usatvline Chapter 193 Salt Road
Chapter 193 Salt Road
Starting from February 17th, for more than ten consecutive days, Shao Shuyi stayed at the Huangtian Trading Company to "recruit and accept traitors."
Therefore, he even postponed his trip to Tongzhou to buy salt, and comforted himself that the weather was not warm yet and the salt production was low, so he wouldn't be able to buy much even if he went. In addition, the amount of fish caught was not much, so the trip would not be cost-effective.
Of course, these are all excuses made after the fact; the real reason is that things are more important in Jiangyin.
If we kill Wang Zongsan but don't seize the salt industry territory, wouldn't that be a waste of our efforts?
"The Gu family of Chaozongmen, Chen Shisi of Jiangxia City, Liu Pang of Wangjiadu, and Zhao Laosan of Zhaojia Wharf all sent people today to deliver messages, saying they are willing to go with us. These people either never bought our salt before, or they bought from both sides, but now they only buy from us." Yu Yuan sat in the signing room, reporting with a happy face.
"Yes, is there anything else?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"Yang Fucai took a few men to Xishun Township. Wang Zongsan had an old subordinate named Zhang Hou'er, a chivalrous man in the village. He once injured Zhao Yangui's uncle, who was now in a state of panic and had nowhere to turn, so he went to recruit him. If he succeeds, the Xishun salt route will be secured." Yu Yuan continued, "After going to Xishun, Yang Fucai will also make a trip to Changjing City in Dongshun. There are Jiang, He, and Huang families in the town who are scholars and farmers and also run inns, but they only want to sell salted fish, not salt." Shao Shuyi nodded, got up and went to the window, looking at the shimmering river.
The Pingyi ship returned and was now moored on the pier outside the signing room. The sailors were moving about on the deck and in the cabins, cleaning. When they saw Shao Shuyi, they all stopped and bowed.
Shao Shuyi smiled at them and returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute.
Ma Tuoshali, looking radiant, was touring the ship. If all went well, three hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) of raw silk would be loaded and headed to Liujiagang tomorrow. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect; with the first sale, the new silk would flood the market in April and May, not only selling even more but also driving up prices. Money is a bastard, yet also a wonderful thing; it can mend many relationships and attract many followers.
The fact that horses can carry sand has such advantages shows whether people's hearts are with them or not.
Of course, Shao Shuyi was also on high alert; he needed to find some time to go back and provide emotional support to Madam Shen. This young, wealthy woman, barely twenty years old, was a crucial link in his current plan, and losing her would be very troublesome.
"Yu She, you need to get to work quickly with Yang Fucai to streamline the salt routes in the south. Send two people to each of the three routes—Changjing, Gushan, and Xishun—to keep an eye on them. The prices should remain the same as Wang Zongsan's original prices; don't lower or raise them. The salt must be weighed accurately; don't try to cheat us with damp salt," Shao Shuyi instructed.
Yu Yuan took out a small booklet and wrote it down.
"Send twenty ingots of paper money to Han De tomorrow. Just give the money to Liu Ming, and he'll handle it himself. When you deliver the money, have Liu Ming tell Han De that our goods will continue to be transported along the northern salt route of Jiangyin, including Yangshe Township (later part of Zhangjiagang). His share will be delivered to his residence on the first day of each month."
"Brother, is Han De willing?"
"Let's see if he accepts these twenty ingots. If he does, we should naturally provide him with assistance; if not, we'll discuss the matter further."
Yu Yuan nodded.
"There's one more thing," Yu Yuan said. "Today, someone sent word from the prefectural government office—Judge Ma Yuanchong sent someone to say that the prefectural magistrate has personally taken charge of Lin Xuan's case and told us not to get involved, saying that the prefectural government will handle it impartially."
Shao Shuyi remained silent for a while.
Alas, it's wrong to treat people like fools. Corrupt officials are just greedy; they're not necessarily stupid, and might even be quite clever.
You think you're hiding behind the scenes the whole time, but actually, they see everything clearly and can guess who did it, they just can't prove it.
Some might even start reviewing the assassination attempt on Zhu Ding and speculate that it was Shao who did it.
Whoever benefits the most is the most suspicious.
Zhao Yangui has remained holed up in Shiqiao Township to this day, at most expanding a little to the surrounding areas. The government should know his character well; he's not the kind of person who's willing to expand. If Zhu Ding hadn't insisted on seizing territory, the two sides might not have even gone to war.
Now that Zhu Ding, Chen Xianwu, Wang Zongsan and other powerful figures in the salt route have died one after another, the Cao family has risen to prominence and has been conquering cities and territories one after another. Even the most foolish person knows who is behind it.
The more he did, the greater the profits he reaped, and the more frequently he appeared in public, the more significant the traces he left behind. Shao Shuyi was actually mentally prepared for this.
"Perhaps this time they've truly handled things impartially." Shao Shuyi shook his head and laughed, "Liu Gui is just a tenant farmer, what profit could he possibly make? It's more proper for officials to solidify the charges against Lin Xuan and Wang Zongsan for their collusion, accepting bribes, harming the people, and selling smuggled salt, making it an ironclad case, and then divide their property, wives, and daughters among themselves. Furthermore..."
Shao Shuyi patted the window frame and said, "Ma Yuanchong is no simple man. He knows that Liu Gui has powerful backers and that it's me. He told us to mind our own business, which means that as long as we don't interfere, the prefectural government won't interfere either."
"That one"
"Of course we'll listen to him," Shao Shuyi said. "Who did he use to relay the message?"
"A clerk named Fan Ting," Yu Yuan replied, "went directly to Manager Huang, and he brought me here."
"Okay, I understand. That's settled then." Shao Shuyi said, "Don't overwork yourself. Let Lu Chaoen keep track of the Huangtian Trading Company's accounts. It's been about a month. It's time to let go."
"Alright." Yu Yuan replied, taking out the Huangtian Trading Company's account book as he said, "Including the water and freight costs for the hundreds of shi of goods that are about to be shipped, Huangtian Trading Company will suffer a net loss of two ingots this month, and there are still 86 ingots of cash in the account."
Shao Shuyi grunted and said, "It's alright. There were too many expenses this month, things should get better next month."
Yu Yuan nodded and said, "When the Pingyi ship arrived, it said that Song You and Zheng Sheng had another argument. Song You said that many of the porcelain pieces transported from Chuzhou and Quzhou were flawed and he didn't want them stored. The two sides argued again before Zheng Sanshe, and finally decided to buy them at a discounted price and sell them in retail at Liujiagang. He also ordered the porcelain kilns in Chuzhou and Quzhou to send over a replacement batch. Brother, should I go back and visit Song Zhiku?"
"No need to go deliberately." Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "Three thousand bolts of cotton cloth will be sent to Tianfei Palace in early March. You can go back with them then. Hmm, don't get it wrong. I bought this batch of cotton cloth as the manager. The buyer is Xia Zheng Silk Shop. After the delivery is completed, have Manager Huang and the others settle the brokerage fee and put it into Huangtian Trading Company's account."
"Okay," Yu Yuan replied.
"Nothing else, you can handle it. I'm going to hone my skills." After saying that, Shao Shuyi called Tie Niu over and told him to take his equipment. The two of them then practiced sword and shield fighting techniques next to the warehouse.
The third day of the third lunar month is the Shangsi Festival.
On the banks of the Chengjiang River, Shao Shuyi enjoyed the warm spring sunshine while placing snacks on the grass.
Sitting in her chair, Liu said with some dissatisfaction, "You put the snacks on the ground, which makes it inconvenient for me to pick them up."
"I'll feed you, won't I?" Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
"You're asking for it." Liu glared at him, but her voice was gentle: "Were you deceiving women like this in your past life too?"
"No way! I'm not good with words, all I have is sincerity," Shao Shuyi said.
Liu felt that something was off about that statement.
Before they knew it, their relationship had reached this point.
From the very beginning, when we killed fish together, to later eating together, and then to him holding my hand and hugging me, I felt like this person was gradually pushing my boundaries.
Of course, it's also true that she didn't defend that bottom line much.
A woman who runs a business in public and is known for her beauty, and who is of this age, what is there to be ashamed of?
She knew that Shao Shuyi did some things on purpose, such as deliberately opening his arms to signal her to take off his coat, etc., which was entirely to test her bottom line. She acquiesced, and the man in front of her naturally took advantage of her.
However, he is good at putting on a show, making money for you while selling you security, and sometimes even deliberately playing the victim. In addition, with his increasing power and status, many things just fall into place.
Others can't learn this kind of thing. Without that power and status, you're considered "frivolous." But with that power and status, it's considered "sentimental." It's perfectly normal for the same thing to have two different outcomes.
"Were any of the women in your past life as beautiful as me?" Madam Liu asked again.
"She's not as pretty as you, and you want a huge dowry. After we get married, we'll even add her name to the house deed." Shao Shuyi picked up a salted plum and put it to Liu's lips, saying, "Try the taste of home."
After slowly finishing the plum, Liu spat out the pit and asked incredulously, "Just one woman?"
Shao Shuyi nodded.
"Then you must be very poor, unable to even afford a concubine," said Madam Liu.
Shao Shuyi laughed heartily and said, "You're right."
How old is she?
"I think we were about the same age when we got married, maybe a couple of years younger."
"She's so old and still unmarried, she must be very ugly." Madam Liu looked at Shao Shuyi with some surprise and said, "But..."
"But what?" Shao Shuyi asked, having already arranged all the snacks.
"You're only seventeen in this life, yet you're already so capable. You must have prospered in your previous life, right? You must have acquired quite a few concubines," Liu said. "Did you die peacefully of old age, or did you die in battle? Or were you killed while smuggling salt, passing away prematurely?"
"People can't imagine things they haven't seen." Shao Shuyi shook his head. Seeing that the curtains had been drawn around them, he pulled Liu into his arms and vigorously rubbed her two incredibly round buttocks, saying, "I'm really going to eat well for the rest of my life."
"You're asking for it!" Liu struggled free, her face flushed, and scolded, "We're out on business today, so behave yourself and don't let anyone see it."
Shao Shuyi glanced at his blue robe, adjusted his hat, stood up, bowed his head, and said with a grin, "I will obey Madam's command." Madam Liu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Behave yourself, don't misbehave."
As they were talking, a luxuriously decorated carriage was already approaching from a distance.
The carriage was followed by a dozen or so guards and maids, making quite a grand entrance.
Upon seeing the carriage, more than ten officials approached, subtly maintaining order.
The carriage soon came to a stop, and Zhu Daocun, the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangyin Prefecture, and his wife got out of the carriage together.