manynovel Chapter 839 New Policy Announcement, New Prefect
Chapter 839 New Policy Announcement, New Prefect
Chapter 839 New Policy Announcement, New Prefect
Seeing the two of them looking thoughtful, Wan Niansong stood up and said, "Patriarch Qu and Patriarch Zhou, please think about this carefully! It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow.
Now Lord Jiang has begun to rise. If he becomes a high-ranking official in the future, I am afraid that if you two approach him by then, you will not be able to catch his eye!"
The two of them immediately thought about it. In fact, Wan Niansong's words made sense, but they were still a little worried. This was not a matter of tens of thousands of taels or even hundreds of thousands of taels, but a matter of life and death for the entire family.
Wanniangsong had said all he wanted to say, so he naturally didn’t want to persuade him any further, and stood up to say goodbye. The two men did not try to keep him, but went their separate ways.
Jiang Youzhen was naturally not in a hurry. In fact, she didn't want other people's property. She took their dividends in order to tie these families' interests together with his.
She had originally set her sights on the Zhou family, the Qu family, and the Yang family. Medicinal materials, tea, and cloth were all big businesses, and they were also in short supply at the border.
If these three families join her, she will be able to have a hand in future border business.
Two days later, Patriarch Qu and Patriarch Zhou invited Jiang Youzhen to a banquet at their homes respectively. Jiang Youzhen smiled, which meant that he was willing to surrender.
It’s a pity that Yang Xingwei hasn’t made any move yet. However, the Yang family is not the only one engaged in cloth business, so we can look for it slowly later.
A few days later, the emperor's edict arrived with the new prefect, along with Tong Huaian and Wen Ruyu.
The new prefect was Qi Shanghui, the co-magistrate transferred from Pingjiang Prefecture. He was promoted to the prefect of Lin'an Prefecture and was ordered by the emperor to assist Jiang Youzhen in implementing the new policy.
The first thing Qi Shanghui did after taking office was to visit Jiang Youzhen, and then posted an announcement of the new policy at the city gate.
From then on, all those involved in the illegal sale of salt would be punished by Qi Shanghui according to the law, if the punishment was minor, or escorted to the capital for serious punishment, and the decision would be made after the three courts held a joint trial.
In addition to commending Jiang Youzhen for eliminating the Salt Gang and removing a major scourge for the court, the imperial edict also ordered Jiang Youzhen to be fully responsible for implementing the new salt tax policy, assisted by Qi Shanghui, Tong Huaian, and Wen Ruyu.
The former prefect and the deputy prefect were all dismissed and investigated. The prefect Zhou Qing was incompetent and was held hostage by the salt gang. He protected the salt gang from selling illegal salt, which was considered dereliction of duty. He was immediately dismissed from office and his honors were revoked.
As for Tongzhi Sun Wei and others, they were in cahoots with the Salt Gang and were immediately escorted to the capital and handed over to the Dali Temple for punishment.
Jiang Youzhen knew that the emperor would still ask for details, so it would be best to send the witness to the capital.
In the evening, a banquet was held in the backyard of the prefectural government office. Zhou Qing's family had all been sent away today, and the new prefect moved in with his family, making the scene quite lively.
Jiang Youzhen specially invited the chef from Fuyun Pavilion to prepare a welcoming banquet, and not just for Qi Shanghui. After all, Tong Huaian and Wen Ruyu were also there, and they are close friends.
"The three people around me were the top three in the palace examination that year. I didn't expect to be gathered together today. It's really an honor."
Qi Shanghui knew that Jiang Youzhen was favored by the emperor. So what if he was a sixth-rank official? He would be a fifth-rank official when he returned to the capital.
In the future, it will only take a few years to be promoted to the fourth rank and above.
"Where? Where? We are the ones who should feel honored. I haven't congratulated Master Qi on his promotion to the prefect of Lin'an Prefecture yet. I would like to offer you a toast."
Tong Huaian immediately stood up and raised his glass to toast Lord Qi. After Qi Shanghui raised his glass, he drank it all in one gulp.
Wen Ruyu beside him followed suit, and Qi Shanghui raised his glass politely in response. One of them had the support of the Marquis' Mansion, and the other was the Prime Minister's last disciple. He didn't dare to offend either of them.
Jiang Youzhen is a favorite of the emperor, so he has to assist Jiang Youzhen. Although he has the highest rank at the table, he has the least background.
He was born into a family of scholars, but his family had fallen into decline and the family's reputation was no longer what it used to be. Although it still had some reputation, there were only a few people in the family who entered officialdom, and he was still the highest-ranking official.
After a few pleasantries, Qi Shanghui asked about the plan for implementing the new policy.
"Master Jiang, what are your plans?"
At this time, Jiang Youzhen's identity was the imperial envoy. Even though his rank was lower than his own, Qi Shanghui still called him Lord Jiang.
Jiang Youzhen quickly bowed and said, "I want to hear the opinions of Mr. Qi and other colleagues."
Although Qi Shanghui had kept his attitude low, Jiang Youzhen could not just climb up the ladder. Once she returned to Beijing, her status as an imperial envoy would no longer exist.
If she really regards herself as an equal or even a superior now, how will she deal with Qi Shanghui in the future?
Qi Shanghui was satisfied to see Jiang Youzhen's humble attitude. Now that he was dealing with Jiang Youzhen's status as an imperial envoy, he would naturally treat him with some courtesy. But if Jiang Youzhen took a high attitude, he would naturally be dissatisfied.
After all, Jiang Youzhen is only a sixth-rank official now, and even if he is promoted two levels after returning to Beijing, he will only be a fifth-rank official. He is the prefect of a superior prefecture, which is at least a fourth-rank official position.
So he said readily: "Mr. Jiang is a very good strategist. I have heard of your tea incentive plan before, so the salt incentive plan this time must be similar. Since Mr. Jiang has experience, why not let Mr. Jiang tell us about his plan first."
"Then I will throw out some ideas to stimulate discussion." Jiang Youzhen nodded, and then talked about the purchase of salt permits which could be exchanged for grain and fodder and sent to the border.
"This is a really good idea. This way, the imperial court won't have to worry about the border grain problem every year. The garrisons in various places can also use this model, and the nearby merchants can buy salt permits and send grain to them, thus saving the government the trouble."
Tong Huaian felt that this plan was indeed brilliant, and in fact it was not difficult to implement, but no one could have thought of it.
But the most important point is that no one in the officialdom dares to touch salt now. Only Jiang Youzhen, who is fearless, dares to make such a decision.
Jiang Youzhen and Tong Huaian looked at each other. They had only had time for a brief greeting just now. As the dinner had already started, it was not convenient for them to talk much. The salt policy case was not discussed in detail.
"That's right! The border needs a lot of food and grass, and Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, very rich. Even the tea, clothing, medicinal materials, etc. needed by the border can be provided in large quantities here.
The merchants here can bring a lot of goods to the border to sell while escorting food, grass and salt. "Wen Ruyu also expressed his own views at this time.
Jiang Youzhen glanced at him. They hadn't seen each other for more than a month. Unexpectedly, when they met again, Wen Ruyu had grown a lot.
He was targeting these, and Wen Ruyu probably meant the same thing.
But the advantage of having her host is that she can seize the initiative.
“So there are still some drawbacks, but overall, as long as you control the overall situation, the others can be ignored.
It's just that the government makes huge profits from selling salt permits. In addition to food and grass, there will naturally be money. I'm afraid that some people will pocket the money and accept bribes, which can easily lead to corruption." Tong Huaian was still a little worried.