88 Chapter 088
◎Jianzhou Salt Field◎
The caravan set off again, its destination being the Jianzhou Salt Field in Chengdu Prefecture.
It was too late last night and the caravan could not find a suitable place to stay. They could only sleep on a tung oil cloth spread on the roadside outside the town.
After walking all day, we finally found a foot shop before sunset and booked two large bunk beds.
Jiang Qing acted quickly and occupied two positions against the wall. She left the innermost position for the princess. She wanted to sleep next to her and use her body to block the other smelly men.
The Yan brothers and sisters, who were a step late, looked at each other in bewilderment.
Yan Tai rarely spoke and asked, "Brother Tiegun, can we switch places?"
"No." Jiang Qing refused to give in.
"My brother..."
Yan Shan stopped him and said, "You can sleep anywhere."
Since you have chosen the identity of a man, there is no need to argue with others over these trivial matters, so as not to expose yourself.
Yan Tai was extremely obedient and stopped arguing with Jiang Qing. He looked around the whole room and found that the two brothers, Tiezhu and Tiegun, were the cleanest and tidiest.
He put the bag next to Jiang Qing, making room for Yan Shan, and lay down beside her, separating Yan Shan from the men.
Before going to sleep, Xie Mingzhuo took Jiang Qing to the toilet and told her that Yan Shan was a woman.
Jiang Qing was puzzled. "If that's the case, and she's not part of the caravan, why does she have to squeeze in with us?"
"It's probably to show his determination to join the caravan. Furthermore," Xie Mingzhuo chuckled, "Although Manager Zheng may appear reluctant, he's actually already accepted it in his heart. He's always looked up to scholars."
Otherwise, he would have turned against me long ago and would not have allowed Yan Shan to continue following him.
"Then we continue to pretend we don't know?"
"Um."
On the way back to the house, they met the Yan brothers and sisters. Yan Shan hugged himself tightly with his arms and put on Yan Tai's coat. He seemed unable to withstand the chill of early spring and his face turned slightly pale.
The two sides looked at each other and then looked away one after another.
Xie Mingzhuo returned to the house, lay down with his clothes on, facing the wall and his back to Jiang Qing.
After learning that Yan Shan was a woman, Jiang Qing's concern dissipated a little. She moved the bag that was originally blocking the way to under her head as a pillow, and lay on her side facing the princess, covering her tightly.
When Yan Shan came back from the toilet, everyone had already fallen asleep with their eyes closed.
She slowly lay down beside Jiang Qing, the musty quilt from the foot shop wrapped tightly around her body, but she was still shivering from the cold, with cold sweat constantly oozing from her forehead.
Yan Tai leaned in close and hugged her, saying in a low voice, "It might rain tomorrow, and you're not feeling well, so why don't we just forget about it this time."
"No." Yan Shan uttered a word with difficulty.
"How can you walk like this?" Yan Tai sighed.
Yan Shan did not answer again, perhaps because she had no strength left. The cold quilt was as hard as iron. Not only did she not feel any warmth, she even felt more cold air penetrating into her body.
The abdominal cramps were also constantly tormenting her mind.
The person next to him was shivering, and even Jiang Qing noticed it. The scar on Yan Shan's neck was obvious. After such a serious injury, his body must have been severely damaged, so it was normal for him to be afraid of the cold.
She used to live near Dongzhimen, where many of her neighbors were veterans who had fought in wars and been injured. On rainy days, those injuries would ache dully and their scars would itch.
Every winter is a torment.
Jiang Qing opened her eyes and looked at the window opposite the bunk bed. The window was covered with paper and there was a hole in one place, and the wind was blowing in.
The strong man didn't care about the little wind and was sleeping soundly. Yan Shan, with his frail body, must have been disturbed by the cold wind.
Jiang Qing hesitated for a moment, but finally sat up, took out an old piece of clothing with many patches from the "pillow", covered the window with it, and stuffed the clothing into the gap on the window sill.
The cold wind stopped for the most part in an instant.
She lay back in bed and was about to close her eyes when she heard a low, hoarse "thank you".
Even so, Yan Shan continued to shiver until most of the night, and only fell into a deep sleep in the early morning.
Yan Tai took care of him all night and didn't dare to close his eyes.
It rained the next day as expected. The drizzle of spring rain did not affect the journey, so Manager Zheng decided to set off anyway.
Yan Shan's face was still pale, but he gritted his teeth and followed the caravan.
A hot sweet potato was suddenly thrown to him. Yan Tai took it swiftly, looking confused.
"You taught me how to read, I don't want to owe you anything," Xie Mingzhuo looked at Yan Shan, "If you don't like it, you can use it to warm your hands."
The freshly baked sweet potato, wrapped in tung oil paper and stuffed into the arms, is like a hot hand warmer, instantly dispelling the bone-chilling cold.
Yan Shan sighed in relief, "Thank you, Brother Tiezhu."
"If you want to thank me, teach Tiegun how to write his name too."
Yan Shan readily agreed.
The other men were bored on the journey, so they took advantage of the lunch break to come over and ask her to teach them how to write their names.
It seemed as if millions of ants were breeding under the scar, gnawing at it densely. Yan Shan wrote with a branch in his left hand, and rubbed the scar on his neck with his right hand from time to time, but the scar on his right wrist also began to itch.
Jiang Qing used her strength to push everyone away and said, "I don't want to owe you a favor. Take my car this afternoon and I'll take you away."
Yan Shan didn't react. Wasn't she teaching Tiegan to write his name to thank him for the sweet potatoes in the morning?
Why did this person come over to thank her again?
Yan Tai immediately responded with joy: "Brother Tiegun, you don't have to work hard, I can do it."
As long as the caravan was willing to let Yan Shan rest on the truck, he would be satisfied.
Jiang Qing didn't argue with him and turned back to the princess.
"According to the caravan's pace, they will arrive at the Jianzhou Salt Fields by tomorrow afternoon."
Jianzhou was a scattered prefecture under Chengdu Prefecture, and was under the vertical leadership of Chengdu Prefecture. Its administrative level was equivalent to that of a county, but the prefect was of the fifth rank, two levels higher than the seventh rank county magistrate.
A Salt Tax Office was set up in the Jianzhou Salt District, and all affairs of the salt district were handled by the ambassador and deputy ambassador of the Salt Tax Office.
Ambassadors and deputy envoys have a high status and usually do not go to the salt area in person to handle trivial matters. The Salt Tax Bureau has several wells under its jurisdiction. The salt area in Shu is mainly based on well salt, so "well" is used as the basic production unit of the salt field.
The large number of wells and stoves gave rise to the position of chief collector or village chief, who were specifically responsible for assisting the officials of the Salt Tax Bureau in supervising the salt tax.
When a caravan entered the salt field to collect salt, they could only see the chief supervisor or the head of the salt field at most, but they could never see any officials from the Salt Tax Bureau.
The case of the chief inspector exterminating his entire family took place at the Jianzhou Salt Field.
When Xie Mingzhuo followed the caravan to the vicinity of Jianzhou Salt Field, ten days had passed since the princess disappeared.
During these ten days, officials in Chengdu were exhausted.
The princess reception ceremony that they had been discussing for two hours had long been forgotten. Orders were continuously issued to various prefectures and counties. The yamen runners and even the gangs in various prefectures and counties all went out in full force, but unfortunately, there was not even a trace of the princess.
The troops transferred from Huguang also failed.
It is said that the emperor was furious and had named all the officials in Sichuan. If it were not for the poor salt administration, the princess would not have gone to Sichuan for inspection. If the princess had not gone to Sichuan for inspection, she would not have suffered this disaster.
If the princess loses a hair, all the officials in Sichuan will be waiting to see her with her head!
If the emperor really wants to vent his anger on them, they won't be able to defend themselves even if they have a hundred mouths. At this point, they can only pray that Her Royal Highness the Princess is safe and unharmed.
After this battle, they had tested the emperor's bottom line and were no longer naive enough to believe that if the princess died near the Sichuan-Shaanxi border, they could completely avoid the emperor's wrath.
Sichuan and Guizhou are adjacent to each other, and ten days later, the news had reached Guizhou.
Song Qianmu was the prefect of Guiyang Prefecture at the time and was also the head of the Shuidong Song family. He heard the news in the government office and mentioned it casually after returning home.
"What did you say? The princess was attacked and her whereabouts are unknown?" Song Qianqi jumped up in shock, "How is this possible?!"
Song Qianmu was puzzled: "Why is it impossible?"
"You have never seen the princess, you have no idea what kind of person she is. She, she... Anyway, I just think it's impossible." Song Qianqi said with his neck stiff.
"I've certainly never seen it, but even the wisest can make mistakes. Don't blindly worship them." Song Qianmu clearly disagreed. "Ah Fan said before that you were almost bewitched by a cult in the capital. I think your mind hasn't fully recovered yet."
"It was the Sun and Moon Cult that bewitched me, not the princess. And don't you know that the princess's ruthless tactics completely wiped out the remaining evildoers in the capital, which can be considered as revenge for me?"
Song Qianmu was too lazy to listen to his flattery anymore, "Why isn't Ah Fan here?"
"He said he wanted to go out and travel. Who told you to be so busy these days and not come home? He's been gone for three days."
Song Qianmu frowned: "You just let him go out alone?"
"What's wrong?"
"You know the dangers of the mountains and forests, don't you? What will he do if he encounters danger alone?" Song Qianmu sighed, "My Song family owed the Lin family a debt back then, and I can't let him get into trouble here."
Song Qianqi advised: "He has his own ideas, so just leave him alone."
"No, I'll call someone..."
"Brother!" Song Qianqi stopped him and said helplessly, "My Song family is at most a tool being used. The perpetrators of the disaster have been eliminated, but the real culprit is still at large. Do you really think he is here to live a peaceful life?"
Song Qianmu stared at him for a long while, then suddenly snorted: "Are you finally willing to say it? I thought you two were going to keep it a secret from me."
"You have no objection?"
"Who am I in your eyes?" Song Qianmu held his forehead helplessly, "Why should I object?"
Song Qianqi: "You were able to help him back then because of our three-year friendship. Ten years later, the friendship has faded. And you are the leader of my Song family. Don't those in power always like to put the overall situation first?"
"You're just saying it nicely, thinking I don't know what you're thinking. You're worried that I might have some rebellious thoughts, and that I've been blinded by so-called interests."
"Brother, I've seen and felt a lot during this trip to the capital. Complete submission to the imperial court is the inevitable trend."
Song Qianmu patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "It seems that it was right to let you go this time. Don't worry, your brother is not stupid. As for Ah Fan, I won't stop him from doing anything he wants to do, but I hope to lend a helping hand in time when he is in trouble."
"Brother, you're so nice!" Song Qianqi chuckled, then said distressedly, "But I don't know where he is now."
“…”
A secret silver mine somewhere in Guizhou.
The mine boss walked along the mine path with a pot of wine in his hand. Seeing the miners around him working hard, he felt very satisfied.
He hummed a little tune, stood on a flat rock, and raised the wine jar not far away: "Ah Fan! Come quickly, look what I brought you!!"
Lin Fan stood up upon hearing the sound and dusted off his palms.
He was wearing a gray-brown shorts suit, and his lean and powerful figure was unmatched in the entire mine.
"Uncle, I can't hold my alcohol well. If I drink, it will cause trouble."
"Well, what can I do wrong?" The mine owner poured wine into the ceramic bowl. "Thanks to your advice last time, otherwise I would have lost my job long ago. Besides, you are good at managing people. These bastards are very docile now. How dare they cause trouble?"
Lin Fan smiled, took a sip from the bowl, and continued chatting with the other party. He drank several large bowls of wine without leaving any trace, and there was still most of the wine left in his own bowl.
Seeing the mine boss drunk and collapsed, he immediately asked people to help carry him to the simple straw hut and continued to work in the mine.
The mine boss muttered, turned over, opened his eyes with his back to everyone, and his small green bean-sized eyes rolled around.
This manager Afan is really capable. The miners who were originally loose and weak have doubled their efficiency under his organization. The daily output of the silver mine almost blinds him.
He is a rare talent, but we must be on guard against him.
He took a short rest. During this time, there was no unusual movement in the mine and everyone was working quietly.
If he could also get this method of managing people, why would he smoke so many people to death every month and have to trick outsiders into coming into the mine again?
The mine boss decided to befriend Ah Fan and learn his skills in controlling people.
For several days in a row, he treated Lin Fan as his own nephew, accompanying him with delicious food and drinks. The two of them often chatted about all sorts of things, and most of the time the mine boss ended up getting drunk.
"You, you know what?" the mine owner said, blushing and slurring his words, "Sichuan is really bustling right now."
Lin Fan held the wine jar and continued to pour him wine, saying patiently, "Oh? What happened?"
"They say the princess went on an inspection tour of Shu and encountered bandits along the way, and they can't find anyone!"
The wine jar fell onto the stone with a clang, creating several cracks, and the wine slowly seeped out.
The mine boss raised his head: "Hmm?"
"I can't drink much. Look, I can't even hold it steady." Lin Fan said with regret, looking down, "What a pity for the remaining half jar of wine."
The mine boss had no doubts: "It's only half a jar of wine. If you like it, I'll bring two more jars tomorrow."
"Thank you, uncle." Lin Fan bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the wine jar. His voice was a little hoarse, as if he was drunk. "Please tell me more about the princess."
"Princess? Oh, Princess, I haven't found her yet. I guess she's gone..."
The cold-mixed Houttuynia cordata suddenly blocked his mouth, causing him to choke. He did not pay much attention to it, but continued chewing and swallowing. He tilted his head and fell asleep.
Lin Fan clutched the broken pottery shards tightly, looking towards the sunset, not caring even though he was bleeding.
He should have believed the princess.
The princess was already in disguise in Anlu, and this time when she went to Shu for inspection, she must have concealed her identity and was investigating. Even if she was attacked, her whereabouts were unknown, which was a trick she took advantage of.
He kept telling himself this, which made him still stand in the mine instead of leaving for Sichuan.
Jianzhou, Sichuan.
Manager Zheng and his caravan were waiting outside the salt field, along with other small caravans.
Those who were in bulk trade had already made arrangements and could get salt the moment they arrived. Unlike them, they had to wait for the chief collector of the salt field to show mercy.
"Old Zheng, you couldn't talk about salt last time, why are you here again?" An old acquaintance behind him came up to him and laughed at him.
Manager Zheng rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you don't come, you won't get any food. You can't starve to death."
"Hey, why do you have a few more guys under your command?" The acquaintance glanced at Xie Mingzhuo and the other four newcomers and lowered his voice, "I heard from the salt collectors up ahead that the salt fields are being strictly managed now. They'll arrest any strangers they see."
Manager Zheng was startled, but he didn't show it on his face: "What happened?"
"Who knows? Anyway, you have to be careful. If you find out there's something wrong, you'll be dead or at least hurt."
"I understand." After thanking them, Manager Zheng couldn't help but look at Xie Mingzhuo and the other three.
There should be nothing wrong with the iron pillar and the iron rod, but there is something wrong with Yan Shan and Yan Tai. He turned a blind eye to them before because he was thinking of being kind to others. Besides, Yan Shan is a scholar. By hanging out with scholars, he feels like he has become a cultured person.
He was just about to ask Yan Shan and Yan Tai to find another place when he heard a commotion from the team ahead.
"Here I come."
"What's coming?"
"The General Manager is here to check on people."
It was too late to ask people to leave at this time. Manager Zheng could only pray silently in his heart, hoping that nothing would happen.
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