Thinking of this, Li Xue said, "If you can really collect evidence of Xiao Taiyuan's treason, you don't need to report it to the local government. You can give me the evidence directly."

I will bring this evidence back to the capital, and the court will send people to thoroughly investigate this case. If the facts are true, Xiao Taiyuan will certainly be punished.

Li Xue's words surprised and delighted Zhou Tong. He carefully considered what Li Xue had said and realized that the young man in front of him was indeed extraordinary.

This person came from the capital and had the surname Li, so he might be a member of the royal family. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel nervous.

"If I can find evidence of Xiao Taiyuan's treason and collusion with the enemy, how can I contact you?" Zhou Tong asked.

"I will appear at the prefectural government office in Yuanxi within ten days. If you have evidence, you can come to the prefectural government office to find me. Just give me your name and someone will take you to see me."

"At that time, I will definitely bring this evidence to the capital. Only by eliminating Xiao Taiyuan's influence in Yuanxi can I do jade business with you with peace of mind."

After Li Xue finished speaking, she got up to say goodbye, and Zhou Tong saw them out of the shop.

After the group left, Zhou Tong stood at the door in a daze. After a long while, he finally came to his senses and began to pack his luggage, preparing to return to Yuanxi.

After returning to the government office, Li Xue immediately summoned Prefect Miao and Bao Ping to begin a meeting.

Li Xue recounted what she had just seen and heard, and everyone was astonished. They had no idea that Yuan Xi had such an all-powerful figure.

All signs indicate that this Xiao Taiyuan may be the person they are looking for in Yuanxi.

This man not only colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, but also trafficked in jade and people; every crime was intolerable to the imperial court.

Therefore, they immediately adjusted their action plan. Although Xiao Taiyuan was powerful in the local area, the government's goal was clear, and the action had a direction.

"When will the cargo ship arrive at the source?" Li Xue asked.

"According to the scouts, they are expected to arrive at Yuanshui around noon the day after tomorrow. There will be many people at the dock to meet them. We just need to secretly grab one of them by the ear, and we'll know the truth in one interrogation," Bao Ping said.

"Alright, then thank you for your hard work. I plan to set off for Yuanxi tomorrow, and I estimate I will arrive three or four days earlier than you. I will first thoroughly understand the situation there, and then we can take action after you arrive."

“The princess is going to Yuanxi, but there are too few people. I will arrange for some more people to go with her to protect her safety,” Prefect Miao said.

"No need. I'm going to Yuanxi this time under the guise of business. Having too many people would be inconvenient. These people are enough."

"Be careful on the way. It will take four or five days to travel to Yuanxi by carriage. There are only two post stations along the way, and it will be difficult to find an inn. The princess may have to sleep in the wild."

"The nights are very cold and windy this time of year, so the camp must be firmly secured," Magistrate Miao reminded.

"Thank you, Your Excellency. I understand."

The next morning, Li Xue led everyone on their way, and the three carriages quickly left Yuanshui.

It was already springtime, but it was still cold. The further north you went, the more desolate it became, and the fewer people there were.

Around noon, the group arrived at a sheltered spot, stopped their carriage, and prepared to eat some dry rations.

Yesterday they bought a lot of flatbreads, and put quite a few on each carriage. After the carriages stopped, they untied the bags of flatbreads, took them out, and started taking bites.

The pancakes were now incredibly hard and impossible to bite; they no longer had the soft, sweet texture of yesterday.

Everyone was dumbfounded. They had bought so many pancakes, but what were they going to do with them?

Seeing this, the chef said, "This is easy to solve. In the past, when we were on military campaigns, the cornbread we carried would freeze and become very hard, but as long as we heated it over a fire, it would soften and become edible."

So that's what happened. The group started gathering firewood, lit it, and heated the pancakes.

At this moment, Zhao Xian took out a small bucket and handed it to the chef, asking him to cook a pot of mutton soup for everyone.

This is mutton soup base that Zhao Xian purchased from the system. It's a modern convenience food that didn't exist in ancient times. Just add a few spoonfuls of the soup base to a pot of boiling water, and you'll have a pot of rich mutton soup.

Everyone was very curious, and the chef was even more puzzled. He had made plenty of mutton soup, and it took a lot of mutton to make a pot of it.

But the soup base Zhao Xian gave him only required a few spoonfuls to make a pot of mutton soup, which was simply unbelievable.

"Don't be stunned. The restaurant I run in Qing'an Prefecture is famous for its delicious food, which everyone longs for. You know, those delicacies are all made with secret seasonings. What's so special about us being able to drink mutton soup here?"

Without further hesitation, the chef began preparing the mutton soup.

After a pot of water boils, the aroma of mutton soup begins to fill the air as a few spoonfuls of broth are added.

The mutton soup was bubbling in the pot, with scallions and minced mutton faintly visible inside. By this time, the flatbread had been heated up, and everyone began to eat the flatbread and drink the mutton soup.

This feeling is so wonderful. I feel that the mutton soup I drank before was not authentic. Only the mutton soup I drank today is authentic.

Soon everyone had eaten their fill and continued their journey until nightfall, when they finally arrived at a post station.

This inn is too rudimentary; not only is the food very limited, but the accommodations are also very basic.

Since the princess and her entourage were staying at the post station, the postmaster was a little uneasy, but Li Xue did not blame him.

Li Xue knew that the post stations here, whether staff or clerks, had a tough job. The conditions were harsh and the environment was terrible, and no one had come here for a long time.

Fortunately, they brought plenty of supplies, and there were some vegetables at the post station, so the chef borrowed the kitchen and cooked his own meals.

The chef specially prepared extra food, intending to invite the postmaster and postmen to dine together.

The people at the post station did not expect that the princess's entourage would not only cook for themselves, but also invite them to eat together after the meal was prepared.

The food smelled so good that they had no reason to refuse it.

After dinner, Li Xue inquired about the rest of the journey.

The postmaster told her that, based on their speed, it would take them another four days to reach Yuanxi.

When they are still a day away from Yuanxi, they will encounter a post station, which means they will spend two nights traveling.

The postmaster also told them that if they went any further, they would reach an endless Gobi Desert, and that they should light several campfires when they camped out at night.

Because of the possibility of encountering wolf packs, under normal circumstances, wolves will not dare to approach the camp if there is a campfire nearby.

Over the next few days, they will venture across the vast Gobi Desert.

If there are too few people or insufficient preparation when crossing the Gobi Desert, it will be very dangerous and difficult to cross the Gobi.