The Prodigal Son

Xiaguang County is located in the northern part of Haizhou, adjacent to Lang County of Yuanzhou.

This time, Qin Yu did not make a big fuss about entering Xiaguang County.

While waiting for Zhao Luan's reply, Qin Yu led dozens of skilled men disguised as a merchant caravan to Xiaguang County.

Qin Yu did not launch another forceful crackdown on the salt administration, which put Yang Jichun and Ruan Zhi at ease.

It's likely that His Majesty wouldn't agree to him continuing his forceful reforms of the salt administration, which had caused widespread panic.

Along the way, Qin Yu and the others chatted and laughed, but Lü Si, who was usually very talkative, was unusually silent.

Curious, Qin Yu nudged Lü Si, who was sitting on the cart with him, with his elbow. "Hey, why are you being so quiet today?"

Lu Si snapped out of his reverie, smacked his lips, and said, "I'm thinking, should we release the news that you were assassinated at Jiankou?"

"Does this news still need to be released?" Qin Yu glared at him.

So many people in Jiankou County already know about this; there's no need for them to deliberately spread the news.

Lu Si chuckled and said in a sly tone, "I'm talking about Gan Dacheng implicating Shi Wang!"

Qin Yu was slightly taken aback, then quickly realized, "You want to scare the Shi family?"

"right!"

Lu Si said excitedly, "Even if it has nothing to do with the Shi family, we can still scare them! If it really does have something to do with them, they'll definitely be thrown into chaos when they receive the news!"

Ok?

I have to say, this grandson's idea seems pretty good!

It might not be enough to scare historians!

However, once this news spread, it could divert the attention of those whom Gan Dacheng was trying so hard to protect, making them think that they had been successfully misled by Gan Dacheng, thus lowering their guard!

Qin Yu pondered silently for a moment, then said, "Okay, let's do it this way!"

Upon seeing Qin Yu agree, Lü Si immediately broke into a bright smile, leaving everyone speechless.

After that, they continued onward.

After entering the territory of Xiaguang County, Yang Jichun told Qin Yu about the situation in Xiaguang County.

Xiaguang County did not have any salt fields registered with the imperial court.

This area is mostly mountains and hills, with not many salt flats, and the areas near the sea are mostly cliffs.

In addition, this area is located in the south and has a relatively hot climate, so rice can be harvested twice a year.

It is precisely for this reason that Xiaguang County became one of the few places in Hai and Yuan prefectures that produced abundant grain.

The most famous products of Ha Quang County are lychees and Ha Quang fragrant rice.

However, because of its long growth cycle, Xiaguang fragrant rice can only be harvested once a year.

Qin Yu smiled upon hearing this, "We definitely won't be able to enjoy lychees at this time of year. I'd like to try this Xiaguang fragrant rice and see what the difference is between it and ordinary rice! When we get to the town ahead, let's see if we can find any Xiaguang fragrant rice to eat!"

"I've never tried it before, but I'm sure it tastes different!"

Yang Jichun smiled, "Does Your Excellency know that this Xia Guang fragrant rice was once tribute rice?"

"Gongmi?"

Qin Yu was slightly surprised, then cast a questioning glance at Ruan Zhi, "I remember the imperial court only had Dengzhou Rouge Rice, Wuyuan Rice, and Zhefang Rice as tribute rice, right?"

He was, after all, a high-ranking playboy from the capital!

He was quite clear about which types of rice were considered tribute rice.

He had never heard of Xia Guang Gong Mi (a type of rice).

"In the past, Xiaguang fragrant rice was also a tribute rice."

Ruan Zhi sighed softly: "Back then, the former crown prince was assassinated in Haizhou. In a fit of rage, the late emperor canceled all three tributes from Haizhou! From then on, Xiaguang tribute rice became Xiaguang fragrant rice..."

Xiaguang tribute rice, Yutian tribute salt, and Longshan tribute tea!

These three tributes, collectively known as the Three Tributes of Haizhou, were once very famous.

Originally, there should have also been Longshan Gongjiu (a type of liquor).

That was a fine wine made from lychees from Longshan Mountain, which the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor both loved, and even the current Emperor enjoys it.

If the Crown Prince had returned to the capital smoothly back then, Longshan tribute wine would have been a sure thing.

However, the crown prince was assassinated in Haizhou.

Not only is Longshan Tribute Wine no longer an option, but the three tribute wines from Haizhou have also been completely removed from the list of tribute items.

Since the Crown Prince's assassination, neither the Empress Dowager nor the late Emperor has ever drunk Longshan lychee wine again.

Speaking of this, Qin Yu suddenly remembered, "Wasn't the Crown Prince assassinated in Longshan County back then?"

"Yes, Huai County, Longshan Prefecture."

Ruan Zhi nodded, "It should still be three or four hundred miles from here..."

As Ruan Zhizheng was speaking, a burst of children's laughter suddenly came from the entrance of the town ahead.

"Your Excellency, where are you going?"

"My lord, could you grant me a piece of candy?"

"Your Excellency, Prefect..."

Following the sound of laughter, they saw a group of teenagers chasing and laughing at a disheveled old man.

"Your Excellency the Prefect?"

Qin Yu frowned, and asked warily, "Did the Prefect of Xiaguang know we were coming? Are you waiting for us here incognito?"

Who leaked the information?

"I don't think so?"

Lu Si looked up and said, "No prefect would dress like this when traveling incognito!"

"Let's go over and ask!"

As Qin Yu spoke, he instructed Qin Xiong, "Tell everyone to be on high alert and watch out for ambushes!"

Better safe than sorry!

It's not surprising that even a mere Gan Dacheng dared to ambush him, or that a prefect would lead his men to ambush him.

"Um."

Qin Xiong immediately accepted the order and walked to the back.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the town.

Upon seeing strangers, the children stopped pestering the old man and timidly ran to the side.

Qi Dachui jumped down from the flatbed carriage, came to the disheveled old man, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency the Prefect."

"Ha ha……"

Seeing Qi Dachui's appearance, the children who had run to the side burst into carefree laughter.

"Fool! Hahaha..."

"This big guy's an idiot too..."

"A fool bows to another fool..."

The children chatted and laughed.

Qi Dachui turned his head and glared at them, and the group immediately scattered.

The old man ruffled his hair haphazardly, his gaze falling on Qin Yu and his group. He roared with considerable authority, "You audacious commoners! You dare not bow before me, your official!"

Qin Yu also sensed that this person didn't seem to be an official of the imperial court, so he stepped forward and tentatively asked, "May I ask which official you are, sir?"

"I am the Prefect of Yutian County!"

The old man straightened his back and waved his hand, shouting, "Come on! Seize these unruly commoners for me!"

Seeing that there was no one behind him, Qin Yu finally realized what was happening.

Depend on!

After all that fuss, it turns out he's a madman!

After realizing what was happening, Qin Yu asked Nan Que'er to bring over a piece of cake, and then handed it to the old man with a smile, saying, "Sir, could you please spare me the beating?"

The old man didn't say anything, but just snatched the pancake and ran away while hurriedly eating it, as if he was afraid someone would take it from him.

Qin Yu shook his head and smiled, leading them back to the flatbed carriage.

"You're fucking hilarious!"

Lu Si clutched his stomach and laughed loudly: "A madman, and you think he's a prefect on an incognito visit, telling people to be careful? You're scared of being assassinated, aren't you? Hahaha..."

"Screw you! I'm only thinking about your lives!"

Qin Yu glanced at Lü Si with displeasure.

If he encounters an assassin one day and gets two holes stabbed in his body, he won't be laughing anymore.

After a brief incident, they quickly entered the town.

The town isn't big, nor is it particularly lively; it's just an ordinary little town.

When they saw a small restaurant with a banner advertising fragrant rice, they immediately decided to have lunch there.

The restaurant wasn't large, but it was relatively new, and it looked like it had just opened recently, as there were quite a few wine flags displayed.

They wrote all sorts of things on the wine flag, like "Xia Guang Xiang Mi" (a type of rice), "Nan Hai Wei Xia" (a type of seafood), and "Litchi Zui" (a type of wine).

Qin Yu and his group simply ordered some dishes based on the wine flag.

While waiting for the food to be served, Qin Yu asked the waiter, "Hey waiter, what's the deal with that madman at the town entrance who claims to be the Prefect of Yutian?"

"Are you referring to Madman Chen, sir?"

The waiter chuckled and replied, "Don't underestimate him, sir. He used to be the Prefect of Yutian County..."