Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 142 The Elimination Plan

The letter contained a lot of information.

As usual, he started by asking when the salted fish and salt would be ready. Then he changed the subject and mentioned that the competition for private salt in Jiangyin Prefecture was extremely fierce. In addition to Zhu Ding, Wang Zongsan, Chen Xianwu and others, new people had emerged. They were basically five, six or seven or eight core members who temporarily drove peripheral members to sell private salt.

The vast majority of the salt came from Tongzhou, just across the river, and some Tongzhou people even participated in the trade themselves, leading to conflicts with the locals of Jiangyin. At the end of the letter, Madam Liu mentioned that she had opened a second shop in Laichun Township, west of Jiangyin City, mainly selling grains, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. She said that if anyone needed to contact her, they could go there directly to write to her.

"We have quite a deep relationship in the state." Shao Shuyi chuckled and then began writing a reply.

The place they rented was really shabby, with hardly any furniture, which was just cobbled together at the last minute.

As Shao Shuyi wrote the letter, he thought that Chong Sheng Temple was a really good place. He would visit it in a couple of days and borrow some rooms to use as office space, since it wasn't far away anyway.

The monks are charitable and live a life of peace, so how could they disagree?

After writing the letter, he found some men and had them row a small boat across the river overnight, passing through Xiagang River into Laichun Township to deliver the letter. Xiagang is a river. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a wharf called "Xiapu" was built at the mouth of the river, which belonged to Laichun Township of Jiangyin Prefecture.

After finishing that task, he personally participated in the labor, helping to dry the pickled salted fish.

On the wasteland, many bamboo poles have been erected, covered with countless salted fish, their stench filling the air. When the wind blows, the salted fish sway in the breeze, carrying the smell far and wide.

"Is there any movement from the Ma Tuo Sha Patrol Station?" Shao Shuyi scooped up a large yellow croaker, skillfully pierced its gills and mouth, and hung it on a bamboo pole, asking casually.

"No," Li Fu replied. "I got to know the villagers a while ago and subtly inquired about their situation. I learned that the people from the Matuosha Patrol Office spend their days gambling and drinking in the courtyard. When they run out of money, they go to Yaqian Street to ask for some, or they extort money from passing boats. They rarely go to the countryside to catch thieves. Of the thirteen archers, three are not on duty year-round, supposedly because they are sick, but they always come back from Jiangyin whenever they receive their grain or money. Of the remaining ten, three or four often return to Jiangyin, so only six or seven stay in the patrol office all the time."

Drawing salaries without working, taking leave without permission, gambling, and drinking—the Ma Tuo Sha Patrol Office was truly a very typical grassroots security agency of the Yuan Dynasty.

Moreover, many of the archers in the patrol office came from Jiangyin, and their homes were not here. They basically had no interest in working properly and reasoning with each person. If it were him, Mr. Shao, he would not want to settle down in Matuosha either. It was just a street with a few shops, and it was really desolate. If he had the means, he would go to Jiangyin Prefecture to buy houses and land.

This patrol office has a hard time even catching thieves.

Shao Shuyi strongly suspects that if conflicts and fights break out among the sailors on the supply ships, they might not even dare to board them.

"Since the Ma Tuo Sha patrol chief is sensible, then we don't need to bother with him." Shao Shuyi casually picked up a small yellow croaker and said, "In a while, clear away the low bushes behind the village and build some sturdy houses."

Li Fu hummed in agreement. He didn't ask who would lead the operation; if it was up to him, he'd do it; if someone else did, it didn't matter. He was more interested in taking advantage of the fact that everyone was gathered to raid the Matuosha Patrol Office and seize their offices and barracks.

However, Shao Ge'er doesn't want to break ties with the government for the time being, which is understandable. He will probably be staying here for a long time.

To be honest, he has no interest in the hustle and bustle now. Bringing his two children over and settling down on the sandbar seems like a good idea, quiet and carefree... Two days later, a small boat sailed from Jiangnan and docked at Matuosha.

When she entered the only farmhouse courtyard that was relatively tidy, Madam Liu was taken aback.

"A house with bare walls" is probably the best description of this situation.

Shao Shuyi chuckled awkwardly and said, "Please excuse my rudeness, Madam."

Liu Xing glared at him, took out a handkerchief, wiped the chair, and said, "Sister, you can sit down now."

Tie Niu, Wang Huadu, Wu Heizi, Gao Daqiang, and the others behind Shao Shuyi stood there, their gazes shifting erratically over Liu Xing, sending chills down one's spine. "Get out of here," Shao Shuyi waved his hand and ordered.

Madam Liu turned her head and glanced at Liu Xing and the others who had followed her.

Liu Xing hesitated for a moment, but finally left with his men.

Shao Shuyi's gaze fell on Madam Liu, and he was quite amazed.

Today, Liu wore a deep purple round robe, made of exquisite and very expensive materials.

When sitting in the chair, her shoulders and back are straight, which makes the fabric of the shirt, which was originally slightly loose, look full and comfortable.

The fabric flowed gently down the curves of her chest, then swayed slightly below her waist, except for her lower back.

"Have you seen enough?" Liu asked, already used to the man's gaze.

Shao Shuyi praised, "Everyone has a love of beauty; please forgive me, Madam."

Liu glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Where are you from?"

Shao Shuyi was slightly taken aback, and said, "I'm from Taicang. But as you know, Madam, it wouldn't be wrong to say I'm from Jiangyin."

Liu shook her head and said, "Shao Shuyi from Taicang or Jiangyin is only sixteen years old. You don't seem like him."

Shao Shuyi's heart tightened.

For a fleeting moment, he felt as if his deepest secret had been exposed.

Having gradually become assimilated by the times, he even considered murder to silence witnesses, but he restrained himself, smiling broadly, and said, "Does Madam mean I'm mature and prudent?"

"Fine, don't tell me then." Madam Liu covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Are you that curious?" Shao Shuyi asked.

He regretted asking the question a little as soon as he did. Sure enough, Madam Liu immediately became interested and said, "My family is very devout Buddhist, you..."

"Madam, let's get down to business," Shao Shuyi said. "A batch of salted fish has already been prepared, and your men should have been invited over to inspect it by now. Eight thousand catties of salted fish and one thousand catties of salt can be transported today. It's alright if the payment is made a few days later; I trust you."

"Alright." Madam Liu dismissed her wild thoughts and said, "I will send a boat to pick you up tomorrow."

"Will they sell?" Shao Shuyi asked with concern.

"Then sell it to me for a lower price," Liu said with a smile, smoothing her hair.

"Madam, please don't joke." Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "You have two shops in Wenmiao and Xiapu, right? That's right, both are bustling areas. With such good fish and salt, you shouldn't lack buyers. But how much do you plan to sell them for?"

"Fish isn't worth much," said Liu. "A pound of fish and a pound of salt make two pounds, which sells for about one or six or seven qian. I don't earn much; it's all hard-earned money."

"How much did Zhu Ding and the others sell for?"

"It depends on the season and location," Liu said. "Some sell for one tael and five or six mace, some for one tael and seven or eight mace, it's hard to say."

"The salt in Jiangyin is really expensive, even more expensive than in Liujiagang," Shao Shuyi chuckled.

Madam Liu gets her goods from her shop for one tael (a unit of weight, approximately 50 grams). If the average selling price is one tael and six or seven mace, that's a profit margin of 60-70%. This profit is already quite astonishing; none of the grains, oils, soy sauces, or vinegars in her shop can match it, and it can't even come close to salt. Even if she were to start a tea business in the future, it would still be far less profitable than salt, since ordinary people these days mostly buy cheap, loose tea.

However, Shao Shuyi wouldn't be jealous.

Manufacturers should do what manufacturers do, and distributors should do what distributors do. Trying to capture all the profits in the entire industry chain is a thankless and exhausting endeavor, and they won't do it.

"However," Liu continued, "there's more and more smuggled salt now, and more and more salted fish that's being sold under false pretenses. Both the price of salt and the price of salted fish are starting to falter, and they might even drop after the New Year."

"I won't lower the price," Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "I have a lot of people to support and I spend a lot of money."

"Who supports so many people in the salt smuggling business?" Madam Liu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Wouldn't it be better to save that money and open a shop, build a house, buy land, and acquire concubines and servants? Many salt smugglers do that. Are you perhaps..."

Madam Liu played with her hair with amusement and chuckled, "Is General Chongtian possessing you?"

Shao Shuyi chuckled and said, "Madam, have you been reading too many tales of gods and ghosts? If I were Huang Chao, would I have stormed into Chang'an, established the Great Qi, and changed the era name to Jintong?"

Liu remained silent for a moment.

"Alright, let's not talk about this." She quickly smiled and said, "I'll add some new information I've found out as a bonus."

"it is good."

"Zhu Ding is not fond of drinking, but he is fond of gambling and women," Liu said. "He likes to go to the Silver Hook Gambling House next to the Confucian Temple and often loses money. However, there are rumors that he owns that gambling house and that many officials are among the gamblers. Zhu Ding deliberately loses to them."

Besides that, he also liked to go to Caijing South Gate, where he kept a mistress. She was from an official family and had a scholarly air about her. Zhu Ding was a rough man and was very infatuated with this woman, so he would go there several times a month.

These two incidents are certain; many people in Jiangyin know about them. I won't tell you about the other unsubstantiated rumors; we'll discuss them after we've investigated further.

Shao Shuyi felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this.

Everyone has their own preferences and habits, which will inevitably be noticed by those who are interested in them over time.

What if one day in the future he is studied in the same way? And then ambushed and assassinated in his usual haunts, could he escape unscathed? Such things happened quite often in later Shanghai, and certainly many in ancient times as well. It's just that even if insignificant figures like him and Zhu Ding were assassinated, they wouldn't qualify for a place in history books.

You can't be a thief for a thousand days and guard against thieves for a thousand days. People always have moments of carelessness.

"Could you draw a map of the terrain, streets, and buildings around the Confucian Temple and Nanzha?" Shao Shuyi asked. "I'll think about it first, and then I'll go take a walk around the area once I have a better understanding."

"You're coming in person?" Liu asked.

"Of course." Shao Shuyi glanced at her and said, "I won't feel at ease unless I go myself. What if something goes wrong? Wouldn't that endanger the lives of my brothers?"

"What if someone finds out?"

"Nothing in this world is perfect. Life is always about choosing the lesser of two evils," Shao Shuyi said. "Arrange an identity for me. Also, find one or two people who can speak the Jiangyin dialect. I'll cram a little, even if I don't necessarily need to speak, it's better to be prepared." "Quite meticulous," Liu's gaze swept over Shao Shuyi, and she said, "But isn't it really necessary to go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be better to lure them out?"

Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "Luring the snake out of its hole is certainly a good idea, but Zhu Ding would have had more than just those people around him at that time. An assassination would be less costly, wouldn't it?"

"Do as you please," said Madam Liu. "Who knows, if I'm selling salted fish, someone might come knocking on my door in a huff."

"If that happens and Madam cannot resolve it through official connections, a letter will suffice. I understand this basic rule of the martial arts world," Shao Shuyi said.

"Alright, wait for my reply." Madam Liu was decisive and stood up to say.