Survive in the world of Red Mansions

This is Lin Hai's first real long-distance travel in this world, and he really felt that the ancient transportation is really inconvenient.

If it was before, it would take several days of traveling day and night, not to mention the plane, and it would only take a few hours to drive.Besides, the roads were well repaired in the past. Although tolls were to be paid everywhere, the roads were indeed well repaired. It was like the current dirt road with potholes.

Lin Hai decided to come here in person this time, and the person who went to investigate last time reported that there was a small disturbance in the salt field in Dongtai. Although it was resolved by the local officials, Lin Hai always felt that it was not so simple. Was it really resolved or suppressed? Or go see for yourself to be sure.

Lin Hai and Li Tuo, including the guards, totaled more than 20 people. Later, they followed the 200 soldiers seconded from Han Bin, and set off from Yangzhou City. The journey was relatively smooth, and it took about four days to arrive at a place near the sea. In the small town of Dongtai, I also saw Zhang Fu from the Yanzheng Yamen who was sent over to investigate in Dongtai.

After the group settled down, Lin Hai asked Zhang Fu to report the specific situation he had found out earlier.

After Zhang Fu saluted Lin Hai, he began to talk about what he found in this investigation: "My lord, some of my subordinates went to the salt field to investigate this time. I wanted to go directly to the salt field and find some salt households to investigate. The specific situation, but after arriving there, I realized that the salt farms, including those salt households, were very strictly guarded, and we could not get in touch with them at all. Later, we spent some money to secretly find a few salt households to ask about some situations.

The merchants in the salt field are finding that the purchase price from the salt households is getting lower and lower. Many salt households have problems with their basic livelihood. He was half dead, and after his family carried him back, the injury was too severe and he had no money to buy medicine, so he left within a few days.

The Yanhus were also exploited too hard, so this time some Yanhus went to ask for an explanation on this matter. The merchants spent money to find people from the government, beat up these Yanhus who got together, and took the lead. Several of them were arrested and have not been released yet.On the one hand, the merchants want the salt households to increase production, and on the other hand, they desperately lower the price of salt. These salt households can't survive, so they ask for an explanation, and they don't really want to make trouble.

When Lin Hai heard about this, he asked, "Does the branch of the Salt Division know what happened this time, and did they come forward to negotiate with those merchants?"

"As far as the villain knows so far, the people in the branch office must know, but it has not been found out that the people in the branch office have any contact with the merchants and salt households."

Lin Hai turned to Li Tuo and asked, "The merchants are desperately trying to get the salt households to increase their production. In the past few years, the distribution of salt in the Lianghuai area has increased very little. Mr. Li, where did the increased salt go?"

Lin Hai didn't wait for Li Tuo's answer, and went on to say: "Tomorrow we will go two ways, one part will go directly to the Yamen of the Salt Department, and the other part will go to check the merchants and salt households."

Lin Hai discussed with Li Tuo about tomorrow's staff arrangement, and ordered the group to rest early today and leave early tomorrow.

Lin Hai brought a group of people to the Yamen of the Salt Department and met the local official Wu Yan'an. Wu Yan'an was very cooperative. According to Lin Hai's instructions, he moved out all the relevant account books for Lin Hai and the others to check.

Lin Hai also knew, just because they took out the account books so readily for his group to check, and knew that there was nothing wrong with these account books.But a fake is a fake, no matter how well the fake account books are done, there will always be loopholes, if you check carefully, you may not find any clues.

In the past few days, a group of people have been checking accounts outside during the day, and after returning to the temporary place at night, they will compare the data found by the two parties. However, no obvious loopholes have been found, even if there are some small loopholes, it is not enough. With the conviction of the division, there is no good way for a group of people to sit together and worry.

Lin Hai thought for a while: "Zhang Fu, you went to the salt households you met last time, and found out how much salt they cook every day, and how many salt households there are in their regiment. If you know how many salt households there are, you can You can roughly know the salt production in Fengtai, and then compare it with the account book. Although this is more troublesome, it seems to be the only feasible way at present. What do you think, Mr. Li?"

Li Tuo thought that there was no better way at present, so he could only do this, but let them go to those salt households at night, and be careful not to be discovered.

From Yanhu, find someone to find out the number of cooking stoves in the entire Dongtai. Knowing the boiled salt output of each stove, it is easy to calculate the salt output of the entire Dongtai. There is a problem with the books.

After getting the exact evidence, let people notify the 200 soldiers stationed in the nearby area to come over.At first, he was afraid that those people would find out that they had been separated all along. Now Lin Hai led these soldiers directly to surround the Salt Transportation Branch. Everyone interrogated them separately, and finally found out the hiding place of another set of account books from a small book office.

With these account books, other things are easy to handle. Through these account books, it is found that the amount of salt collected by the merchants is far more than the amount reported to the court before. A large number of salt shipments were bought by joint salt merchants as illegal salt, and a part of the salt led by salt leaders was also sold as illegal salt.

With the evidence, Lin Hai handled it much more simply and neatly. The subordinate officer Wu Yan'an was escorted back to Yangzhou after being dismissed directly from his home, and found another person to act as his temporary agent.It took two days to deal with the follow-up matters for those who should be arrested, and those who should be dismissed, including the Yanhu who was arrested last time. They also found someone to release before returning to Yangzhou.

Just in case, Lin Hai asked someone to make a copy of this account book as soon as possible, and kept it separately from the original account book before taking him back to Yangzhou.

After returning to Yangzhou, Lin Hai did not return home, because this time there was clear evidence proving that the Qian family was involved in the sale of smuggled salt. Lin Hai returned to Yangzhou and directly took someone to raid the Qian family.

All the properties of the Wu family and the Qian family were seized and sealed up, and they were escorted to Beijing with the salt government tax bank at the end of the year.The handling of the officials involved in this incident, the memorial to improve the living conditions of Yanhu, and the materials obtained from the house raids were all sorted out and sent to the emperor.The officials involved in the Qian family's smuggling of illicit salt were also reported. As for how to deal with it, it is the emperor's business.

After everything was settled properly, Lin Hai returned to the mansion.

The author has something to say: This single chapter is about the salt administration. I refer to the salt administration system of the Ming and Qing dynasties.