Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 156: There is still a cloud over the King of Yan's head! (The third update)
The next day.

At the home of salt merchant Ma Wenhua.

The managers of the other fourteen salt merchants had all arrived.

They were dressed very simply, without any silk, only coarse linen clothes, and they completely complied with the court's requirements.

Side room.

Ma Wenhua and the others were in two rows.

After a brief silence, Ma Wenhua took the initiative to speak.

He held up the tea bowl, making it impossible to see his expression. He drank the tea and said slowly, "Everyone, you all received the news yesterday, right? The number one scholar is going to attack us and wants us to give up the big salt city of Beiping. What do you think?"

Done.

Ma Wenhua put down the tea bowl and looked at the whole audience with a calm expression.

The other salt merchants looked at each other with a hint of coldness and disdain in their eyes.

Peng Jiasheng sneered, "Give up the salt market in Peking? What a joke."

"There are hundreds of thousands of people in Beiping. If such a large salt market is abandoned, how much money will be lost every year? Moreover, we have been running the Beiping Salt Market for such a long time. Can this young man take it away with just one word?"

"Even if he is the top scholar, he is still too domineering."

"I won't hand it over."

Peng Jiasheng's attitude was very firm.

He also has this capital.

He has been in frequent contact with the generals of the Prince of Yan's Mansion over the years. After the incident at the Peking Provincial Government, the Prince of Yan's Mansion has been the only dominant force in Peking. Xia Zhibai, an outsider, wants to ride on their heads. What kind of dream is he dreaming?

Do you really think the people in Prince Yan’s Mansion are just decorations?

Moreover, he had inquired and found out that many generals in the Prince of Yan's Mansion had opinions about Xia Zhibai.

How can an unpopular top scholar achieve anything in Peking?
aside.

Yang Wensong also picked up the tea bowl, blew the hot air gently, and said in confusion: "The most urgent thing now is to find out what Xia Zhibai is doing."

"Didn't he come here to run the ironworks?"

"Why did you suddenly change your mind and set your sights on us?"

"Could it be that he was upset by the King of Yan and didn't get a good result, so he wants to vent his anger on us?"

The others looked at each other and agreed with this statement.

"That seems to be the case."

"From what I heard recently, he certainly didn't get any good treatment from King Yan."

"And he can't go and vent his anger on King Yan's people, so it seems that the only place he can vent his anger is us."

"."

Listening to the agreement from the side, Ma Wenhua said expressionlessly: "He is indeed qualified. According to the news from Prince Yan's Palace, the court seems to have agreed to hand over the salt market in the north to Xia Zhibai alone. In other words, if we want to sell salt in the future, we need his consent."

Peng Jiasheng sneered.

He drummed his fingers on the table, making a series of low, muffled sounds.

Peng Jiasheng asked: "So what?"

"What he did worked in Yingtianfu, but it may not work in Peking."

"It's unknown how long it will take for his ideas to be implemented throughout the North. Who knows if there will be any accidents when that time comes?"

“People change, and things change too.”

"Does he want to change the entire northern salt market by himself?"

"He alone can change the entire North?"

"Salt trading, how many people in the world are eyeing this fat piece of meat? How can we let this fat piece of meat fly away? Besides, we are not really just selling salt. According to the order of the court, we are also responsible for the transportation of food to the garrisons in various places. Without us..."

"The Dongsheng Guard, Daning Guard and other garrisons further north are about to run out of food."

The others also chuckled.

Xia Zhibai's official power was enough to scare the salt merchants in the south, but it was not enough to scare them.

Because they don’t just sell salt.

They were also responsible for transporting grain to these remote garrisons in the north.

Ma Wenhua held the tea bowl, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips, and he said easily: "It seems that everyone has already thought of a countermeasure, so I am relieved. Let's go and meet him later to see what this number one scholar wants to do. As long as the Ming Dynasty still implements the Kaizhong Law and we still have the salt permits from the government, he will not pose a threat to us."

The others also laughed and agreed.

"That's it."

"With so many of us, are we still afraid of him?"

"Do you really think that Beiping is the same as Yingtian Prefecture? Can people obey obediently with just one decree?"

"You're taking your anger out on the wrong people."

"."

at this time.

A servant came running and told Ma Wenhua that Xia Zhibai had arrived.

Just outside the door.

Ma Wenhua smiled and said, "It seems that our number one scholar is a little anxious. Since the number one scholar is so enthusiastic, how can we be stage frightened?"

"Go, bring the champion to the hall, and remember to be polite."

"Don't neglect the scholars."

Ma Wenhua gave a few instructions, and it was obvious that he had a lot of experience in receiving scholars.

The group walked towards the lobby, talking and laughing.

Just as Ma Wenhua walked into the lobby, Xia Zhibai also arrived.

Ma Wenhua and other salt merchants did not dare to be negligent in the slightest and hurriedly stepped forward, with their backs slightly bent, their attitudes very respectful and their faces filled with smiles. As for the way they dealt with people and things, these salt merchants were very familiar with them and there was nothing wrong with them.

Xia Zhibai accepted it with a smile.

He entered the lobby first and then sat directly in the main seat.

Ma Wenhua's eyelids slightly raised, but the smile on his face did not diminish. Instead, his smile became brighter and his attitude became more respectful.

Xia Zhibai couldn't help but admire the character of these businessmen.

It means keeping calm.

Ma Wenhua naturally noticed that Xia Zhibai was looking at him, but he seemed not to notice and greeted him warmly. He also asked a servant to bring a cup of the best hot tea. While pouring tea for Xia Zhibai, he said, "Master Xia, I heard that you like hot tea, so this tea is specially prepared for you."

"This is Da Hong Pao from Fujian. I don't know much about tea, but the price of this tea in my hands has reached one tael of tea and one tael of silver."

"If Master Xia hadn't come here, I would never have been willing to drink this tea."

"Master Xia, please have some tea."

Xia Zhibai reached out to take the teacup, then put it aside.

He said calmly, "Let's talk business, so you don't have to be so polite. I, Xia Zhibai, am also a half-businessman to some extent. I can also understand your thoughts and ideas. You all know my intentions."

"I won't say any more nonsense."

"I came here this time just to hear your ideas."

Ma Wenhua's face froze.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile reappeared on his face, and he said softly: "Sir, are you a little too hasty?"

“The North is huge.”

"There is no need to rush to Peking."

"Besides, Yingtian Prefecture is Yingtian Prefecture, and Beiping is Beiping. The two are different."

Xia Zhibai said with a smile: "Oh, really? Then may I ask, what is the difference between Yingtian Prefecture and Beiping?" Ma Wenhua's eyes darkened and gradually turned cold.

At this time.

Peng Jiasheng said, "Sir, Beiping is indeed different from Yingtian Prefecture. It is true that we are salt merchants, but we are also responsible for the grain supply of other garrisons. It is not that we must sell salt, but the court needs us to transport grain, so we made a special transfer to allow us to obtain a certain amount of salt permits."

"This is because the court needs us."

"Your Excellency just said that you are half a businessman."

"Then you should know that merchants will not do anything without profit. Without salt permits, it would be a losing business just to transport grain. The long-distance transportation costs alone are extremely high. In addition, the north is short of grain, and often grain has to be transported from the south. The cost on the road is even more staggering."

"We are businessmen. We can't keep doing business at a loss, right?"

Yang Wensong also said: "I believe your intention is good, but the situation in the north is different from that in the south and Kyoto."

"The court is also aware of this."

"Otherwise, why would the imperial court have promoted the 'Open China Policy' in the past?"

"It is clear that if we only transport food, we merchants will not be able to make ends meet, so we dare not transport it at all."

"The opening of the Sino-French law is the compensation given to us by the imperial court."

"Your Excellency can take it back if you want. After all, you are an official and we are just merchants of low status. How dare merchants go against officials? However, if your Excellency takes back the salt permits, then you will have to transport the grain to the garrisons in various parts of the north in the future."

"We don't have that much money to pay for it."

Yang Wensong spoke respectfully, but his eyes were full of mockery and sarcasm.

A confident attitude.

The eyes of the other salt merchants also turned cold.

Xia Zhibai wanted to take over the salt market in Peking and cut off a large amount of their income, so they would not give him a good face anymore.

And they were also a little clever.

There is no arguing about the salt market at all.

Because when they started arguing, they couldn't win.

Xia Zhibai has obtained permission from the court and is qualified to seize salt markets in various places. If they insist on holding on to the salt market, they will not be in the right at all, and the government will not reason with them. Therefore, they choose to find another way. Since they cannot compete for the salt market, they will drag the transportation of grain and the opening of the Zhongfa into the water as well.

In Yan City, Xia Zhibai has the final say.

But for the rest, Xia Zhibai has no say.

They were intentionally avoiding the important point and were also stating a fact to Xia Zhibai.

Xia Zhibai also knew it.

He also did not want to argue about these things, nor did he want to respond to these conversations. He said calmly: "I know what you said, and I am also well aware of the pros and cons. However, I have only been in Peking for a short time, but I have heard some news that the Prince of Yan is investigating corruption in the army recently."

Hear the words.

Ma Wenhua, who had been calm and composed, suddenly twitched his eyelids.

The faces of many salt merchants changed.

However, they were all people who had experienced many ups and downs. The changes on their faces were fleeting, and they soon calmed down. Ma Wenhua took the initiative to take over the conversation, and said in confusion: "Sir, why are you mentioning this? This is the prince's business, what does it have to do with us?"

Xia Zhibai smiled, but his smile was a little cold.

He said calmly, "Yes."

"Because the food you transport is not clean!"

"And many of you have participated in bribery."

One word fell.

The salt merchant, who had been able to remain calm, looked at Xia Zhibai in horror and said anxiously, "Master Xia, be careful with your words. You can't say such things. The Prince of Yan is in charge of the military affairs of Peking. We are just businessmen. How could we possibly participate in bribery? Master, please don't believe in some rumors."

"It would be bad if it caused something bad to happen."

Xia Zhibai picked up the tea bowl and sniffed it hard. It was indeed fragrant.

He said calmly: "You all know the difference between true and false better than me, don't you?"

"You said before that you were transporting grain to the garrison in exchange for salt permits. Under normal circumstances, you would either hire people to produce your own grain and cultivate the land, or you would have to transport it from the south."

"But in recent years, the amount of food you have transported to David has increased, but the land you have is not increasing. That means you can only transport it from the south."

"but"

“Is it really shipped from the south?”

"Didn't they occupy the fields of some military households? Did they rob these military households of their food?"

"If that's the case, why is the cost of transporting grain so high?"

"Is it transporting from Beiping to Dongshengwei? Or is it transporting from Beiping to Daningwei, a distance of only a hundred miles? Is it what you call transporting from south to north? It has to go by water and by land, and there are all kinds of things to take care of along the way, such as losses and manpower?"

"besides."

"You guys are too careless sometimes."

"You know that the King of Yan is investigating corruption in the army, but you still contact some military officers again and again. Aren't you afraid of attracting other people's attention?"

"Ultimately, it brought disaster upon oneself?"

Xia Zhibai took out a booklet from his sleeve and threw it on the table.

Ma Wenhua could no longer sit still.

He stood up suddenly and looked at the booklet in front of him with anxious and uneasy eyes. Finally, he reached out carefully and picked it up. When he saw some of the information recorded on it, his face turned pale and his body became even more unstable.

Seeing this, the others also panicked.

He quickly stood up, supported Ma Wenhua, and started reading the booklet.

read it.

His face changed drastically as well.

There isn't much content in the booklet.

Not even complete.

It only recorded their outings in the past few days, including visiting military attachés and visiting military households outside the city. As for what they did in these places, it was not written, but it was no longer important.

These things were enough to kill them.

even
It can also take the lives of those military officers.

Ma Wenhua was shaking, looking at Xia Zhibai with horror, and said tremblingly: "How did you find out this information? Didn't you only bring one person with you? How could you track us down so clearly? What on earth do you want to do?!"

Ma Wenhua was already a little scared.

He had absolutely no idea what Xia Zhibai was trying to do.

Xia Zhibai stood up slowly and said calmly: "Merchants pursue profits and can seek to be rich, but they cannot be rich and unkind. Officials of the Ming Dynasty can be in power, but they cannot abuse their power for personal gain, and they cannot use their power to bully others, rob people, and oppress the people."

"Something happened."

"I can understand that you colluded with the civil and military officials in Peking in order to obtain salt permits stably, but since you have already made a profit from it, you should not target ordinary military households and ordinary people."

"I know why you did this."

"Because the profits from oppressing these powerless ordinary military households are far higher than those from cultivating the land yourself."

"But my goal this time is just to take back the salt market in Peking."

"I don't want to ask about the rest."

"I suggest you discuss with those military officers and return the occupied land. This is my advice to you. Some things may not weigh as much as 10,000 pounds if they are weighed."

"They are indeed the favorite generals of King Yan."

"But there is still a cloud hanging over the head of the Prince of Yan, and this cloud is covering the entire Ming Dynasty."

Xia Zhibai reached out and took the booklet back from Yang Wensong.

Then he sat back down.

(End of this chapter)