Chapter 162: Shopkeeper Mi Breaks the Contract
A notice was issued that year stating that 2,700 people were missing and 50 were dead in Suijin Town, and that the local government was required to provide compensation.
One liang for each missing person, five liang for each dead person,
The compensation for each person is not much, but the number of missing people is large, so one tael of silver per person is more than three thousand taels.
Because all the officials of Qili County Government and Pingyang Prefecture were replaced, the situation was in chaos and no one cared about the affairs of Suijin Town. The words written in black and white were just empty words.
Besides, the missing persons in Suijin Town either have unknown household registration or their entire family is wiped out, so no one wants to ask for compensation.
The silver that came out of the government treasury became a dead account once it arrived in Qili County.
Now that Mr. Zhang brought it up again, Sun Wuming was immediately enraged: "How dare you! What kind of pension is this? Where did you hear this rumor?
I am only responsible for collecting taxes, I don't know what you are talking about. Anyway, you are evading taxes now. If you don't pay, believe it or not, I will send you to jail immediately!
Seeing him cheating, Old Master Zhang was so angry that he trembled all over: "You are greedy for thousands of taels of money, but you won't even let go of these two hundred coins. You are really cruel! Aren't you afraid that those wronged souls will haunt you every night?"
Hearing that the wronged ghost was haunting someone, Sun Wuming suddenly felt uneasy, but he really didn't know what the pension was, and even if there was one, he couldn't take it out.
Knowing that the stones in Suijin Town were a cesspool, smelly and hard, Sun Wuming's mind raced.
If we fail this time, it will be difficult to pry it open next time.
No matter how much, even just a few cents, we have to open this path.
Sun Wuming's face darkened: "Someone come! Arrest this troublemaker!"
Deception, threats, there is always one method that can be used.
The four bailiffs who followed Sun Wuming shook the chains and wanted to come forward to arrest him.
"Who among you dares to take action?"
"The county government has ignored us, and now that we have some money to live on, they are exploiting us again. I will fight you!"
"They don't care about the dead, they only torture the living. Then you can pay with your life."
Because the county government came to inspect taxes, in addition to those who worked in the fields, thirty or forty people from the food factory gathered inside and outside the guild hall.
Hearing they were going to arrest him, Hu Qing locked the gate and shouted, "If you want money, you'll have to pay me with your life."
Sun Wuming slammed the table in a timid tone, "You are flouting the law and discipline, you will be punished."
He only brought four yamen runners with him this time.
The common people are all afraid of officials, and under normal circumstances, four yamen runners are enough for him to exert his official power.
But it doesn't work in Suijin Town. These people are not ordinary farmers, and it is impossible to scare them with just a few words.
Sun Wuming wanted to arrest Mr. Zhang, but Hu Qing simply closed the gate of the courtyard. This was a tough confrontation.
The noise in the Suijin Guild Hall could be heard from far away, but Xue Zhuang's home was quiet.
Shopkeeper Mi also sat at the top seat with a contract spread out in front of him, looking at Xue Zhuang with a forced smile.
He had just talked to the man in town.
If the price had not been negotiated, he would have immediately obtained the technology to make acorns less bitter.
As long as he gets the secret, the contract in Suijin Town will not be so important to Tianxianglou.
In other words, if he could deal with Xue Zhuang, he could still gain some benefits.
"Xue Zhuang, you signed this yourself. I said that day that the vermicelli can only be sold to Tianxianglou. You dare to sell it to others? Do you not take me, Mickey, seriously, or do you not take Tianxianglou seriously?"
At this time, Xue Zhuang was held by two strong men and knelt on the ground, gritting his teeth at Manager Mi.
When Sun, the tax collector from the county government office, came, he brought with him a dozen yamen runners. Although it was unusual for a minor official to travel with so many people, it was barely normal in the chaotic Yunzhou. After all, there were refugees and bandits everywhere.
It is normal for these "yamen runners" to request to patrol Suijin Town.
Suijin Town is an area under the jurisdiction of Qili County. The government needs to resume management and collect statistical data, which are routine operations.
But after these yamen runners took him around, they all asked him to go to a remote place.
And there are some people who disappear without knowing when.
It was not until he saw Shopkeeper Mi in a corner that Xue Zhuang realized something was wrong.
There was no rice manager in the carriage of tax collector Sun. When did he come?
By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. He was detained before he could even resist.
Being held down by the fake yamen runners, Xue Zhuang glared and shouted, "Mi, when did you say that you were the only one selling to me? Was it in the contract?"
Shopkeeper Mi picked up the two contracts and crumpled them into a ball. "If I say yes, then yes. If not... write another one and you'll have it!"
Seeing that he was about to break the contract, Xue Zhuang angrily scolded him: "Your Tianxianglou is also a big restaurant, and you don't even keep your word for a business worth six cents."
Shopkeeper Mi laughed heartily: "Who says you don't keep your word? Just write another one, three cents per catty, and I'll take whatever you get.
Every time our people come to Suijin Town to transport goods, you don’t have to work hard to sell them in small quantities. You can’t ask for such a good thing even if you want it.”
Xue Zhuang struggled to get up, but the burly man held him tighter. He could only tilt his head and grit his teeth, "I can't sign. Three cents per pound, you might as well give it away for free. You're too mean."
Now Suijin Town has been collecting acorns from various villages for a long time. The price has fluctuated slightly, from three cents per ten catties to five cents per ten catties. People from every village go up the mountain to pick them when they are free.
Even if the cost rises, the profit margin for vermicelli is still high at this price.
However, making acorn vermicelli requires a lot of manpower. Grinding the slurry and making the flour are both physical work, and dozens of people rely on this for their livelihood.
If Tianxianglou were to lower the price and monopolize the market, the people in Suijin Town would be working for nothing and would only be able to make ends meet.
Now that the food factory is just starting to pick up, people are coming to take advantage of it.
Suijin Town has been robbed, and it is impossible to give away your cash cow.
Seeing Xue Zhuang's stubbornness, Shopkeeper Mi snorted coldly: "If you don't sign, someone else will."
Xue Zhuang's heart skipped a beat. In order to increase sales, Mr. Zhang gave each department the right to place orders.
If Hu Qing and the others didn't know Mickey's background and just signed the big deal, it would be all over.
"Mickey, I'm a military household, and this is a garrison. If you want to act recklessly, think carefully about the consequences."
"What consequences? Haha, it's just a garrison, it just needs to manage those soldiers, but it dares to bypass the government to manage civil affairs. Aren't you afraid of being impeached and disrupting local stability?" Mickey said confidently.
He did not come here rashly this time. The county clerk was checking taxes, which meant that the government was managing the households, and the garrison had no right to interfere.
He only needed to change the contract and pay an extra 10% in taxes to the county officials, and this piece of land would belong to Tianxianglou.
Xue Zhuang regretted it so much at this moment!
Shopkeeper Mi entered the town with the Qili County Yamen. His followers were all dressed as yamen runners, and no one was on guard.
Not only did they beat him up, but they also detained several people who made the acorn vermicelli in the house, waiting for him to refuse to sign so that they could find someone else to take the lead.
The garrisons have not received the news yet.
Don’t the people in Suijin Town have the destiny to live a good life?
(End of this chapter)
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