The edge of the clouds is inlaid with a layer of golden light, and the warm sun gradually climbs up to the dome.

Josie stood on the eaves, arms open, breathing the free air, with a smile on her face that she couldn't hide.

According to the timeline, the emperor should have asked Prince Rui to go to Xiangcheng to control the banditry. Now he should be busy supporting the third prince, Prince Wu, to carry out targeted checks and balances on the host.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for word to spread that King Wu had done a good job in escorting him, and he was praised by the emperor, showing his royal demeanor.

If an emperor praises him for his royal demeanor, doesn't that mean he is suspected of passing on the throne?

Originally, the second prince's previous affairs had made many veterans of the previous dynasty dissatisfied, but after all, the second prince had no background and was not enough to filter.

But the third prince is different. His mother-in-law is the princess of Dongling Kingdom, and now it is less than a year before the agreed time.

If at this time the emperor suddenly goes back on his decree and abdicates the throne to the third prince, even if there is support, it would be unfair for the prince to sit on the throne.

It is said that a group of veteran ministers headed by Duke Fu jointly submitted a letter asking King Wu to return to his fiefdom.

This angered the emperor directly, and sent all the auxiliary princes to prison without allowing anyone to plead for mercy.

Looking at the old man kneeling on the ground crying, Qiao Xi felt particularly speechless.

In the original text, these veterans have no use other than reminding the emperor that Host Da has succeeded to the throne at critical moments, making the Emperor unhappy and making Host Da angry.

"Your Highness, Duke Fu Guo is old and can't stand the cold and dampness of the dungeon."

"Okay, I know this. I will go into the palace to beg my father." Qi Anze comforted him after helping him up.

…

…

"Miss Qiao, what are you packing for?" Qiuyue asked with a puzzled look on her face.

Qiao Xi patted her shoulder and said seriously, "After a quarrel, you need a period of cooling-off period."

The maid with crooked eyebrows immediately widened her eyes, "Miss Qiao, do you want to leave?"

Qiao Xi nodded helplessly and would start sailing as soon as tomorrow.

The host has gone to plead with Duke Weifu again today, so he will inevitably argue with the emperor, and will probably be sent to a local place again to experience the public sentiment.

According to the time, it should be to manage the private salt.

"Miss Qiao, is there anything you can't talk to me about? Your Highness is pleased with you."

Qiao Xi: "..." Didn't she misunderstand that I was leaving?

…

"I think you're right." She put her mind at ease and walked out of the house without squinting.

Qiuyue was afraid that she would regret it, so she quickly put her things back in their place.

Qiao Xi looked at her actions and pursed her lips, took out the small bag from her arms and shook it in her hands a few times, thinking, "With money, you will not need anything."

——

The sea breeze carried the air, blowing up the clothes of the two people on the shore.

The salty smell of sea water also entered Qiao Xi's nostrils, and she rubbed her nose in slight discomfort.

This is Haicheng. Because of its coastal location, it breeds many smuggled salt dealers.

Looking at the woman in tattered clothes in front of him, Qiao Xi asked doubtfully, "Is this the salt seller?"

"Well, this is the woman who was reported by the Haicheng Supervisor."

"This doesn't look like...collusion between government and businessmen." What Qiao Xi meant was that there is no one who is doing something profitable but looks so miserable.

"Most of the people here are fishermen. The so-called private salt is just bought from Nantong."

Qi Anze said as he got on the boat, "Sister-in-law, we were introduced by Brother Wang and want to buy a pound of fine salt."

The woman looked at the two people in coarse clothes in front of her with a wary expression. The man was handsome, but the woman had a coarse cloth covering her cheeks. At first glance, she was not an ordinary person.

"I don't have what you want here, go somewhere else."

"Sister-in-law, we have no choice. My wife has a strange disease. The doctor said that she needs to wipe her skin with fine salt water to get better.

Everyone has a prescribed amount of official salt, so I only asked you for help when I had no other choice."

Josie: “…”

No wonder I was forced to surround this piece of coarse cloth when I came out. It turned out to be a design.

The woman hesitated and asked, "What's wrong with the little lady?"

Josie also turned to look at him, her eyes teasingly waiting for his next story.

"This is inconvenient. If you really don't have it here, we can ask someone else."

Qi Anze looked offended and angrily pulled Qiao Xi away.

"...Hey, wait a minute." The woman said, seeing them stop and rustlingly take out a package wrapped in black oilcloth from a corner of the cabin.

Looking at the fine salt wrapped in black oilcloth in her hand, Qi Anze took out a bunch of silver.

"That's all I have here, why don't you come back and pick it up in a few days." The woman paused for a moment while looking at the silver in his hand.

Qi Anze shook the things in his hands and nodded.

…

"Shouldn't private salt be more expensive than public salt?" Back at the inn, Qiao Xi expressed her doubts.

The host just gave me the price of public salt, but judging from the woman's reaction, I think he gave me too much.

Seeing the man nod, Qiao Xi then analyzed,

"This is very strange. Although the Superintendent of Haicheng is a small official, he dare not arrange for someone to fool us. The proliferation of illegal activities may not be as simple as we think."

There is only one sentence in the original article about the management of illegal salt, "The prince is considerate of the people's sentiments, and the illegal salt case has been successfully resolved." However, it does not describe how to solve it.

"Wait and see how much more that woman will give us." Qi Anze said calmly.

A few days later,

"Where's the person?" Qiao Xi searched around, but couldn't find the woman's boat. He had no choice but to ask other fishermen.

"Do you know where that skinny sister-in-law is?" Qi Anze deliberately changed his accent in order to disguise himself so as not to be discovered.

"Sister-in-law Hu, she went to sea and didn't come back. What happened?" A fat man came over and whispered, "Does she owe you something?"

"Yes, she promised to find fine salt for us, and I paid the deposit."

The man curled his lips and said, "Then your money has been wasted."

"How do you say this?" Qi Anze anxiously tugged on his clothes and asked.

"Her husband is a gambler. She has no choice but to lie to you guys and run away."

"Then do you know how to find her?"

The man looked at Qi Anze and Qiao Xi and shook his head, "I don't know where she is, but... I have what you want."

Qi Anze and Qiao Xi looked at each other and took out a bunch of silver, "I want to see something."

Looking at the thing in the man's hand that was obviously half too small, Josie's eyes widened.

"I want a pound, but you don't have enough." Qi Anze threw the thing back to him.

"You need this amount per pound, boss, you don't have enough money." Seeing Qi Anze's hesitation, the man continued,

"The price here is the most reasonable. This is a beheading business, so of course it will be a little more expensive than official salt."

…

Looking at the two packages on the table, Josie scratched her head in distress.
Chapter completed!