The Prodigal Son

There's still hope!

Those three simple words were like a shot of adrenaline for the four of them.

I'm afraid the historians will abandon them and let them fend for themselves!

"Please, Third Master, save us!"

The four of them stood up together and bowed respectfully.

"Please sit down!"

Shi Wang raised his hand to gesture for them to sit down, and only after the four of them were seated did he slowly speak: "This time, the imperial court is not just going through the motions. No one should harbor any illusions! Think carefully about which things can be resolved with money and which will cost you your head!"

Ge Songtao's face was bitter. "We'd like to pay to avoid trouble, but this Qin Yu might not be so..."

"They're making you pay the imperial court to avoid trouble!"

Shi Wang interrupted Ge Songtao impatiently, "The imperial court has taken serious action, yet there's been no effect whatsoever. How is Qin Yu going to explain himself? Does the imperial court have any shame?"

"Got it, got it!"

Ge Songtao suddenly understood, and breathed a sigh of relief. "After hearing what Third Master said, I think I understand a little!"

"What do you understand?" asked the salt merchant beside him.

Ge Songtao chuckled and said in a pretentious tone, "I heard that Bei Qi and we are fighting in the Northwest. I think the imperial court just wants to use Liu Donglai's affair to extract money from us to supplement their military funds!"

Hearing Ge Songtao's words, the other three were taken aback.

Once they realized what was happening, the three of them immediately beamed with joy.

"You know what, it's actually possible!"

"I think the imperial court is using Liu Donglai's case to give us a warning!"

"Isn't the imperial court planning to introduce Min salt? I think this is also a way for the court to send a warning to the salt merchants in Min!"

"That makes sense. We, the ten largest salt merchants, have been operating in the south for many years, and the imperial court knows our importance. As long as we don't go too far, the court doesn't need to break ties with us. After all, the court relies on the salt taxes we pay!"

"If everyone contributes a little this time to get through this crisis, and also to show the court our stance, I believe the court won't make things too difficult for us!"

"Without us, the Ten Great Salt Merchants, how will the imperial court transport all that salt out of the country? If the court touches us, the losses will only be greater!"

The four of them took turns speaking, each believing their own analysis was reasonable.

Suddenly, they felt like they were back in action.

This doesn't seem like a big deal!

It's a shame they were so scared before.

Hearing the four people's words, Shi Wang couldn't help but snort inwardly.

A bunch of idiots!

Even at a time like this, you're still being arrogant!

Be careful not to die without even knowing how you died!

"Alright, shut up, all of you, and listen to me!"

Shi Wang raised his hand to stop the four of them. "Right now, the best outcome for this matter is for the court to make an example of someone, recover most of the tax revenue, and save face! Qin Yu, the imperial envoy, will be able to handle things well and gain merit from His Majesty! As for you, you should also reflect on yourselves. If any of your subordinates misbehave, you must not tolerate it!"

"Yes, yes!"

"Some of our men are definitely causing trouble; we should hand them over to the imperial court if necessary!"

"Yes, keeping these rule-breakers around will only get us killed sooner or later!"

"If Qin Yu can help us root out those unruly members of our men, we should thank him!"

The four of them echoed each other's sentiments.

They all understood the unspoken meaning behind Shi Wang's words.

Those who need to find a scapegoat should find one; save yourselves first!

And these scapegoats were also Qin Yu's doing!

If everyone can save face, then the matter will naturally be resolved happily!

"Don't worry, don't scare yourself!"

A rare smile appeared on Shi Wang's face. "You've all been through a lot. Never panic! It wasn't a big deal to begin with, but you scared yourselves. The court hasn't even questioned you yet, and you've already spilled the beans about losing your heads. Who can save you now?"

"Yes, yes! Thank you so much, Third Master, for your guidance!"

With a broad smile, Jia Dequan tentatively said, "Third Master, if the imperial court vigorously promotes the import of Min salt, our lives may become quite difficult!"

Hearing Jia Dequan's words, Shi Wang's face instantly turned ugly. "If you don't want to die fast enough, then find a knife and slit your throat now, don't ruin your whole family!"

"this……"

Jia Dequan gave an awkward smile and quickly tried to explain, "Third Master, please calm down. I didn't mean anything by it; I was just casually complaining to you!"

"You'd better start complaining! We've been friends for so many years, I won't mind listening to you complain a bit."

As Shi Wang spoke, he solemnly warned the group, "The imperial court is determined to introduce Min salt this time. I don't care whether you're willing or not, you'd better not have any improper thoughts! The court originally just wanted to give you a warning, but if anyone provokes the court to the point of killing, they will be harming everyone!"

"well!"

Faced with Shi Wang's warning, the four dared not say another word.

Afterwards, Shi Wang chatted with them for a while longer before heading back home.

Upon returning home, Shi Wang immediately went to see his second brother, Shi Yi, and told him in detail what he had discussed with the four salt merchants.

When his mouth was dry from talking, Shi Wang grabbed the teapot and gulped down several mouthfuls of tea.

"Second Brother, I feel that the imperial court's actions this time are a bit unusual! Is the imperial court really just trying to put a warning on the ten major salt merchants?"

As he put down the teapot, Shi Wang asked again with concern.

At this time, Shi Wang was in a completely different state compared to when he was in the Shuyu Pavilion.

"Of course not!"

Shi Yi shook his head slightly. "The imperial court is definitely going to thoroughly rectify the salt industry this time! Half of the top ten salt merchants will probably lose their heads!"

"What?"

Shi Wang's expression changed drastically. "Then... then why did you make me tell them that?"

Use your brain!

Shi Yi glared at the third son, "His Majesty has been trying to sow discord between me and those salt merchants!"

"Many salt merchants now know that His Majesty gave me the opportunity to conduct a self-examination, but I insisted on requesting His Majesty to send an imperial envoy to thoroughly investigate!"

"If I don't let you say that to them, won't they hold a grudge against me?"

"These people are mad dogs! Once they see no hope, can you guarantee they won't fight us to the death?"

As Shi Yi spoke, Shi Wang's eyes gradually revealed a look of understanding.

"Can……"

Shi Wang frowned deeply. "Even if we can keep them in check for now, when Qin Yu investigates them, they'll probably still fight us to the death!"

"I know!"

Shi Yi nodded slightly. "I just want to keep them calm and buy us more time! We need to clean up all the loose ends of that confiscation and extermination incident before we talk about anything else!"

When that matter was mentioned, Shi Wang felt a sudden tremor in his heart.

After calming himself down, Shi Wang lowered his voice and whispered as if to reassure himself, "That happened so many years ago, it shouldn't be brought up again, right?"

He had almost forgotten about this matter.

But as soon as Shi Yi mentioned it, those damned memories immediately flooded back like a tidal wave.

In an instant, a long-forgotten fear spread through his heart.

"It's better to be safe than sorry!"

Shi Yi gently shook his head. "In this world, how many times has pulling out a radish brought out mud along with it? This concerns the lives of our entire family; we can't afford to take any chances!"

Shi Wang paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "That person... can't be kept alive?"

"It's not that person, it's that family!"

Shi Yi shook his head slightly, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "What we need to do now is buy some time and eliminate them through the hands of others! We absolutely cannot let anyone suspect us!"

"Then... what should we do?" Shi Wang asked in a low voice.

"I'll arrange this, you don't need to worry about it for now!"

Shi Yi exhaled a breath of stale air and ordered in a deep voice, "Qin Yu should be arriving soon. Once they cross Yunhuai, arrange for a few absolutely trustworthy people to secretly infiltrate the waters, choose a place where it's difficult to enter or leave, and sink a few ships to block the waterway, delaying Qin Yu as much as possible..."