Wow!
Ji Heng threw a roll of bamboo slips on the ground.
Feng Dong stepped forward in a panic and picked up the bamboo slip in his hand. He only glanced at it briefly, but he couldn't say a word.
What is recorded on the bamboo slips is the officials Feng bribed and the secret conspiracy between the two.
The highest official position has reached the second level of Shaofu.
partition.
Fusu's expression also changed.
He actually didn't know what Ji Heng was going to do, but he was shocked when he heard what Ji Heng said.
Lu Buwei?
But now few people in the government and the public dare to mention this person.
Firstly, the First Emperor was displeased, and secondly, Lu Buwei had too much power at the beginning and dominated the government. For a period of time, he even controlled the government. If not for the First Emperor's amazing skill, it would have been difficult to regain the power for a while.
Now the First Emperor alone holds the power.
Naturally, no one would touch the First Emperor's bad luck.
But Fusu didn't expect that Ji Heng would be so unscrupulous. Not only did he mention Lu Buwei in public, but he also directly forced the businessman to know that Lu Buwei was a rare commodity.
The key is adaptability.
Lu Buwei was born as a merchant, and it was true that he used money to open a path, step by step closer to the center of power in the Qin Dynasty, and then achieved success in one step.
Now that Lu Buwei had thrown out the three words, Feng Dong didn't dare to say anything at all.
Ji Heng also explained it very clearly.
They may not have the idea of becoming the second 'Lu Buwei', but they have the potential and the ability, and this is their sin.
This sin has existed since they approached officials.
They can't tell clearly.
There is no way to tell clearly.
Because of the existence of the First Emperor, the outcome was already destined.
Fusu smiled bitterly and said with emotion: "Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, you are really lawless. You dare to say such things directly. You are taking advantage of His Majesty's power."
"You are so brave!"
the other side.
Feng Dong's expression turned into panic.
How could he not understand the meaning revealed in it.
What kind of person is Lu Buwei? How can he, Feng, dare to be compared with Lu Buwei? But this was not the case in the eyes of the court, because like Lu Buwei, they were already trying to influence the government.
And this is already a taboo!
Feng Dong thought hard in his mind, trying to find a way to defend himself, but in the end there was no defense. He had no way to defend himself, and even if he spoke, it would be meaningless.
Because the emperor couldn't hear it.
He can't even see the emperor, so what's the use of trying to defend himself?
Doomed to be in vain!
It's just that the salt pond and salt well are the foundation of Feng's life. Once taken away, Feng will no longer be able to accumulate a lot of wealth.
How could he be willing to do so?
He finally understands now.
Why doesn't the eldest son accept the six thousand gold?
Not less.
But the plot is bigger.
Ji Heng glanced at the two people in the room calmly, and said calmly: "Don't worry, you guys, the imperial court will compensate you after taking away the salt pool and salt well."
"But it's not realistic to reward money."
"Looking at your clothes, you must have been wearing them for a long time."
"You can change out of the coarse linen clothes and change into better clothes. According to Qin law, the status of merchants is very low. When collecting corvees, merchants are basically given priority. From now on, your status will be the same as that of the head of Guizhou, and you will no longer be given priority. Recruitment is underway."
Ji Heng made the promise lightly.
When he heard the compensation given by Ji Heng, Feng Dong's face darkened on the spot.
This is a bird's compensation!
Their merchants own tens of thousands of gold and have mountains of cloth in their warehouses. How can they have less clothes to wear? Moreover, they are big businessmen. How can big businessmen be compared to traffickers and pawns?
They will not be prioritized for recruitment.
Mr. Zhong said it was compensation, but in fact he didn't give anything. He just put some established things that the world knew well on the surface, and then gave them to them in a high-sounding way as rewards.
In fact, I just want to make a fool of myself.
No money can be paid!
Feng Dong has been in business for so long and has traveled all over the world. This is the first time that someone has plotted against him so clearly. Even though he is about to burst with anger, he can only grit his teeth and endure it.
He knows it very well.
He was not qualified to refute at all.
An open secret is not the same as an open secret.
Making something public is not the same as making it public.
Everyone in the world has long understood these things, but since the law has not changed, it cannot be regarded as a given. Therefore, although he was shaking with anger, he could only control himself tightly and prevent himself from losing control of his emotions.
Ji Heng watched Feng Dong breathing rapidly, but there was no sympathy in his eyes.
He continued: "In addition, since the Yanchi and Salt Wells have been returned to the imperial court, the salt workers and servants in your hands are not of much use. Therefore, the imperial court will purchase these servants at market prices and then hire these salt workers in the form of employment. , and the others, you can go and bring them back in the next few days, the court will not keep any of them."
Hearing Ji Heng's words, Feng Dong couldn't suppress his anger and shouted angrily: "How dare you bully me like this?"
"You are clearly trying to push me, Fengshi, to a dead end. Not only do you want to occupy my Fengshi's salt pond, but you also want to drive me, Fengshi, out of the salt pond completely. You look so ugly."
"I, Mrs. Feng, will never agree!"
Feng Dong's tone was extremely tough.
He couldn't bear it anymore.
The government took away the salt pool and salt well, and he pinched his nose and had to admit it. After all, some things were really unclear, so he could only admit defeat.
But Ji Heng went too far.
Not only must the salt pond be taken away, but Feng's people must be driven out. Once Feng's people are driven out, it will be difficult for Feng to get them back.
He originally thought that Ji Heng would just accept it and leave it alone.
At least save some face.
As long as there are people from the Feng family in Yanchi, based on his judgment of the world, if there is chaos in Guandong in the future, the imperial court's control over the place will be problematic, and it may not be possible to take the opportunity to get it back.
But if everyone in the Feng family is driven away.
Then it’s really gone!
This is something he can't possibly agree to.
Whatever Feng Dong had in mind, Ji Heng had a clear idea.
He said calmly: "Master Feng, you may have misunderstood. I am not discussing with you, but informing you."
"Don't blame the government for being ruthless."
"After all, who knows if anyone in the Feng family may have evil intentions?"
"As you said before, people from the Feng family dared to go behind your back and donate six thousand to the eldest son. Who knows if someone will go behind your back again and poison the salt produced in the salt pond?"
"This is table salt."
"It is related to the livelihood of millions of people in Guanzhong."
"How can you be careless?"
"in addition."
"I have a piece of information here."
"The above are the unlearned and unskilled disciples of the Feng family collected by the government."
"Master Feng, please take a closer look."
Said.
Ji Heng took out a copy from the bamboo slip beside him.
This time, he did not ask a junior official to do it for him, but delivered it himself.
Until then.
Feng Dongcai suddenly woke up.
Ji Heng came prepared and had already made sufficient preparations.
I don't allow myself to have any opinions at all.
Whenever he had an opinion, he would use a bamboo slip to silence him.
Although he didn't read the contents of the bamboo slips, he had already guessed what was written on them. Most of them were the evil deeds of the clan's children in the fish and meat village in the past.
Feng Dong's bamboo stick creaked when he pinched it.
But after reading the bamboo slips, I felt a chill in my heart.
All the Feng family's children, except myself and Feng Zhen, are registered on it.
and
Only the name is written on it.
The names of hundreds of Feng clan members.
After looking at it for a few times, Feng Dong felt his eyes go dark and almost fainted. Feng Zhen on the side had quick eyes and quick hands and quickly reached out to catch Feng Dong, thus preventing Feng Dong from falling down.
even so.
Feng Dong was already dying.
Feng Zhen begged anxiously: "My father is ill and I'm afraid he won't be able to support me. I beg the eldest son to allow me to take my father to see a doctor. I will come back to make a decision after my father's condition stabilizes."
"As a son of man, I cannot sit back and watch."
"Please forgive me, eldest son."
Said.
Feng Zhen hugged Feng Dong and wanted to walk out.
Ji Heng bowed in the same way and said: "Eldest Young Master, if I remember correctly, when the Young Master came, he deliberately brought several palace doctors with him. They were supposed to deal with temporary emergencies, but I never thought that they would actually come in handy."
"Please ask the eldest son to send an imperial doctor to treat Master Feng."
"The head of the Feng family cares about the country and the people. Not only did he offer the salt pond and well without asking for anything in return, he is actually a breath of fresh air among merchants and is worthy of the imperial doctor's treatment."
partition.
The word 'quasi' came.
Feng Zhen, who had half-stepped out of the room, heard Ji Heng's words and didn't know whether to advance or retreat.
soon.
Several imperial doctors came out of the east wing.
Start checking Feng Dong.
Ji Heng sat calmly on the table and watched with interest. He was not impatient at all and was very patient, as if he was willing to wait until Feng Dong escaped from danger.
aside.
Feng Zhen was secretly worried.
How could he not see the current situation clearly?
This 'Mr. Zhong' pressed forward step by step, not giving them any chance to breathe. Moreover, everything had been arranged long ago, and they were not allowed to have any objection.
The threatening meaning in the bamboo slips with names written all over them simply overflowed from the bamboo slips.
Now even their escape route has been blocked. It is obvious that they have made up their mind long ago, forcing them to make a decision today.
After a while.
Ji Heng slowly stood up and sighed: "The Feng family has worked hard for most of his life, and it is not easy. I originally wanted to win more salt sales shares for the Feng family, but I didn't expect that the Feng family actually got sick at this time. See It will be difficult to cure this condition in a short time. The children of the Feng family are all filial people, and they may not be interested in running a business."
"That's fine."
"With your children serving you, you can count on being able to live a long life."
"The Feng family still has at least six thousand gold left. Even if he doesn't sell salt in the future, he can be an ordinary Guizhou leader and be rich enough for several generations."
"But the share Feng doesn't want, he needs to find someone to share it with."
Ji Heng thought for a moment, bowed to the west wing and said: "Eldest Young Master, if I remember correctly, when the government interrogated the officials involved in the case a few days ago, it was stated that several merchants were beaten into submission, and one of them seemed to be named Ju Ling. "
But after hearing the word Ju Ling, Feng Dong, who was originally unconscious, suddenly moved.
Ji Heng continued: "This man was sentenced to tattooing and had one of his toes cut off."
"This person has suffered great injustice. I think he should be treated leniently and allowed to continue doing business in the future. If Feng has no intention of running it, all the related salt industry will be handed over to this person."
"Please Sir, make your decision."
partition.
There was a hint of amusement at the corner of Fusu's mouth.
He said: "Feng Zhen, what do you think about this?"
"If you focus on taking care of Master Feng, I think you can give up running the business temporarily. It won't be too late to make a decision after Master Feng's health improves."
"If you have no objection, then it will be settled."
Feng Zhen's face looked ugly.
It was a matter of Feng's future life and death, how could he dare to make a hasty decision?
But he knew in his heart that he could never give Ju Ling any chance to make a comeback.
The current situation in Ju Ling is no longer the same as before. Now, his family has been destroyed, his wife and children are separated, and most of his clan members are dead. He may only have revenge in his heart, and the cause of all this is due to the fight between the two families back then.
If the drama happened again, he no longer dared to think about what would happen to Feng.
I thought about it for a long time.
Feng Zhen finally lowered his head.
He had no choice.
The eldest son and his party have already calculated everything, and there is no room for argument.
He was sure that as long as he didn't let go, the eldest son would hand over all the salt products managed by the Feng family to Ju Ling.
Until then.
Feng's first priority was not to recapture the salt pond.
But beware of being assassinated.
He could no longer imagine what kind of impulsive actions Ju Ling would make when he had nothing to worry about.
Feng is not afraid of Ju Ling alone.
But if Ju Ling saves money, the situation will be completely different.
Moreover, the eldest son stood behind Ju Ling.
If he didn't agree, Ju Ling, with the support of the eldest son, would not be able to compete with Feng.
From the beginning to the end, the eldest son, who was blocked by the partition, steadily controlled the scene, being aggressive while forcing them to accept it willingly.
Extremely domineering!
Feng Zhen looked at Feng Dong who was lying on the mat, and said angrily: "Father, my child is unfilial, and I am afraid I will wrong you."
Then, he turned around, knelt on the ground, suppressed his voice, and said respectfully: "There are hundreds of people in the Feng clan, and they all rely on the salt industry to make a living. Feng Zhen is the eldest son of the family and the pillar of the family. How dare you do it for personal reasons?" Abandon the whole family’s livelihood?”
"Feng is willing to continue selling salt to Da Qin."
"I hope the eldest son will make it happen!"
(End of chapter)
