Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"Hahaha... That was exhilarating, so exhilarating!" Looking at the other man's disheveled figure, Jiang Xiuwen laughed loudly, "If this fellow hadn't run away, I would have used my whip!"

Jiang Xiuwen was not one to be bullied. He was already seething with anger. If the city lord's mansion hadn't needed Jin Manlou's help, he would have already paid a lot of money and had his skin torn apart.

Lin Ping curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Why weren't you so arrogant just now?"

If he hadn't successfully taken over the gambling den, Jiang Xiuwen would probably still be playing the fool here!

The city lord was also in a good mood. He had been annoyed by Qian Duoduo, but he never expected that it was this spendthrift son-in-law who would help him vent his anger.

Moreover, Lin Ping's actions prompted Jin Manlou to reassess the City Lord's Mansion's financial resources, ensuring that future loan amounts would not be a problem.

"Ping'er, did you really withdraw ten thousand taels of silver?"

Just as Lin Ping was about to feel smug, the city lord asked with a gloomy face.

Ten thousand taels of silver is a considerable sum for the city lord's mansion. If Lin Pingzhen were to squander it, it could very likely cause a short-term financial crisis.

Lin Ping curled his lip and cast a disdainful glance, muttering, "You talk as if your City Lord's Mansion really has ten thousand taels of silver. It wasn't just that I, Master Ping, earned it through hard work and skill."

These words could only be spoken in his heart; he still had to put on a smile and reply, "Does Father not trust his son-in-law, or does he not trust Accountant Sun?"

This means that Accountant Sun was even stingier than a miser; he would never come up with 10,000 taels of silver, and this 1,000 taels was only the reward for answering a few questions.

The city lord immediately understood, laughed awkwardly a few times, and kept calling him his good son-in-law.

Lin Ping, that scoundrel, felt uncomfortable if he didn't push his luck for a day. He glared at the whip in Jiang Xiuwen's hand and questioned, "Uncle, what are you doing with that whip? Are you going to hit someone?"

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible blush appeared on Jiang Xiuwen's dark face, his expression somewhat embarrassed. Lin Ping had just performed a meritorious service, so he couldn't very well punish him, nor could he simply put down the whip without cause. Suddenly, he noticed the chubby boy beside him, who was obediently bowing his head, and a brilliant idea struck him: "I'm here to punish Yu'er. That's right, Yu'er entered the house with his left foot first today. He deserves a beating, he really deserves a beating!"

"Give him a good beating, and see if this unfilial son will ever dare to step into the house with his left foot again."

The city lord's smile suddenly froze, and he said angrily.

This is not because Jiang Yunyu did anything wrong, but because he and Lin Ping are both young people, so why is there such a big difference?

The chubby boy was so frightened that he hid his left foot behind his back, wishing he could chop it off. He was too ashamed to speak, thinking to himself, "This time, my right foot clearly entered the house first..."

Then came another series of crisp sounds, accompanied by the sound of a pig being slaughtered.

Jiang Yunyu really didn't understand why he was being beaten.

Lin Ping shuddered, hoping that the chubby boy wouldn't hold a grudge against him. He hadn't done it on purpose, but he hadn't expected Jiang Xiuwen to be so unreasonable.

"Son-in-law, the soapberries are back. Where should we put them?"

Just then, Li Mingxuan bowed and stood outside the door, speaking softly.

Lin Ping was just worried about not having a chance to escape when he heard Li Mingxuan's voice and was overjoyed. He rushed out.

After walking out of Guangliang Gate, I saw more than a dozen wooden carts lined up outside, all loaded with tens of thousands of catties of soapberries, costing nearly two thousand taels of silver.

"Don't worry, son-in-law, there isn't a single soapberry left in the entire city of Huai'an. We'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning... hehe."

Dali grinned slyly, seemingly even more impatient than Lin Ping.

This fellow was in his early twenties and still single. He was full of curiosity and longing for young girls and naturally wanted to see the beautiful scenery described by Lin Ping.

Lin Ping nodded in satisfaction and led the convoy toward the salt refinery in the city.

These vendors were quite helpful, delivering the soapberries to the salt refinery before returning to report.

The salt refinery is the main source of income for the city lord's mansion. In addition to the salt makers, it is guarded by two small squads of soldiers, and the commander of the guards is personally in charge.

Since this is inside the main city, the security level is relatively high, so no fully enclosed walls were built. Instead, a fence was erected around an open area with a gate in the middle.

"This is the newly appointed son-in-law of the City Lord's Mansion. Let him pass immediately."

Li Mingxuan spoke to the four guards standing outside the gate.

These people recognized Li Mingxuan and had heard that the City Lord's Mansion had just welcomed a son-in-law, whom they assumed was a good-for-nothing pretty boy like Lin Ping. So, after muttering a few complaints to themselves, they obediently let them pass.

“Young master, this salt refinery is only used for refining and storing salt. As for soapberries…” Li Mingxuan reminded him with a fawning smile.

The salt refinery is the lifeblood of the city lord's mansion, and it is controlled by the private army. Lin Ping's misbehavior cannot be tolerated.

These veterans didn't care about Lin Ping's status; one slash from their blades would leave a scar the size of a bowl.

Lin Ping also sensed that something was amiss. They were being watched by soldiers, and any slight disturbance could lead to trouble.

"We can't back down, we absolutely can't back down!"

If I pull off this job, I'll likely be killed by the city lord.

He will then be able to complete the task.

Lin Ping straightened his back and walked forward with his nose in the air, determined not to lose face in terms of momentum.

Before long, the situation at the salt refinery was clear. Apart from the four urns used for refining salt, there was hardly any salt left in the storeroom. No wonder the city lord was at a loss.

Each prison basin is six zhang in circumference and one chi and two cun deep. It is made entirely of iron sheets and the bottom is riveted with iron nails. The wood supporting it is burning fiercely underneath, and the seawater inside the basin is steaming.

Judging from the depth of the seawater in the basin, only half of it has evaporated. It will take a lot of effort to extract salt, but there is very little wood left around, not even enough to extract salt.

"Sir, this wood is only enough to boil two basins of salt. Please remove the wood from under the other two basins!"

A dark-skinned, shirtless middle-aged man pleaded.

This person is a skilled worker who has been in the salt-making industry for over twenty years and is very clear about the current situation.

A man in a blue robe, holding a leather whip, arrogantly declared, "Anyone who disrupts morale will be dealt with according to military law!"

After speaking, he didn't forget to swing the leather whip in his hand, making a crisp sound.

Clearly, he was the official in charge of salt refining.

To be honest, it was extremely unreasonable for the city lord's mansion to let someone who didn't understand salt refining techniques direct the salt production. He only cared about his own performance and didn't care about the actual situation.

The salt makers, trembling with fear, shook their heads as they slowly added the last bit of wood to the bottom of the basin.

"What an arrogant official!"

Lin Ping was immediately annoyed; he detested people who abused their power.

Of course, Lin Ping didn't dare to be reckless. He was afraid that his small frame was no match for the other party, so he whispered in Li Mingxuan's ear, "What rank does this person hold, and how strong is he?"

Li Mingxuan shuddered, naturally understanding Lin Ping's meaning, and immediately explained, "This person is an official in the Commandery of the Guards, holding the rank of seventh grade, responsible for some clerical work, and doesn't have much real power!"

"A seventh-rank civil official is good!" Lin Ping narrowed his eyes and smiled wickedly. "This son-in-law just loves to bully civil officials!"