Liu Tan was stunned. "Wei Deng? This... the environment in the Northern Territory is not good, and he's so young. If something happens, how can I explain it to you and Marquis Lie?"

Princess Yangxin said very straightforwardly, "He's two years older than you. If you can go, why can't he? You don't have to take special care of him wherever he goes. Let him stay with Buzhi. If you think he can still be of use, then use him. If not, just pretend he doesn't exist."

Liu Tan choked. He was physically younger than Wei Deng, but mentally older than Wei Deng.

What's more, he had suffered before crossing over, and it was his own request to go to the Northern Border Country. He knew what it was like there before he went, so he naturally had to face the bitterness and joy himself.

However, Wei Deng is not like that. He is a child who grew up in a luxurious environment.

Liu Tan asked carefully, "Then... does Arden know? Is he willing to go?"

Princess Yangxin immediately said, "Of course I am willing, otherwise I wouldn't be able to send you a chaotic god."

After she finished speaking, Princess Yangxin sighed and said, "I know this is troubling you, but I can't help it. Of the three children of the Wei family, Wei Kang is a noble and doesn't need my concern. Wei Buyi and Wei Deng both originally had titles, but then... their father passed away. I can't take care of them either, so I can only try to find some way out for them. I sent Buyi to you originally just to give him some experience. He was lucky to meet you, and now he has some skills. As for Wei Deng... I can't help it either. I can't let him idle away like this any longer."

Liu Tan paused and felt that it was not easy for Princess Yangxin to achieve this.

In fact, she could have let Wei Buyi take Wei Deng with her directly, as long as it didn't take up the quota of officials from the Northern Border Country. Does Wei Buyi have to report to Liu Tan if he brings his younger brother with him?

However, Princess Yangxin came to see him in person. As a stepmother, she was very concerned about Wei Deng.

Liu Tan didn't say he was dead, but simply said, "It's still some time before I return to the Northern Territory. How about this? I'll go see Wei Deng and ask him about it. Aunt, don't worry. There's no place in the world with more opportunities than Chang'an. Even if Wei Deng doesn't want to go with me, I can arrange for him."

Princess Yangxin finally felt relieved and said with a smile, "I feel relieved now that you say that."

Liu Tan then asked, "What is the second thing?"

Princess Yangxin relaxed a little this time and said, "The second thing is about that... honeycomb coal."

Liu Tan pricked up his ears instantly, widened his eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Princess Yangxin patted the back of his hand and said, "Don't be nervous. Many people have heard that you are selling honeycomb coal. They want to buy it but can't find a place to buy it. You are sick, Huo Guang is not married yet, and Wei Buyi and Li Buyan are unreliable. So they came to me and asked me to ask you how to buy it."

Usually, it is the hostess who takes care of these things at home, and it is inevitable for ladies to socialize. But now, the top two leaders in the Northern Territory are all single men, and the ladies can't even visit them, so they have to find roundabout ways to save the country.

In fact, not only Princess Yangxin, but also Princess Dangli and others had been there.

It’s just that the other princesses were not familiar with Liu Tan, and some of them had never even spoken to him.

At this time, everyone felt sorry for why Princess Danyang married into Wusun, otherwise she would definitely have a say!

Compared with Princess Yangxin, the other princesses were a little more thin-skinned. While they were still hesitating, Princess Yangxin had already come to their door to kill them. Of course, this was also an advantage brought by her status.

Even if Princess Yangxin is not familiar with Liu Tan, there is no problem for the aunt to take care of her nephew, plus there is Wei Buzhi.

Liu Tan was so happy he almost fainted after hearing this and quickly asked, "Does everyone want to buy? Well, I've already bought the shop and am ready to register for trading. Auntie knows that honeycomb briquettes are all produced in the Northern Territory. I didn't bring too much with me this time, and the rest will be shipped slowly along the way, so I can only register first. Once the honeycomb briquettes arrive, I'll let everyone pick them up or have them delivered."

Princess Yangxin heard this and asked, "Where is it? When does it open?"

Liu Tan had no idea. He had originally thought that this year was just preparation. How could marketing be that easy? He would be lucky if he could sell what he brought this year. Now it seemed... he had to notify Jiang Chong to ship more.

Liu Tan said, "I'll urge you to do this. I'll send a car to your aunt after the business opens."

Princess Yangxin was immediately very satisfied. She felt that her nephew was very capable, smart, generous, and capable. Before leaving, she couldn't help but say, "Your marriage has had its ups and downs, but you can't let it go on like this. Get married quickly. Having a queen as your steward will make things much easier. If you have a crush on a young lady, just tell your aunt. You can choose any noble lady in Chang'an."

When Liu Tan heard the word "marriage," he couldn't help but think of Lu Xuan. He blushed for some reason and whispered, "Thank you, aunt. I... I need to wait a little longer. The Northern Territory is in ruins right now, and I can't bring anyone there to suffer."

Princess Yangxin chuckled and said, "You, what's there to be shy about? That's very thoughtful. Okay, go get some snacks yourself. You're not feeling well, so don't send me off."

Princess Yangxin left with great satisfaction.

After she left, Liu Tan immediately sent someone to invite Huo Guang over. As for Li Buyan and Wei Buyi, forget it, it was useless for them to come.

At that time, Huo Guang was also doing his year-end work summary at home, which was a habit he formed while following Liu Che.

At the end of the year, there must be a periodic report regardless of whether the work is completed or not. In the past, he was not responsible for these, but only needed to review the documents submitted by his subordinates.

However, even the review laid a solid foundation for him, so writing these things was easy for him.

He was a little surprised when Liu Tan called him over.

After Huo Guang arrived at the Northern Border Palace, Liu Tan came out to greet him and said helplessly, "Now the whole capital knows that I'm sick. I have no choice but to ask you to come to me."

Huo Guang smiled and said, "It's my turn to come. It's unreasonable for Your Highness to visit a minister."

Liu Tan took him to the small flower hall and told him the two things Princess Yangxin had raised.

Huo Guang was not surprised. He immediately had a document placed in front of Liu Tan and said, "I have already thought about this matter. Your Highness, please see if there is anything that can be improved."

Liu Tan was very surprised. He looked down and found that Huo Guang had already written down the sales method. He then proposed to build a storage yard near Chang'an and could not wait until winter to transport the honeycomb coal.

Liu Tan read them one by one, and then found that when it came to Huo Guang, the most important thing was not how much was sold or how to sell it, but the people!

Not to mention supplying the entire Chang'an, even the nobles in Chang'an need a large amount of honeycomb coal. In this case, a special place for storing honeycomb coal is needed. The place needs patrol personnel to prevent various accidents. Not only is there a fear of theft, but the most important point is fire prevention.

Chang'an in winter is not only extremely dry but also not much better. It's honeycomb coal, and a small spark could cause a raging fire.

Then there are various issues related to warehousing and out-of-warehouse operations, and this also requires preventing theft by employees.

Liu Tan felt a slight headache after reading it. He frowned and said, "This problem is very difficult to solve."

Ultimately, people are not the problem. When coal becomes more popular, the number of people who used to chop wood will decrease because the wood cannot be sold.

So he could hire these people at will for transportation, guarding and various tasks.

However, the biggest problem is that his focus has shifted to the Northern Border Kingdom. He cannot and will not be allowed to settle such a large industry in Chang'an.

But it is not appropriate to hand this matter over to the Queen, nor to the Crown Prince. As for Li Xi... he does not want to drag Li Xi into this.

Li Buyan's following him had already put the Li family in great danger. What was Li Xi trying to do by getting so close to the princes? Was he rebelling?

Therefore, if you want to find someone to cooperate with, you must ensure that this person has power but will not be suspected because of being too close to the princes.

To be honest, Liu Tan couldn't think of such a candidate.

If power is not needed, then it would be a good idea to find a wealthy family in Chang'an. Liu Tan even thought about forming a business alliance, but in the end it was the same reason: it was not suitable to do so in Chang'an.

Huo Guang looked at Liu Tan frowning there and said slowly, "It's not that there aren't suitable candidates. It just depends on whether Your Highness is willing."

Liu Tan looked up at Huo Guang and asked, "Who is it?"