Feng Xing

Huai salt, also known as Liang salt, is famous all over the world for its fineness, whiteness, lightness and density.

There are four kinds of Liangyan, Zhenliang, Dingliang, Shangbailiang and Bailiang. Among them, Zhenliang is the highest grade, mostly used by the emperor and high-ranking officials, Dingliang is second, and Shangbailiang is the second. It is the worst Bailiang salt, and it is better than Anyan and Guangyan.

The Bean Tea Plantation is adjacent to the Yellow Sea in the north and is one of the Shangbailiang Salt Plants. The salt produced by the Salt Plant accounts for two to three tenths of the dozens of salt plants in Huainan, and it is also one of the largest salt plants under the Taizhou branch.

At this time, it was located in the middle of the salt field, in the house belonging to the ambassador of the salt field. Yuan merchants Chen Datong, Zou Ping, Fuzao Sun Dexian, Shi Zhiyou and others gathered here.

The Taizhou county government was so deceptive that they confiscated dozens of hectares of their land.

Although these slack lands are cheap and do not produce food, they are not easy to obtain. Which of them did not get these lands with all their scheming and skills. Now that the county government has been clean and stern, it is useless to intercede for money, and can only watch helplessly as it is confiscated.

It is important to know that there is a fixed share of the land in the salt field, and the imperial court also calculates the annual output and salt tax according to the share of the land. The extra slack land, the weeds produced every year are all money, either sold to kitchen households, or privately asked people to fry salt for sale, which one is not relying on the oil of these land fertilizers, and now it is confiscated by the government, It's no less than heartbreaking.

Yang Peidong was standing in front of the birdcage, holding a bird teasing stick in his hand, teasing the starlings in the cage.

Chen Datong and the others said it so close to crying, but his demeanor was very cold.

"I also know what you said, but the local county government is in charge of the Yulin Atlas, and all the land within the county is under its control. The Taizhou county government has not overstepped. You come to me to intercede, what face do I have?" To find the magistrate of Fan County?"

"The county magistrate surnamed Fan didn't show his face from the beginning to the end. Only the master surnamed Fang was domineering and flaunting his power. When I came to invite the ambassador to come forward, I also wanted to ask my lord to talk to the county magistrate Fan to see if he could be accommodating. Or Silver or a house, as long as the other party asks, we will definitely not be stingy, instead of letting that shameless villain surnamed Fang take over and dominate in front of us."

Yang Peidong rubbed his beard with his fingers, and said: "Since you think that Master Fang surnamed is domineering, and you don't want to give him face, just say it directly, why go around in circles. After all, he is a master, not a professional, but a county magistrate." There is really no need to be afraid of being like this for the curtain guest around you."

"This-"

Yang Peidong snorted, and threw the bird teasing stick into the copper plate: "After all, it's not that I was caught and dared not offend, and now they are encouraging me to stand out?"

A maid came in holding a tray and knelt down at Yang Peidong's feet. He picked up the silk handkerchief on it and wiped his hands before sitting down on the Arhat bed next to him.

Another servant girl brought tea, and he took it, flicked the foam off it, and took a sip.

"Today's tea is hotter than usual."

The servant girl hurriedly said: "Master, I know I was wrong, and I will try it next time before serving it."

Yang Peidong waved his hand, and then raised his eyes to look at the crowd standing there: "You have too high expectations of me, sir. After all, I am an eighth-rank official, and others are seven-rank official. It’s from a regular school. Do you know the difference between a miscellaneous selection and a regular course? You don’t understand if you tell me, since you have been cleared out, it’s not like you have dug out your old background.

"Can…"

"Okay, let's get back. The master hasn't taken a nap today, and this person gets tired easily when he gets old."

Chen Datong and the others wanted to say something, but two servants walked in from the door and led them back out.

Only Yang Peidong was left in the hall, and he continued to drink tea.

Suddenly, with a sneer, he threw the teacup on the table.

At this time, a middle-aged man wearing an indigo straight jacket walked in from the door, with beads of sweat visible on his forehead and an anxious expression on his face.

This person is An Youqing, the deputy ambassador of Bing Chachang.

"My lord, do you really care about this matter?"

Yang Peidong leaned on Luohan's bed and gave him a sideways glance: "What do you do?"

"But Chen Datong and the others didn't give us less benefits. It's fine in normal times. Now that this happened, it doesn't matter. Will it..."

"Could it be something? I think they paid you money again, and you really can't shirk it, so you interceded?"

An Youqing smiled awkwardly, without denying it.

"There are many conflicts between the local government and the salt farm. More than once, in the name of uneven taxation, duplication of functions, and insufficient supervision, please play the imperial court's request to abolish the officials of the salt farm. Management. Everyone is jealous of this lack of fat. Who doesn’t want to get in, and insists on passing us in the middle? In the past ten years, the Huainan Salt Field has been abolished from more than 20 locations to 11 locations. Even so, those officials have not stopped , This salt class has been reformed several times, which one is not aimed at us?

"You think what Chen Datong and I said are deceit and evasion? What's the difference between a miscellaneous selection of officials and a formal background? It's that the other party is from a righteous background. It’s human connections. Do we have these connections? No! But others have them, and they form a network. How much money can they make if they can get this place? How much money can they make? The fire is cooking oil without knowing it, and you still try to fight against people? I think you are a pig Oily heart, not knowing when death is imminent!"

"My lord, where did you say the word dead?" An Youqing broke out in a cold sweat when he heard it.

"Look at the saltworks everywhere, but there is one talking? No! Why don't you say it? You don't know who is standing behind that surname Fan. He is the same teacher as Du Mingming, the prefect of Yangzhou, and the teacher is a dignified family. Bu Shangshu, the old Song Ge who entered Zhiwenyuan Pavilion. You think he was born as a Tanhualang, and you can't stay in Beijing as his Qinggui Hanlin, but why come to this kind of place where no shit?

"The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit. Just be honest. This matter has nothing to do with us, and it has not happened to us. Don't make trouble for yourself, so as not to cause trouble to your upper body. I don't know this. I can sit here for a few more years." Yang Peidong sighed, patted An Youqing on the shoulder, and left.

And this An Youqing's face turned green and pale for a while, and he hurried out, obviously going to find Chen Datong and others to refund the money.

In fact, An Youqing didn't just want to refund the money, but to prevent Chen Datong and others from causing trouble.

He is different from Yang Peidong. Yang Peidong came through the selection of officials, while he was promoted from the local area. Speaking of which, it is the name of a deputy ambassador, but it is just helping the ambassador to manage the kitchen households below.

Because of this, he has a long-term friendship with the local Fuzao, and knows more than Yang Peidong.

Taking people's money is undoubtedly digging up people's ancestral graves. Where there is a lot of private salt, everyone is vicious and vicious. If you want my money, I want your life. So before Chen Datong and the others came to find Yang Peidong, they had already discussed that if the saltworks didn't care about it, they would encourage the kitchen households below to teach the people who came to the county government a lesson.

When An Youqing arrived, there was already a commotion.

On the Gongyuan, a group of ragged kitchen households surrounded Fang Fengsheng's carriage for three floors inside and outside. This time Fang Fengsheng came out with only a few yamen servants, submerged in the crowd, like a mantis holding back a car.

"You are so courageous. Interfere with the official affairs of the county government and punish them as chaos. I advise you to leave quickly, otherwise the food in the prison of the county government will not be good."

"Don't listen to them. These dog officials are exploiting layer upon layer. They just want our family to die. Since we are dead, you should die too." Someone in the crowd urged.

Seeing that the matter was about to break out, An Youqing rushed over.

"Stop it, stop it for me!"

Seeing that the drinking could not be stopped, he angrily scolded Min Zhuang who had brought him: "What are you doing standing here? Hurry up and take down all these people."

These folks are all drawn from the kitchen households and are responsible for security and anti-smuggling in the saltworks. Now that Min Zhuang went to take the kitchen households, it was tantamount to beating his own people, so those kitchen households who were encouraged were dumbfounded.

After separating these people, An Youqing hurried to the carriage.

"Master Fang, don't be surprised. These foolish people are instigating. Don't worry, I will interrogate who the instigator is, and I will never let it go. As for the salt field, I will definitely support the county government in clearing the land. any objection."

The car curtain was lowered, and even at the critical moment, it was never raised.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, revealing a smiling face: "Is that so? Ambassador An, just now I almost thought that the salt farm wanted to obstruct Qingzhang, so I made such a bad move. But this idea is not good at all, and it hurt the county government. People who are tantamount to openly confronting the imperial court and provoking the majesty of the imperial court usually have few good endings."

"Naturally, this officer rushed to the place when he received the news. I really didn't expect such a thing to happen."

"Well, I think this matter is not what Ambassador An wanted. I have a clear job and I really don't have time to stay, so I will leave here. When Ambassador An is free, you can come to the county government to find me. I will accompany you to drink a hundred cups without getting drunk. Not return."

…

The county government and his party had already left, but An Youqing was still in a lingering fear and broke out in a cold sweat.

When Chen Datong and the others received the news, they hurried over, and before they could complain, they were gagged by An Youqing's reprimand.

"You want to die, don't drag me along!"

"My lord, where did this start?"

…

On the other end, a group of chariots and horses walked slowly.

Several yamen servants on horseback were talking to each other.

"It's so refreshing! I finally saw this group of people who looked like they were eating shit. They usually have their nostrils upturned. Whenever there is a conflict with the saltworks, our county government always suffers. I didn't expect to let them suffer today."

"It's not that our Master Fang has a big face, he only takes dozens of people in and out of dangerous places, as if entering a no-man's land, look at that surnamed An who is frightened."

Feng Sheng in the car was teased and laughed straight away: "Okay, it's not my face, but our adults' face. Without the deterrence of adults, this group of people will not be subdued."

But the yamen servants didn't understand what she said, they only knew that when the adults brought them out to clear the house, they were repeatedly frustrated, but Mr. Fang was able to pass through unimpeded.

So whether this is the master's face or the adult's face, it is a matter of opinion.

"Okay, stop joking, you bastards, there is one last Fenglichang left, and we can go back when this saltworks is taken down," Bantou Wang said.

When they heard that they could go back, several young government servants were very happy and cheered repeatedly.

Including Feng Sheng, she couldn't help showing a bit of a smile, after all, she has been out for more than a month, and the winter solstice is coming soon.