Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Although Liu Feng was just a lowly squad leader, even a seventh-rank official is respected in front of the prime minister. As soon as he arrived at the front office, he was warmly welcomed. From officials to clerks, everyone treated him with utmost courtesy and vied to host a welcome feast for him.

But this lively and harmonious atmosphere vanished as soon as the salt commissioner arrived.

For some reason, when this person heard that Liu Feng was Lin Ruhai's personal guard captain, he became extremely agitated, as if his ancestral graves had been dug up.

The only sound in the second hall was the sipping of tea. Liu Feng's stomach growled again, and he cursed the salt commissioner in his heart for delaying his meal.

Just then, footsteps approached, and Liu Feng looked up.

The clerk led a civil official in a green robe into the room, and they went straight into the second hall.

Then the official yelled, "My lords, something terrible has happened!"

"What a hasty and disorderly manner!" the salt commissioner shouted sternly.

Lin Ruhai slowly put down his teacup, raised his eyes, and asked calmly, "What is it?"

The official swallowed hard. "Reporting to Your Excellency... the document signing room caught fire, and Commander Yun Tong tragically died while trying to salvage the documents..."

The Salt Transport Assistant Magistrate is dead!

Lin Ruhai's eyes darkened slightly as he glanced at the salt commissioner, who was feigning shock, and thought to himself: What a clever tactic!

With the death of the Salt Transport Assistant Magistrate, all the salt certificate corruption cases have become unverifiable, and the batch of salt certificates seized last night have become worthless. This fire will not reach the Salt Transport Commissioner.

However, Lin Ruhai was not one to be trifled with, and he directly threw out a deadly statement: "That Bai family steward is not dead."

The Bai family steward is not dead?

A cold glint flashed in the salt commissioner's eyes. He slowly put down his teacup, stood up, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "The signing room is on fire. I must hurry back to check and register the losses."

Lin Ruhai nodded slowly.

Neither of them mentioned the deceased Salt Transport Assistant Magistrate, tacitly agreeing that the matter was closed.

Watching the salt commissioner's departing figure, Lin Ruhai narrowed his eyes. "If you're so capable, then kill the entire Bai family!"

His target was never the salt merchants, but the corrupt officials in the Lianghuai salt administration.

As for the salt merchants, a single imperial edict from the palace is enough to wipe them clean with any excuse.

Corrupt officials need evidence to be convicted, but salt merchants don't need any proof.

Lin Ruhai picked up his teacup, slowly finished his drink, stood up, walked to the door, and said to Liu Feng, "Let's go eat. After you eat, take a nap, and then come out of the city with me tonight."

Liu Feng bowed and replied "Yes," but his heart skipped a beat. Was he about to make another move?

......................

The banquet at Shengchunlou was still in progress, and everyone was quite tipsy.

Bai Zongshang downed another large cup of wine in one gulp, sneered, and said, "Does that Lin fellow really think he can overturn the world of Lianghuai just because he recruited a few hundred peasants? Wishful thinking! Lianghuai is the territory of us salt merchants, the money bag of the gentry and officials of Jiangnan. Even the sons and grandsons of emperors have to behave themselves when they set foot here!"

"Old Bai, are you drunk?" General Manager Jiang frowned.

General Manager Bai didn't care at all: "What's there to be afraid of? There are no outsiders here!"

Mr. Jiang wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Mr. Wang stopped him with a look.

He sighed inwardly. How could such a shrewd and steady old man as the Bai family patriarch raise such a brainless idiot!

The salt commissioner had warned him long ago that salt smuggling was prohibited, but he still took the risk for a few taels of silver and was caught red-handed by Lin Ruhai.

Looking at General Manager Bai's smug face, General Manager Jiang felt increasingly uneasy.

Although the salt commissioner had no choice but to intervene because of the salt permits, could the words of civil officials be trusted?

Does Lin Ruhai have any other tricks up his sleeve?!

Thinking of this, General Manager Jiang looked towards the door of the private room. Why hadn't the person who went to gather information returned yet? Was Manager Bai alive or dead? Had he fallen into the hands of that Lin fellow?

The smug-faced General Manager Bai, slightly drunk, said with a smug look, "His only son died under mysterious circumstances, and that Lin fellow didn't dare utter a single word!"

Everyone laughed.

"Tell me, how exactly did his son die?" Mr. Ma suddenly asked.

The private room immediately fell silent.

Just then, the door to the private room was gently pushed open, and the Wang family steward bowed as he entered, whispering a few words in Mr. Wang's ear.

Mr. Wang tightened his grip on the wine glass, causing the rim to tremble slightly.

He immediately stood up, walked to Bai Zongshang's side, gently patted him, and turned to leave.

General Manager Bai didn't react for a moment, but General Manager Huang next to him reminded him, "It must be the people who were gathering information who have returned."

Only then did General Manager Bai put down his wine glass and chase after them with unsteady steps.

General Manager Jiang closed his eyes briefly. He had heard the words "The Salt Commissioner is here" clearly and knew in his heart that General Manager Bai was finished!

"Why are you being so secretive?"

Mr. Bai muttered to himself as he followed Mr. Wang to the innermost private room.

Mr. Wang remained silent, raised his hand and gently knocked on the door. After waiting for a moment, he slowly pushed the door open.

"Who is it, putting on such airs?"

General Manager Bai peeked inside, and his drunkenness instantly sobered him up considerably. "Salt... Salt Commissioner..."

The salt commissioner in the main seat first gave General Manager Wang a wink before looking at him and saying, "Come in."

"Yes." As soon as General Manager Bai entered the room, the door behind him slammed shut with a "click," startling him.

"My lord..." General Manager Bai slowly moved forward.

Salt Commissioner: "Manager Bai has fallen into Lin Ruhai's hands."

Bai Zongshang's liquor business has finally come to its full awakening.

"We've caught 30,000 dan of smuggled salt so far. If we dig further, it could be 300,000 dan, or even 3 million dan! I can't bear the consequences! It would also implicate a large number of people..."

"grown ups......"

The salt commissioner pulled a bank draft from his sleeve: "This is a bank draft for 100,000 taels. After your property is confiscated, you will be left with nothing. I'll keep this money for you, so your family won't freeze or starve on the streets even if they are exiled beyond the Great Wall."

Mr. Bai swayed.

The salt commissioner looked at him and said, "But once you are arrested and convicted in three trials, your son will be executed along with you, and your mother, wives, concubines, and daughters will all be exiled to the army."

General Manager Bai knelt down with a thud: "With you here, sir... no, absolutely not."

The salt commissioner said, "To protect your family, you must create an unsolved case. Only if you never speak can I intervene on your behalf."

General Manager Bai was taken aback at first, then quickly nodded, "I understand! I understand..."

The salt commissioner stared at him: "You don't understand. As long as a person has a breath left, they will always speak."

Mr. Bai stood there, stunned.

The salt commissioner pulled out a small bottle: "This is poison. After drinking it, you will die in a drunken stupor, without any pain."

Mr. Bai collapsed to the ground.

The salt commissioner got up and went out.

......................

The news of Bai Zongshang's sudden death from drunkenness quickly reached the Salt Commissioner's office.

Lin Ruhai simply smiled faintly.

Over the years, he has been determined to start by cracking down on smuggled salt, tearing open the dark secrets of the Lianghuai Salt Administration, and uncovering the crimes of corrupt officials. However, each time he failed, either the smugglers died mysteriously in prison, or the case files were leaked, and the next clue was cut off and cleaned up in advance.

So this time he doesn't plan to investigate slowly; he'll just take action and shut down the saltworks below, cutting off their lifeline!

Lin Ruhai picked up his pen and circled several places on the map. According to the intelligence from the Northern Garrison Command, these salt fields had the biggest problems and were also supporting private armed forces.

As long as we take over these places, even if we can't find the account books, just the fact that they illegally occupied the imperial salt fields will be enough to completely destroy those people!

The study door creaked open, and Jia Min entered carrying a bowl of bird's nest porridge, saying softly, "Master, please have a bowl of bird's nest porridge."

"Thank you, Madam." Lin Ruhai smiled and accepted the gift with both hands. He scooped up half a spoonful and put it in his mouth, praising, "Mmm, Madam's cooking is still the best."

Unlike usual, Jia Min wasn't joking around; a worried look settled between her brows. "Perhaps we should take a few more people out of the city..."

Lin Ruhai swallowed the porridge in his mouth: "With so many people around, it's easy for news to leak out."

"But......"

"Don't worry, Uncle Lin has already led men to wait for us outside the city." Lin Ruhai took another sip of porridge. "With General Manager Bai dead, they should be less vigilant for a while."

Jia Min opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't try to persuade her any further, only saying, "Be careful."