Time passed slowly, and in a blink of an eye it was the day when the auction was officially held.
Capital City, Yan Mansion.
At this moment, Yan Shifan's face was full of unconcealable worry. He looked at Yan Song aside and warned: "Father, your illness is not cured yet, so you should rest for a while!"
"Just let me go, you can rest well at home!"
Hearing this, Yan Song shook his head in a subtle way, and immediately rejected Yan Shifan's request: "It doesn't matter, my health has improved a lot since I took the medicine newly prescribed by Dr. Li, cough cough!"
"Besides, today is the official day of the auction. Your Majesty has entrusted me with this matter. How can I not be there in person?"
After sensing the irrefutable meaning in Yan Song's words, Yan Shifan had no choice but to give up his advice temporarily.
After telling the bearers carrying the sedan to move the sedan slowly, Yan Shifan immediately got on the sedan and headed towards the location where the auction was held.
…
At this moment, the auction site was already bustling with people.
In this auction, all the prestigious merchants in the capital, large and small, participated.
After all, the newspapers published by the imperial court are extremely popular right now. If you can be lucky enough to bid for the right to sponsor the newspaper, you might be able to replicate the miracle of Liuxinju!
Compared with the huge profits that can be obtained in the future, what is the small amount of money paid for the current auction of sponsoring newspapers?
Since news had spread before that, Yan Song, the chief minister of the current cabinet, was personally responsible for the whole matter. Therefore, the defense at the scene was extremely tight, and a group of official officials would pass by from time to time.
At this moment, Shuntian Prefecture Yin Ding Shichang looked at the long queue of people holding gilt invitations in the distance, checking their identities one by one, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Oh, the world is really declining, and people's hearts are not as old as they used to be. When will those three religions and nine streams be able to join in!"
As soon as Ding Shichang finished speaking, the subordinates on the side immediately responded.
"Yes, sir, I heard that the newly opened Chunfeng Tower in the city also participated in this auction!"
After hearing this, Ding Shichang glanced at the subordinate and immediately explained.
"They are just taking this opportunity to make a name for themselves!"
"I have been to the newly opened Chunfeng Building. It has a unique flavor. The interior decoration is quite elegant, and the girls inside are also very..."
When Ding Shichang said this, he suddenly came back to his senses, then ignored the expectant looks of his subordinates and immediately changed the topic.
"Okay, you guys go take a look around again to see if anyone acting suspicious appears nearby!"
"Yes, sir!"
When the subordinates heard this, their faces were full of regret, and they immediately agreed reluctantly.
Shortly after the subordinates left, a large number of guards were seen approaching the place where the auction was held, and with them, there were two sedan chairs of different colors.
When Ding Shichang saw this, he couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said silently to himself: "Huh~ It's finally here!"
After that, Ding Shichang quickly called back his subordinates and greeted him respectfully.
After a while, I saw two sedans of different colors stopping. The first one to get out of the sedan was Yan Shifan. After getting off the sedan, he ran straight to the sedan that Yan Song was riding.
"Father, please slow down!"
Yan Shifan carefully helped Yan Song down from the sedan and reminded him.
Seeing this situation, Ding Shichang immediately took a step forward and bowed: "My lower official, Yin Ding Shichang of Shuntian Prefecture, has met Mr. Yange and Mr. Xiaoge!"
After hearing this, Yan Song observed the surrounding situation with his cloudy eyes, and then spoke slowly.
"Well, thank you for your hard work!"
When Ding Shichang heard this, a look of gratitude appeared on his face at the right time, and he humbly said: "Old Yan Ge praised me so much. This is what a lower official should do!"
After that, the two parties did not exchange too many greetings. Yan Shifan also supported Yan Song and entered the auction venue.
The auction venue was the same as last time. Not only did it occupy a huge area, but it was also divided into two floors. The lower floor was used to receive ordinary merchants, while the upper floor was not open to the public.
As soon as Yan Song and Yan Shifan entered the auction venue, a maid came forward to greet them.
At the same time, they were also taken to the second floor with the widest view, where they could have an unobstructed view of the entire auction site.
After Yan Song and Yan Shifan sat down on their seats, a maid came forward and poured hot tea for them with great enthusiasm.
Before Yan Song could speak, Yan Shifan asked Yan Song first.
"Father, how much money do you think we can get from this auction?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Song thought about it for a moment and then immediately responded, his tone full of determination.
"I think it's about four million taels!"
As the merchants took their seats one after another, the old man in charge of hosting the auction also appeared. Behind him was the maid who had a good appearance and temperament from last time.
The old man coughed twice, turned everyone's attention to himself, and said in a deep voice.
"Ahem, I kept everyone waiting for a long time!"
"This auction is mainly about the qualifications to sponsor newspapers published by the imperial court. The starting price is five thousand taels of silver, and there is no upper limit. Since the number of places is limited, if you miss this opportunity, you don't know when the next one will be! "
The old man's casual words stirred up the atmosphere at the scene. For those merchants who came to participate in this auction, they must bid to sponsor the newspaper no matter what!
After all, with the successful example of Liu Xin Ju in front of us, no one can resist its temptation.
Seeing that the atmosphere of the scene was almost exaggerated, the old man immediately stepped aside and said in a deep voice.
"Now I announce that the auction has officially begun. The base price is five thousand, and there is no upper limit!"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, a merchant raised the sign in his hand and called the price.
"I'll give you ten thousand!"
Seeing this, the expression on the old man's face suddenly became excited. He turned his attention to the merchants in the audience and said in a deep voice.
"Ten thousand is offered on the 6th, is there anyone with a higher bid?"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, a dull voice came from the corner: "I'll pay 12,000!"
When the old man heard this, he immediately turned his attention to the merchant in the corner who was bidding, and said loudly: "The bid on the twelfth is 12,000, is there any more..."
"I'll pay sixteen thousand!"
"I'll give you 21,000!"
…
While the auction here in the capital was still in full swing, the notice previously issued by the Ministry of Personnel was also distributed to the localities step by step.
Quanzhou, inside the government office.
At this moment, Yang Zongtai, the prefect of Quanzhou, sighed helplessly and immediately put down the half-processed official document in his hand.
Ever since Yang Zongtai submitted the official document, he had often been worried about it because he was really not sure about it and did not know whether the imperial court would deal with these officials of the Maritime Trade Department.
Yang Zongtai's original idea was to submit this official document to Fujian Governor Tan Lun, who would then come forward to persuade the officials of the Maritime Trade Department.
Unexpectedly, Tan Lun directly handed the official document to the cabinet without saying anything. Yang Zongtai became even more worried after hearing the news.
In recent days, in order to prepare for possible revenge, Yang Zongtai has repeatedly told his wife and children to try not to leave the government office if they have nothing to do.
At this moment, a rush of footsteps was heard outside the door, and a guard pushed the door open and said excitedly.
"Sir, here are the notices issued step by step from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as well as the orders given to you by the Governor!"
When Yang Zongtai heard this, his face was full of disbelief. He immediately stood up from his seat, came to the guard, and asked.
"What did you just say? Say it again!"
"Yes. Sir!"
The guard had no choice but to repeat what he said before, and then handed over the notices issued step by step from the official department, as well as the orders issued by Tan Lun to Yang Zongtai, in front of Yang Zongtai.
Yang Zongtai took it and began to browse it carefully.
The notice issued by the Ministry of Personnel is: "All persons involved in the list will be relieved of all duties from now on and escorted to the capital for trial!"
After Yang Zongtai finished browsing the notice issued by the Ministry of Personnel, he couldn't help but feel extremely surprised, because the above list included almost all officials of the Maritime Trade Department in Quanzhou.
The order issued by Tan Lun was much simpler. In the letter, Tan Lun ordered Yang Zongtai to arrest and bring to justice all the people involved on the list.
Yang Zongtai put the letter in his hand aside and said silently to himself: "It seems that it is all done in one pot!"
Not long after, Yang Zongtai came back to his senses and gave instructions to his subordinates.
"Gather all the servants in the government office immediately and follow me to the Maritime Trade Department!"
Although the subordinate was a little confused about Yang Zongtai's order, he still responded in a deep voice.
"Yes, sir!"
The officers in the government office were quickly assembled. After that, without any hesitation, Yang Zongtai immediately led the officers directly to the Maritime Trade Department.
When Yang Zongtai came to the Maritime Trade Department with the officials from the government office, several businessmen happened to come out of the Maritime Trade Department.
"Oh, how can I live like this? I can't make much money, but I still have to pay these exorbitant taxes!"
"Yes, these guys are really a group of people who eat people without spitting out their bones. They don't do anything serious but just make money from us!"
"Bah, what a bunch of dog officials!"
As soon as one of the businessmen finished cursing in anger, he ran into Yang Zongtai and a large number of officers led by him.
Seeing this, the businessman turned pale with fright, and immediately fell to his knees on the ground with a thump, sobbing.
"Sir, you have misunderstood. I am not talking about you, I am just..."
But Yang Zongtai ignored the businessman and just looked up and down at the Sea Trade Department in front of him. After a moment, he looked away and gave deep instructions to his subordinates.
“I’ve surrounded this place, don’t let anyone escape!”
"Yes, sir!"
After Yang Zongtai finished speaking, his officers immediately took orders, pulled out the weapons from their waists, and surrounded the Maritime Trade Department.
When the officer responsible for guarding the safety of the Maritime Trade Department saw this situation, he immediately reprimanded him.
"Bold, what are you going to do? This is the Maritime Trade Department. Do you want your life?"
"Get them all by me!"
"yes!"
With an order, all these government officials were controlled by Yang Zongtai's men.
After completely surrounding the entire Maritime Trade Department, Yang Zongtai immediately led the remaining people and entered the Maritime Trade Department directly.
The commotion outside could not be hidden from the officials in the Maritime Trade Department. At first, they thought that someone had a dispute and a quarrel outside the Maritime Trade Department. After all, this kind of thing happened from time to time.
Because of this, they did not take this matter seriously, but sent several guards to inquire about the situation.
When none of the guards sent out came back, Xue Bin was keenly aware that something was wrong.
After that, Xue Bin turned his eyes to the colleagues around him and said in a deep voice.
"Why didn't the guard who was sent out to inquire about the news come back for such a long time? Could something have happened?"
The colleagues on the side sneered at Xue Bin's idea and responded with disdain: "What can happen? There are no Japanese pirates here. Is it possible that there are still people who dare to openly attack the Maritime Trade Department?"
Before the official finished speaking, he saw officers armed with long knives filing in, while Yang Zongtai walked in leisurely with his hands behind his back.
Seeing this, an official from the Maritime Trade Department immediately stood up from his seat, turned his gaze to Yang Zongtai, and reprimanded: "Yang Zongtai, what do you mean? Breaking into the Maritime Trade Department without permission is a capital crime!"
Before the official finished speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Yang Zongtai: "Shut up, me. Who gave you the courage to talk to me like this!"
When the official heard this, he immediately laughed angrily, looked directly into Yang Zongtai's eyes, and said word by word: "This sentence should be spoken by me. In the end, you are just a small prefect." , but I am an official from the Maritime Trade Department!"
Hearing this, an inexplicable smile appeared on Yang Zongtai's face. He turned his gaze away and said unhurriedly: "In that case, aren't you all curious as to why I, a small prefect, dare to treat you like this? ?”
After Yang Zongtai finished speaking, he looked around and then said to himself: "Because you bunch of insects are already dying and you don't even know it!"
"The notice from the Ministry of Civil Affairs has come down. It says that you will all be dismissed from your posts and then escorted to the capital for punishment!"
After the words fell, the officials of the Maritime Trade Department suddenly panicked, as if they had been greatly hit, and kept mumbling: "No, this is impossible..."
At this moment, Xue Bin summoned up the courage and asked Yang Zongtai: "Since you said that the notice from the Ministry of Civil Affairs has been issued, you might as well show it to us!"
Hearing this, Yang Zongtai sneered, then turned to look at the subordinate next to him and ordered: "Show it to him!"
"Yes, sir!"
After Xue Bin took the notice from the Ministry of Personnel from the hands of his subordinate, he only glanced at it and confirmed the authenticity of the notice. This was really a notice from the Ministry of Revenue!
After that, Xue Bin seemed to have received a huge blow. He fell to the ground weakly and kept muttering: "No, this is not true. Your Majesty, I am wronged..."
After Yang Zongtai looked around, without concealing the disgust in his eyes, he waved his hand suddenly and ordered in a deep voice.
"Bring them all to me and capture them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
(End of chapter)
