The Prodigal Son

After leaving Raojin Navy, Qin Yu and his men avoided Guangde Prefecture and took a shortcut to Wantuo County.

They were not in a hurry.

Qin Yu ordered the cavalrymen he had drawn from Yinzhou to meet him outside the south gate of Jiangning Prefecture before noon three days later.

They had already passed Wantuo County City and were only about 200 li away from Jiangning Prefecture. Three days would be enough time for them to get there.

Haizhou has one prefecture and five counties.

Guangde Prefecture, Wantuo County, Xiaguang County, Haijiao County, Yutian County, Longshan County.

Of these six places, Mando County is the only one without any particularly famous local specialties.

However, Mando County has an excellent geographical location.

Salt produced in Yutian, Haijiao, and Xiaguang counties mostly had to pass through Wantuo County to enter Fangzhou, be transported to the wharf near Pingjiang, and then be transported by waterway through Pingjiang, the Grand Canal, and Qujiang to various places.

Walking on the main road of Wantuo County, one can see endless pack animals, carts, and wheelbarrows heading out.

A bustling scene of traffic.

The county of Wantuo got its name from this.

Qin Yu and his men disguised themselves again, covering their armor with clothing.

However, even so, anyone with a little discernment could tell that this was definitely some official.

After all, which caravan's guards could ride so many warhorses?

So, along the way, everyone else kept their distance from them.

Around noon, they stopped at a large post station.

This is a post station that serves both official and civilian purposes.

On one side was an official post station, and on the other side was a private post station.

I heard that there were many such rest stops along this important transportation route, the purpose of which was to provide a place for travelers to rest.

The official post station was next to the civilian post station, and the soldiers at the official post station could also look after the civilian post station to prevent passing merchants from being robbed.

Looking up, the nearby inn was almost overflowing with people, resembling the bustling scene of a highway service area during a holiday.

Qin Yu glanced around and then asked the postmaster, "Are there always this many people here?"

The postmaster replied, "That's true most of the time, except for the hottest months of the year when there are fewer people."

"Most of these came from Yutian, Haijiao, and Guangde Prefecture, right?" Qin Yu asked casually.

The postmaster nodded and smiled, "Yes, but quite a few also came from Longshan County."

"Longshan?"

Lu Si was slightly surprised. "Going around from Longshan would be a much longer route, wouldn't it? Why would they take the longer way when there's a shortcut? Are they stupid?"

"They're not stupid."

The postmaster replied with a smile, "Huai County is the only way to get to Fangzhou from Longshan! Many people are unwilling to go through Huai County."

Why?

Nan Que'er was puzzled.

Her question surprised the postmaster.

The reason is so obvious, is there even a need to ask?

Could it be that they haven't even heard of something this big?

"It must be related to the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince in Huai County, right?"

Ruan Zhi, who was standing to the side, realized what was going on.

"This young lady is right."

The postmaster, regaining his composure, explained, "Years ago, the Crown Prince was assassinated in Huai County, and many people considered Huai County an ominous place! Think about it, young lady, if even the Crown Prince could be assassinated in such a place, wouldn't ordinary people not even know how they died?"

It turned out to be the case.

Nan Que'er suddenly realized.

Come to think of it!

Even the crown prince was assassinated in Huai County, so who can guarantee that they won't die there?

"Does the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince still have such a significant impact?"

Qin Yu asked quietly.

"The assassination attempt on the crown prince has a very significant impact!"

Speaking of this, the postmaster sighed repeatedly, "Longshan County used to be so prosperous, but now it's said to be even worse than Xiaguang County..."

Back then, Longshan County was as prosperous as Yutian County, which was famous for its sea salt, thanks to its tribute tea and lychee wine, which was about to become tribute wine.

However, with the cancellation of the Haizhou Tribute Program, the Longshan Tribute Wine program also lost its promise, and the entire Longshan region fell into a slump.

In the past, Longshan tea was driven by the tribute tea, so the price was very high.

Even so, when tea is in season, tea merchants still rush to Longshan early to grab the goods, fearing that they won't be able to buy good tea.

But today, the tea is still the same tea, and the tea-making process has not changed at all.

However, the price of Longshan tea has now fallen by more than 50% compared to its heyday, and it is not guaranteed that it can be sold.

There were already few merchants going to Longshan, and with the Crown Prince case affecting them, even fewer merchants passed through Huai County.

Since the assassination of the crown prince, there have been rumors of ghosts in Huai County, and almost no merchants are willing to travel there.

They'd rather take a detour of over a hundred miles than go through Huai County...

"Is that exaggerated?"

Lu Si was taken aback. "Wouldn't taking a detour of over a hundred miles be a waste of both money and time?"

"yes!"

The postmaster nodded. "So, in recent years, some daring people have gradually chosen to go through Huai County to save time and money! But in many people's minds, Huai County is still an ominous place, and they would rather take a detour than go through Huai County! Moreover, since last year, there have been rumors about mountain demons in Huai County, so people who originally wanted to go through Huai County are now afraid to go through Huai County..."

Hearing the postmaster's words, Nan Que'er couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "The people of Huai County are truly unlucky!"

"That's right!"

The postmaster nodded in deep agreement, "After the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince, Huai County was already in decline. Coupled with these messy rumors, many people have moved away from Huai County..."

Huai County was once a well-known large county in Haizhou, with a population of over 15,000 households.

Today, Huai County probably has fewer than 4,000 households, not even as many as the neighboring Zilang County.

Upon hearing this, the group couldn't help but sigh.

They knew the Crown Prince's case would have a significant impact on Longshan County and Huai County, but they didn't expect it to be this big.

As they were sighing, Qin Yu suddenly had a thought, as if he had suddenly grasped something, and he froze on the spot, so much so that he didn't hear what the others were saying.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lu Si stretched out his paw and waved it in front of Qin Yu, teasingly saying, "This isn't Huai County, are you seeing a ghost?"

However, Qin Yu was still lost in thought and still hadn't heard Lü Si's voice.

"Thirteenth Young Master!"

Seeing this, Qi Dachui quickly pulled Qin Yu up with all his might.

Pulled by him, Qin Yu finally came to his senses.

"What's wrong?"

Qin Yu stared blankly at the group of people staring at him.

"Thirteenth Young Master, are you...are you alright?"

Qi Dachui was full of worry, and waved his fan-like hand in front of Qin Yu again, "You...you didn't really encounter a ghost, did you?"

"I……"

Qin Yu's face darkened, and he slapped Qi Dachui's hand away. "I just suddenly thought of something!"

"..."

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, the group of people immediately turned pale.

This was way too sudden!

One moment he was talking to the postmaster about the situation in Huai County, and the next he was suddenly lost in thought.

Qin Yu didn't say much, but simply waved for the prefect to leave.

After the prefectural magistrate left, Qin Yu whispered to the others, "Do you think the rumors about the mountain demons that suddenly appeared in Huai County might be related to the counterfeit money case?"