Three days later, Zhenhaiwei Central Council Hall.

Zhu Yinggao sat at the head, and below him Chai Bai, the commander of Zhenhai Guards, and thousands of households were kneeling on the ground.

Picking up the tea cup, Zhu Ying blew lightly and then tasted it.

"This tea is not bad, where did it come from?" Zhu Ying asked casually.

Chai Bai below heard this and breathed a sigh of relief. After kneeling for a quarter of an hour, His Highness Taisun finally spoke.

Without thinking, he replied: "Your Highness, this tea is West Lake Longjing, produced from the eighteen tea trees in front of Hu Gong Temple at the foot of Shifeng Mountain. The new leaves produced this year are definitely of the highest quality."

"All the teas in Hang County can be compared to the ones produced in Longjing. These are the fine buds before the rain. Take one flag and one shot of them. They are especially valuable. They are not produced in large quantities, so they should be treated with dignity and respect."

When it came to the latter part, Chai Bai started to show off by using the word "Wen Jue".

Zhu Ying chuckled: "It seems that Commander Chai is not only experienced in marching and fighting, but he is also very fond of arty fashion."

"Uncle Zhang, how many Guanbao notes are sold in the market now for these new shoots before the rain?"

Uncle Zhang bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, ordinary Longjing tea is not expensive, but just now the commander of Chaidu said that this tea comes from the eighteen tea trees in front of Hu Gong Temple at the foot of Shifeng Mountain."

"That's the most expensive place in the entire West Lake Longjing. According to the current market conditions, one tael of tea from this place costs eighty-eight guan, and there's no market for it."

As soon as these words came out, Chai Bai below immediately started to sweat profusely.

Knowing that I had fallen on this tea leaf, I felt extremely regretful at this moment.

I originally thought that His Highness the Grand Sun would come over, so of course I would treat him with the best things to show my loyalty.

Normally, no one would ask about these prices when drinking tea, so Chai Bai didn't think much about it at the time.

When Uncle Zhang was talking, he suddenly remembered.

His Highness Taisun is not only His Highness Taisun, but also the owner of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. He knows almost everything about the market prices of various goods.

Aren't you setting a trap for yourself and getting in?

The thousands of households behind also began to tremble.

If something goes wrong with the commander, not one of these thousands of households will be able to live well.

I'm afraid it won't just be taken away in one pot.

Just when everyone was panicking, Zhu Ying said: "Okay, I have been kneeling for a long time. Just sit down when you get up."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't believe it, and no one spoke for a long time.

Finally, Chai Bai trembled and said, "I don't dare."

Zhu Ying said: "What are you afraid of? I can do all the things like Caobang and earn a lot of money every year."

"You are so brave. I ask you to sit down and talk. Don't you dare?"

Plop.

Only two Qianhu men had the courage to stand up. As soon as His Highness Taisun said these words, they immediately knelt down again.

Not to mention Chai Bai, on the ground in front of him, sweat was dripping like water droplets, as if he had just taken a shower.

"Don't be so nervous. According to what you said, you are not my direct descendants."

"Since you are my direct descendant, there is nothing to be afraid of."

Zhu Ying said with a smile.

But what he said made everyone feel cold in their hearts.

They only said these words when they were in the parliament hall, but now His Highness Taisun said these words.

It's terrifying.

Could it be that there is a ghost among everyone?

"Okay, let's sit down and talk. Regarding the Cao Gang, tell me the ins and outs of it."

Zhu Ying waved her hands and said directly.

After several rounds of dialogue, the psychological defenses of Chai Bai and others had completely collapsed at this moment, so they could only tell the truth.

The establishment of the Caobang was based on water transportation. Zhu Ying was also very curious as to why the Caobang, which originally only appeared during the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, has appeared now.

After Chai Bai and others narrated it, it turned out that the source still appeared in him.

Originally, the difference between Zhenhai Guard and other guard posts was not very big. For example, Chai Bai and others were in command, and at most they were just making some money.

The butterfly flapped its wings, allowing Zhenhaiwei to taste the sweetness of smuggling snowflake salt, and this was how the Caogang was established.

"Over at Caogang, most of them are older or injured brothers from the guardhouse."

"On weekdays, there is nothing to do in the guardhouse, so I arrange to go down below to take charge of the Cao Gang, and also train the new recruits."

"Now there are more than 400 brothers in the Cao Gang and several thousand members."

After Chai Bai finished explaining, he raised his head cautiously. From the corner of his eye, he saw His Highness Taisun deep in thought, feeling a little complicated.

Having already reached this point, Chai Bai seems much calmer now. If he really wants to lose his head, there is no room for recovery.

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, in a situation like yours, not to mention execution, even death, death, or car breakdown is not an exaggeration."

"Corruption is clearly prohibited by law, but you are taking desperate risks and taking advantage of your powers to do illegal things."

"But speaking of it, all of you here have also made a lot of contributions to the Ming Dynasty. Anyway, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself and make meritorious service."

After Zhu Ying thought for a while, he spoke.

For soldiers, especially the group of soldiers who founded the Ming Dynasty, some things can only be done in a harmonious way.

Even the old man probably can only do this.

After all, it was these soldiers who brought down the old Zhu family.

As the saying goes, if the water is clear, there will be no fish.

If all the thousands of households including Chai Bai, the capital commander, were to be executed in accordance with Ming Dynasty law, it would easily chill the hearts of other soldiers.

Even the common people, including those oppressed businessmen, would not say anything about applauding, but would instead feel sad.

It sounds silly, but this is the real world today.

Especially for businessmen, it seems that they are oppressed by the Cao Gang, but in fact a relatively stable order has been established secretly, although this order is not protected by the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

Strictly pursued, it is illegal, but if there is no gang, the interests of businessmen will be more vulnerable to exploitation.

In the past, when merchants were selling goods, officials of all sizes needed to take care of them. If they encountered some greedy ones, they would become complete lions.

Not to mention losing money, sometimes people and money will be lost.

Although the Zhenhai Guards are an established cao gang, they come from a military background and pay more attention to order. In many aspects, they have a clear price tag.

Once you have paid enough, you don’t need to pay other fees for this journey, ensuring a safe trip.

It should also create a relatively fair business environment.

In fact, during the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, the Caobang's behavior was finally recognized by the government and gained legal status.

When this interest is discovered, even if Zhu Ying orders the Cao Gang to be forcibly disbanded, Cao Gangs of various sizes will still emerge in the future.

In such a situation in the early Ming Dynasty, the three religions and nine streams all had their own space for survival, and even the government had no way of getting rid of them just because they wanted to.

Now that Caogang has taken shape, it's better to take control of it in your own hands.

"Thank you, His Highness Taisun, for your grace! Thank you, Your Highness Taisun, for your grace! I will immediately order people to completely disband the Caogang."

I originally thought that there was no way out, but I didn't expect that there was another village where there was a bright future.

At this moment, Chai Bai's mind could be described as a roller coaster. With the word "guilt and meritorious service", not only his life was saved, but he might not even be able to keep his position as commander.

Zhu Ying waved her hand: "No, not only do you not want to disband the Caogang, but you want to make the Caogang even bigger."

Chai Bai was a little confused and didn't quite understand the meaning of His Highness Taisun's words.

Including thousands of other households, they all stared at each other in confusion.

Zhu Ying didn't bother to answer any riddles and said directly: "From now on, the rules of the Caobang must be revised and re-established according to my wishes."

"Not only your Zhenhai Guards, but also the guard posts up and down the Yangtze River can slowly absorb retired and injured sergeants."

"But these accounts need to be re-divided, including the tolls collected, which must be reasonable and cannot be overcharged, nor undercharged."

"Now you are doing a good job. Now that you have collected the money, you have to do something. From now on, the Caogang's accounting issues will be handled by the Qunying Chamber of Commerce."

"Comprehensive interests are divided into seven and three. I am seven and Caobang is three. Is there any problem?"

Chai Bai suddenly shook his head like a rattle, how could he have any other opinions.

Zhu Ying said with a smile: "Actually, what you said is right. You are indeed my direct descendants, but from now on, you can no longer do things under my name."

"What I just said, I didn't say that I would give you even half of the money. This money was not sent to me, but you shared it with the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. Do you understand?"

Chai Bai kowtowed, "I understand."

Zhu Ying nodded: "If you have committed any crime, don't expect me to come forward to solve it for you. Those who break the rules will naturally be punished as they should be."

"Not only on freight, but also on information from various local chambers of commerce, various aristocratic families, and government officials, you must also collect information. When the time comes, I will ask the Imperial Guards to come over and connect with you in these aspects."
To be continued...