Read Novel Full Chapter 849 - 16: Awakening with a Knock
Chapter 849: Chapter 16: Awakening with a Knock
"You know better than I do how much profit new salt can bring." Lian Fang extended her hands over the brazier to warm herself. Although the winters in Swamp Prefecture were much milder than in the capital, Lian Fang had been physically weakened from an early age. She feared the cold during winter, so she always needed a fire to keep warm.
Zhao Yao was naturally aware of the immense profits from new salt. He furrowed his brow slightly and said, "Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother have no designs on my new salt."
"What about Prince Dai and Prince Jing?" Lian Fang reminded Zhao Yao, "They are short of money."
Zhao Yao shrugged, "What does their need for money have to do with me? Besides, I’m not close to them. Even if they covet my new salt, they still need to see if I’ll entertain them."
"They won’t come at you openly, but they’ll scheme in the shadows."
"Are they going to snatch it by force?" Zhao Yao wasn’t afraid of Prince Dai and Prince Jing, "Moreover, Father has already sent people to produce new salt elsewhere. By next year, any new salt I produce will be worthless."
"You should be clear about their methods." Lian Fang felt Zhao Yao shouldn’t rely on being in Lingnan to assume distance from the capital meant safety. "Even if they can’t aim for new salt, what about glass and mirrors?"
Zhao Yao’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, and his tone was icy: "If they really target me, they can’t blame me for being unkind." He wasn’t someone to be easily manipulated.
"Once you send the glass and mirrors to the capital, all sorts of schemes will follow." Lian Fang used the fire tongs to stir the coals in the brazier, "You need to be prepared."
Zhao Yao nodded slightly, "Don’t worry, Second Uncle, I have it under control." He truly wasn’t concerned about the schemes of Prince Dai and Prince Jing. Even though he wasn’t in the court, Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother were. They would shield him from court intrigues.
"You’ve been in Swamp Prefecture for some time, and you’ve done a lot during this period. Haven’t you considered that Prince Wei might not be oblivious to what you’re doing?"
Hearing this, Zhao Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression unclear, "Second Uncle, what do you mean?"
"Do you think everything you’re doing in Swamp Prefecture is unbeknownst to Prince Wei?" Lian Fang said blandly, "There are Southern Wei people in Swamp Prefecture. You haven’t forgotten, have you?"
Zhao Yao’s brow furrowed, "With what I’m doing now, even if the Southern Wei people know, or even if Eighth Brother knows, it’s of no consequence." What he was doing didn’t involve any secrets that couldn’t be revealed.
"What about in the future?" Lian Fang asked, "You must be aware of the Southern Wei people’s capabilities."
"Second Uncle, do you mean to kill the Southern Wei people sent by Eighth Brother?"
"You don’t want to kill them?" Lian Fang implied that while the Southern Wei people currently knew nothing, it was best to eliminate them to avoid future troubles.
Zhao Yao remained silent.
"Do you want your Eighth Brother to know what you’re doing in Lingnan?"
Of course, Zhao Yao did not.
"Second Uncle, even if I kill all the Southern Wei people in Swamp Prefecture now, does it mean there will never be Southern Wei people coming to Swamp Prefecture, or other provinces in Lingnan, in the future?" Zhao Yao’s lips curled into a bitter smile, "Must I kill them every time they come?"
Lian Fang’s expression was emotionless, "Southern Wei people cannot be spared."
"So far, the Southern Wei people have done nothing detrimental to Great Zhou or its people," Zhao Yao sighed softly, "Besides, right now I don’t have the means to kill all Southern Wei people." Even if he had the capability to kill them all, it would undoubtedly alert Eighth Brother, and by then, Eighth Brother would know everything.
"Actually, I’ve long known that what I’m doing can’t be hidden from Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother." Zhao Yao understood that the things he was doing could only be concealed from Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother for a while. With time, they would certainly notice that his actions were not simple. "After all, if Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother never realized what I was doing, wouldn’t that make them terribly naive?"
"Back then, I advised you to distance yourself from Prince Chu and Prince Wei, but you wouldn’t listen." Lian Fang had long warned Zhao Yao to stay away from Prince Chu and Prince Wei. "You kept pretending to be foolish in front of them. Once they realize you’ve been deceiving them all this time, what do you think they’ll do?"
Zhao Yao stubbornly defended himself, "I wasn’t deceiving them, nor was I pretending to be foolish in front of them. I just didn’t tell them about certain things."
He continued, "Besides, Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother have kept many things from me as well, so we’re about even."
After hearing Zhao Yao’s defense, Lian Fang sarcastically retorted, "What’s the use of telling me this?"