The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

At the city gate.

Carriages and people came and went. A magnificent procession was waiting near the city gate.

The one leading them was Chen Yong.

Chen Yong, dressed in magnificent attire, knelt atop an exquisite and opulent carriage exuding an aura of wealth. His retinue of attendants, servants, and able-bodied men remained as numerous as ever.

His mood, like his face, was beaming with pride. His plan had succeeded, and his daughter had become the Princess Consort of the North.

His eldest son, Chen Xi, is currently in Chengdu. Through his kinship with the Li family of Nanzhong, he has become a student of a PhD and plans to pursue a promising career in the academic world.

As for using half of the family fortune as a dowry for his daughter, that was just a small amount of money.

His family and son-in-law were now closely linked, and upon learning that Huang Chong was coming, he dared not be negligent and led his men to greet him.

Upon seeing Huang Chong's carriage, Chen Yong immediately got out and went forward.

"Could it be the late General Zhenbei's son, the tutor of the Prince of Beidi, Lord Huang?" Chen Yong stopped beside the carriage, bowing deeply in utmost humility. There was no way around it; compared to the Chen family, the Huang family was undoubtedly a powerful and prestigious clan.

"Indeed. Thank you for coming to greet me, Lord Chen." Huang Chong did not dare to neglect the maternal relatives of the Prince of Beidi, and returned the greeting after getting out of the carriage.

Chen Yongzheng wanted to be polite and say something like, "I've heard so much about you." Huang Chong interrupted, "Lord Chen, this isn't the place to talk."

A glint flashed in Chen Yong's eyes. He glanced at Huang Chong's expression and couldn't help but become serious. He nodded and bowed, inviting Huang Chong to get into the car.

He then boarded the carriage, and the two groups merged into one, entering Fan County and joining the crowd along the main road, eventually arriving at a private residence of the Chen family.

Chen Yong led the way, bringing Huang Chong to a room where they sat down. He said in a deep voice, "Master Huang, I don't come here often. We have few servants and therefore few informants. Please speak frankly if you have anything to say."

Huang Chong's demeanor made him somewhat nervous and uneasy. His son-in-law was notoriously lawless; would he ask him to do something heinous? Although he was extremely wealthy, he was not heartless.

Huang Chong noticed this and smiled reassuringly, "Master Chen, there's no need to be nervous. It's nothing illegal."

After he finished speaking, he told Chen Yong about his plan.

Chen Yong's eyes widened upon hearing this. It wasn't illegal, but it was worse than a crime! He took several deep breaths, then lowered his head and thought for a long time before looking up and saying, "Lord Huang, if the Shu brocade merchants could unite, the price of Shu brocade would certainly soar. But since the Prime Minister's death, the Shu brocade merchants have been fighting their own battles. Each merchant has powerful backers, making it extremely difficult to unite them."

As for salt and iron, he dared not say, for those are even more complex matters.

However, the forces behind Shu brocade, salt, and iron were not ordinary merchants, but rather controlled by princes, kings, families of meritorious officials, gentry of Jingzhou, and powerful clans of Yizhou.

It would be incredibly difficult to collude with Shu brocade merchants to manipulate prices and drive them up.

Throughout history, only Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was able to accomplish this. He used his powerful authority to manipulate the price of Shu brocade, extracting profits from Eastern Wu, Nanzhong, and Cao Wei, thus solidifying the foundation for the Northern Expeditions. After the Prime Minister's death, even Jiang Wan failed to achieve it.

The same applies to salt and iron; once the person dies, the policy ends.

The world is bustling with activity, all driven by profit. Money stirs the heart; even the best system is ultimately implemented by people.

People's hearts can change.

At the same time, he was secretly shocked by his son-in-law's appetite. As far as he knew, his son-in-law was probably already incredibly wealthy, yet he was still greedy for riches. This...

Huang Chong nodded and said, "What Lord Chen says is true, but I am confident. All Lord Chen needs to do is to lobby on his behalf."

Since Huang Chong had already said that, Chen Yong stopped talking nonsense and simply took on the task.

After that, Chen Yong stepped forward to persuade him. Huang Chong also made a high-profile appearance in Sichuan.

Counties such as Linqiong, Nan'an, Wuyang, Guangdu, and Jiangyang have either salt wells or iron ore deposits.

Both regions had the Shu brocade industry. In the Shu brocade sector, Huang Chong acted as a middleman. In the salt and iron industry, Huang Chong mainly recruited small merchants, while also plundering profits from large merchants with status and background.

Doing business? What kind of business? Power always reigns supreme over businessmen.

Huang Chong's actions shook the entire Sichuan region, drawing the attention of countless merchants and their backers.

But no one stepped forward to stand in this way.

...........

Chengdu.

The Palace of Anding.

Unlike Liu Chen's cramped and shabby palace, this palace was truly magnificent and resplendent.

The palace had many concubines, all dressed in gorgeous Shu brocade robes, their long skirts trailing on the ground.

A few favored maids were able to wear silk clothes.

Extremely luxurious.

Inside the side hall, Liu Yao, the Prince of Anding and Liu Chen's second elder brother, knelt on the throne, his right hand resting on a low table, his posture languid. Not far away stood an exquisite incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose gently.

This filled the side hall with a rich fragrance.

Below him knelt a man, dressed in magnificent robes and with an elegant appearance. He was none other than Zhang Cheng, Liu Yao's confidant and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Anding.

He was from Jiangzhou in Ba County. He studied Confucianism, but not in great detail. Instead, he was very good at handling affairs.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Beidi is so arrogant; shouldn't we restrain him?" Zhang Cheng asked with a grave expression. The water in the salt and iron mine was already murky, and Huang Chong had made it even muddier, harming the interests of the Prince of Anding.

"How can I control him? My fifth son is a ruthless man who would send assassins to kill He Sui for the sake of beauty and wealth. If I dare to control him, he'll dare to bare his teeth at me." Liu Yao shrugged and then lazily added, "Look, the Crown Prince, the Prince of Xihe, the powerful clans of Bashu, the powerful clans of Jingzhou, and the powerful clans of Dongzhou haven't made a move. Everyone is afraid of him. This fifth son of mine..."

Liu Yao, deeply impressed by Liu Chen, shook his head. The emperor had seven sons, plus two princes from collateral branches.

There were nine members of the Liu family in total, each with a different personality and temperament. But only Liu Chen was a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, the kind of person who would bite anyone he saw.

Driven by lust, he murdered her husband, abducted her, and seized her property. It's unbelievable that he even thought of such a thing; his methods were too crude and ruthless.

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly. Indeed, just as the King said. Everyone's interests have suffered some losses, but no one has made a move.

Suddenly, a chill ran through him, and he said to Liu Yao, "Your Majesty. The King of the North is so greedy; his wealth is beyond calculation. With such immense wealth, could it be...?"

He stopped speaking at just the right moment and gave Liu Yao a meaningful look.

As long as an emperor has multiple sons, some will inevitably harbor ambitions.

Despite the current state of Liu Han, the imperial throne remains as alluring as a peerless beauty, captivating the hearts of vigorous young men.

The Crown Prince's position is currently relatively stable, but the Prince of Anding and the Prince of Xihe are already showing signs of making moves.

The other Prince Liu Zan of Xinping was muddle-headed and posed no threat.

The sixth and seventh sons were still young.

Liu Chen, the Prince of Beidi, was still young and his power was not yet fully developed. However, through his own abilities, Liu Chen earned a great reputation for infamy and acted with impunity in Bashu. Everyone feared him.

That's a huge threat.

Liu Yao understood the implication and shook her head with a smile, saying, "You're overthinking it. Financial resources are certainly important, but if you want to covet the throne, the support of the ministers is even more crucial. Do you think any minister would support him? If someone who kills his husband and abducts his wife becomes emperor, wouldn't that be like a sharp blade hanging over the heads of all the ministers? He poses no threat."

"Your Majesty is right, I was indeed overthinking it," Zhang Cheng replied, bowing in agreement.

Given Liu Chen's style of conduct, the ministers had reason to suspect that he was a tyrant from the outset. No one doubted his ambition to seize the throne; they simply considered him a fool. Therefore, they were resistant to Liu Chen's aggressive pursuit of wealth.

Everyone took a step back.

Huang Chong accomplished what he wanted to do very smoothly.