Gu Yuzhi sighed, cupping his face in his hands. His expression was as heavy as Xie Changshi's. He puffed out his cheeks and said, "Why do I feel like no prefecture is safe anymore?"

There are only five prefectures in the northern desert. He originally thought that apart from Quanzhou and Qingzhou, the other three prefectures were safe. Who knew that Qizhou would also encounter a big problem.

Thinking about it that way, Dingzhou might not be safe either.

Gu Yuzhi sighed with particular melancholy, feeling as if all the joy of about to set off for Xinliang had vanished.

His big eyes darted around, and he suddenly patted his chest with relief, saying, "Thank goodness! I listened to my mother and headed straight for Changzhou. If we had stayed in Dingzhou to save trouble, it would have been a real problem."

Gu Yuzhi suddenly stood up abruptly: "Chief Secretary Xie, who accompanied Commander Liu to Dingzhou? Could he be in danger?"

Even with such high martial arts skills, Guard Zhang was injured. Liu Dianyi is a civil official. If he encounters danger, wouldn't he only be able to cry for help?

The moment this thought crossed Gu Yuzhi's mind, he got angry with himself. With his hands behind his back, he said, "I'm going to send Xueye to Dingzhou to protect Liu Dianyi!"

He grunted twice, his eyes conveying the message that he hadn't acted alone this time and that he had already told him.

Seeing Gu Yuzhi like this, Xie Changshi couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. The young prince is really something. Ever since he found out that he wouldn't let Qi Shiwei and the others put sacks on his clothes, the most ruthless method he could think of was to send Xue Ye to scare people.

However, the prefect of Qingzhou still has a broken leg. If Xueye were to appear at this time, the prefect of Qingzhou would definitely send a large number of assassins to take Xueye's life.

He deliberately furrowed his brows even more: "Your Highness, Xueye cannot leave the manor yet."

Because of what happened in Qingzhou last time, Xueye has been confined to her home recently. She's not allowed to go to Xinliang, let alone the outskirts of Changzhou.

Without a spacious place to expend its energy, Xueye has become somewhat agitated lately, frequently picking fights with the guards in the manor.

Chief Secretary Xie has received numerous complaints from the guards in the mansion.

Today, Gu Yuzhi was preparing to depart for Xinliang, and the guards lined the streets to see him off, wishing that Xueye would immediately go to Xinliang to run through the mountains.

Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks, tilted his head, and snorted, "Fine, I won't go then."

He glanced at Chief Secretary Xie and could roughly understand from his expression that Commander Liu's side should be safe.

Upon seeing this, Xie Changshi's furrowed brows relaxed: "News has also come from Dingzhou. Liu Dianyi has almost finished settling things and will return with his men in a couple of days."

Shu Xiaohan clapped her hands deliberately, with an exaggerated expression: "Oh my, Your Highness, this is what you call a twist of fate!"

She raised an eyebrow at Manager Wen, who then nodded and said, "Yes. Your Highness need not be too anxious. Although there have been some minor issues in Qizhou, the Li Family Escort Agency has been destroyed. Once Wei Chengrui wakes up, he will surely be able to wipe out Qizhou."

Shu Xiaohan nodded repeatedly, her voice as relaxed as possible: "Besides, I don't think it's a big deal if there are no clues. Li Ji Trading Company has committed so many evil deeds, even if the young prince doesn't deal with them, they will be punished by heaven sooner or later."

Gu Yuzhi glanced at the two of them and saw that Manager Wen's eyes had widened considerably. Only then did he reluctantly accept their statement. However, after thinking about it, he still felt a little unwilling and said silently, "But didn't Teacher Shu say before that evil people live for a thousand years?"

Shu Xiaohan...

What does it mean to lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot?

Shu Xiaohan was at a loss for words and looked to Wen Xiuzhu for help.

Wen Xiuzhu felt completely comfortable under such a gaze, and quickly opened his folding fan to change the subject: "I think there is no need to worry too much about the salt permits. Two companies have already been decided in Changzhou, and as long as Liu Dianyi confirms two more in Dingzhou, it doesn't matter whether there are any in Qizhou or not."

"Furthermore, since His Highness has mentioned Li Ji Trading Company to the Emperor, the Emperor will definitely send people to investigate thoroughly. Even without us, Li Ji Trading Company would never have been able to obtain the salt permits this year."

As for whether the Northern Desert Merchants led by the Wen family could obtain it, after guessing a little of the Emperor's intentions, Wen Xiuzhu said there was no need to worry at all.

Apart from the Wen family, the fact that the other four established businesses were able to maintain their current scale despite the encirclement and suppression by the Li family business is enough to prove that these businesses are not to be underestimated.

Moreover, Wen Xiuzhu was very confident, not only because of the Emperor's reward, but also because of the sweet potatoes and potato seeds that Xinliang had sold this time.

Just as Wen Xiuzhu had predicted, after learning of this news, the managers of major grain stores in the south all sensed the profits that could be made from the one or two-year time difference and flocked to the market.

Manager Mu and Granny Xu's father were urgently transferred to Xinliang to assist Chen Dianyi in dealing with these merchants.

Because the quantity was limited and there were many merchants coming, Wen Xiuzhu came up with an idea: to auction it off.

The taste of sweet potatoes and potatoes was approved by the emperor. Before they were mass-produced, sweet potatoes and potatoes were rare commodities, so the highest bidder won them.

One hundred catties of sweet potatoes and potatoes were sold for an astronomical price, greatly enriching Prince Wen's private treasury.

Moreover, these large trading companies in the south all have connections with the Wen family's business network.

Once Xinliang is fully developed and everything is on track, Xinliang's specialty products can be sold nationwide and even overseas through cooperation with these merchants.

Wen Xiuzhu muttered these words repeatedly, describing a bright future that made little Gu Yuzhi sigh again.

His big eyes darted around, and when he thought of the gold in the supporting pillars of Li's Escort Agency, he couldn't help but think that when he had money, he would also build gold into the walls.

The thought of a room full of glittering gold made Gu Yuzhi shake his head. It was terrifying, so terrifying, it was blinding.

He should give the money to his mother, his elder brother, and his sisters-in-law to buy things.

Gu Yuzhi smiled and looked up at Xie Changshi: "When exactly will Liu Dianyi return? Why don't we wait two more days before going to Xinliang?"

Cotton cloth is important, but it doesn't have legs and won't run away. However, the information that Liu Dianyi brought back is different. This is a major matter concerning the Wen family business!

He blinked his big eyes, full of anticipation.

Thinking of the guards' eager anticipation for their departure this morning, Chief Secretary Xie forced a smile and said, "Of course, Your Highness can go to Xinliang whenever you wish."

However, he thought that it would take two more days for Liu Dianyi to return, and there were some matters on the merchant guild's side that still required the young prince's approval.

Once the matter with the merchant guild is settled, Guard Qi should be back by now, and the young prince's trip to Xinliang will likely have to be postponed again.

Just as Xie Changshi was about to speak up to remind him, Gu Yuzhi suddenly clapped his hands, his little face beaming with a big smile, and chuckled, "Alright then, I'll go tell Granny Xu that all the dried meat packed today should be given to Xueye."

He started walking out as he spoke, completely unaware that Xie Changshi was reaching out his hand to him.

"No, Your Highness, Xueye has grown a lot taller this year than last year. If she gets any taller, the carriage won't be able to fit her!"