The Prodigal Son

Just after 1 p.m., the salt workers from the salt fields were escorted to the prefectural governor's office.

Qin Yu punished the crowd outside the prefectural governor's mansion, surrounded by a large crowd.

Ten strokes each, deliberately holding back, and after ten strokes, the buttocks will probably hurt for two or three days before the pain subsides.

After the fight, Qin Yu gave Qi Dachui a wink.

Qi Dachui raised his voice: "Those who want to continue working as salt workers, stand on the left! Those who don't want to be salt workers anymore, stand on the right!"

Upon hearing Qi Dachui's roar, the group of salt workers immediately sprang into action.

Most people stood on the left, with only less than thirty people scattered on the right.

For these salt workers on the left, salt production was their means of survival.

Although they also coveted a string of cash, they could still distinguish between long-term and short-term meal tickets.

Seeing that everyone had made their choices, Qin Yu stopped arguing and gave money to those who were due and salt registers to those who were due.

A basket of copper coins was carried out, and the household staff brought out thick registers.

"What is your name? Where do you live? How many people are in your family?"

"My name is Wu Si, and I live in Shiwan Village. There are five people in my family: besides myself, there is my elderly mother, my wife, and two children..."

"Found it! Matches the register! Registration is complete!"

While they were checking the registers and re-registering the salt workers' salt records on one side, they were handing out large sums of money on the other.

A string of coins, heavy in the hand.

The money was distributed, and the person in charge of distributing it gave a reminder: "Use this money to live a good life, don't use it for eating, drinking, and having fun! If you dare to produce salt privately again and get caught by the imperial court, it won't just be a matter of ten strokes of the cane!"

"Yes, yes! Thank you, sir..."

The salt worker accepted the string of coins with profuse thanks, his face beaming with joy, completely forgetting the pain in his buttocks.

"Next!"

Seeing the scene before them, the onlookers immediately began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"Are they really giving out money?"

"When did these officials become so kind?"

"Do you really think they're that kind? They're trying to win people over."

"Then why don't you try to win people over? Give me a string of coins, and you can try to bribe me too!"

"I...you're just being unreasonable!"

"I think you're the one being unreasonable! They were illegally producing large quantities of salt; they were already being generous by not losing their heads, giving them ten strokes of the cane, and even paying them off and granting them salt registration certificates. What more do you want?"

"It seems the notice posted by the government was true..."

Over 90% of the onlookers approved of Qin Yu's combination of kindness and severity.

Even if they weren't the masterminds behind the unauthorized salt production, a mere ten strokes of the cane is already a very lenient punishment.

Moreover, after the fine, they would either be given a salt register or a string of cash to be dismissed; it was like a windfall.

If they had encountered a cruel official, they would have chopped off those hundreds of heads and taken them to the imperial court to claim credit!

After about an hour, all the salt workers who had chosen to register for salt production had obtained their registration.

However, for now they are only being given salt registration; a unified arrangement will be made later.

After the crowd dispersed, the onlookers eagerly shared what they had witnessed.

The people who had been living in fear and anxiety finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When Niu Er returned home, his anxious wife immediately rushed up to him and grabbed him, saying, "Husband, what are we going to do?"

The couple made a living by fishing and selling fish.

While fishing, they would also secretly make some coarse salt.

Aside from what goes into our own mouths, most of this salt is used to pickle salted fish and vegetables.

A very small amount of high-quality salt was secretly sold to people who collected smuggled salt.

Although they hadn't made more than a string of cash in a year, she had been extremely anxious since yesterday.

She was afraid that after the imperial court arrested those salt smugglers, they would follow the trail and arrest her and her husband.

"Alright!"

Niu Er patted his wife's hand, "The imperial court is only cracking down on those officials and merchants who collude to sell smuggled salt this time; it has nothing to do with us."

Niu Er's words of comfort had little effect. His wife remained uneasy, even tightening her grip on his arm. "It's not our turn yet, but it'll probably be soon! I heard from Aunt Li next door that the imperial envoy is ruthless. Once he's dealt with those officials, it'll be our turn..."

"What does she know! Don't listen to her babbling nonsense!"

Niu Er glanced at Aunt Li's house next door, a broad smile on his face, and said, "Let me tell you, I saw it with my own eyes today..."

Listening to Niu Er's vivid description, Niu Er's wife couldn't help but open her mouth wide in exaggerated disbelief.

Is this for real?

Those people helped Wang Zhaojie and his son produce so much salt, and not only did they not lose their heads, they even got salt registration?

Does that mean they don't need to worry anymore?

The same thing was happening in other parts of Linhai City.

As night fell, many people who hadn't dared to close their eyes for a day and a night could finally get a good night's sleep.

……

The next morning, Qin Yu took Yang Jichun to the official salt fields in Linhai.

Upon seeing Qin Yu and his entourage, the salt supervisor and his subordinates all collapsed to their knees, their bodies trembling.

They had heard that this inspector was different from the previous ones.

This is the imperial envoy carrying the Emperor's sword!

Even Wang Zhaojie and his ilk couldn't be captured, so they couldn't expect to escape unscathed and could only hope for leniency.

"I'm too lazy to interrogate you!"

Qin Yu glanced indifferently at the crowd. "Go back and confess what you've done. I'm not an unfeeling person. As long as you haven't committed any unforgivable crimes, I'll guarantee your lives!"

In fact, the officials in Linhai have already confessed most of what these people did.

At first, he thought these people were insatiable and greedy.

But as he learned more and more, his ability to accept information also increased.

One in twenty is considered rather timid.

Those with a bit more guts might be able to pull off a one-in-five deal.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The crowd trembled as they thanked him, feeling as if their souls had returned.

Get up!

Qin Yu glanced at them indifferently, "Take me to the salt fields and give me a brief introduction to the situation there."

"yes!"

The salt commissioner struggled to his feet, his voice trembling as he said, "This way, sir..."

Led by the salt inspector, they entered the salt field.

The salt inspector also introduced them to the situation at the salt fields.

Their salt fields use two methods to produce salt: boiling and sun-drying.

In the earliest days, the main method of salt production here was boiling.

During the previous dynasty, the salt-making process was gradually perfected, and salt production became the main method.

This official salt field is the largest in the entire Yuanzhou, employing more than 50,000 people.

This salt field produces 300,000 shi of medium to high-grade salt annually, and about 400,000 shi of other types of salt combined.

"That's not right!"

Qin Yu frowned and looked at the salt commissioner. "Wang Yunchuan and his few hundred men produced 30,000 shi of medium-to-high-grade salt in less than a year. And you, with so many people, have only produced this little bit of salt?"

The salt inspector's heart skipped a beat, and he wailed, "Sir, I'm innocent! That's not how it's done! Although we have a large population here, only about 15,000 to 16,000 are directly involved in salt production..."

The others were all in auxiliary positions, such as porters, various odd jobs, and so on.

Moreover, Wang Yunchuan's side is full of able-bodied men, while their side has both the elderly and children.

Most importantly, their area is large and greatly affected by the weather.

When the weather is bad, the salt production of the entire salt field will drop significantly.

At this time, boiling salt will take up the majority of the production, while sun-drying salt will be less common.

The difference in yield between boiling salt and sun-drying salt is enormous.

"Brother Yang! Would you like a drink with me?"

The salt commissioner was still desperately trying to explain when a loud shout suddenly drew Qin Yu and his men's attention...