Manager Lin was about to express his gratitude to Zhao Xian when he came up, but when he saw the wooden box in Zhao Xian's hand, he became so excited that he forgot what he was going to say.

Zhao Xian placed the wooden box on the table, and everyone's eyes widened in surprise, even Li Xue found it unbelievable.

There was also a small brass lock on the wooden box; it was the first time anyone had ever seen such a small lock.

Zhao Xian took out a key from his pocket, carefully opened the lock, and lifted the wooden cover, which was covered with a layer of black velvet. After removing the velvet, the neatly arranged golden grass was revealed.

Everyone was stunned again, even Zhao Xian was astonished. Each cordyceps was golden yellow and very large, definitely the best of the best. Manager Lin had been running the pharmacy for many years and had never seen such perfect cordyceps.

Zhao Xian took out the layer of golden grass, and fixed each grass to a wooden board, row upon row, column upon column, which was very eye-catching.

Zhao Xian handed the golden grass to Manager Lin, who then carefully examined it.

After the first board of golden grass was taken out, there was another layer of velvet underneath. Zhao Xian lifted this layer of velvet, and another layer of golden grass appeared, which was also fixed to the wooden board.

Everyone finally understood that the wooden box contained layers of golden grass, separated by velvet cloth.

All the golden grass was taken out, basically filling the table. Manager Lin counted them and there were ten boards in total. Each board of golden grass weighed at least two ounces, and the ten boards weighed exactly two pounds, which was quite substantial.

Shopkeeper Lin was overjoyed and carefully put the ten boards of golden grass back into the wooden box.

Only then did Manager Lin stand up and bow deeply to Zhao Xian.

"Thank you, Lord Shaoqing. It was you and the princess who saved me. I will never forget your great kindness."

"Manager Lin, there's no need for such formalities. Although the Xie family's scheme failed this time, we can't rule out the possibility that they will continue to cause trouble. Manager Lin, you must be extra careful," Zhao Xian said.

"Of course I know that. Since they are unjust, they can't blame me for being unjust. Didn't they say that I could set the price of the Golden Grass? Then I'll set the price at ten times the original price."

These golden cordyceps are all top-quality, each one is one in a million, and they are absolutely worth the price.

After I finish this deal, I'll sell the pharmacy. If I can't afford to mess with them, I can at least avoid them.

However, I would like to ask that you, Princess and Lord Shaoqing, not leave in a hurry. I will hand over the full amount to you, Lord Shaoqing, once I have received the payment for these golden herbs.

It seems Manager Lin is an honest man. The golden grass he bought through the system was all artificially cultivated and didn't cost him much silver. Why not do him a favor and give him these cordyceps?

Thinking of this, Zhao Xian said, "There's no need for that. Let's give the cordyceps to Manager Lin. The princess can testify for me when she gets back. The emperor won't say anything."

But if I accept money from selling cordyceps, things will get complicated, and I might even be punished. So please, don't give me any money from selling cordyceps.

"What should we do?" Manager Lin was stunned and didn't know what to do.

"Manager Lin, there's no need to worry. The Great Northern Dynasty and the Golden Kingdom will eventually open up trade relations. When that happens, if you sell more medicinal herbs from the Great Northern Dynasty, you'll be contributing to the trade between the two countries."

Zhao Xian's words moved Manager Lin once again and filled him with confidence. He had originally given up on opening the pharmacy, but it seemed he would have to find a way to keep it running.

Manager Lin asked Li Xue and Zhao Xian to wait a moment while he went downstairs to explain some things. After saying that, he carried the wooden box containing the golden grass downstairs.

"Brother Zhao, what are your plans for the next step? Should we go and take a look at the nearby oriole plantations?" Li Xue asked.

"Going to the Oriole Fruit Plantation at this point is pointless. Let's go directly to the palace, pay our respects to the Emperor of the Golden Kingdom, and explain two things to him: first, to open trade between the two countries, and second, to ask the royal family for help in finding General Li Ru's whereabouts."

Upon hearing this, Li Xue was overjoyed. Zhao Xian's words were astonishing; this was truly a grand gesture. He had elevated the search for Li Ru to the national level, using the first matter as bait. The royal family of Jindian Kingdom would definitely do everything in their power to help him find Li Ru.

At this moment, Zhao Xian glanced at Sun Heng beside him and said:

"Sun Heng, we are going to the palace to see the Emperor of Jindian Kingdom. Would you be willing to accompany us and act as our translator?"

Zhao Xian's words stunned Sun Heng. He had seen and remembered everything that had just happened. They came from the Great Northern Dynasty, and the villagers treated them as honored guests.

At the time, he only knew that these people were of noble status, but he did not expect that one of them was a princess of the Great Northern Dynasty and the other was a fourth-rank official of the imperial court.

If the villagers knew their true identities, that would be a disaster.

He had been sitting quietly to the side the whole time, not daring to say a word. He certainly couldn't miss this opportunity to go to the palace with Zhao Xian.

Perhaps this trip to the palace will change his and his family's fate. Thinking of this, he spoke without hesitation:

"If the Princess and the Junior Minister need me, I will certainly do my best to translate."

Zhao Xian nodded and patted Sun Heng on the shoulder.

Just then, Manager Lin stepped forward and said:

"The princess and the young minister will have lunch here. I have already arranged for someone to prepare it."

"Shopkeeper Lin, you're too kind. We came to town mainly to visit you. It's still early, and we have some things to take care of, so we'll take our leave now."

After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he stood up, and Li Xue and Sun Heng also stood up immediately.

"How can this be? You came to see me this time and helped me solve a big problem, yet you didn't even have a sip of water. It seems I'm really getting senile," Manager Lin said anxiously.

"Manager Lin, there's no need for that. If we have time after we finish our business, we will come to visit you again."

"If you have any good tea with you, please brew a pot so we can enjoy it."

After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he went downstairs with Li Xue and Sun Heng, and Manager Lin followed them downstairs.

The group boarded the carriage, and Zhao Xian looked at Sun Heng and asked:

"Sun Heng, is there a market nearby? Take us there to sell some things."

"The market is just ahead. Just keep walking straight ahead and you'll get there. You can buy food, clothing, and other necessities there."

The carriage started immediately and drove forward, arriving at the market in no time. Since the carriage could not enter the market, Zhao Xian had to stop it outside.

After getting off the bus, the group entered the market and found that it was indeed quite large, divided into several sections. They first went to the food section.

Zhao Xian planned to buy some meat to take home. He went to the meat counter to take a look and found that there were many kinds of meat here, including not only pork and mutton, but also rat meat, bat meat, and even python meat.

These pythons had just been slaughtered, and the segments of snake meat were still wriggling.