The heads of the Zhou family and the seven major salt merchants all gathered here to discuss the impact that the assassination of the imperial envoy might have on everyone.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan, the son of Zhou Boru, rushed into the hall with his people, and said in a panic: "Master, it's not good, a large number of officers and soldiers have entered the city, and they have surrounded the Wang family, the Bai family, and many other families..."
"What??"
Everyone was shocked and stood up one after another.
Even Zhou Boru, who always had an unchanging expression when the mountain collapsed, couldn't help but tremble, reluctantly sat on the main seat, and asked: "Is the news true? Where did the officers and soldiers come from?"
"It's said that the imperial envoy sent them into the city to capture the assassins and the remaining gang members. Master, what should we do? Judging from their posture, these officers and soldiers are obviously coming for us. I'm afraid that after a while..."
Before he finished speaking, the housekeeper shouted in the courtyard: "Master, master, it's not good, there are many officers and soldiers outside the door, surrounding all the doors!"
Zhou Boru suddenly couldn't sit still and stood up all of a sudden, his face was terrifyingly gloomy.
Even if he is like this, let alone several other people, many of them have a look of death on their faces.
As the saying goes, when a scholar encounters a soldier, there is no reason to explain. The same is true for their merchants. They, the salt merchants, have the energy to leverage the figures in the government. They rely on the power of the people behind them, but these are difficult to have any effect in front of the arrogant officers and soldiers.
The key is, how could Jia Lian...how dare he directly send troops to surround them! ?
How could he have such boldness and ability to directly attack them without convicting them?
If you are really an imperial envoy, you can not follow the rules and act arbitrarily? The royal censors and officials in the imperial court are not just for a living.
Even though I couldn't figure it out and couldn't even believe it, at this moment, the fear was definitely there.
Wang Shanxiang quickly asked Zhou Yan and the housekeeper: "Even the Bai family is surrounded?"
Of all of them, who doesn't know that the Bai family is the Queen Mother's family? Although the Bai family, a Yangzhou salt merchant, is only a branch of the Bai family, it is still good to work for the direct descendants of the Bai family.
Even if Jia Lian is an imperial envoy, he dares to directly touch the Bai family?
"Surrounded, everyone is surrounded. Our seven families are all surrounded by officers and soldiers without exception."
Hearing what the steward said, Zhou Yanru hurriedly asked: "How is the situation at the imperial envoy's camp? What is the imperial envoy doing?"
He said that the imperial envoy's headquarters was not the manor prepared by the Yangzhou government for Jia Lian, but the Yamen of the Salt Patrol Censor. Wherever the imperial envoy lives, that is where the imperial envoy travels.
Although Jia Lian's people tightly controlled the operation, the huge government office still had to continue to handle the salt administration, and the people inside always had to eat. As long as everyone in the past is not kicked out, the salt merchants will have a way to know the situation in the house. It is just a matter of time.
If that's not enough, you can also send someone outside to keep an eye on the movement of the camp at any time.
"The situation inside the camp is not yet clear, but the following says that the prefect and others went inside the camp early in the morning, but they have not come out yet.
As for the Imperial Envoy..."
When the housekeeper said this, he glanced at the Zhao family master and said, "The imperial envoy seems to have led his soldiers to the Zhao family."
After hearing this, Mr. Zhao's face suddenly turned pale. He leaned on the table and murmured: "It's over, it's all over..."
The others didn't care to look down on him and looked at each other. Zhou Yanru said: "It's useless to panic now. Let's go out and see the situation first."
"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy has an order. Yangzhou salt merchants are selling illegal salt, embezzling salt taxes, and violating national laws. From now on, all goods, vehicles, and horses are not allowed to enter or exit, waiting for the Imperial Envoy to come to check the accounts and goods, and to interrogate the crime. Anyone who does not respect orders or Anyone who dares to disobey and resist will be killed without mercy."
There were not many officers and soldiers surrounding the Zhou family, but they were all majestic and guarded all the entrances and exits of the Zhou family.
Seeing Zhou Yanru and other principals coming out, the generals on horseback immediately announced their orders.
Zhou Yanru and others were shocked, hesitated for a moment, raised their hands to the general and asked, "May I ask where the Imperial Envoy is now? We want to see the Imperial Envoy. Is it possible?"
Jia Yu lowered her head and looked at the gorgeously dressed merchants in front of her, knowing that they were world-famous salt merchants. Normally, these people would have the energy to stir up the whole Jiangnan situation, but now they could only be submissive in front of him.
Containing the turbulence in her heart, Jia Yu said seriously: "The imperial envoy is just explaining that all goods, vehicles and horses are not allowed to enter or exit, and there are no restrictions on personnel. You gentlemen can do what you want."
When they heard that their access was not restricted, Zhou Yanru and others relaxed slightly, and then became tense again.
He had already used violence against them, but he did not restrict their freedom. Did he expect that they would not be able to resist him? I don’t know if Jia Lian is confident or arrogant.
So, Zhou Yanru immediately took several other family members and rushed to Zhao's house.
The Zhao family's mansion has long been in chaos.
All members of the Zhao family, regardless of age or sex, were driven to the front yard. Those who dared to resist and scold would inevitably be beaten, and then they could only watch helplessly as the officers and soldiers moved boxes of treasures and goods to the front yard.
When Mr. Zhao rushed home and saw this scene, he almost fainted on the spot.
Under the leadership of the officers and soldiers, when they arrived at the compound, they saw Jia Lian sitting in the hall and drinking tea leisurely in a formation.
"May I ask, your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, what does this mean?" Mr. Zhao stepped forward and asked loudly.
Seeing the rightful owner coming, Jia Lian slowly raised his head and took in the expressions of the seven rich men below him.
He did not answer Mr. Zhao's words, but asked coldly: "Are you Zhao Tang?"
"I am none other than Zhao Tang..."
"Take it."
As Jia Lian finished speaking, soldiers immediately came forward, detained the Zhao family master, and took him to the side where he knelt down.
While struggling, he asked loudly: "May I ask, sir, what crime did my Zhao family commit? Although my Zhao family is just a businessman, I also work for the imperial court. The imperial envoy punished me for not teaching me, and my Zhao family refuses to accept it!"
"
"Execute without teaching? That's interesting. I will tell you now what crime your Zhao family has committed.
First, as a salt merchant designated by the imperial court to sell official salt, he used the official salt as a cover to sell private salt and embezzle national taxes.
Secondly, seeing what happened was revealed, he took a desperate risk and sent people to assassinate the imperial envoy ordered by the king.
Of these two crimes, which one is not a capital crime? If you tell me honestly, I may be able to spare your life, but if you dare to quibble again, I will definitely kill you. "
When the master of the Zhao family heard this, he was horrified to death.
That's it for the first one. They had known for a long time that as long as Jia Lian investigated seriously, he would definitely find out that they were selling illegal salt.
But what is this? Of the more than 20 salt merchants in Yangzhou, which one dares to say that they have not done this behind the scenes?
It can even be said that the sale of illegal salt has never been completely eradicated since the salt tax monopoly of the Kingdom. Moreover, most of them are done by salt merchants with salt guides. Because they have the cover of official salt, they are less likely to be exposed when they sell private salt.
But it is not easy to be exposed, which does not mean that it will never be exposed, nor that there is no trace. Not to mention, in the past two years, the sale of illegal salt by salt merchants has indeed become rampant. As long as Jia Lian stays in Yangzhou longer, it will not be too difficult to catch them.
This is also the reason why they made up their mind from the beginning to win over Jia Lian.
It's just that Jia Lian's appetite was too big and it hurt them too much, so they put the plan on hold and found another way.
Who knew that Jia Lian would move so quickly and attack them? This is very unscientific. The business has not been settled for a while. Shouldn't we give them some time to think about it?
As for the assassination, that's even more ridiculous. As the master of the Zhao family, he doesn’t even know! Could it be that someone deliberately framed his Zhao family?
It must be that old dog Wang Shanxiang. Only an arrogant man like him has such courage. That day at the Zhou Manor, he was the first to reveal his intention to assassinate the imperial envoy...
Although he thought so in his heart, Mr. Zhao was not stupid enough to bite Wang Shanxiang immediately. After all, now it is not just about his Zhao family, but also about the entire Yangzhou Salt Bank.
At this time, unity is very important. If Jia Lian really wants to attack his Zhao family today, he also hopes that the other six families will work together to fight against Jia Lian.
So I just cried out for injustice.
"Unjustly? If I didn't have any evidence, how could I have found your Zhao family?
Someone, bring the assassin up. "
The "assassin" who had appeared in front of Wu Zhirong and others before was immediately taken into custody.
The master of the Zhao family naturally knows his own slaves. Just looking at this posture, he completely understood that Jia Lian was indeed prepared.
"You little slave, I have treated you well over the years, but you are so ambitious that you dare to assassinate the Imperial Envoy, and dare to slander the Bai family? Do you know that assassinating the Imperial Envoy is treason? It's a capital crime. You can just die. Why don't you drag my entire Zhao family to be buried with you?
Hurry up and recruit from the real world! Who in the end ordered you? As long as you tell the truth, the Imperial Envoy might be able to spare your life. Otherwise, you and your whole family will be dead! "
"master……"
"Hurry up and say it!
"
Mr. Zhao was still a bit quick-witted. He first pointed out that the crime of assassination and conspiracy to treason was an inevitable death penalty. Then use a stern tone to force him to tell the truth. In this way, as long as this slave leaks a few flaws, he can clear away the grievances of the Zhao family.
After all, he is just a slave, and his respect for the master of the Zhao family is deep in his bones. Under the questioning of the master of the Zhao family, he immediately cried and said: "Master, this slave is also unjust. I will go home from the shop today. , he was knocked unconscious by a sneak attack on the way. When he woke up, he fell in the imperial envoy's cabin and was arrested as an assassin. The slave was really unjust and never thought about paying back the Zhao family... "
After hearing this, the master of the Zhao family immediately redressed his grievances against Jia Lian.
Seeing this, the other six people also spoke in agreement. At this time, they could not watch Jia Lian confiscate the Zhao family.
Today it is the Zhao family, and tomorrow it may be the other six families.
"Please, the Imperial Envoy, make a clear decision and give justice to the Zhao family!"
Wang Shanxiang also took over and said loudly: "Although your Excellency is an imperial envoy, you must rely on factual evidence in your actions.
Although the villains have low status, they are also serving the court. We, the salt merchants, contribute nearly 20 million taels of silver to the national treasury every year, accounting for almost a quarter of the entire national treasury’s annual revenue! Even the current prime minister and even the prince praised us salt merchants as people who have made meritorious service to the court.
Sir, please act with caution and don’t let the meritorious people in the world feel cold towards the imperial court! "
The threatening meaning of Wang Shanxiang's words was obvious. The others also remained silent, but their silent expressions expressed their attitude.
They indeed considered themselves to be of great service to the court. And every year, a large amount of real money and silver is used to find backers in the court. One is to protect the identity of the salt merchant from being taken away. The other is naturally that when an official tries to extort them, the person behind it can help them. They square it off.
This is their biggest reliance, and it is also the reason why everyone in the world knows that their salt merchants are wealthy, but no one dares to take action against them.
None of the officials or forces that have hindered the interests of their salt merchants over the years have ended well. Those who really have backgrounds, and those who confront them, mostly become their own people.
Therefore, they are definitely not at the mercy of others. Wang Shanxiang pulled out the flags of the chief minister and the prince to warn Jia Lian not to go too far.
"Hehehe, that's well said. He is indeed a meritorious person of the imperial court!"
Jia Lian laughed, walked down the steps step by step, came to Wang Shanxiang, pulled off the Shang Fang sword from his waist, and asked with a smile: "Do you recognize this sword?"
Wang Shanxiang looked blank, but pretended to be calm: "It must have been when your Majesty left the capital that Your Majesty gave Shang Fang the sword..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw Jia Lian pull out the sword and put it on his neck, which scared him so much that he trembled all over.
"Now that you know this sword, you should understand that when I go to Yangzhou, I am acting on behalf of the imperial court and your Majesty.
How brave do you have to threaten me? "
Hearing Jia Lian's murderous words and noticing the cold blade on his neck, Wang Shanxiang turned pale and finally put away his arrogant attitude: "I don't dare, I don't dare. I don't have any intention to threaten you..."
"It's not a threat? Then what you're saying is that the chief assistant and the prince ordered you to sell private salt and send people to assassinate me?"
The expressions of Zhou Boru and others changed drastically. Forget about Jia Lian drawing his sword, since he is still trying to drag the prince and the chief minister into trouble?
Does he really want his life?
Wang Shanxiang even knelt down in fright with a thud.
No matter how arrogant he is, he knows that these words cannot be accepted. It's just a matter of colluding with salt merchants to sell private salt for profit, and it won't hurt the prince. But even the prince cannot afford to instigate the assassination of an imperial envoy.
Because the imperial envoy represents the current emperor!
At this moment, he thought he was going to die. If Jia Lian even dared to say this, he would also dare to kill him with one sword, right?
Fortunately, Jia Lian did not. Seeing him kneeling down, a trace of arrogant contempt appeared on his face, he slowly inserted his sword into the scabbard, and then said: "Forgive you for being a coward, and you will not dare to accuse the prince.
Before I left the capital with the order, I also met the prince. The prince is dedicated to serving the country and the people. It is not easy for His Majesty to take care of state affairs, but he observes how difficult the people's livelihood is.
Knowing that Yangzhou's salt administration was in chaos, he was very angry. He also specifically ordered his officials to investigate this matter and severely punish anyone who interfered.
And now you are still trying to uphold the crown prince's banner, thinking that you are absolved? Really desperate. "
After saying these words in a cold voice, Jia Lian looked at the shopkeeper of the Zhao family: "You assassinated me first and then recanted your confession on the spot. It is really not a pity to die."
As soon as Jia Lian finished speaking, there was a flash of cold light, and a horrifying trail of blood, accompanied by screams of horror and despair, spread throughout the Zhao family compound, making everyone who witnessed it tremble.
Many of the Zhao family members who were kneeling in the distance were frightened and started crying. For a while, the sound of wailing could not be heard.
Looking at the Zhao family servant lying in a pool of blood, Jia Lian's mind did not change.
The so-called assassination was just a famous trick for his actions tonight. Also to stop the mouths of the backers behind these salt merchants.
Although he knew that Emperor Ningkang was here, even if he wiped out all the big salt merchants, Emperor Ningkang would probably be able to withstand the pressure and would not do anything like killing people.
However, he always has to think more about himself.
He was an imperial envoy who was sent out of Beijing on orders. How dare these salt merchants assassinate him? This is completely against the rules.
You know, even in the midst of a court battle, he would not resort to assassination. To put it bluntly, these salt merchants are just citizens, not even officials.
Killing an official by the people is already a heinous crime. The one who was killed was the imperial envoy ordered by the king? With these words on the table, no matter how hard he dealt with these salt merchants, the people behind them would not be able to say anything.
In this way, even if someone impeaches him, the pressure on Emperor Ning Kang will be much less.
Therefore, the so-called assassination was just a scene he directed and acted. As for why he chose the Zhao family in the first place, he only knew from his investigation and the list given to him by Xu that the Zhao family was one of the three most involved in salt smuggling.
The other two families are the Bai family and the Wang family.
Needless to say, it goes without saying that the Bai family does not look at the monk's face but the Buddha's face. Princess Zhaoyang treats him with such heartfelt kindness, so he must have some mercy.
The Wang family... He really wanted to use it to make a raft, but he still had to give the prince some face...
Adhering to the principle of step-by-step, picking and choosing, this Zhao family is the most suitable for a head-to-head stabbing.
So this servant of the Zhao family was naturally captured by him, and he was a shopkeeper of the Zhao family. The salt merchants have huge interests in the salt industry. In order to protect these interests, the slaves they raise are more vicious than the last.
It just so happened that this shopkeeper was a very famous one among them, and he probably had more than one life in his hand, so he could use his life to scare these salt merchants.
With the death of the Zhao family shopkeeper, all the salt merchants seemed to understand some of the situation and fell silent.
Jia Lian walked back to the hall, looked down at them and said: "The Zhao family violated national laws and assassinated the imperial envoy. After all the family property was checked and counted, it was transferred to the national treasury. From the Zhao family to the master Zhao Tang, they were all detained in place until they were released." After I review them one by one, I will deal with them in accordance with national laws."
No one spoke, no one dared to protest.
Everyone is afraid that the next person lying on the ground will be themselves. Even the master of the Zhao family sat slumped on the ground and said nothing.
So Jia Lian looked at Zhou Boru and others: "Salt policy is a major political matter of the country, related to the destiny of the country. The court also trusts you, so it makes you responsible, but you have ignored the trust of the court and treated the salt policy as if it were nothing for your own selfish interests.
Could it be that the imperial court does not dare to touch you? Or do you think that without you, the people of the world will not have enough salt to eat?
Everyone, go back and prepare all the accounts from previous years. I will come to check them one by one later. "
Facing Jia Lian who did not defend them at all, Zhou Boru and others could only silently follow the guidance of the officers and soldiers and go out as they came.
The difference is that there were seven of them when they came in, but when they went back, there were only six.
