Pingjiang Road is one of the busiest streets in Suzhou City.
It combines Wu culture, Jiangnan water town culture and buildings with blue bricks and gray tiles to form a unique cultural and commercial area. Both businessmen and merchants entering the city will come here to take a look.
Today's Pingjiang Road is more prosperous than before. It is not the peace of the past, but the people are angry.
As soon as the sun started to rise, the tourists and merchants who came here discovered that 80% of the shops here were closed without any advance notice.
"What's going on? Why are so many stores closed? Is it some special day?"
"I don't know. I've just been here for a while, and I was thinking of getting some goods here and walking around somewhere else, but they didn't even open the door!"
"It doesn't matter if you purchase goods, the worst is to take a day off. It's hot anyway.
But we are here to deliver goods. If we cannot deliver the goods, we have to wait. If it is delayed for four or five days and the goods are damaged, we will lose everything! "
"Brother, let me give you a tip. There are nine counties under Suzhou Prefecture, and each county is very prosperous. The goods you have are not enough for one county!"
"Don't you think we haven't thought of it? The canal outside Suzhou is now blocked for dozens of miles. It's impossible to even get out, let alone get in.
How can I deliver it if I can’t find a carriage by land? Not to mention that the freight cannot be shipped, even our return has become a problem. "
"So exaggerated? This old man has lived in Suzhou City for fifty or sixty years. This is the first time he has encountered such a thing! What is going on?"
"I heard a little bit of gossip. I just came from another place and heard from passers-by that these wealthy businessmen and gentry were guilty of crimes committed by the prefect's Yamen for posting the confession of the former prefect Zhong Zigui.
These wealthy businessmen and gentry are afraid and are using this method to put pressure on their superiors! "
"Don't talk nonsense. If someone hears you, you will get slapped!"
"What nonsense is this? Go to Kunlun Academy and listen to it. It's even more outrageous than this!"
"Hey, let's go. Someone just said that it will take ten days and a half to open the door. Dragging it down is not an option. Let's try our luck at the dock!"
…
The businessman on Pingjiang Road had the same idea. When everyone arrived at the canal pier, they were stunned by the scene on the canal pier.
The dock, which was usually neat and orderly, was now extremely chaotic.
On the pier, people, goods, cars, mules and horses, etc. were mixed together. The mules and horses' excrement was everywhere. Under the sun's rays, the feces and urine came to their noses and almost made them sick.
On the canal, merchant ships competed for the waterway. Across the river, within one mile of the pier, the merchant ships were scattered like a web, forming a mess.
Farther away, merchant ships obscured the waterway, making it almost impossible to see the water of the canal.
"Is this still Suzhou Pier? Why is it like this?"
"You only saw the closest point, let me tell you this, we just walked along the river for seven or eight miles, and we didn't see the end, so we had to turn back. It must have been blocked for at least dozens of miles!"
"I heard that there was a shipwreck ahead and the river was blocked!"
"Then it's not like they're all blocked, right? Even if it's blocked, what are these merchant ships doing here?"
"What are the Suzhou government doing? Why won't they deal with such a big thing? If there is a fight later, people will die, and the government will also be responsible!"
"Haha, we want the prefect of Suzhou to take the blame. This is a way for the wealthy businessmen and gentry of Suzhou to intimidate the new prefect, to punish the former prefect's confession that was posted yesterday, and to force him to admit his mistakes!"
"Where did you hear this?"
"It's useless for the government to come to deal with this matter on the canal. We still have to handle it with the Cao Gang and the Boat Gang. I just don't know. It's almost noon. How can the Cao Gang handle it?"
"Haha, the Cao Gang colluded with the Suzhou gentry and wealthy businessmen, and they must be on their side. It's fine if they don't add fire to this kind of thing, and they still expect to come out to calm it down?"
…
The merchants were talking about the Caobang, but Cao Zhen, the leader of the Suzhou Hall of the Caobang, took the senior officials of the Suzhou Hall and more than a hundred strong men to the place where the ship sank.
One person looked at it and said in a low voice: "Master, standing on the shore are Chang Qia, the shopkeeper of the Chang family's D caravan, and Fu Shan, the shopkeeper of the Fu Jiashan caravan! I think the sunken ship belongs to them."
"Let them come over!"
After a while, the two shopkeepers were called over. Cao Zhen looked at them and said calmly: "This hall master needs an explanation!"
"Hall Master Cao, there was an accidental collision. We are discussing how to deal with it!"
"Accident?"
Cao Zhen sneered: "Since you said it was an accident, this hall master will believe you and will not pursue any further questions. I will give you an hour to clean up the river."
"Hall Master Cao, you are forcing yourself to do something difficult. Do you think you can clean it up in one hour?"
"How to clean it up is your business, this Hall Master only wants results!
In an hour, if the blocked river is still unblocked, this hall master will sink you to the bottom of the water. You, the Chang family and the Fu family, will not walk on the Suzhou section of the canal in the future! "
The faces of the two people changed drastically. Caobang was the overlord of the canal. Their family could not compare with Caobang in terms of wealth and power. If Cao Zhen was really determined not to let him use the canal, they really had no choice.
Chang Qia whispered: "Palace Master Cao, you don't know what's going on in Suzhou City right now, right?
You should also know why you did this. This is not the first time you have done this. Why is it so unusual today? "
"It's not your turn to tell you what to do, what should I do? As I said before, if there is no smooth flow after an hour, I will do what I say!"
"Come here, watch them, they haven't finished it in an hour, do as the hall leader said!"
After Cao Zhen finished speaking, he was about to turn around to inspect other places when a voice came over.
"Oh... Hall Master Cao is so domineering. He knew you were the Hall Master of Suzhou Hall, but if he didn't know, he thought you were the leader of the Cao Gang!"
Cao Zhen looked intently and saw two small boats rowing close to the shore. When he saw the people on the bows, Cao Zhen frowned.
"Pi Laosi, if you don't stay in Changzhou, what are you doing here in Suzhou?"
"If I didn't come, how could I see you, Master Cao, being so majestic!"
"What the hell are you talking about? If you have something to say, speak up. If you don't have something to say, get out. You are not welcome in Suzhou."
"You... forget it, I won't argue with you. This hall leader is here to convey the gang leader's order, asking you not to interfere in the canal affairs. We won't help either of us, no matter what the people in Suzhou do!"
"Pi Laosi, don't you know the importance of the canal? If you anger the court, our Cao Gang will also be in trouble. Can you bear the consequences?"
"It's useless for you to tell me this. This is an order from the gang leader!"
Pi Laosi seemed to be smiling but not smiling. If Cao Zhen carried out the order, no matter which side won, the Caobang would have to evacuate Cao Zhen in order to calm down their anger.
If you don't follow the order, you are disobeying the gang leader's order and you will still be punished by the gang rules!
Then he would have the opportunity to come to the most prosperous Suzhou Hall and live a life of being drunk and lying on the lap of a beautiful woman.
Cao Zhen naturally understands this truth. If he had not seen the emperor last night, he would have been a little worried, but now, he is really not afraid compared to the background.
"Are you done? Get out of here when you're done."
After Cao Zhen finished speaking, he looked at Chang Qia and Fu Shan and said in a deep voice: "Come here, watch them. After an hour, the canal was not open, and they were tied up and sunk into the river!"
