Chapter 7: The Salt Route (I)

With a quick glance, Li Kuo memorized the layout of the mansion.
“Follow me,” the young man whispered, rushing along the narrow paths behind the walls.
The house seemed to have three main courtyards connected by passages. They entered through a side door and found themselves in the second courtyard. “That must be the warehouse!” the young man pointed to a building made of bluestone.
“Brother Kuo, don’t you think it’s overreacting to come here in the middle of the night? I think Old Chen is an honest man—not someone who would cheat. I think we should head back soon.”
Zhang Yanji regretted coming here as soon as they entered. He and Li Kuo were both generals of the fourth rank in the Tang Dynasty. If they were caught sneaking into someone else’s mansion in nightclothes, it could easily become a big deal.
It would have been fine if Brother Kuo had sent some scouts from the Copper Military Camp, but he insisted on going himself. If their presence were exposed, it would be embarrassing.
Li Kuo frowned slightly. “I don’t care if he’s honest or not. All I know is that the fine salt sent to Chang’an and Luoyang doesn’t match the accounts he provided—there’s a 40% discrepancy.”
Zhang Yanji shrugged. “Then we’ll do as you say, but we need to go fast and return quickly!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a fire dragon erupted behind the warehouse. More than a dozen servants carrying lanterns escorted a man walking out of the back courtyard.
“Hide!” Li Kuo quickly pushed his friend behind a cypress tree and whispered, “I knew his accounts were fake. It seems there really is a problem.”
“Mm, mm!” Zhang Yanji couldn’t speak as Li Kuo covered his mouth, but he nodded in admiration for his brother’s sharp instincts. Brother Kuo was truly remarkable—always able to guess almost everything correctly.
The dozen servants outside the warehouse stood in two rows, holding torches and watching vigilantly for any signs of movement. The man at the center glanced around and, seeing nothing unusual, stepped into the warehouse.
“Creak!” The warehouse door opened, and the man’s figure vanished instantly in a beam of candlelight.
In the silent night, Li Kuo and his friend held their breath, watching the warehouse intently. All the secrets were hidden there, yet they couldn’t enter to see them!
Li Kuo could clearly hear his own heartbeat. This was a high-stakes gamble. He was getting closer and closer to the truth, and the closer he got, the more terrified he became.

Yet despite his fear, he couldn’t back down—this was also a task secretly assigned to him by His Majesty the Emperor: to uncover those who had embezzled huge sums from salt trade profits and eliminate these pests for the court. Such a person, able to monopolize the salt trade in Jianghuai for years, must have powerful connections and alliances with local noble families. To deal with him, he needed sufficient evidence, and he only had one chance—he had to succeed at once!
“Brother Li Kuo, he’s coming out!”
Unnoticed, half a incense stick’s time had passed, and the main gate opened again. The man stepped out with a furrowed brow, hands clasped behind his back, and let out a deep sigh. He gave some orders to a servant beside him, who immediately ran toward the east wing.
“Follow him!”
Li Kuo took a deep breath and rushed forward at full speed…
Li Kuo clung tightly to the roof of a mansion, gently tapping on the tiles. Beside him stood Zhang Yanji, looking stunned. As a wealthy young man from a noble family, Zhang Yanji never expected to end up doing something as common as a thief’s job again.
Climbing up rooftops at night—well, let’s call it that—for two fourth-rank generals of the Tang Dynasty to spy on salt trade information… it was utterly absurd!
Though Zhang Yanji kept telling himself they were doing this to investigate and fulfill the Emperor’s orders, thinking of their awkward situation still caused him pain.
“Ding ding ding, ding ding ding!”
Li Kuo frowned slightly. The sound didn’t seem like it came from ordinary roof tiles—it was really strange!
The houses built by wealthy families in Yangzhou differed greatly from those in Guanlong. To protect against rain and snow, these houses had a fully integrated structure with excellent sealing. In other words, unless Li Kuo created some gaps, he wouldn’t be able to hear conversations inside no matter where he was.
That’s why Li Kuo needed to make a small hole, exposing the secret house to the moonlight.
But when he touched it, he realized it was impossible to create a hole without making any sound. Beneath the bricks and tiles wasn’t mud—it was cast iron! They had used cast iron as a barrier!
The roof of this room had already been altered; it was impossible to eavesdrop simply by going above it. Li Kuo smirked coldly—Master Chen was indeed guilty of theft. Otherwise, why would a normal house use cast iron as a roof barrier?

Li Kuo took a deep breath, gradually calming his emotions. Like a fallen leaf, he stayed quietly pressed against the roof, waiting for an opportunity—he wasn’t convinced the people inside wouldn’t make a mistake!
He only needed one chance, a chance to lift one of the tiles.
After about half a cup of tea passed, Li Kuo suddenly heard somewhat chaotic footsteps inside the room, along with the sounds of desks and chairs being moved. It seemed the people inside were arguing.
Soon after, heavy footsteps were heard in the distance. From the sound of those footsteps, Li Kuo could tell they must belong to servants doing heavy labor—only servants’ steps were so heavy and slow. As he pondered further, the door to the room suddenly opened.
Li Kuo frowned tightly and flattened himself back against the roof. It was a servant bringing water, who had been waiting outside for a long time.
Using the noise of the servant’s movement as cover, Li Kuo pulled out a cast-iron nail from his waist and quickly tapped it against the back of a tile. With the door opening, the tapping sound wasn’t very noticeable. He had only this one chance! He couldn’t afford to fail—absolutely not!
“Ding ding ding!”
“Ding ding ding!”
“Da da da!”
“That’s it!”
Li Kuo let out a sigh of relief. Using the nail, he pried up one tile. He was very gentle, ensuring no sound would be made. Besides, the people inside were focused on the servant bringing water and wouldn’t notice him eavesdropping from the roof. In the blink of an eye, four tiles had been lifted by Li Kuo.
Beneath the tiles was mud and clay. Li Kuo stretched out his fingers and gently moved them around. Once everything was in place, he finally saw what was inside the room.
The lighting inside was dim and warm.
Amidst the lingering scent of ambergris, two middle-aged men were sitting face to face, sipping tea and chatting.
“Brother Kuo, isn’t this man Old Master Chen?”
Zhang Yanji was shocked. If not for Li Kuo quickly covering his mouth, he might have shouted.
“And the Prince of Gaoyou—sigh, he’s here too! Could it be he’s really in collusion with Old Master Chen? So your guess was right, Kuo—this guy is stealing from within, ignoring the court’s laws and regulations!”
“Shh! Do you want us to get caught?”
Li Kuo glanced around and replaced the lifted tile back in its place. “I knew Old Master Chen wasn’t trustworthy. It seems he gave us fake accounts to look at.”

The situation is now quite clear. The Changlongji Merchant Shop, represented by Old Chen, seems to have been dealing in smuggled salt through the connections of the Prince of Gaoyou. Judging from the current situation, the share they receive appears to be quite substantial.
“Heh, the amount of refined salt you mentioned is enough to scare anyone. It makes sense he wouldn’t tell you the truth. But how did he end up at the Prince of Gaoyou’s mansion?”
Zhang Yanji prodded the tiles with his finger, pressing his ear tightly against them.
Brother Kuo wanted to use the purchase of refined salt as a way to lure out the real mastermind behind Changlongji, but he didn’t expect that person to be so vigilant and not fall for it at all. To uncover the hidden secrets, he had no choice but to eavesdrop.
“Hmm, yeah, I see…”
He murmured to himself for a while before finally sitting up and saying to Li Kuo, “I couldn’t hear very clearly, but roughly speaking, the Prince of Gaoyou isn’t satisfied with the share Changlongji gives him. Old Chen wants to give him the usual two shares, but the Prince demands three!”
Since childhood, Zhang Yanji had had an unusually sharp hearing—often able to hear horse hooves hundreds of steps away just by lying on the ground. Now, he made full use of this advantage, managing to overhear almost everything said inside the room.
“The Prince of Gaoyou threatened Old Chen, telling him to think carefully about the consequences, even threatening to throw him into prison.”
Zhang Yanji clenched his fists in anger. He hated it the most when people used their power to threaten others, especially when it was a shopkeeper who was just trying to do his job.
“Can you hear why they’re in such a hurry to collect the salt profits?”
Li Kuo nodded, already having some idea.
“Hmm, let me listen again.”
Zhang Yanji pressed his ear tightly against the tiles, his ears twitching. “Old Chen pleaded earnestly, asking the Prince of Gaoyou to consider the bigger picture and avoid Governor Cui’s investigation for now!”