Chapter 593: Smuggling

Fondling his concubine's breast, Li Ye's thoughts drifted, pondering the court's recent policies and the shifting situation in Guanzhong. He was not as unreliable as he outwardly appeared, merely maintaining certain habits cultivated in the Eastern Capital.

Li Ye had long harbored ambitions of merit and fame, and was a clever man, wishing to become a minister who aided the founding of the dynasty and leave his name in history. But his arrogant nature meant his abilities never matched his aspirations, and while in the Eastern Capital he had been doted upon by the Empress Dowager.

It was not until he offended the Son of Heaven that he was driven from the capital and exiled to Yuan Prefecture as Prefect. At the time, Liu Chengyou had still been worrying whether he was adding another scourge to the locality—like the early Liu Xin, or Murong Yanchao, both of whom had been plagues upon their regions.

But judging from subsequent developments, far from the capital, governing a single prefecture of tens of thousands of people with no restraints or interference, governing and managing the people entirely according to his own will, the results were actually quite good. At the very least, under Yuan Prefecture's administration, the population was growing, farmland output was increasing, and tax revenues were rising.

"A full two years now!" After the last pair of warriors finished their sparring match, Li Ye lost interest, and embracing his lovely concubine, headed toward the inner garden, saying as he went: "In the blink of an eye, we've been in this borderland for so long!"

Li Ye had been demoted in the spring of the fourth year of Qianyou due to the Puzhou case, and though it had not yet been a full two years, it was close enough. Two years was enough time for a man's abilities and knowledge to grow considerably, and for Li Ye, the tempering and training of his character had been the greatest improvement. Though he still had no small share of arrogance, his depth of cunning had grown much deeper—at least he was no longer as overbearing and ostentatious as he had been in the Eastern Capital.

"Have you grown tired of this place?" Li Ye asked, embracing his concubine while cupping her smooth chin.

The concubine wore a charming, pitiable expression and answered timidly: "With my lord here, and I able to serve you, how could I grow tired?"

Li Ye laughed at this, and tapping her tempting vermilion lips with his finger, said: "That little mouth of yours certainly knows how to talk! This bitter-cold prefecture, this barren land, is not worth lingering over—I have grown tired of it! But don't worry, endure a bit longer, and it will soon be time to move on! For the next place, I shall ask the Emperor for somewhere more comfortable..."

These two years in Yuan Prefecture, besides exercising his authority, Li Ye had also been reflecting. Though in a remote place, he had continuously paid attention to and pondered the court's situation and policies.

Of course, his deepest realization was finally understanding the Emperor's intention in exiling him to Yuan Prefecture. Punishment was the first reason, training the second, and the third was to insert a wedge—to divide the power of Shi Kuangyi, Military Governor of the Zhangyi Army.

It was only last year, after Shi Kuangyi had been summoned to the capital on imperial order and remained there recuperating from illness, that Li Ye had fully grasped this. He had some admiration for the Emperor's nephew now, and by his estimation, it was about time for him to be transferred.

With a full belly and warm clothes, lust followed—he went straight into the inner chamber and tumbled in passion. Only after he was thoroughly satisfied did Li Ye, wearing a look of profound enlightenment and calm, go to the study and summon his household steward.

"How is our private salt business?" Li Ye asked directly the moment he sat down.

"The latest batch of twenty dan has already been sent out—this time we should profit at least a thousand strings of cash!" the steward replied with a smile.

Though Yuan Prefecture was borderland, it was indeed a place to get rich. In his two years in office, Li Ye had inevitably used his position to earn some extra income. After all, his household supported so many people, daily expenses were considerable, the women of the inner quarters wore gold and silver, and rewards to the household retainers were generous—even doubling his noble stipend and official salary would not have been enough to support it all.

He had no long-term plans in Yuan Prefecture, so unlike ordinary people, he did not enclose land and farm—that made money too slowly. With Li Ye's shrewdness, after investigating the situation in Yuan Prefecture and learning about the surrounding Tangut, Uyghur, Tuyuhun, and other mixed barbarian peoples, he ordered his confidants to secretly engage in merchant trade.

Moreover, he did not deal in ordinary silk, porcelain, or grain. Rather, whatever the court prohibited, that was what he did, reaping enormous profits. Besides iron implements, he dealt in salt, iron, and tea.

For about a year or more now, through trading these enormously valuable goods, he had exchanged them with the barbarian tribes for large quantities of gold, silver, cattle, and horses, filling his coffers to overflowing.

"A man was caught at Kaiyuan checkpoint—did you know that!" Li Ye suddenly erupted in fury, glaring at the steward: "You fool! Did you need to ship twenty dan at once? Did you think the target wasn't big enough, just begging to be inspected? Did you think you could act without any caution, eh? Within Yuan Prefecture, things haven't gotten out of control—but what about beyond Yuan Prefecture?"

"Don't you know how much effort I'll have to spend just to balance the books over this twenty dan of salt? Idiot!"

Hearing the rebuke, the steward immediately showed terror, his legs going weak as he knelt to the ground: "It was this servant's carelessness—please, Duke, calm your anger! I will send someone to deal with it at once!"

"Deal with it? How? Use my Prefectural office's official documents to go rescue him?" Li Ye glanced at him and sneered.

"How would I dare! The private salt business has nothing to do with the Prefectural office, and even less to do with the Duke." The steward shook his head, then a cruel look flashed across his face as he said: "This servant will send men to dispose of those smuggling criminals!"

Hearing this, Li Ye's brow furrowed even deeper, and he said with some disappointment: "You've followed me for years now, and you're usually sharp enough—how is it that in a crisis, all you offer are foolish suggestions!"

Not waiting for him to speak, Li Ye said directly: "The man has already been delivered to Linjing. Since it's smuggling, I naturally must judge and punish him according to national law! The key question is—how could an ordinary smuggling criminal amass such a large quantity of salt? If the source of this salt cannot be determined and plausibly explained, it's an obvious loophole just waiting for someone to suspect!"

"What does the Duke think should be done?" The steward finally grew somewhat smarter, no longer offering random bad ideas, and directly asked Li Ye for guidance.

Li Ye clearly had a scheme in mind—his eyes held a hint of cunning and treachery, though his tone remained flat as he said: "I've long suspected someone is stealing from the salt stores while guarding them. The various clerks of the salt granary can be investigated, and evidence gathered. This time, I intend to use the opportunity to root out the vermin within Yuan Prefecture and severely crack down on lawless smugglers!"

Li Ye's righteous and stern speech left the steward blinking in bewilderment—had he not known the true situation, he would absolutely have been fooled by the facade. After mulling it over briefly, he understood that Li Ye intended to find a scapegoat to patch up the loophole. He immediately clasped his hands and said: "This servant understands—I'll see to it at once!"

"To avoid leaking word and alarming the snake, investigate discreetly!" Li Ye did not forget to instruct.

"Yes!"

"Also!" Li Ye raised a finger, hesitated briefly, then ordered: "From today onward, all those smuggling operations in your hands can be completely abandoned. Dispose of them thoroughly—there must be no remaining connection whatsoever!"

Hearing this sudden command, the steward was stunned, staring at Li Ye with a face full of confusion, saying: "Why is that? That's an excellent source of income! If we abandon it all, how will the household's revenue be maintained?"

"Haven't the profits from this past year or more been enough to cover the household's expenses and operations?" Li Ye said. "There's nothing to be reluctant about!"

"But—" The steward's face was full of regret, and he wished to persuade further.

Li Ye interrupted him somewhat roughly: "Do you think I truly care about this money?"

"I can let it go—can't you?" Li Ye's questioning voice rose and fell with emphasis.

Meeting Li Ye's cold, sinister gaze, the steward shuddered and hurriedly replied: "Yes! This servant obeys—I'll see to it at once!"

After he left, Li Ye's expression slowly returned to calm. Seated behind the desk, he thought quietly and seriously about how to close this matter out. At bottom, he had engaged in smuggling only to ensure the household's expenses and maintain his life of wealth and comfort.

Having sensed the danger and discovered problems beneath him, he unhesitatingly made the right choice—washing his hands of the business. However, to withdraw cleanly and safely would still require some brainpower.

Thinking of his household steward's reaction just now, Li Ye could not help but reveal a trace of mocking smile, murmuring to himself: "Don't think you can hide anything from me?"

He pondered a while longer, pinched his short beard, then raised his head and called out: "Someone come!"

"This servant is here!" A household servant stood at the door awaiting orders.

"Go, fetch Instructor Sun for me!" Li Ye ordered.

Instructor Sun had come from the imperial army, and during the military reorganization had been retired due to age. He was still only just past forty, still possessed strength and courage, and was not very clever. Kept in Li Ye's household, though he did the work of guarding the gates, protecting the compound, and practicing martial arts as a sparring partner, he still felt it was impressive—at least more carefree than in the army. In ordinary times, he also helped Li Ye with some of his private dealings.