Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 73 Birds Carry Secret Letters! The Salt Smuggling Case Shocks the Court and the Public; Liu

Chapter 73 A Hundred Birds Carry a Secret Letter! The Salt Smuggling Case Shocks the Court and the Public; Liu Chengming Suffers a Loss of 500,000 Taels of Silver

Seven days later.

The residence of Lin Ruhai, the Salt Commissioner in the capital.

Late at night.

Lin Ruhai was still in his study looking at case files.

He was a scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice and served in the Censorate for twenty years. He was upright, principled, and hated corruption the most. Over the years, he brought down no fewer than ten salt officials and was known as "Iron Face Lin".

But because of this, he offended too many people.

Now at fifty-three, he is still in the position of Salt Commissioner and cannot be promoted.

"Master," the old servant knocked on the door, "there's a letter for you."

"Who delivered it?"

"I don't know. It was just stuck in the crack in the door."

Lin Ruhai frowned.

He accepted the letter.

The envelope is ordinary.

There was no signature.

open.

Inside was a thick stack of papers.

The list is at the top:

West of the Yangzhou Canal wharf, there is the third abandoned brick kiln. There are also three private salt warehouses, storing approximately 50,000 jin of salt.

The underground warehouse at the seventh wharf of the Hangzhou canal gang. Approximately 30,000 catties of smuggled salt.

Near Tiger Hill in Suzhou, a disguised tea shop. Approximately 20,000 jin of smuggled salt.

Detailed maps, guard changing times, and warehouse structure diagrams are attached below.

There were even several copies of the account books.

It records the date and time of the salt boat's departure and arrival, and who handled the shipment.

The last line in smaller print:

"The Liu family's lifeline in Jiangnan lies in these three places. The evidence is conclusive; we urge Your Excellency to rid the people of this scourge."

Lin Ruhai's hands were trembling.

It's not fear.

It was excitement.

It's been ten years.

He had been keeping an eye on the Liu family for ten years.

But Liu Chengzong, that old fox, was meticulous in his work. The salt tax accounts in Jiangnan were perfectly prepared, and no problems could be found on the surface.

did not expect.

Tonight, the evidence has come to us of its own accord.

"Prepare the sedan chair!" Lin Ruhai abruptly stood up. "To the Censorate!"

"Master, it's already midnight..."

"We have to go even at midnight!" Lin Ruhai's eyes lit up. "This kind of evidence could change even if we're a moment late!"

---

On the same night.

Hangzhou, Qihuang Garden.

Ye Huang stood by the window.

He held a thin stick of incense in his hand.

The incense is specially made.

Once lit, the blue smoke rises straight up, condensing and not dissipating.

She is waiting.

Waiting for a signal.

It was around midnight.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from outside the window.

A gray pigeon landed on the windowsill.

Thin bamboo tubes were tied to his legs.

Ye Huang removed the bamboo tube and pulled out the paper strip inside.

Only two words:

"Received."

She smiled.

Hold the note up to the candlelight.

Burn to ashes.

"Mo Shisan," she said into the darkness.

"Your subordinate is here."

"Tell our people in Yangzhou and Suzhou," Ye Huang said calmly, "tomorrow at dawn, prepare to watch the show."

"yes!"

---

the next day.

The Yangzhou Canal Wharf, near an abandoned brick kiln.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

A group of soldiers suddenly surrounded the area.

Leading the group was a commander of the Yangzhou Guard, surnamed Zhou, who was a student of Lin Ruhai.

"search!"

The officers and soldiers rushed into the brick kiln.

It was indeed a hidden paradise inside.

From the outside, it looked like a dilapidated brick kiln, but inside it had been converted into three large warehouses. They were piled high with sacks, and the sacks were full of snow-white salt.

"Sir!" a soldier exclaimed, "There are more here!"

In the dry well in the backyard.

There was actually a cellar hidden there.

The sacks were full of packaged smuggled salt. They were stamped with the words "Official Salt".

The one that can be clicked is fake.

"Well done, Liu Chengming!" Commander Zhou sneered. "Putting smuggled salt into official bags—this is tantamount to rebellion!"

"Seize everything!"

"Take him back to the yamen!"

---

Hangzhou Canal Wharf.

Li Heihu, the leader of the Cao Gang, was still sleeping.

Last night, Liu Chengming sent someone to deliver a message, saying that the brick kiln might have been exposed. He told him to quickly move the goods from the Seventh Wharf.

He originally planned to take action that very night.

But...

The dock was haunted last night.

A moment later, the ship's cable snapped.

A moment later, the warehouse door opened by itself.

The brothers on watch all said they saw white shadows floating around.

Li Heihu felt a chill run down his spine.

It dragged on until dawn.

This delay led to trouble.

It was just dawn.

The officers and soldiers from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office arrived.

The leader of the delegation was the newly appointed Deputy Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, surnamed Chen, who was the same age as Lin Ruhai.

"Chief Li," Vice Envoy Chen said with a smile, "someone reported that you're hiding something under your dock."

Li Heihu's face turned pale: "Sir, you jest. My dock is spotless..."

"Whether it's clean or not, we'll find out once we dig it up."

The officers and soldiers took action.

Sure enough, there was a mezzanine level beneath Pier 7.

It was completely full of smuggled salt.

Li Heihu's legs went weak.

"Take them away!" Vice Envoy Chen's face turned cold. "Detain everyone from the Canal Gang and interrogate them one by one!"

---

Tiger Hill in Suzhou.

A smuggled salt warehouse disguised as a tea shop.

The shopkeeper was still brewing tea.

As the soldiers broke down the door, he was still shouting, "Sir, this is a legitimate tea shop..."

"Serious?" The Suzhou prefect leading the delegation sneered. "A serious tea shop doesn't dry tea leaves in its backyard, it dries salt instead?"

backyard.

Dozens of salt-drying mats were laid out.

It was all white on top.

All of them are privately made salt that are being dried in the sun.

"Seize it!"

"Take him down!"

---

Three days.

Three-way collaboration.

Lin Ruhai was decisive and efficient.

Three illegal salt warehouses in Yangzhou, Hangzhou, and Suzhou were all raided.

A total of 108,000 catties of smuggled salt were seized.

One hundred and thirty-seven people involved in the case were arrested.

Among them were seven officials—including the head of the Grand Canal Transport Office, a clerk from the Tax Office, and even a judge from Yangzhou Prefecture.

It shook the Jiangnan region.

The news reached the capital.

The court was in uproar.

Nangong Ye dropped his folding paper during the morning court session.

"Ten thousand catties of smuggled salt!" His eyes were bloodshot. "Right under my nose! Are all the officials in Jiangnan dead?!"

Liu Chengzong knelt at the lower end.

His face was ashen.

He knew he was in trouble this time.

---

Wanghu Tower.

Liu Chengming smashed everything he could.

"Five hundred thousand taels!"

His voice was hoarse, like a trapped beast: "Five hundred thousand taels of goods! All gone!"

Three warehouses.

100,000 catties of salt.

At market price, it's worth 500,000 taels.

This is only the loss of goods.

Even more serious is—

Those officials who were arrested.

Those members of the grain transport gang who were detained.

Those networks of relationships that have been cultivated over many years.

It's all broken.

"Young Master," the guard said tremblingly, "Lin Ruhai's investigation is too thorough, and several of our men... have confessed."

"What did you confess to?"

"They confessed that the location of the warehouse was chosen by the young master... Also, there are some coded messages in the ledgers that point to our Liu family..."

Liu Chengming's vision went black.

He steadied himself on the table.

That's why I didn't fall.

"Night Phoenix..." he gritted his teeth, "It must be her!"

Only her.

Only she knew the location of the warehouse.

Only she could deliver the evidence to Lin Ruhai in such a short time.

"Who exactly is she?!"

Liu Chengming couldn't understand it.

A "widow who returned from overseas".

Where did this kind of method come from?

Where did you get such connections?

Even a stubborn old man like Lin Ruhai, who is impervious to reason, can be persuaded?

"Investigate!" he said, his eyes red. "Find out exactly what her background is! What's her relationship with the Shen family! And what's her relationship with the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion!"

"yes!"

The guards scrambled away.

Liu Chengming stood alone amidst the mess.

His chest heaved violently.

Five hundred thousand taels.

He spent five years running his business in Jiangnan before accumulating this wealth.

Everything was gone overnight.

outside the window.

The autumn wind is bleak.

Fog rose over the lake.

A vast expanse of white.

It's very much like his current path ahead.

I can't see it clearly.

---

Qihuang Garden.

Ye Huang is feeding Bao'er porridge.

Jinshu rushed in excitedly: "Girl! Great news! All the smuggled salt warehouses in Yangzhou, Hangzhou, and Suzhou have been seized! I heard they confiscated over 100,000 jin of salt!"

Ye Huang hummed in agreement.

Continue feeding porridge.

"Girl, aren't you excited?" Jinshu blinked.

"What's there to be excited about?" Ye Huang wiped Bao'er's mouth. "It was expected."

She knew, of course, that it would succeed.

The evidence is so complete.

Lin Ruhai hated the Liu family so much.

How could I possibly fail?

"But Liu Chengming suffered heavy losses this time..." Jinshu said softly, "I heard he smashed the entire study."

Ye Huang smiled.

Only then did he look up.

"It's only just begun."

"what?"

"Five hundred thousand taels is a crippling blow to the Liu family, but not enough to kill them," Ye Huang said calmly. "So, we need to add fuel to the fire."

She looked out the window.

His gaze grew cold.

"Mo Shisan".

"Your subordinate is here."

"Liu Chengming must have other businesses in Jiangnan, right?"

"Yes. There are three silk shops, five tea shops, two pawnshops, and... three brothels."

"Then..." Ye Huang curled her lips into a smile, "one at a time."

Bao'er suddenly looked up.

Blinking her big eyes, she asked, "Mommy, did the bad guy cry?"

"It'll be soon." Ye Huang kissed his forehead. "When he cries, Mother will take you to hear it."

outside the window.

The autumn wind is getting stronger.