Chapter 61 Outside the window, the autumn rain continues... This year's rain...

Chapter 61 Outside the window, the autumn rain continues... This year's rain...

Outside the window, the autumn rain continued incessantly. This year's rainfall was exceptionally heavy, and Jiangzuo hadn't seen the sun for nearly half a month. Xiao Yan Hui, who was increasingly immersed in the hell of accounting, felt as gloomy as the weather in Jiangzuo City.

Her gloomy mood intensified, especially when she saw that a large sum of money had disappeared from the accounts.

As in previous quarters, the salt company's accounts eventually had to be balanced by adding a huge amount of miscellaneous expenses.

In the year she took over the accounts, this miscellaneous expenditure amounted to nearly 300,000 taels of silver.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, she certainly knew where this miscellaneous expense, which automatically evaporated every quarter, went.

The Qin family's ability to operate the salt industry steadily and reap huge profits from snowflake salt is not only due to the superior performance of snowflake salt compared to regular salt, but also because they have sufficient backing. Otherwise, the better their products are, the more dangerous they would be.

The fact that the Qin family, a mere merchant household, was not completely divided up by other powerful and ruthless individuals must have been largely due to the efforts of Prince Cheng.

Therefore, what made Xiao Yan Hui feel bad was not the missing silver in the account.

It was all a transaction of power and money; it was only natural for the Qin family to repay the favor of those who had protected them.

What truly worries Xiao Yan is that if Prince Cheng could reap such enormous profits in just one year with the Qin family, how many pawns like the Qin family could he have under his control? And how much profit did he make each year?

For many years before, this Prince Cheng had no public presence in Jiangzuo City, and there were no rumors of him indulging in wine, women, wealth, or luxury.

As a prince, his fiefdom was located in the prosperous Jiangzuo region, where he already had a substantial annual income. He could spend as much as he wanted and still not be able to finish it all. However, although his expenditures appeared to be minimal on the surface, he secretly controlled countless channels for accumulating wealth, just like the Qin family.

With such enormous wealth in his hands, is he just going to leave it there and look at it?

If Xiao Yan had only a slight suspicion about this matter before her marriage, after taking over the account books from Qin Ji, she was eighty percent certain that this Prince Cheng harbored rebellious intentions.

Especially during last year's rebellion in Yunzhou, he quietly gained control of Yunzhou.

Unfortunately, Qin Ji's stay in Yunzhou only deepened the bond between the Qin family and this Prince Cheng, and it remains to be seen whether this will bring good or bad fortune in the future.

With her mind racing, Xiao Yan rubbed her throbbing temples, stood up, and opened the window, hoping the cool wind and rain outside would dispel some of the vexation in her heart.

A few raindrops drifted in at an angle, carrying the bitter scent of plants and the smell of earth. She took a deep breath, looked up, and gazed into the distance to relax her eyes.

The next moment, his gaze inadvertently swept towards the roof of the side courtyard, and it seemed... there were a few very blurry shadows flashing by in the rain? But upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.

"Am I seeing things because the wind and rain are getting stronger?" Xiao Yan frowned, thinking it was just her imagination.

Unbeknownst to her, right at the foot of the side courtyard wall, several people dressed as ordinary servants of the Qin family exuded an aura of menace.

With practiced ease, they dragged the neatly disposed corpse into the shadows.

These were the bodyguards Qin Ji had placed at home to protect Xiao Yan Hui.

Originally, it was just a habitual desire for control and protection at play, but unexpectedly, this seemingly insignificant move came in handy during this period, and more than once.

"How is it?" one of the guards asked his companion who was examining the corpse.

"Just like the previous two times, there are no clues or leads about this person."

"This is the third time this year. Who on earth is keeping such a close eye on the mistress? But judging from their methods, it doesn't seem like they're after her life. It's more like they're looking for something or trying to get some information?"

Another guard asked their leader a question with suspicion.

"I don't know, and we don't need to know. Our lord is about to return, so you all need to stay on your toes and not make any mistakes. Make sure he is well protected, understand?" The leader glanced at his men, his face serious.

Their duty is to protect, and it doesn't matter if they can't find out who the other party is or what their purpose is, but if anything happens to the mistress, they might have to die with her.

"Understood, boss." They all nodded.

After exchanging a few glances, one person stayed behind to continue dealing with the body, another went out to check if there were any more corpses in the surrounding area, and the other three straightened their expressions and perfectly resumed their public servant roles.

......

Unaware of anything amiss, Xiao Yan rested briefly by the window while watching the rain before returning to her desk and spending some time calculating the remaining accounts.

"Phew, finally finished."

She put down her pen, looked at the stack of account books that almost submerged the large rosewood desk, let out a relaxed breath, and then let herself slump into the chair as if her bones had been removed.

Although it's not very dignified, sometimes only by collapsing like this can I truly feel relaxed.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yan's relaxation time was quickly interrupted today.

"Madam, the shopkeepers have brought over the shop's account books."

Zhu Yue and Mao'er pushed open the door together, one carrying a freshly made sweet soup and snacks from the kitchen, and the other carrying a stack of account books.

"The ledger, it's the ledger again!" Xiao Yan Hui almost wanted to sigh to the heavens.

However, this time she brought in the account books of her own shops and land. The accounts were not complicated, and each book showed a good profit at the end, which was much more reassuring to look at.

That day, Xiao Yan returned to the account book in the morning and was not idle in the afternoon either.

The continuous autumn rain showed no signs of stopping by afternoon, the fine rain weaving a gray net that enveloped the entire canal wharf. A faint chill seeped in silently with the moisture. Xiao Yan returned to her seat in a private booth on the second floor of a riverside tavern, looking down.

My gaze pierced through the fine rain curtain, and not far downstairs was the bustling dock.

Even in the rain, groups of people were still busy moving about at the dock.

Some of the laborers wore simple straw raincoats, while most were shirtless with only a thick cloth padding their shoulders. They busily carried the last batch of burlap sacks covered with tarpaulins onto the waiting cargo ship.

"Finally... this is the last batch." Xiao Yan whispered back to her, her voice filled with a sense of relief.

A few days ago, she received a secret letter from the caravan, sent from Yunzhou. This wasn't the first time she had received such a letter this year.

But this handwritten letter contained more than just a list of urgently needed supplies in Yunzhou, nor was it merely Qin Ji's words of comfort and longing.

It also conveyed a clear message: the chaos in Yunzhou is now over!

The imperial army has almost completely controlled the entire Yunzhou region, and the remaining stubborn local tribes have been completely suppressed and are awaiting final extermination.

This means that Qin Ji will be back soon.

Downstairs, the captain's booming voice pierced through the rain: "Full hold! Sealing the holds! Ready to set sail!"

At the captain's shout, the sails rose heavily in the rain and unfurled, soaked but still catching the wind. The boatmen quickly stowed the slippery gangplank and untied the rain-soaked ropes.

Xiao Yan watched as several boats slowly began to sail, their bows cutting through the river surface. To the naked eye, they seemed to be moving slowly, but as he watched, they grew smaller and smaller until they gradually disappeared into the rain and mist ahead and into the passing ships.

When they went to search again, it was already difficult to tell where the ships were.

Only when it was completely out of sight did Xiao Yanhui let out a soft sigh of relief.

I picked up the now-cold teacup on the table, turned back to the window and raised my cup in the direction where the ships had disappeared:

"Hurry back, or I'll be exhausted. I've really lost out on this deal with you. If you don't make it up to me when you get back, you'll be sorry."

In Yunzhou, those who have been threatened with "you'll regret this" don't look too happy at this moment.

"After being emperor his whole life, all he can do in the end is resort to such underhanded tactics in the inner quarters? A piece of trash is a piece of trash. I overestimated him." Qin Ji sneered as he quickly glanced through the secret letter in his hand.

He originally thought that the emperor would send someone to take over the war situation in Yunzhou before he had completely quelled the rebellion, so that the emperor could suppress his achievements and reposition his own confidants in Yunzhou.

Or they might bring up his excessive killing in Yunzhou, but unexpectedly, he didn't choose either of those options.

“Even if the methods used in the inner quarters are used well, they may not necessarily be bad methods.” Qi Qing twirled the jade flute in his hand, looking like he was in complete control.

He was Qin Ji's advisor kept in the Prince's Mansion. For many years, Qi Qing felt that he was living a life of leisure in the Prince's Mansion.

He even considered leaving the Prince's mansion because his life was too leisurely and comfortable. Of course, he only kept this thought in his mind. He believed that if he dared to say it out loud, he probably wouldn't leave the Prince's mansion alive.

Qin Ji's plans in Yunzhou delighted him. After years of peace, he finally had room to maneuver.

It would be a waste not to use such a brilliant mind of his. Moreover, he himself is worried that if he continues to rest, he will ruin his good brain, which would be a great loss to the world.

Without further ado, Qi Qing also read the secret letter and immediately began analyzing it.

"Since His Majesty did not choose to suppress His Highness, but instead promoted you and is going to transfer you back to the capital, it means that His Highness the Second Prince makes him feel threatened."

He needs someone to step up and support him, and His Highness's great achievement this time is undoubtedly the perfect candidate.

However, this grand gesture of bestowing favor is a tactic to both ensure His Highness's resistance against the Second Prince and to subtly undermine him!

Qi Qing's face was full of "admiration" for the affection between the royal father and son.

"Even if his intention was to flatter me to my detriment, the so-called flattery to my detriment would inevitably involve first flattering me. Isn't this exactly the perfect opportunity for me to rise to prominence?"

Qin Ji didn't care at all what sinister intentions the person above him might have; he only saw that there was a great opportunity right in front of him.

"But His Majesty is planning to select a princess for His Highness..." Wei Sa, who had been listening in, hesitated for a moment before bringing up this point.

Having served His Highness for many years, he was well aware of how special His Highness treated the current mistress, but he didn't know where the line for this special treatment lay.

"First, let someone spread the word in the capital, saying..." Qin Ji pondered for a moment and then continued, "that Prince Cheng is cursed with loneliness and misfortune, and unless one's birth chart is compatible with his, it is unlikely that anyone can withstand the curse in my destiny."

Then I'll have several groups of people spread the news that Prince Cheng and his wife are very much in love. If they still insist on vying for the position of Princess Consort after all that, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

Wei Sa and Qi Qing exchanged a glance, both already understanding His Highness's attitude.

"Also, since my father is so leisurely, let's find him something to do. He wants to build a palace, right? Let's arrange for a few censors to impeach him."

Furthermore, the salt commissions scheduled to be sent to the Imperial Treasury this year have been reduced by 70%. I'll say I used that money to procure supplies for Yunzhou. Please forgive me, Father Emperor.

Previously, large sums of money from salt trade each year went into Qin Ji's private coffers, partly because Qin Ji wanted him to shut up about his salt trade.

Although both are silver, the difference between going into the national treasury and going into the private treasury has a completely different meaning for the emperor.

Secondly, Qin Ji needed to keep a low profile at that time, and be a good son who appeared stubborn on the surface but still harbored filial piety towards his father, verbally expressing disdain but acting in a way that pleased his father.

However, the previous persona can still be used, but it needs to be slightly adjusted to show more of its sharpness.

......

Beijing

"Failed again? A bunch of useless trash!" As the words fell, the veins on the back of the hand holding the carrier pigeon bulged.

Almost instantly, the pigeon that brought the bad news had its neck snapped and was dead beyond any doubt.

"Give the order to halt the operation. That kid is going back, and the old man has also sent people to Jiangzuo. It's no longer the best time."

"Yes, Your Highness."