The thirty-six northern prefectures were places that Da Gan both hated and feared. Since Yin Jin'an had promised to keep it a secret, even Zhou Lingyin could not reveal a single detail.

A few days later, Zhou Lingyin came to see Yin Jin'an and said that the matter had been settled.

"I can get two boats, one that's neither new nor old, and the other that's new. They're both quite big. I can get the captain, the sternman, the general staff, and the three classes of sailors under the command of the department leader. The first class has 20 men, the second class has 25 men, and the third class has 19 men, for a total of 68 men on the boat."

"Can he be trusted?"

"Of course they're reliable. I can easily get dozens of people. As for the gang leader, Lao Liao, I talked to him and he immediately agreed. He's lived for forty years and has always had a dream of going to the open sea. He can not only bring these 68 people, but he can also recruit thirty or forty people from other places. The gang leader also has some, and they are all experienced."

"Alright, you place the order with him. Keep his family in check, so they don't run away with the goods. I'll contact the buyers right away."

“He can’t escape. I’ve found out where his ancestors lived. You should also send a few people to accompany the cargo on the ship.”

Yin Jin'an had never done anything serious in his life, and this was the first time he was doing something serious, so he was very anxious.

He hates people like his brother and father who ask a million questions the moment they take a step.

Why worry so much about the future? Just do it! The worst that can happen is you die!

Xie Zhaozhao couldn't go out to see Yin Jin'an every day, so she asked Xu Li to keep an eye on him at the teahouse or the arena every day.

She was specifically responsible for maintaining contact with Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu.

Xu Li had never felt so at ease; he could simply wait for news on the street every day.

Yin Jin'an was impatient, but reliable in his work. He was worried about the leader Lao Liao that Zhou Lingyin mentioned, so he went to see him and met all 68 people.

Finally, he said to Lao Liao, "This is the first time I've ever wanted to make something of myself. If you mess this up, I'll kill your whole family."

Old Liao's hair stood on end. If others said that, it would be a threat, but if Yin Jin'an said it, it must be true.

"Don't worry, Second Young Master. If Old Liao doesn't get things done, I'll kill myself first and tell my whole family to take a jar of arsenic with me."

Everything was settled. Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu rode their horses to Qingyuan Teahouse and saw Xu Li counting ants at the entrance from afar.

The horse stopped in front of Qingyuan Teahouse, and Li Yunmu called out, "Fatty."

Xu Li immediately stood up, his arms already above his head, ready to be beaten at any moment.

Yin Jin'an lashed out with her whip, but didn't hit him on the head. It just made a "whoosh" sound as the whip tip cut through the air. She cursed, "Get lost."

"Great!" Xu Li was overjoyed. Today's beating was gentler than usual. Was his fate beginning to turn around?

Xu Li reported this to Xie Zhaozhao, who immediately left the mansion and went to the teahouse, where she found Li Yunmu and Zhou Lingyin waiting for her.

Li Yunmu and Zhou Lingyin immediately abandoned their usual frivolous and unruly manners, becoming very well-behaved and obedient. They greeted her, and the four of them entered the private room.

Upon learning that Zhou Lingyin had arranged for the boatman, crew, and other staff, Xie Zhaozhao knew she had made the right bet.

In their past lives, these people wasted their time and lived aimlessly. Yin Jin'an was killed when she competed with others for the title of courtesan.

Not to mention Zhou Lingyin, he and Xie Xiangxiang tormented each other their whole lives, their lives were a mess, and in the end their entire family was slaughtered.

Li Yunmu was impeached repeatedly by the Censorate and was eventually sentenced to death by hanging by the Emperor.

Before his death, Li Yunmu laughed and said, "If I were born destined to be the head of a family, and to receive attention and careful guidance from birth, who would want to go through all this for nothing?"

So, she'll give them a special chance to see how they rise from the ashes.

“I will send men to seize the cities of the Baiyue in the south and open up trade with Johor, Champa, and Sin Tau.”

She circled a place on the geomantic map, the legendary no-man's-land of the southern frontier: "We'll take all these places!"

In their past life, Guan Yingying and Gu Chengyan used Baiyue City as a transit point to purchase countless fresh supplies, which they then transported to Dagan, making a fortune.

She didn't want to be a transit point; she wanted to take over the city and use it as her trading center, as well as a future base for garrisoning troops.

She wanted to completely cut off Guan Yingying's future path.

"We will first establish a stronghold in the south and have our own city."

"Accumulate capital before heading north!" She didn't say this aloud, but exchanged a glance with Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu.

Actually, she was very grateful to Guan Yingying. She had learned a lot from her in her previous life, such as the importance of women being independent!

Only by being self-reliant can one earn respect—respect that comes from the heart, not charity.

She has so much dowry; she wants to make the most of it, rather than simply hand it over to the next generation.

She began planning from the day she was reborn.

The wild land already had several salt wells with abundant reserves. If she could take them over, she would have her first asset to contend with the imperial court.

“Young Master Yin, this city is yours.” She pointed to Shi’an City, not far west of Baiyue. “The name Shi’an suits you well. There is a salt well here with exceptionally high purity. I’ve long wanted to make it your territory.”

She gave the Citong Wharf in the northeast of Baiyue to Zhou Lingyin. Compared to Shian City, this port was the most important.

Li Yunmu settled in Nanhai City, which is close to Xiandou. In the future, Xiandou's white sugar, various seasonings and high-yield crops will be continuously sold from Nanhai City to the north and south.

Having set a goal, Yin Jin'an felt like she was on fire, eager to get started immediately.

His city!

His territory!

His salt well!

Despite his anger, he said earnestly, "Xie Zhaozhao, let's load a boatload of cargo to test the waters first. Let's not load anything too valuable, so that even if we lose money, it won't be a major blow."

“Yes, don’t throw all your resources into it, let’s test the waters first,” Zhou Lingyin said. “Just pack things that are easy for us to get our hands on.”

Xie Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Then let's load the porcelain. I'll go and tell the kiln master to load a batch of blue and white porcelain."

The best porcelain kilns in Daqian were controlled by the Xie family.

After discussion, the four decided to load the ship with porcelain, tea, and paper.

“Pack some silk as well. The silk from our Central Plains is not something the Western Rong may have,” Zhou Lingyin suggested, recommending that they purchase a batch of silk from Jiangnan and pack it along.

After determining the first batch of supplies to bring, we continued to analyze the route and what items to bring back.

In her previous life, Guan Yingying only opened the Xiandou route, not the overseas route, but the inland caravan route.

They bypassed the sacred mountain from the west and obtained white sugar from Xiandou. The nobles went crazy for it and made more than 300 times the profit in one go.

However, the inland caravans could only transport a limited number of goods, and the journey took an extremely long time. On their first expedition, it took them nearly two years, and everyone thought they had died along the way.

Later, they partnered with the prince to open a trade route to Johor, making a fortune selling various spices, ivory, and other goods.

Yin Jin'an, Li Yunmu, and Zhou Lingyin were all thrilled and excited.

Let's get started without saying anything!

Doesn't the family only value the eldest son?

I'm protected by Guanyin!