Fleeing from famine? Not a chance; the divine healer's wife made her fortune.

Mysterious power begins to emerge, stirring up waves on the salt route.

Su Yunlan's heart sank suddenly, as if a huge rock had fallen into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.

Mysterious force?

These four words, like an invisible dark cloud, shrouded her heart and wouldn't leave.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her slender fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her dress, her fingertips turning white.

Xiao Yuhan sensed her unease, and gently placed his large, warm hand on the back of her hand, holding it firmly, silently conveying comfort and strength.

His deep gaze was fixed on Su Yunlan, as if to say: Don't be afraid, I'm here.

Meanwhile, although Sun, the salt merchant whose source of income was cut off by the new salt road, had been severely punished, his henchmen did not give up.

They were like rats in a sewer, lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike.

At noon, the scorching sun baked the earth, and the air was filled with a strong smell of salt.

Inside the saltworks, the once bustling scene of labor was replaced by an uneasy atmosphere.

The remaining followers of Sun, the salt merchant, spread rumors among the salt workers like a plague, claiming that the salt supply on the new salt route would soon be cut off, and everyone would lose their livelihoods.

These rumors spread rapidly among the salt workers like weeds.

The smiles that were once full of hope were gradually replaced by anxiety and panic.

"Really? Is Xinyan Road really going to be cut off?"

"If it's cut off, how will we live?"

"Yes, my whole family depends on this salt field for their livelihood!"

Panic spread like wildfire among the salt workers, and the once orderly salt field was now in complete chaos, buzzing and humming.

Honest salt worker Wang was sweating profusely with anxiety. He tried his best to calm everyone down: "Don't listen to their nonsense! Madam and Fourth Master are good people, they won't abandon us!"

However, his voice was quickly drowned out by the noisy crowd, like a pebble thrown into the ocean, causing no ripples.

“Brother Wang, you make it sound so easy! What will happen to your family if it really breaks?” a young salt worker retorted, his voice filled with anxiety.

Wang Yangong opened his mouth, but didn't know how to refute it.

He felt a vague unease, but his trust in Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan made him firmly believe that the new salt road would not be cut off.

Just as everyone was discussing and feeling uneasy, a figure appeared at the entrance of the salt field.

"The lady has arrived!" someone shouted, and the once noisy salt field instantly fell silent as everyone's eyes were focused on that figure.

Su Yunlan walked calmly and steadily toward the crowd, with Xiao Yuhan following closely behind her, silently protecting her.

“Madam…” Wang Yangong looked at Su Yunlan with concern, hesitating to speak.

Su Yunlan gave him a reassuring look, then her gaze swept over the crowd, her clear, cold voice echoing across the salt field: "I know you all have doubts..." She paused, her eyes sharp, "But I assure you..."

Su Yunlan surveyed the crowd, her clear, cold voice carrying an undeniable firmness: "The new salt road will never be without supply!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yuhan waved his hand, and the burlap sacks on the carriages behind him were lifted, revealing mountains of salt bags.

Sunlight shines on the snow-white salt mountains, reflecting a dazzling light, making them look like shimmering little hills.

The salt workers fell silent, staring in shock at the scene before them.

They had never seen so much salt piled up like a small mountain, creating an incredibly shocking visual impact.

The air was filled with a strong salty smell, which stimulated their sense of smell and gradually dispelled their doubts.

"This...how is this possible?" a salt worker muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"The lady actually did it!" another salt worker said excitedly, his voice trembling slightly.

Wang Yangong clenched his fists excitedly, tears streaming down his face: "I knew it, Madam and Fourth Master wouldn't lie to us!"

The conspiracy of Sun's remaining salt merchants completely failed, and they fled the salt fields in disgrace, like stray dogs.

The rumors they spread appeared so pale and powerless in the face of irrefutable facts.

Seeing the smiles return to everyone's faces, Su Yunlan breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that although the storm had temporarily subsided, the mysterious force hidden behind it remained a huge threat.

After dealing with the saltworks, Su Yunlan felt exhausted.

Xiao Yuhan looked at her with heartache, having already prepared a cup of hot tea.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air.

"Lan'er, you've worked hard." Xiao Yuhan handed the teacup to Su Yunlan, his gentle voice carrying a hint of pity.

Su Yunlan took the teacup, her fingertips gently touching Xiao Yuhan's fingers, and a warm current instantly spread throughout her body.

She looked up and met Xiao Yuhan's deep gaze. The two smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

The surrounding air seemed to become sweeter, filled with a faint aroma of tea and a deep sense of love.

Su Yunlan took a sip of hot tea and felt a warm current flow from her throat to her heart, dispelling her fatigue.

Just then, a yamen runner rushed over, looking flustered, and said to Xiao Yuhan, "Fourth Master, something bad has happened, the county yamen..."

The constable, breathless and pale, stammered, "Fourth Master, something terrible has happened! Clerk Chen... Clerk Chen is holding up the documents for the new salt route at the county office, saying... saying there's a problem!"

Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan exchanged a glance, a hint of coldness flashing in their eyes.

It seems that this clerk Chen is still up to his old tricks, even after being punished, he continues to cause trouble in secret.

"Lead the way." Xiao Yuhan's tone was icy, like a drawn sword, its cold light piercing.

The three of them hurried to the county government office, where they saw Master Chen sitting upright, holding the operational documents for the new salt road in his hand, shaking his head and looking very critical.

Magistrate Li sat to the side, his face grim, but he did not utter a word to stop it.

"Master Chen, what is the meaning of this?" Su Yunlan asked coldly, her gaze sharp as she stared directly at Master Chen.

Master Chen glanced at Su Yunlan sideways and said sarcastically, "Madam Su, this document is full of loopholes. As the county clerk, I naturally have to strictly review it. How can I allow such a perfunctory document to pass?"

Su Yunlan sneered, walked up to Master Chen, took the document, and carefully flipped through it page by page, her eyes sharp as if she wanted to see through it.

"Where exactly is the loophole that Master Chen mentioned? Please explain!"

Seeing Su Yunlan's assertive attitude, Master Chen felt a little uneasy, but he had already decided to make things difficult for Su Yunlan, so he braced himself and said, "The data in this document is unclear, the wording is vague, and many details are not explained clearly, so it is impossible to execute!"

Su Yunlan slammed the document on the table and said sternly, "Master Chen, you're deliberately making things difficult for me!"

Master Chen was intimidated by Su Yunlan's imposing manner, but he still tried to remain calm. "Madam Su, I was just following the rules. How could I be making things difficult for you?"

Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, Young Master Xiao rushed over, holding a document in his hand, and said breathlessly, "Fourth Brother, Sister-in-law! I found it! I found evidence that Master Chen was deliberately making things difficult for us!"

Young Master Xiao handed the document in his hand to Magistrate Li and said loudly, "This is the salt route document approved by the county government last year. It is almost identical in format and content to the document submitted by my sister-in-law. Why didn't Clerk Chen say there was a problem then, but now he says that my sister-in-law's document is full of loopholes? Isn't this deliberately making things difficult?"

Magistrate Li took the documents, carefully compared them, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

He glared fiercely at Master Chen and shouted angrily, "Master Chen, what else do you have to say?"

Master Chen's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, unable to speak.

He never expected that Young Master Xiao would find last year's documents; now he was completely exposed.

Magistrate Li slammed his gavel down. "Guards, drag Master Chen out and give him twenty strokes of the cane!"

The constables immediately stepped forward and dragged Master Chen out.

Master Chen's screams echoed through the county government office, and the onlookers cheered.

"Good! Well played!"

"This kind of despicable person deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"Madam is mighty!"

Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan exchanged a glance, a hint of a smile flashing in their eyes.

The operation of Xinyan Road was finally able to continue, which made everyone very happy.

However, just as everyone was immersed in joy, a yamen runner rushed in, looking flustered, and said breathlessly, "Fourth Master, Madam, something terrible has happened..."

A torrential downpour began suddenly, with large raindrops pounding the ground with a loud crackling sound.

The newly built salt road was muddy and impassable after being washed by torrential rain, and some sections even collapsed.

The once smooth road is now full of potholes and muddy water, like a winding mud river.

Zhang, the bodyguard, stood before the destroyed section of the road, his face grave.

Rainwater streamed down his cheeks, indistinguishable from sweat.

He took a deep breath and shouted to the bodyguards behind him, "Brothers, give it your all! We must get the road repaired as soon as possible!"

The bodyguards responded in unison, "Yes!"

Braving the torrential rain, they worked tirelessly, sweating profusely, to repair the road.

The sound of shovels digging through the soil mingled with the sound of rain, creating a tense symphony of labor.

Young Master Xiao also joined the repair team. He rolled up his sleeves and worked with the bodyguards to move stones and fill in the road.

Large raindrops pelted his face, but he was oblivious, his eyes fixed only on the washed-out road.

"Young Master, please take a rest. We can handle this kind of rough work," one of the bodyguards advised.

Young Master Xiao wiped the rain from his face and said firmly, "No need! I'm fine! The sooner the road is repaired and the salt is transported out, the sooner the people can have salt to eat!"

After much effort, the damaged section of road was finally repaired.

Seeing the road reopened, Zhang the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and his fellow镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) all smiled with relief.

After the rain, the sun shone on the earth, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil.

Horse-drawn carriages once again streamed along the new salt road, carrying snow-white salt and heading in all directions.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Yangong wiped the sweat from his brow, let out a long sigh, and exclaimed, "It's finally back to normal!"

However, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, Su Yunlan looked at the account book in her hand and frowned.

The ledgers clearly recorded the saltworks' output in recent days, which showed a significant decrease compared to before, making her very uneasy.

"How could this happen?" Su Yunlan murmured to herself, her slender fingers gripping the ledger tightly until her fingertips turned white.

She had a vague premonition that this was no accident, and that it was probably the work of that mysterious force again.

"Lan'er, what's wrong?" Xiao Yuhan noticed Su Yunlan's unusual behavior and asked with concern.

Su Yunlan handed the ledger to Xiao Yuhan and said in a deep voice, "Look, the saltworks' output..."

Xiao Yuhan took the ledger and examined it carefully, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Production has dropped that much?"

Su Yunlan bit her lower lip tightly, "I suspect..."