Qi Chenglang and his group rushed back as fast as they could, finally arriving on the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year.

Having received the news early on, Prefect Qi opened the city gates in the middle of the night, allowing Qi Chenglang and others to transport the grain and medicine back to the escort agency and the Wen residence in batches.

When Gu Yuzhi woke up the next day, he was stunned to see the courtyard piled high with grain and medicinal herbs. He blinked his big eyes and searched among the guards but couldn't find anyone. He puffed out his cheeks and asked, "Is Guard Qi back? Where is he?"

He suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled. Last time, Guard Qi came back from a delivery mission looking much darker; he wondered if he would look the same this time.

"I have arranged for Guard Qi and the others to rest." Chief Secretary Xie's expression was not good. "Your Highness, we have been targeted during this escort mission."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuzhi was startled and turned to head towards Guard Qi's room: "Is Guard Qi injured? If I had known this would happen, I should have sent all the guards in the manor to pick him up."

As he spoke, he tapped his head again. He was so stupid. The disaster in the northern desert had just been brought under control, and the fact that Guard Qi and his entourage were carrying so much food and medicine would definitely attract a lot of attention.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Chief Secretary Xie hurriedly caught up. "Your Highness, there is no need to panic. Guard Qi and the others are unharmed. Two guards from the escort agency suffered minor injuries. Guard Qi said that he should thank Xueye's mother for warning them in advance, which allowed them to take precautions."

The number of injured was far greater and more serious than he had said, but to avoid frightening His Highness again, he could only downplay the situation.

The northern desert is vast, and the distance between the two cities is quite far. The roadsides are overgrown with weeds, and even the heavy snow in winter cannot cover the grass that is taller than a person.

Qi Chenglang and his group were focused on their journey, and with Changzhou in sight, coupled with the fact that they had already wiped out the bandits once before, they naturally assumed that everything was fine.

Just then, Xueye's mother suddenly reappeared, standing on the mountainside where the bandits had been. She didn't howl at the moonlight, but stared straight at Qi Chenglang, making him feel uneasy. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration: "Everyone, stop."

He dismounted and pointed at one of them, saying, "Go ahead and scout the way. I feel something is amiss."

The man lunged forward, but as he turned around, something reflected light stung his eyes.

He immediately dropped to the ground and rolled over: "There's an ambush!"

Upon hearing this, both sides stopped hiding and quickly engaged in battle.

Qi Chenglang was highly skilled and daring, single-handedly taking on the main task, while the opposing side had a large number of people and was well-positioned to advance and retreat. For a time, it was impossible to determine a winner, until someone on their side was wounded by a hidden arrow.

Qi Chenglang looked up to search, when he saw Xueye's mother suddenly throw someone out. He immediately flew forward and cut down the archers with a single stroke...

Gu Yuzhi exclaimed in surprise, hugging Xueye's neck: "Xueye! Your mother is amazing!" He leaned closer and whispered, "What does your mother want? I'll bring it to her next time I go out."

During this time, Gu Yuzhi would take Xueye out of the city to play whenever he had a day off, so that Xueye could run freely in the vast world and also meet with its mother.

Compared to others, Gu Yuzhi was more able to feel the kindness of Xueye's mother.

Xueye shivered and circled the grain. Although it was a wolf, it exuded an air of smugness.

Chief Secretary Xie arranged for the steward and Attendant Chen to put the grain into the storeroom together, while he leaned close to Gu Yuzhi and whispered, "Your Highness, there's been news about the sweet potatoes and potatoes you had others look for."

He beckoned, and the guards carried two large boxes out of the grain pile, one box of potatoes and the other of sweet potatoes.

"Sweet potatoes were discovered in Zhangzhou. Our people found that some people there do indeed cook and eat them. Potatoes were discovered in the Longzhong area, but many people report that they are poisonous after eating them. Your Highness, where did you learn about these things?"

Gu Yuzhi blinked his big eyes: "Didn't I tell the Chief Secretary? I just read it in a book." He pretended nothing had happened and casually picked up a potato. "Teacher Shu, is this really safe to eat? Didn't they say it can cause poisoning?"

Teacher Shu put her hands on her hips and laughed heartily. She had been waiting for this day for a long time: "Of course. The young prince has someone select some potatoes that haven't sprouted and don't have a green surface. Xu Mama will cook them tonight. They'll taste good whether shredded or sliced, and they don't need to be cooked for too long."

"Young Prince, don't underestimate potatoes and sweet potatoes. Both of these are very filling and are high-yield crops, making them a new source of whole grains. However, the taste of sweet potatoes and potatoes is much more delicate than that of ordinary whole grains. Especially sweet potatoes, whose leaf tips can be eaten as vegetables, and whose roots, stems, and leaves can be used to feed poultry and livestock."

Shu Xiaohan raised an eyebrow at Manager Wen, her eyes full of pride: "Most importantly, these two things are relatively easy to store and transport. This year, we will cultivate some land in Xinliang specifically to grow these two things. When they are harvested next year, the young prince can send some to the emperor so that the emperor can promote their cultivation throughout the country. Especially in the Jiangnan area, sweet potatoes and potatoes can be harvested twice a year."

Her wish has remained unchanged from time to time: to enable more people to have enough to eat and wear.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuzhi immediately became interested and directed people to select some good sweet potatoes and potatoes, eagerly wanting Xu Mama to use fresh ingredients to cook food for everyone.

Watching potato and sweet potato after sweet potato being picked out, Shu Xiaohan couldn't help but shout, "Enough! Your Highness, that's enough! You can't do any more! These are all seeds! Even if the yield is high, it can't withstand your eating like this. Just eat a little to get a feel for it, don't delay next year's planting!"

Xinliang is such a big place, there are plenty of places to grow potatoes and sweet potatoes. Shu Xiaohan felt heartbroken looking at what was taken away.

Manager Wen quickly saw a huge business opportunity in these two crops: "Your Highness, if what Teacher Shu said is true, and these things can fill people's stomachs, then Your Highness will have solved a major problem for the Northern Desert. Not only will it allow the people to have enough to eat, but it will also break the Li Family Trading Company's monopoly on grain prices in the entire Northern Desert."

His eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Your Highness could have someone search in Zhangzhou and Longzhong to find more seeds. With an agricultural expert like Teacher Shu..." He paused, mimicking Shu Xiaohan's description of herself, "an agricultural whiz, next year will surely bring a bumper harvest to Xinliang. Fewer people will be buying from Li Ji Trading Company, forcing him to lower prices!"

Upon hearing that if these two things were grown well, Li's Trading Company would be in trouble, Gu Yuzhi chuckled, mimicking Manager Wen's manner.

Shu Xiaohan couldn't bear to look: "Young Prince, you mustn't imitate Manager Wen's smile!"