After a few words of small talk, everyone dispersed.

Song Liyun said to Zhao Tingduo, "Ashi, go and see if Lord Jiang has set a date for the trade fair. If not, ask him to move it five days earlier, to September 15th."

Jiang Feng must have read and investigated the plan I gave him before I left. If he agrees, he should make a timeline now.

"good!"

Zhao Tingduo nodded without saying anything more, got up and strode out of Tianxiang Tower, heading straight for the county government office.

The political situation in the Wu Dynasty is now extremely unpredictable.

He has been away from Kyoto for over a month, and still needs to ask Jiang Feng for more information.

Inside the private room, before Song Liyun could even sip her tea and clear her mind, she heard a knock on the door.

Just as he opened his mouth to say "Please come in," Manager Wan pushed the door open and entered.

"Uncle Wan!" Song Liyun stood up, bowed, invited him to sit down, and poured him a cup of tea.

Manager Wan looked anxious and, without even drinking tea, went straight to the point: "I came looking for you because I heard you had gone into the city."

I heard the chefs are giving Tianxianglou a hard time again? How are you going to deal with that? Should I go to the prefectural city and find a few chefs to come over?"

Tianxianglou doesn't have any renowned chefs, and relying on novelty to succeed makes it easy for others to take over.

It's like I just sent two handbags to Beijing, and people are already asking about their origins and wanting to copy them.

Knowing that Steward Wan was genuinely looking out for her, Song Liyun shared her plans, including inviting Magistrate Jiang to organize a trade fair.

Manager Wan frowned: "What's the point of suddenly holding a temple fair when there's no festival or holiday?"

Organizing a temple fair? Song Liyun couldn't help but laugh; it really did seem that way.

"Uncle Wan, this is a great opportunity to showcase our products. Besides kebabs, I also want to sell tissues and cardboard boxes, so that everyone who sees kebabs will think of Tianxianglou, and everyone who sees the name Tianxianglou will think of tissues..."

Song Liyun spoke with a beaming smile, explaining that she had been preparing these things ever since she started her cardboard box factory.

The production is low, and the tissue paper needs to be copied one sheet at a time. So far, we've only managed to collect a hundred boxes of tissue paper.

Inside the county government office, Jiang Feng and Zhao Tingduo were admiring the flowers in the back garden, where the air was filled with the fragrance of golden chrysanthemums.

Jiang Feng had no other hobbies but the refined taste of a scholar. Wherever he went, he could not do without the four elements of plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum.

The Qili County government office had been abandoned for several years, and the plants in the garden had long since withered. He also tended to a few pots of chrysanthemums for his own enjoyment.

The two walked to a pot of "Rouge Dots of Snow" chrysanthemums. Looking at the faint red blush on the tips of the snow-white chrysanthemum petals, Jiang Feng stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Looking at this flower with red in its whiteness, it reminds me of the saying 'A general's fame is built on the bones of a hundred corpses.'"

Zhao Tingduo knew that he had a secret connection with the Crown Prince, and that he must have had ulterior motives for saying this. Could there be some changes in the court?

Jiang Feng was a man of deep thoughts, and this boy, born on the grasslands and raised in the military camp, could not fathom him.

If you can't figure it out, don't guess. Less talk, less mistakes. Just wait and see!

Jiang Feng was halfway through his sentence when he glanced at Zhao Tingduo, whose expression remained unchanged. Seeing that Zhao Tingduo was as steady as Mount Tai, he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Qing'an Prefecture's expulsion of the Di tribe's Third Young Master on horseback was a great achievement. Now the Crown Prince is actually letting such a person go unused, which will surely cause trouble in the future."

He stopped beating around the bush with Zhao Tingduo: "Third Young Master, have you been in contact with General Lei these days?"

Zhao Tingduo smiled slightly: "My elder brother is busy reorganizing the defenses, so I didn't bother him. Magistrate Jiang also knows that I am a rough man, not as learned as you. Just say what you want to say."

Jiang Feng nodded: "Third Young Master, please forgive my intrusion. Please come with me."

As he spoke, he led the way into the covered walkway and into the warm pavilion where a servant had already prepared tea. The two sat down, and then he spoke: "Third Young Master, do you know why the Crown Prince wants you to stop stirring up trouble?"

Zhao Tingduo frowned slightly: "The Wu Dynasty has signed a contract with the Di Kingdom!"

"Third Young Master, who do you think this contract can bind?"

Zhao Tingduo said calmly, "Restrain the Zhenbei Army!"

The Di royal court was not a country, but rather five tribes. The composition of these tribes could change at any time, so such a contract was not stable.

Seeing that the Third Young Master's words were all important, Jiang Feng's eyes flickered slightly and he said, "Does the Young Master know that the Crown Prince has the support of the Marquis of Zhenbei and it is only a matter of time before he ascends to the throne? But if he wants the country to be stable forever, the northern border must be kept at peace."

Zhao Tingduo raised an eyebrow: "Wasn't signing a contract with the royal court Wu Chao's idea?"

Jiang Feng continued, "Young Master is a wise man. As the saying goes, one is born in hardship and dies in comfort. You barbarians also have a saying: a wolf pack is always a wolf pack."

Zhao Tingduo slammed down her teacup, her face darkening. "Magistrate Jiang, you want me to disobey the Crown Prince and the Marquis..."

As he spoke, his tone, which had been sunny and gentle just moments before, had turned cold.

Jiang Feng was startled. He suddenly remembered that the handsome young man who had come to hold this exhibition was not just a playboy who only knew about romance and poetry, but also the White Wolf King whose hands were stained with blood on the grassland.

He quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Third Young Master, please calm down. That's not what I meant."

Zhao Tingduo's voice softened: "Magistrate Jiang, please speak frankly."

Jiang Feng dared not beat around the bush any longer, and instead lowered his voice and said, "Lord Marquis is loyal to the Wu Dynasty. For decades, he has guarded the northern border as solid as a rock. Even when the Emperor suspected him, he remained steadfast in his loyalty."

"Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Zhao family will continue to defend the borders for generations, becoming a vital pillar of the nation!"

"But what about you, Third Young Master?"

Zhao Tingduo glanced at him: "The Zhenbei Army is also under my protection!"

Jiang Feng shook his head: "How can one tolerate snoring beside one's bed! Unless the young master continues to rely on the Zhenbei Army like this, once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Marquis will surely return to the capital to retire in peace."

Zhao Tingduo became wary, but still said calmly, "My elder brother will continue to hold the power of the Zhenbei Army."

Jiang Feng immediately deflated: "Third Young Master, Commander Lei should have told you that you must reclaim the glory of the Wuda tribe and avenge your grandfather."

Zhao Tingduo stood up abruptly and said coldly, "Jiang Feng, this is a matter of my tribe. What does it have to do with the Wu Dynasty?"

Jiang Feng said urgently, "To be honest, the Marquis and the Crown Prince do not want you to stir up trouble on the grasslands anymore. They are just waiting for a smooth ascension to the throne."

Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, border stability will be even more crucial. Once a royal treaty is signed, your desire for revenge will be impossible.

"Moreover, once the Marquis returns to the capital, it won't be long before he is discarded like a dog after its bow has been put away."

"You mean, brother, you want me to continue stirring up tribal conflicts?"

Zhao Tingduo understood his meaning, and her heart pounded like a drum. She stared intently at Jiang Feng: "Aren't you one of the Crown Prince's men?"

Jiang Feng nodded and then shook his head: "I am the Crown Prince's man and an official of the Wu Dynasty. I only want to support the legitimate successor and make the Wu Dynasty prosperous and strong."

"The barbarian grasslands are without a country or a bond, like a herd of horses without reins, and to the Wu Dynasty, they are like a stubborn disease on the skin."

"If the Third Prince can establish himself as the ruler of the Di barbarian grasslands, it may seem to be harmful to the Wu Dynasty, but in fact it will last for ten thousand generations!"

Zhao Tingduo picked up the teacup again, lowered his eyes and remained silent: he had kept these things in his heart all along, and only his elder brother Zhao Tinglei had mentioned them.

But his elder brother meant that after he gained a foothold on the Dilu grasslands, he could become an asset to the Zhenbei Army.