Jiang Huaifu glanced at the people running up from behind Song He'er, paused, and said calmly, "You take care of their affairs first, and I'll talk to you about the rest separately."

Song He'er held her breath and whispered a reminder: "If it's not important, let's not talk about it today. My third uncle and the others are here."

"If it weren't for something important, do you think I would have come here so late at night?"

Song He'er was used to Jiang Huaifu speaking in that arrogant tone, but now he no longer referred to himself as "this king" but instead as "I," which meant he truly wanted to break free from the control of Xizhou and had given up any thought of returning...

"Then... wait for me over there for a while."

"Hmm." After saying that, Jiang Huaifu turned around and went back to the boat.

Song Xiaoyu and Li Qiang walked quickly; as soon as the words were spoken, the two of them dragged their things over here.

Several servants meticulously counted the oil-paper umbrellas, then took out the money they had prepared beforehand and handed it to Song Xiaoyu.

"Here's the money, let's count it."

Song Xiaoyu took the money pouch and said, "We need to exchange some things. Do you have any food or utensils that you usually need?"

The two servants exchanged glances, then looked at the ship behind them, and replied in a calm tone, "We do have some on board, but not much. If you need anything, just let us know and we'll get it for you!"

Song Xiaoyu clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Then I'll have to trouble you!"

Li Qiang was an honest and simple man. In such a situation, he naturally wouldn't say anything, but would just quietly listen to others' instructions.

Song Xiaoyu took out the list she had prepared in advance. Since she didn't have good paper and ink, she could only write a few lines with charred charcoal, which were barely legible.

"Three liters of white rice, two kerosene lamps, about ten catties of fresh fruits and vegetables, one liter of cooking oil, half a liter of aged vinegar, one peck of salt... two wooden basins, five sets of bowls and chopsticks... I don't know if this money will be enough. If not, can I pay on credit and settle the bill together tomorrow night?"

The servant smiled and said, "A little over a hundred coins is definitely not enough to buy all this, but we can offer credit here. I'll give you everything you need in advance."

Upon hearing this, Song Xiaoyu was even happier and quickly thanked everyone, saying, "Thank you so much! We will definitely work hard and never slack off."

Another servant packed the oil paper and bamboo skewers into a sack and handed it to Li Qiang, saying, "This is two hundred sacks of raw materials. We can deliver them the day after tomorrow."

Li Qiang nodded, but these things, plus the supplies to be purchased, were too much for the three of them to carry back by themselves; they would have to make two trips to get them!

Thinking of this, Song He'er walked to Song Xiaoyu's side and said, "Third Uncle, why don't you and Uncle Li Qiang go back first? I'll wait for you here, and when you come, we can go back together."

Song Xiaoyu turned her head and looked at the servant who had gone to the boat to get things. She felt that he wouldn't be back for a while, and since they were just waiting here anyway, they might as well send a batch of things back first.

Thinking this, he nodded. "Alright, you stay here and wait for us obediently. Don't run around. Wait for us to come back!"

"I understand, Third Uncle, you should go now!"

After saying this, Song Xiaoyu and Li Qiang each picked up a large sack and carried it towards the tent...

Seeing them walk away, Song He'er walked towards the flickering lights. Jiang Huaifu was standing in the moonlight with his back to her.

"Your Highness, please speak quickly. My third uncle will be here soon, and I must return immediately. Also... thank you for allowing us to pay on credit..."

Jiang Huaifu frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with Song He'er's words.

"Stop calling me 'Your Highness' all the time. I've already said that I am no longer the prince of Xizhou. Don't you understand?"

Did you take some kind of gunpowder?

Song He'er was speechless for a moment, then looked at him and replied directly, "Then what should I call you? Young Master Jiang? Senior? Knight?"

Jiang Huaifu's face turned as black as coal, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Then... I'll call you Young Master, is that alright?"

Jiang Huaifu remained indifferent, but his expression seemed much more relaxed than before.

"How is your father doing lately?"

Song He'er was slightly taken aback, wondering why Jiang Huaifu would suddenly bring up that man.

"My father? Why are you asking about him? Whether he's well or not is none of my business, and I don't know anything about him."

"This is a matter of life and death. You must give me an answer, otherwise, it will implicate you, your stepmother, your brother, and everyone around you!" Jiang Huaifu emphasized repeatedly.

Song He'er had never seen Jiang Huaifu exaggerate something so much, especially something about a prisoner.

"What exactly are you trying to say? What happened to my father? Of course, if it's his own trouble, we don't care at all, because I cut ties with him a long time ago!"

"Your father has been secretly dealing with officials from my Western Continent and many other places, selling smuggled salt and accepting bribes of no less than tens of thousands of taels of silver. If my father or the emperor of your Central Plains finds out about this, don't even think about whether you can survive here. Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, you will be reduced to ashes!"

Song He'er couldn't believe it for a moment. She knew that her greedy father was capable of anything and that he had many connections and was in contact with many officials in the area. But she never imagined that he would dare to sell smuggled salt with the people of Xizhou behind the back of the imperial court!

He's already risking his own life, and now he's dragging them down with him? It's utterly despicable!

"How did you find out? Did the news reach you? That means your father already knew, right?"

Jiang Huaifu pursed his thin lips, his eyes gleaming with a cold light.

"It was Shen Jiadai who intercepted the news halfway, but there's no guarantee that my father won't find out about it. I'm here today just to ask you what kind of mistakes your whole family made to be exiled here. Could it be that your entire family did something heinous and preyed on the people?"

Preying on the common people? Her?

Song He'er felt as if she had been doused with cold water. She admitted that these things were inextricably linked to the General's Mansion, but that only meant that her father had done it. What did it have to do with them?

......

My darlings, I accidentally tested positive for COVID-19, so updates will be temporarily unavailable!

Once my fever subsides, I'll definitely update more chapters for you all!

Also, please drink plenty of water and avoid gatherings. Let's work together to get through this difficult time!

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