Chapter 157: Resurrection

Jiang Xuening slapped him and walked away. 

But how could You Yue, who was slapped, swallow her pride? Knowing that just now, in front of everyone, a distinguished lady like Jiang Xuening had fought for a man, it was a rare opportunity. Seizing the moment, she wiped her tears and cried while bitterly complaining, continuously slandering Jiang Xuening and Zhang Zhe with words—

Even though she actually knew nothing.

In the Shuxiang Inn, within just a few cups of tea, a grand drama unfolded among the people, involving the noble families of the capital, causing them to whisper and gossip.

As for Xiao Dingfei, he had known for quite some time that there was something unusual between Jiang Xuening and Zhang Zhe.

After all, when they escaped from the capital’s prison to Tongzhou, the two of them rode together.

He couldn’t make sense of this relationship.

Sometimes he felt these two were deeply connected in sentiment, both interested in each other; other times he sensed restraint and suppression between them, as if something stood between them that neither dared to freely cross.

Listening to Yout Yue’s insincere weeping inside, mixed with accusations of Jiang Xuening having an affair with Zhang Zhe, and how could Yao Shang’s daughter, Yao Xi, cancel her engagement with Zhang Zhe without Jiang Xuening’s seduction? Xiao Dingfei had an urge to shut this woman up.

But then he thought better of it and held back.

He chuckled inexplicably, casually adjusting the hem of his robe, and calmly sat down at a table in the hall, pondering when Jiang Xuening would return.

Unexpectedly, after sitting for what seemed like ages, growing increasingly impatient, he still hadn’t seen Jiang Xuening return. Instead, the sound of reins being pulled echoed outside the Shuxiang Inn.

The man on horseback hadn’t entered the inn yet when his hoarse voice, parched from days of travel, carried inside.

Filled with weariness yet bursting with joy, he shouted, “News from Ren’s Salt Field! The best possible news—”

You Yue still bore a faint red mark on her face from a slap, dabbing it with a wet cloth, bitterly plotting how to make Jiang Xuening pay in the future, yet also anxiously awaiting news from Ren’s Salt Field.

Hearing the commotion outside, she suddenly stood up.

She couldn’t help but ask first, “What good news?”

In an instant, nearly everyone in the Shuxiang Inn surged forward, voices overlapping in inquiries, drowning out Yout Yue’s voice. Yet, it didn’t draw much attention.

The man was clearly weary.

Covered in dust, his cotton coat stained, face grimy, hair disheveled, lips cracked from dehydration, yet his eyes sparkled with excitement, unable to contain himself. 

He loudly announced, “Quiet, everyone, quiet! Our master, young master Ren, has already resolved the crisis facing the salt fields with his wife! The reconstruction of the salt field will be completed within a month.”

The crowd was astonished: “They have such capability?”

The innkeeper hurried into the crowd, offering him a bowl of water.

The man thanked him and gulped it down, then succinctly briefed everyone on the latest situation: “After the fire at the salt field, many were injured, even the authorities got involved, and families of the laborers came demanding answers… At that time, it was quite precarious. Ren WeiZhi and You Fangyin, both compassionate souls, immediately called for doctors and compensated those who were already struggling financially.”

It was a noble act, a great deed, and the laborers had no complaints.

But in this world, help is often sparse when you’re down and out.

While Ren’s Salt Field was still reeling from the aftermath, owners and managers from other salt fields arrived, initially offering sympathy but soon turning to demand the technology behind the “Zhuotong Well.” 

Since Ren’s Salt Field was already doomed, they argued, why not pass on this valuable technology? How could Ren Zhi, crucial to the revival of Ren’s Salt Field, hand it over at such a critical moment?

Barely holding back his anger, he refrained from throwing them out.

It seemed that these people might give up after failing once, as people live in the face of trees and skins, and shouldn’t be forced. However, unexpectedly, this part of Shu’s salt fields had long been a thorn in Ren’s side, and they had decided to take advantage of the situation. Unable to acquire the technology of Zhuotong Well, they secretly allied with salt merchants for a raid and even gathered a group of ruffians, warning all the laborers not to work for Ren’s salt field anymore.

Thus, Ren’s salt field was isolated.

At this point, how could Ren Weizhi and You Fangyin not see through it? These people would definitely not easily give up.

Though earlier they had heard this man mention good news about the reconstruction of Ren’s salt field beginning, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy upon hearing this.

Someone cursed loudly, “This is shameless!”

Someone laughed, “In this world, everyone acts for profit. Isn’t this common sense? From ancient times till now, haven’t we seen enough of this?”

Someone impatiently asked, “What happened next? How was this resolved?”

The waiter brought out two plates of freshly cooked dishes and several steamed buns, placing them on the table.

The man had traveled all the way from Shu, either rushing on the road or sleeping. He hadn’t eaten much and felt dizzy after saying a few words. Seeing the waiter bring the food, he quickly thanked him.

He took a few bites of the steamed bun and washed it down with a sip of hot soup before continuing.

By now, Ren’s salt field was at its wits’ end, pressured from all sides.

Ren Weizhi was on the verge of giving up.

But his wife, who had recently moved to Shu from the capital, appeared calm and resolute, refusing to back down. It’s unclear what method she used, but she managed to invite the magistrate to the salt field to act as a witness. Then she sent out invitations, especially to the salt field owners from Ziliujing who focused on brine salt extraction.

Although the output of brine salt from the Ziliujing in Sichuan was not as large as coastal sea salt, there were still over a hundred salt fields of various sizes.

The banquet was set with good wine and food served.

The magistrate sat in the center, while the other salt field owners sat beside him.

After three rounds of drinks, no one spoke first.

Finally, the most senior salt merchant at the table directly asked, “Master Ren said he wanted to invite us to discuss sharing the Zhutong Well technique. Now that we’ve eaten and drunk, let’s get straight to business.”

Ren Weizhi exchanged a glance with You Fangyin before standing up.

Everyone looked at the couple, but they had the butler bring in a thick stack of pre-written and stamped Xuan paper, handing one sheet to each salt field owner present.

This greatly surprised everyone.

When they looked down at the paper, they frowned, glanced at each other, and one even sneered, “What does Master Ren mean by this?!”

Even Xiao Dingfei was curious, “What does the paper say?”

The man picked up another chopstick full of food, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then grinned with a bit of a rustic air.

Everyone gathered around him, all eagerly wanting to know—

Clearly, it was the contents of the paper that turned the situation around!

Actually, it wasn’t complicated.

It was quite simple, in fact.

There were only three points: First, the Ren Salt Field was willing to share the technique of the Zhutong Well; second, the sharing was conditional—any salt field using the Zhutong Well technique must pay 5% of their profits to the Ren Salt Field for the next five years; third, anyone who accepted these terms could sign the contract on the spot, with the prefect serving as a witness, making it immediately effective.

The salt field owners quickly finished reading. Though 5% was not much, there were over a hundred people present!

It seemed utterly absurd and whimsical!

Almost as soon as they finished reading, some wanted to throw the contract away, but upon seeing the expressions of those around them, they thought again and broke out in a cold sweat!

The large salt field owners, with their immense wealth, occupied the newest and most brine-rich salt wells. 

However, most present were small salt field owners, struggling to make ends meet and squeezed out by the larger fields, earning barely enough to cover expenses. Most of their wells were nearly exhausted.

When a salt well is “exhausted,” it doesn’t mean it produces no more brine, but rather that the current extraction methods can’t reach the deeper brine layers, making it a “dead well.”

But Ren Weizhi’s “Zhutong Well” could reach those deeper layers!

Even a dead well could produce brine again, just like his own Ren Salt Field. How could this not make the struggling small salt field owners curious and tempted? Just 5% of their profits could turn a dead well into a productive one, turning nothing into something!

You Yue’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Xiao Dingfei was stunned, not expecting such a strategy to turn the tables.

Most of the people in the inn were merchants and could immediately see the benefits.

Someone slapped the table in admiration, “This is truly a life-saving move! The large salt field owners might be reluctant to give up 5% of their profits, but for the small salt field owners, this is a cost-free deal. They only pay Ren Salt Field after making a profit. If they don’t sign, it’s a waste! This way, the large salt field owners will be forced into a passive position. Once the Zhutong Well technique is shared, the previously abandoned wells can flourish again, driving down prices and threatening the market of the large salt fields! If they sign, Master Ren will not only weather the crisis but also secure a steady stream of revenue, equivalent to taking a 5% cut of all salt field profits in Sichuan for the next five years! If the large salt field owners don’t sign, they’ll inevitably be surrounded and outcompeted by the small ones. It’s a win-win situation, brilliant!”

The man, delighted by the praise for his master, laughed heartily and burped, “And that’s not all! Our lady noticed their gloomy faces and added that if they sign now, they only need to give up 5% of their profits. But if they wait three months to sign, it will cost them 10%. You should have seen their reactions! That night, sixty or seventy people signed the contract. MasterRen even put aside our own salt field matters to oversee the construction of Zhutong Well at various other salt fields. Now, Sichuan is buzzing with activity!”

Everyone praised Master Ren and his wife, acknowledging their brilliance.

Who would have thought that Ren’s Salt Field could be revived so successfully?

Originally, everyone believed the salt field was doomed, and the price of the silver shares had plummeted. But with this turn of events, the shares might skyrocket tomorrow!

Someone’s expression suddenly turned peculiar, and they whispered, “Then, didn’t Master Lu lose out on those ten thousand silver shares he sold a few days ago…”

“Lost big time!”

“He threw them away at four hundred wen per share. Who could have predicted today’s good news…”

Xiao Dingfei wasn’t familiar with business matters, but he often heard the name “Lu Xian.” Hearing about Lu’s significant loss made him almost burst out laughing.

Beside him, someone actually did laugh out loud.

You Yue, who had looked haggard these past days, now radiated joy. Overwhelmed with happiness, she laughed heartily, exclaiming “Good” three times, “I knew it, I knew it would rise! Hahaha, hahahahaha…”

Everyone was startled.

She ignored their stares, recalling the pressure she endured while resisting her parents’ demands to sell her silver shares. Now, she felt a vindictive satisfaction and couldn’t wait to return home and show her short-sighted parents and siblings the proof of her shares—

To prove who was the smartest and most foresighted!

Not only had Ren’s salt field regained its footing, but it had also made a spectacular comeback!

If the plan proceeded smoothly, it could become the leading salt field in Sichuan!

The thought was mind-boggling. The price of Ren’s Salt Field shares had once soared to fifteen or sixteen hundred wen each. Now, with this news, how many would want to buy in, and how much would the price multiply?

That’s all hard-earned silver!

The carriage was already outside the inn. You Yue directly scolded the coachman and excitedly rushed into the Marquis’ residence.

As she passed through the corridor, she saw the young man she had seen when she left the residence.

Maybe he had come to visit her father?

When she left, she was preoccupied with the silver stock. When she returned, she was eager to boast about it to her family, so she didn’t stop to ask the young man any questions, instead running straight to the courtyard where she and her sister lived.

But she didn’t expect to see the Marquis and his wife sitting in her room, frowning as if they were discussing something.

You Yue thought they were waiting for her.

Instantly, her arrogance returned. She smiled proudly and said loudly, “I told you earlier, about the Ren Saltworks shares—”

As she spoke, a servant carrying a hammer came out of her room and bumped into her, quickly lowering his head and hurrying away as if he had done something he shouldn’t have.

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in You Yue’s heart.

Her voice stopped abruptly, and she walked in, only to see the scene inside—

The box she used to lock up the stock certificates and contracts was placed on the table.

But the once sturdy brass lock had been smashed!

The box was wide open and empty!

At that moment, it was like a bolt from the blue for You Yue. She froze for a moment, then rushed over to pick up the box, frantically searching but unable to find her stock certificates: “The shares, the certificates, the contracts! Where are my things? What have you done?!”

All reason was gone, and her eyes turned red.

The Earl of Qingyuan had anticipated that she would throw a fit when she returned. He had grown tired of her reckless behavior and coldly snorted, “It’s rare that someone from the Xiao family came to deliver something to us today. I thought you might not want to be the consort of the Prince of Linzi. Being the wife of the heir to the Duke’s mansion wouldn’t be bad either. The person from the Xiao family mentioned the Ren Saltworks, and Xiao Dingfei immediately took out a banknote without a second thought, willing to pay 330 wen per share to buy your shares! Your mother and I made the decision and sold them all! I think you…”

“The Xiao family? 330 wen, 330 wen!” You Yue’s heart bled. She couldn’t believe what she heard, and her eyes instantly turned red. She grabbed the empty box and swung it at her parents, “Who told you to sell them? How dare you handle my things?! Do you know how much the Ren Saltworks shares will be worth?! The certificates! The contracts! I don’t care about the Xiao family. Get them all back!!!”

The Marquis and his wife were stunned.

On the corner of the table, there was still a piece of paper and two thin banknotes.

In her frenzy, You Yue saw them and grabbed them like a lifeline. She opened the paper to see the contract clearly stating, in black and white, that the shares had been sold for 320 taels.

And the seal at the bottom—

Xiao Dingfei!

The Marquis and his wife had no idea what had happened outside, only vaguely hearing that the saltworks had been revived. They kept asking questions.

You Yue’s mind was blank.

She clutched the contract, trembling repeatedly. Recently, all the details from the past floated to her mind, connecting into a line: “It’s not Xiao Dingfei, it’s not Xiao Dingfei! It’s her, she’s been plotting against me! It’s her—”

The words that came out of her throat were like they were soaked in blood, full of gritted teeth and venomous hatred!

Holding the piece of paper, she finally couldn’t bear the shift from great joy to great sorrow, from rekindled hope to instant despair. Her vision went black, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

No one around her expected this.

In the blink of an eye, she hit her head on the threshold and passed out, losing consciousness. Yet her fingers still tightly clutched that contract.

*

Liu Yang, having successfully completed Jiang Xuening’s tasks, came out of the Earl of Qingyuan’s residence without a hitch. On the way, he happened to run into Xiao Dingfei. He quickly took out all the seals, contracts, and certificates from his arms and handed them to him.

Xiao Dingfei only knew she was using his name for something but didn’t know what it was.

Now he finally understood and rubbed his chin with a smile: “So that’s it, I wonder what grudge or enmity there is. Hmm, this woman is not to be trifled with, not to be trifled with!”

He waved Liu Yang away and then went to find Jiang Xuening.

But he didn’t know where she was at the moment.

After leaving the Shuxiang Inn, he followed the direction she went but didn’t see her all the way. It wasn’t until he reached a rain shelter pavilion ahead that he finally saw a solitary figure sitting quietly.

There were few passersby outside. Jiang Xuening sat alone on the steps under the pavilion, her eyes staring blankly ahead. It seemed as if she was looking at something, but Xiao Dingfei felt she saw nothing.

Her expression seemed as if she were in a deep dream.

He walked over and called her name, bringing her back to reality. She looked at him, as usual, and asked, “Did you get it?”

Xiao Dingfei handed the items to her, but his gaze was scrutinizing. He felt that her earlier appearance was unusual. Knowing she had chased after Zhang Zhe, he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you alright?”

Jiang Xuening blinked, thinking, why didn’t she ask Zhang Zhe who that girl was? But since everything had been made clear, asking more would make her seem clingy and relentless.

“I’m fine.”

She replied to Xiao Dingfei and lowered her head to check the contracts and certificates.

Xiao Dingfei stood in front of her, clearly seeing tear after tear falling and wetting those contracts. However, her voice remained calm and unruffled: “Wait a couple of days for the stock price to rise, then sell it. The money won’t be lost.”

*

“What did you say?!”

In the Zhuoqi Hall of Xie Wei’s mansion, Lu Xian’s hand trembled, spilling hot tea all over his leg. The burn made him jump up, and even his voice twisted a bit as he grabbed the young servant in front of him, incredulously asking.

“The Ren family salt field has come back to life?!”

The young servant knew his master would explode upon hearing this news. After all, they had just sold ten thousand shares at a low price, only for the price to surge back up in just a couple of days. It was as thrilling as a leap from a cliff to the sky!

Even though Lu Xian was a seasoned business fox, he still found this hard to accept.

He sat down dejectedly, almost dumbfounded: “How is this possible, how is this possible…”

That was ten thousand shares!

Ten thousand shares!

Lü Xian felt like cutting off a piece of his own flesh wouldn’t hurt as much. Hugging his head, he paced back and forth in the Zhuoqin Hall: “How can there be such a coincidence in the world? Someone must be scheming behind this! It’s impossible for it to be such a coincidence! Xie Xu’an, Xie Xu’an! This is a huge sum of money! Send someone quickly, Jian Shu, no, Dao Qin will do! Help me investigate this deeply, I must see which turtle-hearted bastard dared to swallow my money! Investigate, I want an investigation!!!”

Xie Wei had just found a suitable qin board at Youhuang Hall and had started carving it again. Hearing Lu Xian’s furious outburst, he simply refolded the piece of white sleeve that had slipped down his arm and said in a completely calm voice, “Jian Shu, did you hear that? Help Lu Zhaoyin investigate.”

Jian Shu: “…”

He still remembered when his master learned that Second Lady Ning was moving silver stocks. His master had said, “Lu Zhaoyin has a handle on business matters himself, no need for you to intervene.” Now, looking up at Xie Wei’s indifferent and transcendent face, and then glancing at Lu Xian, who was nearly biting through his steel teeth in rage, Jian Shu silently downgraded Lu Xian’s priority.

Xie Wei, not hearing a response, turned his gaze to him and lightly said, “Investigate, understood?”

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Jian Shu’s forehead. He understood, bowed, and said, “Yes, this subordinate will investigate immediately.”

I’ll eat my hat if I find anything!

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