Chapter 88

Chapter 89: The Thief

While Zhao Cheng was developing new weapons, Huang Jingchen was making a fortune in the capital. After exchanging the old notes for new ones, he immediately arranged for them to be sold at face value, which still quadrupled or quintupled his profits. It was like a few-dollar junk stocks in today's bear market turning into phoenixes overnight, soaring to become dark horses.

He also exchanged half of the salt notes for surplus goods in the Left Treasury. Huang Jingchen's earlier investments quickly paid off. People knew which side of the bed was warmer. The items in the warehouse seemed to have gone moldy overnight, the new became old, and the old became worthless. As a result, 100,000 strings of salt notes exchanged for 200,000 worth of goods, which included silk, spices, ivory, and gems—items that, though not numerous, were extremely valuable. If sold, these items would at least double in value.

Following Zhao Cheng's instructions, Huang Jingchen insisted on hard currency when selling—gold and silver were best, copper coins were acceptable, but paper money was out of the question. Seeing the room filled with gold and silver, the old man was once again awed by the prince's foresight. By the time he sold his salt notes and moved the goods, the Left Treasury no longer had enough items for the salt merchants to exchange. Those who exchanged first got the best deals, while those who couldn't exchange were left to be "Leifengs" (selfless helpers). Once the news spread, the value of the new salt notes plummeted, and no one wanted them anymore.

Monopolies always thrive, and collusion between officials and merchants always leads to wealth. The salt merchants who got in early quickly obtained salt notes from the Salt Office, completed the procedures, and received salt from the salt fields, transporting it to regions lacking salt for sale, seizing the market. The salt merchants were welcomed by local officials, who, eager to achieve good governance and retain their positions, went to great lengths to attract merchants, helping to promote and forcibly distribute salt. In some places, even newborns were counted for salt distribution, and in the north, even livestock was included.

The annual salt production was limited, and with the issuance of new notes and the exchange of old ones, the total value of salt notes over several years far exceeded the actual salt production. The early birds were raking in huge profits, while those who got stuck with the last batch of salt notes were left in tears. They would have to wait years to claim the salt, and even if the policy remained unchanged, they would have to pay extra to exchange for new notes. If they tried to exchange for goods, the warehouses would be as clean as a dog-licked bowl. If they tried to resell, no one would buy.

These people, who were once wealthy tycoons, were now left with nothing but toilet paper. When they went to petition, a large sign at the Salt Office read, "Small purchases are enjoyable, large purchases are harmful." Bankrupt salt merchants roamed the streets; those with strong mental fortitude could still beg their way home, while the weaker ones resorted to suicide.

Some were happy, others were worried. The officials in the salt-producing regions were furious. Their office expenses, which were largely supported by salt taxes, a major source of local revenue, were now gone due to the new salt note system. This was like having their throats cut. Fortunately, there were precedents. They could follow the same practices as before, like implementing the Green Sprout Law and the Baojia System to shift the burden. They would strip the salt merchants again: if you couldn't claim salt with your salt notes from the capital, you would have to buy again or pay additional taxes. In short, you would have to bleed, and they would have to pluck a few feathers.

The salt merchants were not willing to take a loss. They immediately raised the price of salt, from 11,000 coins for a 300-pound bag to over 30,000 coins. The salt was mixed with mud, sand, and ash, making it of poor quality but high price. With the local government's help in selling, the result was that the common people suffered greatly. However, the Salt Office in the capital, under Wei Bochu's management, saw a surge in merchants and salt note revenue, reaching a peak of 40 million strings per year. This single source of income exceeded the total annual revenue of Emperor Taizong's reign by more than double and was equivalent to two-thirds of the total annual revenue during Emperor Shenzong's Yuanfeng period. They were truly a group of bandits.

"Good, drinking while on night duty, you're underestimating me!" On the roof of the outer courtyard's guard house, a man dangled by his feet, inverted like a bat, peering into the room and muttering to himself.

"Boss Yang, I'm going to the bathroom!" A guard called out to Yang Feng, pushed the door open, and started to unzip his pants when he saw a dark shadow flash by. "Who's there? Stop!" He shouted, pulling up his pants.

"What's wrong?" Hearing the shout, the other guards in the guard house immediately grabbed their knives and rushed out.

"A dark shadow was hanging on our window and ran off when it saw me!" The guard who had been urinating was startled, holding his urine and zipping up his pants.

"Search, don't let him get away. Things have been uneasy in the compound lately. The warehouse was robbed yesterday, and a painting by the emperor was stolen. I was scolded by the chief steward. We can't let him get away today!" Yang Feng ordered the guards to sound the alarm. He led the search, and the entire outer courtyard became bustling. Lanterns were lit everywhere, and the night guards with torches searched everywhere.

Perhaps it was because the compound was too prominent. After the New Year, the guards sometimes noticed dark shadows on the roofs and in the corners, moving quickly and disappearing in an instant. They often thought it was an illusion or a stray cat. Some guards claimed to have seen a person and sounded the alarm, but after searching, nothing was found, and nothing was missing from the compound.

After a few incidents, everyone assumed it was an illusion and no longer took it seriously. However, the compound had been robbed several times recently. First, it was the chief steward's room, then the warehouse, but no one saw the thief. The compound was reorganized, but no internal thief was found. The thefts were mysterious, and the only thing they could do was to strengthen security and increase manpower. The warehouse was guarded by more guards, but the thief still managed to steal increasingly valuable items.

The thief was spotted twice, but this person was highly skilled, moving across roofs and walls as if on flat ground, incredibly fast. By the time they brought ladders and climbed up, the thief was long gone. A few guards with light body skills chased after him but were outpaced, even the experienced Meng Tao and Yang Feng couldn't keep up.

"The thief ran to the back courtyard, chase him!" The lookout on the corner tower spotted the thief first, shouting and waving a lantern to guide the direction. The guards and guardsmen from various areas quickly gathered, blocking all the exits and forming a large encirclement.

"He's in the tree!" A guard spotted the thief and shouted. Meng Tao drew his bow and fired an arrow. Everyone knew his archery skills, thinking the thief couldn't escape, but to everyone's surprise, the thief twisted his body, moved behind a branch, and struck the arrow, knocking it to the ground.

"Huh!" Meng Tao was taken aback, drew a second arrow, and prepared to shoot again. The thief, however, grabbed a branch and swung, leaped onto the wall, ran a few steps on the narrow wall, and then jumped, grabbing the eaves and flipping onto the roof, hiding behind the ridge. Meng Tao, seeing the target disappear, angrily threw his bow and ran a few steps, leaping onto the roof. Two other skilled guards also climbed up with the help of their comrades, but as soon as they showed their heads, they were hit by flying tiles and fell down.

"Rogue, where do you think you're running?" Meng Tao shattered the flying tiles and shouted. He could see that the thief was small, dressed in dark gray night clothes, and had a mask covering his face, revealing only his eyes.

The thief seemed unafraid, leaping and bounding on the roof. Meng Tao couldn't catch him for a while. After a few rounds, the thief suddenly accelerated, running along the ridge.

Meng Tao smiled coldly and pursued. This was a series of connected rooms in the east wing. Hearing the commotion, the residents came out to see what was happening, and the guards surrounded the area. The thief had no choice but to jump to another row of roofs, separated by a path over ten feet wide. Meng Tao, after years of practice, dared not say he could make the jump, so the thief was truly cornered.

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End of the chapter.