Chapter 46 Imminent Disaster

The Third Prince gazed at the intelligence report in his hands, his expression deeply gloomy.

"Did the First Prince truly state in the imperial court that he intends to root out the illicit salt traders?"

General Li naturally nodded repeatedly, a strong sense of worry apparent on his face.

"Third Prince, this subordinate feels there is something amiss here. Why did the First Prince choose not to act sooner or later, but only decided to move right after one of our supply routes was cut off?"

"Does this not suggest... that he possesses some inside information?"

The Third Prince sneered, offering no immediate response.

Inside information? Without a doubt, he must have information. If he had none at all, would the First Prince dare to speak in such a manner? Would he dare utter such grand boasts?

Simply impossible!

He must have something substantial in his hands to dare speak thus!

Yet, not only was this an opportunity for the First Prince, but it was an even greater blessing for himself!

"General Li, can you plant a few of your soldiers among the illicit salt traders?"

General Li immediately straightened up, his eyes flashing with astonishment, struggling to comprehend what the Third Prince meant by this directive.

Send regular soldiers to infiltrate the illicit salt traders?

Was this not meant to utterly destroy his own military career?

"Third Prince, this subordinate has not committed any egregious acts recently, have I? Why must Your Highness press me in this manner?"

Hearing General Li's words, the Third Prince quickly realized the misunderstanding.

He had not made himself clear; General Li had misconstrued his intent.

"No, the First Prince investigating and confiscating the illicit salt traders is a tremendously fortunate event for us."

The Third Prince paused, a trace of sinister malice surfacing in his eyes.

"You must understand, since the First Prince has shouldered such a task, he will certainly take personal charge. He is bound to rush to the front lines. At that moment, your men can easily eliminate him amidst the ensuing chaos."

"While we may not secure all the gold and silver, we can certainly take the opportunity to loot some from the First Prince's estate amidst the confusion."

General Li nodded, though a pang of reluctance still lingered in his heart.

If things truly played out that way, it would indeed be wonderful.

Even without the money, gaining the Third Prince's favor and securing the merits of supporting a future dragon throne would not be a bad outcome.

Yet, would the First Prince truly act precisely as the Third Prince anticipated?

General Li shook his head, resolving to dispatch a few trusted confidants to ensure that upon encountering the First Prince, they would eliminate him at the very first opportunity.

...

"Young Master Zhou, are you not rushing this a bit too much?"

Bi Rushe looked at Zhou Hao, who was clad in padded armor, her expression quite nervous.

He had only just undertaken the assignment from the Zhou Emperor this morning, and now he was about to set out leading the garrison troops?

Was this not far too hasty?

Zhou Hao smiled and shook his head.

"It is not hasty at all. Had the garrison troops not appeared too conspicuous this morning, I would have slaughtered my way over there by noon."

Zhou Hao understood that in matters of this nature, one had to exploit a temporal advantage. His movements had to be swift—so fast that the Third Prince would have no time to react.

Should the Third Prince manage to react, who knew what additions might suddenly appear among those illicit salt traders?

Assassins nurtured by the Empress?

Or hitmen planted by the Third Prince?

Only by acting with such speed that the Third Prince had neither the time nor the space to devise a countermeasure could he achieve his objective with the utmost swiftness and safety.

Offering Bi Rushe only a brief explanation, Zhou Hao mounted his horse and charged directly toward the Third Prince's stronghold.

Zhou Hao's advance was so rapid that the traders only realized what was happening when he and the garrison troops had already broken straight into the illicit salt hideout.

Before they could mount any meaningful resistance, they were subdued by the garrison forces on the spot.

Any traders attempting to put up a fight were promptly beheaded one by one by the garrison troops.

Watching heads roll to the ground, even as regret surged within their hearts, the remaining traders dared not utter a single word, terrified that their voices might provoke the garrison troops and unleash their blades.

Standing firmly within the warehouse, Zhou Hao looked upon the sacks of illicit salt, his smile growing increasingly uninhibited.

Even without silver, having only illicit salt was still acceptable.

The volume of this contraband salt was nearly enough to feed half a county, piled high right here in the storeroom.

With this channel severed, Zhou Hao was certain the Third Prince would lose his composure in anxiety.

He had no choice but to panic; once this route was cut off, the Third Prince would be left with practically only a single avenue remaining—the trafficking of illegal iron.

If that channel were also exposed, the Third Prince would genuinely have no surplus funds left at his disposal.

Zhou Hao grabbed the leader of the illicit salt traders by the collar, his gaze turning icy.

"Speak! Where is your silver?"

"In reply to Your Lordship, we had not yet converted the goods into silver, and so... and so you seized them before we could?"

The illicit salt trader forced a smile, holding a ingot of gold, attempting to slip it over quietly.

He understood that at this critical juncture, he had to pave the way with money.

If he failed to grease the right palms, the salt would be lost and the Third Prince could always source more, but his own head would likely be severed.

"Oh? You do not know who I am?"

Zhou Hao's face broke into a smile. He took the ingot of gold and brought it down heavily upon the illicit salt trader's head.

Splendid! To dare attempt bribery against an imperial prince—these illicit salt traders truly knew nothing of discretion.

"Who... who are you, my lord?"

Even with his head bloodied by the heavy gold ingot, the illicit salt trader dared not utter a complaint, lowering his head even further instead.

One who could use gold as a bludgeon either held the wealth in absolute contempt or was a genuinely incorruptible official.

Whichever the case, the illicit salt trader knew he had run out of options.

"Me? Merely the First Prince, and the older brother of that Third Prince behind you."

The Third Prince?

The illicit salt trader's eyes widened in shock, an exclamation nearly escaping his lips.

Only at the very last moment did he manage to slap his hand over his mouth, suppressing every trace of sound.

"What... what are you saying, my lord? I know nothing of any Third Prince; this massive warehouse belongs entirely to me."

The illicit salt trader had no choice but to take the blame upon himself. He dared not speak out, let alone attempt to shift the burden onto the Third Prince.

If he confessed alone, there was still a chance the Third Prince might rescue him.

If he implicated the Third Prince, however, heaven knew how many years would pass before he ever saw freedom again.

"No matter, even if you refuse to speak the truth, it is of no consequence. As long as I can confiscate this illicit salt, I am quite content."

"Even if you deny it, this contraband salt has already been appropriated by the state. As for the Third Prince, he will likely be driven to the brink of madness."

"As for you? If you make a full and honest confession, perhaps a path to survival remains. If you do not, I can send you straight to the Western Paradise this very moment."

The illicit salt trader kept his lips tightly sealed, too terrified to utter another word.

What use was there in speaking now?

Was it not still a dead end in the end?

"Rest assured, even if you say nothing, I will dig it all out. We shall simply see whether your hidden assets are sufficient for the Third Prince to bother rescuing you."

Zhou Hao sneered, waving his hand, prompting the garrison soldiers to load the illicit salt bags onto the carriages he had prepared.

Haul it all away; not a single piece of evidence was to be left behind.

Leaving even the smallest item behind would constitute assistance to the Third Prince.

And what Zhou Hao desired was for the Third Prince to rage completely out of control—to become so furious that he was compelled to make a move, leaving him no room for forbearance whatsoever.