The salt smugglers were led by Duan Sihai, a subordinate of Duan Qinghong of the local Duanjiazhuang village. Duan Qinghong, the local tycoon, backed him, who in turn had the support of the Dingnan Marquisate of Pingxi Province, which in turn had the support of the Second Prince, Prince Shan. Duan Sihai was a man of arrogance and dominance, and all the salt smugglers followed his lead.
Everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Regent, Prince Chun, the Ninth Prince.
After waiting for so long and seeing no one, these people were already getting restless. They wondered if the regent, the Ninth Prince Chun, was using psychological tactics.
At this moment, the salt merchants were in an uproar. Someone in the distance shouted, "The Regent, the Ninth Prince Chun, has arrived! His Royal Highness Prince Hui has arrived!"
The crowd was in a commotion. Why had His Royal Highness Prince Hui come to Pingxi Province? Why was he accompanying the Regent, the Ninth Prince Chun, to manage the government finances? The Emperor had never liked this Twelfth Prince, and now he was assigned to the Regent, the Ninth Prince Chun. Was there a new development?!
"Nine Master is here," Duan Sihai, the salt smuggler leader and confidant of Duanjiazhuang, stood up and calmly said to the salt smugglers sitting around him, "Let's welcome him too."
After saying that, he brought out a dozen salt smugglers in motley clothes and knelt in rows behind the two senior officials of Pingxi Province, Pang Wenguang and Chen Tiande.
Zhou Shijie, the official in charge of the Shangyang County government, felt he had the support of Marquis Dingnan, so he only bowed slightly. Yet, he stood out among the crowd of people bowing, waiting to be beheaded by the Ninth Master, waiting with everyone else without a care in the world.
The calm and composed Regent Prince Chun and the contemptuous Prince Hui got off the apricot-yellow sedan chair one after another.
The Ninth Master was wearing a dark blue robe embroidered with a purple python dragon pattern, and a golden crown made of dragon stone on his head. He was surrounded by a large group of personal soldiers and followers.
His Royal Highness Prince Hui followed closely behind.
Duan Sihai, the salt smuggler's leader, suddenly felt a surge of panic. The government silver sinking had a lot to do with his master, Duan Qinghong. He, Duan Sihai, was also implicated. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to donate a small amount of silver to fill the gap. If he led the way in donating a few dozen taels, salt smugglers everywhere would be obliged to donate even if they were reluctant to part with their meat. Then, a hundred thousand taels of silver for disaster relief would be gathered in no time.
However, the boss, Duan Qinghong, said that, first, this could not be done. Second, with the support of Marquis Dingnan and the Second Prince Shan in the court, the Regent, the Ninth Prince Chun, could not be allowed to take advantage of this.
I just can’t pay!
Moreover, this master Duan Qinghong is the childhood friend of the Regent Ninth Prince Chun. With this relationship, Duan Sihai has nothing to be afraid of!
Just as they were daydreaming, the Regent, Prince Chun, the Ninth Prince, had arrived in front of them.
Two senior officials, Pang Wenguang and Chen Tiande, have already visited the Holy An.
Jiu Ye said: "May the Holy Spirit be well."
Everyone bowed again: "We respectfully wish the Regent Prince Chun and His Royal Highness Prince Hui good health."
Jiu Ye looked at Zhou Shijie who was standing there to pay his respects, turned around, raised his hand and twirled the beads and asked: "Who is this——"
Pang Wenguang of the Pingxi Provincial Government's Mint said, "Oh, Master Jiu, he is Zhou Shijie, the local official appointed by the Dingnan Marquis's Mansion."
When Zhou Shijie was mentioned, Jiu Ye knew what was going on. He looked him up and down. This old fellow, despite having the support of Marquis Dingnan behind him, actually refused to kneel.
He said coldly, "How long has this Chief Zhou been in office?"
Zhou Shijie clasped his fists and bowed: "My Lord, I have been in office for three days."
"I heard that it was you who stripped the official uniforms of Wei Shichang and Wei Shuwen from the Salt Bureau?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shijie quickly brought up the Marquis of Dingnan: "Master Jiu, these are orders from the Marquis of Dingnan. Wei Shichang neglected his duties, abducted women, and bullied the people, causing public outrage..."
At this moment, a farmer nearby took off his bamboo hat, walked over to Jiu Ye, pointed at Zhou Shijie and said, "You're a lackey of Marquis Dingnan! Just because I exposed Marquis Dingnan's actions to you, you stripped me of my official uniform and hat, and took my place! Today, Jiu Ye was ordered to tour the south to eliminate the forces of Marquis Dingnan's mansion. Your good days are over before they even began!"
Everyone was shocked. When the regent, the ninth prince, arrived, he actually pulled out Wei Shichang, Zhou Shijie's mortal enemy, who was appointed by Marquis Dingnan, from the prison!
Isn't this a clear challenge to Marquis Dingnan? It turns out that the purpose of the Regent Prince's southern tour this time is to investigate the official silver case as a supplement, and the real purpose is to seize power.
Whoever has anything to do with the Dingnan Marquis Mansion will be in trouble!
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