The heavens start with letting the bullets fly

Chapter 473

"Yes, yes, I have heard for a long time that Miss Yang is both excellent in beauty and art, and incomparable in piano music. It is a pity that I am not blessed to see her."

"Brother Zhao is generous, of course Young Master Chen will not lose face."

"I'm going to entrust Mr. Chen's blessing today."

"..."

There was a sound of encouragement in the box.

It seemed that if Chen Zhao didn't follow, the big guy would not eat or drink well tonight, and the pain would be unbearable.

Chen Zhao smiled slightly, and stood up slowly: "I'm full, I'm tired, so I'm leaving."

After finishing speaking, he turned around and left, rejecting quite resolutely, not giving everyone a chance to persuade,
It's as if he wasn't the one who just exchanged glasses and called each other brother and sister.

Chen Zhao bid farewell to all the salt merchants, and went out of the restaurant.Following Chen Yang, he hurried over and asked, "My lord, where are we going?"

"Return to Yan Yushi Mansion!" Chen Zhao said calmly.

"Yes!" Chen Yang didn't say a word.

In the window-side box of the restaurant at the back, Zhao Haonan's face was calm, his eyes were like nails, he fixed on Chen Zhao's carriage, thought for a long time, and then said: "As expected of the seed of reading, people can't see through it!"

The carriage passed all the way on the streets of Yangzhou City, and soon came to a big house.

Of course, this is not the official office of Yushi Yamen.

It is the mansion of Xunyan Yushi.

After all, Yangzhou is a big and luxurious city, and the censors who patrol the salt have a small rank and heavy power, so naturally they can't live in the front office and back house like ordinary seventh-rank officials.

The Xunyan Yushi is in charge of the entire salt road power in the south of the Yangtze River, and is considered to be the fattest and most lucrative position in the world.

In view of the importance of this location, the imperial court allowed another Yushi Mansion to be built across the road from the back gate of the Yushi Yamen.

The Supreme Emperor abdicated and the current emperor Xiao De made the first personnel appointment after he succeeded to the throne. Lin Ruhai, the official of Lantai Temple, was appointed as the Yangzhou Salt Patrol Censor to take charge of the salt transportation in the Huaihe River. This was to provide the new emperor with Xiao De. The German emperor raised money to gather power.

Someone in the previous dynasty said that the son of heaven is the one who is strong in soldiers and horses.

Some people have also said that in order to hold the emperor's position firmly, he must have a sword in one hand and an official seal in the other.

But no matter whether it is simply a strong army or strong horses, or having a knife handle and official seal, all of this is inseparable from money.

With money, there is a basis for doing things and the power to reprimand Fang Qiu.

After all, being a soldier eats food, and being an official for thousands of miles is only for money.

That's why the emperor put his confidants in this position.

Entering the house, all the way to the study door of Lin Ruhai in the back house.

Chen Zhao straightened his clothes, passed the message and walked in.

At this time, Lin Ruhai was dealing with official documents, looking at his muscular body and calm demeanor, who could be like his wife died of illness in just a few years, and he died too?
"The banquet is satisfactory." Lin Ruhai squinted his eyes and asked.

"The salt merchants in Yangzhou are very enthusiastic. It seems that they are very wary of your lord's appointment."

Chen Zhao's tone was flat.

Lin Ruhai nodded and said: "His Majesty ordered me to take charge of salt affairs, which is to increase salt taxes and increase internal funds and treasury revenue. This naturally affects the interests of salt merchants, so they will inevitably spy on the situation. You have done a good job."

Chen Zhao smiled slightly: "It's just a matter of duty."

Lin Ruhai closed her eyes slightly, and opened her eyes to look at Chen Zhao after a while: "It seems that you are quite familiar with the salt affairs, I am very pleased."

Haizhou produces Huai salt, but its distribution is in Yangzhou. More than two-thirds of the world eats Huai salt. Every year, a boatload of white salt goods goes out, and a boatload of white money comes in. The salt merchants have earned it from generation to generation. The accumulated silver is a wealth like a splash of heaven.

Since the monopoly of salt and iron by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the salt tax has been one of the fundamental taxes of the imperial court, but now in the Xiaode period of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the population of the world is increasing, and naturally more and more people eat salt, but the salt tax According to the rules, the amount of 800 million yuan per year is 100% off, and only more than [-] million silver is handed over. The imperial court will send people down to rectify it, and they can collect a little more, and then restore it to the original state.

The money earned from official salt and private salt, and the salt tax withheld, naturally cannot be eaten by salt merchants. The wealthy families hidden behind the court, the yamen of the court, and the local salt transportation department came to patrol and inspect. Then to civil and military officials in all aspects, everyone has a share.

It is convenient and humane to scatter so much money in exchange for it. After a long time, a huge and intimate relationship has been built, covering everything.

In addition to the official face, this is also the case in the rivers and lakes and even in the sect. Everyone wants to make a fortune from the salt. Needless to say, the green forests and grass on the land, the water transportation is the world of the sect. Merchants help each other, and the relationship is getting closer and closer.

By now, everyone is familiar with it and has a lot of experience. Many salt merchants raise their own regiments to practice guards, or have close collusion with the wilderness.

So when Emperor Xiaode just succeeded to the throne, the salt tax reached an astonishing 80 taels, which attracted the attention of the entire government and the public.

This was to be written in the history books, from the emperor to the Ministry of Household Affairs, everyone felt disgraced, so no one had the face to stop Emperor Xiaode from making such a strong appointment.

Why do salt taxes decrease as salt merchants get richer?
The wealth of the salt merchants comes from their large-scale sales of private salt.The result of the popularity of private salt is that the official salt cannot be sold.

The salt consumption of the whole world is based on the population, and the total number is that much.Everyone buys private salt, and the official salt will not make money or tax.

This kind of thing is known all over the world. If you want to rectify the salt affairs, you must strengthen the imperial court's control over the salt affairs.

For salt merchants, reorganizing the salt business is tantamount to killing them.

Naturally, they wanted to inquire in every possible way and carefully investigate Lin Yushi's salt plan.

This is the right thing to do.

Lin Ruhai sighed, his eyes were determined: "Hey, the country is difficult, and the salt tax is difficult to collect. Your Majesty has shown me a mountain of kindness. Naturally, I will never die. No matter how these salt rats resist, I will do my best."

He said so, and Chen Zhao of course followed suit: "My uncle is loyal to the country and the public with sincerity, Chen Zhao should assist with all his strength, and dare not delay."

"My nephew is ambitious!" Lin Ruhai praised, and said, "We have been here for three days, where do you think we should start?"

Chen Zhao smiled slightly: "Uncle is the censor of the censor, and he has the censor's yamen and the censor of the censor in his hands. He has a lot of power, but we are new officials after all. I'm afraid that the officials at all levels in the censor's Soldiers, big and small, have all been crushed by the salt merchants, so I think the first thing to do is to rectify the yamen and consolidate the power in your hands."

"Yes." Lin Ruhai nodded, waved his hand and said, "You continue."

"For Xunyan Yushi, there are hundreds of officials at all levels in his hands, and it is unrealistic to replace them with his own people at once, so we must seize the two most important positions."

"Oh? Those two positions?"

"One is the governor of the salt transportation envoy. This official position is responsible for handling the documents and uploading the government orders. He belongs to the confidant of the patrolling salt censor. This official position must be the confidant of the uncle."

"The other is Yan Ding inspection. This job is responsible for training armored soldiers and patrolling salt fields. It has a lot of power. It is the only armed force controlled by the Yushi Yamen. It must not be controlled by others."

"Only by mastering these two positions, can my uncle rectify the salt affairs step by step and take money from the salt rats."

Chen Zhao finished speaking calmly.

"Okay!" Lin Ruhai patted the table lightly: "I don't want my nephew to have such knowledge before he is a weak crown. I know you have practiced martial arts since you were a child. Would you like to help me take the position of Yanding inspector?"

Yanding inspection belongs to the ninth grade, the smallest sesame official.

One advantage of this position is that you can resign at any time to take the scientific examination.

Chen Zhao's father was a master in the court, and he was a man of command from an early age, so Chen Zhao also studied poetry and books diligently, mastered the classics and Xiaoyi, and had already won the Juren, and he was waiting to go to the capital to take the exam after his knowledge improved.

"No problem, I'll shake off all the salt mice."

Chen Zhao smiled slightly, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth, shining under the light.

(End of this chapter)