We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1079 Conspiracy in Person

Thinking of this, Li Che fell silent.

He stopped looking at the Liao people and silently rode his horse forward.

Yang Tong stole a glance at the silent emperor, his heart pounding with anxiety, as if he had a lively pheasant in his chest.

Unlike the officials in Shu, Yang Tong had no idea that Li Che would come.

In his mind, the emperor had just ascended the throne and should be staying in the capital.

News travels through the deep mountains and forests is extremely difficult, and not a single word of Li Che's southern tour to Sichuan reached the remote mountain valleys.

Yang Tong really couldn't understand how his dilapidated place, covered in brine, had attracted a real dragon.

However, Yang Tong has a unique characteristic: he never dwells on things he can't understand, and only thinks about what to do right now.

In his limited understanding, the emperor was a being on a pedestal, while he was merely on the edge of that realm, and could be pulverized in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, only he knows his own affairs; he himself is not clean.

Putting aside the shady dealings at the salt wells, his official position as salt supervisor was actually obtained through a donation from the Chengdu government office, paid for by his family.

Yang Tong's family had been minor officials in Rongcheng for generations. They had accumulated some wealth and connections, which enabled them to secure him this position, hoping to change his social standing.

In reality, a minor official is just a minor official; he will never become an official in his lifetime, and he cannot force himself into a circle he cannot fit into.

In the eyes of upright officials like Wei Xiang, Yang Tong's position as salt supervisor was not even a proper official post, let alone a miscellaneous one outside the official system.

These are just empty titles created by some people to make money, and they're not even as good as some shrewd minor officials.

After taking office, Yang Tong quickly realized that he would probably be stuck in these deep mountains for the rest of his life, dealing with the Liao people and salt and tobacco day and night.

Let alone bringing glory to one's ancestors, just being able to survive and leave the deep mountains to return to one's roots is considered a great blessing.

Therefore, Li Che's arrival, while terrifying to him, also brought him a sense of hope.

What do my dirty deeds matter to an emperor who is so high and mighty?

If one can catch the emperor's eye, that is the true ladder to heaven!

At this moment, the group had arrived at the government office.

The so-called official residence was nothing more than a courtyard surrounded by rammed earth, with a two-story building made of bamboo and wood inside.

But compared to the thatched huts and bedding of the outsiders, it was like heaven and earth.

In the courtyard, servants dressed in plain clothes were bowing their heads to serve, and the pungent smell of smoke and smog was gone, replaced by a faint, refreshing scent of bamboo.

Below the corridor stood several thinly dressed Liao women, looking at them with panic. They were not particularly pretty, but at least not frightening.

Li Che understood that although Yang Tong was very respectful to him, the fact that he could still control the Liao people in this dog-eat-dog world meant that he was by no means a kind person.

He probably acted like a local tyrant on ordinary days, and he has harmed many women of the Liao people.

When Yang Tong saw the emperor's gaze sweep over them, his heart tightened, and he quickly ordered the women to leave.

If the visitor were a minor official from Chengdu, he would certainly treat these courtesans well.

But when facing the emperor, he didn't even dare to entertain such thoughts.

"This kind of countrywoman is beneath my notice; how could I possibly use her to please the emperor?"

It's like your boss goes on a business trip and wants to relax, and you bring back an inflatable doll—a cheap, secondhand one, smelling strongly of rubber...

Forget about promotions and raises; he'd probably be fired the very next day for entering the door with his left foot first.

Li Che didn't point it out, but only glanced at Qiu Bai beside him.

Qiu Bai understood and immediately led several guards into the small building to search it thoroughly inside and out.

After confirming that everything was alright, he came out and nodded to Li Che.

Li Che then held the sword at his waist and stepped inside, followed by the other civil and military officials.

The interior furnishings were not too shabby, with a large bamboo desk in the main position and a wooden chair covered with animal skin behind it.

Several futons were placed on both sides. The smell of bamboo and wood in the air had faded, but there was a hint of incense.

Clearly, this is Yang Tong's office; the Liao people would not have such refined tastes.

Li Che walked straight to the head seat and sat down before looking towards the door and saying, "Yang Tong, right? Come in and talk."

Yang Tong waited outside the door, only daring to bend down to come in, but still keeping his head down.

Then the emperor said, "Let that chieftain come along too."

Yang Tong was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned around and pulled the bewildered Atuna inside as well.

Li Che looked at Wei Xiang, Luo Yueniang, and the others: "Go and rest. I have something to ask them."

Everyone bowed and withdrew.

Besides Yang Tong and Li Che, only Ying Bu stood by the door with his hand on his sword, while Qiu Bai and Hu Qiang stood half a step behind Li Che on either side.

This invisible pressure made Yang Tong and Atuna dare not even breathe, standing with their hands at their sides below.

Li Che had no intention of intimidating them. There was no need for such tricks with insignificant people. He went straight to the point and said, "You probably don't know why I've come here."

Yang Tong immediately bowed and said, "Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

Li Che said, "When I toured the south to Chengdu and reviewed the salt and iron accounts, I discovered a huge deficit in salt tax. Therefore, I personally went to the salt wells to investigate. What exactly are you doing?"

Yang Tong was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost knelt down again.

Remembering the emperor's earlier words, he could only force himself to remain upright, bowing even deeper: "Your Majesty, please allow me to report, Your Majesty..."

"Don't speak yet," Li Che interrupted him, turning his gaze to Atuna, who had remained silent. "Why are you not saying a word?"

When Atuna heard the emperor ask him a question, he trembled with fear, knelt down with a thud, and mumbled a string of Liao language, his face full of terror.

Li Che frowned slightly: "Does this person not understand the Qing language?"

Yang Tong hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, the people of Atu don't understand Qing language."

Upon hearing this, Li Che gave Yang Tong a meaningful look.

As far as he knew, those Qiang and Man people and the untrained Liao were one thing, but many of these trained Liao people could speak the Xia language.

A headman of the Liao people who doesn't understand the Qing language means that all communication with the government is controlled by Yang Tong alone.

I wasn't mistaken; this Yang Tong is indeed extraordinary.

But he didn't delve into the matter further, and instead asked, "What is the current salt tax revenue of the Cixi Salt Department? How many people are there in Youqing? How many are there in Liao?"

Without hesitation, Yang Tong blurted out, "Your Majesty, the Ciyan Salt Department currently has twenty-three salt wells, three hundred and twenty-seven registered salt workers and patrol officers, and approximately one thousand skilled households, producing salt monthly..."

"Wait a minute." Li Che raised his hand to stop him, then gestured to Qiu Bai with his eyes.

The latter immediately took out a booklet from his bosom, which was a brief record of salt affairs obtained from Rongcheng Prefecture.

Li Che flipped through a few pages, compared them, and then said, "Continue."

Yang Tong composed himself and reported the monthly salt production, the amount handed over to Rongcheng Prefecture, the amount retained, and the approximate expenses one by one. The figures were clear, as if he had already memorized them.

As Li Che listened, he roughly compared the information with what was recorded in the book, nodding slightly from time to time.

After Yang Tong finished speaking, when Li Che looked at the dark-skinned, plump official again, his eyes held less scrutiny and more appreciation.

“If what you say is true,” Li Che closed the booklet, “70% of the salt production is handed over to Rongcheng every month, which is indeed a considerable amount. You have done a good job as the salt supervisor.”

Seventy percent is already quite a lot. Before Li Che came, he estimated that after layers of exploitation by various parties, the government would be lucky to actually collect three or four tenths.

After all, the profits from salt production are substantial; some will be kept by the Liao people, some will be consumed along the way, and the Qiang and Man tribes will also have a say...

Unless Yang Tong falsified the records, the accounts were almost perfectly accurate. Even if he did falsify them, his memory was still quite good; he was a talented person.

Yang Tong's tense shoulders relaxed, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you."

Li Che nodded, then changed the subject, his gaze sharpening slightly: "So how did you deal with the Qiang and Man tribes in the south, and how did you get these Liao people to be willing to take only 30%?"

"As far as I know, these people are not easy to talk to. If they don't see enough benefits, will they tolerate you?"

Yang Tong's body stiffened visibly. His lips moved a few times, and his eyes showed a struggle.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly knelt down on the ground.

Upon seeing this, Li Che frowned: "I said I don't like people kneeling, how dare you disregard my words?!"

"Your Majesty!" Yang Tong's voice trembled with sobs as he slammed his head heavily to the ground. "Your subject... Your subject is guilty!"

"Where is the crime?" Li Che asked calmly, seemingly unsurprised.

Given the court's lax control and the fact that Shu (Sichuan) is hardly a clean and honest place, it would be a miracle if someone holding such a position didn't have some shady dealings.

Yang Tong raised his head, his face streaked with tears and snot, but said something that surprised even Li Che:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty committed murder in order to gain control of the salt wells!"

murder?!

Li Che was startled.

I thought this person would at most embezzle or exploit some money; if the amount wasn't large, a warning would suffice.

Unexpectedly, he actually self-destructed?

However, judging from his behavior, he doesn't seem like a reckless person. Could there be some other hidden reason?

Li Che's gaze sharpened, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who did you kill?"

Yang Tong said in a trembling voice, "I killed the original chieftain of the Ciyan tribe, Agula!"

Li Che suddenly looked to the side, where the chieftain Atuna was still kneeling, looking completely bewildered.

He couldn't help but ask, "And this person...?"

Yang Tong kowtowed: "Atu is Agula's younger brother."

"He didn't know you killed his brother?" Li Che's voice turned somber.

Yang Tong shook his head: "I don't know, he doesn't know."

Upon hearing this, not only did Li Che's eyes turn cold, but Ying Bu by the door and Qiu Bai behind him also instantly gripped their sword hilts, their gazes piercing Atuna like nails.

Hu Qiang didn't react because he didn't understand.

If a man were to admit to killing someone's older brother in front of his younger brother, any man with a modicum of courage would likely have attacked him violently.

Atuna couldn't understand what the others were saying, and was terrified by the sudden surge of murderous intent.

He immediately collapsed to the ground, his whole body trembling like a leaf, uttering meaningless moans.

Seeing that Atuna's reaction seemed genuine, Li Che waved his hand slightly to stop everyone's actions.

Yang Tong is really bold.

Even if people don't understand, it's not appropriate to say this to their faces. What kind of NTR horror story is this?

Li Che looked again at Yang Tong, who was still lying on the ground, his voice devoid of emotion:

"Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?!"