Hongzhou returned to the palace and reported to Lanqin the information he had gleaned from Hongang and Hongxiang. Lanqin's suggestion was to continue investigating this Bai family member.

Just as Hongzhou was about to investigate the Bai family again, military intelligence arrived from the northwest. It turned out that the continuous rain for most of the day had made both sides hesitant to make any rash moves. However, the Qing Dynasty's food supplies were beginning to run out.

The Fourth Prince summoned his generals to discuss countermeasures. The most urgent task was, of course, to immediately order the imperial court to prepare and transport provisions. The Fourth Prince then promptly wrote a secret letter and sent it back to Beijing.

Ministry of Revenue.

The Thirteenth Prince handed the Fourth Prince's secret letter to Hongzhou. The uncle and nephew were both now in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and they would discuss and resolve any major issues together. The Thirteenth Prince found Hongzhou to be a capable man; if Hongli hadn't been so outstanding, Hongzhou would actually have been quite good as well.

"Thirteenth Prince, this matter cannot be delayed. We must immediately prepare provisions for Father Emperor and the others," Hongzhou said after reading the Fourth Prince's secret letter.

"Yes, the grain reserves in the granaries around the capital are running low, probably not enough for 300,000 dan. If we requisition grain from granaries across the country now, it might not be enough time," said the Thirteenth Prince.

“Then buy from the grain merchants in the capital. Buy as much as they have,” Hongzhou suggested.

After a moment's thought, Thirteen realized this was the only way, so he agreed to Hongzhou's suggestion and let Hongzhou handle the matter personally. Fourth Prince had once told Thirteen to train Hongzhou's abilities well so that he could become an assistant to Hongli in the future.

Hongzhou remembered the task he had promised Lanqin, so he went to Changchun Palace again and talked to her about raising military provisions.

"Put the Bai family's matter aside for now; the war in the Northwest is more important," Lanqin said. "Hongzhou, focus on serving your imperial father."

After leaving Changchun Palace, Hongzhou disguised himself as an ordinary young master the next day and, accompanied by two guards, went to Hejiapu, the largest private grain merchant in the capital.

First, the waiter came out to greet them, but after hearing the exact amount of grain Hongzhou wanted, the waiter dared not make the decision and immediately went inside to invite the eldest son of the He family out.

Upon seeing Hongzhou's extraordinary bearing and hearing from the shop assistant that this man wanted to buy 300,000 dan of grain, the eldest son of the He family immediately beckoned Hongzhou inside.

After exchanging pleasantries and having the waiter serve tea, Young Master He asked, "Honored guest, you wish to purchase 300,000 dan of grain? I dare say that in this entire capital city, among all merchants, only my He family is capable of undertaking this business."

“It is precisely because of the size of the He family that I have come to you. Mr. He, how is it? I need to raise 300,000 dan of grain within three days. I wonder if you can raise it?” Hongzhou asked.

“Yes, but a 30% deposit is required in advance, and the remaining 70% will be paid on the day the grain is delivered,” said the eldest son of the He family.

"Deal. I've brought 30% of the deposit today," Hong Zhou said, then took out a silver note from his pocket and pushed it to the eldest son of the He family.

Seeing Hongzhou's straightforwardness, the eldest son of the He family became even more curious about why he urgently needed 300,000 dan of grain.

"Alright, how should I address this gentleman?" asked the eldest son of the He family.

“My surname is Ai, and I’m the fifth in my family. You can call me Ai Laowu,” Hongzhou said.

“Master Ai is a straightforward man, and I, He, like him. The He family owns a restaurant. Would you do me the honor of having a drink there?” said the eldest son of the He family.

“Of course, drinking is my favorite thing to do,” Hongzhou said.

So, the eldest son of the He family took Hongzhou into a carriage and headed to their private restaurant.