Cui Renshi met with several important guests in the study. One of them was Xiao Yu, the former governor of Qizhou. He entered the court with special characteristics. He originally thought he could be reused. On the first day he went to court to agree to the marriage, but Qin Huaidao denounced him in disguise, and his appointment and dismissal continued.
The decision has been delayed until now, which makes Xiao Yu feel resentful.
"Master Xiao." Cui Renshi said with cupped hands: "The imperial court issued a decree to let the counties of Jingzhao Prefecture collect grain on their behalf. This is okay, but I heard that it will be handed over to Qin Prefecture Yin to sell for profit. This is not a public weapon for private use.
Do you want to compete with the people for profit? Mr. Xiao, a veteran of two dynasties, is extremely knowledgeable and wants to ask me for advice."
Xiao Yu was very pleased with Master Cui Ren's flattery. He stroked his beard and said with a smile: "I have also heard about this. It is against the law to use the power of the imperial court to facilitate one person. This is even more inappropriate than competing for benefits with the people. This is an example.
If you open it, everyone will imitate it in the future, what kind of style will it become?"
"What Mr. Xiao said is true, but there has been recent turmoil in the Ministry of Household Affairs. I have been splashed with filth. I am worried about the people, but I am powerless and don't know what to do. If this continues, I am afraid that the people will be in chaos." Master Cui Ren agreed quickly.
"How about contacting all officials to impeach?" a man with a black beard suddenly asked.
Xiao Yu glanced at the other party and sneered: "Impeachment is good, but since the imperial court is taking action, I'm afraid it supports it. As long as it is suppressed, it will be difficult to achieve results in the short term and cannot be stopped in time."
"What should we do?" the black-bearded man asked.
"This matter is not difficult. The imperial court collects grain, why don't you? With your strength, you can't accept the imperial court. As long as you join forces to buy it at a high price, the people will naturally not sell it to the imperial court. The grain is in your hands. How will you sell it in the future?
You have the final say." Xiao Yu said indifferently.
"Master Xiao is joking. We all have the final say together. How can we lose Master Xiao's share?" the black-bearded man said with a smile.
Xiao Yu snorted with satisfaction.
Cui Renshi continued: "Mr. Xiao, you must have heard about the court's methods. If you sell one dou, you will pay one less tax in the future. Those farmers may not be willing to sell to us. This method of collecting grain is somewhat special. In the past, we have
I haven’t heard of it, and I can’t think of a way to solve it, so I’d like to ask Mr. Xiao to teach me.”
"Aren't those farmers just coveting the tax? The court gave them five cents, and you received ten cents. The peasants don't know how to calculate, and they don't know the benefits. They can be taught that after receiving ten cents, they only need to keep three cents.
In the coming year, there will be seven cents left to buy grain and pay taxes, which is two cents more than the five cents provided by the court. I don't believe that those farmers are not tempted."
"Master Xiao is such a talented person, I admire you." The black-bearded man flattered, and then changed the subject: "However, the people will inevitably have concerns. They are worried that the harvest in the coming year will not be enough, that they will not have food to pay taxes, or that they will not be able to buy a bushel of three coins."
"Then increase the amount. Who can interfere with the imperial court's grain collection? We can only raise the price of grain. If ten cents are not enough, then eleven cents, twelve cents. How much grain can the counties of Jingzhao Prefecture collect? It is worth three hundred thousand shi.
, collect it and sell it at the original price, so what if you don’t make money? It’s not you who have the final say when you have the grain in your hand. Once other people’s grain comes in, even if it is sold at the same price, the loss will be huge and must be eliminated." Xiao Yu said the last word.
A little more determined.
"Master Xiao's lesson is that if you are taught by me, you should do as Master Xiao says. However, once the court takes action, it will be difficult for everyone to do it, and Master Xiao will have to deal with it." The black-bearded man said.
Seeing the respectful attitude of the other party, Xiao Yu stroked his beard with satisfaction and said: "It's easy to talk, it's easy to talk. There are old men in the court, but you must also act quickly. One day later, more food will fall into the hands of the court."
"Understood. When I go back next time, I will immediately notify various places to increase the purchase price. As Mr. Xiao said, there is no profit in collecting this part. It doesn't matter even if you lose a little. With the food in hand, we still have the final say in everything." The black-bearded man said, secretly.
He gave Cui Renshi a look.
Cui Renshi took the topic knowingly: "Mr. Xiao, impeachment is still necessary. Let's take a two-pronged approach. That boy from the Qin family has bullied others too much. I can't swallow this breath. As long as Mr. Xiao speaks out, I will definitely contact other ministers to respond. Dai from the Ministry of Household Affairs
Your Excellency has also been implicated this time, and the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is vacant. I am willing to contact all officials to recommend your Excellency. At that time, I also ask Your Excellency to cultivate more."
The words touched Xiao Yu's heart. There had been no sound from the court for so long. How could he not panic? If he could really get the position of Minister of Household Affairs and have real power in his hands, he would be able to regain the glory of his family. He stood up and said with satisfaction: "Everyone is willing
Okay, I still need to take a step forward."
"Master Xiao, walk slowly." Everyone stood up and saluted.
Master Cui Ren, as the master, of course cannot be too casual. He sent people out of the door, turned back and sneered: "Everyone, Xiao Yu has entered the game, let him take the lead. We have agreed to collect grain at a high price. Since Xiao Yu said it,
, if anything happens in the future, you can blame him."
"Understood, this Xiao Yu really takes himself seriously. Although he is a minister of the two dynasties and a prominent family in Jiangnan, he is far behind compared with our five surnames and seven hopes. If he is not interested in the food of Jiangnan, how can he associate with them? What does the head of the family mean?
Should he be promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue? From now on, we will have the final say in the Ministry of Revenue." The black-bearded man sneered, which was completely different from the respectful and humble attitude just now.
At this time, another person suddenly said: "Everyone, we can't let that kid from the Qin Mansion continue to be rampant. This time the food supply has been very passive. If it happens again, this life will be uneasy."
"What do you want to do?" Master Cui Ren asked.
The other party made a gesture of wiping his neck, and then said: "This guy has good martial arts, but ordinary assassination is useless. The Wang family and your Cui family have suffered several losses, which is enough to prove that Fengyu Tower divides people into four levels, and the highest level charges 50,000 yuan."
Two taels of silver, it's enough for the five of us to put together, how about that?"
"Can!"
"agree!"
Everyone agreed and laughed, a bit coldly.
…
Qinling Ziwu Road, Niujia Ferry, Qin Huaidao and others came after a long journey, not knowing that a conspiracy net had been opened, the cold wind was howling, and snowflakes were floating in the sky. At this time of year, the Qinling Mountains were inaccessible, and the ferry was deserted.
Not a single boat.
Everyone looked around. Xue Rengui had the best eyesight. He suddenly pointed ahead and shouted: "Young Master, the front looks like a forked tributary. Could it be the place you are looking for?"
"Let's take a look." Qin Huaidao said and led the horse forward.
Everyone followed up and soon came to a tributary along a path. The river was not big and there was no road to walk on. However, there were traces of people trampling on the ground for a long time, which was barely a road. After observing for a while, Qin Huaidao said: "Brothers,
There is no one here, leave the horse with no one to steal, prepare for battle."
Everyone tied their horses to the surrounding trees and took out their weapons.
After a while, everything was ready. Qin Huaidao walked forward and said: "Brother Xue, you are in the middle, Brother Cheng, you are in the rear, Chu Liang, Chu Bi, you two are responsible for keeping an eye on the left, brother Yuchi, you two are responsible for keeping an eye on the left.
On the right, Luo Zhang, holding an arrow and following Brother Xue closely."
Archers are similar to snipers, they must be protected by someone so they can concentrate on shooting.
"Here!"
Everyone accepted the order with a bang, having become accustomed to Qin Huaidao's command.