97 Chapter 97

◎Visit the salt field◎

"Doctor Xu, why are you so happy? Did you find some money?"

Early in the morning, Bai San squatted on the roadside holding a large bowl and approached Xu Qinglang.

From the moment he woke up and saw Doctor Xu, he noticed that Doctor Xu had a smile on his face, as if he had picked up money.

"What's the big deal about picking up money?" Xu Qinglang smiled, but didn't say much.

When she thought about the princess' promise to her last night, she couldn't suppress the joy in her heart. How could she have deserved it!

"You don't even care about picking up money?" Bai San's eyes rolled. "So you've stumbled upon a great opportunity? Congratulations."

Xu Qinglang nodded reservedly: "Thank you."

After saying that, he burst out laughing.

Bai San sighed: Doctor Xu is so happy that he is silly.

Inside the tent, Xie Mingzhuo ate with the other officials. Except for Liu Zhaoyu who was in high spirits, all the other officials were listless.

How can the hard bed in the camp compare to the soft quilt at home?

"Jiang Fantai."

"I am here."

"If I remember correctly, you were the second place in the first class of the Renchen exam. You are well-educated and talented. I believe you can memorize everything you see." Xie Mingzhuo said with a smile.

Jiang Youxin bowed modestly, "Princess, your praise is too great. I do not deserve it."

"I want to test you."

"Your humble servant is all ears."

Xie Mingzhuo: "Last year, the Ministry of Personnel issued a new set of 'Ninety-Eight Articles', which were distributed to provincial governors across the country. As a provincial governor, you should set an example. What is Article 34?"

“…”

"Don't you remember?"

Jiang Youxin's forehead was covered in sweat. "I am old, and my memory has declined greatly. Please forgive me, Princess."

"Anyone here, can anyone recite it?"

No one responded.

Article 98 was formulated by the Ministry of Personnel after the princess held three discussions in the court. It was used to regulate the behavior of officials and servants in government offices at all levels. After the Ministry of Personnel issued the document, they did not take it seriously.

As the highest administrative chief of Sichuan, Jiang Youxin should have taken this rule seriously and implemented it, but he didn't take it to heart at all. After receiving the official document, he only ordered his subordinates to follow the instructions of the Ministry of Personnel. He only glanced at the first few items and threw it aside.

It's ridiculous that a governor has to abide by certain rules and regulations!

However, he did not expect to be questioned by the princess.

If the question was about something else, it would be fine. Not being able to answer would only be embarrassing. However, the "Ninety-eight Articles" were proposed and reviewed by the princess herself, and the consequences of not being able to answer were quite serious.

This is like stepping on the princess's face.

Even Jiang Youxin doesn’t care, let alone the other officials?

They lowered their heads, felt a chill down their spines, and couldn't help but feel jealous of the Censor who had rushed to Chengdu Prefecture yesterday.

That guy walked luckily and escaped the disaster perfectly.

Xie Mingzhuo's face suddenly darkened. "Are you dissatisfied with the Ministry of Personnel's decree, or with me?"

"We dare not do this. Please forgive me, Princess!" They all knelt on the ground.

"No more eating." Xie Mingzhuo stood up and walked out of the tent. "Gao Quan, let's go to the salt fields."

Everyone in the tent looked at each other, smiled bitterly, and followed.

A new well in Liugou Village.

Xiang Jinghui and Zhou Da were arguing fiercely, completely ignoring Yan Dafa who was looking gloomy beside them.

The two men didn't shut up until Yan Dafa's men stepped forward to interrupt them.

"Yan Shan, your brother Yan Tai and his companions Tie Zhu and Tie Gun disappeared the night before. How do you explain this?"

Xiang Jinghui was calm and composed: "What do I need to explain?"

"You——" Yan Dafa hesitated to speak.

The fight from the previous night continued until yesterday morning. The ambassador came in person to calm it down. He was accidentally hit on the back of the head with a clod of earth. He felt dizzy and dazed all day. He lay in bed all day and had no energy to take care of other things.

I just learned this morning that the princess arrived at the salt field in her carriage and camped outside the field. Ambassador Ge Kang was summoned yesterday and no news has been received since then. Cao Shengcai disappeared inexplicably and Doctor Xu was also invited to the camp.

Yan Tai, Tie Zhu and Tie Gun had taken the opportunity to escape from the salt field during the melee the night before.

If he still can't figure out the trick, then his efforts will be in vain.

His fear of the unknown made him temporarily afraid to question Xiang Jinghui.

"Who are you?" He couldn't help but soften his tone.

Before Xiang Jinghui could speak, a man came running over, panting, "Master Yan, Master Yan, Master, Master..."

"What's the meaning of 'father'? Wait until you catch your breath first."

The visitor took a deep breath, his whole body trembling: "The princess is coming!"

What? !

Yan Dafa's mind went blank for a moment and he forgot to answer. The other salt workers were no better.

The princess was ordered to thoroughly investigate the case of Bai Zongcui. Everyone in the salt field had heard about it. They were shocked to find that the team was stationed outside the salt field instead of at the ambassador's office or Jianzhou City.

Who could have expected that the princess would visit the salt fields in person!

Normally they would be stunned when an ambassador came, let alone when the one coming was Her Royal Highness the Princess, who was so precious.

"Master Yan, please say something." At this time, the usually harsh and reviled general supervisor suddenly became the backbone of the team.

Yan Dafa was no longer in the mood to enjoy this sense of accomplishment. After coming back to his senses, he hurriedly asked carefully: "Into the salt field? Where are we?"

"Not yet, the deputy envoy just came to inform us."

"What did the deputy envoy say? What does he need us to do?"

"Everything is normal. There's no need to disturb the salt workers. The chief inspectors don't need to greet them. Just guard the salt wells."

The fervor in Yan Dafa's heart subsided a bit. "What if the princess comes to Liugou Village?"

"I don't know either," the servant said, "maybe the princess is only going to Baisha Village."

That’s right, the princess came here to investigate a case, and the most likely place she went to was Baisha Village.

When the princess inspected the salt fields, the cooks had no expectations. They thought it would be better for her not to come as it would not exempt them from taxes and would waste their time.

There was only a group of people who wanted to take a bath eight times, for fear that the bad smell on their bodies would offend the princess.

Although it is speculated that the princess is going to Baisha Village, but what if?

Xie Mingzhuo changed out of her heavy princess uniform and put on a gold and red military uniform. She set out from the camp and rode to the salt field.

A group of guards and officials accompanied him.

"Zhang Tiju," Xie Mingzhuo asked as he rode leisurely, "you've been in office for half a year, right?"

Zhang Si'an hurriedly rode forward and replied respectfully, "Princess, I have indeed been in office for half a year."

"Then I'll test you too."

Zhang Sian: “…”

The others gave him a look that told him to fend for himself. Jiang Fantai was still blushing and didn't dare to get close to the princess.

"How many salt wells are there in Shu?"

"At the end of last year, there were about 1,580 stoves."

"What is the annual salt quota?"

"About 23 million jin."

Xie Mingzhuo asked a few more simple questions, and Zhang Sian answered them fluently, and his mentality gradually relaxed.

Before he could completely relax, the princess suddenly asked, "Do you know how salt is produced?"

Zhang Sian had never been involved in salt affairs before. He was busy with socializing for half a year after taking office and was only interested in the reported salt profits. As for how salt was produced, he had only a very superficial understanding.

Does the emperor need to know how food is grown? No.

Similarly, officials won't care.

"Princess, since it's a well stove, it must have been taken from the well and then boiled over fire."

Xie Mingzhuo chuckled, "Zhang Tiju has done a lot of homework and is worthy of being a pillar of my team."

"Princess, you are too kind to praise me. I am unworthy of it." Zhang Sian quietly wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Each of you says you're unworthy of the title, but aren't you doing a pretty good job? Right, Liu Dutai?"

Liu Zhaoyu: “…”

What is the princess going to do next?

He rode forward and said calmly, "As an official, I should share the emperor's worries and benefit the people."

"Well said. I have a worry right now, and I hope that Liu Dutai can help me solve it." Xie Mingzhuo tilted his head and smiled, as if he was just chatting with him.

"Princess, I am so embarrassed. I will do my best."

Xie Mingzhuo's expression suddenly changed. "As soon as I entered Shu, I was attacked by bandits and separated from my personal guards. If it weren't for Captain Jiang protecting me along the way, I probably wouldn't have been able to return to the capital to see my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress. Liu Dutai, these bandits don't even care about me, let alone the people of the prefecture? You, the commander-in-chief, are having a really leisurely time."

"I'm deeply troubled, Princess, please forgive me," Liu Zhaoyu replied with his head bowed. "After the princess disappeared, I sent people to investigate. The bandits weren't based in Shu, but must have come from somewhere else. I don't know why they were so bold as to ram the princess' carriage!"

Those "bandits" have all been wiped out, and now there is no evidence to prove their wrongdoing, so he can say whatever he wants.

But he didn't expect that since Xie Mingzhuo could "take advantage of the enemy's strategy", how could he not leave any survivors?

His response today will only increase his sin.

Xie Mingzhuo glanced at him coldly and said nothing more.

The officials were all worried. From morning till now, the princess had already questioned three people. Would it be their turn next?

Then they continued along the way without the princess even glancing at them.

When they arrived at the entrance of the salt field, the deputy envoy led several salt tax officials to greet them respectfully.

It was not convenient to ride horses at the salt field, so Xie Mingzhuo simply dismounted and walked, and the others did the same. Officials with poor legs and feet could only endure it.

"Princess, are you going to Baisha Village?" the deputy envoy asked carefully, pretending to lead the way.

Xie Mingzhuo: "Wherever I go, that's where I go."

"yes."

As soon as you enter the salt field, the salty smell of brine hits your nose. There are mostly thatched huts along the way with stoves built in them. Not far away is an abandoned old salt well with cracked wellheads.

Every once in a while, an old salt well collapses and is abandoned, and the salt farmers can only continue to look for brine land and dig new wells. Most of the wells near the entrance of the salt field are abandoned, and the further in you go, the newer the salt wells are.

In Liugou Village, the excavation of the new well is nearing completion.

Although Xiang Jinghui and Zhou Da often quarreled, they would improve the well-drilling technology after each quarrel, and even modified the subsequent brine extraction tools to make them more suitable for the new wells.

Even if Yan Dafa wishes to be the chief prosecutor of Baisha Village, he can only squat beside the new well and wait for the first wave of brine after it is drilled.

"Is it done? Is it done?" someone asked, sticking his head out.

“It’s almost there.”

The craftsmen were ready to go, their faces full of excitement. Even if the salt produced from this well could not enter their kitchen, it could not offset the joy of the new well being dug.

Xiang Jinghui's heart was about to jump out of his throat. He clenched his hands tightly together and checked from time to time to see if there was any deviation.

Zhou Da, who had experienced many hardships, was calm and composed. He sat on a stone pier nearby, closed his eyes and rested, and kindly comforted him: "It won't be a problem even if you break your nails."

Xiang Jinghui: “…”

He choked me like that, and my heart inexplicably relaxed a little.

However, before she landed completely, a scream from not far away made her chest start beating wildly again, and the sound of her violent heartbeat fell into her ears, one louder than the other.

Boom, boom, boom.

"Her Royal Highness? Oh my god, is it really Her Royal Highness?!"

Surrounded by guards, the tall and slender golden-red figure was particularly dazzling, even brighter and more dazzling than the sun in the sky.

Xiang Jinghui was stunned for a few breaths, then immediately stepped forward and knelt heavily on the ground in the astonished and surprised eyes of everyone.

"Your humble servant Xiang Jingze wishes Her Royal Highness the best of health."