The Prodigal Son

After the meal, the group continued their journey.

Their destination was Xiaguang County, and at their current speed, it would probably take them another two days or so to arrive.

On the way, Yang Jichun, with a tentative mindset, talked to Qin Yu again about the matter of reorganizing the salt administration.

"Let's look to His Majesty!"

Qin Yu didn't say much about this, "If His Majesty issues an order for me to stop reforming the salt administration, I'll be happy to have some peace and quiet!"

In any case, he had already reported everything he should and shouldn't have said to Zhao Luan.

If Zhao Luan continues to worry about this and that and stops rectifying the salt administration, he will have nothing to say.

He couldn't possibly disobey an imperial order to do something thankless and difficult, could he?

"Too!"

Yang Jichun chuckled and changed the subject, "By the way, Lord Qin, I suddenly have an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible."

Tell me about it.

Qin Yu looked over with great interest.

Yang Jichun chuckled and said, "The imperial court has only recently conquered Min, and even if the current rectification of the salt administration were to stop now, many officials would still be implicated! With so many vacancies, is it possible for His Majesty to reinstate those officials who were demoted to commoners because of the assassination of the Crown Prince?"

Qin Yu was somewhat surprised to hear Yang Jichun's outlandish idea.

You know what, this suggestion doesn't seem impossible!

Reinstating those officials is not only a great favor from Emperor Zhao Luan, but also a way to cleanse the late emperor of some of his stains.

"Don't even think about it!"

Ruan Zhi chimed in, "His Majesty would likely not agree, and the Empress Dowager is even less likely to agree!"

Why?

Yang Jichun was puzzled.

Ruan Zhi replied, "No one knows whether those officials are involved in the assassination of the Crown Prince!"

"Maybe they were involved too, but they're just stubbornly refusing to admit it!"

"When the Empress Dowager granted a general amnesty, she did not want to release those officials. It was only due to pressure from the court officials that she had no choice but to release them as well."

"If these officials were reinstated now, the Empress Dowager would be the first to object!"

"Furthermore, wouldn't reappointing those officials be tantamount to His Majesty directly announcing to the world that the late Emperor was wrong back then?"

Even if the court officials knew that there were many wrongful convictions in the past, they knew that announcing it to the world was a different matter from what His Majesty had said.

Emperor Xiaowen ushered in the prosperous era of Daming and was a wise ruler who ranks among the best throughout history. His biggest stain on his life was the large-scale imprisonment he launched in his later years due to the assassination of the crown prince.

But the common people don't care about any imperial prison or whether those officials were wronged.

The people will only remember Emperor Xiaowen's good deeds and cherish the peaceful and prosperous era during his reign.

In the hearts of the people, Emperor Xiaowen remains a rare good emperor in history.

The fact that over a hundred miles of people knelt to see Emperor Xiaowen off when he was laid to rest in the imperial mausoleum also confirms this point.

In order to preserve Emperor Xiaowen's reputation, Your Majesty will no longer employ those officials.

Some things cannot be simply judged as right or wrong.

Hearing Ruan Zhi's words, Yang Jichun immediately gave up the idea.

Ruan Zhidu has made his point so clear. If he dares to report this matter again, he doesn't know what the Emperor's attitude will be, but the Empress Dowager will definitely take notice of him.

While they were talking, Qi Dachui and Di Rong kept a close eye on their surroundings.

When the two men saw the trees on both sides of the narrow mountain pass moving without any wind, they became wary.

Di Rong quickly retreated to Qin Yu's side and whispered, "Lord Qin, there seems to be an ambush ahead!"

Qin Yu glanced silently at the mountain pass and whispered, "It's probably just some petty thieves trying to rob us on the road. Everyone be on high alert!"

"yes!"

Di Rong immediately gave the instructions.

The group became more vigilant and pretended to be nonchalant as they approached the mountain pass.

"Could someone have actually leaked our whereabouts?"

Lu Si followed closely behind Qin Yu, his brows furrowed as he asked.

"I don't know, we'll find out once we arrest someone and ask them."

Qin Yu shook his head slightly, then reminded Lü Si, "When the fight breaks out later, you'd better hide well, or don't blame me if you die."

"I……"

Lu Si's face stiffened, and he immediately moved even closer to Qin Yu. "You'd better protect me! If anything happens to me, the Empress Dowager will definitely not let you off!"

"You're overthinking it!"

Qin Yu shook his head and said seriously, "If you die, I'll make hundreds of fireworks for the Empress Dowager, and she'll calm down! You're worth that price."

"I……"

Lu Si was furious and almost couldn't help but curse.

However, considering his own situation, Lü Si chose to endure for the time being.

A good man does not suffer from immediate losses!

If they really encounter an ambush by a master, he will have to rely on Qin Yu to survive!

As they spoke, the group continued to approach the mountain pass.

As they approached the mountain pass, Qin Yu immediately sensed something unusual.

Sure enough, someone was lying in ambush!

However, to reveal one's aura so easily is either the work of a master or someone who is just a novice!

Just as Qin Yu and his group entered the mountain pass, hundreds of people rushed out from both sides of the pass.

These people were carrying all sorts of weapons: spears, short knives, rakes, hooks, and even sickles with a piece of wood tied to them.

The crowd was menacing, with most of them wearing masks, and only a few revealing their fierce faces.

Just as Qi Dachui and Di Rong were about to attack, Qin Yu stopped them, saying, "Let's see if they're after your money or if they're trying to kill you!"

If it were just about making money, he could at least give these people a chance to be exiled to the army.

If you're going to kill them, then send them to be reincarnated for free, so they can be good people in their next life.

Di Rong understood and immediately stepped forward, shouting angrily, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"The area in front of the mountain is my domain, and the streamside is my playground!"

The burly bandit leader strode out with an air of authority, declaring, "Any traveler, pay up to avoid trouble!"

He also had a scar on his face that ran from the bridge of his nose to his jaw, making him look even more ferocious.

Is it just about making money?

Qin Yu smirked, immediately stepped forward, and shouted at the bearded man, "Sir, how much money do you want us to pay?"

Without a second thought, the bearded man said menacingly, "Every one of you, every single one of you..."

The bearded man was stopped by someone next to him when he was only halfway through his sentence.

The person next to him shook his head gently and whispered in his ear.

No one knows what the man said to the bearded man, but the bearded man kept nodding, as if what he said made a lot of sense.

After a moment, the bearded man cleared his throat and shouted again, "Each of you pay five taels of silver as toll, and I, the Leopard, guarantee you'll pass unharmed!"

Qin Yu's lips curled into a smile. "Only five taels of silver? Not much!"

what?

Hearing Qin Yu's words, the pangolin was taken aback.

Five taels of silver per person, isn't that much?

The forty or fifty of them together amounted to more than two hundred taels of silver!

Isn't that enough?

Is this a case of having too much money to burn?

Or perhaps... he didn't understand what I said?