Jiang Ningqi was already unhappy about his impending transformation into a merchant, but he dared not refuse. However, the King of Chu suddenly threw him a series of increasingly difficult tasks, and his face turned a deep purplish-red.

Not to mention the current unclear situation in the northern desert, they are practically blind to it, and Prince Wen is very likely waiting for him to contact Bai Jiwu.

For example, His Highness ordered him to kill the attendants around Prince Wen. As a civil official, why would he go and kill a master like Qi Chenglang? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

Jiang Ningqi had a strong urge to quit, but everyone's family was in Jiangnan. If he dared to say no, his family would be ransacked by the prince's guards before he even left the Chu Prince's residence!

Jiang Ningqi was now in a dilemma and had no choice but to look to Chief Secretary Ling for help.

Chief Secretary Ling first gave him a reassuring look, then said, "Does Your Highness mean that they will go to Huizhou to find Qi Chengjun?"

If that's the case, then it makes sense.

These merchants are all shrewd, and many of them previously bought salt from the Huizhou salt fields.

Now that Huizhou has a new prefect and the salt fields have changed from private to government-owned, these merchants will naturally guess what's going on and won't easily come to Huizhou to buy salt.

The arrival of the Wen family trading company may have alleviated the embarrassing situation of no one buying salt in Huizhou salt fields.

Having figured this out, Chief Secretary Ling quickly turned his thoughts back to Qi Chengjun.

Even though Chief Secretary Ling considered himself exceptionally capable, he still greatly admired Qi Chengjun.

During their months in Huizhou, they not only removed their spies in Huizhou, but also reported the saltworks matter to the higher authorities, cutting off one of His Highness's sources of income.

His Highness did try to seduce Qi Chengjun, but he didn't believe any of the stories about an orphan selling herself to bury her father, a courtesan being chased, or a peasant sacrificing himself to save Qi Chengjun. He was as detached from worldly desires as an old monk!

Most importantly, the Imperial Guards that the Emperor sent to protect Qi Chengjun during the previous disaster relief efforts did not withdraw. They were all stationed in Qi Chengjun's prefectural residence, making it impossible for them to find an opportunity to assassinate him.

If the Wen family really goes to Huizhou, things will probably get complicated.

He licked his dry lips and said in a low voice, "If what Your Highness says is true, then the people from the Wen family business may have already arrived in Huizhou."

This is the downside of poor communication!

If we had known about this earlier, the Wen family would never have been able to come to Jiangnan!

Gu Yufan shook his head: "No! Let them take the salt from Huizhou away, out of the Jiangnan region, before we make our move!"

He suddenly realized that it wasn't so bad to only find out about this now.

The Wen family must be very proud of getting the salt permit, so let them come happily and crawl back dejectedly!

Gu Yufan couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought of the Wen family watching helplessly as bandits stole all the salt they had bought at great expense, their anger so intense they were practically spitting blood.

After a while, he gently wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes: "Have someone keep an eye on Huizhou. Once the Wen family members leave Huizhou, report back immediately."

He waved his hand, and the steward quickly brought out a map of the Sang Dynasty.

Gu Yufan then stood up and walked over, pointing to a location on the map: "Here."

Ling Changshi and the others quickly stepped forward, their eyes all falling on the place Gu Yufan was pointing to: "This road in Wuzhou is the only way to Jinzhou, and here is a natural cliff."

When the late emperor was alive, in order to build momentum for Gu Yufan, he had him lead troops into battle. There used to be bandits in the steep cliffs of Wuzhou, and Gu Yufan had suppressed the bandits there, so he was naturally quite familiar with that place.

Looking at the familiar map, Gu Yufan felt a surge of pride, reminiscent of his bandit-suppression days. Pointing to the steep cliff, he said, "The trees above this cliff are dense, making it the perfect hiding place for archers."

"Pass down the order to dispatch sixty archers in two groups to ambush on the steep cliff."

Ling Changshi glanced at him subtly and responded in a low voice.

Gu Yufan moved his finger forward a little and pointed to the map: "Here, have our men ambush here, and set some traps along the way. We must ensure that not a single one of them escapes alive."

“And this!” Gu Yuzhi pointed to the road behind the steep cliff: “This is the official road, with some tea shops and the like nearby. It’s not suitable for an ambush, but even if the people who come to us are going to buy it, they’ll have to buy these tea shops.”

Gu Yuzhi's first shop in the northern desert was a security escort agency, and the agency was able to quickly break through the blockade of Li's Trading Company because of their strong connections and martial arts skills.

Therefore, Gu Yufan suspected that those bodyguards were very likely related to Gu Yuzhi's guards.

When the Wen family came to Huizhou to buy salt, they were definitely accompanied by people from the Wen family's escort agency, so he wanted to ensure that nothing went wrong!

Upon hearing this, Chief Secretary Ling understood immediately. His Highness intended to use their rest time at the teahouse to give them some tea laced with drugs, thus weakening their fighting power without firing a single shot.

The people in the room discussed it carefully, thinking of almost every detail. Before dawn, Chief Secretary Ling had already set off for the naval training camp.

During this period, Qi Chengjun has been keeping a close eye on His Highness, so His Highness's princes must not be used in this ambush.

Their predictions were pretty accurate; at this time, Qi Chenglang and his group did indeed arrive in Huizhou.

They dared not waste any time, and after entering Huizhou, they went straight to the salt field. The yamen runners at the salt field were filling bags with salt, while Qi Chenglang was taken to a room by Qi Chengjun for questioning.

After a brief exchange, the two immediately understood the Emperor's arrangement.

Without a second thought, Qi Chengjun took out the map: "When you came, the people from Li's Trading Company didn't make a move, but they definitely will when you get back."

He pointed to the steep cliffs of Wuzhou and said, "After thinking it over, I think this place is perfect for an ambush. Those of you in the shadows, don't follow the main force. Go over there and scout it out first."

Qi Chenglang chuckled, looking smug: "Big brother, you're too late to say that."

Qi Chengjun's heart skipped a beat, wondering if something unexpected had happened.

But Qi Chenglang's smug expression clearly didn't suggest that something unexpected had happened.

He angrily punched her, saying, "Speak properly!"

Qi Chenglang let out two fake groans, rubbing his arm which didn't hurt at all. He grumbled and tilted his head back like a victorious rooster: "We found that place on our way from Wuzhou, so..."

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow, and said, "The brothers in the shadows have already been lying in ambush over there. As long as..."

He leaned closer and said in a very low voice, "As soon as the King of Chu's men appeared, they immediately used the mantis-stalking-cicada tactic!"