Xie Zhaozhao invited Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu into the tea room together.
Manman brought out the fresh tea and served it to the customer.
"Xie Zhaozhao, our second batch of ships for the long voyage have all returned!"
"That's great! I thought I wouldn't be back until after the New Year. What did you bring back this time?"
Yin Jin'an said smugly, "Last time we robbed a pirate ship and also partnered with another ship. After the pirates on that ship went back to their hometown, they said that working with us would be more profitable and more stable than robbing goods. This time, they brought four more ships to join us."
Of the four ships, only one had a carrying capacity of over 150,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). Lao Liao and Liang Jianguo chose that large ship and rented it. Before setting off, they paid a deposit of 5,000 taels of silver, and upon returning, they were given another 20,000 taels of silver.
It benefits both sides.
"That's for the best. Once they've tasted the benefits, they'll gradually accept this way of collecting rent and will never risk their lives to rob again."
“This time, Lao Liao and his men went even further, filling their ships in the Haixi Kingdom area,” Li Yunmu said. “They originally wanted to get grain, but Dong Qin said that making money from grain during a natural disaster would have endless consequences. In the end, they got spices, horses, and all sorts of rare things.”
The horses brought in this time are different from those in the past; more than half of them are horses skilled in equestrian performances or horse racing.
It also carried a ship full of warhorses.
Their grand plan was progressing step by step, and warhorses were indispensable.
Yin Jin'an said, "Those performance horses are sold to nobles. They like to play with them, and we make money from them."
On her second trip to the open sea, Xie Zhaozhao invested the two million taels that Emperor Hui had given her.
She didn't tell Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu that the money was Emperor Hui's; she only said it was Grand Secretary Gu's dividend from last time.
As the eldest daughter of the Xie family, she was more aware than anyone of the conflict between Emperor Hui and the Chengen Duke's Mansion (the Wei family).
Emperor Hui supported her in opening up trade routes, and she had to repay him.
She supported Emperor Hui, and then Emperor Hui continued to support her...
She seeks revenge and wants to protect the Xie family; Emperor Hui is her and Gu Shaoyu's protector.
"Jin'an, besides the warhorses, keep 30% of everything else for me this time. I need it."
Thirty percent of the goods were given to Emperor Hui.
Xie Zhaozhao considered her words carefully before saying, "Isn't there a salt well in Shi'an City? Let's sell the salt to the imperial court!"
"Really? The imperial court can cooperate with us?"
"able!"
Yin Jin'an said that the salt well was really good, and the salt was very pure.
However, no matter how good the salt was, it was extremely difficult to get it into the imperial court.
Li Yunmu said directly, "Xie Zhaozhao, do you know who controls the salt in Dagan? It's the Chengen Duke's Mansion. The salt fields are all his people."
Yin Jin'an only looked at Xie Zhaozhao: "You have connections?"
Xie Zhaozhao said that there was originally no way to get in, but didn't her family have a Grand Secretary?
The three of them laughed.
Although selling salt privately could earn more money, the imperial court had always explicitly prohibited private individuals from selling salt.
If the imperial court were to launch a purge, decades of hard work could turn one into a penniless pauper overnight, and one might even face beheading or exile.
Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu naturally agreed that salt could be sold openly to the imperial court.
Not only in Shian City, but also in Da Mo Prefecture and Dongying Prefecture in the thirty-six northern provinces, there are salt wells.
Being able to cooperate with the imperial court was an opportunity they would have earned by being pigs for ten lifetimes.
(Xie Zhaozhao: Not including me)
Yin Jin'an asked, "Who will take the lead in negotiating the cooperation? And with whom? Neither you nor I can get involved. The Wei family would never let anyone else interfere with the salt business. If they were to negotiate, it would definitely be a lost cause."
Xie Zhaozhao said with a smile, "Let's talk to the Salt and Iron Bureau. We don't need to find anyone else, just my second uncle Xie Anhuai. He is now the judge of the Salt and Iron Bureau."
"Oh, it's him! That's sure to work! Xie Zhaozhao, you've planned this all out, haven't you?"
Xie Zhaozhao smiled and pursed her lips: "It was just a coincidence!"
Xie Zhaozhao used her second uncle as a thorn in her side, and it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
This is the game of power.
This is yet another great thing that kills three birds with one stone—
Xie Zhaozhao and Yin Jin'an don't need to worry about salt sales; they can just wait to count their money!
Uncle Xie obtained cheap, high-purity, and stable-supply salt. This alone could generate countless revenues for the imperial court, and he would almost certainly be promoted.
Once this cooperation is established, Emperor Hui will be able to control the strategic resource of salt, breaking the pattern of the Chengen Duke's Mansion's control over the salt consumption of the common people!
There are no useless people in the world; as long as they are placed in the right position, they can shine brightly. There are no useless experiences in life; as long as you keep moving forward, the sun will always rise.
“Xie Zhaozhao, none of us can get involved in the salt negotiations. Let Ren Jialin go to negotiate; he's the one who snatched Tu Qianyue in the wilderness,” Yin Jin’an said. “He’s a wandering swordsman with many brothers in the martial arts world, and he’s quite righteous.”
"Has this person's background been investigated?" Xie Zhaozhao asked.
“His family was all dead. He was very skilled in martial arts and his strategies were far beyond what a mediocre person like me could do. But people in the martial arts world have some untold stories. He didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask him.”
“We can use it, but we need to make it clear to him,” Xie Zhaozhao said. “We can’t let him drag us into this mess because of his hatred.”
“He won’t,” Yin Jin’an said. “Arranging for him to contact Uncle Xie is limited to the business of the salt well. I will absolutely not tell anyone about anything else, including you and Yunmu.”
"Ren Jialin!"
Xie Zhaozhao pondered the name, then nodded slightly. It was him!
If she remembered correctly, this man was the chivalrous hero from her past life who massacred the entire family of the Duke of Cheng'en on the day the Crown Prince ascended the throne. At that time, a line of blood-written words remained on the wall: The murderer is Ren Jialin…
Yin Jin'an was overjoyed; he felt increasingly energetic.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com