Time flew by, and five days passed in a flash.
Over those days, Wang Ziwen, Northern Liang's chief steward, finally finished his purge. Aside from wiping out a few more gangs, his greatest haul was more than two hundred thousand strings of cash.
At that result, Lin Yi couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth. Could his father have seen his profits and decided to follow his example?
He guessed that was probably the case, nine times out of ten.
It seemed Northern Liang was truly under enormous pressure if it had driven his father to kill the chicken to get the eggs. He had to help him as soon as possible; it would be an act of filial piety as well.
Meanwhile, his journey to Xiliang was drawing near.
Lin Yi hadn't been idle these past few days, either. Besides cramming in historical knowledge about the present world, he had analyzed the origins and backers of the various factions in Xiliang, and had learned a fair amount.
At least he had a rough grasp of the situation and wouldn't be going in blind.
Apart from a small number of natives in Xiliang, virtually everyone there was from either the Northern Region's barbarian tribes or the Great Ning Dynasty. After all, Northern Liang also belonged to the Great Ning Dynasty.
Of these factions, the strongest was led by Tuoba Yu, a great general of the Northern Region's barbarian tribes.
The man commanded an army of nearly a hundred thousand and had long controlled the territory north of Dayu Pass. He would probably be Lin Yi's first great enemy. Once he took Tuoba Yu down, Xiliang would be as good as secured.
But an army of a hundred thousand was no small force. Even now, Lin Yi had only a little over ten thousand men, so wiping out Tuoba Yu would be difficult.
After all, Tuoba Yu had a nation behind him. Lin Yi had to cut through the tangled mess with a swift blade. If he couldn't destroy his opponent quickly, he would likely be dragged bodily into the whirlpool of war, and that would be disastrous.
So he needed vast resources now to develop as quickly as possible. That was the most pressing matter at hand.
"Your Highness, we've succeeded in removing the poison from the salt!"
Just then, Zhang Long's cheer rang out from outside, instantly rousing Lin Yi from his thoughts. A moment later, he couldn't contain his excitement.
They had finally succeeded in producing the salt!
Even with the technical blueprints for the process, it had still taken a full five days to hatch this golden egg. It hadn't been easy.
Lin Yi pushed open the door and went out. "Zhang Long, did you succeed in making the salt?" he asked to confirm.
"Haha, we did!"
"Boo-hoo, we finally did it, Your Highness."
"It was so hard! We're rich!"
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu were both laughing and crying, so excited they wanted to dance for joy. They had kept watch over the saltworks all these days, not daring to leave for a single step.
Now they had finally succeeded. It was just like carrying a child for ten months and giving birth at last.
How moving!
They wanted to cry!
They brought out a porcelain bottle from behind them and carefully handed it to Lin Yi as though it were a precious treasure, terrified of dropping and breaking it.
Lin Yi poured the salt out of the porcelain bottle. Sure enough, it was as white as jade, without a single blemish.
"Have you tested it for poison?" he asked gravely.
"Rest assured, Your Highness. We've already tested it. There's absolutely no poison in it." Afraid Lin Yi might still be worried, Zhang Long poured out a handful and put it straight into his mouth. His face immediately fell.
It was terribly, terribly salty!
Seeing this, Lin Yi nodded slightly. In that case, their work was a complete success.
Seeing how excited the two were, he smiled. "All right, stop acting so silly. You two did well this time, and I'll reward you handsomely. Go to the accounting office and collect your money: one thousand taels each!"
Wow!
At the mention of a handsome reward, their eyes instantly gleamed. His Highness had always been as good as his word, but they hadn't expected a thousand taels each. He was far too generous.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Both men beamed and headed straight to the accounting office to collect their reward.
But when they saw the banknotes in their hands, they couldn't help pausing. Why did these banknotes look so familiar?
Lin Yi had no time to concern himself with them. He summoned Jia Xu at once and instructed him, "Now that we've succeeded in producing salt, arrange for people to bring it to market. Also, find a suitable person to take charge of the matter."
Now that they had succeeded in making the salt, they couldn't delay any longer. It was time to seize a share of the market.
The salt trade in Northern Liang City had always been in the Ran Clan's hands. Launching his own premium salt now would catch them completely off guard.
"Good!"
Jia Xu's eyes lit up and gleamed. His lord would never be short of money again, and he could finally put his abilities to full use.
He immediately summoned the person in charge of the saltworks and instructed him, "I intend to seize the Ran Clan's market this time, so speed is vital. The workers must give it their all."
"As long as the work won't kill them, work them to death. I'll give them triple wages!"
Hurrah!
As soon as triple wages were announced, the people below erupted in cheers.
Nothing in the world was more enticing than money. With triple wages, they could give their families a better life, something they had dreamed of.
With everyone giving their all, bag after bag of gleaming white premium salt was produced and sent charging straight into Northern Liang's market.
Like a huge boulder hurled into a pond, it instantly stirred up towering waves, shaking all of Northern Liang.
"Folks, there's a new premium salt out, as white as jade. They say our heir apparent created it. This salt is purer than ordinary refined salt, without a trace of bitterness, and it's safe and free of impurities."
"Really? If it's that good, wouldn't it cost a fortune?"
"What do you know? His Highness put all his effort into making it. They say he did it for the benefit of us common folk, so he's selling it to us for less than coarse salt. That's a wonderful benefit for us!"
"What? Top-grade refined salt costs even less than coarse salt? That's outrageous! His Highness is selling it at a loss."
"What the hell do you know? That's how magnanimous His Highness is. We're all his people, so naturally he'll treat us well. This is a benefit he's giving us."
Word soon spread, and the people of Northern Liang flocked over, gathering outside a shop called Benefit to All Under Heaven.
This was where the heir apparent was said to be selling salt, and the people had come to witness it for themselves and see whether there really was such cheap, high-quality salt.
But after waiting a long while, the shop still hadn't opened, and someone finally grew impatient.
"Shopkeeper, why is this shop called Benefit to All Under Heaven?"
Someone asked curiously.
It was a strange name, and it sounded stranger still. It felt more like the name of a government department.
Jia Xu, the shopkeeper, smiled and explained, "His Highness said that one should not meddle in the affairs of an office one does not hold. Before, he was simply the heir apparent and only needed to enjoy himself. But now that he's temporarily overseeing Northern Liang City, he naturally has to do things that benefit the people under his care."
"The land from before was one such thing, and the salt is His Highness's second gift to all of you!"