He opened his mouth wide, gestured with his hands, and said in disbelief, "Three families?"

They had previously thought that Dingzhou was the poorest of the five major prefectures in the northern desert, and that finding two families would be the limit. Who knew that Dingzhou could actually find three families!

Gu Yuzhi's gaze involuntarily turned to Xie Changshi, only to see that he too was full of surprise.

When Gu Yuzhi recalled what Chief Secretary Xie had said about Liu Dianyi's ability to debate with the Confucian scholars in the main hall and ultimately be ostracized by the civil and military officials, he quickly dismissed the slight doubt in his heart.

A big smile spread across his small face: "Wow, Liu Dianyi, you're really amazing! That's Dingzhou!"

They had lived in Changzhou for a year before finally selecting two businesses.

Gu Yuzhi rested his chin on his hands, looking at Liu Dianyi with eyes full of admiration.

When Liu Dianyi was looked at by Gu Yuzhi with such a direct and enthusiastic gaze, he subconsciously straightened his back. He couldn't explain why, but he just felt like he was quite pleased.

Liu Dianyi slowly hummed in agreement, his tone unhurried and weak, yet conveying a sense of unwavering conviction: "Yes!"

He raised his head and said, "After arriving in Dingzhou, I first conducted a visit and investigation. Then I revealed my identity and met with the prefect of Dingzhou. Based on the information we gathered, we decided on these three companies."

He smiled faintly: "I think that my luck played a big part in the success of this trip to Dingzhou." Under Gu Yuzhi's questioning gaze, he said in a low voice: "From the prefect to the common people and merchants, everyone in Dingzhou is very hostile to Li's Trading Company."

So when they heard that the goal was to secure salt permits and end the Li family's monopoly in the northern desert, these merchants agreed without hesitation. They even returned to Changzhou to discuss the matter with a sense of eagerness.

Liu Dianyi thought to himself that the owners of these trading companies absolutely loathed Li's Trading Company and had agreed to the deal with him almost without investigating his identity.

If he were a spy sent by Li's Trading Company, those trading companies would be completely finished.

Gu Yuzhi's mouth was slightly open, and his big eyes blinked repeatedly, finding it hard to believe that things were going so smoothly.

Liu Dianyi explained simply: "Your Highness should remember that after Li Ji Trading Company opened up the market in the northern desert, it quickly unified the grain prices there."

Gu Yuzhi nodded his little head: "Of course I remember!"

At that time, Prefect Qi was very angry, saying that from then on, the price of grain for the people in the northern desert had increased significantly.

snort!

Once the grain harvest in Xinliang stabilizes in two years, he will restore the grain price in Mobei to its original level!

Gu Yuzhi straightened his back, determined to make the people of his fiefdom live a more prosperous life.

Liu Dianyi continued, "Dingzhou was originally the poorest prefecture in the northern desert due to soil problems. If it weren't for its relatively good geographical location, being the only prefecture on the way to Changzhou, it would definitely be even more desolate than Xinliang."

But perhaps there is always a way out. All the previous prefects of Qizhou worked diligently after taking office, striving to help the people of Dingzhou, which finally allowed them to live a relatively peaceful and prosperous life.

Little did anyone know that the arrival of Li's Trading Company would make life even harder for the people of Dingzhou than before.

Especially in the past two years, many people in Dingzhou even turned to banditry. The prefect of Dingzhou had to rack his brains to maintain the stability of Dingzhou.

Liu Dianyi narrated in an extremely calm tone, but Gu Yuzhi could still hear the hardships endured by the people of Dingzhou.

His cheeks puffed out, unable to quell his anger for a long time. His eyes gradually dimmed, and he said silently, "Teacher Shu, Manager Wen, is there any way we can help the people of Dingzhou?"

At that moment, the little boy seemed to have grown up a bit more, and began to take the initiative to earnestly fulfill the responsibilities that a member of the royal family should fulfill, instead of being passively pushed forward by others.

Wen Xiuzhu's expression was inscrutable. He put away his fan without saying a word, displaying an attitude of indifference.

Shu Xiaohan, on the other hand, had her brows furrowed and kept muttering "Dingzhou, Dingzhou..."

The division of cities in ancient times is quite different from that in modern times. For example, in the Mobei region, the Sang Dynasty had five prefectures, but in modern times, there are more than a dozen cities of varying sizes in this area alone.

Most importantly, the area now occupied by the Northern Di people is also part of the country in modern times.

So for the time being, she couldn't remember which city Dingzhou corresponded to.

As she was speaking, she looked up and saw Gu Yuzhi looking at her expectantly, so she swallowed her words of refusal: "Your Highness, could you please let me take another look at the map of the northern desert tonight? It would be best if you could also show me the local customs and culture of Dingzhou, such as the crops there, and which ones are better grown."

Even if we can't go to the site in person, we can still get a general idea of ​​the soil conditions through comparison. Then we can find ways to improve the soil fertility, find suitable crops for Dingzhou, and strive to industrialize the industry.

Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded repeatedly: "I understand, Teacher Shu, don't worry."

Teacher Shu remained silent for a moment, then slowly turned her head away, swallowing the words, "Everything must wait until Xin Liang is stable before we can talk about it."

Liu Dianyi smiled faintly: "Of all the businesses in Li Ji Trading Company, only Li Ji Rice Shop was able to gain a foothold in Dingzhou because of insufficient grain production."

The resistance of the people of Dingzhou to Li Ji Trading Company also provoked retaliation from Li Ji Trading Company. The large merchants who were born and raised in Dingzhou were more restricted in doing business. After many years of tug-of-war, they finally withstood the pressure from Li Ji Trading Company in all aspects.

Xie Changshi then suddenly realized, "No wonder the Wen Family Escort Agency always receives escorts from the Dingzhou Merchants."

Liu Dianyi smiled faintly: "Yes, these three merchant houses are our escort agency's major clients."

Before he went to the northern desert, he had asked Manager Yu and obtained a list of customers from Dingzhou. He found that only two companies met the requirements, and the other company came to him after hearing about the situation.

Later, after meeting with the prefect of Dingzhou, I learned that the owner of the last merchant house was acquainted with the prefect.

After Liu Dianyi finished speaking, she couldn't help but cough twice. Gu Yuzhi quickly jumped off the chair and said, "Liu Dianyi, you should go back and rest. I'll have Xu Mama prepare some food for you."

He scratched his head. It was just that Judge Qin was still in Qizhou these past two days; otherwise, he should have had Judge Qin come and take his pulse.

Liu Dianyi said, "I have another matter to mention. The prefect of Dingzhou has made a small request to me. The three merchants in Dingzhou want to obtain more salt permits."

Gu Yuzhi exclaimed in surprise, her little face filled with shock.

His eyes darted around, and he thought to himself that Dingzhou had the fewest people among the five prefectures in the northern desert, and the price of salt was not low, so why did the prefect of Dingzhou need so many?

He tilted his head to look at Chief Secretary Xie, and heard Chief Secretary Xie say, "The Prefect of Dingzhou wants to do business in salt trading?"