CHAPTER 448: 345. CONCEALING POISON WITH ONE’S LIFE

The Taiye Pond was silent, with no sound of frogs or cicadas.

Bai Long stood with his hands behind his back, moonlight pouring down, his white clothes in the dark night seemed to emit a faint glow.

He quietly examined Chen Ji in front of him, ignoring the clothes and boots, focusing only on the eyes.

This was Chen Ji’s first genuine interaction with this Bai Long. The other party’s gaze, less sharp and manic, was more cautious and calm.

His way of doing things was quite different.

After a moment of scrutiny, Bai Long slowly spoke, "You seem a bit uneasy, as if you’re betting on whether Mr. Feng deceived you."

Chen Ji calmly said, "Whether I bet right or wrong doesn’t matter. Sir, you have just taken over Bai Long’s position, and you must need some capable hands. Now the Top Three positions are vacant, and the ambitious zodiacs are all vying for them, thinking they too have a chance to become one of the Top Three and no longer have to rely on others. For example, the Xuan Snake probably has no interest in helping you now and only wants to make a remarkable achievement."

Bai Long did not comment and asked indifferently, "What else did Mr. Feng say?"

Chen Ji quickly glanced at Bai Long and then humbly said, "Mr. Feng also said that you are a person of principle and emotion, who would never mistreat your subordinates; he also said you are protective and would never treat your subordinates as cannon fodder; lastly, he praised your exceptional prowess, following you is bound to lead to a promising future."

Bai Long chuckled lightly, "Tell too many lies, and you may end up with a rotten tongue."

Chen Ji’s expression remained unchanged as he said, "Mr. Feng also advised me to assist Lord Bai Long earnestly. It’s precisely due to Mr. Feng’s advice that I came to find Lord Bai Long, to relieve your worries and catch the real culprit."

Bai Long, intrigued, said, "Then do you know how Mr. Feng described you?"

Chen Ji felt a chill in his heart, "I do not know."

Bai Long stood with his hands behind him on the bank of the Taiye Pond, gazing at the newly unfurled lotus leaves, "Mr. Feng said you are someone who doesn’t rise early without profit, every action has a purpose. He wants me to be cautious of you, to think thrice about everything you say. If I can’t control you, I shall kill first and talk later."

Chen Ji slightly raised an eyebrow, damn you, Mr. Feng...

Bai Long slightly turned his head, "Are you cursing Mr. Feng in your heart?"

Chen Ji quickly lowered his head, "No, just curious, what else did Mr. Feng and you talk about, sir."

Bai Long smiled, "Mr. Feng also said, although you are clever, you aren’t clever enough. You may not be swayed by Silver Coin, but emotions might be your undoing... Do you think he was right?"

Chen Ji maintained a calm demeanor, "My intelligence is nothing more than petty tricks."

Bai Long faced the Taiye Pond, ignoring Chen Ji, and said indifferently, "Then don’t play your petty tricks. Running here in the middle of the night, pretending you want to relieve my worries, tell me, if you solve the case, what do you want from me?"

Chen Ji no longer hesitated and immediately clasped his hands together, "I would like to first ask, how many salt fields does the Inner Court control?"

"Eyeing the salt field business?" Bai Long replied casually, "The entire Ning Dynasty has 235 salt fields, of which 59 are controlled by the Inner Court. Among these 59, Lianghuai has 35, Liangzhe 11, Changlu seven, Lu State four, and Fuzhou two."

Chen Ji asked again, "May I ask, sir, how many pounds of salt do these 59 fields produce annually?"

Bai Long nonchalantly said, "The year before last, 68 million pounds were produced; last year, after some salt-makers left, the yield was only 62 million pounds, equivalent to 310,000 salt permits in production, with one permit exchangeable for 200 pounds of salt. Boy, this isn’t something you can handle."

Bai Long teased, "Otherwise, why don’t you become a eunuch in the palace? I could suggest to the Prime Minister to send you to the Lianghuai salt field to be a Salt Field Commander, and then the entire salt field would be under your command."

"You jest, sir."

Chen Ji found it odd; he merely asked about the number and output of salt fields, yet the other party explained every detail to him so thoroughly.

He continued to ask, "May I ask, sir, the queue for salt merchants to exchange salt, how long is the wait?"

"Fifteen years."

Chen Ji lowered his head to ponder and calculate.

Bai Long asked indifferently, "Why aren’t you speaking, who are you plotting against this time?"

Chen Ji had figured it out, "I will solve the case for you, sir, hoping you will grant me priority in exchanging salt. As long as a salt merchant has a permit bearing my seal, they can skip the queue."

Bai Long sneered, "Such bold words. Do you know that salt merchants wanting an early exchange must pay an additional five maces of Silver Coin per permit to our Inner Court? It’s called ’Quick Exchange Money’. And these coins, from the Salt Mine Tax Collector of the Inner Court to the Salt Field Commander, down to the lowest level salt officials, all take a share. You want to disrupt people’s financial paths; let’s see if your life is tough enough. Your life isn’t worth 155,000 taels of Silver."

Chen Ji shook his head, "No, no, no, you misunderstood me, sir. The five maces per permit as ’Quick Exchange Money’ will still be paid in full, not a cent less."

Bai Long made a curious sound, "Then what do you earn?"

Chen Ji earnestly said, "I only wish to relieve your worries, sir."

Bai Long laughed heartily, "Mr. Feng said when you put on an earnest face, surely you’re planning to deceive someone. If you don’t wish to earn the five maces per permit, do you intend to make bigger money?"

Chen Ji inwardly cursed, what’s with Mr. Feng?

He whispered, "I only want to make some small money to support my family."

Bai Long turned back and quietly looked at him, saying nothing.

Chen Ji endured the pressure, calmly staring at that Dragon Pattern Mask.

After a moment, Bai Long said calmly, "If you don’t touch the Salt Mine Tax Collector’s profits, I can agree to this. But remember, the salt merchants have profound backing; if you wish to move against the merchants’ profits, first see how many heads you have."