However, Cao Shilang naturally wouldn't let them do that. At the surrounding crossings, many checkpoints were set up for interrogation by armed officials.

Those poor people tried their best, but it was difficult to escape the fate of being caught. Even many innocent merchants have been wrongfully framed.

Their salt was confiscated, and the servants were beaten to death with sticks and vicious dogs, and then the corpses were violently laid at the intersection.

In this way, in the whole city, except for the few pitiful public salt, it is also necessary to buy it in limited quantities and at regular intervals, and the rest is private salt.

Cao Shilang also cunning calculations, set fire to the village next to the salt mountain. While they were guarding tightly, they were digging holes in the ground.

Mrs. Cao also once went to the salt mountain with Cao Shilang. It was a hot summer day, the sun was scorching, and the two of them walked together.

Cao Shilang had a proud face and was very domineering. With a whip in his hand, he looked at the backs of the workers, and with a snap, a bloody streak was made.

The worker just twitched, and didn't even dare to cover his wounds. Trembling with his legs, he carried the basket and dug under the salt mountain of white flowers.

Mrs. Cao looked at the miserable conditions of those hard laborers and sympathized with them. "Husband, don't fight anymore, it's really pitiful to see them like that."

Listening to her advice, Cao Shilang snorted disdainfully in his nose and sneered. "Lady, where do you understand, these cheap bones, how can you do it if you don't fight?"

As he spoke, he shouted at the overseer. "You boys, the speed of work is getting slower and slower, if you don't kill two, you are all solid."

The overseers, with chains, saw a slave and beat them in the face. Those people were like crazy, desperately digging the salt mountain.

Soon, several corpses were beaten to the flesh, and the bones were stained with the salt of snowflakes. Cao Shilang smiled as he looked at the carriage full of salt bags.

He walked up, grabbed the grains of salt, and said to Mrs. Cao. "Lady, we can be regarded as rich, those public salt, mixed with soil, those poor ghosts can't eat well."

As he spoke, he took the grain of salt in his hand and twisted it with his hand. "If you want good salt, come to me and buy it!" The smile had been twisted and twisted.

Speaking of this, Song Zhiyao interjected. "In that case, ma'am, is it your wish to get rid of this hateful man?"

Mrs. Cao listened to her words and smiled sadly. "If this is the case in life, what can it be? It's just that ugly skin, hypocritical expression, I feel disgusted when I look at it. ”

Liu Yichen also said. "Madam, if you really testify in court, I'm afraid that you will feel guilty in your heart, after all, one day husband and wife, one hundred days of kindness."

She turned her head away and said resolutely. "Where is the guilt? He is such a person, he has all the good things to say, and he treats me as if he were even a plaything. ”

Then she said excitedly. "Ladies and gentlemen, you won't know that he is just abusing me, insulting me, and pretending to be a good person."

It turned out that since that day, Mrs. Cao went down from the salt mountain, she always remembered that scene in her heart, and felt that those unjust souls were always following behind her.

At the same time, Cao Shilang arranged the affairs of Yanshan to a few cronies. I just took a brush and hid in the house, dizzy, and fake.

Those false accounts are all false reports of the amount of official salt, but in fact, they are mixed with mud, sand and stones, which is difficult to swallow. And the rest of the part is cleverly evened out.

The wagons were secretly transported to various ports, and then transferred from the seven private salt mines. Those smugglers naturally submitted to him.

It's just that the people suffered, and they lined up and tried their best to find the smugglers. Even with a lot of copper coins and silver taels, it is difficult to buy a spoonful of salt.

After listening to her words, Song Zhiyao was filled with indignation. "Xianggong, we can't sit idly by any longer, we must give an explanation of this matter."

Liu Yichen listened to her words and said. "In that case, then now, he is doing things in the official office, where are those cronies?"

Mrs. Cao replied. "Just behind the salt mountain, on the island where the river flows. They were on tight guard, set up a military fortress, and there were secret sentries all around. ”

Thinking of this, the two decided to wait for the matter of the private salt on the one hand, and on the other hand, go to the island to try, maybe there, they can find the tampered ledger.

Mrs. Cao, who was sent by several people, went back to the room, and Song Zhiyao returned to the bed, staring blankly into the distance, thoughtful.

Liu Yichen also understood that she had something in her heart, raised her body, and slowly rubbed her back. "Yao'er, don't think so much, go to sleep."

Song Zhiyao blinked her little eyes and waved her slender little hand. "Xianggong, Yao'er is fine, it's just that he hasn't done it all the time, and it's difficult for us to do it."

Listening to her words, Liu Yichen wrapped his arms around her neck and gently pressed against her face. "Yao'er, let's rest, and we'll go again in the morning."

Early the next morning, Liu Yichen opened the door and looked at Hou Qu, Xiong Li. "Two, let's go to Yanshan again, let's stay here Zhou Xuan."

Hou Qu and Xiong Li nodded, and the two climbed out of the courtyard wall. Walking on a muddy dirt road, I went around to an alley with a cloth bag on my back.

It was a hazy light rain, and the two walked to the road together, holding their feet. The road was sparse, there were few pedestrians, and the city gates were closed.

Hou Qu sighed. "The adults want you and me to do this, and the salt mountain is also remote, and it is too difficult for you and me to go there."

Xiong Li scratched his head and smiled innocently. "Big brother, there must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, let's go around again." Walk to the city gate and find a breakfast stall.

The stall was set up by a thin man. He stretched out his long chopsticks, stirred the fritters, and the hot fried gurgling and bubbling sounded.

Smelling the fragrance, Hou Qu walked over and patted a string of copper coins. "Give us two fritters and two bowls of sweet soy milk, which should be hot."

The man put away the copper coin and put the fritters on the plate. Xiong Li was anxious and asked the man. "Here, how to get to Salt Mountain?"

The man listened to their words, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Two brothers, although they meet in Pingshui, I advise you not to take this path."

Hou Qu looked at the man's left hand, three of his fingers had been chopped off, and only the middle finger and thumb remained. "This line of work, it's really licking blood from the edge of the knife."

Hou Qu took out another one or two lines of silver and slapped them on the table. "Big brother, we just went to find someone, my brother, said he was sold there."

The man looked at the tattoo silver, hesitated for a moment, grabbed it, and held it in his arms. Frowning, he whispered to Hou Qu's ear.

"If you can't come out and become evil ghosts, you can't be reincarnated, and don't blame me in the next life."

Hou Qu nodded and said resolutely. "Brother, you are also a person who eats hob rice on the rivers and lakes, we know the measure, even if you cramp and peel the skin, you don't say anything."

Soon, the man took a piece of worn-out yellow paper, took a pen, drew a few times on the paper, and dotted a black circle.

Hou Qu thanked the man and looked at the piece of paper. "There are still more than ten miles away, it's not easy to walk, take advantage of the lack of people, let's hurry up."

At this moment, there was a buzzing sound, and the city gate opened. The two of them mingled in the crowd and walked a few miles towards the side of the mountain through the sentry's search.

They came to a fork in the road, where the grass grew and warblers flew, and the willow branches swayed in the wind. There is a dilapidated thatched hut in the middle, with the door panel falling to the ground.

The two of them felt that this place seemed to have an ominous feeling. The two of them tentatively walked into the house and found fresh blood spraying on the side of the road.

There were many flies on it, buzzing and flying. The two walked into the house and found a skinny man in the corner, moaning incessantly.

The two of them pulled the man and asked suspiciously. "Brother, what's going on?" Looking at the man, the wound on his back was already festering.

The man gasped. "I was caught on the salt mountain, and the overseer beat me too hard and threw me here, and the salt was hidden on the other side of the mountain."

As he spoke, the man choked up and swallowed, tilted his head, and lost his breath. Hou Qu looked at the courtyard, and among the flowers and plants, there were many mottled skeletons.

He patted Xiong Li on the shoulder and said urgently. "According to the map, let's go quickly, and when we get around the mountain, we will find the salt storehouse."

Just as the two were about to walk out of the door, they suddenly approached a burly strong man. He carried an iron and steel knife in his hand and looked at the two of them in amazement.

"Who?" Before he could react, Hou Qu punched him in the chin with both hands. Twisting his wrist, he snatched the knife one by one.

Xiong Li looked outside, there was a heavy carriage full of worn cloth bags. "You kid, that salt mountain, how many people are there?"

The strong man struggled with his body, and his face was hideous. With his mouth open, he was about to shout, but Hou Qu pressed hard, and the strong man stuck out his tongue in his mouth and fainted to the ground.

The two stepped forward, stretched out their hands, and pulled the cloth bag hard. After a while, the salt grains of white flowers spilled down the axles.

Xiong Li raised his head and looked at the mountain, the smoke was faint and looming. "Big brother, this is the place, let's go over quickly!"

The two untied their horses and straddled them together. Pulling the reins, he whipped a few lashes hard. Towards the steep mountain road, run quickly.

At this moment, they heard a shout below. It seems that someone has discovered them. Rounding a bend, the horse barked.

It turned out that the rock and soil below were already full of salt grains. One of the horses' hooves was unstable, and with a plop, the two of them fell down.

The minions guarding the salt mountain noticed that the signs were wrong. With sharp blades in their hands and torches in hand, they searched for the two men in all directions.

The two of them died and hung on a tree branch. The horse fell to the ground and became a mess of rotting flesh. "Over there, it's the salt pond."

Hou Qu pointed his eyes and looked at the other side of the cliff. Many ragged slave laborers, pushing heavy wooden carts, headed for the tents.

He was about to move when he felt a pain. It took a long time for the two of them to come down from the branches, drag their legs, and walk slowly.

In the dark night sky, in the distance, the neighing of a vicious wolf could be heard. In the huge rock crevices, snakes and insects roamed from time to time, and the two of them looked at their feet vigilantly.

After walking for a long time, Xiong Li asked helplessly. "Big brother, what can you do if you enter the salt mountain? The two of us can't make it over. ”

Listening to his words, Hou Qu replied firmly. "Brother Huang, we have our own clever plans, we just need to follow the plan, don't be suspicious."

After a long time, they found a pass in a cliff. There were drops of water flowing over there, and the water was rippling. The two of them held the water and drank it in large gulps.

Then, they were lucky enough to find a few mushrooms, barely enough to fill their stomachs. By the faint light of the day, the two went to the winding mountain road.

The mountain road is long, and you can't reach the end for a long time. Every two miles they walked, the two of them saw huge barrels buried in the land.

It was full of salt grains, and the fire on the side kept shaking. Hou Qu remembered Liu Yichen's words, and his heart was at ease. "It's time to do it."

At the same time, Liu Yichen and Song Zhiyao, the two of them were eating a banquet with Cao Shilang. Those maids served the three of them diligently.

Cao Shilang stretched out his ivory chopsticks and held the shredded meat. "Come on, my lord, it's specially cut in the kitchen, it's soft and delicate, and the taste is okay."

Liu Yichen observed his expression, and seemed to be much more nervous than before. While eating the meat, he smiled politely. "Melt in your mouth and delicious."

Song Zhiyao could also see that Cao Shilang had something in his heart. "Presumably, it's still the matter of the silver, and his boat of private salt is about to come out."

Thinking of this, she said gently. "Brother Huang, we have also delayed people for a long time, business is important, let's leave tomorrow."

Hearing her words, Cao Shilang couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "These two unlucky things are finally leaving, delaying the uncle to make money."