Celebrating more than two years of peace in the world

Chapter 185 Yingzhou with a Hundred Flowers Blooming and Upright Officials

Yingzhou is the largest city after entering Jiangnan Road.

Both Shazhou and Yangzhou are small market towns. The so-called small market towns are two horizontal streets and two vertical roads interlaced to form a small city.

But Yingzhou is not. Yingzhou is divided into many squares and cities, which are similar to Danzhou City, but the difference is that Yingzhou is richer.

Although it is cold winter, there are still many merchants open for business. This is indeed a relatively rare situation in winter. Even in the capital city, people come out one after another only after the beginning of spring. The storage of goods is a more difficult problem.

There are sweeping crowds on both sides of the street. They walk back and forth in heavy coats, sweeping the less prosperous streets. In this era of rampant private salt, no one knows that the sweepers on the street are the eyes of private salt dealers. It's possible that it's an official agent mixed in with the government, or even a spy from a certain department of the Overwatch Council.

Even Fan Xian needs to be extra careful on this road.

The reason why I switched to walking by land after arriving in Yingzhou is because there are the most salt dealers here, and they are also the most concentrated. Even the salt dealers who sneaked out after opening the door of the inner warehouse all appeared from here.

The rampant smuggling of private salt has long been a source of fury at the court.

Of course, Fan Xian had a different approach to private salt. He had always had an understanding of the issue of private salt in ancient times.

He knew that the main reason why private salt was rampant was the unreasonable salt monopoly system in Qing State, which restricted the output and circulation of salt, so the stricter the suppression at the top, the more demand there would be at the bottom.The stricter the salt control, the easier it is to sell the private salt below.

Moreover, in Yingzhou, private salt is a giant, and can basically maintain a large industry income of the Ming family, but because they are all retail investors, it is difficult to organize, so it is impossible to eradicate all private salt dealers like the Cui family. .

After all, the Cui family is a behemoth lying in Cangzhou, and the private salt dealer said he would run away, but he really did.

On the street, a carriage passed by, and the carriage was rickety.

All the people, including the small businessmen, stopped and stood there, quietly watching the carriage move slowly. It seemed that no one was in a hurry to make a move. They just watched quietly, and they didn't care about this shaker. What a radical idea a rickety carriage has.

In the peaceful sky, it seems that even time has frozen at this moment.

On the hillside not far away, a group of people stood quietly, it was Fan Xian and his party.

"My lord, the people on this street are probably not simple." Standing beside Fan Xian, Gao Gao took a deep breath, "There are no less than five people with the strength of the fifth rank."

"Normal." Fan Xian said, "In such a place where every inch of land is precious, such people are very common. They are protecting everything they need to protect in the dark, so such secret posts can be seen everywhere."

Gao Da nodded, "It's just a private salt dealer, is that the case?"

"That's the way it should be." Fan Xian nodded, "You don't know that these private salt dealers' property can be worth the income of a dozen Baoyuelou. Don't underestimate them. Although their names are not orthodox, they are Financial resources are not comparable to you and me."

"Why is the income of private salt so terrible, and the court doesn't care about it?" The third prince stood with his hands behind his back.

"It's not a matter of control." Fan Xian said, "Your Highness doesn't know, it's something born out of people's livelihood."

"Minsheng?" The third prince didn't know.

"of course."

Fan Xian said, "The price and quantity of official salt are very high. If the common people want to afford salt, it will take a lot of effort. Moreover, ordinary people's farmers' homes may not be able to eat until festivals, so such a price Under the circumstances, they can only choose private salt instead of official salt. After all, the money saved throughout the year is enough to buy private salt three or four times."

"Is there such a big difference?" The third prince was taken aback.

"Your Highness is not an ordinary person, and it is the first time to understand the people's sentiments. Of course, I don't know what the problem is. It is often difficult for people with higher positions to think about the problems in the lives of the lowest people. Therefore, in order to deal with the problem, There would be no such thing as winning the hearts and minds of the people, so to speak.”

Fan Xian pointed to the boundary of Yingzhou in front of him, "The tens of thousands of people in Yingzhou don't want peace in the world, but they want to be able to afford food and sleep well."

The third prince nodded thoughtfully, "But in this way, won't the official salt have no business to earn? Isn't it doing evil to earn the silver taels of our Qing State treasury?"

"It's like this, so we can't forcefully cut off the sale of private salt, we have to plan it."

Fan Xian nodded, "To appease the other party's situation, but also to resolve this matter, using force is definitely not enough, so we still have to use some weak means to win over the other party under our command."

The third prince frowned strangely and looked at Fan Xian.

Duanfengtai is a relatively famous restaurant in Yingzhou City. There are four floors in it, and the fourth floor is all private rooms rather than ordinary private seats. It can be said that it is specially opened for salt merchants to supply goods. There are countless salt merchants coming and going, and even farmers with hundreds of hectares of salt fields are regular customers here.

On this day, Duanfeng Terrace was open as usual. When the shopkeeper was sitting by the counter, a young man in white walked into Duanfeng Terrace.

The young man in white clothes is imposing, and there is a not-so-old child beside him, but the child still looks very luxurious, the clothes alone probably have the harvest of Duanfengtai in a day.

A shopkeeper who makes a living like this of course has a thorough understanding of the attire of the visitor, just by looking at the appearance of the two, he knows that they are not ordinary people, the shopkeeper immediately stepped over and greeted him with a smile, "Objective, what kind of business is it? "

Looking at a very huge restaurant in a place full of private salt, it is impossible for the owner to be innocent, so he also has a hand, but not much, he mainly relies on the restaurant for business, but of course he knows something , and now that someone above is holding an important meeting, of course he has to ask the source.

The young man was Fan Xian and the third prince. After the two walked in, although there were only these two people, one could imagine what the restaurant was surrounded by at this time.

"Where are they?" Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and asked directly.

The shopkeeper was surprised, apparently he was asking about the meeting held today. The largest merchant in the Sifang private salt trade is discussing this matter in the Guangde Hall above. This is a grand meeting for them. After all, private salt After all, there are not many people who can come to this kind of gathering. Now that someone has come here because they know what is going on, it must be one of them, and there is no need for the shopkeeper to stop it.

Immediately said directly, "It's the Guangde Hall."

"Thank you, shopkeeper." Fan Xian smiled, and went directly upstairs.

The third prince looked around and followed Fan Xian up.

The Guangde Hall is located near the corner, it is a remote and quiet private room, the door is also very heavy, it is made of hard wood, and the sound from inside cannot be heard, but of course Fan Xian has come prepared now, there is no need to worry about it What the people inside were saying, they immediately pushed the door open and entered.

The people inside were suddenly shocked. Obviously, Fan Xian's arrival was beyond their expectation.

"You are?" The salt dealer in the middle immediately stood up, the middle-aged man frowned and immediately gave a look of sternness, and immediately surrounded and suppressed several people who came up, and were about to attack Fan Xian and the third prince immediately. .But at this time, Fan Xian just smiled quietly and said, "Brother Wang, don't come here without any problems."

The middle-aged man in the middle was startled immediately, looked at Fan Xian in front of him, stretched out his hand to signal the people around him not to move, and then said to the people in front of him, "There are no more than twenty people in the world who know my name. Who are you?"

"Me?" Fan Xian walked into the room with a smile, sat on the bed beside him, and then smiled, "I am the reason for your sudden gathering this time."

The middle-aged man obviously didn't react to Fan Xian's words, and was taken aback for a moment.And the fat man beside him reflected it, and immediately started up, "Kill him!"

But it was too late after all. When Fan Xian lay back, Gao Da and others rushed in with Tiger Guard.

All fourteen tiger guards appeared. In this scene, even a strong man of the ninth rank would not be able to easily move Fan Xian himself. What's more, there were two rank-[-] people standing behind Fan Xian, hiding behind him. in the dark.

After Fan Xian made a light gesture, the fat man's throat was cut off immediately.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere.

The moment the neck was split, everyone was stunned.

"You!" The middle-aged man looked at Fan Xian in shock, "How dare you!"

"Continue." Fan Xian picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said with a sneer, "Just keep two."

In an instant, there was a killing spree.

The tiger guard raised his knife and fell without the slightest hesitation. In an instant, the blood of the whole scene was indescribable. The entire salt merchant in front of him was covered with blood. .

At this time, Brother Wang was completely stupid. He looked at Fan Xian, swallowed his saliva, and was taken aback for a while.

"Brother Wang at this time must already know who I am." Fan Xian's face did not change at all, he just looked at the person in front of him calmly.

"Fan..." Brother Wang didn't have the guts to pronounce Fan Xian's name at all. At this time, Fan Xian's inability to attack by force has become something that the third prince completely doesn't understand...

This is not called a strong attack... what is this called?

But what happened next made the Third Prince have a new view on Fan Xian.

"I want to chat with Brother Wang and Shopkeeper Sun about topics that you are interested in. Do you have time?" Fan Xian asked.

You said yes... can they still say no?

Although Yingzhou is not as famous as Yangzhou, Hangzhou and other places, it is also a port with a lot of trade, and the flow of people is also very large. After all, it is the best choice for directly entering the Jiangnan area from the north or even the Northern Qi sea and land.

Moreover, this is also a place where goods begin to circulate. Starting from Yingzhou and entering Jiangnan Road, you will find that it is as magical as lifting the veil of a world.

Not only are traders from all walks of life flourishing, but also one or two shops such as commercial firms and chambers of commerce that can only be seen in the capital city and Shangjing city have appeared, and they are becoming bigger and bigger here.

The attics of other courtyards are not petty either. For example, the style and decoration of Duanfeng Terrace are comparable to those of Baoyue Tower.

Not only is there a dazzling array of carved ornaments, but even in a guest room, there are various furnishings of carved beams and paintings, and there is even a handwriting of Zhuang Mohan, a great master of the Northern Qi Dynasty, on the north wall.

Fan Xian held the prose poem in his hand and studied it for a moment, then picked up the handkerchief to wipe off a little blood splashed on it, and shook his head helplessly.

"Such a well-written work is actually defeated in a place where private salt trades."

Raising the calligraphy and painting in his hand, he asked Qu Han who was stunned behind him, "Tell me, isn't this a waste, the breeze is blowing all over the valley, and you are called the people of the world. Such an open-minded character, such a broad mind, but to Watching the flood of private salt, the people live on low-quality salt.”

Qu Han was not that surprised by Fan Xian's actions. It's not that she has never seen Fan Xian's brutal side, but she didn't expect that he came so fast, and so quickly, he had two fewer corners than Fan Xian. As soon as it came up, more than a dozen human lives had all fallen here, motionless.

Su Wenmao stepped on the corpse and walked in, and then said, "My lord, please come."

"Oh?" Fan Xian smiled slightly, and then rolled up the calligraphy and painting. When he walked to the table, the ashen-faced Brother Wang hurriedly avoided Fan Xian, but Fan Xian just took off the cloak of a dead man, and put it on the table. After wiping off the blood, he finally put the scroll of calligraphy and painting on the table, then turned his head and said to Su Wenmao, "Since my lord is here, I invite you."

"Master Hang, please." Su Wenmao said.

Wearing an official uniform with three tiger heads and a black cap, the magistrate walked into the room. His face turned green instantly after entering the room. On the ground, looking at him peacefully.

"You... who are you!" The magistrate who asked the question knowingly may have asked such a question again to comfort the shocked self.

Fan Xian smiled slightly, "Do you need me to introduce myself? Lord Hang? I'd better introduce yourself to you first."

With that said, Fan Xian strolled to the side of the bed, picked up a bunch of grapes, stuffed one into his mouth, and said while eating.

"Master Hang, whose birth name is Hang Daren, once served as magistrate of the state. He has been a clean and honest official for several years. The Overwatch Council, the Inspectorate, and the Dali Temple have conducted various investigations, but no one has been found to have bribed Mr. Hang. During his appointment, he regarded himself as an upright official. On this chaotic Jiangnan Road, there are rare good officials, so after that, three years ago, he was promoted to two ranks in a row, and now he is appointed as the magistrate of Yingzhou Prefecture from the fourth rank."

Although Hang Daren had a bad complexion, he still had an upright face and bowed to the person in front of him, "I don't know that the imperial envoy came all the way, and the magistrate of Yingzhou came late to pick him up, please forgive me."

Fan Xian smiled, "There's no need to forgive, after all, I'm just idle and passing through Yingzhou."

"I've never heard of the position of imperial envoy before. Now that I see it, it's a well-deserved reputation. I killed dozens of people in a row. Is your lord going to be an official in Yingzhou? Then the humble job will return to the hometown and give up the official position. There is no need to kill the people of Liming here again." , what are these people guilty of?"

Hang Daren had a serious face, and he was not afraid of Fan Xian's official position and power at all. He even showed his upright character in front of the two Overwatch Council members.

"What you said opened my eyes. Hang Daren, who hasn't made a single penny in the past three years, is indeed the mainstay of the Qing Kingdom. I really didn't expect it."

Fan Xian said, "Then I will tell you what they are guilty of. Liu Wen, 48 years old, from Yingzhou, has been engaged in private salt business for 83 years. The main distribution channel is Ningzhou Prefecture, Cangzhou Prefecture, Gong County and other places made a total profit of about [-] taels of silver during the period, and tens of thousands of shi of private salt, these private salts were eaten alone, and hundreds of families were eaten to death."

"Zhang Dachun, 39 years old, a person from Quanzhou, has been engaged in private salt business for more than eight years. The main fire prevention channel leads to the north, Danzhou, Cangzhou, and Longzhou, with a total profit of 53 taels of silver. These private salts have killed How many people, do you know?" Fan Xian said again!
"Rogue Sun..."

"Wang Shengyue..."

"Wu Tianxiang..."

Fan Xian counted out their crimes one by one, and his voice became louder and louder until it became even harsher in the end!
The private salt of this dynasty is not the industrial salt of Fan Xian's time. Industrial salt will make people over-iodized or have other side effects. If you eat too much, you may not die, but you will get a lot of chronic diseases.

And the private salt of this dynasty is the product of pure salt that has not undergone any processing and is dried in the sun. It contains impurities, stones, gravel, poison, and soil. It is impossible to expect them to filter these things every time they eat. If there is a mouthful of food, the tragedy of eating dead people will happen.

But have they stopped?they do not.

Not once.

This is where Fan Xian is most angry!

(End of this chapter)