Chapter 70: Wind and snow, shaking mountains and mountains

The two Huai regions have three salt tax transfer branches: Taizhou, Huai'an, and Tongzhou.

Under each transfer branch, there are about ten salt fields.

Hai Rui attracted attention in Huai'an Prefecture, while Chen Dong secretly used a diversionary tactic to investigate the salt warehouses and salt fields of Taizhou Prefecture.

Taizhou is only more than 300 miles away from Huai'an. Chen Dong and his party got off the ship at Guangling Ferry in Yangzhou Prefecture and rushed straight to the Taizhou Transfer Salt Commissioner's Office.

Nanzhili is mostly plains, and the official road between Guangling in Yangzhou and Taizhou is even more flat.

The group requisitioned all the horses at the ferry, with a hundred elites in the lead.

The rest walked lightly, passing by the official post station on the way, requisitioning horses as they saw them, following closely behind.

Chen Dong is a civil official and does not know how to ride, so he had to share a horse with Jiao Ze.

In order not to delay time, he asked Jiao Ze to tie him to the horse's back.

Jiao Ze hesitated for a long time, and under Chen Dong's insistence, he agreed.

It was already the twelfth lunar month, and it was freezing cold. Although Nanzhili was not as cold as the north, this cold, bone-chilling wind was not ambiguous at all.

Chen Dong was tied to the horse's back, feeling the bumps all the way, as well as the bone-chilling cold, almost fainting.

He didn't know how long had passed on the horse's back.

Finally, the horses rested, and they entered the Taizhou boundary, and the group took a rest.

Chen Dong braced himself and arranged for Jiao Ze: "Deputy Commander Jiao, take people with me to the Taizhou Transfer Salt Commissioner's Office!"

"There are also ten salt fields, all of which must be guarded, especially Fuan Salt Field, Dongtai Salt Field, and Anfeng Salt Field. I won't arrive, and not a single grain of salt can be released!"

Although the Deputy Commander is a second-rank official, he is ultimately a military rank, so Chen Dong's politeness and etiquette are limited, and he directly gave orders.

Jiao Ze, having reached this level of official position, was not surprised, and immediately ordered to leave several confidants to notify the rear camp guards.

After arranging, he looked at this fourth-rank Dali Temple Junior Minister: "Junior Minister Chen, is it okay?"

Chen Dong gritted his teeth: "Go! It's only twenty miles, hurry!"

⊙tTkдn⊙￠o

Must be fast, must be unexpected.

Otherwise, if some people are given time to prepare, I'm afraid the salt warehouse will be burned.

Jiao Ze also admired this civil official.

In order to seize the opportunity, he was willing to be tied up and walk. This kind of civil official is much stronger than those cheap scholars who hide in carriages and point fingers.

He tied Chen Dong up again, clamped him in his crotch, and galloped away.

The sky is cold and the earth is cracking.

The Deputy Commander clamped the Dali Temple Junior Minister and rushed into the wind and snow.

Half an hour later, Fuan Salt Field.

Crack.

The gate of the Fuan Field Salt Tax Office was violently smashed open.

Wind and snow poured in.

The main official saw this and immediately came out to scold: "What kind of bandits are so bold! Dare to rob the official office!"

The leading thousand-household official pressed the person down and looked around.

Seeing the situation under control, he shouted loudly: "Under the order of Hai Rui, the Patrol Commissioner of the two Huai salt taxes and Hai Yushi-in-Chief! Inspect all salt fields in Taizhou!"

"Before the Dali Temple Junior Minister Chen Dong arrives, all officials must wait and obey!"

As he spoke, he saw a small official with a shifty, rat-like appearance quietly move his feet to shrink backward.

The thousand-household official picked up the steel knife at his waist and smashed it hard with the handle.

The small official fell to the ground and wailed.

All the officials glared at him.

The thousand-household official seemed unaware and scolded: "If there is another offense... the superior has an order, all these low-ranking officials can be killed!"

The officials trembled together.

They didn't dare to look at this official rogue again, lowered their heads and secretly exchanged looks.

After this thousand-household official pressed the officials, nearly a hundred elite soldiers outside also guarded the four places, watching the salt workers and laborers.

Dongtai Salt Field, Anfeng Salt Field, and other salt fields were almost the same, and were controlled one after another.

At the same time.

Taizhou Transfer Salt Commissioner's Office.

Chen Dong vomited on the wall for a while.

Under Jiao Ze's concerned gaze, he put on his clothes and hat again, and wiped the stains on his mouth with the big sleeves of his scarlet robe.

His eyes were slightly fierce: "Go! Go in!"

The soldiers had already rushed in first and controlled the situation. Chen Dong held his head high and walked into the Taizhou Transfer Salt Commissioner's Office.

"This official is the Dali Temple Junior Minister, handling the corruption case of Wang Ruyan, the two Huai transfer commissioner. Who is the main official here!"

Chen Dong was already sickly thin, and after the cold wind blew on his face all the way, his face looked even more ferocious.

One sentence, it was like spitting out the cold air from the whole way.

Many officials heard this and looked at a short and fat official.

This person was big-bellied, sitting in the main seat of the office, and showed no fear: "This official is, Taizhou Transfer Branch Deputy Judge, Chang Ke."

Chen Dong nodded and said to a thousand-household official: "Take this person and the bookkeeper, and follow this official to the salt warehouse!"

After speaking, he turned and went out.

Chang Ke glared at the soldiers who wanted to arrest him: "Presumptuous, this official is not a criminal, so you can't insult me, get out of the way, I will go by myself!"

After speaking, he lifted the hem of his official robe and walked steadily from the public hall.

His fat body followed Chen Dong very calmly.

The two were one in front and one behind, followed by soldiers and bookkeepers.

Chen Dong didn't look back and said coldly: "According to the testimony of Xu Fuyuan and Wang Ruyan, the two Huai salt warehouses have been eaten away. Deputy Judge Chang, is there such a thing?"

Chang Ke shook his head: "Wang Ruyan and Xu Fuyuan have long had grievances. Perhaps it's just a routine official struggle, splashing dirty water."

Chen Dong didn't commit himself: "The salt warehouses in the two Huai regions, according to the regulations, should store 210,000 yin of salt. How much should the Taizhou salt warehouse store according to the system?"

Chang Ke blurted out: "The two Huai regions have 210,000 yin, Huai'an Prefecture has 70,000, Tongzhou Prefecture has 50,000, and Taizhou Prefecture has 90,000 yin."

Chen Dong's energy recovered slightly, and his pace became faster and faster.

The soldiers along the way lit torches.

Snowflakes began to fall in the sky, falling on everyone's official robes.

Chen Dong brought the Deputy Judge and the bookkeeper to the salt warehouse of the Taizhou Transfer Office, a total of 11 large warehouses, named after the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

The gate was closed tightly, tightened with iron chains, and sealed with a seal, inscribed "Taizhou Transfer Office Stored Salt".

Chen Dong brushed the seal and said: "Deputy Judge Chang, do these 11 warehouses have 90,000 yin?"

90,000 yin is 18 million catties, but according to Xu Fuyuan, I'm afraid there are only 20,000 yin. If there is such a big gap, it can be seen with the naked eye.

Chang Ke smiled lightly: "Junior Minister Chen is here to investigate the case. I am a suspect, so what I say doesn't count. Junior Minister Chen has such great ability, why not see for yourself."

The tone was extremely frivolous, and he patted his belly, making two dull sounds.

Chen Dong frowned. He turned to look at Chang Ke.

The latter was not afraid.

Chen Dong took a slow deep breath, and in the astonished eyes of everyone, he snatched the knife from the thousand-household official beside him and put it on Chang Ke's neck.

He stared at Chang Ke with a pair of eyes that seemed to be jumping with flames.

Coldly: "This official kills you now, at most go back to fill in a page of documents, stamp a seal, do you believe it."

The incident happened suddenly. Looking at this withered face and the perverse eyes, and feeling the coldness on his neck, Chang Ke's crotch was slightly wet inadvertently.

Chen Dong fanned the smell, threw the knife back to the thousand-household official, and ordered: "If this person pretends to be mysterious again, give him a knife in the chest."

After speaking, he looked at Jiao Ze and nodded.

"Open the warehouse."

Jiao Ze agreed and took the order.

Clatter, a sound of pulling open the chains.

Several hundred-household officials pushed open the salt warehouse gate at the same time.

Squeak.

Squeak.

The gate seemed not to have been opened for years, making a panting and mournful sound.

Although it was late at night, the salt warehouse gate opened, like the sky breaking, and the moonlight spilled inside and outside the salt warehouse.

The moonlight is selfless.

Reflecting the pure white of the sky full of wind and snow, reflecting Chen Dong's astonished expression and Chang Ke's eyebrows raised in triumph.

Also reflecting 11 full salt warehouses!

What deficit, it's clearly full!

Chen Dong couldn't believe it and wandered back and forth in the 11 salt warehouses.

Jiao Ze didn't say a word, drew his steel knife, and stabbed one salt bag after another with the soldiers.

The white knife went in, bringing out grains of salt.

The two looked at each other and shook their heads with ugly faces.

Chang Ke's untimely voice sounded again: "Officials, the number of 90,000 yin of salt, please check."

Chen Dong remained silent.

The regulation of the salt warehouse is 10,000 yin, and 11 salt warehouses are full, which means there are 110,000 yin!

There is even more!

The gap of 90,000 yin was filled in less than a month...

No, even less than a month.

From Hai Rui wanting to go south, to Nanzhili receiving the news, I'm afraid there was only 20 days of preparation time!

Even if repurchased from salt merchants, it is impossible to be so fast—can salt merchants hoard 18 million catties at home!?

Chen Dong raised his head suddenly, staring at Chang Ke and the bookkeeper behind him, and asked: "Where are the account books! Bring the account books up!"

Chang Ke pursed his lips: "Junior Minister Chen, the winter is dry, and there was a fire a few days ago, and the account books were accidentally burned."

Before Chen Dong could speak, Jiao Ze beside him was furious: "You dog-raised thing, are you not afraid of death!"

Chang Ke frowned at Jiao Ze and scolded: "This military official, speak carefully. Losing account books is dereliction of duty, only demoted by one rank, how can you shout and kill?"

"Besides, this matter is not yet the turn of a mere military general like you to manage."

After scolding Jiao Ze, he looked at Chen Dong: "Junior Minister Chen, does this official need to take you around again?"

Chen Dong raised his head slowly, staring at Chang Ke, until Chang Ke felt a little uncomfortable.

At this time, suddenly a thousand-household official galloped in.

Everyone looked at it one after another.

The thousand-household official looked anxious, turned over and dismounted before the horse stopped, rolling and crawling, falling out of some skin injuries.

The voice was anxious: "Junior Minister! General Jiao! Three places, Xiaohai Salt Field, Caoyan Salt Field, and Dingxi Salt Field, are on fire!"

Jiao Ze's face changed greatly.

Chen Dong was horrified, and finally reacted. Where did the salt in the salt warehouse come from!

I'm afraid it's the salt produced this year!

Burned an empty frame! The salt that was originally to be sold was put into the warehouse to fill the salt warehouse!

Sure enough, it still caught fire. He and Hai Rui feinted to the east and attacked in the west, rushing day and night, but still a step late!

Chang Ke seemed to be unaware, his face changed slightly.

And then he was sincere and said loudly: "Junior Minister Chen, hurry, let's go to put out the fire!"

After speaking, his big belly twitched twice, clearly holding back laughter.

Jiao Ze clenched his fists, afraid he couldn't help but do it.

He turned his head away, not looking at the disgusting appearance of this transfer office deputy judge.

He was about to talk to Chen Dong and ask what to do next.

Suddenly he saw Chen Dong suddenly reach out and hold the steel knife at his waist.

Jiao Ze subconsciously wanted to press it, and then felt inspired, and couldn't help but let go.

I saw Chen Dong's withered face with no expression, and pulled out Jiao Ze's steel knife.

In Chang Ke's astonished expression, he slowly and forcefully inserted it into his waist.

A snowflake drifted onto Chen Dong's eyelids, he blinked hard, and looked at Chang Ke.

Chang Ke's throat rattled, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Chen Dong turned the steel knife in his hand hard and sent it in another half inch.

A sentence was spat out between his teeth: "This official said, you are a small seventh-rank official, if I want to kill you, at most I will fill in a document, why don't you believe it?"

Under the eyes of everyone, the Dali Temple Junior Minister actually killed a seventh-rank deputy judge!

Everyone showed a look of horror.

Chen Dong felt nothing, finished a sentence, let go, pulled the bookkeeper's clothes beside him, and wiped the blood on his hands.

He didn't forget the serious matter, and said to Jiao Ze: "This official is going to the office hall now, trouble Deputy Commander Jiao to bring the ambassadors of each salt field."

And then looked at the bookkeeper who was constantly trembling, and said gently: "This bookkeeper, trouble to call the salt merchants who transport Taizhou salt."

The bookkeeper's teeth chattered: "Ah... ah?"

Chen Dong ignored him and walked straight back to the office, Jiao Ze followed closely.

Goose feather snow dyed Chen Dong's scarlet official uniform white, red and white mixed, leaving only a back.

After a while.

The bookkeeper shivered and finally dared to look down.

I saw a mess on the ground.

That deputy judge was staring with his eyes wide open, holding the deep blade with both hands, his whole body twitching.

The bookkeeper finally woke up like a dream.

He came to his senses and grabbed the deputy's sleeve.

Roared with a ferocious face: "Go! Call the salt merchant! Call the salt merchant!"

He looked at the blood on the ground again, and a sentence jumped into his heart... a night of killing in the wind and snow.

The next day at noon, Nanzhili, Yingtian Prefecture.

If it is about which mansion in Nanzhili is the most beautiful, people can only say that each has its own merits.

But if it is about grace and luxury, then the Wei Duke's mansion naturally occupies the top spot.

This Jinling No. 1 Garden of later generations is now the undisputed No. 1 mansion in Nanzhili.

Although it doesn't cover a large area, it has the blessing of the old palace of the Founding Emperor and the mansion of the Zhongshan King, which is priceless.

The Wei Duke's mansion sits north and faces south, covering more than 30 mu, with green plants, water courtyards, and rockeries.

The couplet in front of the door, "Full of Jinling wine, the sound of the Huai River in the autumn wind," expresses the Wei Duke's detachment of only caring about the wind and moon and having no intention of intervening in government affairs.

Because of this, no matter how many officials wanted to come here to worship the pier, they were all blocked outside this threshold.

At this time, after a night of heavy snow, it finally stopped, only the sky was a bit dark, and the snow on the ground was cleaned up by the servants.

An old man was fiddling with a rockery in the backyard garden—this rockery was named "Immortal Peak", which was a whole piece of Taihu stone, carved by craftsmen into the shape of an immortal.

The maid was kneeling behind the old man, boiling tea for him.

Just at this time, the butler walked slowly to the front and bowed.

The old man waved his hand, and the maids retreated one after another.

The butler then had the opportunity to say: "Master, the heir went to Huai'an Prefecture and was detained by Hai Rui."

The old man continued to fiddle with the broken stones on the rockery quietly, without saying a word.

The butler continued: "Hai Rui said that the heir was spying on the secrets of the imperial envoy, and according to the law, he should be tattooed and relocated."

"Accompanying the heir were Supervising Secretary Zhang Huan, the younger brother of the Earl of Xuancheng, the wife's younger brother of Wan Hao, the libationer of the Nanjing Imperial Academy, etc., about seven or eight people."

The old man still turned a deaf ear.

The butler continued: "In addition, Chen Dong went to Taizhou Prefecture last night and controlled the transfer office and several salt fields. During this period, the transfer office deputy judge Chang Ke was imprisoned for burning documents, but... I heard that the person is actually dead."

"In the early morning, Hai Rui and Chen Dong both began to meet salt merchants. As for what they were doing, the specific situation will only be known in the evening."

The old man fiddled with the last stone and finally had movement.

He clapped his hands, admiring his masterpiece.

Picked up the teapot and drank it directly, chewing the peony like a cow, and while taking a gap, asked casually: "Who let the heir go?"

The butler bowed: "The uncles of each room and several clan elders came to find you before, but you didn't answer, so they went to find the heir."

The result is self-evident, naturally it is a hairy boy who is easy to provoke.

The old man cursed: "These old immortals, they ate and used, and they want people to lose their lives!"

"How long have I been released from the capital? Just enjoyed it, and they want me to top the thunder."

"This title is for them to sit!"

The butler didn't dare to answer.

The old man turned around and ordered the butler: "Go, tell each room, it's okay for me to manage this matter, but hand over the account books of each room, and spit out everything they collected behind my back! Otherwise, no way!"

The butler bowed and agreed, indicating he understood.

The old man cursed for a while, and finally vented his anger.

After venting his anger, he naturally had to plan serious matters.

Hai Rui came to patrol salt this time, although it was not aimed at anyone, but these tall people naturally had to top it.

Unfortunately, several efforts to negotiate were all in vain, just like throwing a wink at a blind man.

Now that they have started to control the salt fields and contact salt merchants, they can no longer hold a fluke.

Xu Bangrui, the Duke of Wei, stroked his beard for a while and said: "I will write a few letters later, and you send them to Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, and those people of the Earl of Xuancheng."

"And bring a word to them, saying... this time it's not good, why not let two percent out, and this case will stop at Wan Hao!"

The butler waited for the old man to finish speaking, and then asked: "What about the heir?"

Xu Bangrui finally couldn't hold back his anger and scolded: "Wan Hao is a dignified libationer of the Imperial Academy, a fourth-rank official! Isn't it enough for the Grand Secretariat and Hai Rui to establish prestige!?"

"If they still don't know how to appreciate kindness and detain people, don't blame me for going to smash his patrol commissioner's ceremonial guard!"

"A bunch of idiots."

Xu Bangrui cursed and was about to drive people away.

Suddenly remembered something, called people back, and ordered: "By the way, and the Minister of Revenue Cao Bangfu, tell him..."

"That eunuch Zhang Jing, isn't he bringing hundreds of people from the Imperial Horse Surveillance to take office?"

"Don't give him pay, let him go to Wang Zongmu to ask for it! He has a lot of food."

A cold look flashed in Xu Bangrui's eyes.

Now the Grand Secretariat is really not giving face. If they want Nanzhili to make concessions, just say it clearly. Why send an imperial envoy to sweep their face.

Is it too much to not take them seriously?

A mere Hai Rui, couldn't even handle Xu Jie at the beginning.

Now the salt administration of the two Huai regions, what is more than two or three Xu Jies?

A mere fourth-rank Hai Yushi-in-Chief, no matter how selfless he is, let alone convicting them, he has to bow respectfully when meeting.

Still convicting, hum... let alone Hai Rui, let Zhang Juzheng come personally, see if he dares to do it.

This two percent profit is already a big concession. If they are not willing, don't blame the thunderous means.

Xu Bangrui looked up at the dark sky.

Wind and rain are coming—four words came to mind.

Then he shook his head again. In this Nanzhili, only super-grade can call the wind and rain, and it is not Hai Rui's turn!

Dianniang limits the flow, comments can only be seen in a few days, can only see my own ===== CHAPTER 71 =====