In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

Just then, Pei Zhao strode in from outside.

He had washed off the bloodstains and changed into a clean set of close-fitting clothes, but the murderous aura he exuded from a pile of corpses could not be concealed.

"Mr. Cui, the interrogation has been completed." Pei Zhao walked to the table, picked up the teapot and took a big gulp of water. "Mo San is a spineless coward. As soon as he saw that the blood on our knives was still wet, he confessed everything without any torture."

Cui Shen's eyes lit up: "What did he say?"

"He gave the exact same account as Liu Shenxing," Pei Zhao sneered.

"Thirty percent of the salt from Qing'ao Well is handed over to him every month. He then contacts caravans to smuggle it out of the prefecture under cover of darkness. The checkpoints along the way have long been taken care of. Of the money from the salt sales, the Tian family takes the lion's share, Hu Rong takes a smaller share, and a portion is also sent to the prefecture. He even has a copy of the receipts for each salt shipment, which he keeps hidden at his mistress's house in the south of the city. Chen Ye has already led people to confiscate it."

"Excellent!" Cui Shen stood up excitedly. "With Liu Shenxing's genuine accounts, plus Mo San's records and testimony, even if Tian Boyong and Hu Rong had a hundred mouths, they wouldn't be able to prove their innocence!"

Han Jitong, however, remained somewhat clear-headed. He frowned and said, "Mr. Cui, Guard Pei, although the evidence is conclusive, we are currently short-handed. The Tian family has a manor outside the city, where they keep many guards and retainers. If we push them too far, they might resort to desperate measures and storm the county government office. I'm afraid our few dozen men won't be able to withstand them."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhao snorted coldly and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"If they dare to come, I'll make sure they never leave. Last night's battle ignited the blood of my brothers."

Cui Shen waved his hand, signaling Pei Zhao not to act impulsively.

"Old Han's concerns are valid. As the young master said, we're not here to be bandits. If we're going to establish our authority, we need to be able to maintain a firm foothold in the official circles, leaving the other side with no way to complain and no courage to vent their anger."

Cui Shen paced back and forth behind the desk, recalling Yang Xuan's previous instructions, his eyes gradually brightening.

"Pass down the order." Cui Shen made a decisive decision: "First, immediately compile Liu Shenxing and Mo San's confessions into an ironclad case file, seal it for future reference. Second, in the name of the county government, post two more notices."

The first notice read: "Due to repeated major smuggling cases in Qing'ao Well, salt tax revenue has been severely lost. In order to protect the tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty, the county government will temporarily take over all matters related to salt production, accounting, and delivery of goods in Qing'ao Well, effective immediately. The original well accountant will be suspended from duty and investigated. All salt merchants must go to the county government to exchange their salt for new salt coupons!"

Han Jitong gasped in shock: "They're going to pry the flesh right out of their mouths!"

"That's right!" Cui Shen sneered. "The opportunity that you risked your life to win back, sir, can't be exchanged for just a few bags of rice and flour. This salt well originally belonged to the imperial court. Now that we have the records in hand, we can rightfully bring it under the jurisdiction of the county government. Even if the Tian family is angry, would they dare to openly resist? If they resist, it would prove that they are involved in the smuggling case!"

"What about the second notice?" Pei Zhao asked.

"The second notice..." Cui Shen narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of cunning typical of scholars.

Write: "Last night, the county guards wiped out a group of bandits who had robbed merchants outside the city, and seized a considerable amount of unclaimed stolen goods. The county magistrate, mindful of the hardships of the people of this county, has specially opened a charity market to exchange the stolen goods for grain. This act has been greatly appreciated, and the county government will report this to the prefectural government to request commendation for the guards!"

"Brilliant!" Han Jitong couldn't help but slam his hand on the table in admiration. "By labeling Mo San's men as 'mountain bandits' and the smuggled salt as 'unclaimed stolen goods,' even if the Tian and Hu families knew the salt belonged to them, they would absolutely not dare to claim it! Whoever claims it is an accomplice of the mountain bandits, the mastermind behind the smuggling of government-owned salt!"

"This is what they call 'a mute eating bitter melon,' meaning you can't express your suffering." Cui Shen picked up his pen and began drafting documents with swift strokes.

……

The moment these two notices were posted, the entire Yanjing County was in an uproar.

If changing the salt in the morning was just a pleasant surprise for the people, then these two notices clearly told everyone that the county government was going to officially take over the salt wells.

Inside the Tian family residence.

Upon hearing the steward's report, Tian Boyong was so angry that he overturned the rosewood desk in front of him.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

He paced back and forth in the study like a raging old lion, his eyes bloodshot.

"That brat Yang Xuan! He actually dared to label Mo San a bandit and claim my salt as stolen goods! He even wants to take over Qing'ao Well! He's trying to drive us to our deaths!"

Hu Rong sat to the side, too terrified to even breathe. He knew that this time they were completely finished.

"Old Master Tian..." Hu Rong said in a trembling voice, "What...what do we do now? Maybe...we should gather the servants and take over the county office tonight..."

"Idiot!" Tian Boyong turned around abruptly, pointing at Hu Rong's nose and cursing loudly.

"Is your brain filled with pig manure? He has now rightfully posted the notice, and the whole town is watching! If you attack the county government now, that's blatant rebellion! It's treason! Do you think the people of the prefecture will take on a charge of treason for our sake?"

"So we're just going to watch him take Qing'ao Well away?" Hu Rong asked unwillingly.

Tian Boyong gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently.

After a long while, he slumped into a chair like a deflated balloon.

"Bear with it."

Tian Boyong squeezed out those two words through gritted teeth.

"Liu Shenxing is in their hands, Mo San is in their hands, and the account books and receipts are also in their hands. Any move we make now will become a handle for them to report to the state."

"If Yang Xuan wants the Qing'ao Well, let him have it first. I don't believe that a newly arrived, demoted official with only a few dozen men under his command can manage such a large well properly! As long as he mismanages it and causes trouble, we can join forces with the people of the prefecture to rightfully take the well back!"

Although Tian Boyong spoke harshly, he knew better than anyone else what was going on in his heart.

In Yanjing County, the Tian family can no longer eat whatever they want as they used to.

This newly arrived magistrate was not only ruthless, but also extremely skillful.

He wasn't just fooling around; every step he took hit the most sensitive points of law and public sentiment, leaving these local bullies with plenty of strength but nowhere to use it.

……

Night fell again.

Inside the county government office, however, there was a joyous and cheerful atmosphere.

A fire was lit in the kitchen, and a thick meat porridge was simmering in a large pot. It was made with the brown rice they had traded and half a pig that they had just bought that day.

Although it wasn't exactly a delicacy, it was a real treat for these people who had just experienced hunger and a life-or-death struggle.

In the council hall in the backyard, Yang Xuan forced himself to sit in the main seat.

Although his face was still pale, his eyes shone with a bright light.

Cui Shen, Pei Zhao, Han Jitong, Wen Bo, and A Fu all stood on either side.

The way everyone looked at Yang Xuan underwent a qualitative change.

If they followed Yang Xuan when they left Chang'an simply to find a way to survive, or because they had no other options, then...

Now, looking at this young county magistrate, they felt a genuine sense of awe and respect.