Chapter 501 Glad

He raised his cup, ready to drink with everyone again, when he suddenly remembered Wen Zhiming's poisoning and asked with concern, "Should the Northern King have a doctor examine him before he is poisoned?"

Mo Dingcang knew that people in the martial arts world had the ability to suppress poison with internal energy, and he assumed that Wen Zhiming was the same.

Wen Zhiming smiled and said, "My men have been keeping an eye on that ant. When his subordinates tried to tamper with the wine, they were subdued. So I wasn't poisoned at all. The reason I cooperated with him was simply to find a few righteous people to work together on a grand undertaking in the Northern Frontier."

Upon hearing this, the six officials felt even more fortunate about their earlier choice.

Mo Dingcang was slightly surprised and asked softly, "That's good. But how did the King of the Northern Frontier know that this person would make a move today?"

The key question is, knowing that this person would take action, why invite him here today? Isn't this putting him in danger?

Wen Zhiming said, "I did not know that he would make a move today. I just felt that this person was acting strangely, so I sent people to keep an eye on him. Meeting with you is a very important and urgent matter, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Mo Dingcang nodded, quite satisfied with Wen Zhiming's explanation.

"I truly regret not having met the King of the Northern Frontier sooner. The King of the Northern Frontier has ruthless methods against treacherous officials, a compassionate heart towards the people, and a sincere and honest attitude towards allies. It is my good fortune to be able to cooperate with the King of the Northern Frontier, and also the good fortune of the Blue Feather Kingdom."

The two princes chatted happily, easing the heavy atmosphere in the room.

The food and wine on the table were cleared away and replaced with a few desserts. The two continued to discuss the issue of trade, and Lin Suo and six other officials also offered their opinions from time to time, requesting to be in charge of a certain matter.

As night deepened, Mo Dingcang rose and said, "It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. The trade will proceed as we discussed today; any objections can be discussed another day."

Wen Zhiming urged him to stay, saying, "It's getting late. Why don't you rest at the mansion? Not just today, but until the trade fair is completed, I'd like you to stay at the mansion. This will save you the trouble of traveling back and forth and will also speed up the trade fair."

Mo Dingcang was a straightforward person, and given his age, he nodded in agreement after thinking about it for a while.

"Since the King of Northern Frontier is so kind as to refuse, then I shall respectfully accept his invitation."

The matter was settled in this way, with the princes of both countries taking the lead, border officials from both countries cooperating fully, and many people actively assisting.

In just half a month, a market connecting the two countries and occupying a wide area was built.

For the past two weeks, Wen Zhiming has been extremely busy every day.

In addition to dealing with the trade issues, he also had to interrogate Xie Guanzhi, punish corrupt officials, and select new talents to replace the corrupt officials.

Once Xie Guanzhi entered prison, he knew his days were numbered and that life in prison would certainly be unpleasant.

He could be ruthless enough to kill Yue Jiaoluo, but he didn't have the courage to commit suicide.

He understood that Wen Zhiming hadn't taken his life immediately because he wanted to force him to reveal the whereabouts of the embezzled silver. It was something he had painstakingly obtained over many years as an official, and he had originally intended to never confess, even if it meant death, so that Wen Zhiming wouldn't get away with such a huge benefit.

But he overestimated himself. Before he could even be subjected to severe torture, just two lashes were enough to leave him half-dead and in a daze, he gave a rough account.

With the prefect's mansion now without an owner, the servants, seeing that the mansion was filled with the prince's elite troops, feared for their lives. Filled with unease, they eagerly began to expose Xie Guanzhi's misdeeds.

He even revealed the only treasure location he hadn't disclosed.

Although Xie Guanzhi had squandered some of his wealth over the years, most of it was still there. Yue Jiaoluo's valuable jewelry could also be sold, and with other officials voluntarily returning their ill-gotten gains, the final tally came to a staggering 200,000 taels of silver.

Almost all of this money was used for the benefit of the people, greatly alleviating the current plight of the people in northern Xinjiang.

Wen Zhiming gradually implemented some of the new policies in the capital in the northern frontier. His newly selected officials performed their duties with great effort and worked diligently to make the northern frontier change almost every day and take on a new look every three days.

Xie Guanzhi was ultimately sentenced to beheading.

On the day of his execution, he was first paraded through the streets in a prison cart, where he was pelted with rotten eggs and vegetable leaves by the people. Then he knelt at the entrance of the vegetable market and was beheaded in public.

No one knows whether he repented, but everyone says that when the executioner raised his sword, Xie Guanzhi was so frightened that he wet his pants. His body remained at the government office for three days, and no one came to claim it. In the end, the jailer wrapped it in a tattered mat and threw it into a mass grave.

Meng Lingge also had a busy time during this period.

Among the ancient books she brought from the capital, she found several agricultural books and, based on the local weather and environment of northern Xinjiang, personally led the people to plant suitable seasonal grains, fruits, and vegetables, focusing on agriculture, forestry, products, fisheries, and sideline products.

The couple were busy during the day, but that didn't stop them from making love at night. Often after dinner, they would talk about what they had done during the day, then shower and change, embrace each other in bed, have a passionate encounter, and then drift off to sleep.

Seeing that her son and daughter-in-law were both very busy, the Empress Dowager took it upon herself to oversee the construction and renovation of the Northern Frontier Prince's Mansion. She went to supervise the construction every day, always considering the needs of her son and daughter-in-law, and constantly offering suggestions to the workers to make improvements so that Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge could live more comfortably.

Princess Le'an learned horseback riding and archery, and made many new friends. Every day was fulfilling.

On the first day of the opening of the border trade, the flow of people was bustling.

Not only were there merchants from the Golden Moon and Blue Feather kingdoms, but there were also quite a few guests from the other three kingdoms (Qingyang, Bailan, and Chishuang).

The market is divided into two sides. One side is the market of the Golden Moon Kingdom, with snow-white Wu silk, simple and elegant porcelain, intricate lacquerware, various medicinal herbs piled up like small mountains, and fragrant tea leaves...

On the other side was the Blue Feather Kingdom's warehouse. Furs, carrying the pungent smell of the grasslands, rare and exceptional horses, boxes upon boxes of jade and gemstones, and a variety of exotic spices with strong and unique aromas…

Wen Zhiming had prepared staff fluent in multiple languages ​​to be on-site to oversee business.

The marketplace is a hive of negotiations, disputes, and transactions. Every customer who comes here can find something they like, and almost everyone leaves with their bags full.

Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming, dressed in ordinary people's clothes, walked through the market and were very pleased to see the bustling scene.

Who could have imagined that a place that was once ravaged by war and where people were living in misery would soon be able to witness such a prosperous scene?

Halfway there, Meng Lingge noticed that the shops ahead displayed a lot of emerald green brocade, which shimmered softly in the sunlight, like a hazy mist.

A prominent signboard stands in front of the shop: Du Family Cloth Shop.