readx;

(Thanks to the standard of everything, Yutongren, Erliang for the support of his brothers, thank you!)

King Andong and others transported salt from Lianghuai Salt Field to Hubei. The price of each kilogram of official salt was one cent silver, but that was only the lowest price. The salt price often rose, and sometimes the price even reached six cent silver per kilogram.

And how much does the salt they got from the court cost?

The price of each eight cents and the tax rate of five cents is 300 kilograms per ounce. The purchase price of three hundred kilograms of salt is only 8 cents and the sharp rate of five cents is 5 cents. Even if it is sold at a price of one cents and one kilogram, it can be sold for three taels of silver. There is a difference of one taels and six cents and five cents in the middle. Even if there are transportation and distribution links in the middle, the profit is extremely amazing.

What's more, these salt merchants often used salt to carry private salt and directly collected salt from the stove owners. The cost was lower and they also evaded taxes. Therefore, after the implementation of the Salt Law, countless people issued it, the powerful and the salt merchants even issued it, such as micro-businesses, Yangzhou merchants, etc., which rose strongly and created countless large salt merchants, rich enough to rival the country.

A pound of high-quality pork is only two cents of silver, and a pound of official salt is sold for one cent of silver, and sometimes even six cents of silver, which is equivalent to three pounds of pork. You can imagine how much profit it will be.

But in fact, there is no distinction between official and private salt. The so-called official salt and private salt are just whether there is a specialty salt that pays taxes.

Of course, everyone is jealous of selling salt. However, because of the monopoly nature of this house, ordinary merchants cannot get the right to ship salt, so people take risks and sell private salt directly.

Private salt was very common at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and the same was true at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Qihuang official salt can be at least one cent silver per pound, but what about private salt? One pound is only one cent five cents, and the price of a pound of official salt can be bought forty kilograms of private salt.

Of course, the people are more willing to buy private salt, but in this way, those who have monopoly power will be unhappy.

Hu Guang invited Liu Jun to dinner today, and heard that a very powerful young man has emerged in Macheng County. Now this young man is stationed at Hutou Pass and guarding the important road of Guanghuang Avenue. He is both a team trainer and a supervisor. One of the duties of the inspection is to crack down on the sale of private salt and private tea.

There are many people selling private salt, including small salt dealers carrying shoulders and backs, as well as large salt dealers carrying cars and ships. There are even many salt dealers who actually own a house order, who secretly sell silver to other salt dealers' areas.

Huguang belongs to the salt area of ​​Lianghuai Salt Farm, but salt merchants from Fujian Salt Farm also sell salt here, including Zhejiang salt, Hedong salt, and even Shu salt. The official price of Zhejiang salt in Huguang is only 5 cents per kilogram, and private salt is even 1 cent per kilogram. The private salt in Fujian is even 10 cents of silver.

Selling private salt is extremely profitable. It can be said that there are salt sellers everywhere. Salt merchants who own the stakes but are not salt merchants in the region, salt merchants in other salt farms, and various private salt dealers are emerging one after another.

These people are robbing money, robbing the money of salt merchants with real legal monopoly. There is now a rumor among the people that the gains of salt trading will be profitable without any effort.

Five times the huge profits are gone, no one is tempted. The Marx Department once said, "If there is 10% profit, capital will be guaranteed to be used everywhere; if there is 20% profit, capital will be active; if there is 50% profit, capital will take risks; for 100% profit, capital will dare to trample on all laws in the world; if there is more than 300% profit, capital will dare to commit any crime."

If you have three times the profit, you dare to commit any crime, let alone if you sell salt, you have five times the profit.

After all, the cost of official salt is high and the cost of private salt is low, mainly because the management methods of official salt are rigid and the management methods of private salt are flexible. The court's division of the salt boundary has led to artificial division of the market. The normal official salt transportation and sales system has been destroyed, so private salt can be replaced and become popular, especially the relaxation of the salt ban has made a large number of people dare to join the team of selling private salt. The salt administration officials' favoritism and abuse of power and even participate in private trafficking activities, and the court cannot control private salt at all.

Therefore, in order to ensure their own interests, salt merchants either carry a large amount of private salt, thus evading taxes. Or they sell private salt themselves and sell it to other salt merchants' monopoly areas. Or they build their own private armed forces and work hard to crack down on private salt dealers.

The business of selling official and salt by Prince Andong was mainly handed over to Prince Andong to manage, while Prince Andong was actually mainly handed over to Hu Guang for consideration.

Hu Guang became very interested in it since he accidentally heard the rise of Liu Jun and his Nine-Headed Bird. During this period, he collected news about Liu Jun and Nine-Headed Bird everywhere and obtained a lot of useful information.

Although Hu Guang was a scholar, he admired Liu Jun's ruthless style very much. He hated those private salt dealers. This not only infringed on the interests of several princes, but also Hu Guang's interests. He had long planned to crack down on these private salt dealers and kill a warning to him. Unfortunately, although he also spent a lot of effort to build a team, it never worked.

If the flood of private salt in Qihuang area cannot be curbed, Hu Guang is worried that his good job will end. He urgently needs to come up with some results to show his role to several princes.

Liu Jun let Hu Guang see a glimmer of hope. This young man acted ruthlessly, and his nine-headed birds team was also very good. He would win when he fought. He won both times to suppress the thieves. If he asked him to help fight against the private salt dealers and cooperated together, it would definitely be effective.

Although Hu Guang was in charge of the royal palace, he did not trust him. He knew that Liu Jun, a young and energetic young man, loved face the most. Therefore, he came to Hutou Pass in person. He originally wanted to invite Liu Jun to Wuchang, but unexpectedly found that the Hongxiufang here was very good, so he simply booked a private room here.

It was getting dark, and lit red lanterns had already hung outside Hongxiufang, and bright palace lanterns had already been lit in the building.

Hu Guang and Shen Man stood at the gate, talking none of them. Hu Guang was wearing a Taoist robe, a folding fan in his hand, and looked like a scholar. However, from beginning to end, he still revealed a different smell.

Shen Man is twenty-five or six years old, with her eyebrows as crescent moon and her skin as cream. She is wearing a green silk skirt, a veil on her shoulders, a tall bun on her head, and a bright red rose flower is inserted on it.

She stood at the door of the building with her arms in her arms, her every frown and smile was particularly charming.

Hu Guang was a little moved and thought to himself that he didn't expect that there would be such a beautiful woman in such a countryside. And he was so young and beautiful that he actually did it.

Shen Man is very good at observing her face and speaking even more when she opens her mouth. After a while, Hu Guang was already a little fascinated and said nothing to her without any restraint.

"Master Hu, you don't seem to be a local. Where did you come from?" Chen Man asked in a delicate voice.

"My hometown is Jiangxi, but I have been in Qizhou for many years." Hu Guang replied with a smile.

"Mr. Hu, I'm afraid I didn't know Lord Liu before. Is there anything wrong with you to entertain Lord Liu?"

"It's nothing big, but I heard that Lord Liu's young hero is very impressed and came to visit him."

Chen Man gave Hu Guang a blank look, "Oh, Mr. Hu, are you lying to me."

"Then why did you say I would invite Lord Liu?"

"It's still a question." Chen Man raised his two slender eyebrows and giggled, "You must have asked for Lord Liu. After entering my Hongxiufang, there are so many girls who don't look for them, and they don't listen to such a nice song, but they stand outside waiting for someone. There must be something to ask Lord Liu for help."

Chen Man said and laughed, and Hu Guang laughed loudly when he heard this, "You little fairy, you are very ghostly. Then guess again, Mr. Hu, what is my identity and what kind of help do you want to help with? If you even guess this, I will really convince you. Not only will I convince you, but I will also give you ten taels of silver."

"It's only ten taels, so that person doesn't have to pay that god."

Hu Guangzhen was very attracted by Chen Man, and was excited, "One hundred taels, as long as you can guess."

"That's what Mr. Hu said." Chen Man smiled.

"Following Mr. Hu's temperament, he is a scholar, and he must have fame and fortune. A scholar? No, at least he is a juren."

"Awesome, guess again."

"But you are definitely not an official."

"Why can't you be an official?"

"If you don't have any official, you should be the confidant of a big man, either a housekeeper or a master. Although you are not an official, you have power and power."

Hu Guang is really impressed now.

"Then what do you think I'm here to do with Lord Liu?"

"I must have wanted to invite Lord Liu to send troops, right?"

Hu Guang smiled and said to Chen Man, "Awesome."

"You can't be able to pay a debt for one hundred taels of silver?"

"Miss Chen, I have a heartless request. If you can agree, not only will I lose this hundred taels of silver, but I will also be willing to submit another hundred taels as a thank-you ceremony." Hu Guang stared at Chen Man and looked up and down.

"Oh, what's the matter? Tell me."

"Actually, it's very simple. After Lord Liu comes, you have to help me accompany him and enjoy him. Even if he asks you to sleep with him, you can't refuse, you have to let him enjoy himself."

Chen Man's smile has not changed.

"Master Hu is really not sympathetic, why are you willing to give me to someone else?"

"I just want to be your guest of the curtain, but I'm afraid Miss Chen may not be willing? I'm so old, so I'd better keep some self-knowledge." Hu Guang said with a smile.

Chen Man also smiled and replied, "I'm afraid even if I'm willing to sleep with Lord Liu for one night, I think I'm a scattered flower and a fireworks woman."

Looking at Chen Man's shy expression, Hu Guang couldn't help feeling a little sad. It turns out that the brothel loves money and the mother loves beauty. When he mentions the handsome guy, he is afraid that the bottom is wet.

"If you can really pull Liu Jun into your bed and sleep with you for one night, I will definitely not treat you badly. Of course, you have to say more good things to me on his pillow."

"I have been washing my hands for many years, but since Mr. Hu begged this, I will make an exception and go into battle with the appearance of Pu Liu again. If the matter fails, I don't want you to have a penny of money. If it does, I will not be able to pay the debt at that time."

"No problem!" Hu Guang replied.

...
Chapter completed!