Chapter 152: The Problem of Saltpeper
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“Prince of Shu?”
Xiao Ming murmured the name softly.
Memories of this prince from his predecessor’s life surfaced—among all the imperial brothers, the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Shu, had the worst relationship with him.
Both unruly and headstrong, the two had clashed repeatedly in Chang’an.
Xiao Ming and the Prince of Shu had fought more than once over petty rivalries, earning them frequent reprimands from Emperor Wenxuan.
Now that the Fifth Prince had taken his fief in Shu, Xiao Ming hadn’t thought much about him in a long time.
In Xiao Ming’s memories, Shu was a remote, mountainous region—though historically known as the “Land of Abundance”, never lacking in grain.
The only downside was the frequent raids from the Nanman tribes in the south and the Tibetans in the west.
Still, overall, the Prince of Shu’s situation was slightly better than his own—though not by much.
And given Shu’s rugged terrain, isolated deep inland, the Fifth Prince likely found his circumstances even more frustrating.
“Exactly, Your Highness. Think about it—Qingzhou was buying saltpeter in bulk, and merchants from Shu were thrilled to profit from it. But suddenly, they can’t obtain any. Who else but the Prince of Shu could enforce such a blockade?” Lu Tong complained. “If this is truly his doing, then he’s deliberately sabotaging you! With the barbarians pressing south, time is critical, yet he’s throwing obstacles in your path. He clearly wants to see you fail!”