Chapter 570: Rescue

Chapter 570: Rescue

Chapter 570: Rescue
Kong Rui led Lu Yunyi into the Yingtian government office.

Before he even reached the main hall, he saw Feng Kezhao, the Chancellor of Yingtian Prefecture, running out in a hurry.

After seeing Lu Yunyi, he obviously quickened his pace.
He walked quickly to me and bowed:
"The chancellor of the capital, Feng Kezhao, pays his respects to the minister.

Why did you come here in person? If you have anything to say, just send someone to let me know."

Feng Kezhao was sweating profusely at this moment.
It was impossible for a second-rank official to take the initiative to look for a fourth-rank official like him. No one in the entire court had ever done such a thing.

Lu Yunyi waved his hand:
"No need to be so polite. I just happened to come to the company to check out the construction site today and came to pay you a visit."

Feng Kezhao nodded repeatedly and made a gesture of invitation:
"Master Lu, please come in quickly. The prefect has gone to the Ministry of Works in the Imperial City and is not in the government office for the time being. I will be the one to receive you."

Lu Yunyi nodded with a smile.

Follow Feng Kezhao into the reception room near the main hall.

In the hall, Lu Yunyi and Feng Kezhao sat next to each other, and the waiter served them tea and fruits to cool them down.

At this point, Feng Kezhao finally brought up the topic:
"Master Lu, the cement concrete you made in the workshop outside the city,
It has become a hot commodity nowadays, and all government offices are vying for it.

The Governor's Office will use it to build fortifications, and the Ministry of Revenue will use it to build warehouses.

Today, the prefect went to the Ministry of Works to discuss matters with the officials in the Ministry of Works.
Can we give a portion of the concrete to the government?
So that the government office can repair some of the roads in the city first.

I didn't expect that you, Lord Lu, would come to the government office.

If I had known this, the prefect wouldn't have had to go to the Ministry of Works to ask for help. He could have just asked you directly."

Lu Yunyi smiled:

"Concrete has not yet found a good enough filler, and its toughness may be a little worse.
But even so, people have flocked to it, which is something I did not expect.

Don't worry, Mr. Feng. The real cement workshop is already under construction.

Thirty kilns in total.
By working day and night, we can finally meet the demand.

When the time comes, I will personally approve a batch of cement for the government office, which will be enough for you to build the road."

Feng Kezhao was stunned, and then his eyes flashed with ecstasy.

He was just trying to start a conversation, but he didn't expect that Lord Lu in front of him would be so straightforward!
"Thank you, Master Lu.
If the prefect heard this news, he would be overjoyed! "

At this point, a sigh flashed across his face and he shook his head:

"Master Lu, you don't know.
Many of the alleys and roads in the city are already somewhat dilapidated and have not been repaired for many years.
Everyone from top to bottom is cursing our government office.
But there is nothing we can do. Even a good cook cannot cook without rice.

Concrete is so cheap now that we can build five roads instead of one in the past.
If it was a little rough, seven or eight lines could have been repaired, which really saved our government office.”

Lu Yunyi expressed his understanding of his complaints.
Being an official in the capital's government offices has always been the most difficult job.

Above them were the six ministries and nine officials, as well as the dignitaries in the palace; below them were the landlords and local gentry.
The capital is often caught in the middle, being neither popular nor unpopular.

Therefore, most people in the capital are good-natured people.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to keep the government running.

Lu Yunyi spoke softly:
"The prosperity of trade in the capital region is largely due to the efforts of the capital.

When the business opens in the future, the capital will have more money in hand."

Feng Kezhao was stunned for a moment, then ecstasy appeared in his eyes. He turned his head abruptly and looked at Lu Yunyi in disbelief.

"Master Lu, are you saying that the business is ready to pay the business tax?"

Lu Yunyi blinked and looked at him with a half-smile:
"It is only natural to pay commercial taxes. What happened to Lord Feng?"

"Uh no. I."

For a moment, Feng Kezhao was somewhat incoherent. Compared with the promises of cement and concrete,

The issue of the company paying commercial taxes almost overwhelmed him.

The imperial court stipulated that "all commercial taxes shall be collected at a rate of one out of thirty, and those exceeding the limit shall be punished for violating the order".
But although the regulations are like this,
But there are too many ways to circumvent it, especially in the business of the powerful.

Mix some grains, farm tools, books, and paper into it.
With some extra tips, you can pay almost no taxes.

The Yingtian Prefecture Government Office has always been facing an embarrassing dilemma.
It is impossible to collect taxes from some wealthy businessmen, and it is impossible to collect taxes from some ordinary people.
So I'm stuck in the middle.
We can only accept small-scale businesses without deep backgrounds.

But such businesses are often very fragile, and will collapse at the slightest effort.
Therefore, the government offices often had to swallow their anger.

Nowadays, Yingtian Commercial Bank takes the initiative to pay commercial taxes.

Even if the tax rate is one percent of thirty, it is still a considerable amount of money.

Lu Yunyi had a calm expression and just sat there quietly sipping his tea.

It was not until Feng Kezhao calmed down that Lu Yunyi spoke:
"Since it is the imperial court, it is natural that we must take the lead and follow the rules.

All kinds of goods are subject to commercial tax.

Lord Feng, please make preparations in advance. It will take a lot of manpower to count some goods."

"My Lord, I am not in a position to make the decision on this matter.
This matter is too shocking, we need to wait for the prefect to come back before making a decision."

"That's fine. Just set the charter before the business opens."

Lu Yunyi nodded, took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

"Alright, I'm just here to see Master Feng today, so I won't delay Master Feng's work. I'm leaving now."

Feng Kezhao quickly stood up and saw him off:
"Master Lu, I will escort you."

The two of them walked to the gate of the government office.
There were still nearly two hundred people staying there, and the atmosphere was heavy and a little noisy.

When he saw these people, Feng Kezhao's face suddenly changed and he felt a little embarrassed.

Lu Yunyi also stopped and looked at them in surprise:

"Who are these people?"

Feng Kezhao pulled the corners of his mouth, feeling his whole body tense, and forced a few smiles as he explained:
"Sir Lu, these are local county residents who have come to the government office to seek justice. The government office has already begun to deal with them."

Lu Yunyi nodded suddenly and looked up at the hot weather:
"It's so hot in this weather, so take good care of it and don't let anything go wrong."

"Yes, yes. Please rest assured, Lord Lu."

Feng Kezhao nodded repeatedly.

Lu Yunyi waved his hand and left slowly with a group of personal guards.

Seeing his figure getting farther and farther away,
Feng Kezhao stood up, let out a long sigh, and stood there for a long time in silence.

At this time, Kong Rui, the judge of the capital, came over in a hurry.
While wiping the sweat from his forehead, he whispered:

"Sir, has Lord Lu come to call for punishment?
What should we do with these people?"

"Ask about a crime? What crime?"

Feng Kezhao's voice suddenly rose, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
He turned around and looked at the gathered crowd, his voice somewhat hysterical:

"Catch those leaders!"

Kong Rui was stunned for a moment, and quickly reminded in a low voice:

"My lord, there is no reason!"

“If the imperial court can’t control the more complaints, can it control the more complaints that are not true?

Arrest those families and give them thirty lashes according to the law. Let me beat them first!!”

Feng Kezhao's voice was ferocious and he gritted his teeth!

After this incident, Yingtian Commercial Bank became a great treasure of the capital.

As the chancellor, he knew very well how important this was!

As long as people in the capital have money, they can do things.

When you work in the capital, everyone from top to bottom can see it.

At that time, not only the prefect might be promoted, but he himself might also be promoted!

The possibility of promotion and wealth is right before his eyes, how could he let these rioters stand in his way!
Moreover, their complaints

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that they are just randomly biting people, and they are not arresting people just because of the impact.

Now, he can't care about so many things.

Following the order, more than a hundred soldiers of the city defense army arrived.

The bailiffs came forward to arrest the man, and a commotion soon arose among the crowd.

The sound of cursing continued unabated.
But Feng Kezhao, wearing a scarlet robe, stood aside and watched coldly.

Soon, six people were arrested!

"Your Excellency, I am innocent. I am a commoner from Jiangning County.

Being oppressed by Yingtian Commercial Bank, the government does not care about it.
That’s why I came to the capital to appeal, and Master Hongwu allowed me to appeal.”

A middle-aged man in his thirties knelt on the ground and cried, tears streaming down his face!

When he cried like this, the other five people all started wailing one after another.

They are nothing more than villagers who have been oppressed by the government, so they filed complaints.

The cries and shouts soon spread, and the nearly 200 people who had gathered also began to cry.
At once, countless people looked over here.

Kong Rui felt upset and his eyebrows twitched wildly when he heard the crying and shouting.

He cursed, "What are you standing there for? Take off their clothes!"

Several yamen runners came forward.

The clothes of the seven kneeling people were stripped off, leaving only their shorts.

wow——

The many onlookers who were watching the excitement burst into an uproar and pointed and talked.

Kong Rui sneered, his voice loud and clear:

"I have never seen such fair-skinned people. They are wearing silk lining.
I can't even afford this with my salary. It seems that the Ming Dynasty really shares its wealth with the people."

The noise of the scene increased even more!
Kong Rui waved his hand and shouted:
"If you make a false complaint, you will be beaten with thirty sticks first, and then imprisoned and interrogated strictly to find out who is behind this!"

Following Kong Rui's order.

The six arrested leaders were roughly dragged to the open space in front of the government office by the yamen runners.

The hard stone floor was scorching hot under the scorching sun.
They were pressed on top and began to struggle and twist.

Seeing this, many people around pointed and laughed. How could people be afraid of such heat?
At first glance, he is a master who has never suffered any hardship.

At this time, a burly yamen runner holding a wooden board,

Walk up to the first middle-aged man who had his shirt stripped off.

The wooden board was as thick as a forearm, with a smooth dark red surface and some wooden splinters on it.

The middle-aged man widened his eyes in horror and struggled continuously.

"Have mercy, have mercy, this is so unfair!!"

However, his hands were held down tightly by two yamen runners.

His feet were also firmly held by the other two men, and he couldn't move at all.

"Sir, this is unjust! Please spare my life!"

The middle-aged man let out a desperate cry, and his voice echoed in the air, full of sadness.

The bailiff paid no attention and held the wooden board high.

It drew an arc in the air, and then smashed down heavily with a whistling sound!
There was a "pop" sound, crisp yet dull.

The middle-aged man's body trembled violently, and the wailing sound stopped abruptly.

A purple-red mark instantly appeared on his back.

The skin swelled up at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"what--"

The boards fell like raindrops, and each one hit hard.

Every fall was accompanied by the middle-aged man's screams and the exclamations of the onlookers.

The other five watched him being tortured.
He was so scared that his face turned pale and he twisted his body desperately.

He tried to break free from the control of the yamen runners, but it was all in vain.

Their cries soon merged together.

Feng Kezhao stood aside, wearing a scarlet robe and with an expressionless face.

Kong Rui kept urging the yamen runners:

“Hit hard, show no mercy!

Untrue complaints, random accusations,
Do you think the government office has to play house with you guys all day long? "

"The merchants went to the village with good intentions to collect some items, which was mutually beneficial.
You guys insist on getting involved.
So the villagers can’t make money, the businesses can’t make money, only you can make money?

You disagree and you gather people to cause trouble. Is this government office owned by your family? ! ! "

At this moment, Kong Rui had a strong bandit look on his face and a loud voice.

Some of the onlookers raised their eyebrows and pricked up their ears to listen!

"Mercy, mercy."

As the board fell down,

The back of the middle-aged man in his thirties was already a blur.

His nose was running, he felt the pain on his body, and he wailed:
"Please spare my life, sir. I was just following orders. This was not my idea."

Kong Rui looked at him and snorted coldly:
"I have wasted a day accompanying you.
What have you been doing so far? Beat him up!"

As the boards continued to fall,

The six men's backs were already covered in blood and flesh.

Their voices gradually became weaker, leaving only groans of pain.

When the last board fell,

These people were already breathing heavily, Kong Rui waved his hand impatiently:
"Drag them away and interrogate them strictly to find out who is behind this!"

Several people were quickly dragged into the government office.
Kong Rui looked at the nearly two hundred people gathered in front of him.

At this moment, there was complete silence here.

As Kong Rui looked at them, some people lowered their heads quickly, not daring to look him in the eye.

At this time, Feng Kezhao walked over.

Looking at the people present, a smile appeared on his face:
"I am Feng Kezhao, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture. For many years, I have served as an official in many counties in the capital.
I believe many people know me.

Since we are acquaintances, you don't have to be afraid.
The capital is a place where reason prevails, and what they do has nothing to do with you.

After all, you are also bewitched by others."

After these words were spoken, the solemn atmosphere of the scene eased slightly.
Feng Kezhao nodded with satisfaction and said:

"The government will find out the real culprit and give you justice.
The government will definitely investigate thoroughly who is bullying you and preventing you from making money.

Of course, if any of you would like to provide information,

You can also tell me quietly, the government office will never reveal it to anyone and will even give me a reward."

At this point, Feng Kezhao's face relaxed and he also slowed down his voice:

"Everyone, you are all poor people digging for food in the fields.
Yingtian Commercial Bank is a business of the imperial court.

The imperial court is so rich and powerful, and they want your little tricks? It's a joke!

If you are deceived by evil people, go to the villages near Yingtian City and have a look.

They all made money from the business.

The road was repaired and people's lives became better.

Of course, if you are willing to farm the land for the landlords and let them make all the money, then I can do nothing about it.

In short, the Beijing government will post a notice about today’s events in the next two days.

Explain the cause and effect of the incident and advertise the capital area!
As for those who want to confuse the public and commit evil,

This official and the capital will also severely punish them, so please rest assured, citizens."

"Let's go, let's go."

Feng Kezhao waved his hand and was about to turn and leave.

"Hey, why did you leave? Is the business coming back?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the group seemed to have remembered something and started to speak.
The scene was filled with people talking and became chaotic again.

Feng Kezhao chuckled, paused, and turned to look at them:
"Business is based on mutual consent.

You guys have raised the price several times, I don’t know whether the company will buy it or not, and the government of Beijing is powerless to intervene.”

“Several times?”

At this time, a sixty-year-old man suddenly raised his voice, looked at Feng Kezhao, and shouted:
"Master Feng, I am Old Man Chen from Chenjiazhuang, Shangyuan County.
Ten years ago you had dinner at my house!!”

Feng Kezhao paused and turned to look over.

The smile on his face instantly became warm, with some surprise at seeing a friend.

"Old Man Chen? The old man who brews rice wine?"

“It’s me, it’s me!!”

Old man Chen was ecstatic.

I didn't expect that after ten years, the adult in front of me could still remember me.

"Is rice wine still for sale?" Feng Kezhao asked with a smile.

"While I was selling, a few days ago, someone from Yingtian Commercial Bank came.
He said he wanted five cents of silver for a jar of rice wine, and that he would take it to Yingtian to sell it.”

"Oh? That's good business.

It's much easier than carrying a rice jar around all day.
You are not young anymore, you should do this business."

Old man Chen looked a little embarrassed:
"Sir, I am old now, and now my two sons carry the rice jars around the streets."

"That's great. The rice wine you brewed tastes great. I still remember it until now." Feng Kezhao smiled repeatedly.

Old Man Chen was also very excited and nodded repeatedly:

"It's good that you remember it, sir. I just want to ask,

Sir, where did you get the multiple you just mentioned? How come I don’t know it? "

Feng Kezhao's eyes narrowed and he looked at Kong Rui beside him.

He quickly took the document from the clerk beside him and hurried over:
"Chenjiazhuang Rice Wine Shop, right? It's written on the document given by the business.
The merchant bought a jar of rice wine for 1 liang and 5 qian.
Where did the five cents come from? Don't talk nonsense, old man! "

"What? One two five?"

Old man Chen's eyes suddenly widened, and so did the people around him!
Feng Kezhao took the document, looked at it, and nodded slightly:

"Mr. Chen, it is indeed one ounce and five cents.

This price is indeed a bit expensive, it is reasonable for the company not to buy it, you can't force it to buy or sell."

"No, the old man said five cents per jar. Is there any misunderstanding?"

Old Man Chen suddenly became anxious and said quickly:

"Sir, this jar of rice costs only three qian of silver.

Add to that the miscellaneous stuff and the old man's craftsmanship,
The old man was very satisfied that he could earn one silver coin from a jar of rice wine.
An old man like me wouldn't even dare to think about it."

"I don't know the reason either.
But Yingtian Merchants is a big business, and rice wine is available everywhere. In my opinion, they will not lie.

There must be some misunderstandings. You should go home and learn more about it."

After saying this, Feng Kezhao handed the document to Kong Rui and pointed at the people in front of him:

"Read it to them, and those who have misunderstandings should go back and find out the reasons."

"Yes!" Kong Rui took the document and looked at everyone present with a cold face:
“Who has a misunderstanding?”

(End of this chapter)