The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 39 - 35 Fish Market

Chapter 39: Chapter 35 Fish Market

"Auntie, where did this big green fish come from today?"

"Your aunt’s family, a few days ago, asked me to help open a fish stall in the fish market. Yesterday, they heard that you topped the prefectural examination, so they specially sent a big fish this morning." Historian Li explained on behalf of Zhou.

This fish came just at the right time.

Xu Qing is practicing martial arts and is also a young lad, consuming a lot of meat.

Due to Xu Qing topping the prefectural examination, the couple was delighted and gave out wedding money, leaving the household temporarily a bit strapped for cash.

After all, it was only the prefectural examination, not the college examination, fame and status have not yet been achieved, no banquet was held, so naturally, there was no extra income.

However, Historian Li receives monthly salary deductions from the court for spices, which are just right for seasoning the fish.

Xu Qing: "Auntie, remember to thank them for me."

Zhou laughed: "What is there to thank for, it’s because your uncle interfered, they didn’t charge them a protection fee at the fish market."

Xu Qing’s heart stirred, and he asked Historian Li: "How much is the protection fee at the fish market?"

Historian Li stroked his beard and said, "It’s not much, most of it still has to be distributed to the Government Office, I only get about five taels of silver a month in my hands."

Xu Qing knew that this was because his uncle was too honest. He estimated that the clerks who handle it probably pocket much more than five taels.

Xu Qing knew that Zhou was managing the household affairs and was recently worrying about money. The chicken farm’s income was too slow; they needed some other source of income in these months.

Thus inspired, he thought of making a small fortune, Xu Qing continued: "Uncle, doesn’t the Government Office have an annual official salt distribution task? How about that?"

Historian Li: "The Old Master is really worried about this. Although the salt business is hugely profitable, the sales of official salt have not been very good. All in all, there are still ten thousand catties of salt lacking this year."

Xu Qing secretly smiled, in this era, who didn’t know the quality of official salt. How could it sell over privately-produced salt that only costs three or four times less and is of better quality.

Perhaps it is because the court is well aware of the drawbacks of the salt industry, even specially allowing landless commoners along the southeast coast to trade in private salt to support their families.

This is actually related to the intermittent prohibition of the sea policy of the country.

Because prohibiting the sea would inevitably require moving the coastal people hundreds of miles away from the coast. But people couldn’t make a living by the sea and weren’t allocated much land, which inevitably affected their livelihood, thus the tacit approval of these people trafficking in private salt occurred.

Otherwise, people couldn’t survive, and they were bound to rebel.

Of course, this tacit approval has its limits. Once it exceeds the tolerance of the court, the court would naturally turn hostile.

Moreover, as time goes on, many salt merchants collude with local officials, allowing subordinates to pretend to be such commoners and openly sell private salt.

Leading to an increasingly smaller market share for official salt.

No way, private salt profits are too high, and it sells well!

But the court didn’t care about these, as the sales share of official salt was fixed every year, with absolutely no room for relaxation. Thus, it ultimately still needed to be allocated.

The ten thousand catties gap of County Magistrate Wu was not without reason.

Because the quota for ten thousand catties of official salt originally belonged to the Zhao family, and now the Zhao family refused to accept the allocation.

And County Magistrate Wu didn’t want this to affect his own promotion, so he was really worried about it.

Xu Qing: "Uncle, you can tell the County Master that you will take care of these ten thousand catties of official salt."

Historian Li: "How would I have such ability?"

Xu Qing: "Uncle, this matter must be resolved by you. Uncle, think about it. In the end, the Zhao family’s matter is connected to our family. Now, because of the Zhao family, it’s hindering the County Master’s career, the County Master will surely hold a grudge against you. If uncle resolves it, the County Master will naturally feel relieved and will trust you even more."

After Historian Li understood the advantages and disadvantages, naturally, he could no longer decline, "Qing, you surely have a way, how shall we proceed?"

Xu Qing: "Do uncle know how much salt the fish market consumes in a day?"

Historian Li shook his head.

Zhou said: "I heard from my nephew, the fish market can sell at least six hundred catties of salt every day."

Historian Li exclaimed: "So much?"

Zhou gave him a glance: "You stay far away from the kitchen, naturally you wouldn’t know, fish die and spoil quickly out of water. Of course, they need to be treated with salt for preservation and transportation. Especially in summer, more salt is used."

Xu Qing: "Aunt, do you know where the fish stalls usually buy salt and what the prices are like?"

Zhou: "They said they can only buy from the fish market, selling a hundred catties of fish requires buying four catties of salt there. The price is the same as the official salt, but everyone says it’s definitely private salt, but they have to buy it."

Xu Qing: "Uncle, six hundred catties a day, amounts to eighteen thousand catties a month. This allocation of official salt, isn’t this solved?"

Archivist Li was overjoyed: "Should I ask the County Master for a larger share of official salt? Ten thousand catties are too few."

Xu Qing shook his head, thinking to himself: "Uncle, you sell real official salt, how would we make a profit?"

He said: "Anyway, official salt has always been hard to sell. Uncle, you only need to request eight thousand catties a month. The remaining ten thousand catties, we can buy directly from the salt fields, but when sold, they will all count as official salt."

When Xu Qing mentioned buying from the salt fields, he actually meant buying smuggled salt. Don’t think that official salt doesn’t include smuggled salt now. There’s no choice; the production of official salt is low and its quality poor.

Without adding some smuggled salt, the appearance would be even worse.

Moreover, adding smuggled salt would lower the cost even more!

Besides, Xu Qing wouldn’t get his hands dirty doing this himself.

On the other side, Archivist Li went to the County Master to alleviate his worries.

Xu Qing found Xu Fu and told him the plan, instructing him to find Mi San to act accordingly.

Mi San had a group of beggars under his command who were responsible for purchasing the goods, and Mi San acted as Xu Qing’s frontman, in charge of selling the official salt.

After all this maneuvering.

Xu Fu calculated the accounts, they could make an extra sixty taels of net profit each month.

And it was continuous, an unending stream.

As for those who lost the smuggled salt business in the fish market, they dared not make a fuss.

With the Archivist of the county behind them, selling genuine official salt, what could they possibly stir up?

Coincidentally, the one behind the smuggled salt business in the fish market was Zhao Bao.

...

...

"My money."

"Li Gongpu, Xu Qing, I swear we can never coexist under the same sky!"

Lying in his bed, Zhao Bao, hearing his subordinate’s report, let out a sharp and fierce voice.

At this moment, he seemed to be bleeding from his lower body again.

...

...

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed, and all the examinees of Jiangning Prefecture knew about a decree newly issued by the Court.

"Starting this year, for South Zhili’s provincial examination as a pilot, anonymous marking will be implemented."

When Archivist Li was at home, he discussed this matter with Xu Qing.

"According to the Old Master, this time the Reform Faction led the provincial and county examinations in South Zhili, causing much dissatisfaction among the conservative faction, therefore specifically implementing a pilot decree of anonymous marking in South Zhili. The Old Master said that this was also a major malpractice of the country, and there had already been calls for anonymous marking in provincial exams."

Xu Qing nodded slightly and said: "This decree was issued just in time, quite suddenly, probably even Academician Zhou just found out about it recently."

The importance of county and prefecture exams is far less than the provincial exam.

Because the provincial exam directly determines the designation of Scholar titles, and the Academic Supervisor has the power to expel Scholars from their registration. If not anonymously marked, the influence on the local scholars in the province would be too great.

However, the malpractices of the country go far beyond these, whether to reform or not, depends on whether the struggle requires it.

This matter was quite beneficial for Xu Qing, as the anonymous marking of his papers, at least initially, wouldn’t subject them to Academician Zhou’s biased distaste.

"Making use of the remaining half-month, I must quickly advance my Eight Diagrams Body Technique to Great Success; thereby, my understanding of ’The Book of Changes’ will be deeper and more thorough, benefiting my performance in the provincial exam," Xu Qing thought to himself.

Cultivation goes well in the Six Doors Office.

The essentials needed for cultivation are merely wealth, partner, method, and location.

Without the identity of my uncle, Xu Qing’s cultivation would not have been so fast and smooth.

But an uncle’s public office is never as effective as one’s own.

Moreover, his uncle’s power and position had already reached their limits.

"Human world’s little Archivist, you’ve already done your best," thought Xu Qing leisurely. He then bade his uncle farewell, returned to the eastern courtyard, stepped on the rim of the large water jar, and progressed together with the Old Wutong Tree.