On August 16, the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign in the Ming Dynasty, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, martial law was imposed early in the morning along Xiagulou Street, Shuntianfujie and Dongzhimen Street in Beijing. The army in front of the palace set up sentries on both sides of the street. One post was every ten steps, and one sentry was every five steps. The houses above one level on both sides of the street were also guarded by the soldiers of the front army. The windows facing the street were not allowed to be opened, and there must be no idlers waiting on the roofs. Several commanding heights along the street were occupied by Zhu Youjian's most trusted imperial guards with rifled guns. The three roads are connected end to end, from Bei'anmen at the north gate of the imperial city all the way to Dongzhimen Street. They are all under the highest alert!
With such a high level of alert, it goes without saying that the Lord of Ten Thousand Vehicles in the Forbidden City must have gone out again!
Unlike the otaku emperors of the Ming Dynasty who rarely left home a few times a year in the past, Zhu Youjian was an emperor who loved to run outside the palace and would leave the palace and the city every once in a while. The way out of Bei'anmen and down Gulou Street, Shuntian Fujie and Dongzhimen Street is one of the several routes Zhu Youjian often takes out of the city. Therefore, the residents along the road have long been accustomed to the sudden martial law, and no one makes a fuss. They all stay close to home, and those who have to go out for something have to take a detour.
Therefore, everything along the three streets was deserted. Except for the military generals in front of the palace who were on guard, there was no one else.
Suddenly, the sound of intensive horse hooves came from Bei'anmen, the north gate of the imperial city, and then four groups of cavalry wearing red armor were seen neatly arranged from Bei'anmen, walking along the Lower Drum Tower The street goes north. There are about 500 cavalry in this team, each with one person and two horses. Behind them were dozens of rumble four-wheel carriages. Behind the carriage were the Ming Dynasty's Emperor Zhu Youjian, Ming Dynasty King Zhu Cixuan, Ming Dynasty Xin Wang Zhu Cixuan, Ming Dynasty Ning Wang Zhu Cijiong, Prince Consort Zheng Sen and Zhongyi Marquis Li Zicheng, surrounded by dozens of plate-armored knights.
It turns out that today is the day when Zhu Cixiang, the rebellious son who owes Zhu Youjian 130 million taels, sets out south to make money to pay off the debt. Zhu Youjian, Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Cijiong are seeing him off, while Zheng Sen and Li Zicheng are accompanying Zhu Cixiang to go south. Among them, Zheng Sen is the helper Zhu Cixi asked Zhu Youshou to ask for, and will serve as the prefect of Huai'an. And Li Zicheng was forced on Zhu Cihong by Zhu Youjian... He was the chief military officer of Huaidong!
Yes, we want Li Zicheng and Zhu Cixiang, the most loyal people in the Ming Dynasty, to torment the Huaiyang salt merchants together! What a combination!
Zhu Cixiang secretly looked at Li Zicheng, the loyal and good man in his past life, and cursed Zhu Youjian several times in his heart. He originally wanted Wu Sanmei's brother Wu Sangui or Wu Sanfu to accompany him, but Zhu Youjian refused to agree to anything, and instead forced Li Zicheng on him... However, Zhu Youjian allowed Zhu Cixiang to choose his own Huaidong tour Biao Shenjiang and Yangzhou Regiment Training Camp Qianzong were selected.
Zhu Cihong selected Wu Xiang's adopted son Wu Guogui to be the Huaidong patrol general, and made his foreman guard Wang Qi the general manager of the Yangzhou patrol camp, so he had a useful team.
However, the team of his great nephew Guoben is a bit shabby no matter how you look at it. They are not comparable to the two great kings Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Cijong... There are a large group of officers who manage the feudal households. They are all Both retainers!
Unlike Zhu Cihong, who was a bare prince and didn't even have an official around him - before he awakened, he served in the bodyguards (actually, he went to a military academy) and there was no independent official at all.
Fortunately, Zhu Youjian did not intend to keep Zhu Cixi in captivity and let him go out to make money...
"Brother Chun!" When the group turned at the intersection of Xiagulou Street and Shuntianfu Street, Zhu Youjian suddenly called Zhu Cixiang by his nickname.
"Father, did you call me?" Zhu Cixiang responded quickly, with a smile on his face.
"Yes," Zhu Youjian said with a smile, "I want to remind you that I, the second and third sons, are still waiting for your 130 million taels!"
"Father, don't worry," Zhu Cixiang glanced at Zhu Youjian, who was smiling but not smiling, and said, "On August 15th next year, I will definitely give you and the second and third sons money. get ready!"
"Haha," Zhu Youjian sneered twice, "Then I'll be waiting!"
Wait... Zhu Cihong said to himself: What will happen if I can't get that kind of money?
Zhu Youjian seemed to have guessed what Zhu Cixiang was thinking, and then glanced at Zhu Cijiong.
Zhu Cixiang's heart trembled... He was adopted to Emperor Tianqi long before he was born, so Zhu Youjian's theoretical eldest son is Zhu Cijiong!
If Zhu Cihong cannot raise enough money to support Zhu Youjian's Japanese conquest, then Zhu Cijiong will not be able to become the emperor...If he cannot become the emperor, he may have to seize Zhu Cihong's throne!
Chongzhen, Chongzhen... Zhu Cihong said in his heart: Where did I offend you? Why are you treating me like this?
Zhu Youjian looked back at Zhu Cixiang, his eyes became colder, as if he was saying to Zhu Cixiang: Work hard... don't let your father down!
...
The drama of father and son sending each other off is finally over! Zhu Cixiang left the deserted and shameless city of Beijing with the feeling of being out of the tiger's mouth, and embarked on the long journey south to Huaidong.
Because Zhu Cixiang brought many female relatives with him on his way south, including Zhu Cixiang's own twelve hairpins, Zheng Sen's wife Princess Kunxing, and Zhongyi Marquis Li Zicheng's concubine Xing Shi and his daughter Li Xiuying, so Zhu Cixiang did not choose to ride a horse all the way. , but in Tongzhou, he changed to a canal, took the canal to Dongchangfu, then changed to a horse and rode to Huai'an, and then changed to a canal to go to Yangzhou for his appointment.
On this day, when the official ship was sailing in Cangzhou Prefecture, Zhu Youjian asked Zheng Sen to board his ship, and also asked Zheng Chagu, Shen Qian, and Bai Xiuniang to discuss going south together. The matter of "starting a business".
"What kind of business do you think salt merchants do?" Zhu Cixiang did not directly talk about opening a bank, but started with the nature of salt merchants.
"The salt merchants actually collected the poll tax for the imperial court... Because it was very troublesome for the imperial court to collect the poll tax directly from the common people, they turned the poll tax into a salt tax. Anyone who ate official salt could not escape the tax. .”
The person who answered the question was Bai Xiu Niang, a fair and sweet girl. Her father was Bai Siwen, the general merchant of Yangzhou Salt Industry. Because Xu Ruolan was originally a widow of the Bai family in Beijing (a close relative of the Bai family in Yangzhou), Bai Siwen also fawned over Zhu Youjian and sent her daughter to the palace as a companion.
"That's right!" Zhu Youjian nodded, "Salt merchants are actually tax collectors... The reason why they can make money is because the court needs them and is willing to let them share some profits. He suddenly paused, and then asked: "Xiu Niang, I'm afraid it's not just the big and small salt merchants who share the benefit of salt, right?"
"this......"
Zhu Youjian saw that Bai Xiu Niang was hesitant and laughed: "Xiu Niang, what are you afraid of? What are you afraid of saying?"
"Master Qiansui, I am..." Bai Xiu Niang fell to her knees when Zhu Cixang asked her, with many tears already forming in her big, round eyes.
Zhu Cixiang did not accept this trick, and just said coldly: "The profit of salt has attracted people's attention since ancient times, and it is normal to want to share the profits... But before the Chongzhen Year, the salt tax paid by the six major salt transportation departments There are too few. If we want to trace them, how many Lianghuai salt merchants can survive?"
"Master Chitose, this matter involves a lot..."
"So what if it's very wide?" Zhu Cixiang sneered, "If you can't eat and walk around, you are not the eight general merchants of Huaiyang Salt Industry? Is it possible that there are still people who dare to slap the country just because they want a thorough investigation? And a solitary investigation After that, I'm not afraid that no one will be a salt merchant, and I'll just replace eight profiteers... Of course, I don't have to investigate, because I won't be able to find out the number that my father wants! But then The eight major salt merchants must listen to this prince!
If they are obedient, they can continue to make money and make more money. If they are not obedient... they will be found to have their families destroyed! "
(End of chapter)
