Immediately afterwards, under the severe torture of the government, the bandits could not withstand the torture. Therefore, in order to find a way out, they simply told the crimes they had committed without any reservation. .
However, the situation they explained was very different from what Cao Shunhe had previously expected.
Cao Shunhe originally hoped that through the information provided by the bandits currently caught by the government, he would be able to follow the clues and find out the group of people who were responsible for escorting the official salt. Unexpectedly, it backfired.
Judging from the confessions provided by these bandits, these bandits clearly have nothing to do with the previous group of people who were responsible for escorting the official salt.
In addition, these bandits also confessed that the baggage containing the certificate of escorting the official salt was also obtained by chance. They did not know when or where they obtained it.
Cao Shunhe's mood inevitably turned bad when he thought that he had wasted so much manpower and material resources but got nothing in the end.
"There were about fifty-seven people who were responsible for escorting the official salt. Excluding the five people who were silenced because they were unwilling to cooperate, there are still fifty-two people left."
"And the remaining fifty-two people seemed to have disappeared from the world after that, and no trace could be found anymore. It's really strange. Could it be that someone was behind them to support them?"
"Or maybe they were all silenced!"
Cao Shunhe was shocked by the idea that suddenly popped into his mind.
But soon, he rejected this idea: "No, the salt merchants who were executed by Hu Zongxian earlier confessed before they died that the group of people who escorted the official salt, after taking their benefits, , then disappeared!"
"Besides, there are fifty-two people, no matter what, it's impossible to silence them all, right?"
While Cao Shunhe was still thinking hard about the possibility, he heard a rush of footsteps outside the door. A guard entered the room with a look of panic on his face and reported to him.
"Sir Governor, some people reported to the government that many unknown corpses were found in a pit while searching for bandits!"
After hearing this, Cao Shunhe couldn't hide the shock on his face and asked quickly.
"Where were the bones found? How many bones were there in total?"
After thinking about it for a long time, the guard responded: "Your Majesty the Governor, according to the estimates of the officers at the scene, there are a total of fifty-one unknown corpses in the pit!"
After hearing this, Cao Shunhe heard a 'boom' in his mind, and his whole body seemed to be greatly stimulated. He supported his body with one hand and kept murmuring.
"I see, this officer said that there is no trace of this group of people anywhere. It turns out that they have all been silenced!"
Immediately afterwards, Cao Shunhe reacted and said in a deep voice.
"No, there is one missing body, which means someone survived!"
"As long as I find this surviving person, I will be able to find out the mastermind who is at large!"
"In this case, I will give you a move to knock the mountain and shake the tiger!"
As Cao Shunhe said this, his fighting spirit rekindled in his heart.
Immediately, Cao Shunhe turned his gaze to the guard who came in to report, and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Announce this matter immediately. The more people know about it, the better. Let's say that the government has discovered fifty-one corpses, and their identities are those who were responsible for escorting the official salt. The specific cause of death is not yet known. clear!"
When the guard heard this, he immediately responded in a deep voice.
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
Since this matter was personally ordered by Cao Shun and the Jiangxi governor, his subordinate officials did not dare to neglect at all, and soon announced the whole incident.
As soon as this news was announced, it quickly caused an uproar in the city. The people all applauded and applauded it. Some people even bought some firecrackers to celebrate the event!
"Haha, these people really deserve their punishment. They colluded with those salt merchants and caused a lot of harm to us people!"
"This means that those who do unjust things will be punished by themselves. It is all their own fault that they have ended up like this!"
"Haha, have fun!"
While the people were cheering for this incident, Dong Jie, who had been observing the situation secretly, had a gloomy look on his face and said silently to himself.
"Damn, this is messed up!"
"Originally, we just wanted to bring this matter up to divert Cao Shunhe's attention, so that we could make our move easier and slow down his progress in moving grain to Zhejiang."
"Unexpectedly, by chance, he discovered the corpses that were hidden at the beginning, and there was actually one missing among those corpses. In other words, someone was lucky enough to survive!"
"No, I have to tell Mr. Xu Ge and the others about this quickly and let them prepare in advance!"
…
The capital city is home to six hearts.
Along with the popularity of newspapers published by the imperial court, there was also Liuxinju, which was the sole sponsor of the newspaper.
At this moment, Zhao Cunyi, the boss of Liuxinju, looked at the constant flow of customers around him, and his face suddenly burst into laughter.
Not long ago, when Yan Shifan sent someone to come to him to provide him with money to sponsor a newspaper that was about to be published by the imperial court, Zhao Cunyi honestly gave him 50,000 taels of silver to sponsor despite his grudges.
There is no way, if you want to gain a foothold in the capital, you must have a strong enough backer. In order for Liuxinju to continue to operate safely in the capital, what is the point of spending a little money?
There is no airtight wall in the world, so the news that Liu Xin Ju spent fifty thousand taels of silver to sponsor the newspaper that was about to be published by the imperial court was still spread.
After those colleagues and competitors learned about this, they all laughed at Liu Xinju for being taken advantage of and losing fifty thousand taels of silver in vain.
Even Zhao Cunyi, the boss of Liuxinju, felt that the fifty thousand taels of silver were probably wasted.
In order to avoid ridicule from peers and competitors, Zhao Cunyi never visited the store for a long time, just to avoid those rumors.
Unexpectedly, the newspaper published by the imperial court was very popular. As the sole sponsor of the newspaper, Liu Xinju also benefited greatly from it. Not only did he become famous in the capital, but he also gained the favor of dignitaries. favor.
As a result, the price of Liuxinju's pickles has skyrocketed, reaching a point that is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Some people even simply give Liuxinju's pickles as gifts to bring closer the relationship between the two parties.
Relying on this steady stream of orders, Liuxinju not only quickly recovered the cost of 50,000 taels of silver, but also made more than ten times the profit on this basis!
"Mr. Xiaoge is such a good person, I must repay him well!"
Zhao Cunyi withdrew his eyes from the guests coming in and out, and said with emotion in his heart.
At this moment, the boy on the side spoke, interrupting Zhao Cunyi's thoughts.
"Shopkeeper, Mr. Zhao sent the butler here, saying that he wanted to order twenty jars of pickles, do you think?"
Hearing this, Zhao Cunyi shook his head and said resolutely: "No, please tell Mr. Zhao's housekeeper that at the moment, I can only sell him ten jars of pickles."
"The rest must be sent to Yan Mansion according to usual practice!"
After listening to Zhao Cunyi's instructions, the servant quickly followed the order and told Master Zhao's housekeeper the news.
Later, Zhao Cunyi called a boy and asked.
"By the way, are the pickles sent to Yan Mansion ready?"
The servant heard Zhao Cunyi's inquiry and responded without thinking.
"When I get back to the shopkeeper, the thirty jars of pickles sent to Yan's Mansion have been prepared and can be sent to Yan's Mansion at any time."
After Zhao Cunyi heard this, he felt relieved and immediately gave instructions.
"Well, I'll come to your door in person later!"
"Yes, from the shopkeeper."
Later, Zhao Cunyi estimated that the time for his shift was coming soon, so he personally took a dozen boys with him and asked them to carry thirty jars of pickles and march towards Yan's Mansion. Along the way, he attracted many passers-by's glances.
When Zhao Cunyi came to Yan's Mansion, he was told by the doorman that Yan Song and Yan Shifan had not returned yet.
Reluctantly, Zhao Cunyi had no choice but to lead his men and wait at the door of Yan Mansion where purchasing supplies were delivered daily.
Not long after, two sedan chairs of different colors were seen heading in the direction of Yan's Mansion. The young man who had been ordered by Zhao Cunyi hurried back to Zhao Cunyi after learning about this situation. Report.
"Shopkeeper, Mr. Yan Ge and Mr. Xiao Ge are back!"
After Zhao Cunyi heard this, he couldn't help but feel relieved, and immediately gave instructions to the boy beside him.
"Well, okay, everyone, get ready and check these thirty jars of pickles carefully to see if there is any damage!"
…
On the other side, the sedans carried by Yan Song and Yan Shifan entered the Yan Mansion through the side door as usual.
After Yan Shifan helped Yan Song down from the sedan chair, the housekeeper who had been waiting for a long time immediately stepped forward and reported to Yan Song.
"Mr. Yan Ge, Boss Zhao from Liuxinju sent someone to deliver thirty jars of pickles to express his gratitude. They are waiting outside right now, do you think?"
After hearing what the butler said, Yan Song nodded slightly and immediately gave instructions.
"Well, let them in!"
"Yes, Mr. Yan Ge!"
Upon hearing this, the steward immediately took the order and left.
After the housekeeper left, Yan Song turned to Yan Shifan and gave instructions.
"By the way, when Boss Zhao delivers the pickles later, you go pick out the best ones from the nine jars, and I will personally deliver them to His Majesty later!"
When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, he immediately looked stern and responded respectfully.
"Yes, father!"
After receiving Yan Song's instructions, the housekeeper immediately told the news personally to Zhao Cunyi, who was still waiting outside the door.
After Zhao Cunyi learned the news from the butler, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. He then quietly stuffed a thick stack of banknotes into the butler's hand, with a flattering smile on his face: "Thank you!"
After the butler roughly felt the thickness of the stack of banknotes in his hand, his face was full of smiles and he said: "No, Boss Zhao doesn't have to be so polite!"
After that, Zhao Cunyi turned around and ordered the boys: "Why are you still standing there? Why don't you bring these pickles in quickly!"
When the boys heard this, they quickly responded: "Yes, from the shopkeeper!"
Later, with the efforts of those young men, these thirty jars of pickles were carried into Yan's Mansion.
After Zhao Cunyi ordered the boy to place the pickles, Yan Shifan suddenly appeared in front of him. Seeing this, Zhao Cunyi quickly knelt down on the ground respectfully and said respectfully: "I have met Mr. Xiaoge!"
After Yan Shifan looked Zhao Cunyi up and down, he said calmly: "Well, Boss Zhao, get up!"
When Zhao Cunyi heard this, his face was filled with tears of gratitude. He immediately stood up from the ground and kept talking.
"Thank you, Mr. Xiaoge, thank you, Mr. Xiaoge!"
After Zhao Cunyi got up from the ground, his face was full of flattery. After carefully considering his words, he spoke.
"I came here this time to thank Mr. Xiao Ge in person for giving Liu Xinju an opportunity to sponsor a newspaper published by the imperial court!"
“This time, Liuxinju not only recovered the cost quickly, but also made a huge profit!”
When Zhao Cunyi said this, he paused for a moment and then continued.
"So according to past practice, I plan to give 70% of the profits from this Six Heart Residence, a total of 370,000 taels of silver, to you, Mr. Xiaoge, as a thank you!"
When Zhao Cunyi said this, he was afraid that Yan Shifan would refuse, so he added immediately.
"I hope Mr. Xiaoge won't refuse. After all, without the idea you proposed in the first place, there would be no Liuxinju today!"
After hearing what Zhao Cunyi said, Yan Shifan did not make any comment. Instead, he nodded slightly and immediately gave instructions.
"Come with me, my father wants to see you!"
When Zhao Cunyi heard this, a look of astonishment flashed across his face, and then he quickly reacted and responded respectfully.
"Yes, Mr. Xiaoge!"
After that, Zhao Cunyi followed Yan Shifan's footsteps and headed towards Yan's study.
The reason why Yan Shifan met Zhao Cunyi in person was not because of his dividend of 370,000 taels of silver, but because of Yan Song's instructions.
Not long ago, Yan Song suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of a good way to fill the national treasury in the short term.
That is, just like the previous auction held when the Maritime Trade Department sold sea voyage certificates, the quota for sponsoring newspapers will be auctioned, and the highest bidder will win!
Now, with such a successful case as Liuxinju, other merchants in the capital will not be tempted after seeing Liuxinju's huge profits.
At that time, if the auction is held according to the trend, just by making a little use of the profit-seeking nature of businessmen, a large sum of money can be brought into the national treasury.
By then, it will also be able to please His Majesty and increase the bargaining chips for the upcoming decisive battle between the two sides!
The more Yan Song thought about it, the more he thought it was feasible, so he immediately asked Yan Shifan to invite Zhao Cunyi, the boss of Liuxinju, to the study room of Yan Mansion.
Yan Song planned to use the golden brand of Liuxinju to publicize this matter as much as possible, and then let more merchants know about it and join the competition.
In Yan Song's view, this matter is beneficial to everyone. First of all, the court can get a large sum of money without any effort, and the emperor will be very happy because of it.
Secondly, I can also take advantage of the situation to deepen my relationship with the emperor. Finally, those merchants who bid for the auction also indirectly increase the popularity of their own products.
Lo and behold, the world is complete where no one is harmed!
(End of chapter)
