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

Upon hearing this, Liu Wen's eyes lit up.

The Tian family's fortune! That's a huge sum of money that would make anyone envious!

He hurriedly flipped through the roster, his heart beating faster and faster as he looked at it.

This Yang Xuan was not only ruthless, but also deeply versed in the ways of officialdom.

He knew that the people from the prefecture were after money, so after killing the Tian family, he immediately brought out the fattest piece of meat to shut the prefecture up!

"At least Yang Xuan knows some manners."

Liu Wen's expression finally softened. He put the roster and salt coupons into his sleeve, but his tone remained aloof.

"However, the Tian family's wealth is one thing, and the salt tax from Qing'ao Well is another. How does Yang Xuan plan to explain the governor's demand for a 20/80 split?"

"My husband has a new suggestion regarding this matter."

Cui Shen stepped forward and lowered his voice.

"The young master said that with a 20/80 split, the county government wouldn't even get a share, let alone enough to maintain the salt wells and support the craftsmen. If the prefecture insists on forcing us, the county government will have no choice but to stop the Qing'ao Well project, and we'll all go our separate ways."

Liu Wen's face darkened: "He dares to threaten me?"

"Please calm down, sir. What the young master means is that since the prefecture feels that a 50/50 split is too small, why not try a different way of dividing the spoils?"

Cui Shen smiled slightly and revealed Yang Xuan's true trump card.

"From now on, the county government will truthfully report all salt production from Qing'ao Well to the prefectural government. However, the distribution of profits will no longer be a simple proportional distribution. Instead, it will be... a guaranteed minimum plus a share of the profits."

"Guaranteed minimum plus profit sharing? What does that mean?" Liu Wen had never heard of such a thing before.

"This means that the county government guarantees to pay 100,000 strings of cash in salt tax to the prefecture every year. Regardless of whether Qing'ao Well produces salt that year, the county government will pay this amount in full, even if it means selling everything it owns."

"Ten thousand strings of cash!" Liu Wen gasped.

You should know that when the Tian family was still in power, the annual tribute they paid to the state government was at most 30,000 to 40,000 strings of cash.

As soon as Yang Xuan opened his mouth, the price more than tripled!

With this guaranteed huge sum of money, Liu Wen returned to the prefecture, not only without any fault, but also with a great achievement!

"This 100,000 strings of cash is just the minimum guarantee," Cui Shen continued. "Besides that, any profits from Qing'ao Well that exceed 100,000 strings of cash each year will be split 30/70 between the county government and the prefectural government. The prefectural government will take 30%, and the county government will keep 70%."

After listening, Liu Wen quickly began to make plans in his mind.

A guaranteed minimum of 100,000 coins—that's an irresistible temptation.

As for the 30/70 split of the excess, although the state government receives less, as long as the production of Qing'ao Well can increase, it will still be a very considerable sum.

More importantly, Yang Xuan's plan gave the state government an extremely respectable way out.

The prefecture government received the money without bearing any risks in operating and maintaining the salt wells, and it also didn't have to send people to scheme against those murderous officials in the county government all day long.

"Magistrate Yang, you've certainly got a good plan." Liu Wen gave Cui Shen a deep look. "But what guarantees he can provide at least 100,000 strings of cash every year? And what if he can't?"

"Rest assured, sir." Cui Shen smiled confidently.

"My lord has already hired the best craftsmen in Yaozhou, and they are completely overhauling the equipment at Qing'ao Well. Within ten days, the well's output will undergo a dramatic transformation. If the county government fails to produce 100,000 strings of cash by the end of the year, my lord is willing to resign as magistrate and submit to the state government's whims!"

Having said all that, Liu Wen knew he had no reason to refuse.

Or rather, he simply didn't want to refuse.

"Very well!" Liu Wen slammed his hand on the table. "I'll trust Yang Xuan this once. Go back and tell him that I, on behalf of the Prefect, have agreed to this plan. The Tian family's case will be handled entirely by your county office. But remember, this is the last time. If he dares to incite troublemakers again, I will not let him off lightly!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Chief Secretary." Cui Shen bowed deeply, his mission accomplished, and he withdrew successfully.

……

When Cui Shen returned to the county government office with Liu Wen's message, Yang Xuan was standing outside the prison cell, looking at Tian Boyong, who had been tortured beyond recognition.

Once the richest man in Yaozhou, he now lies on moldy straw like a dead dog.

"My lord, Liu Wen has agreed." Cui Shen walked to Yang Xuan's side and reported in a low voice, "He has a minimum of 100,000 strings of cash plus a 30/70 split. He took the Tian family's register and happily led his troops back to the prefecture."

"Of course he'll agree," Yang Xuan sneered. "Corrupt officials only care about money. They'll sell even their own fathers for enough money, let alone a family like the Tians who are no longer of any use."

"My lord, can we really come up with the minimum guarantee of 100,000 strings of cash?"

Although Cui Shen appeared confident in front of Liu Wen, he was still somewhat uncertain inside.

"Have you calculated Old Huang's losses? Five times the output, do you think 100,000 strings of cash is a lot?"

Yang Xuan turned to look at Cui Shen, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

"As long as Old Huang's new equipment is put into use, let alone 100,000 strings of cash, we can come up with 200,000 strings! Consider this 100,000 strings as a 'protective charm' for the prefectural government, so that they won't stab us in the back when we are dealing with the Zhechong Prefecture."

Yang Xuan turned his gaze back to Tian Boyong in the prison cell.

"Open the cell door."

The jailer quickly stepped forward and unlocked the iron lock.

Yang Xuan slowly walked into the prison cell.

Hearing the noise, Tian Boyong struggled to raise his head, his eyes, filled with resentment, fixed on Yang Xuan.

"Yang Xuan...you despicable scoundrel...you incited a mob...you will die a horrible death..."

Tian Boyong cursed in a hoarse voice.

Yang Xuan squatted down and looked Tian Boyong in the eye.

"Old Tian, ​​you're wrong. It wasn't me who incited the mob, it was you. It's your exploitation of the salt workers and the common people over the past ten years that has built up this overwhelming resentment. I merely used Wang Quan's death to ignite the fire for them."

"Wang Quan... I didn't kill Wang Quan!" Tian Boyong suddenly became agitated. "Someone framed me! Someone deliberately left my identification badge at the scene!"

"I know."

Yang Xuan's three simple words stunned Tian Boyong.

"You knew? You knew I didn't kill him, yet you still incited a mob to ransack my house?!"

Tian Boyong trembled with rage, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair.

"Because you need to die." Yang Xuan's tone was cold and devoid of any emotion. "In this game of Yaozhou, your Tian family occupies too large a position. If you don't die, how can I take over Qing'ao Well? How can I give an explanation to those corrupt officials in the prefecture?"

Yang Xuan stood up and looked down at Tian Boyong as if he were looking at a dead man.

"However, I can let you die knowing why."

Yang Xuan took out the piece of cloth with the scent of pine resin from his sleeve and threw it in front of Tian Boyong.

"The ones who killed Wang Quan were from the Zhechong Prefecture."

Tian Boyong stared at the piece of cloth, his pupils suddenly contracting. He seemed to have been drained of his last bit of strength, and collapsed to the ground in despair.

He got it.

He understood everything.

Not only did Yang Xuan want him dead, but the military forces that he had been trying to win over, who had been hiding in the shadows, were also plotting against him!

The Zhechong Prefecture deliberately committed murder and framed the suspect in an attempt to provoke a bloody conflict between the county government and the Tian family, so they could reap the benefits!

Tian Boyong schemed his whole life, but in the end he became a pawn on someone else's chessboard, devoured until not even a bone fragment remained!