Zhenfubao waved his hand and the warehouse was full of grain, and the whole family regretted it

Zhang Quande wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a bitter face: "My dear aunt, you are too bold to speak!"

Bai Wanwan scratched his head and said, "I'm telling the truth! If I don't figure it out now, what will I do in the future?"

Zhang Quande waved his hands helplessly: "Okay, okay, I don't care anymore, I have to go chase the young master."

As soon as he went out, he saw Gu Sinian waiting at the door.

Gu Sinian frowned and asked, "Tell me, does Wanwan not like me at all?"

Zhang Quande whispered, "She's only five years old, how can she understand these romantic stories?"

Gu Sinian sighed:

“Indeed, my father always urges me to marry a wife, but I don’t even want to look at those ladies from wealthy families.

If I were to marry, I would marry someone I truly love."

Zhang Quande wanted to laugh in his heart. Anyone with a discerning eye could see who his master liked, and the emperor probably had an idea of ​​that too.

But marriage is never that simple. For example, I offended the Jiang family last time, and troubles arose one after another.

Recently, the Jiang family has been tampering with salt taxes, deliberately raising salt prices and withholding production.

There is less and less salt on the market, but the price has increased several times. The people are complaining, and the pressure on the government is increasing. I really don’t know how to solve the problem.

Early the next morning, Gu Sinian was called into the study by Qi Guangheng.

Qi Guangheng slammed a thick stack of memorials on the table and said, "Look! The salt tax issue is getting more and more serious!"

Gu Sinian opened the memorial and frowned more and more as he read. It was filled with complaints from the people about not being able to afford salt, as well as documents impeaching officials for the skyrocketing salt prices.

"The Jiang family is so bold!" He was so angry that he threw the letter on the table.

Qi Guangheng sighed, rubbed his temple and said:

"The Jiang family controls the largest salt field here. The salt produced by the Bailu Salt Lake alone can supply half of the country.

Over the years, more than half of the salt tax collected by the court depended on them.

Now they are deliberately reducing production and raising prices. Officials below cannot collect taxes, and the people cannot afford to eat salt. They are in a dilemma!

Tell me what we should do now?"

Gu Sinian smiled faintly and said, "Father, are you willing to leave this matter to me?"

"Hmm? You're willing to handle this? This is a difficult matter.

It's not something a child like you can understand. Even I can't understand it after fighting them for so many years." Qi Guangheng had no way to deal with this old family.

Qi Guangheng's brows were twisted into knots:

"The Jiang family is not easy to deal with. They are a well-established family with a history of hundreds of years, and they have in-laws with powerful families like the Wang and Li families.

Some of the Jiang family's daughters who were married off became mistresses of other families, while others entered the royal palace as concubines. The intricate web of relationships affected everyone.

Gu Sinian stared at the mountain of memorials on the table and gritted his teeth, "Father, leave this to me! I will definitely fill the hole in the salt tax."

Qi Guangheng stared at his son for a long moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, go ahead and do it! But remember, don't act rashly. If something goes wrong, the entire court will be in chaos."

When Gu Sinian walked out of the study, he also sighed.

He felt uneasy in his heart. Although he had patted his chest in front of his father, the Jiang family was so powerful and deep-rooted that it would be useless to just bring down a few salt field managers.

What's more, the Jiang family has a lot of followers in the court. If you act rashly, you don't know how big a mess it will cause.

The more Gu Sinian thought about it, the more headache he got. The Bailu Salt Field was just a cover for the Jiang family. The five major salt fields were owned by different owners on the surface, but in fact, the accountants and managers were all relatives of the Jiang family.

What’s even worse is that the small salt fields in remote counties and cities also have to pay protection fees to the Jiang family, and the entire salt industry is almost in their hands.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Salt may look insignificant, but it is something that people cannot live without.

If people don't eat salt, they will feel weak all over and unable to work. After a long time, they will not even be able to walk.

Every household needs salt for cooking, and it is even more indispensable for pickling vegetables and stewing meat. Even when the army is marching to war, the soldiers cannot carry their weapons without salt.

The Jiang family's control of the salt fields was equivalent to strangling the throats of the people and the lifeblood of the imperial court. No wonder no one in the court dared to provoke them easily.

What we are facing now is not only to solve the problem of skyrocketing salt prices, but also to tear a hole in this impenetrable network of relationships. How easy is that?

Bai Wanwan was drinking sweet soup when she heard Milk Tea say, "Hahahaha...Gu Sinian is in trouble. The price of Jiang's salt has increased, so he accepted the task."

Bai Wanwan blinked and said, "The Jiang family is so powerful? I really didn't realize it!"

She used to think that he was just an ordinary wealthy family, who acted low-key and did not show off in his interactions with others.

The last time I visited the Jiang Mansion, the furnishings and the behavior of the servants looked ordinary, without any trace of brilliance.

But now I understand that these old families are hiding too deeply. They don't show their strength on the surface, but they control such a large industry and network of contacts in secret.

Bai Wanwan called Jiang Mingzhu over and asked her.

Jiang Mingzhu said softly:

"The Jiang family is indeed not easy to mess with. When I was a child in the countryside, I heard my grandmother mention that many of her things were taken away by the Jiang family.

She was not favored by my grandfather and could not save much, but she still secretly left some dowry for me, which I have kept hidden from anyone.

Actually, I still have two farms under my name. Although I can support myself, I dare not make it public for fear of being targeted by them."

Bai Wanwan frowned and sighed, "I never thought the Jiang family's salt field would be so big!"

Jiang Mingzhu thought for a moment and said, "Wait for me."

After a while, she hurriedly came back with a piece of paper. When she unfolded it, she saw that it was a wrinkled map.

There are circles in the east and dots in the west, and many places are densely marked on it.

Jiang Mingzhu pointed at the map:

“Look, these should be the Jiang family’s salt fields.

I also found it by chance among the old things left by my grandmother. There was no name on it, but the position matched.

They appear to be low-key, but in reality they have businesses everywhere, even in remote areas."

Bai Wanwan's fingertips traced the winding lines on the map, and suddenly her pupils shrank:

"These thirteen marked areas are indeed salt pans, but..."

She pointed at the icons in the northwest corner and said, "These places are not salt fields at all! This is marked as an iron mine, this is a gold mine, and there are symbols for these places..."

Her brows were knitted into a knot, and her fingertips traced over the strange symbols. "I don't know what these places are. I need someone to examine them carefully."

She raised her head and looked at Jiang Mingzhu with burning eyes: "Sister, this map is of great importance, can you give it to me?"

Jiang Mingzhu stuffed the map into her palm:

“I’ll give you whatever you want.

In this world, you are the only one I can entrust my life to."

Bai Wanwan held her cold hand and said seriously:

“Starting tomorrow, you will go with me to the girls’ school.

I have already made arrangements at the Princess's residence."

Jiang Mingzhu is only nine years old, but her childish face hides the vicissitudes of life:

"You are still young, it is time for you to learn skills.

If you study hard and learn to read, you will definitely be able to make a name for yourself in the future."