Chapter 566: Hey, let's do business! (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

A long wind howled across the wilderness.

As far as the eye can see, there are flat salt fields.

Longwu County, located in the northwest of the continent, is clearly a remote borderland far from the coast, yet at this moment, a strange sound of surging waves arose. The wind blew and the waves rolled, as if the sea were boiling. Centered on Chentang, a fierce wind carrying the salty smell of the sea inexplicably arose.

Her clothes fluttered in the wind, and her hair flew wildly.

Everyone held their breath and looked up at the sky—the sky, which had been bright and sunny just moments before, was now covered by dark clouds, the thick clouds so close they seemed within reach. The roaring waves created an almost suffocating sensation.

"They're here!"

Everyone focused their attention, and in the blink of an eye, a giant wave several meters high, riding the gale, poured down from the sky.

It landed perfectly in the salt field.

At the same time, seawater splashed onto half of Shen Tang's body.

The seemingly raging waves became docile upon contact with the ground, showing no trace of their initial ferocity, obediently filling every salt pan. The excess flowed along pre-dug ditches into artificial pools dug by manual labor. She intentionally controlled her spiritual energy output, barely depleting her dantian's reserves. After all, Shen Tang was still the head of a prefecture; she couldn't possibly come every day.

If the artificial ponds are filled to capacity, they will be enough for the salt fields to use for a while.

I bent down, dipped my finger in it, and put it in my mouth.

Tasting the saltiness: "Ugh, it's quite salty."

It is indeed seawater, and the taste is very authentic.

However, since it was formed from literary energy, she wasn't sure if it could last as long as the wine that Shen Tang had created.

We need to observe the situation for another two days to determine the exact circumstances.

Shen Tang clapped his hands: "Let the salt workers do the work."

He added, "Let me pause for a moment and regain my composure."

When the salt fields were being excavated, Shen Tang made sure Chu Yao posted notices to recruit enough commoners to work as salt workers. The work of salt workers wasn't physically demanding, and ordinary people could easily handle it. This also helped create more jobs.

The salt workers were already waiting on one side.

Although they all knew that the power of words was wondrous, they had never had the chance to witness it firsthand. Seeing Shen Jun summon seawater with their own eyes, this unprecedented divine ability filled them with excitement. Therefore, they worked with extra vigor, carefully raking the seawater-soaked mud from the salt flats with wooden rakes. Each one of them was more nimble than the last, an unspoken competition brewing among themselves.

Shen Tang wanted to sit down and rest for a bit.

Unexpectedly, in the next instant, the dantian gradually filled up.

She looked speechlessly at the several streams of spiritual energy surrounding her: "...There's no need to rush...I can recover on my own..."

It also gives you the opportunity to slack off and do nothing.

"It is our duty to share the burdens and relieve the worries of our superiors."

With so many literary figures present, each with exceptional abilities, how could they possibly allow their lord to restore his literary talent on his own?

Shen Tang: "..."

While she was thinking to herself, she secretly made a note of these cultured people, thinking she would assign them more work later!

The moment the thought crossed my mind, one of them was gone.

I don't even need to look to know it's Gu Chi.

Shen Tang stood up, patted the dirt sticking to his clothes, and said, "If the salt workers can successfully produce brine, remember to report back immediately."

Whether we can get rich depends on this.

In terms of output and cost, salt fields are actually much cheaper than salt wells. However, salt fields are not yet truly in use and cannot demonstrate their original advantages in the short term. The former can be evaporated by the sun, while the latter requires boiling and cooking, wasting a lot of charcoal.

Previously, well salt was produced using straw and firewood, resulting in high costs and low yields. Shen Tang naturally wouldn't do something that increased costs, so he set his sights on natural gas, creating "fire wells." It was said that one bushel of water could yield five bushels of salt.

However, this method is relatively dangerous. To ensure the smooth operation of the salt wells and the safety of the salt workers, several brave warriors would need to be stationed there for extended periods to patrol and inspect, nipping any potential dangers in the bud. Salt fields, on the other hand, do not have these concerns.

Shen Tang: "By the way, has Wen Zhu replied?"

Ning Yan withdrew her gaze from the salt fields and said, "Not yet. Judging by the journey, it will take at least three days to get a reply."

Shen Tang rubbed her hands nervously and anxiously.

"It's going to take so long? The wait is getting longer."

Ning Yan smiled and said, "It will have a good outcome."

Knowing Xu Wenzhu as she did, she knew that if such a huge piece of meat fell from the sky, he wouldn't be himself if he didn't reach out and catch it.

Why is Xu Jie so entangled with Wu Xian?

Because the latter's salt ponds generate huge profits.

For the sake of profit and for the sake of his family, Xu Jie had no reason to refuse to be loyal to Wu Xian, but—a person's appetite will always grow. People say that merchants are driven by profit, but aristocratic families are no different. Wu Xian's appetite at this moment has exceeded Xu Jie's expectations.

The lord then offered up the meat pie...

How should Xu Jie choose?

Should we eat? Or should we eat? Or should we eat?

As Ning Yan had predicted, things turned out exactly as she had expected.

Xu Jie could not refuse Wu Xian, nor could he refuse Shen Tang—the latter not only brought benefits but also a debt of gratitude for his patronage.

That day, the sky was a clear, blue expanse.

Fugu City remained peaceful as always.

Xu Jie temporarily forgot his worries, holding a cup of tea, sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun, flipping through the book of words and spirits that he already knew by heart. Just as he was getting a little tipsy and sleepy, he heard familiar footsteps approaching. He closed the book and put it away.

"Another letter from home?"

“Wen Shi is getting more and more clingy as he gets older…” Xu Jie seemed to be complaining about his cousin, but the corners of his mouth had already secretly curled up. “…Considering his age, he should be a grown man who can stand on his own. How come he’s still so immature? Doesn’t he care about Shen Junsheng’s opinion…”

The attendant said, "It's not just the young master's family letter; there are also several letters from the Longwu County government office that need to be read by the parents themselves."

Was it sent by the Longwu County government office?

This is a very formal, official negotiation.

Xu Jie was puzzled, but he still opened his rambling cousin's letter first. As expected, it was all nonsense. He could barely extract the core message: Zhao's wife, who had run away from home, had come to Longwu and asked him to pass on a message of peace and not to worry.

"We can rest assured now that Da Yi has done this."

As he spoke, he opened the letter bearing the seal of the Prefect of Longwu County. The smile on his lips gradually stiffened until it froze.

The attendant was curious about what was going on, because he had followed his master for so many years and had never seen his master's eyes widen like that!

Yo-ho!

Not only were his eyes wide open, but his breathing also became rapid.

Xu Jie suddenly stood up and crumpled the letter into a ball.

Looking around, his tone was stern: "Did you bring these letters here all by yourself? Were any other people involved in handling them along the way?"

Attendant: "I'm keeping an eye on things; no outsiders have been in contact with them."

"That's good, that's good."

Xu Jie's face flushed red with emotion.

I don't know when, but I started to break out in a light sweat.

The letter started as a simple greeting, casually asking if he could sell some silkworm eggs and feed at a friendly price. Although the quantity offered was large, there wasn't much profit in it. If you factored in the labor and travel costs, he estimated he'd actually lose a lot of money.

What really excited Xu Jie was what happened next!

Salt!

Shen Jun has a low-cost method for refining salt; there's a huge profit difference between coarse salt and refined salt.

Several abandoned salt wells were discovered in Longwu County. Shen Jun wanted to restore them, so he sent his brave warriors to repair them. By chance, they dug out a deep well. Not only was the brine abundant, but there was also a fire well to aid combustion, eliminating the need for costly and inefficient straw and charcoal fires.

It won't be long before a large quantity of high-quality refined salt is produced, and Shen Jun is worried about how to handle it.

That's when I wrote to him to ask if he was interested.

She's currently overwhelmed with the affairs of Longwu County and doesn't have a dedicated person to handle this item. It's a waste to leave it unused, but she can't consume it all herself, and she's short of money right now. So, for convenience, she's selling it at a friendly price, giving Xu Jie a 40% discount!

Forty percent!

That's 40%!

If those salt wells were truly high-yielding and low-cost, a 40% profit margin would be a figure that would make Xu Jie's breath catch in his throat. The key point is that this profit would be readily available, requiring no additional expenditure… Xu Jie would find it hard not to be tempted.

But he still retained his rationality.

The meat pie may be large, but there are risks involved in eating it.

The risk wasn't with Shen Tang, but with their lord, Wu Xian. Xu Jie was suddenly caught in a dilemma.

Although it's a dilemma, I've already reached a conclusion in my heart.

The attendant asked him with concern, "Why are your parents in such a difficult position?"

Xu Jie sighed: "Because of our lord."

The attendant, who knew the parents' temperament best, knew that all they needed now was a way out, so he pretended to be puzzled.

“But—the parents are loyal to Duke Zhaode and only have business dealings with Lord Shen of Longwu. Why make things difficult for them?”

Xu Jie personally burned the letter from Longwu County.

He murmured, "Yes."

Merchants are driven by profit; if there's a profitable business opportunity, why wouldn't they do it?

It's not like I'm changing all my alleys...

Xu Jie didn't want to change it, but some people couldn't wait.

He was so excited that his teeth chattered.

"Shen...Shen Jun...you mean...to let me smuggle these salts...no, sell them in Shiwu?"

_

Finally, they've made it clear how tough late pregnancy is...

It's really uncomfortable; even turning around is difficult.

Counting on my fingers, almost there!

(End of this chapter)