Long Zhengyang immediately frowned when he heard this.
From the bottom of his heart, Long Zhengyang felt that Hu Youshan had gone a bit too far. After all, he had even given up Yanqi. Now that Hu Youshan was the Provincial Governor of Yanqi Province, he was hitting the snake at its weakest point.
Long Zhengyang was still young and trusted Hu Youshan. Even though he wasn't happy, he still said, "Uncle, we have to be careful when it comes to the salt industry. How about this, I'll go see the Grand Tutor and ask him for an explanation. "
Zhang Zicheng smiled, "That would be for the best."
The salt shop wasn't just Long Zhengyang's lifeblood, it was also Zhang Zicheng's lifeblood.
Although Zhang Zicheng gave Long Zhengyang a fixed amount of money every month, in reality, there was still a lot of money that went straight into Zhang Zicheng's pocket. This was because the salt shop made a lot of money every day. Even if Zhang Zicheng took a portion of it, it wouldn't have much of an effect.
The problem was that once someone started fighting, the salt shop's income would plummet. As the total income decreased, the amount of money he could take would naturally decrease as well. Moreover, because the total income was low, it wasn't easy for him to take the money.
Long Zhengyang said, "Uncle, wait here for now. I'll go to the Provincial Governor's residence."
"Alright!"
Zhang Zicheng chuckled.
For better or for worse, Hu Youshan had facilitated Yanqi's surrender. In his heart, Hu Youshan felt guilty towards Long Zhengyang. Under this premise, if Long Zhengyang went to plead for leniency, Hu Youshan would most likely agree.
This was Zhang Zicheng's confidence.
Long Zhengyang changed into a new set of clothes and left for the Provincial Governor's residence. As soon as he arrived, the officials all came forward and bowed. However, at this time, they no longer called him 'King', but 'King Yanqi'.
Long Zhengyang didn't think much of it. After all, he had already surrendered. When he saw Hu Youshan, just as Long Zhengyang was about to speak, Hu Youshan took the initiative to say, "This official Hu Youshan greets King Yanqi."
No matter what Long Zhengyang was like, even if he didn't have any authority, he still had the title of King. As a result, Hu Youshan still bowed obediently.
Long Zhengyang said, "Grand Tutor … Provincial Governor Hu, there's no need for this."
Hu Youshan waved his hand for Long Zhengyang to sit down, "King Yanqi, what has brought you here today?"
Long Zhengyang said, "Provincial Governor Hu, I came today for the matter of the salt shop. I heard from Zhang Zicheng that Governor Hu posted a notice to invite new salt merchants to Yanqi Province. Is this true? "
"Yes!"
Hu Youshan replied with a smile.
He now realized that Zhang Zicheng must have instigated Long Zhengyang to come here. However, such a matter was a small matter to Hu Youshan, and it was not complicated to deal with.
Long Zheng Yang said, "Governor Hu, there are salt merchants in Yanqi and the salt industry is abundant. The people do not lack salt. Why do we need to recruit new salt merchants? Furthermore, the price of salt is stable now and there are no fluctuations. The commoners all feel that it is good. Isn't Governor Hu's action superfluous? "
After pausing for a moment, Long Zhengyang continued, "Provincial Governor Hu, the salt shop is the only remaining pillar of the Long family. If Provincial Governor Hu destroys it, I'm afraid it will be difficult to recover. I beg Provincial Governor Hu to be magnanimous."
Hu Youshan smiled and shook his head, "King Yanqi has misunderstood this old man."
Long Zheng Yang said, "What do you mean?"
Hu Youshan said seriously, "From the beginning to the end, this old man has never suppressed the Long family's salt shop. If this old man wanted to suppress it, I would have directly banned it and only allowed the current Yanqi Province government to operate it. It is impossible for Zhang Zicheng to operate it. King Yanqi, right? "
After Long Zheng Yang heard this, he blinked and felt that Hu Youshan's words made sense.
It really did make sense.
If he wanted to deal with Zhang Zicheng, he should have directly banned it. Or he could have directly arranged for officials to find trouble. After a while, Zhang Zicheng's salt shop would be finished.
Long Zheng Yang asked, "Provincial Governor Hu, why do you still need to recruit new salt merchants?"
"Sigh …"
Hu Youshan let out a sigh.
Long Zheng Yang said, "Provincial Governor Hu, why are you sighing?"
Hu Youshan said, "Your Highness King Yanqi, under normal circumstances, will the Imperial Court allow the salt industry to be private?"
Long Zheng Yang said, "They will not allow it."
Hu Youshan said, "That's right. Under normal circumstances, the government will not allow the salt industry to be private. Whether it is salt or iron, they are all operated by the government. If the people operate them, they will be punished. "
"This time, this old man did not ban Zhang Zicheng's salt shop because I know that it is King Yanqi's salt shop. Once these salt shops are banned, it is equivalent to cutting off a large source of income for King Yanqi. "
"But if Zhang Zicheng's salt shop is allowed to monopolize the business, how can I explain this matter to Ping Xi Wang?"
"Since I have to take care of Ping Xi Wang, I also have to take care of His Highness King Yanqi. Therefore, I personally went to see Ping Xi Wang and persuaded him to allow Zhang Zicheng to continue operating the shop, while I recruited new salt merchants to do things."
Hu Youshan said with a serious expression, "In this way, although there are new salt merchants, the people need salt, and His Highness King Yanqi will still have an income. King Yanqi, this is this old man's painstaking effort, please understand. "
After Long Zheng Yang heard this, he only felt ashamed and said, "I didn't expect that this was actually Grand Tutor's painstaking effort. Grand Tutor, I was wrong. I will go back and tell Zhang Zicheng to properly manage the salt shop. "
Hu Youshan said, "It's good that King Yanqi understands. You must know that this is not the Yanqi country of the past. It is definitely impossible for Zhang Zicheng to monopolize the salt industry alone. In addition, King Yanqi must not be bewitched and deceived by Zhang Zicheng. "
Long Zheng Yang said, "Grand Tutor, what do you mean?"
Hu Youshan said, "King Yanqi, if you carefully arrange people to investigate, you will know how much money Zhang Zicheng has embezzled over the years. The reason he is doing this is for his own benefit, not loyalty. "
"The introduction of new salt shops is imperative."
"Because the Yanqi country can no longer allow Zhang Zicheng's salt shop to monopolize the market, otherwise we will have to face Ping Xi Wang's thunderous wrath. To be able to do this and ensure that His Highness has an income every month is already the limit of what I can do. "
Hu Youshan spoke again.
Long Zheng Yang said, "Long Zheng Yang will always remember Grand Tutor's great kindness."
Hu Youshan shook his head with a regretful expression, saying, "Your Highness, how could this old subject have any great kindness? On the contrary, this old subject has let down the late King and Your Highness. Because all of this was caused by this old subject. If not for this old subject, the Yanqi country would definitely have resisted. Now, this old subject can only do his best. "
Long Zheng Yang said, "Grand Tutor, no need to blame yourself. Speaking of which, Ping Xi Wang's strength is tyrannical. Even the Turkic Khagan was defeated like a landslide, let alone us? If we really resisted, not only would countless people die tragically, perhaps even the ancestral temple would not be preserved. Now, at least I am still alive, and the ancestral ranking of my Long family is still there. This is enough. "
Hu Youshan said, "Your Highness understands this principle, this old subject is relieved. Contentment brings joy, even if many people know this, they are unable to do so. "
Long Zheng Yang smiled.
He did not say anything more. After thanking Hu Youshan, he turned around and left.
Seeing Long Zheng Yang leave, Hu Youshan felt relieved in his heart. After pacifying Long Zheng Yang, Zhang Zicheng was no longer a threat. Because Zhang Zicheng, who had lost his power, was actually just an ordinary merchant, not worth mentioning.
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