Chief Secretary Xie said that since the prices of rice and salt came down, the people of the northern desert have all liked him.

Especially the people of Gyeongju.

When Prefect Huang escorted the officials over last time, he secretly told Chief Secretary Xie that the people of Qingzhou had spontaneously gone to the temple to light lamps for him, praying that he would be healthy and live a long life.

However, Xie Changshi said he didn't want him to be proud of this, so he kept it from him.

But it doesn't matter, he already knows.

It was precisely because of this that Gu Yuzhi was so sure that those merchants wouldn't offend him for such a small amount of profit; otherwise, they would be despised by all the people of the northern desert.

Seeing his proud little face, Xie Changshi knew what he was thinking. He smiled and shook his head, saying, "Yes, yes, of course, the merchants would be least willing to offend you. After all, the only ones who can run the salt-buying route now are our Wen family business."

Since the people of Li's Trading Company were all dealt with, Gu Yuzhi no longer deliberately concealed his identity as the owner of the Wen family as before.

Ordinary people didn't know, but most of the major businesses did.

Chief Secretary Xie thought Gu Yuzhi was happy that his prestige in the northern desert had risen, little did he know that he was proud that so many people liked him.

The group chatted and laughed, and arrived in Quanzhou in just a few days.

Prefect Ke had received the news and was waiting outside the city gate early on. When he saw Gu Yuzhi's carriage approaching from afar, he quickly ran forward.

The carriage stopped quickly, and Gu Yuzhi adorably poked his head out of the window. When he smiled, his chubby little belly instantly grew bigger.

He kept waving at Prefect Ke, saying, "Prefect Ke, Prefect Ke, come up here quickly!"

Hurry up and get on the carriage so we can discuss our grand plan of putting sacks in!

He waited happily for Prefect Ke to be seated, and was about to speak when he heard Prefect Ke say, "Your Highness, thank you, Chief Secretary..."

Gu Yuzhi's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously pursed his lips.

Oh dear, I'm so happy to see Prefect Ke that I completely forgot that Chief Secretary Xie is also in the carriage!

Gu Yuzhi stared intently at Prefect Ke, who then looked over and raised an eyebrow slightly, giving a clear hint.

He laughed even more heartily: "Prefect Ke, Prefect Ke, you've gained quite a bit of weight since the last time we met."

He pinched his own chubby cheeks: "Although your face isn't like mine yet, yours..."

Gu Yuzhi tilted his head and thought for a moment: "His energy and spirit are much better than before."

He hadn't forgotten that this was exactly how Teacher Shu had described him after he recovered from his blindness last time.

Gu Yuzhi smiled and said, "When you came to Changzhou last time, you were staring blankly at everything..."

Not only was his gaze fixed, but he also walked slowly, unlike today when he moved so nimbly.

Prefect Ke was surprised by Gu Yuzhi's words and felt a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I frightened you last time."

Having been imprisoned for so long, his later memories were somewhat hazy, and he didn't even remember clearly why he had ended up by Prince Wen's side.

Looking back now, he was emaciated and didn't look like a prefect at all; he looked more like a poor beggar.

The young prince not only showed no disdain, but also helped him come up with ideas.

Prefect Ke was deeply moved: "Thanks to His Highness the young prince for having the kitchen prepare a medicinal meal especially for me, otherwise I would never have been able to return to Quanzhou alive."

Upon hearing Prefect Ke mention the medicinal cuisine, Guard Qi, who had been peering over, suddenly sat up straight, pushed off with his feet, and spurred his horse to trot a few steps away from the troublesome place.

You should know that the innocent and naive boy, after being strongly recommended by the young prince, finally couldn't resist trying the medicinal cuisine once.

As a result, he developed a fever, couldn't sleep at night, and had a nosebleed that covered his handkerchief!

Good heavens! Now, he gets angry with anyone who mentions medicinal cuisine in front of him!

Guard Qi moved too quickly, leaving Gu Yuzhi no chance to show off. She pouted and grumbled, "Guard Qi is really too bad. He doesn't understand the benefits of medicinal cuisine."

He looked at Prefect Ke with a smile: "Prefect Ke really knows his stuff."

He stood up, patted Prefect Ke on the shoulder, and covered his mouth with a laugh: "It just so happens that we came here this time to take over the inn that used to belong to Li's Trading Company. If Prefect Ke wants to use medicinal cuisine in the future, he can order it from the inn."

Gu Yuzhi moved closer to Prefect Ke and said in a low voice, "Let me tell you, inns usually don't offer this kind of medicinal cuisine. Judge Qin said it's not good."

He couldn't understand why it was bad, but if Judge Qin disagreed, so be it. Anyway, the dishes at their Wen Family Inn were among the best in the entire Northern Desert.

"However, I can tell the shopkeeper that if you want to use it, he can make it for you separately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Judge Qin coughed lightly and said apologetically, "Prefect Ke, every medicine has its side effects, and even medicinal cuisine shouldn't be used all the time. If you really feel unwell, it's best to consult a doctor. Medicinal cuisine is, after all, only an aid."

Not everyone can use medicinal cuisine. Those who make medicinal cuisine must be very familiar with the effects of each herb and its incompatible ingredients.

If this is not used properly, then good intentions will lead to bad results!

Prefect Ke naturally understood the implications and nodded in agreement.

Gu Yuzhi suddenly stood up, and said aggressively, "Fine, you guys! I don't want to be friends with you anymore! You've all bullied me!"

Xie Changshi and the others were greatly shocked and couldn't understand what the young prince was up to.

Isn't this just a normal chat? Why doesn't Your Highness want to be friends with them anymore?

Not to mention that Chief Secretary Xie and Prefect Ke were completely bewildered, even Shu Xiaohan, who thought she knew him very well, couldn't figure out what was going on.

Remembering the fate of Guard Qi, who had been unilaterally angered by the young prince last time, Chief Secretary Xie shuddered and sat up abruptly, his tone softening as he asked, "Your Highness, where did you get these words from?"

Gu Yuzhi crossed his arms and sat down a little distance away from the two of them, snorting, "You both know that medicine has some toxicity, and you also know that medicinal cuisine shouldn't be used all the time. But you two made me use it for so long!"

The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt: "I told her I didn't want to eat medicinal food anymore, but Granny Xu still made it for me! Not only did she make it at home, but she also made the inn's chef make it for me when I finally went to the inn!"

Most importantly, because of the medicinal diet, he couldn't eat many things, which is why he had to wait until he was losing his baby teeth to eat candied hawthorn.

The thought of that candied hawthorn that he had only taken a bite of and that the rest had ended up in the driver's stomach made Gu Yuzhi want to cry!

It takes several years for my baby teeth to come in, does that mean I won't be able to eat candied hawthorns for the next few years?

Gu Yuzhi pouted, full of resentment, then hugged himself tighter, turned his head away, and snorted fiercely.

The joy of being about to put the sack on his head couldn't soothe his sadness that someone else had eaten his candied hawthorn!

This is really...

This is a huge misunderstanding!