Chapter 88 Mountain Bandits
Li Yang was woken up and, still half asleep, entered the carriage, just in time to see her grandmother carrying Cen An as they got out of the carriage for some fresh air.
The little one was still a bit clingy, opening his arms to Zhuang Dongqing and saying, "Daddy~"
It's like wanting a hug.
Recently, that strange feeling has resurfaced in Li Yang's mind.
Pianzhuang Dongqing actually took the young prince in, letting the child put his arm around his neck and pat his back, coaxing him, "Remember to be good."
Okay.
With a childlike voice, her head was tilted, facing Li Yang directly.
For some reason, Li Yang felt the atmosphere was very warm.
Even if the heir is not Zhuang Dongqing's child.
Yes, it's clear that Zhuang Dongqing not only has a good relationship with the Prince of Dingxi, but also with the Crown Prince.
Go ahead~
Zhuang Dongqing kissed the little boy on the cheek again and handed him to his grandmother.
Perhaps the child was too well-developed and had become a bit overweight. When the grandmother took the child, her hand trembled slightly. She grabbed a blanket to wrap the child in to block the wind, bowed, and then carried the child away to get some fresh air.
As Cen An'an went out, she kept looking in the direction of the carriage. When the curtain was lowered to block her view, Li Yang suddenly said, "To be honest, after looking at you for a while, I feel that the young master and you look somewhat alike."
The thought suddenly came to mind, and I blurted it out.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yang realized his mistake, and the retainers who came with him were also a little frightened. He immediately tried to make amends, saying, "Haha, Your Highness is joking. The young master looks more like a prince."
Li Yang also realized what was going on and added appropriately, "Perhaps it's because we spend so much time together that our appearances have become similar."
Zhuang Dongqing just smiled and didn't reply.
It's perfectly reasonable that he was born with a resemblance to him.
Zhuang Dongqing: "I was originally going to catch up on my sleep, but I suddenly called you here. Are you still sleepy?"
Li Yang yawned and muttered, "There's nothing I can do. I've been working on the accounts all night these past few days, and my eyes are bloodshot. Originally... well, let's not talk about it..."
"I just slept for a while, and I feel much better."
"Oh right, Brother Dongqing, why did you call me here?"
Zhuang Dongqing subconsciously looked at his retainer.
The retainer, quick-witted, said, "I'm getting a bit bored from sitting in the carriage all the way. May I get off and walk around?"
Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment and concluded that this person must be one of the most astute individuals that Li Yang often kept by his side.
Zhuang Dongqing smiled and said, "That's not necessary. But what I'm about to say might be a bit shocking. I hope you won't be frightened."
After saying that, he looked at Li Yang and said slowly, "I'm actually not good at managing accounts."
It's true. Some of the business was given to Zhuang Dongqing. During his late pregnancy and after An'an was born, he and Liu Fu studied management together. Liu Fu learned it quite well, but he always fell short and didn't have the talent.
Seeing that he was really suffering from the learning process, and since he no longer intended to leave the palace, Liu Qi later assigned two stewards to him to teach Liu Fu and manage his assets, which finally resolved the situation properly.
Zhuang Dongqing’s thoughts drifted away for a moment, then he pulled them back and said, “So, regarding the gaps in the salt administration accounts, I only know the numbers. I have no idea how much such a large sum of money is or what it can be used for.”
"Therefore, I would like to discuss this with Brother Li to see if my sudden idea is reasonable."
The retainer sensed something amiss: "Young Master Zhuang has some ideas about where the money is going?"
The deficit in the official salt tax alone was not a small amount.
Furthermore, Hangzhou, as the capital of Jiangnan, was home to numerous wealthy merchants and salt fields. Therefore, based on the official salt tax, the profits generated from selling smuggled salt could be up to three times the deficit of official salt. Combined, this amounted to a considerable sum.
Such a large sum of money could either flow into money shops in batches, or find some excuse to flow to the capital.
They could either exchange them for gold and silver, transport them by waterway to the capital, or...
However, even with these two most likely methods, the records from two years ago were flipped through, and only at the very beginning was there some evidence of money flowing into the money shops. After that, no abnormalities could be found in the money shops and freight transport, which is unreasonable.
Zhuang Dongqing: "We ruled out the possibility that it was hiding at home, right?"
The retainer said, "Of course, such a large sum of money, accumulated over two years, would have been regularly transported by carriage to a private residence. A search of the residences of various officials revealed no such activity."
Zhuang Dongqing nodded: "Then how about groundflowers?"
Li Yang frowned: "What could possibly cost so much?"
Zhuang Dongqing casually uttered two words, "Raising soldiers."
Li Yang and his retainers fell silent.
Zhuang Dongqing counted on his fingers and said, "If we're talking about maintaining a private army, can this amount of money cover the population, food, weapons, equipment, and daily expenses?"
Li Yang said in disbelief, "You mean to say, but..."
Zhuang Dongqing lowered her eyes: "I just want to ask if it's possible."
"If we use this money to support the army, can we afford it? If so, how large a military camp can we support?"
At this moment, he didn't want to discuss the possibility of raising an army with Li Yang.
The retainer swallowed hard, clearly more astute than Li Yang. When Zhuang Dongqing mentioned it, he secretly calculated and immediately broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead and back.
Zhuang Dongqing looked at his retainer.
Li Yang followed his gaze and subconsciously looked at the person next to her.
Zhuang Dongqing: "Sir, you already have a plan in mind?"
The retainer wiped his sweat and said cautiously, "The Prince's mansion raises soldiers, and they are all elite troops. These matters should be more familiar to the generals of the Prince's mansion. Could you please trouble Young Master Zhuang to invite Commander Xu over? I would like to go over the accounts with Commander Xu."
Zhuang Dongqing said calmly, "I have already asked beforehand. The military camp's accounts are usually managed by Chief Steward Liu. After entering the capital, most of the personal guards went to the camp outside the city. Commander Xu is not familiar with this, while Chief Steward Liu is good at accounting. He went to the salt field with the Prince at the very beginning."
Zhuang Dongqing: "It's alright, sir, just give a rough estimate."
The retainer wiped away his cold sweat again, his eyes darting around. Zhuang Dongqing sensed that the other party had figured something out, and his gaze toward her became increasingly fearful, but he still answered.
"About two divisions should be enough to supply them."
Two divisions, 20,000 men.
They only brought a little over two thousand people with them when they went to the salt fields.
They were all elite soldiers, more than enough to suppress a salt field, and they were not afraid of even dealing with mountain bandits. However, they were no match for well-trained private soldiers.
Li Yang also realized what he meant, "Brother Dongqing, you're bringing this up with me now, it's probably not just something you remembered and wanted to say, is it?"
No, it isn't.
Zhuang Dongqing: "It is said that Jiangnan is wealthy, but there are also many bandits."
As the carriage curtain was lifted, a towering mountain came into view.
Zhuang Dongqing even smiled, making his retainers swallow hard, feeling nervous.
Zhuang Dongqing said calmly, "Brother Li, if a group of people suddenly appeared as we passed by this mountain, would they be bandits, or private soldiers kept in this remote place under the guise of the saltworks?"
Li Yang had actually encountered both scenarios, but Zhuang Dongqing was unsure.
The retainer cried out, "Young Master Zhuang, please don't joke!"
"Are you hot, sir? You keep wiping your sweat."
The retainers weren't enthusiastic, but they were uneasy, especially since Zhuang Dongqing remained so calm and unpredictable. This made them even more anxious.
"If there are any doubts, we can discuss them later. We should turn around and escape immediately, young master!"
Zhuang Dongqing suddenly looked at Li Yang and asked him, "How has Your Highness treated the Sixth Prince in general?"
Li Yang: "It's fine."
Although his attitude was not good, he never withheld or monopolized the knowledge that should be taught to him, or even the major credit.
To be fair, they are much better than those who talk the talk but don't walk the walk.
The retainer quickly said, "Turn around and leave quickly. Our prince will definitely protect the young master along the way, so you don't need to worry, sir."
Zhuang Dongqing smiled, a smile that made the guests' hearts pound.
Zhuang Dongqing: "I'm not worried."
Peeking out, Grandma was standing not far from the carriage. She saw Zhuang Dongqing and nodded to him.
Zhuang Dongqing finally felt relieved.
"The Crown Prince has already left."
In a flash, the retainer realized what was happening, suddenly spread his hands and cried out, "Why did you come here, young master!"
Li Yang was stunned for a moment, then realized something and looked at Zhuang Dongqing.
With his worries gone, Zhuang Dongqing felt no more burdened and truthfully said, "If it were two divisions of private soldiers, they would all turn around and give chase. The difference in numbers is too great, and we've already entered the foothills. Although we're not deep in, they can still intercept us by taking a detour from the mountain. They won't be able to escape."
With 20,000 people capturing 2,000, Zhuang Dongqing had no idea how the other side could possibly lose.
Not to mention that they were unfamiliar with the area, while the other side had the saltworks as their backing and trained there every day.
But it's human nature.
The other side will definitely want to capture them at the lowest possible cost.
The main force remained stationary, and only a dozen or so people were sent to escort Cen An away. Who would have thought that, without any warning or indication, someone would ride a horse with such a small child instead of sitting in a comfortable carriage?
Zhuang Dongqing clenched her fist, then slowly relaxed it.
Zhuang Dongqing: "The reason why the people on the mountain are not moving now is because the main force is still here."
"We are still some distance from the ambush site they set up."
"Moreover, we cannot turn back now. The prince has already left, and if we turn back, it will definitely trigger a large-scale pursuit."
The retainer's heart had already turned cold: "So, we'll use him as bait and continue forward to buy time for the young master and his party. That's what Young Master Zhuang really intends for..."
All the discussions and inquiries were just attempts to stall them and prevent them from noticing anything amiss and escaping.
Zhuang Dongqing: "Actually, I'm not entirely sure either."
"Not necessarily."
Perhaps there's nothing at all; he's just overly suspicious and unwilling to take any risks.
The retainer was already in despair: "Young Master Zhuang, what exactly are you...?"
Zhuang Dongqing interrupted, "But you'll know when you get closer."
Zhuang Dongqing looked at Li Yang: "It's better for us to fall into the hands of the 'mountain bandits' than for the Crown Prince to fall into the hands of the 'mountain bandits,' right? Actually, the Prince should thank me. If the Crown Prince were here, the Prince's Mansion would definitely side with the forces behind them. Now that the Prince is cooperating with the Prince's Mansion to move forward, once this matter is over, the Prince will definitely be grateful for your protection of the Crown Prince."
The retainer said, "That depends on fate after the matter is over!"
Zhuang Dongqing: "Fortune and honor are found in danger. If this hadn't happened, why would the Prince of Dingxi's mansion insist on having the Sixth Prince?"
Li Yang understood the meaning behind Zhuang Dongqing's words.
His chest rose and fell several times.
The retainer wanted to argue further, but Li Yang stopped him, saying, "Brother Dongqing, you are right."
"If there is indeed something going on on the mountain, it must be aimed at the young master."
Of the three imperial envoys—Cen Yan, Li Zhuo, and himself—only the Prince of Dingxi's mansion could truly influence the court's power structure on its own.
The prince had already separated from them. If there were really so many people on the mountain, this would be the perfect opportunity to kidnap them without having to confront Cen Yan directly.
But if something really happens to Cen An, it's uncertain whether Cen Yan will defect to him. If he follows the group and loses Cen An, he will definitely no longer have a good impression of Cen Yan.
After closing her eyes for a moment, Li Yang had already made up her mind.
"The prince has treated me well, so I doubt they would dare to kill a prince. Let's move on."
After a pause, Li Yang said, "Maybe it's just a false alarm."
The voice was so soft that even I didn't quite believe it.
Zhuang Dongqing breathed a sigh of relief.
That would be best.
Even if it comes to fighting, the male protagonist's inherent buffs make him very difficult to kill, and he can always find a way to survive.
Not to mention he also knew most of the plot...
Zhuang Dongqing asked Grandma to come up. Grandma was still holding something in her arms. From a distance, it looked like a sleeping child. But when she came in and opened it, she found that there were only two pillows inside as a cover.
Zhuang Dongqing clasped his hands together to cover the sweat that had appeared on his palms from his nervousness during the conversation.
He said calmly, "Give the order to set off."
*
Cen Yan arrived at the saltworks ahead of time, where Li Zhuo was already looking through the account books.
Accompanying them was the prefect who had arrived yesterday.
Upon seeing Cen Yan, the prefect's face paled, and he suddenly lowered his head.
Cen Yan found it strange and took another look.
The prefect's subsequent behavior was quite normal.
"Could there be some serious problem with this saltworks?" Cen Yan asked Liu Qi unconsciously during their conversation.
Liu Qi: "But the Third Prince has been looking at the account books all night, and apart from the accounting issues, he hasn't said anything else."
Cen Yan: "Perhaps I'm overthinking it."
But his intuition has always been extremely accurate.
When a servant came to report that the Sixth Prince had sent someone, Cen Yan frowned and took Liu Qi out.
Unexpectedly, instead of seeing Li Yang, they saw Xu Si kneeling.
There were also little ones whose eyes were fogged up by the wind due to the bumpy ride.
But Zhuang Dongqing was nowhere to be seen.
Cen Yan's mind went blank for a moment.
The same applies to Liu Qi.
The next moment, Cen Yan picked up Cen An, asked him carefully, and confirmed that he was only uncomfortable because of being shaken. He nodded and handed the little brat who had been fooled by Zhuang Dongqing to Liu Qi, asking Liu Qi to take him to Master Zhao for a checkup.
After Cen An'an, who knew nothing, left, Cen Yan said in a deep voice, "Speak, what happened?"
Xu Si knelt down on one knee.
He relayed everything Zhuang Dongqing had told him to Cen Yan in detail.
Cen Yan's face was expressionless. He pressed his right hand against the beaded string in his left hand, moving each bead carefully. He went through the process in his mind before speaking, "So, this money was used to support the army?"
Xu Si: "The young master said it's possible, and he has doubts..."
Cen Yan: "I suspect they are being kept on that mountain outside. The purchase of food and weapons are all being covered up under the guise of guarding the salt fields."
Cen Yan murmured to himself, "Two years ago, when I first came to inspect the salt..."
"Hangzhou is full of wealthy merchants, and I have a strong hand. It's reasonable for me to find a powerful backer at this time..."
"So that's how we got involved..."
"That's true, that's true."
"Seeking out alchemists and refining elixirs—both require money. If His Majesty were to meet with misfortune, and given our troops, we could act immediately..."
"It only takes a dozen days to travel from Jiangnan to the capital by waterway."
Cen Yan closed his eyes, and many things that didn't make sense suddenly became reasonable in his eyes.
For example, why were the officials in Hangzhou not afraid of the imperial envoy?
They were even very cooperative during the inspection.
Because they never even considered covering it up.
He took a deep breath, but couldn't exhale for a long time.
Cen Yan asked, "What else did he say?"
Xu Si was hesitant and uncertain: "It's not necessarily true, maybe he's overthinking it, but just to be on the safe side..."
"That's not what I'm asking. What message did he have for me?"
Xu Si lowered his head and remembered, "He said that if he had no intention of making things difficult for the Prince's Mansion, he wouldn't hurt too many brothers. Once the Prince left, the plan suddenly fell apart, and the other side would definitely be in trouble. I guess the generals don't have the courage to go all out, so they should first detain the Sixth Prince and his party, and disguise them as mountain bandits."
Cen Yan: "Where is he?"
"The young master said he would try his best to come back, but he's dressed in fine clothes, so he might be detained along with others, but..."
"But what?"
"But please be patient, Master. I believe he will do his best to escape back."
Cen Yan closed his eyes instantly.
His chest heaved violently.
Knowing that Zhuang Dongqing had made the best decision, if Xu Si and his personal guards were to risk their lives to protect him and Cen An, the heavy casualties and the large scale of their arrival at the salt field would surely not be hidden from the prefect. If someone could maintain a private army, the prefect couldn't possibly be unaware of it...
The salt fields are behind the mountain, too close.
When the truth comes out and the secret of raising troops is exposed, the soldiers from the mountain will come along and trap us like turtles in a jar at the salt field.
At that time, Cen An and Zhuang Dongqing were both in someone else's hands, so he had no choice but to agree.
Once he changes his stance, he will be able to eliminate Li Zhuo and Li Yang, who were unexpectedly involved, leaving only the fourth prince, and the political situation will basically be settled.
Rather than letting things spiral out of control, it's better not to expose the truth for now, and just let things continue as they are, treating them as bandits...
Cen Yan clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and called out to Liu Qi, instructing Liu Qi to follow the prefect and forbidding outsiders from approaching him.
Pay special attention to the people working at the salt fields.
Liu Qi agreed and went downstairs.
About an hour later, most of the people from the Prince's mansion returned, each bearing injuries.
They said they encountered someone who claimed to be a bandit.
However, their behavior and mannerisms were no different from those of soldiers, and they did not appear to be bandits.
They kidnapped the Sixth Prince and several retainers, along with Zhuang Dongqing.
Cen Yan looked at the people who had returned, paused for a moment, had Hao San count them, and then went to see Prefect Li Zhuo himself.
"There are bandits around the salt fields who kidnapped the Sixth Prince and Cen An."
As soon as Cen Yan finished speaking, the prefect's hand trembled, and then he asked in surprise.
Cen Yan stared at him for a while, but didn't say much, only that it wasn't safe and they should ride back to Hangzhou first.
Li Zhuo's expression changed several times, but he cooperated very obediently and without hesitation.
The prefect did indeed want to inform the saltworks, but was stopped by the Prince's men, who, citing the urgency of the situation, grabbed the men, mounted their horses, and left.
They sped back to Hangzhou. The prefect vomited as soon as he dismounted. Cen Yan, with a cold face, invited him into the Prince's Mansion to discuss the matter.
The prefect thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
On the way, the prefect, suppressing his discomfort, said, "Perhaps the prince has angered these merchants. They have to pay a lot of tolls to the bandits every year. Maybe someone secretly instructed them..."
"Your Highness is ruthless, but as the old saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Now that the young master has fallen into the hands of bandits, I'm afraid Your Highness will have to be more gentle and courteous in your future actions..."
Before he could finish speaking, Cen Yan pushed open the door to an empty room.
Hao San understood, covered the prefect's mouth, and pulled him inside.
Prefect: "!"
Cen Yan approached and gestured for Hao San to let go of his hand. "Just answer my questions and don't talk nonsense."
Prefect: "How did I, an old man, offend the Prince? Ah—"
The scream was tightly muffled by Hao San.
The prefect's hand had somehow ended up in Cen Yan's hand, and now his little finger was twisted in a curved shape, bending backward.
"Is it the Eighth Prince? Is the Governor-General now one of his men?" Cen Yan asked.
The prefect was sweating profusely. "What is Your Highness saying..."
Before he could finish speaking, his veins bulged and his eyes widened in fury.
No other reason than Cen Yan broke two more of his fingers. Hao San cooperated perfectly, covering up all the screams and turning them into low groans.
The prefect fainted instantly.
Then he was slapped awake.
Hao San pinched the prefect's face and turned to Cen Yan. Cen Yan had already picked up a dagger in his hand and coldly placed it in the prefect's hand, saying expressionlessly, "Then let me ask more questions. Were those private soldiers who acted as bandits brought out by the governor? Did you pledge allegiance to the Eighth Prince?!"
Upon hearing this, the prefect trembled and panicked, "Your Highness, do you not care about the young prince...?"
Before he could finish speaking, the dagger fell, and blood splattered onto Cen Yan's face.
When the prefect was woken up by Hao San again, Cen Yan said, "If you want to play, take your time. Thank you for reminding me, Prefect. I have already sent someone to your residence to fetch the eldest young master. Once all the fingers and toes on his hands and feet are gone, then it will be your young master's turn to continue."
"how?"
Cen Yan laughed.
The cold glint of the dagger was imprinted on his blood-stained face.
Upon seeing this, the prefect trembled uncontrollably and dared not speak again.
Because he knew that Cen Yan wasn't just trying to scare him; the other party really dared to do it...
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