What a grand vision!

Yuan Zhang's eyes lit up as he looked at Zhao Yan and asked, "Young man, who are you?"

Zhao Yanqing shouted, "Zhao Yan, the third son of the Zhao family!"

Yuan Zhang looked at Zhao Cheng, then at Zhao Yan, before nodding and saying, "So he's also Zhao Huan's son."

Zhao Yan asked, "Your Highness, shall we practice?"

Yuan Zhang smiled and said, "With your courage and boldness, you truly are a worthy son of a tiger father, but I cannot spar with you. I am of the same generation as the Right Chancellor; how can I bully a junior?"

Is it that they can't or they dare not?

"Third brother, how dare you!" Zhao Cheng glared at Zhao Yan, then cupped his hands to Yuan Zhang and said, "Have you forgotten what your sister-in-law's surname is? By all accounts, Champion Wang is our relative, and an elder at that. How can you be so disrespectful to an elder?"

Yuan Zhang's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh and cry. He never expected Zhao Cheng's thinking to jump around so strangely. Just a moment ago, he was so tough, but now he's starting to play the soft emotional card.

“I know that the young prime minister has no shortage of experts around him.” As he spoke, Yuan Zhang looked at Zhao Wu and Heng Wenhao and said, “Even Guard Heng has become a follower.”

Heng Wenhao said earnestly, "Your Highness, I am just a servant by the side of the Princess. I am only following the Princess's orders to change my servant."

"There will be a chance to fight, and Tuo Tie Wu Hua will accompany you then, but not today."

Yuan Zhang's voice turned serious as he said, "I'll say it one last time: the enemy of the Zhennan Border Army is the Southern Zhou Army, so don't force the border army to point their swords and spears at you. Since you are relatives, you should abide by the rules even more."

Yuan Zhang stared sharply at Zhao Cheng and said, "Zhao Cheng, did you hear me clearly?"

Zhao Cheng wanted to curse, but he knew he couldn't break ties with Yuan Zhang. First, the southern defense line of Dajing needed Yuan Zhang, and second, it would bring trouble to Zhao Huan's peaceful life.

But even after compromising and saying he understood, Zhao Cheng was still unwilling to give up.

For a moment, the atmosphere froze.

The merchants standing nearby were also trembling with fear, feeling as if they had thorns in their backs.

Mu Yan looked up and secretly cast an apologetic glance at Zhao Cheng. He quickly said, "Champion King, since the Yunshang Conference has been canceled, there's no need for me to stay here. I still have business to take care of at home, so I'll take my leave now."

Yuan Zhang naturally hoped that these merchants would back down, and gave a soft "hmm".

Seeing that they could leave, the other merchants couldn't stay any longer.

“Champion King, you and the young prime minister have important matters to discuss, so I won’t get in your way.”

"Champion Wang, I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot I had a business meeting this afternoon!"

"Champion Wang, I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot my wife is having a difficult childbirth today..."

"..."

In an instant, all the merchants headed out the door.

Zhao Cheng noticed that Jia Zhong was the only one who lagged behind. He seemed to be walking with the others, but he hesitated and looked back every two steps, walking very slowly.

Just then, a muffled shout rang out from the direction of the gate.

"Who said the Cloud Commerce Conference was canceled?!"

Those still inside the hall were unaware of the situation outside and were all surprised. Who dared to contradict Yuan Zhang?

The merchants were all driven back, and then a neat and orderly column marched forward, each member wearing standard Dajing armor, a typical Dajing soldier.

Then, a middle-aged man dressed as a military general strode in.

His expression was serious. Upon seeing Yuan Zhang, he bowed and said, "Your Highness, I never expected to meet you in Yunmeng City!"

Yuan Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly, understanding the meaning behind the other party's words, but still smiled politely and said, "Lord Cai, how have you been?"

Before Yuan Zhang even called out "Lord Cai," the merchants recognized the newcomer as Cai Qiong, the prefect of Yunjing County.

They never expected to meet the two biggest bosses of Yunjing County today!

Zhao Cheng had never met Cai Qiong, but judging from Yuan Zhang's attitude and the merchants' reactions, especially Yuan Zhang's address of "Lord Cai," Zhao Cheng immediately realized that this man was Cai Yilu's father.

Zhao Cheng found Cai Qiong's attire rather strange. Why was he dressed like a military general when he was clearly a civil official?

If there were wars, it would be understandable to put on armor and go into battle, but with Yuan Zhang guarding Yunjing County, unless the cities of Yunjing and Yunshui were breached, there was no need for Cai Qiong to personally go to the battlefield.

Jia Shengsheng seemed to know Zhao Cheng inside and out. She glanced at Zhao Cheng's puzzled look and whispered in his ear, "Lord Cai comes from a family of military generals. He inherited his father's title of border general when he was young. He later became a high-ranking official in the court by fighting his way up through military merits. He likes to dress like a military general. His Majesty knows that he is both literate and martial, so he sent him to the border county of Yunjing as the prefect."

After hearing Jia Shen's explanation, Zhao Cheng was very surprised. He did not expect that Cai Qiong was so different from what he had thought.

After all, based on Cai Yilu's appearance, one can infer what his father looked like and try to portray him as someone who was both scholarly and martial.

Jia Shen Shen lowered her voice again and said, "This Lord Cai has one particular characteristic: he has a bad temper."

"Your Highness, you risked coming to Yunmeng from the military camp just to stop the Yunshang Conference?" As expected, Cai Qiong didn't mince words with Yuan Zhang and asked directly.

Yuan Zhang seemed a little tired. He glanced around and Tuo Tiewuhua quickly pulled out a chair for him to sit down.

"Lord Cai, your arrival at this time suggests that someone has already reported what happened to you. In that case, you should understand my meaning: the Yunshang Conference should not continue."

"The Cloud Commerce Conference cannot be suspended!" Cai Qiong shouted, then continued, "The Immortal Wine is a fine brew that even His Majesty praises. In the future, it will be a significant source of tax revenue for the Great Jing. As for soap, cologne, and lip balm, regardless of how much profit they bring, they are all genuinely beneficial to the people and can improve their quality of life."

Cai Qiong's expression was serious as he argued, "If the people of the two capitals can enjoy this, and the people of Jingdong County and Jiangyang County can enjoy this, why can't the people of my Yunjing County enjoy this?"

Yuan Zhang leaned back in his chair, looked up at Cai Qiong, and said, "Lord Cai, the Southern Zhou army camp across the street has been making frequent unusual movements lately. I suspect they will take action soon. At this time, Yun Jing County should not make any major moves, as it would be inappropriate if it affected the economy and people's livelihoods."

Cai Qiong said sternly, "I am the prefect, and the economy and people's livelihood are my business. Champion Wang should just take care of military affairs!"

Hearing this, Zhao Cheng couldn't help but give Cai Qiong a thumbs up.

Let's fight head-on!

Yuan Zhang's face darkened noticeably, and he questioned, "What if the economy and people's livelihoods are affected, impacting my military affairs?"

Cai Qiong said, "Then naturally I will take responsibility! Do you think I would just slip away like an greased grease?"

Yuan Zhang couldn't help but chuckle, and asked in confusion, "Lord Cai, why are you helping Zhao Cheng like this?"

Cai Qiong looked around in confusion and asked, "Zhao Cheng? Who is Zhao Cheng?"

Yuan Zhang was immediately speechless.

Indeed, Cai Qiong did not mention Zhao Cheng once after entering the room.

He didn't even glance at Zhao Cheng!

Yuan Zhang turned to look at Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng looked completely innocent, with a bewildered expression.

His gaze seemed to say, "Why are you looking at me? I, Zhao Cheng, and Cai Qiong don't even know each other!"