Chapter 81

"Have you heard that Er Lang's workshop is in trouble?" Lu Jia's eldest son asked.

"It's not much of a problem, and it's not even our Zhu family's," Zhu Jun replied modestly.

County Magistrate Qin was making things difficult over the commercial tax. According to past practice, if one bought salt certificates, the salt would be exempt from taxation. For example, buying a certificate for salt would bring in more than seven guan for the court, and of course, if five guan could enter the national treasury, that would be quite good.

However, the court did not have strict regulations, especially regarding commercial taxes, which were very vague, allowing Magistrate Cai to exploit this loophole.

But the problem was not serious because the profits were substantial. The Zhu family had already reduced their share from forty percent to eight percent. This was also why Wang Ju's twenty percent share was envied. If not invested in bamboo paper, these twenty percent shares alone would have brought Wang Ju nearly three thousand guan in income last year. Such a large sum was enough to make many people covetous.

"Do you want me to intercede for you?"

"No need," Zhu Jun firmly refused.

Although he was not as shrewd as Wang Ju, he knew that Lu Jia's eldest son was like a weasel wishing a chicken a happy new year, with no good intentions.

"Er Lang, I mean well. After all, I also have the right to sell salt."

"Thank you, I have a way to solve it," Zhu Jun said, but in his heart, he thought, "You mean well? I don't believe it!"

Lu Jia's eldest son then invited Zhu Jun to drink, with several maids dancing. Zhu Jun's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw one maid who looked very much like Xiang Yu, the top courtesan of Yanzhou.

This guy did not realize the impending danger. Seeing the maid, he thought of the alluring courtesan from the past, feeling depressed. The maid personally came to offer him a drink, and with Lu Jia's eldest son persistently urging him to drink, Zhu Jun drank too much.

Seeing him fall drunk, Lu Jia's eldest son said, "You'er, take Er Lang to the guest room to rest."

The maid then led Zhu Jun to the guest room, which was the last thing he heard. Once inside, he began vomiting profusely and then fell asleep on the bed.

After an unknown period, he was suddenly dragged up by a group of people, and a bucket of cold water was poured over him, instantly waking him up. Then they beat him up.

"Why are you hitting me?" Zhu Jun asked, holding his head, dazed from the beating.

"I treated you kindly, but you had lustful intentions and tried to force yourself on You'er. When she refused, you strangled her to death. Are you even human?" Lu Jia's eldest son shouted angrily.

Zhu Jun turned to look at the bed and saw that the maid's clothes were disheveled, and she was no longer breathing.

At that moment, he knew he had been set up.

But it was hard to explain. Fortunately, he had brought two servants, so when Lu Jia's eldest son took him to the Huayin County Magistrate's office, he immediately instructed the two servants, "Go back to Yanzhou immediately."

...

"This is what happened. After Magistrate Cai's men inspected the scene, he immediately determined that my son had tried to force the maid but failed, and in a fit of anger, strangled her to death while drunk. Then he beat my son, who was beaten to the brink of death, and forced him to confess. Magistrate Cai then handed the record and confession to Prefect Zhou of Huazhou. Prefect Zhou sentenced him to be executed in the autumn."

"Master, what is Prefect Zhou's name?"

"Zhou Fu, I heard he is from Fujian."

Where he was from was not the issue, and it had nothing to do with being from the south. Two of the great generals, Wang Shao from Jiangxi and Zhang Jie from Fujian, were both southerners.

But this name was unfamiliar to Wang Ju, so he had no special advantage.

"Where were your two servants when the incident happened?"

"My son was at the banquet, so they had to stay outside. Young Master, you must save my son."

"This is a bit difficult..." Wang Ju muttered. At that time, the judicial system was very backward, and there were countless wrongful convictions. Moreover, everyone present was a servant of the Lu family, with no witnesses. If he were Prefect Zhou, with a confession and the scene, he would likely have sentenced Zhu Jun to be executed in the autumn.

"Wang Ju, please think of a way," Qin Shi said apologetically.

The Li family and the Zhu family had always been on good terms; otherwise, Zhu Huan would not have arranged the marriage.

This matter also started with the Li family. If Qin Shi did not have that distant relative, this white-eyed wolf would not have appeared.

"Such a murder case is a headache for all officials. Moreover, I haven't seen the scene. Even if I go to Huazhou now, I won't be able to see it. Mother, you overestimate me. There are many things I cannot do."

"What should we do?" Zhu Huan was sweating profusely.

Execution in the autumn was still a few months away, but it could also happen quickly.

"Right, you said the maid looked like Xiang Yu?"

"Yes, my son said so in the prison."

"How many people knew that Er Lang had a crush on Xiang Yu?"

"This scoundrel! Quite a few people knew."

"Could this have spread to Huazhou, to the Lu family? And did Lu Jia's eldest son see Xiang Yu?"

"You mean..."

"Yes, send people to investigate the Niu family and the Ding family, especially Niu Jia's second son. I heard he went to Chang'an and hasn't returned."

Zhu Huan immediately sent his servants to investigate.

"Master, have you sought help from other officials?"

The person was definitely not killed by Zhu Jun. After spending so much time with him, he knew that. If there were capable people to pressure Prefect Zhou to investigate thoroughly, some loopholes could be found, and at least Zhu Jun would not be sentenced to death.

"I did, but they were all evasive," Zhu Huan said.

If there were other ways, he wouldn't have bothered Wang Ju. Wang Ju said he couldn't do everything, and Zhu Huan knew that too. Although he was smart, he had no official position, and the two of them in Yanzhou could not think of a good solution. Desperate, they turned to Wang Ju.

"I understand. Although your share was diluted to eight percent, the production of jade salt is increasing, so your actual income is not decreasing but increasing. However, compared to the major families in Yanzhou, your position in the Central Plains and Guanzhong is relatively weak, and the other shareholders are envious. For them, this might be a good opportunity to undermine your control over the shares."

Zhu Huan, Li Yuanwai, Zhao Yuanwai, and the other shareholders were silent.

Lu Jia's eldest son did not just set up Zhu Jun; he set up all the major shareholders of the fine salt in Yanzhou.

And once this precedent was set, others might follow, including extorting craftsmen and forcing them to reveal their techniques.

"The fine salt business is coming to an end, no wonder Fanlou has changed hands so many times."

Fanlou was a large tavern east of the imperial city, possibly the largest and most luxurious tavern in the world, even taller than the highest buildings in the imperial palace.

But why did no officials speak up? Just the revenue from the sale of alcohol alone brought in a significant amount for the Song Dynasty, not to mention other revenues like commercial taxes, government purchases, and property taxes.

The value of the land, the building, and the income would be calculated in millions of guan. Wang Ju suspected that if stocks could be issued at this time, Fanlou could raise tens of millions of guan.

However, this massive enterprise changed hands many times.

As long as the revenue was still there, the court did not care who owned it.

But each change of ownership likely caused significant turmoil. Who had the money to buy it outright?

The current situation with fine salt is similar.

Wang Ju suddenly thought of the "Cup of Wine to Dismiss the Military Power."

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, to dismiss the military power of the regional governors, said to Shi Shouxin and others, "Life is short, like a white horse passing through a crevice. Those who seek wealth and honor only want to accumulate wealth and enjoy life, ensuring their descendants are not poor. You should give up your military power, go to the regions, and buy good land and beautiful houses to establish a permanent and unchangeable legacy for your descendants. At the same time, buy many singers and dancers, and enjoy life day and night, living out your days in peace. I will marry my daughters to your sons, ensuring mutual trust and peace between us. Isn't this a good arrangement?"

Thus, at the smallest cost, he avoided the harm of the Anshi Rebellion and the warlord割据, and to some extent, promoted the prosperity of Song Dynasty commerce.

But the drawbacks gradually emerged, with countless relatives, nobles, and officials engaging in business. Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong of Song tried to ban it twice but failed.

Now this hidden danger is growing.

He suddenly thought of a movie from the future, "The Ming Dynasty's Plague." When Li Zicheng's army was at the city gates, Sun Chuanting went to the wealthy families to seek support to forge better weapons, pay the soldiers, and boost morale to defeat Li Zicheng. But none of the wealthy families were willing. As a result, Sun Chuanting was defeated and killed, and the properties of the wealthy families were seized by Li Zicheng, and everyone lost everything.

The problem in the Song Dynasty was not as severe as in the Ming Dynasty, but it was getting worse. These people colluded, harming the people, the state, and other powerless merchants...

He was deep in thought, and the others did not dare to interrupt. Zhu Huan's servant returned and reported, "Niu Jia's second son went to Chang'an and has not returned, but Ding Jia's third son also went south."

"Ding Jia?" Wang Ju was surprised. No wonder they say, "To cut the grass, you must uproot it."