The salt revenue of the two Huaihe Rivers is so great that it is said that "the salt tax of the two Huaihe Rivers is the highest in the world".

Xiaguan in Yangzhou is close to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and is the most prosperous. There are thousands of ships traveling here for industrial and private business every year.

The salt transport envoys of the Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers and the salt patrol censors were both here. Most of the merchants from Shanxi and Huizhou lived here, which facilitated more opportunities for contact with the salt patrol officials.

When the news came that the Crown Prince was touring Yangzhou north, the salt merchants, who had been frightened for more than a year, immediately went into a panic.

After the prince came to supervise the country in Nanjing, a series of reforms in taxation had already made the salt merchants wary. They all felt that the prince would not let go of the fat man in the salt industry. Sure enough, he came today.

When the Northern Patrol Brigade entered Yangzhou City, Zhu Cixi had already heard the roar of gongs and drums outside the city, the sound of firecrackers, and the shouts of a thousand years.

Zhu Cixiang praised: "Yangzhou people are so enthusiastic, it is really a treasure land of Feng Shui!"

When he was remembering the "Ten Days in Yangzhou" in history, Li Hu came over hurriedly and reported: "Your Highness, I just got the news that the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy committed suicide by throwing himself into a well yesterday, and there are also two salt merchants.

Shang also hanged himself at home..."

Zhu Cixiang said in confusion: "Huh? Why did you commit suicide when you were doing well?"

Li Hu replied: "I heard from the intelligence officers that after they heard that Your Highness had been to the salt field, they were so frightened that they committed suicide that day."

Zhu Cixi couldn't help but have black lines on his face, and said a little speechlessly: "They are quite happy."

The officials accompanying him were also speechless. The prince was so powerful that wherever he passed, the officials trembled and feared. It was normal for one or two to die from fright.

Not long after, Sun Yingyuan, the uncle of Jingwu who was stationed in Yangzhou, came to the guard of ceremony with a group of Yangzhou officials dressed like beasts and a large group of big salt merchants in rich clothes.

Sun Yingyuan bowed and said: "My lord, Sun Yingyuan, would like to extend my sincere greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Jin An!"

"I serve Zhang Min, the censor of salt inspection, and I serve Li Shang, the magistrate of Jiangdu..."

"Please get up!"

Zhu Cixiang stood up and got off the ceremonial guard, helped Sun Yingyuan up, frowned slightly and said: "Why are there so few officials in Yangzhou? Where are the people from the Salt Transport Yamen?"

Sun Yingyuan smiled awkwardly and said: "Your Highness does not know something. The officials who were transferred to the Salt Transportation Department in Huaihe River, such as Yun Tong, Deputy Yun, Yuan Ju, Ti Ji, etc., all hanged themselves at home last night, and three salt merchants also hanged themselves.

, the family buried him hastily in the morning..."

"Suicide out of fear of crime?"

Zhu Cixiang was speechless again. The funeral was arranged so neatly. Are you afraid that I won't leave the whole body for them?

Sun Yingyuan replied: "It should be that he committed suicide out of fear of crime. The Jinyiwei Yangzhou branch has already started an investigation."

Zhu Cixiang glanced around at the fat and fair-skinned Yangzhou officials, ignoring their fearful expressions, and suddenly said: "There is the Yangzhou garrison eunuch, why didn't I see him?"

Everyone looked left and right, and someone said depressedly: "I just saw Eunuch Han coming to greet us, why did he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

At this moment, there was a huge commotion on the other side of the moat, and some officers and soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs: "No! Someone jumped into the moat!"

Just after hearing "Plop!" several times, officers and soldiers jumped into the cold river water and pulled the person who fell into the water out.

"It's Eunuch Han!"

Seeing the appearance of the rescued man, the faces of several officials who were familiar with the eunuch guarding Yangzhou changed drastically. Even the old eunuch, who could hold the sky with his hands, was so frightened that he committed suicide.

Zhu Cixiang looked at Eunuch Han who was soaked in water, frowned and said, "Why did you commit suicide?"

The eunuchs who guarded Yangzhou not only managed the salt affairs, but also purchased valuable items for the palace and monitored social conditions. They were loyal servants of the emperor. However, most of them loved money and plundered a large amount of people's wealth and royalties.

Eunuch Han knelt on the ground and trembled, trembling and said: "This slave has taken bribes and violated the law. I am unworthy of the royal family. His Royal Highness the Prince is visiting Yangzhou in the north. I know that I can't hide it, so I can only die and leave my whole body..."

Zhu Cihong nodded and sighed: "You are honest."

Seeing the prince's tone, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thinking that there was still a chance of improvement. Eunuch Han also breathed a sigh of relief. However, the next words made the officials and salt merchants in Yangzhou feel as if they were in an ice cellar again.

Zhu Cixiang said calmly: "Then as you wish, throw it into the moat and leave a whole body!"

After speaking, Zhu Cixi walked back to the guard of honor, waved, and the team continued to move forward and entered Yangzhou City, leaving only a group of officials and businessmen with frightened faces.

In the Yamen of the Magistrate of Yangzhou City.

Zhu Cixiang sat at the top of the hall, slowly glanced at the salt merchants, and said: "Since the forty-fifth year of Wanli, our dynasty implemented the Salt Law and implemented the salt industry monopoly. You salt merchants have achieved hereditary arbitrary power.

The power of salt is so great that you salt merchant families have begun to accumulate huge wealth. I am right!"

The few remaining big salt merchants who were not hanged said in succession: "Yes, yes, yes, we are grateful for the kindness of the imperial court, and we must not forget it!"

Zhu Cixiang said: "In this case, the salt tax stipulated by the imperial court is sixty-two six cents and four cents for every tax. According to the ten guidelines, each salt tax is two hundred million jin, and each tax is 300 catties of salt. The annual salt output is 60,000 jin."

Ten thousand jins, the annual salt tax due to the court should be 13.28 million taels of silver! But why did it only collect less than 1 million taels last year?"

In the Ming Dynasty, one kilogram was equivalent to 596 grams today, and the total amount was equivalent to 672 million kilograms today. The court's salt tax revenue was: the retail price of one kilogram of salt in the Ming Dynasty was 0.3-0.4 taels of silver ("Xu Wen Tong Kao" Volume 20, "Zheng"

Que·Salt and Iron》)

The current question is why the court lost so much salt tax? The salt tax of 13.28 million taels of silver that should have been collected can only be collected one-tenth of the time.

The retail price is three taels of silver per catty of salt, and 600 million jins is 180 million taels of silver. In addition to the negligible compensation to salt households (one stone of salt for one stone of grain, less than five taels of silver), the court should tax 13.28 million taels.

The remaining 160 million taels of silver were lost from the salt tax.

There are hundreds of millions of taels of silver a year, and the salt tax revenue is one million taels of silver. For such a pound of salt, the government only collects less than two cents in tax. How is it surprising?

This money probably feeds these salt merchants and officials at all levels to pluck their hair!

Zhu Cixiang understood these truths, but he just wanted these bastards to tell themselves what to do?

Several big salt merchants were sweating on their foreheads. They all lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to touch their brows.

Zhu Cixi took a sip of tea and said calmly: "God has the virtue of good life, and I am tired today. I don't want to kill anyone anymore. As long as you honestly make up for the salt tax you owed in the past, this matter will be over."

"Your Highness, the accumulated salt tax debt is too much. I'm afraid it will bankrupt them all!"

Several big salt merchants also echoed with sad faces, feeling that the sky was falling.

The Salt Patrol Censor opened his mouth and wanted to say something else, but Zhu Cihong waved his hand and said: "I have made up my mind, no need to say more!"

Zhu Cixi's gaze came over him coldly, and the young and promising Salt Patrol Censor suddenly became sweaty and said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we will do as His Highness wishes!"

Zhu Cixiang looked at the salt merchants and said coldly: "Before sunset tomorrow, I want to see a lot of silver, and put it in the prefect's Yamen!"

The salt patrol censor and the salt merchants resigned and wiped away the cold sweat from their foreheads, all feeling a sense of exhaustion.

The power of the crown prince makes people feel intimidated and the pressure is even heavier. How should we make up for the tens of millions of taels of salt tax that have been owed for several years?
Chapter completed!