My eunuch godfather

Chapter 61 The Way Out

The smugglers kneeling in the courtyard looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting Zhang Kun to start the fine with 500 jin (250 kg).

Some smugglers with small businesses or insufficient cash were so frightened that they turned pale and even wept silently.

Five thousand taels is no small sum. Even if they could barely scrape together five thousand taels, their business would most likely collapse.

If you can't raise the money, you'll be imprisoned for at least four years for five thousand taels.

Let alone four years, even four months would be excruciating, and one might not even be able to leave alive!

"Don't forget, I've offered you two options: a fine of goods is lighter than a fine of silver."

Zhang Kun suddenly smiled and shouted to the smugglers:

"The penalty period is one year. You can rent land in Tianjin and grow wild rice in spring and harvest it in autumn."

I've heard that even a novice in the south can grow seven or eight hundred catties of fresh leaves in their first year, and ten catties can be dried to produce one catty of dried leaves.

Even the worst farmers here can grow forty or fifty catties, right? If you rent a hundred acres, you'll have enough for five hundred catties of produce!

"Sir, the wheat planted in the fields for the winter has already been sown, and it's time to transplant it!"

Lu Jizu of the Tongji Ship said to Zhang Kun with a wry smile, "How could farmers possibly switch to growing wild rice?"

"Add more money!"

Zhang Kun sneered at Lu Jizu and the other smugglers:

"We'll give you two taels of silver for renting one mu (unit of land area). Do you think the farmers will change their minds? The wheat they plant will be perfect fertilizer!"

"Tampocha is selling more and more in the north these days. If you rent more land, you might be able to make a fortune!"

"What kind of way out is this?!"

A hot-tempered smuggler, unable to bear it any longer, pushed himself up and stood up, pointing at Zhang Kun and cursing loudly:

"Gentlemen, don't listen to this corrupt official's nonsense. There's no such thing as a good seed of tampoo."

If we listen to him and plant tampons, we will harvest nothing and lose even more money!

This bastard clearly intends to skin us alive and slaughter us all..."

Having received Zhang Kun's hand signal, Chen Jishi, already gripping the hilt of the wakizashi, lunged at the man.

A flash of cold light, and the man's throat was slashed open by the blade, blood spurting out!

The smuggler, startled, screamed. Dozens of guards in the courtyard drew their swords and shouted in unison:

"quiet!"

"Listen up, all of you," I said, "I have already obtained a decree from His Majesty."

Once the smugglers had calmed down, Zhang Kun cupped his hands in a distant bow, and said loudly with a cold laugh:

"Those who resist the law shall be punished as those arrested for smuggling salt and be executed on the spot!"

"Heaven cherishes life; I have given you a way out. Do not be ungrateful!"

The smugglers fell silent in fear. Zhang Kun called out Lu Jizu of the Tongji Ship by name:

"Lu Jizu, are you going to grow wild rice or not?!"

"Plant! Plant!"

When his name was called, Lu Jizu nodded hurriedly and said urgently to Zhang Kun:

"I'd like to plant one hundred acres of freshwater mushrooms! But... but..."

"Just what?"

"I am a little worried that we will not be able to grow enough tampons, and I request the remaining fine."

"Can,"

Zhang Kun nodded in agreement to Lu Jizu, then asked the other smugglers, "And you?"

"I am willing to plant it!" "I will obey your orders, sir!" "I will comply!"

The smuggling merchants expressed their willingness to accept the solution offered by Zhang Kun.

"Very well, all of you, get up."

Zhang Kun gestured to the smugglers, then took a booklet from Xu Xin and smiled as he showed it to them:

"I invited several tampoo masters from the south to help them publish a book that explains in detail how to cultivate tampoo."

"You gentlemen are in the Temminck's milk business, how could you not know how Temminck's milk is grown? One book per person!"

Chen Jishi was instructed to lead a dozen or so guards to distribute a booklet to each smuggler.

Then, pointing to a middle-aged man beside him, he smiled at the smugglers and said:

"Some of you may not be very literate. This is one of the tea masters I have invited."

He will read and explain it to you, and you will surely learn how to cultivate tamphampa!

Finally, pointing to the corpse on the ground with its throat cut open, he commanded:

"This man has already paid the fine! Bring a coffin over and collect his body."

The smugglers were so disoriented by Zhang Kun's torment that they were left in a daze as the soldiers escorted them to various rooms and imprisoned them.

You can only leave the room after the fines, confiscated goods, or mortgaged real estate or valuables have been paid off at home.

Most smugglers have limited cash flow and not enough raw rice, so they have to use it as collateral.

Many of them felt they couldn't raise much cash within a month and could only take the "optimal" path planned by Zhang Kun.

They rented land in Tianjin and switched to growing wild rice, planning to pay off the fines with the harvest the following autumn.

"Old Zhou,"

When the guards brought over the coffin that had been prepared, Zhang Kun pointed to the corpse on the ground.

He then waved the booklet in his hand and instructed Zhou Zhong:

"Carry this coffin to the shops of those businesses and sell this booklet to them for five hundred taels each."

The businesses Zhang Kun mentioned all had powerful backers, making them formidable forces in Tianjin.

So Zhang Kun gave them face and didn't arrest them, but only gave them a symbolic punishment of five hundred taels of silver as a warning.

Standing not far away, Sun Shouqian watched this unfold, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the one who was made an example of was not Sun Shouqian's lover's father.

After Zhou Zhong left, Zhang Kun looked at Sun Shouqian and asked with a smile:

"I remember you're the fourth son of the Sun family?"

"...Ah, yes!"

Sun Shouqian was slapped hard on the shoulder by Wang Chenglin. Realizing what was happening, he quickly ran over to Zhang Kunqian and smiled:

"This humble servant, Sun Shouqian, greets Commander Zhang!"

"Hey, your father and I are business partners who run a shop together, don't be so formal,"

Zhang Kun smiled gently at Sun Shouqian and said, "You came with Cheng Lin, is there something you need to see me about?"

Sun Shouqian was about to say it was nothing when Wang Chenglin spoke up first:

"Master Kun, you've caught one of his lovers' fathers. We're begging you to show leniency."

He glanced in the direction Zhou Zhong had left, then shook his head to indicate that it wasn't the same one.

Upon hearing Wang Chenglin expose this matter, Sun Shouqian immediately knelt down and urgently said to Zhang Kun:

"It was a moment of confusion on my part, please forgive me this time..."

"Oh, there's no need for that!"

Zhang Kun interrupted Sun Shouqian's pleas for mercy, reached out to help him up, and asked with a smile:

"Are you married? Are you planning to marry his daughter?"

Sun Shouqian said weakly to Zhang Kun, "I am not married, but I would like to marry his daughter."

"Wanting to speak up for your future father-in-law is only natural."

Zhang Kun patted Sun Shouqian's shoulder lightly and smiled, "It's just that your method wasn't right. Think about it carefully."

Hearing Zhang Kun say this, Sun Shouqian racked his brains, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and respectfully said:

"I advise him, besides imposing fines, to rent as much land as possible so he can grow more tamarisk for you!"

"Great idea!"

Zhang Kun nodded to Sun Shouqian and instructed Wang Chenglin:

"Cheng Lin, take him to meet his future father-in-law, to put his mind at ease."

Sun Shouqian was extremely grateful and was about to kneel down again, but Wang Chenglin stopped him with a gesture, saying, "Go quickly!"