After trekking for more than ten days, we finally arrived at Haiyuan City.
Looking at the gate of Haiyuan City, Xie Xian couldn't help but sigh.
The thickness and exquisiteness of the city gate in front of us far exceed the scale of Taoyuan County.
I have to admire the wealth of the place where the salt merchants are located.
Even the city walls and gates are much better.
Du Lingfeng saw that his expression was expected, so he explained: "Brother Xie, this city gate was funded by the Lu family."
"Every doornail on the city gate is made of solid gold!"
Looking at the city gate, Xie Xian felt for the first time that Taoyuan County looked a little shabby, and flattered him: "The salt merchant is really extraordinary..."
"Haha, this is nothing, let's go in and take a look!"
Everyone was riding to prepare to enter the city, but officers and soldiers immediately stopped them. Du Lingfeng got off his horse and took out documents and a banknote.
After chatting with the officers and soldiers for a while, he led everyone into the city.
During the process of entering the city, Xie Xian asked curiously: "Brother Du, we have a road guide, do we still need to pay money? How much money did you give just now?"
"Fifty taels!"
"What! Fifty taels?!" Xie Xian was greatly surprised.
Fifty taels! It has been enough for an ordinary family of three to feed themselves for many years, but to charge such a high toll is simply outrageous!
Taoyuan County is not so dark!
"Brother Xie, you don't know something. If I go into the city alone, I don't have to spend money. There are too many people brought this time, so I will naturally have to pay more for the toll."
"The money collected is so excessive, don't the government even care?"
Du Lingfeng laughed: "Government? Since you have arrived in the city, we are truly our own people, so I will tell you the truth!"
"There is always a shortage of guards at this city gate. Ordinary people can't even see this gate if they don't care!"
"Since it's all a surrogate relationship, why should the government investigate?"
"The only people who can come here are wealthy businessmen. Ordinary people naturally have no chance to enter the city, so it doesn't hurt to pay some money."
Xie Xian was noncommittal.
It makes sense. Ordinary people are stuck in the place of their birth for almost their whole lives. Except for scholars who come to Beijing to take exams and merchants who travel around, there is almost no movement of people.
It's not surprising that such a situation can occur. I've seen it before when I was running a business trip.
But charging such a high fee is unheard of!
"Brother Du, since the Lu family can fund the construction of the city gate, it must be very important in Haiyuan City, right?" Xie Xian asked.
"Is it important?" Du Lingfeng smiled scornfully: "You think this is simple, it's not just important."
"What do you think of this street scene? This is all the property of the Lu family!"
Du Lingfeng pointed. The street in front of him was extremely clean, and the businesses on both sides were in order.
However, this scene seemed a bit weird in Xie Xian's eyes.
"Well...it's really not bad, but why are there no old people or children on the street?"
Xie Xian quickly discovered something strange on the street. Although there were people walking on the street, there were no young women.
This seems strange.
"Brother Xie is really careful!" Du Lingfeng sighed: "Young women don't dare to go out on the street for fear of being picked on by the Lu family."
"Don't be surprised. To be honest, the Lu family is the emperor of Haiyuan City. In the city, the Lu family can do whatever they want and no one dares to control it."
Xie Xian's expression began to look strange when he heard this: "How could this happen? Isn't there an official office here?"
"Of course there is, but with the influence of the Lu family, what can even the prefect here do? In addition to the fact that all the merchants on the street have been bought by the Lu family, there is also the power of the Salt Gang outside the city, and the government is here It has long existed in name only.”
"If the government wants to do things, it has to rely on the Lu family to provide money."
"The combination of government and business has benefits for both, so why not do it?"
Xie Xian's eyes were opened today. He didn't expect that far away from the central place, he had lost control to this extent!
"According to your statement, wouldn't the Lu family be able to prey on the common people, be lawless, and treat the great landscape as if it were nothing?"
"Sigh... In Haiyuan City, I find it funny even if you talk about Da Jinglu." Du Lingfeng smiled bitterly: "Yes, it's just like what you said. The Lu family can be lawless in Haiyuan City and treat the common people like slaves!"
"The current head of the Lu family is named Lu Renjie. To be honest, I'm a little afraid of him. This man is lustful and violent. He will drag away any woman he likes when he sees her on the street. If he doesn't, he will kill her from the street! But if you want to Jianjiang is selling illegal salt, and he can’t do it without nodding his head.”
"Hey, don't say this to others. When you see him, you should lower your head and speak softly."
Seeing Du Lingfeng's frightened look, Xie Xian's expression gradually became serious.
Oops, the situation here has gone beyond imagination. I'm afraid I have too few people to solve the problem...
"Brother Du, since this person is so lawless, isn't he afraid of causing public resentment?"
Du Lingfeng said bitterly: "There is nothing to be afraid of."
"Common people, after all the talk, they just want an explanation."
"If things get serious, find a scapegoat, imprison them, and give some explanation to the higher-ups. After a few days, the matter will pass and the public complaints will subside. If the higher-ups don't ask questions, everything will be fine."
"And what about those scapegoats? They are all veteran actors. They have good food and drink here, and they can come out after staying for a while."
"If someone makes trouble again, those who are exposed and make trouble will be killed."
"If this is the case, it's over."
"Of course the people are not stupid. After going back and forth a few times, they have given up on their fantasies. Let's do whatever it takes to love! Anyway, it is not your fault, so who is willing to take the lead? So what if you are passionate? You can take the lead. , even if I’m lucky enough to survive, I still don’t know which cell I will live in.”
"Shameless!" Xie Xian grabbed the reins with both hands and gritted his teeth: "Brother Du, I guess you don't like this kind of thing as a person, right?"
Seeing his performance, Du Lingfeng said helplessly: "Brother Xie, let's make peace with it as it comes. There are too many unfair things in this world, and we can't handle it!"
"You and I are both scholars. Who didn't have the ideal of making use of the times when he was young?"
"You can see it a lot, but in the end you realize that we are all just young and ignorant of the hardships of the world. Look, are we still qualified to be called scholars now?"
"Be patient and make money, not shabby."
"After you have finished meeting Mr. Lu, you will return to Jianjiang. You won't have much contact with him in the future, only once or twice a year. As for me, I will find another place and we can still exchange letters."
Xie Xian suppressed the crazy undercurrent in his heart and twitched his lips: "Brother Du, my horizons have been opened today."
Du Lingfeng remained silent and did not speak.
The group of people walked over a cup of tea and arrived in front of a large house. Du Lingfeng said: "Brother Xie, this is one of my houses. You can settle here first and rest for two days. You can also take a look at the scenery of Haiyuan City. "
"Although this place has some special circumstances, when it comes to enjoyment, it is not inferior to your Fenghua Tower."
"I'll come back to you in two days."
...
