MLMD -Chapter 38 Cutting Off the Fuel from Under the Cauldron

“You want to deal in illicit salt?”

At last, a trace of surprise appeared on the old madam’s usually calm and composed face. She accepted the cloth pouch Yue Yang handed her, inside which were snow-white, granular fine crystals. After hesitating for a moment, she dipped a finger into the powder and brought it to her mouth. Instantly, a salty taste spread across her tongue.

Now the old madam could no longer remain composed. She cried out almost involuntarily, “Th-this… is this green salt? No, it’s not green salt. Is it well salt? That doesn’t seem right either. What kind of salt is this, exactly?”

Standing to one side, Yue Yang dispelled her doubts. “Grandmother, don’t guess anymore. This is sea salt.”

“Sea salt… that’s impossible! Sea salt could never taste so fine and pure!” The old madam shook her head.

In China, edible salt generally came in three types: green salt, well salt, and sea salt. Green salt, also known as lake salt, was obtained directly from salt lakes or produced by evaporating brine from those lakes in salt fields, most of it coming from regions such as Qinghai. Well salt was produced by drilling wells to extract underground brine—either naturally formed or created by injecting water into salt deposits. Sea salt, as the name suggested, was produced by evaporating seawater.

Among these three, green salt and well salt had low yields and high prices, and thus were mainly used by the wealthy and the gentry. Sea salt, on the other hand, had enormous output—after all, seawater was practically inexhaustible, and all it took was boiling it down. However, sea salt had a fatal flaw: due to the backward refining and drying techniques of ancient times, it contained many impurities. Mixed with small stones, sand, and mud, its taste was poor—bitter and astringent. Yet because it was cheap, it became the primary salt used by common folk. Now Yue Yang was producing a bag of snow-white, fine salt and claiming it was sea salt—how could the old madam possibly believe him? This was completely overturning common sense.

“Grandmother, it’s true. This really is sea salt.” Yue Yang smiled. This bag of salt had been purchased from the modern world; whether in appearance or nutritional value, it surpassed the salt of this era by tenfold or even a hundredfold.

“Grandmother, I’ve been thinking about this for some time now. Ever since we organized the local militia, our operations have grown larger and our expenses higher. Without a stable source of silver, that simply won’t do. So I thought of dealing in illicit salt. Since the Wang family and ours are already sworn enemies, we might as well go all the way and seize their livelihood. I want to see what Wang Shoucheng can really do to us.”

“You really intend to sell illicit salt?” Once again, the old madam was stunned by her grandson’s bold idea. She gave a bitter smile—this grandson of hers truly meant to push the Wang family to the brink.

Looking at Yue Yang, she spoke earnestly, “Grandson, I know you are capable. I won’t ask where these salts came from. But you must think carefully—if you truly do this, then there will be absolutely no room left for reconciliation between our family and the Wang family.”

Yue Yang sneered. “Grandmother, from the moment Wang Chenglin tried to kill me at the Baihua Pavilion, there has been no room for reconciliation between us.”

Hearing Yue Yang bring up the old incident again, the old madam’s eyes narrowed, shooting out a cold glint. Indeed—ever since the day the Wang family tried to wipe out the Yue family entirely, there had been no possibility of peace between them.

“Grandson, since you’ve already made up your mind, then go and do it. But remember—once you’ve decided, don’t hold back. If wild grass isn’t burned clean, it will cause great trouble later.”

Her voice turned gloomy, startling Yue Yang. Even as he took his leave, he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—this old madam truly deserved her reputation for having protected Yue Family Village for so many years. When it was time to strike, she showed not the slightest mercy.

When Yue Yang left, his resolve only grew firmer.

October 21st, the fifth year of Chongzhen, Yingzhou City.

Old Man Jiang was a native of Yingzhou City. He ran a small eatery in the western part of the city. Though the restaurant was not large, it had existed for a very long time—dating back as far as the Zhengde era. After inheriting it from his father, Old Man Jiang had run it cautiously for nearly twenty years, earning a solid reputation in the western district.

But lately, he had run into some vexing troubles.

At noon, Old Man Jiang’s wife entered with a basket slung over her arm. As soon as she stepped inside, she complained loudly, “Husband, I went to buy salt today, and the price has gone up again! If this keeps up, how are we supposed to live?”

Old Man Jiang’s heart tightened at once. “What? The salt price went up again? How much is it now per jin?”

With indignation written all over her face, his wife replied, “It’s already three hundred wen a jin. I heard it might go up even more in a few days. Husband, how are we supposed to get by like this?” As she finished speaking, she set the basket down heavily on the table with a dull thud.

“Let me see.” Old Man Jiang’s expression hardened. He lifted the coarse cloth covering the basket, revealing yellowish-white coarse salt inside. Grabbing a handful, he frowned deeply and asked gravely, “Why is there even more sand and mud mixed into this sea salt than last time?”

“I don’t really know either,” his wife replied somewhat awkwardly. “I asked Ershun, the salt seller. He said that because bandits have been besieging the city lately, salt shipments can’t get in, so prices have risen a lot. And he also said he personally saw the shopkeeper secretly mixing sand into the salt at night.”

“Outrageous!” Old Man Jiang slammed his palm heavily on the table, furious. “That Wang family—has their conscience been eaten by dogs? Sea salt already has plenty of sand in it. Every time we buy it, don’t we have to sift it once, filtering out about ten percent of dirt and sand? And now they not only raise the price, but even mix sand into the salt themselves. Are they still human?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I said too.” Even the normally plain and honest face of his wife showed a hint of anger. “But Ershun said that during this bandit attack, the Wang family lost a great deal of silver, and it was their head of household who personally ordered this.”

Old Man Jiang knew that Ershun, a clerk at the Wang family’s salt shop, was a distant nephew of his, so his words were highly credible. He was so angry he could barely breathe. His eatery was a small operation, barely making enough to scrape by. With salt prices rising so sharply, costs would only go up further—his days were bound to become even harder.

Just as Old Man Jiang and countless other commoners were feeling both angry and helpless over the rising salt prices, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the entire city in less than half a day!

“Hey, brothers, have you heard? Three new salt shops opened in the city this morning! Their salt is both cheap and refined. I’ve seen it myself—it’s incredible! I don’t even know how to describe it. You’ve got to go see for yourselves!”

“Really? How much per jin?”

“Only three hundred wen!”

“Tch… I thought it was cheaper than that. That’s the same price as the salt sold by that skinflint Wang!”

“Damn it, if I’m lying, I’m a bastard! They’re also selling it for three hundred wen, but their salt is as fine as green salt or well salt—no, even better than green salt! If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself!”

“What? There’s such a thing? I’ve got to go check it out right now!”

The news spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred. Soon it reached the ears of the entire city. Some bold individuals tried buying a bit to test it out. After doing so, every single one of them went mad with excitement—the quality of the salt was so superb it defied description. It was snow-white and delicate, and each portion was sealed in a transparent bag. Every bag weighed exactly one jin and was waterproof and moisture-resistant. This was the kind of salt ordinary people had only ever heard of—yet today, they were seeing it with their own eyes.

Very quickly, the people of Yingzhou City went completely wild. Countless individuals carrying baskets surged toward the three shops, packing them so tightly that not even water could seep through. Everyone waved copper coins and silver frantically, desperate to buy salt. The scene was even livelier than a New Year temple fair—the surging crowd nearly crushed the shops themselves!

Such a major event could not escape the notice of the sharp-eared gentry and wealthy households of the city. Less than an hour after the three salt shops opened, a bag of the newly released salt appeared in Wang Shoucheng’s study. As he stared at the snow-white, refined salt on the table, his brows immediately knitted together.

Looking grimly at his son Wang Chenglin, he asked, “Lin’er, is it true that this refined salt is only selling for three hundred wen?”

Fear flickered across Wang Chenglin’s face as he hurriedly replied, “Yes, Father. I had people investigate thoroughly—it really is only three hundred wen per jin, the same price as our sea salt!”

A sharp glint flashed across Wang Shoucheng’s face as he murmured, “Good… very good, Yue Yang. I never thought you’d strike back at me so quickly. This blow is vicious indeed. You’re trying to cut off the fuel beneath the cauldron and destroy the Wang family’s foundation!”

“Father, this absolutely cannot go on!” Wang Chenglin panicked as well. “If this continues, who will still buy our salt? What the Yue family is doing is clearly meant to sever our roots!”

Even someone like Wang Chenglin—normally concerned only with fighting, drinking, and pleasure—understood clearly that the true foundation of the Wang family was illicit salt. If that path were cut off, the decline of the Wang family would not be far behind.