December 11th, light snow.
The land of Huai'an is now occupied by too many dragons and tigers that cannot be offended.
In addition to the already aloof status of the Governor of Water Transport and the Commander-in-Chief of Water Transport, there is now another imperial envoy governor.
The prefect of Huai'an was very wise and had already vacated the official office before the imperial envoy arrived.
After the government office was suspected of spying on the imperial envoy's secrets, in order to avoid suspicion, the prefect went to Shanyang County to work and temporarily handed over the government office to the imperial envoy governor Hai Rui.
The Huai'an government office has never been so lively as these days.
Within a few days, dozens of salt department ambassadors, deputy ambassadors, salt warehouse ambassadors, deputy ambassadors, batch laboratory ambassadors, deputy ambassadors, like dumplings, were arrested and imprisoned, and the jails were almost full.
The day before yesterday, there was also a salt class governor who deliberately damaged the account books. The imperial envoy asked for a talisman and was executed on the spot.
Hai Rui, who returned to Nanzhili as an imperial envoy, seemed to be in fierce flames.
The government office at this time.
Hai Rui and Wang Zongmu stood side by side in the lobby, watching more than a dozen people flipping through the account books and rubbing the abacus in their hands into sparks.
The former couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I would also like to thank Governor Wang for his help. If there were no capable officials like the Caoyun Yamen who are proficient in regulating the branches, I really don't know what to do."
After getting the account books, he must be able to do accounting. The more people in the imperial envoy team, the better. But it is still a bit fanciful to have all the people assigned to him, and he cannot expect the Jin Yiwei to do this.
Fortunately, there is a water transport yamen.
In charge of water transportation, there will always be no shortage of these small officials who are proficient in Duzhi.
This is the advantage of being backed by a large-scale yamen. I can only say that the emperor was too thoughtful.
If it weren't for Wang Zongmu's support, Hai Rui would have had no choice but to ask someone from the Department of Clearing Officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Regardless of whether people want to talk to you or not, it will only take a lot of time.
Wang Zongmu accepted the thank you calmly and said: "It's a small matter, after all, it's all for the imperial court."
"But... I'm afraid the salt farm's account books are more than just this one."
This kind of deception is always done openly and secretly.
The implication is that the effort is somewhat wasted.
Hai Rui nodded: "I also know this, so I will compare it with the salt merchant's account books."
The Lianghuai River nominally produces 700,000 yin of salt every year. This number has not changed since the founding of the People's Republic of China, so the central government has never known how much salt is actually produced.
But before leaving, the emperor gave him a warning.
There are about 150 million people in the world. Although Hai Rui doesn't know how he got it, anyway, one person uses five kilograms of salt a year, and the loss and substitutes such as salted fish are offset a little, so at least it is productive.
About 700 million kilograms of salt.
Since Lianghuai accounts for the majority of the salt, it must be about 300 million catties, which is the amount of 1.5 million jin.
This further confirms Xu Fuyuan’s statement of “double the number”.
What Hai Rui needs to do now is to determine the amount of salt produced.
Is it the 700,000 citations that have remained unchanged since the founding of the People's Republic of China, or the 1.5 million citations estimated by the emperor!
This is all money!
Only by determining the amount of salt produced can the two Huaihe Rivers pay taxes properly.
Wang Zongmu looked at Hai Rui curiously: "The salt merchant's account books? Will they cooperate?"
He had witnessed with his own eyes how much trouble he had gone through these past few days.
Chen Dong went to Taizhou and burned two salt fields as soon as he arrived.
The treasurer and the brine tower were burned to ruins, and the storehouse and brine tower collapsed. Naturally, the salt followed the ruins and collapsed back into the salt pond, mixing with the brine.
Although I don’t know why not a single grain of salt separated out after so much salt entered the water, it’s just a detail – the technical issue is insignificant, at least politically, the account has been settled.
Although the fire here in Huai'an is not as exaggerated, it is almost the same.
The brine towers of several saltworks were in disrepair for a long time. They were disturbed by soldiers and happened to break and collapse into the salt ponds.
Needless to say, the account books of the Forwarding Department were completely burned.
I can only blame it on the dry weather in winter and the imperial envoy arriving at the wrong time.
Now that we have reached this point, there is no reason why the salt merchants should hand over the account books.
Hai Rui smiled and said, "Twist the towel. The first time you twist it, you always get a lot of water out."
"I'm holding those brats hostage just to wait for the King of Hell to express his stance."
As an imperial envoy, he patrolled the salt administration in Huaihe River and Huaihe River, so these kings of hell would not deny him any face.
This is the room for negotiation, and both sides are waiting for this negotiation.
Since the emperor told Hai Rui personally, it has been recorded in the record for those with grades above four, and the Holy Judgment is arbitrary.
He would not leave no room for these important officials at the beginning of his work.
If he knows the truth and spits out 50% to 60% of what the emperor wants, he might not be able to shake hands and talk happily.
Speaking of this matter, Wang Zongmu couldn't help but remind him: "Gang Feng is better to be more cautious. These people may not be of the same mind. What you do may be counterproductive."
It involves the founder of the country, the seated tiger of Nanzhili, two former Zhongji Palace bachelors, and several high-ranking officials. The relatives of these figures were detained one by one. No matter what happened before, they will be connected in series afterwards.
.
Hai Rui looked at Wang Zongmu and said with a strange expression: "Governor Wang, Hai has a question for you privately."
Wang Zongmu was stunned.
He immediately nodded and signaled Hai Rui to ask directly.
Hai Rui hesitated for a moment and then said: "Governor Wang, do you think I, the imperial envoy, acting on behalf of the emperor, am following the holy will or being sent by the cabinet?"
Wang Zongmu looked at Hai Rui strangely.
Although he talks about the emperor's grace and holy will every day, Wang Zongmu is not so pedantic that he really thinks that the eleven-year-old emperor can handle political affairs.
Gao Gong was awarded a title and became an official, but he also asked him to cooperate with Hai Rui on the salt inspection. This must be an exchange with Zhang Juzheng, who succeeded him in the cabinet.
Isn't this something obvious?
What does Hai Rui mean by this? Is there some deeper meaning?
Seeing Wang Zongmu's expression, Hai Rui naturally understood what he was thinking and sighed helplessly.
It’s no wonder that these old guys from Nanzhili are stubbornly resisting. They probably have no idea who he means by coming to Lianghuai.
Even after his words were released, these people were still waiting for death. They probably thought that the cabinet was just trying to establish its authority. They thought that after a few years of delay, the current cabinet would be replaced.
It's a pity that you will regret it when you see the coffin.
Just when Wang Zongmu was about to ask, Chen Yinzhao walked in from outside: "Governor, six heads of the Huai Salt Chamber of Commerce are outside the government office asking to see you."
Hai Rui cheered up and came as expected.
Wang Zongmu also recognized the situation and handed it over: "I still have some things to do, so I won't disturb Gangfeng."
Hai Rui quickly sent him out personally.
Then he turned to Chen Yinzhao and said, "Go and invite people to the study."
…
For salt merchants' transactions, there are Ya people who negotiate and extract remuneration from them. These Ya people are designated by the transportation department and issued "payments", so they are also called Guan Ya.
To a certain extent, the price of salt is in the hands of these officials. It is through the officials that the Transportation Department supervises the salt market and also ensures the collection of salt taxes.
What is a big salt merchant?
The big salt merchants are officials with a layer of businessman skin, and they are government spokespersons who hold the power to "give and post" independent pricing.
Naturally, small salt merchants can only listen to these big salt merchants. How much they spit out and what the price is depends on the chamber of commerce.
In other words, these large salt merchants are the first-level subcontractors next to the transshipment department.
As for the standards specified by the Transport Department, it is naturally self-evident - whichever dog has a powerful owner behind him will eat the most delicious bones.
The six salt merchants in front of Hai Rui are the largest salt merchants in Lianghuai.
As the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, Shen Chuanyin was elected and sat on Hai Rui's chair, feeling a little on pins and needles.
He raised his hands and replied with a solemn look: "Ask the Governor of Huihai. I came here because I heard that the Lianghuai Transfer Department's account books were burned, so I came here specifically to present the Chamber of Commerce's account books for the governor to compare."
The salt farm produces salt, the transshipment department sells salt, and the salt merchant purchases salt.
Each has its own set of account books.
The ones in the transportation department were burned down, and those in the salt field were scattered.
Naturally, the only ones left are those prepared by the salt dealers themselves. Of course, there is no guarantee of authenticity.
Hai Rui raised his hand to stop his words and said, "I'm asking you who asked you to come."
Shen Chuanyin and the five salt merchants behind him looked at each other in confusion.
The former thought for a long time and then said bravely: "Governor, we are anxious for justice..."
Hai Rui interrupted him again: "I'm still holding many people here. Tell me who asked you to come, so I can release them."
The six salt merchants were all stunned.
Of course they knew about this happening, but the problem was that the master didn't order it to happen before he came.
Shen Chuanyin was quite quick-witted. He cupped his hands and said, "Governor, we are salt merchants. Naturally, we are here for the overall interests of the Lianghuai Salt Course."
"If you are someone who affects the overall situation, I hope the governor will show his respect."
"If it's no one else, the governor can use it for his own use."
Hai Rui glanced at him in surprise: "Are you from a Juren background?"
Shen Chuanyin bowed his hands in shame and admitted it. The scholar ran off to do business. To be serious, he was willing to be humble.
Hai Rui didn't press any further and asked, "Where are the account books?"
Shen Chuanyin said quickly: "The two boxes of account books are outside the government office. I will send someone to carry them in immediately!"
Hai Rui winked at Gu Chengguang.
The latter acted vigorously and went straight out the door.
Hai Rui nodded to Shen Chuanyin with satisfaction and asked, "You don't have to go around with me anymore. After all, how many thousands of dollars are there?"
It doesn't matter what the title is, the real issue is how much tax money is spent.
If he could cough up 400,000 yuan in taxes, he would be able to pay 1.1 million yuan in taxes next year, and Hai Rui could return to Beijing immediately.
He looked at the big salt merchant, waiting for his answer.
Shen Chuanyin immediately replied: "Governor! Last year, the Chamber of Commerce undertook a total of 800,000 yuan to introduce salt!"
The Lianghuai salt tax is 700,000 yin. Naturally, the extra 100,000 yin will not be taxed to the central government, which is the amount of tax embezzled.
One hundred thousand taels of salt were available, but Hai Rui frowned.
One hundred thousand quotes?
These people really won’t shed tears until they see the coffin!
The emperor said that he had achieved 50% success, so he would have to spit out at least 350,000 yuan to lure him out! It’s only 100,000 yuan, how about sending a beggar away?
The psychological expectations were a bit different.
Hai Rui turned away, his expression gloomy and unreadable: "Has President Shen thought it over clearly? Is it really true?"
Shen Chuanyin nodded with some difficulty.
There was no way, even though several big bosses had said that they would get a 20% profit, that is, 140,000, but there were nearly 10,000 mouths from the chamber of commerce, and he was not the one who had the final say.
He only withheld a share of 40,000 yuan, which was the limit of what he could do.
Hai Rui was noncommittal: "Then where did this hundred thousand yuan come from? Why is it not in the Caoyun Yamen's account?"
If the tax is not paid, it is just private salt!
The crime of tax embezzlement must be traced to certain people.
Shen Chuanyin hurriedly said: "It was Wan Hao, the Imperial College priest, who ordered Wang Ruyan to hide the excess salt from the salt field!"
"This person has no discipline and secretly controls the transshipment department. When he sold it to our chamber of commerce, he lied to us and said that all taxes on the 800,000 yuan were paid."
"Presumably all the embezzled taxes have gone into this person's pocket!"
There are also sacrificial rituals in Nanzhili, including those from the academy and the Imperial Academy, and the status of fourth-grade officials is not low.
Hai Rui didn't expect that these people would throw a sacrificial wine to express their anger. He sat up straight in surprise and asked, "Is there any evidence?"
Shen Chuanyin nodded heavily: "The traces of this thief are recorded in all the accounts!"
That means the witnesses and physical evidence are complete.
Hai Rui didn't answer for a while.
He stood up slowly and walked back and forth in the room, looking thoughtful.
The six salt merchants were puzzled and did not want to be disturbed.
It took a good while.
Shen Chuanyin called out hesitantly: "Governor..."
Hai Rui came to his senses and finally finished the long exam.
He turned his head and said to Luo Sigong: "Arrest all these people and put them in jail, and let the Jin Yiwei interrogate them!"
The sudden change caused the six salt merchants to panic.
Shen Chuanyin's expression changed drastically. He stood up and threatened, "Hai Rui! Think again!"
Before he finished speaking, Luo Sigong knocked him to the ground and dragged him out.
The other five salt merchants were not spared and were restrained and taken away one by one by Jin Yiwei.
Hai Rui watched quietly as several people were being taken away, and was heartbroken.
The emperor said before he came that he could kill as many of these salt merchants as he could, and they were still waiting to have their homes confiscated and return to Beijing with the money.
As long as these salt merchants are not guilty, why should they escape unharmed if they are guilty?
Hai Rui stood in the official office and waited for a while before turning around and opening the door to the cubicle.
I saw a few people tied up inside, and they were the same people that Hai Rui had detained in the government office a few days ago.
From this compartment, you can naturally hear the noise outside.
Several people have different expressions.
Hai Rui's expression remained unchanged and he said, "Who is the brother-in-law of the Imperial College?"
Several people had gags in their mouths and could not speak.
It was Jin Yiwei who lifted one of them up and walked to Hai Rui.
Hai Rui nodded: "Let him go."
Wan Hao's brother-in-law naturally knew what Hai Rui was planning, so he couldn't help but look at Hai Rui with a complicated expression.
When Jin Yiwei started pushing him, he staggered out.
Before leaving, he did not forget to look back at the people who were tied to the ground, with a trace of resentment flashing in their expressions.
Hai Rui looked at Zhang Huan, who was involved in the Nanjing matter, and said, "How about it? Has Zhang Huan figured it out clearly?"
After that, he motioned to Jin Yiwei to take off the ball.
As soon as Zhang Huan could speak, he cursed: "Hai Rui! You are going against the grain and are lawless. You will be killed!"
Hai Rui shook his head and couldn't help but joke: "It's a pity that you are already in despair at this time."
Chao Jinyiwei ordered: "Go directly to jail and be sentenced."
Zhang Huan's expression changed: "How dare you! I am here to help! Even the emperor will not commit crimes easily!"
"I want to impeach you! I want to impeach you!"
As he continued to speak, Jin Yiwei suddenly punched him in the stomach. His saliva started to flow, and he curled up into a ball, unable to speak anymore.
Hai Rui looked at the mustachioed man again: "I don't know who you are. You are so bold and dare to stop me at the ferry."
"It turned out to be just Xu Jie's domestic slave."
After he said this, he did not let Jin Yiwei take off the ball. He only took out a document with the seal of the Three Laws Division and said: "The evidence is conclusive, kill him."
The mustache's eyes widened in disbelief.
His mouth was whining and his body was squirming wildly, as if he had something to say.
But before Hai Rui could speak, his movements suddenly stopped.
When Jin Yiwei retracted his knife and dragged the man out, his mustachioed body was still twitching.
When he was dragged past Hai Rui, he reached out with difficulty to grab Hai Rui's hem, as if he wanted to say something.
Hai Rui didn't blink an eye and said seriously: "What I have done complies with the laws of the Ming Dynasty. If Xu Jie is dissatisfied, he might as well come to me in person to complain."
After saying this, he looked at the Crown Prince of Wei with a gentle expression.
Xu Weizhi's blood splashed all over his body, and he was trembling and looking at Hai Rui.
Hai Rui nodded and asked Jin Yiwei to take off his gag and loosen it for him.
Xu Weizhi pointed at Hai Rui with a hint of horror in his eyes: "You...you actually care so little about human life!"
Hai Rui didn't bother to say anything to him.
Let's get straight to the point: "Go back and tell Wei Guogong that I will accept the tax amount of 100,000 yuan for your majesty for the time being, but it is not enough."
"The Duke of Wei has received the emperor's favor in his lifetime. Whether he eliminates his noble family or dies with the country, it all depends on his thoughts."
Xu Weizhi raised his head in shock and met Hai Rui's determined eyes.
He opened his mouth wide and showed an unbelievable look. It was a smile that was astonished to a certain extent. He grinned, widened his eyes, and pointed at himself: "My family has made contributions to the Ming Dynasty and shed blood for Taizu. You
A mere fourth-grade official dares to coerce our clan into extinction!?"
As he spoke, he kept looking into everyone's eyes, looking for a smile of recognition, but no one paid attention to him.
At this moment, Chen Yinzhao took a step forward, looked at Xu Weizhi, and said softly: "Your Majesty, Duke of Wei, has a message before leaving."
Xu Weizhi was startled.
The emperor...oral decree?
He had never received an oral order from the emperor in his life, so he couldn't help but turned around and looked at Chen Yinzhao with a confused expression.
Chen Yinzhao stood facing north, with a solemn expression on his face, and said word by word: "I have been practicing Zuo for many years, and I have made clouds and rain, and I have never forgotten my merits."
"The merits of the King of Zhongshan are in the country. I always admire him and have often thought about building a temple for the King of Zhongshan."
"In June, I also specifically asked the cabinet to take Wei Guogong Xu Bangrui back to Nanjing to finish his meal."
Having said this, Chen Yinzhao paused and tried his best to imitate the emperor's tone at that time: "I have given you enough face."
"Xu Bangrui, don't seek death."
Xu Weizhi looked shocked.
Then he rolled his eyes, straightened his legs, and fainted.
Chapter completed!