Chapter 356: Seizing Salt Lead

Chen Yue, the head manager of the Chen Family Salt Emporium, stood inside the doorway, watching Chen Ji's figure disappear into the thin mist.

He brushed non-existent dust from his brocade robe and sneered as he instructed his staff: "Remember, if that young man comes again tonight, be polite to him. Don't let him find any obvious fault. But if he asks about the managers in the salt emporium again, tell him exactly what I taught you: they are all out."

"Yes, sir."

Chen Yue walked towards the back courtyard.

In the back courtyard, an Eight Immortals table was placed beside a pomegranate tree, and several people were gathered around it, playing mahjong.

An old man with graying hair, stroking an ivory tile in his hand, thought for a moment before flicking it to the center of the table with his finger: "Eight wan."

Chen Yue sat back in his seat, his gaze sweeping over the tiles in front of him: "Gentlemen, whether we can continue to live comfortably depends on our unity. If we let a wet-behind-the-ears young man ride roughshod over us, our lives will be worse than a dog's."

To his left, a middle-aged man with a goatee played a nine of bamboo: "Head Manager, that young man is, after all, the new master sent by the main family. It's enough to give him the cold shoulder for a bit, but don't really push him to anger. I'm afraid we won't be able to handle the consequences."

Chen Yue glared sideways at the middle-aged man: "Ye, if I ever find out you secretly defected and became a turncoat, I'll tear your balls off and feed them to dogs."

Manager Ye stroked his goatee: "Don't try to scare me. Although your surname is Chen, my relationship with the main family is much closer than yours."

Chen Yue scoffed, "Second Master already instructed me yesterday to delay as long as possible. We absolutely cannot let that young man get the salt emporium into his hands."

Manager Ye raised an eyebrow: "Did Second Master really say that?"

Chen Yue said mysteriously, "This matter is of great importance; don't mess it up. Moreover, if this young man takes over the salt emporium, he's bound to discover all the old dirty dealings over time. Do you think you'll be able to get away unscathed? Remember, for this, we must put aside our past grievances and advance and retreat together."

At this point, the old man with a long, white beard sitting at the table slowly asked, "What if we can't delay him? I've heard this young man is quite fierce."

Chen Yue scoffed, "The capital is not a place where martial arts speak. Besides, he's just a boy of eighteen or nineteen. He won't understand the intricacies of this salt emporium overnight. Look at his demeanor today; he came unprepared, left sheepishly after a few words, like a raw recruit."

Chen Yue stared at the ivory tiles in front of him: "Tonight, when he comes, we'll give him the cold shoulder again and see how many more times he'll show up."

The evening drum sounded, 800 beats, starting slow and then quickening.

Inside the Chen Family Salt Merchant's main office, the staff swept the floors and tidied the salt measures, but they kept glancing towards the door, their minds elsewhere.

A junior clerk whispered, "Manager Ye said that the main family sent a new master this time because they think there are too many employees in the salt emporium and plan to dismiss thirty percent. Is that true or false?"

"Manager Zhou also said that, so it must be true. Anyway, remember what the managers told us: we must stand united. If he asks anything, we don't know, and tell him to wait until the managers return."

The junior clerk mumbled, "It's the first time I've seen the managers get along so well. Usually, they're arguing when they meet, but today they're actually sitting together playing mahjong."

Someone warned, "Make sure you don't let anything slip. And be respectful on the surface; don't let him catch us doing anything overtly wrong."

Just then, the drumming stopped.

The staff suddenly flinched and turned to see Chen Ji stepping over the threshold.

Seeing everyone frozen, an older clerk coughed, and the staff quickly bowed together, greeting, "Master."

The older clerk politely said, "Master, the Head Manager..."

Chen Ji raised his hand to stop him, walked directly to the counter, and began flipping through the day's accounts: "What's your name?"

The older clerk replied, "To answer the Master, my name is Chen Bin."

Chen Ji hummed, "And the Head Manager? I told him this morning to wait for me at the salt emporium."

Chen Bin quickly cupped his hands and bowed: "To report to the Master, today the Supervising Eunuch of the Changlu Salt Field returned to the capital, and the Head Manager had to go pay his respects. This is a matter of great importance, as it affects whether our salt emporium can receive salt from the salt field. So, he asked me to apologize on his behalf; he cannot wait for you at the salt emporium today."

A Supervising Eunuch from the salt field?

Chen Ji then casually asked, "What about the other managers?"

Chen Bin replied, "Master, Manager Ye went to discuss the salt transport for early next month with the Grand Canal Association, and Manager Zhou was called away by the Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Accounts... they are all out."

After speaking, he cautiously looked up at Chen Ji.

He had expected Chen Ji, this wet-behind-the-ears young man, to fly into a rage, but to his surprise, Chen Ji merely nodded, showing no anger.

Chen Ji suddenly spoke, asking, "The managers wouldn't be secretly selling the salt certificates of my Chen Family Salt Emporium, would they? And now they're hiding because they fear the main family's investigation?"

Chen Bin smiled slightly and calmly said, "Master, you've misunderstood. How could our salt emporium's managers do such a thing? The salt certificates just redeemed from the Ministry of Revenue after the New Year are all here in the salt emporium. All the accounts are complete, without a single omission. Chen Ertong, bring the salt certificates and accounts out."

This time, Chen Ji did not stop him.

He leaned against the counter, silently watching the salt emporium staff bring out over twenty large boxes, opening each lid to reveal stacks of blue-covered ledgers.

It would likely take years for one person to inventory so many ledgers. And by the time the accounts were settled, the salt emporium's managers would have new tricks to fob off their new master.

Chen Bin bowed to Chen Ji, "Master, please examine them."

Chen Ji confirmed again, "Are all the managers really out?"

Chen Bin stated firmly, "All out."

Chen Ji turned and called towards the door, "Someone! Take these salt certificates and ledgers away. I intend to examine them overnight."

As he spoke, six carriages appeared from nowhere and stopped in front of the Chen Family Salt Emporium. Lin Yanchu and more than ten Imperial Guards rushed inside, grabbing boxes and carrying them out.

Chen Bin's face instantly changed: "Master, these are the lifeblood of our Chen Family Salt Emporium! They cannot be taken away!"

He signaled to his staff, and over a dozen clerks immediately swarmed forward, clinging to the boxes. Some even tried to push Lin Yanchu.

But Lin Yanchu, holding the iron ring on a box with one hand, grabbed the outstretched hand of a clerk with the other. With a slight twist, the clerk cried out in pain and dropped to his knees: "Ow, ow, ow... Mother!"

On the other side, a salt emporium clerk rushing to snatch a box saw a blur as an Imperial Guard in plain clothes backhanded him, sending him spinning in place.

The dozen or so clerks swarmed forward but were instantly all lying on the ground, no match for them at all.

Chen Bin hadn't expected Chen Ji to be so unconventional, bringing a group of martial artists to seize the ledgers and salt certificates. In his desperation, he turned and shouted towards the back courtyard, "Managers..."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Oh, didn't you say all the managers were out?"

Chen Bin swallowed the words he was about to say.