As soon as the city gates opened, Shen Yu'an led the merchants away, and the group rode quickly toward Huizhou. Although it was winter, they felt a burning passion in their hearts.

The other shopkeepers, in particular, felt that their initial choice was the right one!

The group was overjoyed and became even more respectful towards Shen Yu'an.

Li Yanping woke up early in the morning with his eyelids twitching, his heart racing uncontrollably, and he even had trouble breathing at one point.

In previous years, when I came to the capital to buy salt permits, I never felt things were going so badly as they have this year.

He exhaled a heavy breath, suppressing the bad premonition in his heart. He made up his mind to go and meet his employer as soon as he got the salt permit today, because delay would only lead to complications.

He opened the window to get some fresh air, but as soon as he peeked out, he felt something fall on his head.

He looked up and saw a crow cawing as it flew overhead.

Li Yanping was so angry that he was furious. If it weren't for the fact that today was the day the Ministry of Revenue was issuing salt permits, and if this weren't the capital city, he would have definitely killed that damned crow!

unlucky!

In a fit of rage, Li Yanping slammed the inn window shut and forced himself to wash up while suppressing his anger.

Meanwhile, when it was finally his turn at the Ministry of Revenue, he was told that all the salt permits for the northern desert region had already been issued.

Li Yanping's limbs went weak, his mind went blank, his eyes glazed over, his hands and feet went numb, and he staggered two steps before sitting straight back.

The confidant was also in turmoil. Seeing that Li Yanping was about to fall, he quickly stepped forward and scooped him up, smiling obsequiously as he asked, "Sir, may I ask who received the salt permits from the northern desert?"

The official from the Ministry of Revenue glanced at him and called out, "Next!"

Without a second thought, the confidant reached for some silver notes, but Li Yanping grabbed him and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go!"

Both of them were weak in the knees and feet, and they staggered back to the inn, supporting each other. Li Yanping picked up the teapot on the table, which had long since gone cold, and took a few mouthfuls. Only then did his hands and feet gradually stop trembling, and his internal heat seemed to improve.

He slumped down, burying his face in his hands: "Li's Trading Company is finished!"

Even his confidants knew that without the salt permits, it would be virtually impossible for Li's Trading Company to regain control of the northern desert.

He thought for a moment and said, "Manager, should we find out in private who took the salt permit? Or should we gather our men now, chase after them out of the city, and try to seize the salt permit?"

The salt permit didn't specify which merchant's name it was; it was simply a matter of whoever grabbed it first.

Li Yanping's muddled mind gradually cleared. He gripped the object tightly with both hands, his face was ashen, and his teeth were clenched. After a while, he finally spoke: "There aren't many people in Mobei who can come up with so much cash to buy salt permits. I know who it is without even asking!"

He truly never expected that a six-year-old child would venture into business and actually make a name for himself!

Li Yanping had never taken Gu Yuzhi seriously before, but upon careful consideration today, he realized that Wen Wang was involved in all the unfortunate events that had befallen Li's business!

Li Yanping's deepest anger suddenly erupted, and he slammed his fist hard on the table. The teacup bounced up and rolled off the table with a crisp sound, shattering into pieces.

His confidant was startled by his sudden outburst of anger and quickly stood up. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Li Yanping clench his teeth, close his eyes slightly, and turn ashen-faced.

His trusted aide was so frightened by this that his hands and feet went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, crying out in a shrill voice, "Master Manager!"

Li Yanping's last breath, which he had been holding back, was released like a floodgate opening, and most of it was released in an instant. The bloody, sweet smell that he had been suppressing could no longer be controlled. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat a mouthful of blood all over his confidant's face before collapsing straight down.

Li Yanping vomited blood again!

From Jiangnan to Mobei, he was busy checking accounts and collecting money. Then he rushed to the capital without stopping. He hadn't had a proper rest for several months. But when he arrived in the capital, he first learned that the official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, whom the prince had placed in the capital, had his property confiscated by the emperor. Then he learned that the salt permits had been intercepted by someone else. How could Li Yanping, who had always regarded the Mobei salt permits as his own, accept this? His depression overwhelmed him, and he collapsed.

Illness strikes like a landslide. Li Yanping developed a high fever at night and even began to talk nonsense. His trusted confidant took care of him tirelessly for several days, but he also fell ill. When the master and servant both regained consciousness, they realized that ten days had passed since the salt was released.

The trusted aide knelt by the bedside, looking at Li Yanping's pale face, and couldn't help but feel sad: "Manager, I asked the waiter and the waiter, and apart from the doctor, no one has come to see us these days."

Think back to previous years, every time they came to the capital, they were always drinking and having fun with others.

Li Yanping's temples throbbed, and his throat burned. He waved his hand at the words, but before he could speak, he began to cough violently, spitting out bloody foam.

The confidant was so frightened he almost jumped up on the spot. He carried the hot water forward, but was so scared he almost couldn't hold it steady, spilling most of it onto the mattress: "Master Manager!"

Li Yanping drank several cups in a row before his burning throat felt a little better. He closed his eyes briefly and said, "People leave and the tea cools down. What's so strange about that?"

Zhang Si's sudden imprisonment alerted the officials left in the capital by the King of Chu, but the matter of the salt permits in the northern deserts frightened them.

The Emperor seems to have signaled his intention to challenge the King of Chu.

Chu Wang Jiangnan lost not only the city of Huizhou, but also the hearts of the people of Jiangnan. Meanwhile, Li Ji Trading Company in Mobei also suffered repeated setbacks. Coupled with the salt permit incident, Li Ji Trading Company lost all its advantages in Mobei, and its promising situation was on the verge of collapse.

These people treated the King of Chu like a master when they were receiving benefits, but they would back down and refuse to act once things started to go wrong.

Li Yanping forced a bleak smile: "What the master did was unreasonable to begin with. Now that the master is weak, these people don't want to be executed along with their entire families and leave a name of traitors in history, so naturally they won't get involved anymore."

The confidant was also deathly pale: "Manager, what should we do?"

what to do?

Li Yanping slowly curled his lips into a smile, a smile tinged with bloodlust.

He was sent by his employer to the northern desert to open up the market and quickly occupy and consolidate his position, so he was certainly not a kind person.

After coughing up some more blood, Li Yanping said nonchalantly, "Don't worry about the salt permits. Do these people think they'll be safe once they get them? They're sorely mistaken!"

Jiangnan is the Dong family's stronghold. These people have to be able to go there and come back alive!

He had already made up his mind: "Pack your things, and we'll head back to the northern desert tomorrow."