King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

This is not Jiangnan, nor is it heaven on earth. There is Suzhou below.

However, the nature of business has long been formed, and people have begun to consciously use business to improve their lives.

Zhu Tan was walking on the street and saw Xu Mintao and her faces were filled with smiles. He asked from time to time about some strange things he had never seen before.

The shopping trip finally ended, and Zhu Tan and others had arrived at the gate of the garrison commander's mansion.

Zhu Tan was very careful along the way and would never make any mistakes at this critical moment. He first wrote a short business card and asked someone to send it over. Then he hid in the alley with Xu Mintao and his maid, and monitored secretly.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion outside the gate and seven or eight people rushed out.

When Zhu Tan saw Wang Qiao coming out, he realized that he was out of danger and heaved a sigh of relief. Wang Qiao was still alive, otherwise it would be difficult to explain to Wang Yan.

What surprised him even more was that Guo Ning was also among them, so he decided to go up and say hello to her.

Guo Ning recognized Chu Mu at a glance, "Second brother, why do you look so pale? Are you sick? Everyone is worried about you."

Wang Qiao also came over and introduced his second father-in-law, Zhang Ju, to Zhu Tan.

Zhu Tan nodded, "We'll talk about the polite things later. Help me get some boiling water and some medicinal herbs. I want to fade the color."

A group of people surrounded Zhu Tan, and did not forget Xu Mintao and her maid.

Guo Ning was stunned. Wherever his second brother went, he was so blessed. He had two beautiful girls, both of whom were very good-looking!
Guo Ning didn't know that Zhu Tan had lost his temper on the mountain, otherwise she would have been shocked.

Zhu Tan quickly removed the turmeric from his face. After cleaning, Guo Ning personally took the three layers of clothes.

After a complete transformation, Chu Tian finally regained the demeanor of his uncle, Marquis Jianchang.

"Third brother, what are you doing here?"

Guo Ning moved closer and said, "Don't say anything. When the second brother got into trouble, the whole city of Beijing was terrified. The emperor was furious and ordered the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard to look for the second brother everywhere. I was transferred to the Southern Pacification Office, but the second brother would not come to Nanjing right away. Wang Qiao happened to be there, so I came here."

"We brothers thought the same thing. If we hadn't met those bastards, we wouldn't have to suffer all this."

Zhu Tan then narrated how he was ambushed by Yang Hu, Qi Yanming and others, and then fled in all directions, and how he was intimidated by Zhang Yuanying and refused to reveal his true identity, as well as the relationship between Zhang Yuanying and the bandits.

Guo Ning sighed, "Zhang Yuanying is really ruthless, he is so cruel that he will destroy the bridge after crossing the river. I heard that they killed all the bandits, Yang Hu lost an arm, but Qi Yanming ate both of them."

Zhu Tan was also shocked by Zhang Yuanying's cruelty. This girl was faultless and was even rewarded by the emperor's brother-in-law. It was really infuriating.

Guo Ning also told her that Ma Lin and Xu Tai were both in Jinling! In addition, there were also young nobles such as Zhang Yuanying.

"You all work very hard, and I will always remember this kindness in my heart."

"Brother, what do you mean? I deserve this."

"I know whether it is possible or not. Go and prepare the ink. I will write the letter right away. You can ask the guards to pass this matter to the capital."

Zhu Tan first had to say hello to Zhu Youtang, and then promise to complete the improvement work of the salt mine before he could come back.

Secondly, he wrote a letter to Ma Wensheng, saying that there were many suspicious points in the Wuchang Prefecture case and the Anlu case. He asked Ding Zhe and others to investigate and also to single out Xu Yuan because he was not only involved in the case but also Xu Mintao's biological parent and his life must be saved.

Although they are both concubines, she still has to say a few words when something big happens, because he is the backbone!
In addition to this, he also did a few small things, taking advantage of this opportunity to get things done, and he immediately felt relaxed.

Guo Ning immediately used his power to collect all the letters, and then explained: "Two days ago, Lord Gu came to me and said that Gu Dayong had prepared some soil. I have sent him to Jinling. The emperor did not tell him about the second brother. Liu Jin and others were also very cooperative."

"That's good. It saves him from worrying. My nephew is really amazing! Is he tinkering with concrete? Go and call Mr. Gu over now. We won't go back to Jinling yet. Let's rest for two days before setting off again."

As for Xu Mintao and her daughter, they were invited to the inner courtyard by Wang Qiao's family. Wang Qiao's mother-in-law was very respectful to Xu Mintao and her daughter because she knew that their family was tied to the same boat with Marquis Jianchang.

Xu Mintao felt like she was in a dream. She didn't need to wash or put on makeup herself. Everything went according to her plan. Later, she even deliberately put on an extremely gorgeous dress and even forgot to ask why.

Just as I was about to ask, I found that there was no one around.

Xiaoyun had returned home without him noticing. What surprised Xu Mintao was that Xiaoyun no longer looked like a maid at this moment. Instead, she had the temperament of a lady from a noble family.

"Girl, I have seen that people who are blessed don't have to worry, but people who are not blessed have to worry. Girl, your life is really wonderful."

Xu Mintao looked at Xiaoyun's sad face and asked, "Have you heard of it? Tell me about it!"

The two were about the same age. Although they were nominally master and servant, they both came from small families, so they didn't have so many concerns and were as close as real sisters.

"Do you know the origins of your master?" Xiaoyun tried to calm herself down and continued to keep her in suspense.

"Sir, you are a scholar, right?"

"Yes! It's the Marquis of Jianchang. I heard from the maid outside that he is the emperor's brother-in-law and a member of the royal family!"

Xu Mintao was stunned. She was educated and not the daughter of an ordinary family. Naturally, she understood what the words "Marquis" and "Imperial Uncle" meant. Finally, she said to herself, "Then my father can be saved."

"Nonsense! I heard that you were in trouble, so I didn't want to reveal your true identity. Now you are safe and sound, is there anything that the emperor's uncle can't do? Girl, aren't you acting?"

While the two were talking, Zhu Tan was walking by. When he heard Xiao Yun say that, he smiled and said, "You seem to be enjoying watching the fun!"

Xu Mintao and the maid turned around and were both shocked. Zhu Tan's previous appearance was no different from that of ordinary people because of the turmeric powder.

But now, Zhu Tan has completely restored his original appearance. Although he cannot be described as handsome and elegant, he can be considered a handsome young man.

Xiaoyun had a look of obsession on her face, "Master, is that you? My life is really not bad! Hehehe..."

She is the eldest lady's personal maid, and was redeemed from the Music Bureau. It is perfect for her to be a personal maid!

"Hold it for a moment, your smile looks a little creepy."

Xu Mintao looked at the red robe that looked like a python, and her eyes shrank slightly. She was introverted, but that didn't mean that she didn't feel anything about what Xiaoyun said. No woman doesn't want her marriage to be better, and she has found a good husband now.

"I've sent someone to your father's place. Let him stay in the capital for the next few days. Don't let him suffer any hardship."

Zhu Tan understood Xu Mintao's concerns, so he told him the truth first.

Xu Mintao immediately stood up and said gratefully, "Thank you very much."

"I was just hiding my identity before, but from now on, you still have to call me your husband at home!"

Xu Mintao was stunned when she heard this and said, "Madam will be unhappy if you say that." She knew her identity and didn't want to make things difficult for Zhu Tan.

"I have a concubine, one wife per room, one room per room, and the atmosphere is good. You can rest assured about that."

Zhu Tan did not suggest counting them in, as there were more than a dozen people in multiple rooms, in order to avoid scaring them.

Xu Mintao was relieved when she heard this. She knew that Zhu Tan was not married yet! The so-called second wife was just a name given by the family.

"I have something else to do, so I won't accompany you around. You stay here and tell them if you have any requests."

"Husband, you are taking a risk! You must pay attention to safety, otherwise we will all be worried."

Xiaoyun also said: "Don't you still have me? Don't worry."

Zhu Tan settled Xu Mintao and her servants. At noon, Gu Dayong came. He carefully handed a booklet to Zhu Tan, which recorded the process of Zhu Houzhao teaching him how to make concrete.

Zhu Tan read through it carefully and was very impressed by the wisdom of her nephew. She only gave him a general idea and the process he heard, but Zhu Houzhao actually reproduced the whole process, which made her have to admit defeat!
"Could it be that the prince tested it out?"

"That's right! His Majesty Roland built such a large fish pond here and used it for experiments. It is indeed watertight and quite sturdy."

Zhu Tan Haha, my nephew Zhengde, you must not be like the later generations who dug out the talent of the bricklayer from the very beginning, because that would make people laugh.

"Since I let you come here, I believe you are familiar with the process. Then it is your responsibility to make the bricks and produce qualified products within a month. This is your credit."

Gu Dayong agreed, but not for this reason. Instead, he said, "My Lord, Liu Jin asked me to tell you that Yanguan also has guards and several eunuchs. It would be even better if you could recruit them."

"I remember now what Liu Jin said. He should have a friend. Can you help?"

Gu Dayong nodded. "He is Wang Zhi's adopted son, Wang Min. After Wang Zhi fell from power, he was sent out of the capital. Now he is very close to Liu Jin and Qiu Ju."

"Okay, take me to introduce him, then go back to work!"

Zhu Tan, holding the official seal of the Salt Administration Envoy, set out on his journey home, surrounded by imperial guards, imperial guardsmen, and garrison troops.

Since the Yellow Sea is the center of the Lianghuai Salt Field, it would be a bit excessive for him to go to Jiangyin.

Zhu Tan, with nearly 600 people, arrived at Qingkou Town, one of the Lianghuai Salt Fields, in a mighty manner.

Earlier, a rumor came from the capital that there was a commotion in the kitchen. Zhu Tan went to check it out personally, but found that it was not the case. People in the kitchen were busy chopping wood and grass, or cooking sea water. From a distance, it looked like a burning factory with smoke everywhere. I wonder if this can be considered a kind of ancient ecological destruction.

Without any hesitation, Zhu Tan came directly to Wang Min, the eunuch in charge of guarding the place.

Wang Min is in his thirties, with fair skin. He is extremely respectful to Zhu Tan. On the one hand, it is because of the relationship between Liu Jin and Qiu Ju, and on the other hand, it is also to please the emperor's uncle so that he can leave here as soon as possible.

So when he explained the situation to Zhu Tan, he did not hold back at all and told him everything he knew.

"My Lord, salt is salt. To be honest, my Lord, I have made tens of thousands of taels of silver over the years. This is just a small amount of money. Compared with the merchants and businessmen in Shanxi, it is simply a world of difference!"

"What do you mean? Are they all smugglers?"

Wang Min smiled bitterly and said, "I can't tell for sure. The Sino-French law has been abolished by the court. Instead, as long as you have money, you can buy a salt permit and then buy it from the tenants. In this way, it is difficult to tell whether it is real or not."

After listening to Wang Min's explanation, Zhu Tan realized that it was not only the Qing Dynasty that had the Eight Major Salt Merchants in Yangzhou, but that today's salt merchants already had their own ancestors.

In the beginning, it was mainly merchants who made a fortune by relying on the knowledge of the northern terrain by the Chinese, French and Shanxi merchants.

However, in the past few years, Shanxi merchants were defeated by a certain businessman. The Ming Dynasty changed the taxation system and replaced grain with silver, which made Shanxi merchants completely lose confidence.

However, those Huizhou merchants have many means and make money quickly, making a lot of money every day.

"If the Marquis wants to thoroughly reform the salt law, he must rely on them. Otherwise, their profits will be affected in a short period of time. Some people will risk their lives to do this. We must be prepared."

"There is another type, which is the local officials and clan forces. They all need to make a living. The Marquis's rectification of the salt administration is like destroying their rice bowls. Moreover, this is also a huge blow to them."

Zhu Tan nodded repeatedly, thinking that Wang Min had indeed been here for more than ten years and was familiar with the situation here, which would be of great help to him.

"It looks like it's going to be hard to do anything, now or then!"

Zhu Tan sighed and thought for a while, "There is no need to worry about the salt problem for now. Wang Min, you have a lot of people under you. I will use them now. Gu Dayong, go and see where is more suitable for making concrete nearby. It would be best if you can get the concrete up here."

Zhu Tan looked at Wang Qiao again and said, "How many taels of silver can I take out now?"

Usually, Jia Zhang takes care of it, but this kid was seriously injured and needs to rest for at least half a year. There is no hope.

As an accountant, Wang Qiao was not completely ignorant. After all, he had also been in the salt business.

"There were 5 taels of silver in the capital, and after the shipwreck, more than taels of gold were salvaged."

Zhu Tan's lips moved. He had lost a large sum of money for no reason. Even if he had a wealthy family, he could not afford such a blow!
"I can take out 10,000 taels of silver to build an experimental base in Qingkou Town to see if it can be successful."

Zhu Tan asked Wang Qiao to take out some money. Gu Da wanted to build a drying yard, and cement was indispensable.

The arrival of Zhu Tan and others naturally attracted the attention of relevant parties, who learned that a salt inspector had arrived at the Lianghuai Salt Field. (End of this chapter)