Chapter 397 Deadlock
“What a coincidence? All the salt shops are sold out.” Zhao Ji sat in his seat, his eyes full of suspicion.

Even a simple thought would tell that there was something wrong. When it comes to “salt”, it naturally reminds people of Yuan Qi.

Cui Liang and Wu Wendeng each had their own “important responsibilities”, and it was the Sima of Yangzhou who came to report to Zhao Ji.

He still looked a little nervous, and said with a guilty tone: “Of course it’s not such a coincidence, but the salt shops are almost out of stock…”

Zhao Ji looked at Sima with a smile, his eyes full of amusement, as if to say: Go on, keep making it up.

“Keep talking!”

Sima swallowed his saliva and continued, “Your Highness, you may not know that all the salt in Yangzhou is supplied by a large salt field in Yancheng County. In recent days, the transport households have been in turmoil and the roads have been blocked. It is said that the salt was robbed on its way to the south, resulting in an emergency supply of salt…”

Zhao Ji sneered: “Since the state knew about this, didn’t they think of making preparations in advance and transferring salt from Linzhou to prevent any accidents?”

Sima said helplessly: “Originally, each salt shop still had a certain amount of reserves, but someone spread rumors, causing people to rush to buy salt. In just one day, several salt shops were almost empty!”

“As for transferring salt from Linzhou, it requires the approval of the governor and the chief secretary. I only learned about this today and was caught off guard…”

The implication was that it was all Zhao Ji’s fault for detaining Cui Liang and Wu Wendeng in the Caoyun Yamen, and that he was just a scapegoat, and that these matters were normally not his responsibility.

Zhao Ji smiled and shook his head, not making things difficult for Sima: “Forget it, this matter really cannot be blamed on you, I will immediately order a batch of salt to be requisitioned from Linzhou for emergency use.”

“However, it will take at least a few days to arrive. During this period, you must find a way to post a notice to stabilize the people’s hearts. If there is any chaos, you will be held responsible!”

Sima was embarrassed when he heard this, and he bowed his hands and asked, “Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. I am not qualified to handle it. Governor Cui has been in Yangzhou for a long time and is deeply loved by the people. It would be better to ask him to come forward to appease the people!”

Zhao Ji sneered in his heart, he knew that this was the ultimate goal of Yuan Qi’s careful planning.

Thinking of the empty guard last night, he didn’t hesitate: “Well, you have some truth in what you said. I will ask Governor Cui to deal with this matter. However, I have to say this in advance. If there is any mistake again, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

Sima was probably happy that he had completed the task assigned to him, so he immediately agreed.

When his figure disappeared outside the hall, Zhao Ji’s face darkened instantly. He didn’t expect Yuan Qi’s counterattack to come so quickly, and in such a way.

Salt and iron are two extremely special existences in ancient China’s economic life.

In the natural economy where men farmed and women wove, most daily necessities could be self-sufficient, except for salt and iron, which were indispensable.

Because of this, as early as the Warring States Period, there was a concept of salt and iron monopoly. The government controlled the production of the two resources and enjoyed the right to set prices.

By monopolizing and selling salt and iron, the tax was embedded in the price, which actually resulted in an extra tax. The people were unaware of it, let alone able to escape it.

Of course, this was not the case in all dynasties. In the early years of a dynasty, the control over salt and iron was often relaxed in order to restore the economy.

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing advocated the Huang-Lao philosophy and the policy of inaction, and private ownership of salt and iron was allowed.

Emperor Wu was eager to make progress and launched wars on all sides. Under financial pressure, he adopted the policy of salt and iron monopoly.

The Tang Dynasty was no exception. During the reigns of Li Yuan and Li Shimin, salt and iron were not nationalized.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi and the contemporary Wu Zetian, although private property and private sales were allowed, they only levied salt tax.

Specifically speaking, the largest salt monopolist in Yangzhou today is, of course, Yuan Qi. He controls the largest salt field and output, and uses this to hoard salt and make huge profits.

The officials of Yangzhou government accepted bribes from Yuan Qi and not only did not crack down on this behavior, but instead became tools in his hands and assisted him in his evil deeds.

This means that the salt tax, which was originally only levied by the imperial court on nearly one million people in Yangzhou, was actually pocketed by Yuan Qi.

In addition, the Iron Hand Group controlled by Yuan Qi is a considerable violent organization. Upon closer thought, Yangzhou is like a small country within a country.

This method is no less effective than the snake spirit’s control over states and counties, except that it is more covert.

Zhao Ji pondered in his heart: “Yuan Qi has created a large-scale evil force that is involved in both black and white, with complicated connections! In the future, should Di Renjie and I change our names as imperial envoys?”

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile.

Yuan Qi’s counterattack was indeed very quick, but since he was exposed to the court, could he still turn the tables?
In the deep inner courtyard of Prince Ying’s Palace, Yuan Qi sat on the throne, listening to Long Feng’s report, with Yuan Gui standing beside him.

“So, only Cui Liang was released?” Yuan Qi was not satisfied with the result.

Long Feng nodded. “I have already contacted Cui Liang. According to him, he and Wu Wendeng were both placed under house arrest by Zhao Ji. They were not allowed to sleep all night. The Qianniu Guards asked them indirectly about the corruption in the Yangzhou officialdom.”

“As for Yang Jiucheng, he was arrested on the spot, and he was even forced to confess… But the three of them were not allowed to communicate, so he didn’t know the details.”

After hearing this, Yuan Qi frowned and looked solemn.

Seeing this, Long Feng looked sideways and continued, “According to a secret report from our spies, since last night, several officials in the Canal Transport Office have been urgently summoned for questioning. Several of them have not returned yet, and their families have also been taken to the office. The situation is unclear…”

Yuan Qi was silent for a moment, and finally spoke slowly: “I think someone has confessed! It seems that the situation in the Yangzhou government office can’t be concealed for much longer.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Gui’s face changed and he asked anxiously, “Then what should we do? Should we find a way to get rid of these people and silence them?”

Yuan Qi shook his head, his eyes deep: “It’s meaningless. How many officials are there in Yangzhou? It’s impossible to kill them all. Besides, only Cui Liang and the other two know about the existence of the Iron Hand Group. The end of Yangzhou officialdom does not mean the end of our Iron Hand Group.”

Long Feng nodded in agreement, then showed some worry: “But Yang Jiucheng and Wu Wendeng are still in their hands, and even Zhang Zhi. This King of Yan is a man who will do anything to achieve his goal. What if they can’t stand the torture…”

His words came to an abrupt end, but the implication was undoubtedly a hint that Yuan Qi was silencing him.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Gui actually agreed: “Yes, father! Only the dead will not reveal secrets!”

Yuan Qi naturally understood this truth, but he had other plans: “It’s easy to kill people and silence them, but it’s not easy to eliminate the suspicion and threat from the King of Yan to us!”

“Once Governor Cui Liang and Chief Clerk Wu Wendeng are dead, it will be another shocking case. If we continue to investigate, the Iron Hand Group will never have peace!”

Yuan Gui was startled and asked again: “What should we do then?”

Yuan Qi had a rough idea in his mind, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes: “It would be best if we could think of a way to blame Cui Liang and his gang for the Han Canal accident, and then kill them to silence them, and make it look like they committed suicide out of fear of punishment. That would be a permanent solution!”

“But if the King of Yan has been staying in Yangzhou, it will be difficult to take action and it will be easy to reveal flaws. And according to Long Feng, Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang have also arrived in Yangzhou, so why are there no signs of these two people?”

(End of this chapter)