"Treat the official salt of the imperial court as private salt and sell it!"
"Not only that, they also hoarded it and deliberately raised the price. It is said that when the price of salt was at its highest, it rose to 20 cents a pound!"
I want to ask you, does this happen? "
Hu Zongxian said, then turned his gaze to the three people and said slowly.
"Report...report to your lord, this is happening, but we are also suffering..."
Liang Hong, among the three, stood up and was about to explain when he was impatiently interrupted by Hu Zongxian.
"Shut up, me! Do you have any right to speak here?"
"Colluding to bribe officials, killing loyal people, hoarding, selling fish and meat to the common people, smuggling official salt, secretly possessing armor and weapons, each of these crimes is a worthy death penalty if taken alone!"
"Now, answer me, who is instigating you behind the scenes?"
Hu Zongxian's aura suddenly exploded, his eyes fixed on the three people, and he spoke word by word.
"Sir, there is no one behind us. This is all our own doing!"
Seeing this situation, the three of them gritted their teeth and said in unison.
They know very well that they must not reveal the person behind it. If they do, they will have no way out!
At that time, they can only be reduced to fish on the chopping board and be slaughtered by others.
Hu Zongxian laughed angrily, a cruel smile flashed across his face, and said slowly: "Do you know what His Majesty wrote in the secret order to me?"
After Hu Zongxian finished speaking, he deliberately paused for a moment and continued: "The mastermind of the whole thing is to destroy the three tribes!"
When Hu Zongxian finished saying the words "Destroying the Three Tribes", the entire hall fell into a deathly silence!
Among the three, Li Yide, the most timid one, felt a heat in his belly, followed by a stench, and he was so frightened that he became incontinent!
Destroying the three clans means that none of his parents, brothers, wife, etc., anyone who has anything to do with him can escape.
Hu Zongxian took out his handkerchief in disgust, covered his nose, and ordered.
"Come here, take him down and chop him down!"
"Sir, please spare my life, I say, I am willing to tell you everything!"
Before Li Yide could finish his plea for mercy, he was dragged down by the guards on the side like a pig to death.
Accompanied by a scream, Li Yide's begging for mercy stopped abruptly.
Hu Zongxian nodded, turned his eyes to the remaining two people, and said casually.
"What about you two? Don't you want to talk too?"
While Liang Hong and He Jin were still weighing the pros and cons, Hu Zongxian seemed to be tired of all this, and immediately called the guards and gave instructions.
"Since both of them are unwilling to confess, then pull them down and chop them both!"
After receiving the order, the guards immediately stepped forward and prepared to drag the two of them down.
"Sir, you haven't asked us a question yet!"
"We said we are willing to say anything!"
Seeing that Hu Zongxian wanted to execute both of them so hastily, Liang Hong and He Jin became anxious and spoke quickly.
"Well, well, tell me everything you know."
Hu Zongxian waved his hand, indicating to the guards to let go and let the two of them answer the questions.
"Sir, the thing is like this. A few years ago, we were fortunate enough to have a relationship with a high-ranking official in the capital."
"He promised us that as long as we are willing to work for him and give him 30% of the annual income from selling salt, then he is willing to act as our backend and solve all official troubles for us."
Liang Hong gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and told Hu Zongxian this.
"I am very curious, what is the name of this senior official?"
After listening to Liang Hong's story, Hu Zongxian looked interested.
"Your Majesty, this senior official is the former head of the Criminal Department, Zhao Wenhua."
He Jin on the side added after hesitating for a moment.
"What, Zhao Wenhua! How could this matter involve a dead man like him?"
After hearing this name, Hu Zongxian's face was full of surprise, and at the same time he knew very well that the whole thing must have something to do with his teacher.
Everyone in the officialdom knows that Zhao Wenhua is Yan Song's adopted son. In the past few years, he was very prosperous!
Not only is he favored by His Majesty, but he is also the godfather of Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet! In the officialdom, he can be said to be a man who dominates the world with one hand.
But later, because he was involved in the case of reselling military supplies, he was beheaded by His Majesty's personal order.
"Do you dare to vouch for what you say?"
Hu Zongxian's expression instantly became serious, and then he asked.
"Sir, what we just said are all facts and there is absolutely no lie!"
Seeing that Hu Zongxian had doubts about this, Liang Hong and He Jin immediately gave their unequivocal assurance.
"Well, then keep talking."
Hu Zongxian nodded and motioned for the two of them to continue talking.
"Later, after Mr. Zhao's accident, another person was sent from above to connect with us!"
"This man is quite mysterious. To this day, we have never seen his true face. We usually rely on letters to communicate. He called himself Master Li in his letters."
"And we originally planned to follow our usual practice and give him 30% of the benefits from this salt sale after this matter is over!"
Cao Shunhe on the side was already furious when he heard this, and then spoke.
"I see. No wonder the memorials I submitted to the imperial court failed every time!"
"Master Cao, calm down! Continue to listen to them."
After Hu Zongxian comforted Cao Shunhe, he then asked.
"In what way did you distribute the promised benefits to Mr. Li?"
Seeing that Hu Zongxian was quite curious about this, the two of them immediately explained.
"According to past practice, when the court sends people down to collect the salt tax, we will all pay an extra portion, and this extra portion is the promised benefit!"
"This will not only save a lot of trouble, but also ensure safety."
After listening to the two men's accounts, Hu Zongxian couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "How can this be done?"
"Hmph, looking at it this way, this canal in our Ming Dynasty seems to have been built for them!"
Then Hu Zongxian suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart and continued to ask.
"In that case, how much money does the extra amount you pay each time usually cost?"
"Sir, the specific amount is not certain, sometimes it is more, sometimes it is less!
"Even at the minimum, there were more than five million taels of silver."
After thinking about it for a long time, Liang Hong gave the answer.
"What? More than five million taels!"
After Hu Zongxian learned this number, he could no longer sit still, stood up from his seat suddenly, and exclaimed.
It was not that Hu Zongxian was surprised by the amount of silver. He was surprised that last year, the court collected a total of less than 1.2 million taels of salt tax from all over the country!
But now, these salt merchants say that they turn over at least five million taels of silver every year, and where does part of this go?
Hu Zongxian only felt horrified at this moment, and his spine was slightly chilled. It turned out that the court had not been unable to collect the salt tax all along!
Rather, the salt tax collected had entered the pockets of the high-ranking officials in the capital in various ways before it was transported to the capital.
In the end, not even one out of ten is actually delivered to the treasury!
(End of chapter)
