Chief Secretary Xie took the petition, glanced at it, his face darkened, and with a cold snort, handed it to Mr. Huo: "Your Highness's guess is correct, Jiangnan is now in chaos."

The indictment details how Qi Chengjun was accused of murdering Ling Changshi, then resisted arrest, and was injured in a stampede.

When the two assassins received orders to come to the northern desert, Qi Chengjun was still asleep, but the King of Chu had already decided to take action against him.

More than a month has passed, and who knows what the situation in Jiangnan is like now.

Prince Qi, can you still hold on?

Gu Yuzhi had obviously considered the concerns that Xie Changshi hadn't voiced.

He took the petition from Mr. Huo, turned and got into the carriage, and called out, "Chief Secretary Xie, Mr. Huo, Guard Zhang, the people of Jiangnan are suffering terribly, we can't wait any longer!"

"Assemble the team, we'll depart in fifteen minutes!"

Chief Secretary Xie, Imperial Guard Zhang, and the others replied in unison, "Your subject obeys!"

The group turned and went back to the backyard. They took all the guards who were supposed to be taken with them, leaving only Granny Xu and a few servants in the mansion.

Chief Secretary Xie instructed the steward: "His Highness will be gone for several months. Things in the manor must not be disorderly. Consult Guard Shen on everything first. If Guard Shen is not available, ask Prefect Qi for help. In short, you must guard His Highness's rear well."

The butler instinctively straightened his back, his face, which had been filled with reluctance and melancholy, now showing worry.

Although Chief Secretary Xie and the others were often away, no matter how long they were gone, the steward always knew one thing: His Highness was in the northern desert.

But now, His Highness is going to Jiangnan!

His Highness is going to fight in Jiangnan!

This is absolutely killing him!

In that instant, he felt an overwhelming pressure, so great that he had to take deep breaths and try to straighten his back, otherwise he would collapse the next moment.

Chief Secretary Xie patted him gently on the back: "What are you worried about? The people of Mobei are all on His Highness's side now. There's still Lord Qi and the Wen family business in Changzhou. No idle people will come to the Wen residence to cause trouble."

Even though the people sent by the King of Chu came here, they didn't dare to make a move until they were sure that Guard Qi and Guard Zhang were not there.

The butler replied repeatedly, "Yes, I understand, I understand..."

He smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I just feel that without Your Highness, it's like we've lost our pillar of support."

In the past, everyone just thought that His Highness was young and needed everyone to protect him as he grew up.

But suddenly they realized that, without them even noticing, His Highness had become their pillar of support.

Chief Secretary Xie was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter, patting the steward's shoulder with a little more force: "Don't worry, His Highness will definitely return safely."

There's still a tough battle to fight in the northern deserts this winter, so His Highness can't possibly fail to return safely!

With them there, His Highness will definitely return safely!

After saying this, Xie Changshi turned around and left, following Gu Yuzhi into the carriage.

It wasn't until they sat down that Chief Secretary Xie realized how simple the carriage was, even more so than the one they had previously used when they were afraid of being discovered by the people and couldn't move an inch.

Chief Secretary Xie's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Yuzhi pushed open the car window and said, "Mr. Huo, Guard Zhang, we can set off now."

Mr. Huo called out, "Let's go!"

The sound of hooves rang out, and with a snort from the horse pulling the carriage, the carriage slowly started moving.

Gu Yuzhi pushed the car window open a crack and looked out. He saw that there were more and more people on the street. Whether they were walking or buying and selling things, everyone had a relaxed expression on their face.

Gu Yuzhi rested his chin on his hands, staring blankly until the carriage drove out of Changzhou City. Then he sighed like a little adult, "When I come back, I may not see the smiles on the faces of these people anymore."

Although they would try their best to keep the Northern Di people outside the pass, or at the very least let them into Jingxiang, who can predict the outcome of war?

Even Mr. Huo, who was praised by everyone, was once defeated by the Northern Di people, who invaded Quanzhou.

Gu Yuzhi lowered his head and said, "Chief Secretary Xie, I am reminded of the victims of the last flood in Jiangnan."

Thousands of people, each with only one bowl of porridge a day, their clothes tattered, their hair disheveled, their shoes worn out, and their eyes looking at him with a hint of numbness.

Qi, the guard, said that these refugees had been turned away by the King of Chu in Jiangnan and had not had a full meal for a long time. So when they heard that Xinliang was taking in refugees and was willing to give them land, they traveled a long distance and walked for several months to come to the northern desert.

If they lose the war in winter, the people of the northern desert will suffer.

Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks and suddenly said, "I wonder if my brother has agreed to General Lu's letter to my brother requesting the heavy crossbows."

"There's also the matter of repairing the Jingxiang fortress, and relocating people there..."

Before Xie Changshi could answer, Gu Yuzhi continued, "Also, has General Lu and his men found the seeds of that magical tree that Mr. Huo mentioned? Can the labyrinth in the fortress be repaired?"

Gu Yuzhi sighed softly, "Even though I'm not in the northern desert, I feel like there are still so many things that haven't been resolved."

I'll be away for several months, and I don't know if these issues will be resolved when I come back.

When Xie Changshi saw that he was rambling on and on, just like Xu Mama had been before they set off, he understood that the young prince was anxious.

He chuckled softly, "Your Highness need not worry, General Lu will arrange everything. When you return, Jingxiang will surely be transformed."

"As for the matter of relocating people that you mentioned, General Lu wrote a letter a few days ago saying that a battalion of soldiers has been transferred from the army to Jingxiang."

“These people were originally from the heavy crossbow battalion, so they are perfect for using heavy crossbows in Jingxiang.”

Gu Yuzhi tilted his head and looked at Xie Changshi: "But why didn't you tell me about this before?"

How come he only found out about something that happened a few days ago?

Chief Secretary Xie said softly, "Your Highness, you have been busy practicing archery these past few days, and I haven't been able to find an opportunity to say anything."

In order to make his bow and arrow more lethal, and in order not to hold Mr. Huo and his men back on the battlefield, Gu Yuzhi has been staying by Mr. Huo's side all this time, either practicing archery or sparring with Mr. Huo, and he rarely even goes into the study.

If Xie Changshi wanted to see Gu Yuzhi, he would either go to the training ground or his bedroom; he wouldn't have time to talk to him about these things.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuzhi scratched his head and said "Oh," his expression much more relaxed than before. He patted his chest, looking relieved: "Since General Lu has made arrangements, I won't worry about it anymore."

Anyway, he won't be back for several months, so right now he should be worrying about things in Jiangnan...