"Madam, you will know after you try it yourself."
The grocery store owner's name was Liu Guangming, and he was from the same clan as Laidi's husband Liu Quexian. Naturally, he also knew Laidi, so he replied with a respectful smile.
Laidi actually asked her maid to take some and tasted it herself: "This is indeed salt, and the quality is very good!"
Immediately, Laidi said: "Uncle, how many of these salts do you have to sell? I want them all!"
Because the imperial court only imposed purchase restrictions on government wholesale sales to exclusive households, but did not impose restrictions on retail sales to exclusive households.
The reason.
The first is to save regulatory costs.
Second, it is not necessary. After all, the salt that can reach each exclusive store is limited.
Therefore, Laidi was able to buy all the salt from Liu Guangming, and eventually bought all the salt in his store.
"I want five pounds!"
"I want ten pounds!"
"I want twenty pounds!"
…
No coincidence.
After many people discovered that a store started selling cheap salt, they went crazy and rushed to buy in large quantities.
After all, the price of salt is rising day by day, and because of the information lag, they don't know that the court has a lot of salt shipped from Hedong and Sichuan, so they are all panicking and want to quickly stock up on more cheap salt to avoid paying for it. Eat salt at a high price.
"Don't grab it!"
"Now the official salt store has plenty of salt!"
"I have a permit and can always get salt for you, so don't rob me!"
…
At first.
These small merchants and hawkers selling salt are very happy to see the rush buying phenomenon.
But gradually, as more and more people bought salt, and they could continue to get salt from the government-run salt shops, they first believed that the court was not short of salt, and they also felt that they frequently bought salt and sold it. It was too hard to get salt, and I was irritated by the various conflicts caused by fighting for salt, so I had to take the initiative to persuade these people on behalf of the court and stop hiding the news that I could continue to get salt.
However, the masses are blind.
Once the enthusiasm for fried salt rises, it will be difficult to subside quickly.
Therefore, no matter how loud these salt merchants are, there are still many people selling salt in large quantities, and there is still a steady stream of people coming to sell salt.
What's more, the income of today's common people has indeed increased a lot, so they are not short of money. Moreover, the tradition of cannibalism has been prevalent for thousands of years, making them even more insecure.
It is difficult for ordinary people to quickly calm down from the panic of being unable to buy salt.
If it weren't for the price limit imposed by the imperial court, and the imperial guards always watching, and the merchants who were directly responsible for selling salt to the people allowed by the emperor, they were just small traders with little influence, and they would not dare to raise prices arbitrarily against the orders of the imperial court.
After all, if they disobey orders, their homes will be confiscated and they will be severely fined, which is not worth the gain.
These salt merchants and hawkers have already raised the price of salt.
But even so, because there are so many people rushing to buy salt, selling salt is still profitable.
Especially for ordinary civilians, it is a considerable income.
Then, a magical scene happened.
Because the Ministry of Household Affairs stipulates that each household can only obtain one monopoly license, which can only be used in one store, and must pay taxes well.
Therefore, in order to obtain more salt sales licenses and earn money from selling salt, many people broke up their families overnight.
Since licenses can be issued at the county level, and according to the Ming Dynasty Yellow Register system, the Ming Dynasty Yellow Register has a special column for modification, that is, land transactions, births and deaths, and changes in household registration caused by marriages and family divisions can all be It can be revised at any time at the county government office, and will be summarized and re-edited during the regular re-editing of the Yellow Book every ten years.
Therefore, you can get a few more permits by changing your household registration overnight.
Not only did families separate overnight, but in order to obtain more permits, widows remarried overnight, widowers got married overnight, monks returned to secular life overnight, and weddings were held overnight.
The reason why there are widows remarrying overnight and widowers remarrying overnight is because although the court issues licenses to good tax-paying households, it also has the minimum requirement, that is, the applicant household can afford to run the business. As a widow and a widower, If an abnormal household does not have a complete family, it is natural that it will not be given the qualification to operate.
Not to mention the hidden population who had to pay taxes overnight and take the initiative to register for residence in order to obtain a license to sell salt.
Many counties such as Yingtian and Fengyang have experienced a sudden increase in population, which is like a blowout.
And shops selling salt are popping up everywhere.
In order to make money from selling salt, many people not only borrowed money, but also spent money to rent storefronts to operate.
Although selling salt does not make much profit due to the price limit, which makes the wealthy businessmen look down upon it, the common people still look upon it.
And because of this, Fan Shanjun, a big salt merchant, soon learned that many grocery stores, taverns, and inns on the market began to sell salt.
Fan Shanjun himself took a carriage to the market.
result.
Fan Shanjun saw that an ordinary grocery store that he usually passed by without giving it a second glance had a very cheap price of salt on it, and there were actually clerks weighing salt for people to sell, and the quality of the salt was also good. At first glance, it looks like snow-white fine salt.
"Why is it so cheap!"
"Which salt merchant is so uncooperative? Doesn't he know that the court is trying to dig up our roots?!"
Fan Shanjun was so shocked that he even thought for a while that other salt merchants were not cooperating and deliberately agreed to cut off salt together while secretly asking major shops to sell salt for him.
"Master, this war doesn't look like it was done by salt merchants. Even if they wanted to make money, they wouldn't set the price so low!"
"The master must be aware of the recently promulgated imperial edict on the salt industry reform regulations. It clearly stipulates that salt-selling licenses are allowed to be issued to good tax-paying households who are willing to engage in self-employment. There should be a price limit for salt, so the price of these salts That’s why the price was sold so low.”
Fan Shanjun's butler Fan Fu started to analyze at this time.
Fan Shanjun nodded after hearing this: "You are right!"
Then, Fan Shanjun said solemnly: "It seems that the imperial court has no intention of making money on salt. The purpose of reforming the salt policy is to benefit the people so that everyone can easily eat salt."
"Just for this?"
Fan Fu asked with some astonishment, and then said: "Reforming the salt policy in a bloody manner, sending so many troops south, just to let the people eat cheap salt, without taking any benefits for yourself?"
"This seems like something he, Zhu Yijun, can do!"
"He really regards the common people as ancestors."
"The Renjun that everyone in the world has been hoping for has truly appeared!"
Fan Shanjun said sourly, and then said:
"I just don't know if this benevolent emperor has prepared enough salt to do this, or if he has not, he is just deliberately scaring us. As long as this benevolent emperor does not prepare enough salt, he still has to ask our salt merchants to add salt. That’s all.”
…
"Did you hear that?"
"Many small vendors are selling salt and selling it at a very low price."
"Our efforts to cut out salt don't seem to be working very well."
Ye Shanzong also found Fan Shanjun and other salt merchants that day and mentioned the matter.
Fan Shanjun nodded: "I know, the key now is to find out, does the emperor have enough salt in his hands? Is he bluffing, or is he really benefiting the people!"
"Then just hold on for a while and see."
"Hold on for at least a month!"
Ye Shanzong said something.
"That's right, hold on a little longer and see."
"It's a pity that each of their grocery stores has a limited amount of salt they can order each month. Otherwise, we could eat a lot of it first!"
Many salt merchants followed suit.
But a month later, there were more and more salt vendors in various places, and there was no shortage of salt.
Even the common people began to regain their composure, and gradually stopped grabbing salt. They began to get used to the lifestyle of going to nearby grocery stores or small hotels to buy salt, and began to believe that there was really no shortage of salt in these stores.
"Does the imperial court really have a lot of salt?"
Fan Shanjun and other salt merchants became increasingly restless.
Because once the people really get used to buying salt from self-employed small businessmen and hawkers, and get used to the price of salt being less than one-third of the usual price, their salt shops will completely disappear, and these salt merchants will completely Having been cut off from its retreat, it no longer has any value in existence.
So, on this day, Fan Shanjun asked Ye Shanzong and other salt merchants.
At this time, a salt merchant named Li Xianshi walked over quickly: "Yes! My brother just sent someone from the capital to bring news that the case of King Shu and King Jin selling illegal salt has just been sent to the Ministry of Punishment by Jin Yiwei."
"The case of selling illegal salt, does this mean that Jin Yiwei has ransacked their homes and obtained the salt from the Princes of Jin and Shu?"
"Yes!"
Fan Shanjun understood immediately and fainted as he spoke.
"Mr. Fan!"
Seeing this, Ye Shanzong hurriedly shouted and helped Fan Shanjun back to the chair.
Fan Shanjun said feebly at this time: "What a ruthless emperor! What a ruthless emperor! We are finished now!"
"This is indeed a cruel move. The emperor's concession will benefit the people and greatly reduce the salt and profit. No one can object and say there is anything wrong with this. They can even congratulate it!"
"It's just that in this way, no one will want to make a lot of money in the salt industry."
Li Xianshi started talking after seeing that Fan Shanjun was fine.
Ye Shanzong also lost his composure and blamed Li Xianshi for a moment: "It's just words to ask the emperor not to compete with the people for profit, but to benefit the people. Why did your Majesty, your Majesty, the officials like your brother, really let your majesty do this?!"
"How can we blame the ministers like my brother?"
"It is the emperor himself who wants to benefit the people and benefit the people!"
"The only person to blame for all this is Zhang Juzheng. He taught the emperor to benefit the people. But the emperor really believed it and exempted the craftsmen from silver and corvee. Now even the salt tax is exempted!"
Li Xianshi defended his brother's criminal case against Li Xianfang and blamed Zhang Juzheng.
"Why doesn't anyone dig Zhang Juzheng's ancestral grave again?"
Ye Shanzong couldn't help but complain.
Fan Shanjun hurriedly reminded: "Be careful what you say! That is the emperor's reverse scale!"
"master!"
"Oh no!"
"News just came from the Yangzhou Prefecture. The imperial court has issued decrees to various places, requiring all Fujia, Anchasi, Chief Secretary, Fuzhou and County, Jinyiwei, and Dongchang to strictly investigate the sale of salt without a license, as well as the sales of salt from unknown sources. salt, and strictly investigate the deception of consumers who have no salt to sell and the behavior of hoarding salt, and encourage people all over the world to report it."
Fan Fu came over at this time and told the latest official news.
"What?!"
After hearing this, all the salt merchants turned pale with fright.
(End of chapter)
