Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 489 On the way
The Lianghuai Salt Field is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea north of the Yangtze River. Because it is located north and south of the Huaihe River estuary, it is named Lianghuai Salt Field. The salt field north of the Huaihe River is called Huaibei Salt Field, and the salt field south of the Huaihe River is called Huainan Salt Field.

It does not refer to just two salt fields, but includes all the salt fields along the Yellow Sea and near the Huai River.

However, the salt field is only a salt-producing area. After the salt from the Lianghuai Salt Field is produced, it will be transported to the warehouse near Zhenzhou City.

Zhenzhou is also the storage and transportation center of Jiangnan salt.

Zhenzhou is near Yangzhou, which is also the seat of Huainan Road.

The Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office was also in Yangzhou.

In other words, the first stop of this salt inspection was actually Yangzhou.

Speaking of which, Ang Lee can be said to have returned home in glory.

With the emperor personally seeing him off, Zhao Ceying and his men boarded a boat to Yangzhou.

…………

As soon as they set out from Bian Jing, Yangzhou had already heard the news.

In a room of the Yangzhou Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, seven officials were sitting, and the atmosphere was a bit depressing.

Wen Duo, the transport envoy who was sitting at the head of the group, scanned everyone's faces and said, "Why are you all silent? According to the schedule, King Huan will arrive in Yangzhou in three to five days. This time, King Huan is coming to overturn the table. If we are not careful, we will all be in trouble."

An official was a little confused when he heard this: "Mingsir, those people in Bianjing took so many benefits from us, but they didn't contribute at the critical moment, just passing on some information. They couldn't even buy time for us to clean up the mess. King Huan came so quickly that many things couldn't be cleaned up at all."

"My lord, what Hu Yunyunshi said is right. Those people gave up on us because they saw that they couldn't stop us. We can't let them suffer even if we don't have a good life," another official echoed.

Wen Duo frowned slightly and said, "The net is broken and the fish is torn apart is a tactic used when there is no other choice. What I am asking is whether there is any way to deal with this. It has been so long, don't you think of any solution?"

When everyone heard this, they murmured in their hearts, if you can't do anything, what can we do?
They could still deal with others, but the one coming was a prince.

Everyone knows that the government is serious this time.

The emperor has not yet appointed a crown prince, so King Huan might be preparing to take advantage of this opportunity to perform well.

Ordinary means are of little use at all.

"My lord, how about..." An official made a gesture with a cruel look in his eyes.

Wen Duo shook his head slightly: "It hasn't come to that point yet. If it really happens, then there will be no recovery."

"My lord, I do have an idea that may be worth a try," said a fat official.

"Oh?" Wen Duo was delighted when he heard that and said, "Tell me about it."

The fat official named Xue Qing smiled and said, "King Huan wants to investigate, so let him investigate. Not only should we not stop it, but we should also make it bigger."

"Isn't this just courting death?"

"That's right, my lord. Xue Qingqi deserves death. We cannot use his words!"

Upon hearing this, the others immediately started to scold him angrily.

It is too late for them to cover up now, but Xue Qing is thinking of making a bigger deal out of it.

Wen Duo pressed his hand and said, "Do you want to make a big fuss and force Bian Jing to help?"

"Your Excellency has a keen eye." Xue Qing flattered him and said with a smile, "Those people in Bianjing are not contributing, they are just waiting and watching. They want to see if we can handle it, and also want to see how far the emperor wants to investigate, and then they will take action as appropriate."

"When the fire reaches their eyebrows, they will naturally become anxious."

"But have you thought about the consequences? Once things get out of control, we'll be finished first!" Wen Duo frowned.

It's not that he hadn't thought about it, but doing so was simply a gamble. He was betting that the people in Bian Jing were worried that they would be implicated and would try their best to stop it.

At the same time, I am also betting that those people can stop it.

But what if those people can't stop it?
Originally, it would take some time for King Huan to investigate, and they could still find a way to deal with it. If they didn't try to stop it and let King Huan investigate, wouldn't it speed up the time to find the problem?
"Mingsir, if there is no help from Bian Jing, it is only a matter of time before the problem is found. And when I say let it go, I don't really mean to let King Huan investigate. I mean to throw out some minor problems for King Huan to investigate."

"As far as I know, most of the people led by His Royal Highness Prince Huan are frustrated and few of them have held local positions. What abilities do they have? Doing this will also consume their energy. Those people in Bian Jing will naturally be anxious when they see how cooperative we are. At that time, we don't need to urge them, they will do their best." Xue Qing said.

Wen Duo thought about it carefully and decided that this was indeed a good idea.

Sometimes when officials from Bian Jing were sent down for inspection, they would not only give gifts but also raise some minor issues so that the inspecting officials would have an explanation.

After all, there is no problem at all, some of them are too fake.

I heard that King Huan was not very old and was just the son of a military commander. He might be short-sighted and would go back to claim credit for finding out some things.

He has been an official for so many years and has built up his own network of contacts by scheming and giving gifts.

Some harmless little problems can't shake him.

If King Huan was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, those people in Bian Jing who were waiting and watching would get anxious because they saw that they seemed to have accepted their fate.

He didn't have any good ideas at the moment, so this idea could be used.

Wen Duo pondered for a long time and said, "Just do as Xue Qing said. When you go back, explain clearly to those salt merchants and ask them to behave themselves during this period. In addition, we are all in the same boat now. If anyone wants to use us to win the credit, don't blame me for being rude."

"Don't worry, sir. We all know the importance of this matter and will not do such a stupid thing."

Facing Wenduo's sharp gaze, the others quickly stood up and expressed their opinions.

"Okay, let's go." Wen Duo waved his hand and said, "Xue Qing stay for a while."

After everyone left, Wen Duo looked at Xue Qing and said, "How confident are you that this method will work?"

"I dare not deceive you, sir. I am not even half sure." Xue Qing said seriously.

Wen Duo's face darkened when he heard this: "Are you kidding me?"

"Please calm down, my lord." Xue Qing said hurriedly, "There is no good solution now. There won't be any problems at the beginning, but if King Huan makes some mistakes, some people will be worried. My lord, the most fearful thing is to have a traitor inside. We must be on guard."

Wen Duo's expression eased a bit after hearing this, and he said, "You are right, but if there is no way to solve it, how long can it last?"

At this time, Wen Duo had the idea of ​​escaping again.

This idea had come to him when he learned that King Huan was personally conducting a thorough investigation into the salt affairs.

He has accumulated a lot of wealth over the years. If he takes his family and the money out to sea, he can still enjoy a rich life.

But he was reluctant to give up his official position and didn't want to do so until the last moment.

"Don't be anxious, my lord. Since we can't solve the problem, then let's solve the person who caused the problem." There was a hint of ruthlessness in Xue Qing's eyes.

"Are you crazy?" Wen Duo said angrily, "Whether we succeed in assassinating King Huan or not, we will all die."

Someone just hinted at this, but because there were so many people around, he pretended to understand and didn't show it. Unexpectedly, Xue Qing's method was still assassination.

"Please listen to me first." Xue Qing said, "I know the pros and cons of this, and I don't intend to do it myself."

"Who would dare to do such a thing as exterminating nine generations of a clan? And even if someone dares to do so, won't they be able to trace it back to us?" Wen Duo said.

"I have no intention of bribing or instructing anyone to do this." Xue Qing shook his head and whispered, "Mingsir, King Huan came to Yangzhou by boat to investigate the salt business. What do you think would happen if he encountered a ship carrying smuggled salt on the way?"

"King Huan will certainly not let go of the clues that have been delivered to his door. He will definitely send people to capture him and trace the case further," said Wen Duo.

"That's right." Xue Qing smiled and said, "How many of those salt merchants are simple? Once someone is captured by King Huan, the others will definitely worry that King Huan will take action against them. They may be able to assassinate King Huan."

"As long as they succeed in the assassination, the thorough investigation of the salt business will naturally not be able to proceed. The government will be furious because of this, and will target the salt merchants."

"If he fails, the emperor will most likely summon him back to the capital for the safety of King Huan."

"But those salt merchants are not stupid. Who would dare to run after King Huan? And how can you guarantee that they can't trace it back to us?" Wen Duo frowned.

"How many of the salt merchants' subordinates are good people? We just need to bribe one or two of them and let them appear in front of His Royal Highness Prince Huan. Then we can kill them. Even if we find them, they will think that it was done by the salt merchants and will not trace it back to us." Xue Qing said.

"I'll leave this matter to you. As long as you do a good job, I won't treat you unfairly." Wen Duo was silent for a long time and finally made up his mind.

This is a double-preparation. He doesn't want to flee overseas unless it's absolutely necessary.

"Yes!" Xue Qing was delighted when he heard that.

As long as this matter is accomplished, he will be Wenduo's confidant.

Before, they were just grasshoppers on the same rope, and Wen Duo didn't trust him very much.

…………

On the canal, more than ten large ships were going upstream.

All the merchant ships passing by looked sideways, because these ships were not ordinary merchant ships, but warships.

In the cabin of the largest warship in the middle, Zhao Ceying sat at the top with a pale face.

Zhao Ceying had lived in Yuzhou since he was a child and had never left Yuzhou. At most, he had gone rafting on a small boat. He felt a little seasick the first time he took a long boat trip.

At first everyone was terrified because Zhao Ceying was the eldest son of the official family. If anything happened to him, no one could afford the responsibility.

Someone immediately suggested to temporarily stop the journey, let Zhao Ceying recuperate for a few days, and then travel by land.

However, Zhao Ceying refused and strictly prohibited anyone from returning to Bianliang to report the news.

After a few days of adaptation, Zhao Ceying's condition has gradually improved.

It was just because I was seasick at the beginning, and didn't eat, drink or rest well, so my face was a little pale.

"Your Highness, I sent several teams ahead, but they didn't find anyone from the Salt Gang." Gu Tingye said.

"It doesn't matter. The officials in charge of the various salt affairs are the most important. The salt gang is just a mob. Once the officials involved are found out, they will not be able to escape." Zhao Ceying waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "We will arrive in Yangzhou in a few days. We have discussed how to investigate when we get there. Everyone, take a good rest these few days. We will start to work hard in a few days."

"We will take our leave!" Everyone bowed and left.

"Ziqian, let's go for a walk together?"

After leaving the cabin, Gu Tingye said.

"Okay!" Li An nodded.

Gu Tingye brought Li An to the deck, looked at the scenery along the canal, felt the cool breeze, and said, "Ziqian, do you still remember when we went on a study tour and returned to Yangzhou?"

Li An nodded when he heard this. After leaving Yuzhou, on the way back to Yangzhou, Gu Tingye had persuaded Li An.

Or it could be said that the two of them tried to persuade each other, but in the end neither of them could persuade the other.

"Several years have passed in the blink of an eye. Ziqian, your talent is truly admirable," said Gu Tingye.

At the beginning, Li An said that when Prince Yong and Prince Yan were fighting, Prince Yong would be the winner in the end, while Prince Yan would choose to rebel.

He also thought so about the former, but he was always skeptical about the latter.

Li An even said that Zhao Zongquan and his son were closest to Bian Jing and had the greatest hope.

As a result, everything seemed to be developing according to what Ang Lee said.

Although the two had certain plans regarding Zhao Zongquan's entry into the capital, the blood edict was real.

In other words, Ang Lee had anticipated all of this.

"This is not the Zhong Huai I know." Li An shook his head. He couldn't talk about this matter in depth, so he changed the subject and asked, "Have you solved the problems in your family?"

"It's not resolved, but she can't do anything to me now. I'm just a little worried about my wife. She didn't dare to do anything when I was in Bian Jing. Now that I'm leaving Bian Jing, I'm afraid she will stir up trouble again." Gu Tingye said with some concern.

"I don't believe you didn't make any arrangements when you left Bian Jing?" Li An said to Gu Tingye.

Gu Tingye is a smart man. Li An originally wanted to remind him, but later he asked for the stone back and Li An did not remind him.

It’s not that he was angry about this, but Gu Tingye himself was already prepared.

If Xiao Qin really wants to deal with Yu Yanran, what can Shi Tou, a servant, do?
As for protection, Gu Tingye also recruited some wandering knights. With Gu Tingye's means, he would have subdued those people long ago. There was no need to take the stone back at this time.

The only explanation is that Gu Tingye asked Shitou to handle any matters.

Shi Tou’s martial arts skills are one thing, but the most important thing is his loyalty.

Although he lacks some flexibility, he will complete everything Gu Tingye asks him to do meticulously.

"Haha, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. My stepmother is like a poisonous snake. I won't be at peace if I don't get rid of her. But given her identity, it will be too difficult for me to deal with her. This time I did set a net for her, but I don't know if she will jump into it." Gu Tingye said with a smile.

"You called me here just to talk about this?" Li An asked.

After all, these are Gu Tingye's family affairs, and Gu Tingye should not have come to him just to talk about these.

"Haha, we've strayed off topic." Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "Ziqian, do you still remember what you told me?"

Li An thought about it carefully, nodded, and said, "Remember."

Gu Tingye looked at the river and said, "Do you think there will be any results from this thorough investigation of the salt business?"

"Yes!" Li An nodded and said, "But the imperial court will not mobilize troops against Liaoxia in the short term."

(End of this chapter)