Upon hearing this, everyone immediately cheered. They had heard that beef was delicious, but they had never eaten it before. Now they could finally enjoy it to their heart's content.

These past few days, everyone has been eating and sleeping poorly. Now they can finally have a good meal and then get a good night's sleep.

Before setting off, Zhao Xian thought that Yuanxi would be very tough, so he brought a lot of dried wild game. Now it seems that there was no need for that at all.

Seeing everyone enjoying their meal, Prefect Jin spoke up:

"Although Yuanxi can enjoy delicious beef, it is located in a desert with a harsh climate, making it difficult for many crops to grow."

Therefore, grains and vegetables must be transported from elsewhere, which makes prices in Yuanxi very high. Yak meat is not something ordinary people can afford, and survival is very difficult for the local people.

“Prefect Jin, when we entered the city, we saw tall trees and vast fields of crops. The vegetables in the fields were growing exceptionally well. This shouldn’t be considered a desolate wasteland, right?” Li Xue asked.

"Your Highness may not know this, but Yuanxi is located in the northwest of our Great Northern Dynasty. Three hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Chexu Kingdom, which was destroyed by the previous dynasty."

Before its demise, the Kingdom of Chexu had existed for thousands of years, and at its peak, its population reached more than 30,000.

The reason for its prosperity is that this place is an oasis, where the ancient kingdom of Chexu was established.

Due to the rapid population growth of Chexu Kingdom, its resources were severely damaged, leading to its decline. Later, it was destroyed by the previous dynasty and became the present-day Yuanxi City.

The trees and crops that the princess saw after entering the city could only be seen in parts of the former western city.

Currently, there are nearly 10,000 people in the former western city, and there are also several thousand people in the northern mining area, bringing the total to more than 10,000.

The vegetables grown within the city are simply not enough to meet the needs of so many people.

While eating, everyone listened attentively to Prefect Jin's introduction and gradually gained a general understanding of Yuanxi.

After a night's rest, the group's energy was largely restored.

In the morning, Prefect Jin arranged for important officials to come to the council hall to discuss important matters with Li Xue and others.

After everyone was seated, Prefect Jin began to speak:

"Yuanxi received the official document from Yuanshui two days ago and arranged for personnel to start preparations, beginning with collecting materials and actively preparing to cooperate with Yuanshui's actions."

Although we are short-handed in the west, this matter is of great importance and we dare not slack off. Two days have passed and there has been some progress here.

Although Yuanxi is a barren land, there are indeed several forces, among which Xiao Taiyuan's force is the most powerful. He has many spies in Yuanxi City and sometimes even monitors the Yuanxi Prefecture.

As for the claim that Xiao Taiyuan purchased a large number of slaves to mine for him, I had heard about it before, but the government's capabilities were limited, and it was unable to investigate.

Over the years, no one has reported this matter, and even if someone did, the government was powerless to do anything about it.

Li Xue knew that Prefect Jin was telling the truth; she had brought her men ahead of time to make preparations. Thinking of this, she spoke up:

"Prefect Jin, there's no need to worry. We came a few days early to get a clear picture of things here. We'll conduct a secret investigation as businessmen and won't attract their attention."

We can't go in and out of the government office too often right now, lest we be discovered by Xiao Taiyuan's men. We'll find an inn to stay at later; that will make our movements much easier."

"That's wonderful! With the princess's strong support, this task will be much easier," Prefect Jin said excitedly.

“In the next few days, someone may come to report Xiao Taiyuan. I have arranged for people to act as yamen runners at the entrance of the government office to keep a close eye on those who come to report him.”

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

After finishing her business at the government office, Li Xue quietly left with a few people and checked into a nearby inn.

After settling into the inn, the group split up to investigate the situation in the former West City. Only after gaining a clear understanding of the situation could they plan their next steps.

Two days have passed, and Li Xue and the others have gained a certain understanding of the situation in Yuanxi. It seems that Zhou Tong's report in Yuanshui is basically true.

Next, she planned to contact Xiao Taiyuan, discuss jade business with him, and begin to lure him in.

Li Xue calculated the date and figured that if Zhou Tong organized the local jade merchants to report Xiao Taiyuan, he should be here by now.

However, the government office had not received any reports of wrongdoing, which made them a little anxious.

In Yuanxi, there is a restaurant called Taiyuan Restaurant, which was opened by Xiao Taiyuan. If Xiao Taiyuan is not in the mining area, he is basically in the restaurant, and you can meet him there.

It was nearly noon, and the group decided to go to Taiyuan Restaurant for lunch to see if they could get in touch with Xiao Taiyuan.

Taiyuan Restaurant has four floors, making it the tallest building in the former western area.

There were quite a few people eating on the first floor of the restaurant. After they went in and found a seat, the waiter came over.

"What would you like to order, esteemed guests?"

"Bring us whatever you want to eat; we want the best food in the restaurant," Li Xue said.

"Since you all want to enjoy the best food in the restaurant, let's go upstairs."

"Okay, let's go upstairs then."

Zhao Cheng, who rarely spoke, suddenly said, "Let's eat on the first floor. We have important business to discuss later, so we need to hurry. Let's leave as soon as we finish eating."

Zhao Cheng's words made Li Xue realize something; perhaps Zhao Cheng had made some important discovery. Thinking of this, she spoke up:

“Yes, we do have important business to discuss, so we need to hurry. Let’s have lunch on the first floor. Please serve the food quickly.”

"Alright, gentlemen, please wait a moment, the dishes will be served shortly." The waiter then left.

Seeing the waiter leave, Zhao Xian asked in a low voice, "What did you find?"

“There are three people eating over there; they are all from foreign countries,” Zhao Cheng said in a low voice.

Everyone was taken aback and glanced at the three people next to them. Apart from their fierce appearance, they couldn't see anything special about them.

"I've lived in the barbarian lands for five years and know their customs very well. There's no time to explain now. I need to find a way to capture them. You all need to cooperate with me." Zhao Cheng gave a few instructions and then quietly left.

Soon, the dishes were served, filling the entire table and attracting the attention of those around.

Now that all the dishes are served, let's start eating. We certainly don't need to wait for Zhao Cheng anymore.

Just as the group was about to eat, a burly man walked in from outside. He was disheveled, covered in dust, and his clothes were tattered.

He carried a long sword, which was completely covered up. Judging from his appearance, he was a poor and destitute swordsman.