Traveling through time and space and becoming a deposed prince, he just wants to survive!

Zhao Hui tidied himself up, counted his guards, and took the emperor's gift, then prepared to set off. However, he was stopped by Zhao Heng less than ten miles out of the city.

Zhao Heng was the King of Chu, located in the south, while Zhao Hui was going to the north, so he naturally didn't believe that this was on the way, besides, Zhao Heng only brought a dozen guards with him.

On the surface, it seemed that Zhao Heng was waiting for him here specifically.

"Is there something?" Zhao Hui speculated in his heart. Zhao Heng was Zhao Wei's biological brother, and he was just a illegitimate prince. He had given up the idea of ​​competing for the throne a few years ago, so he had never had such high hopes until now.

"Fifth brother, what are you doing here?" Zhao Hui still pretended to have a kind smile and said to Zhao Heng.

"Third brother, don't be nervous. For so many years, I haven't been close to anyone in the palace. I think you know what I'm asking for."

After saying that, he took a deep breath and said, "I am here to see Third Brother today to ask for something."

"Oh? What's the matter?" Zhao Hui asked in confusion.

"I've always used my frail health as an excuse to avoid going to Chuzhou, but I can no longer stay in the capital. I'm afraid I'll get in someone's way, or ruin someone's plans."

Zhao Heng's voice was not loud, and he spoke very close to Zhao Hui, with a hint of sadness in his words.

"You mean you want to go out and become a vassal?"

Zhao Hui's voice was not loud, and he spoke in a low voice on purpose.

"Yes, Third Brother, I know you don't believe me, but you also know what kind of place Chuzhou is. It's a rich place, a treasure land rich in salt. Don't you think someone has been operating there for a long time?"

Zhao Hui naturally understood what Zhao Heng meant. He just wanted to change his fiefdom to another place. He was now leaving Chuzhou and was undoubtedly a puppet. But he didn't understand, could brothers be like this?

"You want to be a vassal, but you also want to change your fiefdom. This is a bit tricky. Can you tell me honestly what you are thinking?"

Zhao Hui stared at Zhao Heng with his deep eyes, making Zhao Heng feel that Zhao Hui really wanted to help him.

So, he told everything that happened some time ago, including the marriage granted by his father and the subsequent kidnapping of his bride. What worried him most was that after this incident, Zhao Wei never looked for him, and his mother never looked for him either.

He felt a sense of despair at this moment. He felt like he was being abandoned!

It was impossible for Zhao Hui not to know what was happening in the palace. Even when he came back this time, he learned about the death of Lao Liu, which made him question the relationships within the palace.

"You also know that my father enfeoffed me in Yanzhou to balance Dingzhou. Back then, you were weak and sickly, but he enfeoffed you in Chuzhou. It seems that this division of fiefdom may not be what my father intended. If you want to be enfeoffed elsewhere, there are only two possibilities."

"Which two possibilities are they? Please tell me clearly, Third Brother." Zhao Heng was eager to leave the imperial city and take his sweetheart away.

"One is that you have the ability to govern a city and choose a place that gives Father a headache. The other is that you disclose the actual control of your existing fiefdom. However, I think the second possibility is too risky and will not benefit you much."

Zhao Hui also told the truth and did not hide anything from Zhao Heng. Since he had opened his mouth, he would speak freely without violating the principles.

After hearing what Zhao Hui said, Zhao Heng fell into deep thought. He didn't want to ask his third brother for help, but he had a hunch that his father would most likely pass the throne to him.

Wei Rong also had the same idea. During this period in the court, he vaguely felt that Zhao Hengzhen was seeking Zhao Hui's opinion. Sometimes when there was a dispute among the ministers, Zhao Hui would come forward to maintain the situation.

On the other hand, the second prince has been a little depressed recently, and Wei Rong doesn't know what he is thinking.

Zhao Heng recalled Zhao Hui's two suggestions and thought that he didn't seem to have any special skills. Every day he just went to the college to make friends with some people and talk about poetry and songs.

If he were really given a city to govern, he probably wouldn't know how to start.

The second point was even more impossible. Although he had sent his own people to investigate, and the results showed that it was the Second Prince's men who were in control, he could not produce sufficient evidence. Moreover, he could not even control his own fiefdom. Wouldn't it be a laughing stock if it got out?

There is a place called Donghai to the east of Chuzhou. It is said that crystal stones are a specialty here. Crystal stones were especially popular among women in the Zhou Dynasty.

There was a businessman in Donghai who specialized in crystal stone business. His name was Zhou Li. His family was quite wealthy, but he also had many wives, and with many wives, he also had many children.

Such a huge family business would not be enough to be divided among so many children, so he thought of his good friend Cai Weidong in Binhai. This guy had been dealing in illegal salt and his business had been doing well recently. He was also a big figure in Binhai.

So Zhou Li took some time to find Cai Weidong and talked about his plan to smuggle salt.

Cai Weidong thought Zhou Li was joking with him. After all, he was the Crystal King of the East China Sea. It was impossible for him to do something illegal like smuggling salt.

So the two of them found a restaurant, of course a guildhall-style restaurant, where they drank and chatted happily.

"Brother Zhou, you said you wanted to do the salt business. What do you think? Actually, we just sell it to foreign merchants and make a little profit from the difference."

"Brother Cai, if this salt is shipped to the mainland, the price will double. If it goes further north, the price will be even better."

The two men clinked glasses and discussed the matter of salt. Cai Weidong saw that Zhou Li had the idea of ​​transporting salt to the inland, but without salt permits, transportation would be a problem, and who would he sell it to?

Zhou Li heard Cai Weidong's doubts and replied vaguely: "There are many wealthy people in my route, and many of my vehicles are used to deliver goods to the capital and the various princely mansions. Basically, no one dares to check on me on the road."

Cai Weidong agreed. Most of the crystals Zhou Li made now were private goods customized for princes and nobles. If they were damaged during inspection on the way, no one could afford it.

"Do you mean to use your carriage to transport smuggled salt to wherever you want to go?" Cai Weidong asked with doubt and concern.

"One carriage is enough for a delivery, or two at most. How much can it transport?"

"So what do you mean, Brother Zhou?"

"Let's ship it by ship, so the quantity is large and it's efficient."

Cai Weidong thought to himself, we are at the seaside, but if you want to transport it to the capital, how big a circle will the boat have to take?

"Don't worry, I know you have a way. We are all familiar with each other on the way to Shangjing. Let's open a trade route first and get the supplies for Shangjing. Who dares to stop us?"

There is a place called Wangji halfway to Shangjing. There is a ferry there that can accommodate merchant ships and is managed by the canal transport department. This group of canal transport personnel is specifically responsible for the ships heading north.

Cai Weidong understood Zhou Li's meaning at this time and put the salt away halfway. What's the difference between this and what they did in Binhai?

Seeing that Cai Weidong still didn't understand, Zhou Li chuckled and said, "You have to know that the salt here is now controlled by a few big families, especially the Berlin Cui family. They basically have their hands on the chopping board, and we can't take it away even if we want to."

"We can combine the small quantities and secretly transport the salt to a designated location. We can then deliver it there. Trading in bulk will definitely be more affordable than here. Besides, the Cao Gang has ways to obtain salt permits, saving us the commission and salt tax here."

At this point, Cai Weidong finally understood that the Cao Gang was planning to use one salt permit to transport two shipments of goods, and they were not planning to be charged a cut or pay taxes.