that the door was already full of officials and people eating melons, and he opened the door vigilantly.

"Who are you?"

"Is Master Hu at home?"

Before the scribe could finish speaking, Ning Jue flew up and kicked the scribe's ass.

"Are you greetings?"

"If you don't open the door, you can just tear it in!"

"Whoa!"

With Ning Jue's words, the more than 50 officials behind him rushed into the Hu family in three or two strokes.

Anyway, when the sky falls, Ning Yanxian is on top of it, and this kind of personal ravaging of the powerful is not common.

"Where is the surname Hu?"

The porter replied tremblingly, "Just eat tea in the front hall." ”

Ning Jue threw the door into the door, and a group of officials poured into the Hu family, and directly blocked Hu Shan, who was eating tea in the front hall.

"Who is this......?"

"You are Hu Shan?"

"It's Xiao Ke, are you here for the case of Liujiagang? I ......"

Ning Jue took a deep breath, and then asked, "Did those people drown in order to get goods for you?" ”

"Yes, but ......"

"I don't listen, but after that person died, did you just blast the person out without paying the money?"

"Listen to me."

"You just have to answer, yes or no."

"yes, but ......"

"Then it's not true!"

Without waiting for Hu Shan to finish speaking, Ning Jue dragged Hu Shan up and dragged him out.

"No, sir, you listen to me."

"According to the system, the first cane is sixty, and it will be beaten on the street!"

Until he was dragged outside the house, Hu Shan still held his own tea cup lid in his hand.

"Just hit it!"

"You've taken it all, how about not treating it? How many rods did those three women eat to sue you? Which dynasty's rule, when you go to the yamen to complain, you have to eat the court staff? ”

"How many rods they ate, and the official will give you a lot of rods for them today."

Hu Shan was completely dumbfounded.

"No, sir, I still have it, but I haven't finished it!"

"Just rely on the previous points, let's finish the fight first!"

There was a dead silence outside the door of Hu's house, only Hu Shan's screams came and went.

After being caned, Ning Jue squatted down, stared at Hu Shan who was paralyzed on the ground and said, "You can now go and report to your family's friends and your relatives and friends." ”

Hu Shan said with a sad face: "Sir, you listen to me, but ah! ”

"I made them all up, I don't know anyone!"

Ning Jue roared angrily.

"Hard-mouthed, huh?! When the time comes, you still want to die to protect them, right? ”

"No one has the support for your surname Hu, can the three of their families have no way to ask for help, and they are in such trouble today?!"

"Keep fighting!"

Hu Shan hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Stop fighting!" I can't live anymore! ”

"Hit!"

"I pay! I'll pay them a hundred taels of silver, a hundred taels of silver for a life, a total of three hundred taels, enough for their family to live for more than ten years, sir, this is all done, right? Stop it. ”

Ning Jue's expression softened a little.

"Where's the silver?"

"Go in and get it! Go in and get it! Hu Shan looked desperately at Hu Erenvoy on the side.

Hu Er hurriedly ran into the mansion and took out a wooden box.

"Master, six fifty taels of ingots, you order."

"Do nothing to me, give them anything."

Hu Erxuan even stuffed the silver to the official on the side.

"Good!"

In an instant, there was a burst of cheers from the onlookers.

Hu Shan just used these three families as chess pieces, but he never expected to run into Ning Jue.

"Sir, you have a private court!"

Before Hu Shan could speak, there was a sound of horses' hooves behind him.

After watching the lively Five Cities Soldiers and Horses, they finally came over to disperse the people.

"It's all gone! This case has come to an end, what are you all doing here?! Nandu Road, don't silt up, disperse quickly! ”

Ning Jue looked at the people in front of him and said, "Don't worry, these three hundred taels of silver Ning will definitely be handed over to those three families." ”

"If they don't get it, then report it."

Hearing Ning Jue say this, the people who had eaten the melons immediately dispersed one after another.

Ning Jue then looked at Hu Shan, who was paralyzed on the ground, and said: "Yes, it is a private court, find those old friends of your family to go to me, the lynching person, Ning Jue, the right hand of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, don't participate in the wrong person." ”

Hu Shan cried with snot and cried with tears: "Ning Baixian, what are you talking about!" ”

"Why don't you understand, I really made it up!"

"You're still stubborn, aren't you?" Ning Jue stepped forward and snatched a ruthless stick of water and fire.

"They're not here to protect me! The matter is big, and Hu had no choice but to let the three of them go to the stone to ask for directions! ”

Ning Jue held the hand of the ruthless stick of water and fire and froze in place.

"What do you mean?"

"You Xian Mingcha, Liujiagang is the anchor place where the eunuchs of Sanbao went to the West seven times, and it is already the largest wharf that can be found in Jiangnan, and even Liujiagang is silted up here, is there still a wharf in Jiangnan that can sail normally?"

"This is the first murder case in Liujiagang, but it is not the first case in Jiangnan, and the entire Jiangnan can't find a wharf that can handle normally! There are a few such disasters almost every month. ”

"One or two hundred taels of silver is really not a big amount for us, who can afford to come and go like this a few times a month! What's more, the big head is not human life, it is those goods that have disappeared in vain! ”

The river network in the south of the Yangtze River is dense, and the merchants mostly use waterways for transportation, which is equivalent to God repairing the highway, although there is no shortage of water in the south of the Yangtze River.

But as there were more merchant ships and the draught deepened, all kinds of problems came to the fore.

Ships with deep drafts need deeper channels, busier merchant ships need wider rivers, and as a hub port for river-sea transport, the carrying capacity has exceeded its limits, and more ports need to be expanded.

Because of the early small-scale peasant economy, this kind of thing was generally led by the squire, and the villagers and fellow villagers worked hard to get things done.

These squires are able to vacate the land to be occupied, and the resettlement should be settled, and the merchants have no ability to do this, and the more acquaintances there are, the more difficult it is to do business, and it is good to have one or two friends in the local area, and there is no place to use money.

Ning Jue frowned and said: "If the wharf is not enough, then repair it, there are so many empty spaces in the south of the Yangtze River." ”

Only then did Hu Shan wail: "Repair? If you can really cultivate, how can you come to this! ”

"We've gone through all the doors, we've tried our best, it's nothing more than four words, it's a big deal, we just want to build a dock, I really can't figure it out, how it's a big deal!"

"I, Hu someone, have made some stumbling blocks for them, but at most, I can do some activities in Chongming County, out of Chongming, and when I arrive in the state capital, how can I have that ability!"

"It's all because of this big matter, the prefectures and counties don't dare to accept it, it really has nothing to do with me!"

Ning Jue's brows gradually frowned: "So, this is your own business, you don't dare to explain it to the court, so you deliberately didn't give these widows pensions, forced them to make trouble, and forced them to risk their lives to do things for you?" ”

Hu Shan, who was still lying on the ground and wailing, lowered his voice.

"I ...... Didn't I pay them money, and an ordinary life is fifty taels. ”

"Take this person, drag him back to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, find a doctor to keep an eye on it, and when the injury is better, he will have another twenty rods, and the rod will be full of one hundred rods!"

It was only at this time that Hu Shan really became a little flustered.

"Hu Er, hurry up and think of saving me!"

Hu Shan raised his head, and then saw Hu Er's crying snot and said with tears: "Master, don't worry, the little one will go to find someone to rescue you tonight." ”

just said so, but until Hu Shan was dragged away, Hu Er had no intention of going out.

——

After Ning Jue returned to the Imperial Procuratorate, he read several official letters from various ports in the south of the Yangtze River and the situation of the waterways, and then hurried into the palace.

It's just that when Ning Jue put the stack of pieces in front of him on Zhu Zaili's bookcase, Zhu Zaili stopped in place.

"Master Ning can't approve this performance, at least it's not time to approve it yet."

"Why?" Ning Jue wondered.

Zhu Zaili's answer was also very simple and rude.

"Because the imperial court confiscated this money, to repair this wharf, in the future, it will be repaired, maintained and expanded every year, not only is it as simple as allocating silver, it will be used wherever it is taken, the imperial court can not let the farmers of the world to repair the wharf for merchants, to build so many wharves, the first thing is to reform the tax system."

"Then Leather!"

Zhang Juzheng, who was standing on the side, said: "Brother Ning, the income from commercial taxes in ancient times was all included in the inner treasury, and after the tax system was reformed, the commercial taxes will be redundant, so they must be classified into the household department as in the former Song Dynasty, or collected by foreign dynasties like the Han and Tang dynasties, and then released into the inner treasury." ”

"If it is divided into the household department, it will be divided, and the inner library will be ......" Before Ning Jue finished speaking, he realized where this matter was.

In the Ming Dynasty, no matter how the tax system was reformed, it was essentially cutting the Son of Heaven from the imperial court.

The reason why no state and county officials dare to accept this situation is because if they accept this situation, it will definitely bring out the problem of the cramped wharves in the south of the Yangtze River, and whoever receives this situation will try to cut the Son of Heaven and the imperial court into the first bird.

(End of chapter)