by the Emperor. After finishing his business and leaving the palace, it was already afternoon. He hurried to Ruyi Pavilion, but naturally, he didn't see Xiao Yuge. Upon inquiry, he learned that she ha..."Master Fang, you really are efficient! You haven't disappointed the King's cultivation of you. Rest assured, after I return, I will go to the King and recommend you!" The messenger praised the masked man.

"Thank you, sir!" the masked man exclaimed with delight.

Boss Xiao Yuge narrowed her beautiful eyes. Could that masked man be the Salt Gang's boss, Fang Tianjing Then who was the "King" they were talking about For some reason, she felt the voice of their so-called messenger sounded familiar, but she couldn't for the life of her remember where she had heard it before.

"Those two old fellows, the Salt Commissioner and the Salt Transport Commissioner, are so stubborn that they refuse to cooperate. This time, I reckon their official hats are in jeopardy! The Lord said that once those two are gone, he'll report to the Emperor and hand over the management to you, the gang leader. Then, with the Lord behind you and the Salt Gang in front of you, who would dare to oppose you! But the Lord has recently heard some rumors that there is a lot of opposition against you internally, especially from your deputy gang leader. You have to be careful!"

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely handle this. That woman Lin Lang, she's lucky to have caught my eye. She actually dares to defy me Blocking my path to wealth Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Alright, I've delivered the message. I'll be going now. When dusk falls, I'll meet you at the mangrove forest outside the city! Make sure nothing goes wrong!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Yuge and Feng Yanniang, hearing the commotion inside, instinctively hid to the side. Xiao Yuge even glanced at the so-called messenger, though he was wearing a mask, she felt she had definitely seen that person somewhere before, but couldn't remember for the moment.

After they all left, Feng Yanniang also pulled Xiao Yuge back to the room where they had just been: "Master, the master of this place is Fang Tianjing, the leader of the Salt Gang! My subordinate received your instructions last night and immediately sent Lin Lang back to stabilize the situation in the Salt Gang. I also guessed that they would definitely bring you here, so I came here in advance. Are you alright all the way"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It seems they are preparing to send both people and salt out of the city tonight. I don't know how Qian Tingxuan's side is arranged, but no matter what, we must capture them red-handed tonight. I will go back to mingle among them later, which will be convenient for us to cooperate inside and outside. You go out and arrange for their reception, and also remind Lord Lin to be careful of Fang Tianjing. Furthermore, if Qian Tingxuan's troops don't arrive, you intercept us outside the city and rescue those girls and salt. If Qian Tingxuan's troops arrive, withdraw quickly and don't let him suspect anything." That fellow, Qian Tingxuan, is cunning. If he and Feng sister clash, with his crafty logic, he will definitely suspect her.

"Yes!"

"Go quickly, be careful!"

"Be careful too, OP!"

The two hurried out of the room. Xiao Yu Ge, relying on her memory, returned to the room they had just left. Fortunately, Fang Tian Jing hadn't come back. She changed back into her own clothes and wasn't in a hurry to wake the two people under the bed. After all, even if Fang Tian Jing came back, it wouldn't necessarily be easy for him to find them under the bed.

What puzzled Xiao Yu Ge was that it was already afternoon, and she hadn't seen Fang Tian Jing return. Soon after, an old woman came and took her away, saying that she was to participate in some special training.

"Training"

Xiao Yu Ge's heart was filled with doubts. She couldn't understand how they could openly transport so much salt out of the city without being noticed by the guards. It wasn't until she attended that training session that she finally understood.

Originally, the so-called special training was to pack bags of salt and have those girls tie the bags to their stomachs to simulate being pregnant.

Thanks to their ingenuity, because ever since the loss of the hundred-stone salt and Deng Jiu's murder case, every city gate is now under extremely strict inspection. Even outgoing carriages are thoroughly searched before being allowed through. Ordinary methods simply wouldn't work to smuggle the hundred-stone salt out of the city.

And they allowed these young women to leave the city as pregnant women, conveniently utilizing the Winter Solstice. Because, in many places, there is a tradition that on this day, if a pregnant woman prays for blessings at the temple, her child will surely be filled with good fortune. Therefore, every year on this day, many pregnant women would go out together in the evening to pray for blessings. It is said that going out to pray on this day in the evening is very effective, so in many places, the city gates would remain open very late at night on this day.

Those people tightly bound a large bag of salt to the girls' stomachs to make them look pregnant. They even brought a pregnant woman to teach them how to walk and even how to support their waists, all very convincingly.

Those who taught them said that as long as they took the salt out of the city, their masters would take them to places with delicious food and drink, giving them endless fine clothes and mountains of delicacies.

These girls were mostly from poor families. They were so poor that when they heard they could live a better life in the future, they gradually became willing and started to practice actively.

Only Xiao Yuge knew where they were taken after being used, whether it was to enjoy themselves. Qinfang Building and Baifeng Building, just by the names, one could tell what kind of places they were. These people not only exploited them but also sold them off afterward, forcing them to earn money for them!

As expected, after an afternoon of carrying such heavy bags on their stomachs, those girls did resemble pregnant women when they walked. At this point, Fang Tianjing ordered people to temporarily confine them back to their rooms.

Xiao Yu Ge kept looking at the girls, noticing a girl who was crying and even being beaten several times by those old women. So, taking advantage of the inattention, she quietly went to the girl's side and whispered, "Girl, let it go. Be less stubborn, and you'll suffer less."

"No! I don't want to enjoy any blessings, my grandpa and great-grandmother are still waiting for me to go back..." The girl raised her eyes, her big eyes filled with tears.

With a thought, Xiao Yu Ge softly asked in a low voice, "Are you Miss Lan'er"

"Who are you How did you know me" The girl stared wide-eyed, looking at Xiao Yuge with disbelief.

Xiao Yu's song let out a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, she actually found Lan Er: "Miss Lan Er, I know your grandfather! I'm here to save you!" It was all done without any effort!

"But, you..." Liu Lan'er looked at Xiao Yuge who was about the same age as her, her eyes full of confusion.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright." Xiao Yuge comforted her.

"You all better behave yourselves, or you'll be getting a taste of my whip!" said those old women with whips in hand, their faces stern as they glared ahead.rfectly on her face, between persistence and letting go in the lines of her brow. Perhaps she wanted to forgive others, and herself as well."Then how about you come with me" Qian Tingxuan came over w...