Adult Tang Dynasty: I, the Scoundrel, Fully Support the Empress - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Su Yang’s First Goal—Becoming a Top–Tier Tycoon

Ding!

Congratulations, host! You skipped out on your meal bill. You’ve earned 10 points.

Ding!

Congratulations, host! You’ve unlocked the system store.

Just as Su Yang was strolling down the street with his guards, letting his food settle, a cold, robotic voice suddenly rang in his head.

He immediately pulled up the system interface, his curiosity piqued.

Inside the store, a vast assortment of items was available—everything from everyday necessities to cutting-edge technology and advanced weaponry. The selection was overwhelming.

A bag of potato seeds cost 100 points, a refined salt extraction technique was priced at 500 points, and a martial arts grandmaster technique went for 5,000 points. And for those with deep pockets, modern firearms and high-tech weaponry could be purchased for over 10,000 points.

Su Yang’s eyes gleamed as he browsed through the options. His excitement grew—no matter what he redeemed, he knew he could turn a serious profit.

Right now, though, his focus was locked on the refined salt extraction technique.

He had to admit—it was embarrassing. As a so-called modern, well-educated man from the 21st century, he had absolutely no idea how to refine salt.

As for why he wasn’t choosing the cheaper option, like the potato seeds…

Su Yang wasn’t an idiot. He knew that right now, in the first year of the Zhenguan era, a major drought and locust plague were just around the corner. If his memory served him right, the disaster would soon hit Guandong, leaving countless people homeless and even forcing families to resort to desperate measures to survive. The entire Tang Dynasty would be thrown into chaos.

Buying potato seeds now would be pointless. They wouldn’t sell for much, and trying to build an empire off potatoes alone was a pipe dream.

More importantly, the land distribution policies of the Tang Dynasty hadn’t been reformed yet. Even though he had the Empress backing him, it wasn’t like he could just start grabbing land for large-scale farming.

That would mean stepping on the toes of the most powerful aristocratic families—especially the Guandong elite.

Su Yang might have been aiming to live the high life as a rich playboy, but he wasn’t reckless. He knew he couldn’t afford to get himself killed before he even built a solid foundation.

Messing with the Guandong aristocrats was a death sentence.

Even Li Er himself had to tread carefully around them. Some of these noble families didn’t even fear the imperial throne.

The best example was the Emperor himself.

Historically, Li Er once tried to form marriage alliances with the Five Great Families, but they outright refused. They didn’t see it as an honor at all and completely ignored the offer.

It wasn’t until the rise of Huang Chao and Zhu Wen that these aristocratic clans were finally wiped out. Of course, that also indirectly led to the fall of the Tang Dynasty.

With that in mind, Su Yang’s short-term goal was clear—he needed to become as powerful as the Five Great Families.

Sure, having strong connections mattered, but if he had nothing to offer, he’d just be a disposable puppet. Su Yang needed real leverage to secure his place at the top.

And the refined salt extraction technique was his golden ticket.

In this era, salt was a strategic resource, worth its weight in gold, and nearly impossible to buy.

The current refining methods were crude at best, producing bitter, impure salt that was barely edible. The demand far outweighed the supply.

But if he had a way to produce refined salt…

It would be a game-changer.

He was sure of it—once he introduced high-quality refined salt to the market, even at premium prices, it would sell out instantly.

With that thought, Su Yang’s eyes burned with determination.

“Alright then… time to fully embrace this playboy lifestyle.”

“I need to rack up as many points as possible.”