Chapter 69: Bittern Salt Mine

Chapter 69: Bittern Salt Mine

Xiao Jiu clasped his hands and said, “Prince, you just analyzed it. The Turks only made a compromise to protect Mosi Ashina. They couldn’t possibly truly agree to your conditions!”

“Those people aren’t fools either; they would know too. So, if you do this, wouldn’t it make them think you, Prince, are too foolish!”

Xiao Ce said with a laugh, “Haha, this prince wants them to know this prince is very foolish, very naive. That I believe their conditions! After they know, the Turks will know too!”

Xiao Jiu’s eyes held a trace of confusion.

Xiao Ce did not explain further to Xiao Jiu. He patted Xiao Jiu’s head. “Don’t understand, do you?”

Xiao Jiu nodded.

“If you don’t understand, then ponder it slowly! Go bring out that Mosi Ashina, and then lock him up separately.” Xiao Ce said.

Xiao Jiu nodded. “Should we serve him well with good food and drink?”

Xiao Ce waved his hand. “No need. Just make sure he doesn’t die!”

Xiao Jiu nodded, took the letter, and headed towards the Rites Hall.

Xiao Ce stretched lazily and said to Qian Lai, “Qian Lai, did you go have the blacksmith make the iron stirrups?”

Qian Lai bowed and said, “Prince, it has already been arranged.”

“Don’t be stingy with money. Give what should be given, don’t be cheap!”

Qian Lai nodded.

Xiao Ce asked Qian Lai, “By the way, that matter I asked you to inquire about, have you gone to ask?”

Qian Lai nodded and said, “Reporting to the Prince, there are indeed several salt mines in the Northern Desert, but these salt mines produce edible salt, and they are all controlled by several noble clans. However, there are quite a few toxic bittern salt mines, over a dozen. After they were mined, it was discovered they contained poisonous bittern salt, so they were all abandoned, completely inedible.”

Xiao Ce’s eyes lit up as he listened!

They didn’t have purification technology, but he did!

Actually, refining refined salt now and purifying bittern salt ore weren’t that different; it just involved a few more steps.

If there were bittern salt mines, he wouldn’t need to buy salt and then purify it. He could go straight to the end in one step, saving a lot of money!

“Where are these bittern salt mines?”

“Within the area we currently control, there are two! The others are in the other Four Prefectures. Those noble clans discovered and abandoned them when they excavated. Prince, those are bittern salt mines. Mining and eating it would poison people to death. They are completely useless.” Qian Lai kindly reminded.

“You don’t need to worry about that! Send people to mine them first, and then I will send specialized personnel to transport them!” Xiao Ce said happily.

Although Qian Lai hadn’t known Xiao Ce for long, he had heard many rumors about him.

Since Xiao Ce said so, he must have his own use for it. Qian Lai clasped his hands and went to handle it.

After giving the orders, Xiao Ce looked at the time and thought about taking a nap.

He was truly somewhat tired. From the time he crossed over until now, he had been busy until now.

This life was even busier than when he was the chairman before.

…

When Xiao Jiu arrived at the Rites Hall again, a foul smell hit him in the face.

Mainly because this Rites Hall didn’t have a toilet, and Xiao Ce had locked them here.

Water was provided, but no food was given.

Even though they weren’t given food, they still had to relieve themselves.

Including masters and servants, there were over a hundred people here, so they could only solve it nearby.

Therefore, the smell was simply unbearable.

The servants here were still somewhat better off, but those merchants and lords, when had they ever suffered such hardship!

Seeing Xiao Jiu arrive.

The others swarmed forward, each holding a thick letter.

“Ninth Sir, this is my letter to the Prince, representing my sincerity! As long as the Prince spares my life, my life belongs to the Prince… This is my small token of appreciation!”

“Ninth Sir, this is mine! I really can’t stay any longer. As long as the Prince lets me out, anything is possible!”

One by one, they tried to hand the letters they had written to Xiao Jiu while also stuffing their valuable belongings into his hands.

Xiao Jiu nodded, accepting them without any courtesy. “Everyone, I’ll say it again, you don’t need to tell me these things. If you have sincerity, put that sincerity in the letter. No need to be so polite! I am merely delivering them.”

“This is just our small gesture of goodwill, Ninth Sir, we trouble you…”

Xiao Jiu finally squeezed through the crowd and saw Zhang Yunqing.

“Shopkeeper Zhang, you’re here! The Prince was very pleased with what you wrote and wants to talk with you. You’ll come out with me later.”

After hearing this, Zhang Yunqing’s eyes reddened with excitement; he almost knelt down to Xiao Jiu!

Xiao Jiu said to Zhang Yunqing, “Alright, I’m not here for you all… I’ll talk to you later.”

Saying this, Xiao Jiu led a group of soldiers and walked into the hall.

Zhang Yunqing, thinking his relationship with Xiao Jiu had grown closer, followed alongside him and asked, “Ninth Sir, is there something going on? Can you give a hint?”

As he spoke, he stuffed a heavy, exquisitely crafted gold plaque into Xiao Jiu’s pocket.

Xiao Jiu said with a smile, “It’s just that the Turks backed down. They are willing to pay ten million taels of gold, ten thousand fine horses, and a million dan of provisions to ransom the person.”

Xiao Jiu did not control his volume.

Everyone present froze because it had always been the Turks who robbed them. When had the Turks ever given anything back!

And such an unimaginably large amount.

The officials and merchants present didn’t believe it. Clearly, this was the other side’s delaying tactic.

However, they didn’t dare say anything.

Xiao Jiu now walked to the hall entrance, seeing a crowd gathered there.

Xiao Jiu looked at them and said, “You all heard it, right?”

Everyone nodded.

Xiao Jiu glanced around again, took out the Turks’ reply letter, and read it aloud in public once more.

Afterwards, he let the people inside the hall pass it around to read.

“The Prince said this is our first victory! He told me to tell you all, what the Prince wants to do, he will accomplish! Even the Turks have to obey obediently.”

Xiao Jiu looked around. “Where’s the Khan’s Son? Khan’s Son!”

Mosi Ashina heard clearly. He cleared his throat. “This prince is here!”

Then the crowd parted to make a path!

Mosi Ashina covered his hand missing a finger, his arrogant demeanor seemingly returning to his face.

“Hmph, this prince told you. I am the eldest prince of the Turkic Kingdom. Do you know what that means? My country will save me no matter the cost!”

Xiao Jiu knew Xiao Ce’s goal and was somewhat polite to him. “Khan’s Son Your Highness, it was all Bao An who stirred up trouble before. Our Prince said it was a misunderstanding earlier! As long as you cooperate, we will definitely ensure your safe return unharmed!”

Mosi Ashina glanced at Xiao Jiu, thinking of giving him a hard time.

But then he remembered Bao Cong inside the room, whose hands had been cut off, now half-dead. He was still in their hands. In his eyes, both Xiao Ce and Xiao Jiu were maniacs.

“This prince won’t take his anger out on others either! Just hand over that person who cut my finger when the time comes, and this prince won’t hold it against you.” Mosi Ashina said this, but in his heart, he had already sentenced Xiao Ce, Xiao Jiu, and their whole group to the death penalty.

Xiao Jiu said with a smile, “No problem, these are all negotiable.”

After saying that, he turned to look at those prominent families. “Are you finished reading? Don’t damage that letter!”

At this moment, Lin Shou handed the Turks’ letter back to Xiao Jiu!

He also handed his own written letter to Xiao Jiu. “Young Sir, this letter is for the King of Northern Desert. I must trouble him to spare a moment to read it.”

Lin Shou, one of the Four Great Clans, had started sending a letter.

All the others rushed forward to hand over their letters as well.

They all, to varying degrees, stuffed the treasures they carried with them into Xiao Jiu’s hands.

Xiao Jiu accepted them all without any hesitation.

However, the gifts he received were simply too many; he really couldn’t hold them all.

He looked around, pointed at Bao An’s corpse to the side, and said, “Go strip his clothes off for me, to wrap up these treasures!”

The merchants outside, eager to please Xiao Jiu, quickly took action.

The prominent families watching from the side twitched their eyelids. This Bao An couldn’t rest in peace even after death; his corpse was stripped bare and left lying there.

Xiao Jiu wrapped up the treasures he had collected on his person, had a soldier accompanying him carry the bundle, and then escorted Mosi Ashina out.

After Cai Tianming watched them go far away, his expression turned extremely dark.

“Do you really think the Turks will agree to Xiao Ce’s exorbitant demands?”

Lin Shou said, “Such an obvious delaying tactic! It seems that King of Northern Desert is nothing special. A single letter from them made him so happy he released the person.”

Cai Tianming snorted coldly, giving Kan Zongye a disdainful glance.

“It’s just that some people keep praising him. Who knows if they’ve received some favors from him! A famously useless person throughout the world, how could he possibly become powerful? This time, he completely stepped in dog dung luck, rounding us all up!”

Kan Zongye, standing to the side, didn’t respond to the jab. He said coldly, “Cai Tianming, don’t talk in riddles to me! I did nothing; my conscience is clear! Being here, we are like frogs at the bottom of a well looking at the sky; we know nothing of the outside situation. Whether he’s a dragon or an insect, we’ll know once we’re out.”

“Regardless, Bao An is dead. Xiao Ce also cut off one of Mosi Ashina’s fingers. Given the Turks’ nature, they won’t let us off! The Four Northern Desert Prefectures are about to see a storm!”

Cai Tianming snorted coldly, full of contempt. “It’s nothing more than the Turks spending money to avoid disaster. If that doesn’t work, hand Xiao Ce over to them. Hasn’t it always been like this? How the Four Northern Desert Prefectures change, what does it have to do with us?”

Kan Zongye couldn’t be bothered to argue with Cai Tianming. He was also weak from hunger. He waved his hand, sat down at his table, and began meditating.

…

At this time, in the courtyard of Xiao Ce’s bedchamber.

Xiao Ce was lying on an Official’s Armchair, drinking tea. Two girls knelt on either side of him, massaging his legs.

Another stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders!

On the stone table beside him was a copper Hot Pot, currently boiling.

The remaining girls, under Xiao Ce’s direction, were picking vegetables and washing vegetables.

Among the Twelve Fiends, the famous fast blade, Hu Yidao, was standing before a chopping block, holding a small knife, slicing the beef and lamb that Qian Lai had prepared into slices as thin as cicada wings.

Xiao Ce watched and couldn’t help but applaud. “Excellent knife skills!”

Who knows if the Prince of Zhenguo would faint from anger if he found out that Xiao Ce had his top blade expert, sent to him, chopping vegetables!