And this was the first step Zhu Changwu gave Zhang Yi to take.
Early the next morning, outside the original Ge Lao Mansion and Chen Yan's mansion, a group of businessmen gathered, and there was a lot of traffic and it was very lively.
For a businessman whose status has always been low, not to mention whether he can get what he wants at the auction this time, just being able to visit the old mansion is a very proud thing.
After all, it was difficult for them to enter the old man's house even if they had money. Only those with status are not allowed to enter here, but now, many businessmen with some wealth can enter, and there are seats for them in the main courtyard here. One thing about having a long face.
The weather is beautiful, the wind is gentle and the sun is beautiful. At about eight o'clock in the morning, Zhang Xi, who was dressed in the uniform of a second-grade official, came to Chen's Mansion under the protection of Xue Changkong's leadership. As soon as he arrived at the door, he was greeted by a subordinate official.
"How's it going? How many people are here?" Zhang Chang asked the official from the Ministry of Household Affairs who was responsible for the reception while walking.
"Replying to Master Shangshu, there are a lot of people coming this time. Basically all the businessmen we invited yesterday are here. Even the powerful ministers haven't shown up yet." The welcoming official said cautiously. The person in front of me is Lord Shangshu. He is just a clerk, not even an official. Normally, he would never have the opportunity to come into contact with a Shangshu.
This is because there is really no one available in the household department, so he has the opportunity to show his face in front of Zhang Yi.
When he heard that the merchants were coming, but the ministers and dignitaries did not show up, Zhang Xi laughed and said: "It doesn't matter, I didn't expect them to come this time."
As a person trusted by Zhu Changwu, Zhang Yi had received news that Emperor Chongzhen was preparing to reopen the court meeting.
These ministers in the capital had never entered the palace to attend court after hearing the ringing of the Jingyang Bell. This time Chongzhen recruited them back regardless of past suspicions, just to give these people a chance to change their ways.
At this critical moment, these ministers must of course be cautious in what they do, and they will not participate in some occasions if they can. They are all preparing to return to the court.
Regarding this matter, Zhang Yi asked Zhu Changwu last night. The general idea was that these ministers could not help the king at the critical moment. Even so, why should they be given a chance to recover?
Zhu Changwu's answer to this was that Chongzhen's court could not have only his group. Imperial power was about balance and mutual restraint.
Besides, Chongzhen couldn't just stay in the palace and do nothing every day. The imperial system would be restored sooner or later. A country cannot only have military generals but no civil servants. Zhu Changwu also knew this very well, so he did not object to Chongzhen's move.
This is also the result of Zhu Changwu's self-confidence.
He doesn't care about the method of balance at all. If the civil servant Chongzhen is willing to use it, he will not object. But if these ministers cause trouble and get themselves into trouble, then I'm sorry, he doesn't care about their identity, he will kill them if he doesn't like them.
The young master looked indifferent, and Zhang Yi was even less worried. He was leaning against a big tree to enjoy the shade.
"The auction is all ready. That's it, let's go." Zhang Xi was very happy when he learned that many businessmen had come, so he strode into the house and went straight to the auction.
...
Shanhaiguan.
Wu Sangui, who was wearing a general's armor, looked at the handwritten letter written by his father to him, with a somewhat uncertain look on his face.
Advisor Fang Guangchen got the news and hurried over, "General, what happened?"
"Let's take a look first." Wu Sangui didn't say much, but handed over the letter in his hand.
After scanning it with ten lines at a glance, and then looking at it carefully again, Fang Guangchen raised his head and asked, "General, who is this Zhu Changwu? Have you heard of him before?"
"Never." Wu Sangui shook his head.
"So, he should be a rising star, but I didn't expect him to be so powerful. With only a newly recruited army of 50,000, he could defeat the intruders who were more than ten times their number. This man is very skillful. ." Fang Guangchen said with great emotion.
"This method alone is nothing. For example, Lu Xiangsheng, Cao Bianjiao and others defeated Li Thief and fled. But pay attention to what my father wrote in his letter. He actually killed more than 60 court officials in a row, and even Their home was ransacked, but he himself was fine, which is what makes people feel scared."
Wu Sangui spoke. To say that he was worthy of being crowned king in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, his vicious vision was indeed unparalleled.
Fang Guangchen naturally saw this, and immediately sighed in agreement, "Yes, this alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people. It seems that the emperor trusts him very much. General, what are your plans?"
The Ming Dynasty is grand and prosperous, and there will be no shortage of capable ministers and generals.
But just because Chongzhen always used people with suspicion, many capable people were inevitably on the path of suspicion after making great achievements, and ended up being hated for the rest of their lives.
Many ministers are very clear about this, which is why even though they know that Zhu Changwu has made great achievements, some ministers still dare to impeach him.
In the eyes of these ministers, Chongzhen should be worried about Zhu Chang's martial arts master, and their impeachment should satisfy Chongzhen, so he dared to accept money from Wang Zhixin and Yang Guanguang. But no one expected that the seventh son of Prince Xiang would act so decisively, arresting them directly, and ransacking their home.
But what is even more unexpected is that Chongzhen acted as if he had never heard of this, which was completely inconsistent with his usual style. It is no wonder that Fang Guangchen sighed like this.
"I plan to go to the capital and meet this person for a while." Wu Sangui said as if he had made some kind of decision.
As a general outside the country, the more military power he holds, the more susceptible he is to suspicion. Even if he doesn't do it well, he may be brought back to the capital to be punished when a decree is sent back. Things like this were not uncommon in the late Ming Dynasty, and Wu Sangui was naturally on guard against it. For example, his father Wu Xiang stayed in the capital and had been helping him manage relationships.
But after all, he was a retired general, and Wu Xiang's ability was limited. The most he could do was pass on news to him, so that he wouldn't be like a blind man who didn't understand anything about the affairs of the court. If something really happened, it would be difficult for his father to help him.
In this way, Wu Sangui has always wanted to find a fixed ally among the imperial capital.
He had tried before and found some people, but unfortunately, no one could catch his eye.
The people he found either asked for too high a price, or they didn't have much strength at all and couldn't influence Chongzhen. The result of spending money but not getting anything done was not what Wu Sangui wanted.
Well now, Zhu Changwu has emerged. Not only can this person be able to fight, but more importantly, he has Chongzhen's trust, and he also dares to kill civil servants.
It's good to kill civil servants. Such a person is destined to become the target of public criticism in the eyes of others. If he wants to gain a foothold, he will naturally need the support of others. Especially with the support of generals like Wu Sangui who hold military power outside.
Wu Sangui believed that as long as he showed his willingness to form an alliance, Zhu Changwu would be very happy. When the time comes, one will lead the outside and the other will lead the inside. Wouldn't it be beautiful if the two of them cooperate.
"Mr. Fang, I have to leave for a while, so I will leave this place to you temporarily. If anything happens, you can discuss it with Zhang Guozhu, Wu Zhimao, Gao Dejie and others." Wu Sangui was determined to see Zhu Changwu, so He began to arrange matters related to his departure from Shanhaiguan.
...
The auction ended successfully.
The result was even smoother than expected, at least that's what Zhang Xi thought.
Two hundred bottles of perfume and two hundred pieces of glass art were auctioned for forty times in batches of five, and the prices were higher each time. Later, when there were fewer and fewer products, the prices continued to rise. In the end, five pieces of glass art were sold together for 200,000 taels of silver, and the prices were astronomical.
The cost of four hundred pieces of goods was so low that it could be said to be outrageous, but in the end they were sold for a full five million taels of silver, which made countless merchants present greedy.
Just when everyone saw that all the goods had been returned to their owners and thought the auction was about to end, suddenly officials from the Ministry of Revenue came up to the stage and then, in front of all the businessmen, asked the person in charge of the auction for Business tax.
According to the requirements of the New Deal on commercial tax, the tax ratio is ten to two. This time, if you get 5 million taels of silver, you need to pay 1 million taels of tax.
The officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs came up with the new policy, and the person in charge of the auction was very cooperative. One million taels were presented in front of everyone, causing other businessmen below to exclaim in surprise.
In the past, the commercial tax they paid was only 30 taels of silver. That means that for a transaction of 100 taels of silver, they only had to pay 30 taels of silver. But now, it turns out to be a tax of 20 per cent, which is equivalent to a full increase of seven and a half times. It is really cruel.
The person in charge of this auction house paid the commercial tax without blinking an eye. If they remembered correctly, these products came from the Daming Research Institute. This is the property of Mr. Zhu, and he actually wants it too. If they pay such a heavy tax, will they get any less when it is their turn?
The ugly faces of the merchants all fell into Zhang Yan's eyes, and he wanted to laugh at this moment. The young master's left hand goes out and the right hand goes in. It's a good move. Look, it scares these profiteers.
Very good, this is the effect Zhang Yi wanted, and it also laid a good start for what he will do next.
The auction was over, but the faces of all the merchants present were not very good. They all disappeared because they had grabbed perfume and glass art. In exchange, my mind was filled with words about heavy taxation.
Huang Yuliang also participated in this auction. Because he represented the Huang family and belonged to the wealthy group, he robbed five bottles of perfume and five pieces of glass art this time.
