Xuan Yuanzhan narrowed his eyes suddenly: "It really was him!"
Ye Yun was completely baffled by their cryptic remarks: "What Prefect of the North? What Chen Chuan?"
Wasn't Your Highness going to a bandit gathering this time?
Is this matter related to the governor of Beidi?
Xuanyuan Zhan glanced at Ye Yun and explained, "The person behind the big deal they're talking about is Chen Chuan."
In other words, that venerable master is Chen Chuan, the governor of the northern lands!
Ye Yun was also shocked by these words: "Isn't this collusion between officials and traitors? Chen Chuan has a lot of nerve!"
Xuanyuan Zhan snorted but didn't reply.
Isn't he incredibly audacious?
I just don't know if he has that many heads to chop off!
Remembering that Xuan Yuanzhan hadn't shown any surprise at all, Ye Yun asked curiously, "Did Your Highness already know that he was the person behind this big deal?"
Xuanyuan Zhan took a sip of tea, raised an eyebrow and said, "At first, I only knew that they were definitely colluding with officials, but I didn't know which official in the North was involved. When Zhang Debiao told me that all the villages in the North would participate in this big deal, and that their Silver Tiger Village could only get a 20% share of the profits, I realized that this big deal he was talking about was no ordinary deal!"
"Although I don't know exactly how many bandit dens there were in the northern region at that time, even a large stronghold like Silver Tiger Village could only account for 20% of the entire business. This means that there were more important people above Silver Tiger Village who needed a share. Silver Tiger Village was already the largest bandit den in the northern region. There are probably only a handful of people in the entire northern region who could make someone like Zhang Debiao obedient. At that time, I realized that there was collusion between officials and bandits, so I immediately agreed to join Silver Tiger Village in order to investigate the person behind it all."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yun looked at Xuan Yuanzhan with an expression of admiration: "So you joined the Silver Tiger Stronghold to investigate the northern officials who colluded with bandits?"
The prince's mind is too sharp! Zhang Debiao only said one sentence, and he thought of so much.
If it were him, he would never have thought of that!
Xuan Yuanzhan curled his lips: "Later, when we came to Silver Tiger Stronghold, Zhang Debiao told me about the bandit situation in the entire Northern Region. This made me even more certain that there must be someone higher up in their ranks. There are only three bandit strongholds in the entire Northern Region: Silver Tiger Stronghold, Black Panther Stronghold, and Wolf Fang Stronghold. This time, the three of them excluded Flowing Eagle Stronghold, which is located outside the Northern Region, from this big deal. However, Silver Tiger Stronghold only gets 20% of the profits from this joint business among the three strongholds, which speaks volumes. Moreover, Zhang Debiao's words implied that he actually had no say in this big deal. So who did?"
"Actually, when Zhang Debiao brought me into Beiming City, I already guessed that the person behind it all was Chen Chuan, the Prefect of the North. Firstly, someone who could make Zhang Debiao, Li Yuanbao, and Qian Ergou, the three big bosses, so obedient, couldn't be a minor official. Secondly, the fact that he chose Beiming City as the meeting place was also very deliberate. There's only one city in the entire North, and he didn't choose any other city, but specifically Beiming, because the Prefect's residence is located in Beiming City. Also, in Chunmeng, I saw his official boots, which were fourth-rank official boots. In the entire North, only Prefect Chen Chuan could reach the fourth rank."
Before going to the party tonight, he had Ye Feng secretly follow him and Zhang Debiao in order to find out the officials behind this big deal.
Therefore, as long as this person shows up at this gathering, he will definitely know his identity!
Ye Yun nodded knowingly: "This Chen Chuan is really arrogant. He actually dared to wear official boots to a gathering with bandits. He's really not afraid of being exposed!"
Xuanyuan Zhan scoffed disdainfully, “He was dressed in black, wearing a veil, and sitting behind a screen. He probably hadn’t revealed his true form to those people before. It was only because I deliberately broke the screen that I saw his official boots.”
He just wanted to see which rat it was, but he didn't expect that the rat was wrapped up quite tightly, although the official boots still gave it away.
He must have had several gatherings like this with Zhang Debiao and his group before, and nothing had ever happened, so he was careless this time. He even came without changing his official boots.
However, Zhang Debiao and his companions might not even notice or recognize those official boots.
But that white eagle...
This man is skilled in martial arts and looks like a dragon among men, so why did he become an outlaw?
Moreover, how could a northerner like him be forced to settle outside the northern border?
Xuanyuan Zhan was quite interested in this white eagle.
"Your Highness, when will this big deal they're talking about start?" Ye Yun was getting tired of staying in this bandit's den. He wanted to finish this big deal as soon as possible, wipe out these bandits, and then they could leave sooner.
When the time comes, they should provide disaster relief. After the relief work is done, they can go back home sooner.
I guess the prince also wants to go back soon, after all, the princess is about to give birth!
How could Xuanyuan Zhan not want to finish his business quickly and go back? He also knew that his Ning'er was waiting for him: "When will Mu Lingchen arrive?"
The question took such a sudden turn that Ye Yun didn't react for a moment, and after a moment of stunned silence, he said, "It should arrive in the next day or two!"
Xuanyuan Zhan snorted coldly upon hearing this, narrowed his eyes and said, "Chen Chuan's timing is quite accurate. This big deal will be completed in the next day or two."
Ye Yun was startled upon hearing this, then seemed to understand something, her eyes widening: "Your Highness, you mean..."
Chen Chuan really has some nerve!
Ye Yun asked urgently, "Should I inform the young marquis?"
Xuanyuan Zhan, however, was not in a hurry at all: "What's there to notify? They're just a bunch of rabble."
Seeing Xuan Yuanzhan's calm demeanor, Ye Yun also relaxed.
Yes, Your Highness intends to capture all these people in one fell swoop, so there's really no need to make any other plans.
Xuanyuan Zhan glanced at the two of them and said, "Alright, you two should go and rest too. There are still important things to do tomorrow."
"Yes," Ye Yun replied, and disappeared with Ye Feng in a flash.
Xuanyuan Zhan went straight to the bed and lay down.
Unable to sleep, I just stared blankly at the top of the tent.
Counting the days, it's been about a month since he came out, and Ning'er will give birth in a little over a month.
The northern region is far from the capital, and even if he travels at top speed, it will still take him more than ten days to reach it.
So he really doesn't have much time left, maybe just over twenty days. By then, regardless of whether the disaster relief and bandit suppression are finished, he has to go back to the capital.
He had to be with Ning'er during childbirth, and at most, he would rush back to the North to handle the remaining matters after Ning'er had given birth safely.
Actually, things are quite simple now. The bandit problem in the north should be basically solved after such a big deal. What's left is the drought and disaster relief work in the north.
There isn't a particularly good solution for the drought right now, but he started working on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project many years ago, and in at most two years, the water from southern Xinjiang will be successfully diverted to northern Xinjiang.
By then, the floods in the south and the droughts in the north can be successfully resolved, so this time he only needs to provide disaster relief and appease the refugees.
If you think about it, he should be able to finish these things quickly, and he'll definitely be able to go back in time to be with Ning'er during childbirth.
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