Gu Beiyue had been worried that Qin Min would say something that forced him to reject her outright. But when he heard âIâll divorce you,â he visibly exhaled in relief despite feeling a strange heaviness in his heart. Qin Min smiled openly at him, but her grin carried an air of mischief that made him wonder whether she was joking or serious.
Gu Beiyue himself didnât know whether to laugh or cry. Perhaps it was because she called him âGu Beiyue,â but he felt that this was Qin Minâs true self. Before he could respond to her words, she waved a hand and said, âUntil next time, Academy Head!â
She left as soon as she finished. This time, she didnât look back. After last night, Gu Beiyue wanted to be cruel and crush her thoughts once and for all, but he lost his chance. It wasnât until Qin Minâs back vanished into the lane that he couldnât help chuckling softly.
He left Yunning Province by night, but even Gu Beiyue had no idea when heâd return again. At the same time, Long Feiyeâs carriage had left the region as well. While Gu Beiyue headed north to Medical City, Long Feiye and Han Yunxi went east to visit Changningâs salt mines. Something had indeed happened there, but neither Long Feiye nor Han Yunxi were worried. They had sent Gu Beiyue that letter on purpose. Although neither of them had suspected anything in the tea shop, a dayâs worth of reflection had raised some suspicious points.
First, Gu Beiyue was not a careless man. How could he leave Qin Min along in Yunning City for long periods of time? He would have sent men to protect her in secret. A miscarriage was such a big deal that his underlings would have no choice but to report it. Secondly, Han Yunxi recalled all the flowers and planets she found in the courtyard. It was impossible to raise them by ordinary means, so likely Qin Min cared for them personally. Third, it seemed impossible to hide the miscarriage for three whole months.\nBoth Long Feiye and Han Yunxi suspected that something was up with Qin Minâs womb. Han Yunxi dearly wanted to figure out the reason, worried that Gu Beiyue or Qin Min had run into some sort of unspoken trouble. But Long Feiye declared that he wouldnât interfere in Gu Beiyueâs personal matters. Thinking back, Han Yunxi figured that Gu Beiyue wouldnât say a thing with his personality even if she pressed. At most heâd explain a few lines and end it at that. Thus, the two of them feigned ignorance and didnât pay a visit, allowing the duo to continue their act while they made an excuse to leave.
The sound of horsesâ hooves in the night had long lulled Ruiâer to sleep in Long Feiyeâs lap. But his parents remained awake discussing the matters of Changningâs salt mines. Salt was a common good with wide-reaching implications. Its influence was equal to that of grain in controlling the rise and fall of a nation. Han Yunxi hadnât understood anything of salt in the past and figured it was just a condiment used in cooking. But after coming to this world, she realized its true importance.
A great use of salt was its preservation of food to prevent rotting. Very few people were like Long Feiye, who paid hundred times the value of ice and worked multiple horses to death just to deliver fresh lobster to their estate for Han Yunxi to eat! In a world without freeze technology, the common people could only rely on salt to pickle and preserve vegetables, meat, and fish. In Cloud Realm Continent, seafood from the east, meat from the west and central regions, and dairy products from the north could last longer with the aid of salt. This also aided in food trade between the regions, which created business. Thus, although the average household used very little salt on a daily basis, the average use of Cloud Realm Continent was frightfully large. Of course the court would levy taxes on salt merchants! The royal court earned revenue from salt taxes more than any other good.\nDuring the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi placed a salt on tax and indirectly forced the merchants of the world to pay all dues to Qi. Now Long Feiye and Han Yunxi were heading to the continentâs largest salt mine in Changning. If anything happened to them, it would send shockwaves throughout Cloud Realmâs business world, negatively affecting the Great Qinâs national treasury and their annual revenue. Moreover, this salt mine involved a massive workforce. Thousands worked in the mines, while more were in charge of transport. Together, these numbered tens of thousands of people. If the mines stopped operation for a day, then theyâd have no jobs to earn money, which was likely to incite riots.
Logically speaking, it should be the royal family overseeing operations of such a huge mine. Even if the family was too small, the emperorâs relatives should be placed in charge. However, this salt mine was controlled by the four big clans of Jiangnan. Even though the Xiao Clan had been deposed, there were still three families blocking access. The salt mines were the biggest source of income for them and thus they refused to yield it to the court. Long Feiye long had designs on the mines, or else the three families would have caused a big deal by making a ruckus recently. However, the new tax system had just been set for the year so he didnât want to move too fast. Originally he wanted to check on the status of tax reforms, but yesterday afternoon Long Feiye received an urgent missive from the capital detailing the matters of Changning salt mine.
Someone had privately sent off a huge shipment of salt to Wintercrow Country!
With the three great families in charge of the mines, it was impossible for the royal court to take the reins. Currently, the trade of salt within Great Qin was quite free. However, the royal court needed to step out if any sales were made beyond its borders. It was prohibited to do private business, which counted as tax evasion. Whoever managed to get so much salt must have brokered a deal with the three great families. If they could use this chance to suppress one or two of the groups, itâd be easy for Long Feiye to take the salt mines under imperial control.\nâ
Five days later, Long Feiye and Han Yunxi arrived at Changning salt mines. Xu Donglin took Ruiâer away to play while the couple disguised themselves. Han Yunxi pretended to be a son of a rich family while Long Feiye dressed in white as a wealthy gentleman. One was refreshing handsome while the other was eminently noble, making them a vision as they strolled through the streets earning looks left and right. They would never run directly to the salt mines. Pretending to be representatives of Three-Way Black Marketâs East Origin Hall, they sent requests to visit to all the managers of the three clans in charge of the salt mines. A single request from East Origin Hall was enough for everyone to know their intentions. If someone from the black market was here to look for the mineâs masters, they were planning to sell some salt privately!
Long Feiye assumed that itâd be a challenge to manage such deals, but the background of East Origin Hall gave them an immense advantage. Many people knew that Cloud Realm Trade Consortium held power in Three-Way Black Market, but few realized that Long Feiye had personal power there too. At any rate, the three big families of Jiangnan had no clue.
Long Feiye was using the identity of East Origin Hallâs young master Sir Ye (ĺśĺ Źĺ). When the managers of the three great families saw his request to meet, they were all stunned. The Zhou Clanâs manager was its familyâs third young master while the Murong Clanâs manager was its ninth young master. As relatives via marriage, they were essentially wearing the same trousers. Third Master Zhou immediately found Ninth Master Murong to discuss the matter.
âAre they here to seek goods from us?â Third Master Zhou asked cautiously. âHe sent requests to us bothâwhat are the chances he contacted the Xie Clan too?â\nâWhat does he want?â Ninth Master Murong was lost.
âLower prices!â Third Master Zhou scoffed.
âThen what do we do?â Usually Ninth Master Murong followed Third Master Zhouâs advice.
After some thought, Third Master Zhou said hastily, âIf he waits for the three of us to fight among ourselves, heâll reap all the benefits. Why donât weâŚbring Xie Yujun (č°˘çĺ)[1] into the fold and join hands to raise prices? Three Way Marketâs East Origin Hall is a master with plenty of money. If their young master is truly here, we stand to do big business!â
Ninth Master Murong immediately agreed, but who knew that Xie Yujun would show up first to propose the alliance? The trio instantly teamed up. As the Xie Clanâs eldest young master, Xie Yujun was actually younger than the Zhou and Murong masters by five to six years. He was well known amongst the three families and his own mother for being a spendthrift, and yet stood strong within Xie Clan conflicts. Although his mother sent him to the salt mines to look after things, all he did was spend, and spend big!
Xie Yujun was smug. âIâve already made inquiries. That Sir Ye only brought one friend with him here and theyâre both living at Joyous Winehouse (äščŁé ĺş). Supposedly theyâve reserved the entire building. Hehe, what a rich master! All I could afford is one whole floor.â
âAccording to my father, East Origin Hall has enough wealth to topple a nation,â Ninth Master Murong added quickly. âJust you guys wait. When our emperor finishes busying himself, heâll deal with Three-Way Black Market next. East Origin Hall will definitely be in his targets!â
âAish, then weâd better hurry up and make a fortune before the emperor dissipates theirs!â Third Master Zhou laughed.
After some discussion, the three agreed on a high price before parting ways to inform Sir Ye without budging an inch on their offers. Long Feiye was only probing the black market business at this point to see who secretly traded salt. Realizing that all three families had responded to his offers made him furious! Just how much revenue were the trio taking from the national coffers on a daily basis? He didnât try to bargain with their prices beyond saying he needed time to think things over. Then he ignored the trio for five whole days, leaving them to fret.\nAt least, Third Master Zhou lost patience. âHow about this? Letâs all invite him to a banquet and negotiate the price in person?â
Xie Yujun was all for it, while Ninth Master Murong remarked, âYou canât close a deal without wine. Iâll be in charge of drinks.â
Xie Yujunâs eyes suddenly turned sly as he chuckled. âAnd you definitely canât close a deal without women. Iâll be charge of girls! I promise Iâll find the best lady in the Ningzhou City!â
Thus, Long Feiye and Han Yunxi arrived at the appointed time to see a woman as lovely as blossoms sitting on the side while clutching a pipa, her face half-veiled. Once everyone was in their seats, Xie Yujun handed over a tablet and chuckled, âSir Ye, pick a song first. Our lady today is the best in Jiangnan and her songsâŚhehe, are enough to seduce oneâs soul! Be careful when you choose, Sir Yeâwe wouldnât want her to snatch your soul before weâve closed our deal.â
As he finished, Han Yunxi remarked from the side, âHer looks are enough to seduce a man too.â So speaking, she walked over and used her fan to lightly lift the maidenâs face by her chin.
These Jiangnan people leave me speechless. The seniors want to give Long Feiye a concubine, while the juniors offer him a courtesan!
While she was pondering over that, the maiden suddenly broke free of her hand and ran towards Long Feiye with her pipa clutched in her armsâŚ
1. Xie Yujun (č°˘çĺ) â Yujun literally means âgentleman of jade.â\n