Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 134 Inferior Salt

General Lu clearly didn't want Jiu Que and the others to see the situation in Yancheng, so he quickly led them to a secluded courtyard, opened the door, and found it filled with burlap sacks. The sacks were slightly damp and had a bitter, fishy smell. Presumably, these sacks contained salt.

But shouldn't salt be dry? If it contains water, wouldn't it be much heavier? And the quality wouldn't be very good either. Bai Yichun could certainly think of this, so her expression was a little unpleasant. But since General Lu was standing to the side, he didn't say much, and simply stepped forward and casually untied one of the burlap sacks.

Jiu Que also went over to take a look and almost couldn't help but turn to question the man surnamed Lu: "Is this what you call salt? This salt looks grayish-black, and it's mixed with clods of dirt and twigs. Even if it contains water, is it really that hard to pick out the impurities?"

It seems that this man surnamed Lu wanted to buy this inferior salt for Baiyichun.

Bai Yichun clenched her fists tightly inside her sleeves. She had a bad temper to begin with, and this was the inferior thing she'd bought with her own hard-earned gold and silver. No one would be happy about that. But she endured it, and finally managed to suppress it, turning her head back with a bright smile. Her tone, however, carried a hint of caution.

"General Lu, isn't the quality of this batch of salt a bit..."

"Does General Baiyi look down on this batch of tobacco? It just so happens that the northern region is severely lacking in salt, and they have repeatedly come to us begging us to sell them salt. If General Baiyi doesn't want this batch of tobacco, then it's a good deal for them."

The Northland...aren't they fighting the Northern Barbarians there? And I heard her mother's women's army is also fighting there. Are they so short of salt that they can't even get enough to eat?! That's outrageous! How can they fight without salt?!
Good heavens! The border soldiers are risking their lives to fight the enemy, and not only is the rear not supporting them, but there are even those who are dragging them down. Isn't salt a necessity in special circumstances? How dare Yancheng block the salt from the north! Just thinking about those brave soldiers who fought so hard to return alive from the battlefield, only to be forced to eat tasteless food, Jiu Que was furious and suddenly turned around! Just as he was about to say something, Bai Yi Chun grabbed him.

"No, of course we want it, we're just a little surprised. Give me all this salt, we can handle it in Miaozhou. Men, move the goods and hand over the gold and silver we brought to General Lu."

Only now did the man surnamed Lu manage to give Bai Yichun a forced smile.

"General Baiyi is very sensible. Only someone like you can control Miaozhou. As for the younger generation in the family, if they lack the knowledge and experience, they should not come out, or they will only become a laughing stock."

Jiu Que narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully looking at this man surnamed Lu from head to toe, and memorizing his face.

In fact, a brainless idiot like this would usually be a villain in a story, and an unknown cannon fodder villain at that. Daring to make such sarcastic remarks without even knowing his own identity, he's truly not cut out to be an official; no wonder he's doing this kind of manual labor.

However, His Majesty previously sent a message by carrier pigeon instructing her to accompany the tribute convoy to the capital. The journey would inevitably pass through Yancheng, so she would naturally have to travel with the tribute convoy from Yancheng. Could it be that His Majesty has long harbored resentment towards Yancheng and therefore wants her to investigate it secretly?
She always felt there was something strange about Yancheng. Even when she first arrived, the locals didn't dare stare at them, the outsiders. Yancheng certainly had enough salt, right? So why did the people here still look so thin and weak?
The man surnamed Lu received the gold and silver, opened it, and examined it before revealing a satisfied expression. Jiu Que, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Bai Yi Chun had secretly handed him a brocade pouch. The pouch wasn't large, but it was bulging with countless valuables. In short, the man surnamed Lu was finally satisfied. After giving a few instructions, he wanted Bai Yi Chun and the others to leave.

Just then, Jiu Que clutched her stomach, blushing slightly with embarrassment.

"Sister, I'm a little hungry. I haven't had a proper meal these past few days, eating out in the wind and rain. Could we go to a restaurant for a meal? We can also pack some food to eat on the way. I'd like some pastries."

"This……"

Bai Yichun seemed somewhat troubled. Perhaps out of consideration for the brocade pouch, the man surnamed Lu wasn't entirely unreasonable. Of course, his tone was still arrogant and unpleasant. "If General Bai Yichun wants to eat, the street to the left ahead is full of restaurants and food stalls; the food is quite good. You might want to give it a try."

"Thank you very much, General Lu. My little sister is young and has a big appetite. She's been talking to me about wanting to have a good meal these past few days. Don't worry, General Lu, we'll just go have a meal and leave right away."

"There's no need for that... just be mindful of the time."

After saying that, the man surnamed Lu turned and left, clearly unwilling to talk to Jiu Que and the others any longer. After they had gone far away, Jiu Que waved his fist in the air.

What's so great about it? Selling salt and acting all high and mighty? They're holding a lot of hard-earned money, and the other party is acting all high and mighty, as if they really think they have to rush to buy salt.

Turning around, I saw Baiyi Jun's disapproving expression.

“Sister, I know you’re a good official who cares about the people, but listen to your older sister about this matter. You can’t handle it; it’s too big a deal.”

“But Sister Baiyi, don’t you want to eat high-quality salt? I just looked, and this salt bag is full of stones and clods of dirt, and it’s even wet. You’ll have to process this salt again after you take it back. How much will be left after processing? It’ll be good if half of what’s here is left. This salt is so expensive. If you were only eating it once, that would be fine, but you’re clearly not just eating it once.”

Salt is a consumable commodity that can't be reused. It's a waste to pay the price of meat for salt.

Bai Yichun moved her lips, but couldn't find a reason to persuade Jiu Que, so she could only sigh helplessly.

“Why won’t you listen to me, child? Fine, but you must know that the Prince of Binyang wields immense power. Don’t offend him lightly. Otherwise, if he cuts off the salt supply, the surrounding counties will suffer.”

Jiu Que nodded. Qianzhou wasn't far from here, and the people there also needed to eat the salt produced here, so she naturally wouldn't cause trouble at this critical juncture.

However, this reminder suddenly reminded Jiu Que that back at the cinnabar mine, although the food and drink were simple, she did have jar after jar of salt when cooking. Even though it was a bit grayish in color, it was still of much better quality than the salt that was now packed in burlap sacks.

"Sister Baiyi, is this the quality of the salt you bought in Miaozhou before?"

"

(End of this chapter)