Wang Yang raised his folding fan:
"Wasn't the whole point of putting this shipment under my name to hide your involvement, Your Highness? Now that Liu Yin has made this fuss, everyone knows the goods are mine! The authorities have it on record, too! Who could possibly suspect anything?
"Besides, I used Liu Tan to obtain a Cargo Permit and Travel Verification, putting this shipment through legitimate channels!
"That amounts to having the Hedong Liu Clan stand as guarantor!
"When the time comes, we can sell the goods openly, with absolutely no connection to you. Isn't that a good thing?!
"I've already checked: silk and satin are fetching excellent prices in Yongzhou, and it's close to Jingzhou. Once all the goods arrive, you can use the Cargo Permit and Travel Verification I secured to ship the silk and satin straight to Yongzhou. Everything will flow as naturally as water into a channel. All you'll have to do is sit back and collect the money. Think how much trouble that saves!"
This was the benefit of Wang Yang's earlier, clever work in clearing the hidden mines.
Had he not laid the groundwork and dispelled the Prince of Badong's suspicions by framing everything as a "private feud," the prince would inevitably have made further connections this time. After all, Wang Yang's staged deception involved shipping silk to the Barbarian Tribe. Now Wang Yang brought up his arrangements for the Travel Verification and Cargo Permit, looking as though he had sincerely considered the prince's business interests. That made his explanation all the more effective at dispelling doubt.
By the end, the Prince of Badong's expression had softened slightly. He snorted. "So you're saying you not only did nothing wrong, but actually deserve credit?"
Wang Yang answered with ironclad certainty, leaving no room for