Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Huguang Province, Jingshan County Government Hall.

A large number of people watched in the hall. Li Guangming, who was wearing prison uniform, was taken to the court by the government officials. Sitting in the courtroom was Wang Yue, the left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who was wearing a third-grade official uniform.

Wang Yue served in the army for half his life. Although he has the Confucianism of a scholar, he also has the iron blood of a soldier. Now he is sixty years old, but his eyes are still bright.

After living in exile in Anlu and then resurrecting, he slapped the tree like a sword out of its sheath and said in a deep voice: "Prisoner Li Wenguang, do you know your crime?"

"Master Imperial Envoy, haven't you already found out everything?" Li Guangming asked disdainfully despite being imprisoned but still well-informed.

There is never love without reason in the world. The reason why the price of salt in Jingshan County is one hundred and fifty cents cheaper than that in Anlu Prefecture is naturally not due to the mercy of greedy people like Li Guangming.

Under Wang Yue's investigation, the truth of the matter finally emerged.

What Li Guangming sells is not Huaiguan salt, but Guangdong salt. Since "salt and Yinli are regarded as private salts," it can also be regarded as a type of private salt.

During this period, private salt can be divided into five categories: market private, commercial private, official private, lord private and neighbor private.

Market smuggling refers to the behavior of kitchen households to bypass government control and conduct private business.

Commercial smuggling refers to a type of smuggling carried out by businessmen relying on their official status as salt sales contractors. It is the largest and most numerous smuggling model.

Official smuggling refers to the smuggling of salt by official personnel taking advantage of their positions. This is a smuggling behavior that anti-smuggling officials dare not control.

Smuggling refers to private gang smuggling, which usually has its own small armed force.

Neighboring private sales refer to illegal cross-border sales of salt from adjacent land.

Since the imperial court divided fixed salt sales areas, even if you get cheap official salt from Guangzhou, if you want to sell it to the capital, it will never be allowed. Guangdong salt can only be sold in two or three places in Guangdong and adjacent to Guangxi. House for sale.

Looking at Huai Salt, after the salt merchants obtained the official salt from Yangzhou, they could transport it to Jingshan County for sale, monopolizing most of the country's major economic towns.

Although Huaiyan has a wide sales area, the corruption is very serious and it has already become a gathering place for maggots.

The Huaiyan salt merchants couldn't stand up to Yanguan's aggressive demands. In addition, they had to bear high transportation costs when selling to Jingshan County, so the cost per kilogram of salt went up evenly.

On the other hand, Guangdong has Guangzhou Salt Co., Ltd. and Haibei Salt Co., Ltd. The cost of official salt here is low, and the transportation cost is much less, so Guangdong official salt has an absolute price advantage.

Not to mention that a pound of salt sells for 250 Wen, even 200 Wen can make a fortune, and the salt shop under Li Guangming’s name sells Guangdong salt, which is also the secret of his low-price salt sales. .

"I always thought that the salt shop belongs to shopkeeper Zhao, but I didn't expect that he only manages it for Li Guangming!"

"Everyone already knows about this, but why did Li Guangming suddenly admit that the salt shop belongs to him?"

"Isn't it because of Hu Daniu's case earlier? It's just that Li Guangming was also unlucky. It happened that Guangdong sent smuggled salt over and was caught on the spot by the imperial envoy!"

"That's right! Now even if Li Guangming wants to make excuses, he can't. Selling illegal salt is already a matter of both people taking the stolen goods. I heard that he wants to behead his head, right?"

…

When the people in the hall saw the progress of the interrogation, they knew that Li Guangming's selling of illegal salt could no longer be denied, and they couldn't help but whisper.

Wang Yue saw Li Guangming's arrogant face, but he didn't expect that he didn't have any repentance at all. He immediately slapped his face and said in shock: "The legendary salt owl Huang Batian!"

"The villain brought salt here from Guangdong, and earned nothing more than a little hard-earned money. The old trader in Jingshan was named Chen Laoliu. Once he came to Jingshan, he was arrested by Xiao Zhixian, and then Li Guangming personally came forward to take us out of the county jail. The villain was brought out, so the villain always knew that the new partner was Li Guangming, so this time..." Huang Batian was taken to court and confessed.

"That's why you swaggered into the city this time, just in time for everyone to get the stolen goods, right?" Huguang Inspector Yang Jizong, who was listening to the trial next to him, gently stroked his beard and helped to add.

"That's right!" Huang Batian said regretfully.

Wang Yue looked at Xiao Zhixian, who was kneeling in the hall, and looked very angry and said: "Xiao Zhixian, I have confiscated more than 30,000 taels of silver from your back house. You have benefited from it in recent years!"

"The guilty officer admits the crime!" Xiao Zhixian knew that he could no longer defend himself, so he immediately confessed.

Wang Yue did not sympathize with the magistrate Xiao who was colluding with Li Guangming. He turned to look at Li Guangming on the other side and said, "Li Guangming, can you plead guilty?"

"A fortune teller said that I will be in trouble this year, and it is true! Even if it is determined by God, I have nothing to argue with, just bring me a confession!" Li Guangming naturally could not deny it, and seemed very free and honest.

"Who is the fortune teller he mentioned? I also want to tell someone's fortune!"

"It should be the blind woman from Jingyuan Village, but I heard that she has been transferred to Anlu Prefecture to open a shop!"

"It's a pity! But Li Guangming is really unlucky this time. If he didn't say it, who would know that he runs the salt store?"

…

The people in the hall were very interested in metaphysics. Combined with Li Guangming's experience, they all thought that Li Guangming was indeed unlucky, and couldn't help but talk about the goddess.

Wang Yue turned his head and glanced at the clerk next to him. The clerk had already prepared the three confessions, then stood up and delivered the confessions to the three people.

Li Guangming and Xiao Zhixian are both literate people, so they naturally know what they want to confess to, while Huang Batian is a gambling king, so he should not cheat himself.

Huang Batian is an out-and-out Cantonese. Because he was born in poverty, his family had no land. He was forced to embark on this path.

In fact, he already knew that such a day would come, but this was the path he chose, and he happily signed and pledged his name to admit this crime.

Wang Yue confirmed that the three confessions were correct and pronounced Huang Batian's sentence: "According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, those who cross the border will be sentenced to military exile. It is true that the prisoner Huang Batian and his subordinates brought Cantonese salt from Guangdong to Huguang, and they carried private salt. The quantity is very large, so we are sentenced to be exiled to Xiangzhou, Guangxi, and detained!"

After the sentence was pronounced, two yamen officers immediately stepped forward and took the prisoner Huang Batian away.

"Huh? Why are you sentenced to exile?"

"Yes, shouldn't it be beheading?"

"Beheading is a deliberate scaremongering. Generally, if the circumstances are not serious, the person is exiled!"

"If Huang Batian is just sentenced to exile, then Li Guangming won't be beheaded, right?"

…

When the people in the hall saw the first verdict coming out, but the situation was different from what many people thought, they all looked at Li Guangmingdao who was kneeling in the hall.

"Master Imperial Envoy, I don't know how to judge someone?" Li Guangming looked up at Wang Yue and asked proactively.

Wang Yue was very unhappy with the confident Li Guangming, so he suppressed his anger and asked: "Li Guangming, how do you think this imperial envoy should sentence you?"

"According to the law of the Ming Dynasty! Anyone who sells smuggled salt will be punished with a hundred sticks and three years' probation; if he has weapons, he will be given an additional rank; if he resists arrest, he will be killed. The lower officials are indeed involved in smuggling salt, but they have neither weapons nor resist arrest. , naturally it means a hundred years of staff and three years of apprenticeship." Li Guangming raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and it seemed that the reason should be genuine.

"Sir, this is indeed the law of the Ming Dynasty!" Yang Jizong's Master Xing Ming stood nearby and reminded him kindly when he saw Wang Yue's frown.

"The lower official is not talented, but he has accumulated some wealth over the years. The lower official is willing to lose millet to atone for his sins!" Li Guangming was proud of his familiarity with the Ming Dynasty law and added.

"Is this okay?"

"Otherwise? This is all stipulated by Ming law!"

"Sai Zai, I asked you to study hard, but you don't believe me!"

…

The people in the hall originally thought that Li Guangming was doomed, but they found that he would be fine at all, and an old father was so angry that he slapped his son on the back of the head.

Huguang Inspector Yang Jizong gently stroked his beard and found that there was nothing wrong with Li Guangming's actions. He immediately turned to look at Wang Yue who was sitting in the hall.

Wang Yue's face was gloomy. Thinking of the system of losing millet to atone for sins, thinking that Hu Daniu died because of it, and that this man was actually going to "live" because of it, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, please hurry up and pronounce the sentence. I have to go back to take a bath and change my clothes to get rid of bad luck!" Li Guangming's mouth raised slightly as he urged.