Chapter 473 The New Salt Inspector

Meanwhile, Yuan Hongqu also began to make moves in the capital.

She joined forces with the Tenth Prince and spoke frankly in court:

"The rumor that 'whoever wins Daiyu wins the world' is clearly an attempt by someone to disrupt the court! Your Majesty, I implore you to issue an edict to strictly prohibit the spread of such remarks!"

The Emperor immediately granted the request and issued an order to thoroughly investigate the source of the rumors.

The investigation led them to a retainer in the Second Prince's household.

The retainer confessed that the Second Prince had instructed him to spread rumors in an attempt to use Daiyu's reputation to seize the throne.

The emperor was furious and placed the second prince under house arrest.

Seeing this, the eldest and third princes dared not make any more advances toward Daiyu.

The storm has finally subsided.

Several months later, Daiyu quietly returned to the capital.

She entered the city late at night without alerting anyone, accompanied only by a few attendants.

Inside the Women's Academy, Yuan Hongqu had already prepared a welcoming banquet.

Upon seeing the travel-worn Daiyu, she said with tears in her eyes, "You've lost weight and gotten darker."

Since Daiyu went overseas, the two of them can enter the space, but they cannot meet in the space.

It's possible that geographical location isolated them.

Daiyu smiled and said, "It's inevitable to be exposed to the wind and sun overseas. But you, Granny, still look as charming as ever."

During the meal, when the topic of this incident came up, Daiyu said lightly, "I have long said that I have dedicated my life to the frontier. Those princes have underestimated me too much."

Yuan Hongqu sighed, "They don't know that you now control three overseas states and command a hundred warships. If we're really talking about strength, which prince can compare to you?"

Daiyu shook her head: "With great power comes great responsibility. I just want more people to live a better life."

Yuan Hongqu sighed.

"When I wrote to you last time, did you make all the arrangements?"

Daiyu's expression changed slightly, and she nodded.

“Granny, those are the Tenth Prince’s fiefdoms. If we don’t want the Emperor and the Tenth Prince to become suspicious of each other, then the real power over those three overseas prefectures can only be held by the Emperor. I will hand them all over at tomorrow’s court meeting.”

Daiyu is not power-hungry; what she wants is a real process. Now that she has gone through the process and the result has been unexpectedly good, she can let go.

The next day at court, Daiyu entered the palace to meet the emperor.

After many years apart, the Emperor was pleased to see that she had become even more composed and capable.

Daiyu relinquished all administrative control over the three prefectures, and the court was once again embroiled in a dispute over who should govern them.

However, all of this was no longer relevant to Daiyu.

Regardless of who manages the three states, the primary condition is to continue the original management methods and manage them according to the original procedures. If not for a hundred years, at least within thirty years, the new three states will not regress.

After the court session, the Tenth Prince waited outside the palace gate.

"Yu'er, my feelings for you have never changed all these years,"

He paused, then said solemnly, "Although that saying had ulterior motives, in my heart it truly means 'whoever wins Daiyu wins the world'—whoever wins you wins vast territories and the hearts of the people. But for me, you alone are worth all that. I've only been with you all these years. Can't you give me a definite answer?"

Daiyu gazed at the sky outside the palace walls and said softly, "Your Highness, I am still very sorry, but I have never been able to understand the feelings between men and women."

The Tenth Prince collapsed instantly, and Daiyu turned and left, her back as straight as a pine tree.

Yes, her journey is to the stars and the sea, not to the inner palace.

The power struggles within those mansions seemed insignificant to her.

Upon returning to the capital this time, Daiyu went directly into the center of political power.

She doesn't want to be the woman bound by all sorts of unfair rules; on this new journey, she wants to be the one who sets the rules!

Three years after Daiyu returned to the capital, the political climate in the court had changed dramatically.

The days when it was rare for women to hold official positions are now long gone.

The Women's Academy takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to cultivate people. The female officials it has trained are spread throughout the government and the country, from the six ministries to the local governments, and their capable figures can be seen everywhere.

After court that day, several young female officials surrounded Daiyu, asking her about customs and things from overseas.

One of the women, dressed in a scarlet official robe, said excitedly, "Your Excellency, I will be being transferred to Shixin Prefecture as a sub-prefect next month. Is there anything I should be aware of?"

Looking at these vibrant young faces, Daiyu couldn't help but recall her own naivety when she first became governor ten years ago.

Now they no longer have to fight alone like they did back then; they have the entire women's officialdom as their backing.

“Shixin Prefecture is not what it used to be,” Daiyu said gently.

"But remember one thing: treat the people with sincerity and enforce the law impartially. Whether they are from the Central Plains or local ethnic groups, they are all subjects of the Celestial Empire and should be treated equally."

Just then, Yuan Hongqu suddenly appeared and walked towards them:

"Yu'er, the Emperor summons you."

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor handed a memorial to Daiyu:

"Daiyu, take a look at this."

Upon unfolding it, one finds a secret memorial from the Governor-General of Liangjiang, reporting on the long-standing problems in the salt administration: soaring salt prices, rampant smuggling of salt, collusion between salt merchants and officials, and widespread public resentment.

"I remember," the Emperor said thoughtfully, "that your father once served as the Salt Commissioner?"

Daiyu felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Her father, Lin Ruhai, fell ill from overwork during his tenure in this very position. Over the years, the aftereffects have become increasingly apparent, and no matter how good the medicine she uses, her father's health continues to decline.

Five years ago, Lin Ruhai had already retired from his official post and moved with Qiu Hui to a place in Shixin Prefecture where spring lasts all year round to live in seclusion.

However, his health has never been very good.

"Yes," she said, bowing her head. "When my father was in office, he also tried to reform the salt administration."

The Emperor nodded: "Given this mess, after much thought, I feel most at ease entrusting it to you. Are you willing to follow in your father's footsteps and serve as the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai?"

Daiyu knelt to receive the imperial edict: "Your subject will certainly do her utmost to reorganize the salt administration and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

When the news spread, it caused a great deal of discussion in the court.

Everyone knows that the salt administration is a hornet's nest, and you can't stir it up.

The princes secretly watched with amusement, waiting to see how this female censor would run into trouble.

Before leaving the capital, Daiyu made a special trip to see Yuan Hongqu.

"Does Grandma remember that you once said that salt was as cheap as dirt in your hometown?"

Yuan Hongqu nodded: "That's right. Actually, salt production shouldn't be so expensive, but there are too many intermediate steps, with each layer taking a cut."

She took out a small booklet: "This is a new method of salt production that I have compiled. It may be useful to you."

Daiyu took it and examined it closely. She saw that it contained detailed records of improved processes for salt production, such as sun-drying and boiling, and even a secret recipe for removing bitterness.

"Thank you, Granny." Daiyu carefully put the salt away. "I will make sure that all the people in the world can afford to eat good salt."

On her way to her new post, Daiyu had already begun making plans.

She ordered people to secretly investigate and thoroughly investigate the details of the Lianghuai salt administration.

The situation is worse than we thought.

The price of official salt was more than ten times its cost, while the reason why private salt could not be banned was that official salt was of poor quality and expensive, so people had no choice but to buy private salt.

On their first day in office, the officials of the Salt Transport Commission were all trembling with fear.

They had all heard of the female censor's formidable reputation; she could even reform cannibals, so reforming the salt administration would be a piece of cake.

To everyone's surprise, Daiyu was not in a hurry to check the accounts, but instead ordered: "Tomorrow morning, come with me to the salt field."

The salt fields are located on the coastal mudflats.

In the height of summer, the salt-making workers toiled shirtless, their skin tanned dark by the sun.