The next day, the person who came to talk to Mi Fan was Song Jinggong. The two of them talked in the cabin for a full six hours. After that, they ate something. The boat turned around and headed for the Linshui First Family.
The others were caught after running for a while. When they returned, they were told that the previous general had been caught, taking bribes and allowing criminals to escape.
Originally, they needed more evidence. Now it was simple. If you didn't commit a crime, why did you run? Search. These people were taken to their homes to search. Naturally, their homes were not that clean. For example, there were illegal weapons in the house, cultural relics from other countries in the house, and the house was not built according to the rules.
After all these were found out, and the fact that they had escaped proved that they were colluding with the enemy country, these people were taken to the yamen of Sanshui County in fear. It was not Dingping, nor was it the prefecture. The reason was that they came from the Linshui First Family in Sanshui County. It was suspected that they had a secret relationship with the Linshui First Family.
The official who interrogated them was not the original Secretary Zhao Xiang, but someone sent by the prefecture. This was the result of Li Xun's discussion with his father. When Li Xun's father heard Li Xun's plan, he only said "nonsense" and did not care anymore. He had long disliked this Jing Shui Boat Company.
They dominated the Jing Shui River. Every year, their taxes were so little. No matter the year was good or bad, they always found excuses. When there was a drought, they asked them to help transport some food from Sichuan. They also talked about the price, saying that there was little water and the bottom of the boat could be damaged easily. When there was a drought, the price of food elsewhere would increase.
This way, there was no need to damage the boat. It also saved them the trouble of raising the price.
More importantly, Li Xun's father, the Prince, felt that the Zhang family's methods were only revealed when this plan was used. This time, the master taught his son many things. He also taught himself some things. Sometimes, one could give in and show weakness. It was also a trap.
The yamen of Sanshui County began to question the case. It was just like the general who spoke to Mi Fan. First, they determined that the crime could be exterminated. Then, after the merchants gave them some benefits, they decided that they did not know the details. They changed the sentence from beheading to exile.
Most of the goods were confiscated, but they did not continue to investigate what properties the merchants had outside. The status of merchants was not high to begin with, so they did not dare to say much to the authorities. They did not understand those things, but they did run away, so they could only admit to the lighter crimes. They could only confiscate their property, and that was fine. They still had some business outside, so they could live well after being exiled.
When they were escorted to the prison cell and sent to the capital, the people on the ship led by Guo Ren regretted it. They now knew the reason why the matter had happened. They had been captured for interrogation because they had left the first house in Linshui. However, after sentencing them, the shopkeeper of the first house in Linshui was actually fine.
"I don't accept this. Didn't the Zhang family rely on a Marquis? Otherwise, how could this be? His family's business is so big, but I don't see anyone saying that he is a merchant. "
A merchant huddled in a corner of the prison cell and muttered there. This position was not bad. There was a place near the wall, and it was also far away from the toilet.
Another merchant beside him understood. "Stop complaining. It's useless. The Zhang family's business is not under the name of the main family. They are not merchants, but officials. Why don't we see Ma Rong? Where did he run off to? "
"He jumped into the water. When we were running forward, I saw him. He ran upstream of the Luo River. He got into the water as soon as he took off his clothes. Who asked him to be a good swimmer and have so much courage? It seems that he was not caught. We also did not see his family. It seems that he ran quickly and went back to take his family with him.
If he was not caught, then he was lucky. When he went to another place, he changed his name. Don't count on the things at home. Use the things that are opened in other places to buy things. Exiles like us are strong. We don't know where we will be exiled to. "
The merchant who spoke earlier knew quite a lot. When he was running away, he did not forget to look at the others.
Guo Ren was the one who felt the most suffocated. When he heard others say that Ma Rong had run away, he said with a gloomy face, "He is usually the most slippery. He didn't even tell us when he jumped into the water. Do any of you know about his business elsewhere? Report it to the authorities and let them deal with him. "
Everyone shook their heads. Everyone would do this kind of thing. They would never let others know. Even now, they did not know how much wealth the people around them had.
"And Mi Fan. I don't know where he ran off to. He said that he would not run with us. Maybe he already thought of an escape route. We shouldn't have followed him in the past." At this time, Guo Ren thought of Mi Fan. In the Sanshui yamen, he did not see Mi Fan, let alone his family.
At this time, no one echoed him. Everyone understood that without Mi Fan, they would not have so much money now. Mi Fan had mentioned several times not to go against the Zhang family, but no one was willing to listen. Now, everyone only regretted. If they had listened to Mi Fan, they would not have ended up like this.
After saying this, Guo Ren regretted it. Looking at everyone's reaction, he felt that he was being isolated. He hurriedly said, "It's best to be exiled far away. If we all go to the same place, the capital will not be able to control us. We can still do something together."
After saying this, he thought that he would be able to get others to agree. In the end, no one made a sound. Some even leaned against the wall in the corner, looking like they were asleep.
Guo Ren was treated like this, so he could not say anything more. In the past, when he followed Mi Fan, these people were always so respectful when they saw him. Now, they were not. As he muttered Mi Fan's name, he also narrowed his eyes.
*****
"Mi Fan, in the future, you will still be in charge of the ship. But you have to sign this contract first. Like we said on the ship, you can't win against the Zhang family. The Zhang family has a powerful master. It will be very easy to deal with you and me."
In a pavilion in the middle of the lake behind the Little Luoshui, only Song Jinggong and Mi Fan were there. On the stone table was a contract. Song Jinggong was waiting for Mi Fan to sign it.
Mi Fan calmly picked up the contract and scanned it from top to bottom. She asked, "After my son passes the imperial exam, are you really going to let our family leave the Zhang family?"
"Of course I won't lie to you. Your son is only seven this year. Do you think he can pass the exam next year? His age is not enough. When he reaches the right age, he may not be able to pass the exam. Not everyone can be like my master, who can be the first in the village and be the top scorer.
When the time comes, what you did for the Zhang family can also redeem this crime. When you go back, don't forget how many skilled craftsmen will send some good ones to the Little Prince. The Zhang family also has a part of that dock. "
When Song Jinggong said these words, he did not need others to teach him. He was originally a powerful person. It was just that he met someone more powerful. Usually, when he did things, as long as he had enough capital and someone told him the general idea, he could do the other details by himself.
Mi Fan looked at the contract and nodded lightly. She picked up the ink brush beside her and wrote down her name. Then, she pressed her hand on the box of ink and pressed it onto the contract. There were three copies. One for the Zhang family, one for Mi Fan, and one for the Sanshui County Yamen.
This time, they did not use the sharp-toothed people. After all, there were too many things that they could not let them know.
Seeing Mi Fan press her hand, Song Jinggong was relieved. He took out a piece of paper and said to her, "When you go back, it will take about two years to build the ship. Then, you can follow the instructions on this. This is part of the details. When you need it, someone will send you the other parts."
When Mi Fan heard that it was the details of shipping, she quickly took it and looked at it. After a few glances, she stopped and said, "It's really different. This is the real money, right? The last one, if someone else uses it … "
"Whoever uses it will lose money. Do you think the Zhang family is so easy to fool? Also, you have to arrange for the small boat goods to be exchanged with the big ship. Yu Dingping built a dock there. You can put the goods from the small boat or the big ship into the dock's warehouse and then exchange them. "
Song Jinggong liked this kind of thing. Maybe it was because he was used to lying. Every time Zhang Xiaobao made a move, he would watch from the side. It was as if he was also making a move. It was always so easy and useful.
Mi Fan thought for a while and said, "I know what to do. When the time comes, will Dingping's dock's warehouse take up a large part of it?"
"No, we won't interfere there. The state government helped a lot this time. Give most of the benefits to the state government and leave the rest for Dingping. Even Luochuan County has to give some. When you pass by other people's territory, you can't eat alone if you want to get rich.
Just like you guys, we've already given you a chance to compensate for the business that Xiaohe stole. Why do you have to fight to the death? The Zhang family is not willing to take the initiative to cause trouble, but they are not afraid of trouble. You guys gave a portion to the state government. How could this happen? "
Song Jinggong had gradually become familiar with the Zhang family's way of doing things. Every time, they would first show enough kindness, but some people would take this as weakness and insist on trying. In the end, not only did they not get any benefits, but they also had to give up something.
Mi Fan also understood now. In the past, their boat company did not care about this. They put all their focus on making money. They thought that as long as they could make money, they would take a certain amount of money. The less others earned, the more they earned, and the more successful they would be.
"Got it. Give it all away and don't keep it for yourself." Mi Fan thought it through.
"That's right. As long as we build the boat, we can make more money in the future. Don't worry about this small amount of money. The academy Between the Clouds and the Water is about to start recruiting. Why don't you send your son there?"
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