Chapter 77 Even Chickens and Dogs Rise to Heaven: Li Yang's First Foray into Salt Affairs (3) - Chapter 8...
A gentle evening breeze made the autumn night cool.
The sound of carriages and horses rumbled at the alley entrance. Madam Lin closed the courtyard gate and turned around to see her husband sitting in the courtyard.
Madam Lin stepped forward and saw that the man's eyes were furrowed. "What's wrong? Wasn't the memorial to be presented to the Emperor already finished?"
"Oh. Yes. Thank you, Madam." Lin Yihuai snapped out of his reverie, took the teacup from the madam, and after drinking quite a bit of wine, a cup of cold tea was just the right way to sober up. "Now that this memorial is finalized, the matter of pre-allocating salt permits is a done deal, but I still feel that this method is not quite right."
Madam Lin was puzzled. "What's wrong with it? I think you just don't trust Mr. Chen. I think this couple are both very affectionate and honest people, and they wouldn't harm you."
Hearing his wife say this, Lin Yihuai couldn't figure out what the problem was, so he gave up and followed his wife's words, saying, "Indeed, General Manager Chen is truly a formidable young man. At such a young age, he can see through the network of relationships behind the salt business so thoroughly."
The person they were talking about, Chen Junbo, was currently sitting in a bumpy carriage, embracing his wife and explaining the salt permit matter in detail.
"So, salt merchants need to have roots first. What kind of roots?" Li Yang couldn't remember those names.
“Root nest”.
“Yes, yes, once you have a base, you can use it to buy salt permits from the Salt Bureau every year.” Li Yang sorted out the salt affairs that Chen Junbai had just taught her. “If you buy them every year, then you can suggest to Lord Lin that you pre-order salt permits this year, so that they won’t need to buy them next year?”
Seeing her interest, Chen Junbo explained in detail, "Zhaozhao is intelligent." While praising her, he gently stroked her arm with one hand.
"The key to the matter of pre-collecting salt permits lies in the 'quantity' and the 'term'. How much to pre-collect? For how long? These are all things that need to be carefully calculated before a decision can be made."
Today's discussion is merely a preliminary confirmation of this method. If His Majesty agrees, the next step will be to convene everyone to discuss these matters in detail.
Li Yang frowned, listening intently to the key points he was explaining, then suddenly understood. "I understand. Salt merchants can pre-deposit half of next year's salt permits, for example, they need to complete the purchase of salt from the salt producers before June of the following year, otherwise the pre-deposited salt permits will be invalid. They can also pre-deposit a whole year's worth of salt permits, is that right?"
Seeing that she understood immediately, Chen Junbo's lips curled up, and he reached out to pinch her nose. "Exactly! You're so smart!"
"Don't pinch my nose, it'll look bad if you pinch it crooked." Li Yang protested, he clearly answered correctly, so why was she being bullied?
Chen Junbo listened, his chest trembled slightly, and he laughed, "I think you're good-looking, even with a crooked nose."
"What's the use of it looking good to you?" Li Yang thought to himself: You just pick the nice things to say.
Chen Junbo, however, interpreted it differently: "So, who do you think looks good?"
Um?
That's not what she meant.
Li Yang stared blankly at him, only to see his sharp eyebrows raised and his narrow eyes squinting at her, as if she would offend him if she said the wrong thing. After a moment of eye contact, she finally said, "You, are you jealous?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Junbo's eyebrows twitched. What kind of talk was that? "No."
"Really not?" Li Yang pressed.
Chen Junbo coughed lightly, his expression softening slightly. "Zhaozhao, we might have to host a banquet at the flower market in a few days."
"Is it General Manager Liu and General Manager Li again?" Li Yang now had quite a bit of experience hosting banquets at the Flower Bureau. "Should we discuss with them the method of pre-collecting salt permits?"
Seeing that her guess was pretty accurate, Chen Junbai smiled and said, "Liu Yitong, Li Yuhan, Lord Lin, and Lord Zhang, whom you met in Gao County. Lord Zhang is the Salt Commissioner, so he must also be involved in this matter."
Lin Yihuai's memorial was soon approved by the Emperor himself.
When Madam Zhang saw the invitation in her husband's hand, she took it and chuckled, "When did Lord Lin get involved with General Manager Chen? These two seem to be inseparable now."
But Lord Zhang, who had received the invitation from his superior, was not in the mood for jokes. “How much effort have we put into making those two at odds this past year? Lin Yihuai is hosting a banquet, but the venue is the Chen family’s flower garden. In the past, when we hosted banquets, we would at most go to a pleasure boat. We’ve never been so fortunate as to be invited to the flower garden managed by Madam Chen.”
After listening to her husband's analysis, Madam Zhang frowned and said, "That makes sense. Do you know what the purpose of this banquet is?"
“Now that we know, we won’t have to worry.” Zhang Youdao was clearly indignant. “That Chen Junbo is something else. Now that he’s allied with the Salt Bureau, he doesn’t even send anyone to deliver a message to us.”
Seeing that he was about to get angry, Madam Zhang quickly and gently advised, "In another year, when your term is over, you will also be looking for another official position. For now, let's not rush into conflict with them. Let's just get through this year peacefully first."
Reminded by him, Zhang Youdao quickly calmed down. "What you said makes sense, Madam. We should consider things carefully. I'll go and meet with them first to see what they're really up to at this treacherous banquet."
Before they knew it, the day of the banquet arrived, and everyone arrived early.
Since none of the guests had brought their families, Li Yang made a brief appearance and then left the pavilion, leaving the backyard for the men to discuss matters.
On the host's turf, Chen Junbo raised his glass first, saying, "Today, I am honored by Lord Lin's high regard for hosting this banquet at my wife's flower garden. I hope you all enjoy yourselves. I would like to offer you all a toast first. If there is any shortcomings in our hospitality, please forgive me."
Having said that, he tilted his head back, finished his drink, and then turned the conversation to Lin Yihuai: "Since Lord Lin is hosting today, won't you say a few words?"
Lin Yihuai smiled and said, "It is a great pleasure to be able to gather with you all in this pavilion today."
Liu Yitong couldn't help but ask, "What's on your mind, Lord Lin?"
Seeing that he was offering a way out, Lin Yihuai said, "To be honest, Mr. Liu, recently there have been continuous natural and man-made disasters. The flood in Gao County has just subsided, and I heard that General Yi was surrounded by enemy troops in the southern border. After the surprise attack failed, he hanged himself, which angered His Majesty. He ordered the army to assemble and march south, determined to take down Mangzi's lair."
Upon hearing him mention the Emperor, Zhang Youdao hurriedly said, "Yes, this brute is going too far. Relying on the foreigners' firearms, he has repeatedly harassed the border of Daqing."
What he said was all true, but meaningless. Liu Yitong chuckled and said, "The generals are concerned about the war in the southern border. Why should Lord Lin trouble himself with this?"
Unexpectedly, Lin Yihuai said, "As an official appointed by the court, I naturally take the affairs of the world as my responsibility and share His Majesty's burdens and worries."
He glanced at Chen Junbai and said, "Take the soldiers of the Southern Frontier for example. The army is about to set off. Since ancient times, the army has always been prepared before it moves. Now, the responsibility of providing supplies falls on our shoulders, brothers."
Liu Yi slapped his chopsticks and said, "Are these salt merchants some kind of golden goose? Every little thing falls on our shoulders. What do you mean by 'our shoulders'? It all falls on the shoulders of the salt merchants."
The atmosphere at the table instantly became tense, as if swords were about to be drawn.
Liu Yitong, with an air of utter indifference, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, had no money but his life was his only concern. His face was fierce, and he wouldn't give face to anyone. Seeing this, Li Yuhan quickly said, "Old Liu, let Lord Lin finish speaking first. What's the rush?"
Seeing this, Lin Yihuai continued, "I have already petitioned His Majesty to establish a system for pre-collecting salt permits in the Lianghuai salt administration."
Upon hearing the words "pre-extraction salt permit," everyone present, except for Chen Junbo, was filled with curiosity.
As soon as Lin Yihuai finished explaining the method, Liu Yitong couldn't wait any longer, "It's long overdue to increase the salt permits. The population of Lianghuai is surging, but the annual salt permits are still the same, which is not enough. In my opinion, we should just stop increasing them in advance and increase the total amount of salt permits by 30% each year."
With his words as a starting point, everyone quickly discussed and reached a consensus. As for the specific amount of salt permits to be pre-allocated, Lin Yihuai and Chen Junbai would discuss it in detail later, while the specific implementation methods would be arranged by Zhang Youdao.
The banquet was transformed into a completely new and unique event.
Zhang Youdao's carriage rumbled out of the flower shop, making several turns before stopping at the gate of the Zhang residence.
This house is a three-courtyard mansion with a wide gate, and a woman is pacing back and forth in front of the gate.
Madam Zhang greeted her husband as he boarded the carriage, helping him down from it, and asked impatiently, "How is it?"
"Let's go inside and talk." After getting out of the carriage, Lord Zhang strode towards the main room, picking out the most important things to tell his wife along the way.
"Pre-deposit salt permits?" Madam Zhang's eyes lit up. "That's not bad."
Zhang Youdao frowned and looked at his wife. "Not bad? These two are trying to obtain salt permits for the treasury silver. Chen Junbai must have told Lin Yihuai about the treasury silver."
"Who cares about them?" Madam Zhang whispered to her husband, "You'll be leaving office in another year. It just so happens that Lord Lin has introduced this method of pre-issuing salt permits. Let's sell as many salt permits as possible before we leave office. All those tributes will end up in your pocket. Don't forget, it's easier to get things done with your brother-in-law if he has money."
As she spoke, she gently massaged his shoulders with both hands.
Madam Zhang's real name was Lin Cuizhi. She had an older sister named Lin Pingzhi. The two were exceptionally beautiful in their youth and were known as the "Twin Beauties of the Capital." They were the daughters of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the capital.
Following her parents' wishes, her elder sister Pingzhi married into the household of Lord Jiqing, becoming the mistress of the house. Lord Jiqing himself was idle, uneducated, and the most notorious playboy in the capital.
However, her younger sister Cuizhi was a woman of her own mind. Seeing that her older sister was unhappy, she was unwilling to marry into a prominent family again, so she went to the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations to find a husband for herself. That's how she found Zhang Youdao, the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations that year.
Zhang Youdao had a square face and a broad forehead, with a dignified appearance. His smile was particularly striking; his eyes shone like stars, and two long dimples adorned his cheeks, captivating the second young lady of the Lin family.
At the time, she was proud that she had met a good man, and that she and her husband were living in harmony and happiness, even more so than her sister.
Unexpectedly, Ji Qing's younger sister entered the palace and, with extraordinary abilities, won the emperor's favor within two years, rising to the rank of concubine. From then on, the entire Ji family rose to prominence.
For Zhang Youdao's career advancement, they had to rely on their sister's family for survival.
To be honest, Zhang Youdao's lucrative position as Salt Commissioner was recommended by Lord Ji after he stepped down, and the implications of that are self-evident.
Now that Lord Zhang's term is nearing its end, it is precisely the time when he needs his brother-in-law's help to secure lucrative positions in the capital, so he cannot be short of money.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Youdao's eyes narrowed, and he put his arm around his wife's waist. "Thank you for your brilliant plan, Madam. At this critical moment, money should be the top priority. We must not be distracted."
He got up, picked the person up horizontally, and carried them into the main house, where he was extremely attentive.
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