Gu Yuzhi vaguely remembered that the matter of buying the person had been mentioned before, but at that time, his elder brother's reward had not yet arrived, so he dared not spend the money and kept it to himself. Now that Xu Mama brought it up again, he naturally agreed.

Seeing that he nodded, Granny Xu continued, "Now that Your Highness has begun your studies, you should have a study companion. What are your requirements for such a companion?"

Gu Yuzhi's little face was chubby as she diligently ate her food. After swallowing it all, she spoke: "Ah? I don't have any requests. You can do whatever you want, Granny. But my mother told me before that when we buy people, we have to buy those who have signed a life-or-death contract."

He didn't quite understand why, but he was sure his mother was right.

Xu Mama smiled and agreed. After Gu Yuzhi finished his meal and took a nap, Xu Mama went to find Xie Changshi and set a time for the two of them to go to the brokerage. She then hurriedly helped him purchase local specialties from the northern desert.

The gifts given by the concubines were generally similar, but each concubine had her own taboos, and they had to be mindful of these when giving return gifts.

Everyone was busy, and three days later, the day finally arrived for Eunuch Ran to return to the capital.

Standing at the back door, watching boxes and boxes of goods being loaded onto the carriage, Eunuch Ran's heart pounded with anxiety. He couldn't help but lean close to Chief Secretary Xie and whisper, "Chief Secretary Xie, I heard that the escort agency you've chosen is a small one?"

With so much stuff, what if bandits set their sights on it again...

Eunuch Ran quickly turned his head away and spat a few times. They hadn't even set off yet, so he couldn't say such unlucky things.

Chief Secretary Xie nodded: "Yes, although the guards of Longchang Escort Agency have their shortcomings, it is a very trustworthy escort agency in the northern desert. Please rest assured, Your Excellency, we would never joke about His Highness's return gift to the Emperor."

As for Qi Chenglang and Fan Cong, Chief Secretary Xie did not allow them to show their faces. Even though the matter had been officially approved by the Emperor, these people could not appear when escorting goods through the capital.

Xie Changshi received reliable information that the people from Li Ji Trading Company came to their door again the day after they made contact with Longchang Escort Agency. Xie Changshi did not know what exactly happened, but when the people from Li Ji Trading Company left, their faces were particularly unpleasant, so things must have turned sour.

The people at Li's Trading Company must already know that they hired Longchang Escort Agency to escort their goods; this trip back to Beijing is bound to be anything but peaceful.

With Qi Chenglang present, Xie Changshi was not worried about the safety of this trip. As long as he could safely escort Eunuch Ran back to the escort agency, he could salvage some of the reputation of the Longchang Escort Agency. This would prevent them from ending up with no escorts to deliver when they took over the agency in the future.

Eunuch Ran felt a little bitter. After all, even imperial gifts could be robbed. Could a few lowly bodyguards really protect these things?

But then he thought, it should work, after all, the bandits have been wiped out...

Just then, Gu Yuzhi came over carrying a box of jade cups. He huffed and puffed as he climbed the steps and carefully and solemnly handed it to Eunuch Ran, his little face full of seriousness: "Eunuch Ran, these jade cups are a gift I gave to my elder brother. When you go back, you must mention to him that I personally selected these jade cups from the best jade shop in the whole prefecture."

He frowned slightly, but ultimately didn't say that these jade cups were very expensive.

After all, his elder brother is so generous; if he's reluctant to part with it, he'll seem stingy.

After Eunuch Ran took it, Gu Yuzhi continued, "Prefect Qi said that this jade cup is called the luminous cup. As long as you pour wine into the cup and place it under the moonlight, the cup will sparkle and shine, which is very beautiful."

Although he had never drunk wine, he had witnessed the wonder of this jade cup.

Two years ago, someone presented his father with a jade cup for his birthday, and his father immediately filled it with wine. Gu Yuzhi was still young at the time and only thought the cup was beautiful because it glowed. So, after receiving the gift, his first thought was to return the luminous cup to his elder brother.

The reason why Eunuch Ran kept postponing his return to the capital was because he was waiting for this jade cup.

Gu Yuzhi had kept a set of these jade cups made of black jade, which were as black as ink. But he couldn't drink from them yet; he would have to wait until he grew up to use them.

Eunuch Ran took the jade cup, glanced at it, and found that the patterns on the cup were naturally formed, emerald green, and the jade was transparent and bright. He closed the lid and hugged it tightly to his chest: "Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will be extra careful."

This is a token of the young prince's affection; he will surely mention these jade cups when reporting to the emperor.

Just as he was about to turn around, he noticed Xie Changshi's hand pressing down on the box. Confused, Eunuch Ran looked up and saw Xie Changshi's meaningful gaze.

"Alright, I understand. This box contains much more than just a jade cup." He immediately declared, "Your Highness, please rest assured, even if I am gone, this box will remain intact." He paused for a moment and added, "The jade cup as well."

Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, thinking that there was no need for that, but there were still letters for his elder brother and mother in the box, so he swallowed his words back. He gave a few instructions to Eunuch Ran like a little adult and then turned and went back to his courtyard.

Xie Changshi said that since they were going to run a business, they couldn't let outsiders know how old the young master was, so Gu Yuzhi should show his face as little as possible.

Shortly after Gu Yuzhi left, all the goods were loaded onto the cart. Head镖师 Geng and Manager Yu came over together. Manager Yu was holding a new contract in his hand: "Steward Xie, I have revised the contract based on the value of these goods. Take a look. If there are no objections, this cooperation can be considered to have been initially agreed upon."

Chief Secretary Xie took the contract and examined it carefully. Finding no problems, he stamped it and gave Eunuch Ran a wink. Eunuch Ran then got into the carriage without hesitation. Only then did he say, "Head镖师 Geng, Manager Yu, have you thought things through regarding the镖局 (escort agency) these past few days?"

Head镖师 Geng and Manager Yu exchanged a glance, then nodded and said, "We've thought it through. Manager Yu will be handing things over with you during this period." He turned to look at the carriage full of goods, "This will be the last time our Longchang Escort Agency undertakes a delivery mission."

He choked up a little as he said this, and after a long while he said, "It's time to go on my mission, so I'll be leaving now."

Chief Secretary Xie quickly pulled him aside and said, "Chief镖 (Guardian) Geng, there's no need to be sad. Perhaps we'll get along again in the future." He pointed to Qi Chenglang and Fan Cong, who were both wearing masks, and said, "These two are guards in our household. Please take good care of them on the road, Chief镖 (Guardian). Please tell them about the taboos of escorting goods."

Qi, the guard, and Fan, the escort, were dressed plainly. If it weren't for the masks they wore, they would have looked no different from the other bodyguards.

The two men clasped their hands in a salute to Chief Escort Geng, then walked to the back of the group and followed the other escorts, heading towards the capital.

Only after they were out of sight did Chief Secretary Xie turn to Manager Yu and say, "Manager Yu, please come in."

Now that the people from Longchang Escort Agency have made up their minds, he is definitely going to strike while the iron is hot.