Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Many people are destined to have a bad sleep this night.

On the next day, the sixth day of the first lunar month, Yanzhou City was bustling with people as usual, but even ordinary people felt that the atmosphere in the city was a bit strange.

The shops on both sides of the main street were open as usual, but there were many more employees inside than usual.

These guys looked to both sides of the street from time to time, with a hint of worry on their faces, as if they were waiting for something.

"Xiao Sun, are you here?"

Manager He of He's Grain Store fiddled with his abacus and asked the clerk who was following him.

"Reply to the shopkeeper, I didn't see it."

After that clerk finished speaking, another clerk who was pouring rice asked:

"Boss, I heard that the imperial envoy came to the capital, and he came here just to deal with the rising prices.

If we do this, they won’t come to cause trouble, right?”

"So what if he's an imperial envoy? Even if those people had a hundred guts, they wouldn't dare to come here to cause trouble!" Shopkeeper He scolded.

Seeing the shopkeeper being so tough, the clerk walked over with a grin and whispered:

"Boss, who is the big shot behind us?"

This clerk had worked in the grain shop for several years, and he only knew that the He’s Grain Shop had been owned by the shopkeeper He a long time ago.

Later, something seemed to have happened. Although Manager He was still the manager, the owner seemed to have changed.

Because every three months, an old man who was in charge of the accounts would come to check the accounts and take away three months' profits.

The shopkeeper's expression changed immediately after hearing this:

"Don't ask questions that you shouldn't know!

Do your job well! "

Shopkeeper He scolded with a cold face. The waiter didn't dare to say anything after being scolded. At this time, the waiter at the door shouted:

"Boss, here they come, those people have entered the Qian family's cloth shop!"

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper He hurriedly walked out from the counter and leaned against the door frame to look out like the waiter.

But they saw five or six Dongchang men tying up the cloth shop owner, Qian, who was struggling while shouting his injustice.

The guards from the Eastern Depot looked very fierce. When they showed their token, the seven or eight people in the shop didn't dare to move.

A man dressed in the uniform of the East Factory officer shouted to the people watching around him:

“The Renhe cloth shop is very rich and has arbitrarily raised the price of cloth, obstructing the implementation of the imperial court’s national policy.

In compliance with the imperial decree, Qian Dafu is to be arrested and his cloth shop closed down to serve as a warning to others!"

After saying this, the guard drove all the shop assistants out, closed the door, sealed it, and took Qian Dafu to the government prison.

"Boss, those people over there seem to be...coming towards us!"

A guy pointed to the east and said with some fear.

The Dongjishi Factory has a mature regulation system. The minimum operational unit for going out on business is the service chief, who is also called the file head. Each service chief commands five or six guards.

"What are you afraid of? Just do your job!" Shopkeeper He said calmly.

After saying that, he ran towards the counter, but his calmness was obviously fake, and he stumbled and almost fell into the bag full of rice.

Fortunately, he was helped up by a waiter. He walked to the counter and took out a letter from a drawer.

The letter was signed by Prince Lu's Palace. When Manager He saw the letter, he felt a lot more at ease.

A moment later, a clerk and five of his men entered the He's grain store. The leading clerk looked around and said:

"Who is the shopkeeper?"

"I'm He Jinzai, the shopkeeper of this shop. May I know what can I do for you, sir?" Shopkeeper He immediately said with an apologetic smile.

"Stop pretending to be confused. I just want to ask you one question: Can the price of food be reduced?"

The waiter seemed to have received training and got straight to the point.

He didn't believe that these shopkeepers didn't know what was happening in the city. Efficiency must be improved. This was what the governor had repeatedly told them before they set out from the capital.

"Sir, please calm down. I really don't know.

But sir, the price of food is determined by the market, it is not up to the common people to raise or lower it as they please."

As the shopkeeper spoke, he walked over to the stall owner and secretly stuffed the silver ingot in his hand into his hand.

The waiter felt a heft in his hand and took a closer look, and found that it was a ten-liang silver ingot. He was immediately shocked.

"Everyone saw it, right? This person bribed me!

Take him away! "

As the waiter said this, he threw the silver ingot in his hand into the rice bag, as if the silver ingot was a hot potato.

The two guards immediately went to arrest the man, and Shopkeeper He's forehead immediately began to sweat.

He thought that the amount was too little, so in a hurry he took out a silver note worth one hundred taels from his sleeve pocket.

Unexpectedly, the boss took two steps back and said in shock and anger:

"Take your filthy money! Take him down now!"

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper He was completely panicked. He hurriedly took out the letter from Prince Lu's Palace and handed it to the clerk.

"Sir, it's not that I don't want to do it, but I really can't do it. Please be flexible."

The clerk frowned when he saw the signature of Prince Lu's Mansion. Hearing this, He Zhuanggui immediately whispered something and handed over the silver note again.

The clerk did not open the letter, nor did he take the banknote. Instead, he glanced at Shopkeeper He and said,

"I have one last question for you. From today on, can you lower the price of grain to 350 cents per stone?"

Three taels and five cents of silver per stone was the price before the tax system was reformed.

When Shopkeeper He took out the letter from the palace, he saw that the clerk was so cautious and thought that the other party was afraid, so he immediately became arrogant.

"Sir, you have read the letter. I have just said that the price is determined by supply and demand. There is nothing I can do about it."

"Shame on you! Take him away!"

The boss didn't hesitate at all. He just stuffed the letter into his chest and ordered his men to arrest the man.

The two guards did not hesitate any longer and went up to subdue Manager He.

Shopkeeper He was so shocked that he no longer cared about hiding it and shouted loudly:

"Officer! This shop belongs to His Royal Highness Prince Lu, and the letter is proof! You can't arrest me!"

"How dare you! How dare you frame the prince of Guochao? Your crime is even more serious!

Come, beat this thief with ten sticks in the street!"

At the command, two guards carried the shopkeeper He, threw him onto the street, and started beating him with sticks.

Shopkeeper He was beaten so hard that his head was bleeding and he passed out.

At this time, many people had gathered around, pointing fingers at the shopkeeper He, and most of them didn't know why he was beaten.

The leader shouted:

"The He's grain store did not follow the national policy and arbitrarily raised the grain price, and then put the blame for the increase on His Royal Highness the Prince of Lu.

Saying that this shop is the property of His Royal Highness Prince Lu is definitely a false accusation!

Let all of you folks know that the princes of our Ming Dynasty do not engage in business, farming, or serve as officials. Your Highness the Prince of Lu, as a descendant of a royal family, how could he knowingly break the law?

He Jinzai actually dared to talk nonsense. Not only did he obstruct the implementation of national policies, he also dared to frame His Royal Highness the Prince of the current dynasty.

Therefore, I punish him with a stick to serve as a warning to others!"

After that, the head of the team bowed to the people around him and said to his subordinates:

"Drag him away and bring him to justice!"

……