The few people who had knelt down in fright coughed a few times and stood up in embarrassment. Only then did they realize that they really needed to check. After all, this is the rule in every house. Unless they are friends and family friends of similar status, there will be a body search. examine.
It's just that they have been treated like this for a long time. In Jiangnan, they are respectable people who are worthy of the heavens. They don't need to be like this wherever they go. However, when they get to the prince's door, they will definitely have to be qualified if they don't have a fourth or fifth grade official position. It's decent, but you won't be able to get in without checking.
Liu Jin laughed, then asked others to check the others. He walked up to the heads of the three major families and said, "Of course Magistrate Chen doesn't need it. Let us check the remaining two briefly. This is the rule in the palace. I also hope Haihan."
Magistrate Chen was naturally happy to gain dignity in front of others. He cupped his hands and said to the room: "It's our fault that so many people come to visit us rashly. It's a great kindness for Your Highness to allow us to visit you. Please don't be polite, father-in-law."
After saying this, Magistrate Chen took the initiative to walk up to Liu Jin and opened his hands. Liu Jin said he was polite but his hands were not polite at all. He checked carefully before saying, "Prefect Chen is an official of the imperial court, why should he be like this?"
The head of the Zhang family looked on with a smile, and Li Qiantang twitched his lips. This was why he looked down on the Chen family. This family was used to doing this kind of thing.
After the inspection, you can naturally go in. Inside, Zhu Biao is sitting at the desk reading, and Xu Yungong and Chang Mao are waiting on the side. These people are panicked when they come in. Not to mention His Highness, even if these two young masters come to Jiangnan alone, they have to wait and feel comfortable.
This is the eldest son of King Kaiping and King Zhongshan who will succeed him in the title. Generally, nobles of this level are very prone to trouble, but you can tell by the way these two people stand next to the prince. Wrong, at least his family's century-old wealth is stable.
After everyone stood up, they were about to kowtow and salute again. His Royal Highness put down the book in his hand and glanced at them briefly, which only made them lower their heads. Even though they have all kinds of skills outside, when they enter this room, they feel that life and death are no longer in control. .
When Zhu Biao saw that they were about to kneel down again, he said softly: "I have already bowed outside, so I don't need to do it now. You are all representatives of a century-old family in the south of the Yangtze River. It is really gratifying to me to come here to see you."
Magistrate Chen first raised his hands and said, "We are the subjects of the Holy Emperor. Now that the Crown Prince is here, there is no reason why we should not come to pay him a visit. My brothers have also asked for permission many times to come and pay a visit to His Highness."
Zhu Biao nodded with a smile and moved his eyes to Li Qiantang. This man's temperament was out of place again. He could guess his identity at a glance. Li Qiantang also felt the prince's gaze on him, and the others were watching their hearts. in silence.
Li Qiantang breathed out. After all, the characters who had been killed all the way had reached the dragon's den and there was no point in coercing him. He was looked down upon by others. He took a half step forward and clasped his fists and said: "Li Qiantang, a common man from the Li family, pays homage to the crown prince."
Zhu Biao ignored him and continued to look at him with interest. He was sweating when he looked at him before he said: "I have admired the name for a long time. I have heard about the deeds of the head of the Li family on the coast. Now I can see that he is indeed a hero. People who sell illegal salt dare to throw themselves into the trap, and they don’t know what to rely on.”
Li Qiantang smiled bitterly: "How can the ordinary people have anything to rely on? They wanted to escape just now, but they know that they can't escape for a lifetime. It is better to ask His Highness to give up. In any case, the ordinary people can feel at ease as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Zhu Biao admired this person quite a bit, and said directly without going around in circles: "Since you entered Hangzhou the night before yesterday, you have been unable to leave. I haven't seen you today, but I will only see your head tomorrow."
Li Qiantang swallowed and spat. He entered the city from a tunnel outside the city. Even the other two people didn't know when he came. After all, those who work in his profession must be careful. After all, it is not a serious business.
Zhu Biao was no longer talking to Li Qiantang. He turned to look at the head of the Zhang family and said a few polite words. The people behind him were not qualified to be polite to Zhu Biao. They all stood aside obediently, looking at the ground eagerly, and walked away empty-handed. I didn’t have the confidence to bring anything, and I was afraid that it would be indecent to give away my things, and I would lose my life for nothing. It was so difficult.
Zhu Biao casually picked up the book he had just put down and started reading. The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Everyone didn't know what to say. Magistrate Chen didn't say anything either. Those who were smarter probably guessed it, so they all calmed down honestly.
But there is still a feeling of being out of breath. This method is not unfamiliar to them, and they have basically used it personally. There are thousands of people under them who rely on them to survive. No matter how many people they have, they all have this method.
It's just that I know clearly, but I'm still afraid. If this thing didn't work well, it wouldn't have been spread since ancient times. In short, there is a saying, your wealth and life are in other people's hands, so you can't help but don't be afraid.
Li Qiantang couldn't stand it. No matter what, the rest of the people were just secretly supporting and helping the Li family to sell private salt. At least they had a serious business on the surface, and there were also in-laws among the various families. Only his Li family started their business by selling private salt. Salt has only been around for a mere thirty years.
It's not that he doesn't want to transform, but that other families can't tolerate him. Before he can find the next family, the Li family can't escape. With this huge profit, they have become one of the three families. They all respect him publicly, but in private everyone sees it. Even though his family members wanted to get married with the Chen family, they couldn't.
Li Qiantang knelt on the ground, and everyone else knelt down as well. Magistrate Chen and the head of the Zhang family both sighed, but it didn't matter, they would kneel sooner or later, but no one wanted to be the first.
Zhu Biao turned over a page of the book and said: "Jiangnan is a water town after all, with waterways crisscrossing it. However, the rivers have not been sorted out for a long time since the previous dynasty, making it inconvenient for people to come and go. Even I originally wanted to return to Beijing directly by water, and I never thought about the congestion. ."
Li Qiantang said: "Your Highness is kind and kind. The Li family has lived in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time. Why should we contribute to our hometown? We are willing to dedicate all our wealth to dredge the river."
As soon as these words came out, all the family members looked at Li Qiantang's back fiercely. All they need is eighteen thousand taels of silver. If you give up all your family wealth, then we can still say something. A few thousand taels? "
Magistrate Chen breathed a sigh of relief. This was the reason why he didn't come forward first. His Highness couldn't leave him any more than all his family wealth. It wasn't like confiscating the family and exterminating the clan. It was just that he wanted to integrate the power of Jiangnan families to help him succeed in the court. If you go further than that, how can you offend so many people?
It is the ancestral motto of the Zhang family that they will never make the first move, no matter what. This is why most of the Jiangnan family is married to the Zhang family. In the final analysis, the Zhang family is the real leader of the Jiangnan family.
Magistrate Chen glanced at the head of the Zhang family, then took a step forward and said: "I am the magistrate of Hangzhou, and there are two sections of waterways in the territory that are blocked by siltation. It is my fault to seek political power in my position, and I am willing to donate my family wealth to clear the rivers. "
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