Tai Jiye glanced at Chen Zhao, his mind turning several times, and replied vaguely, "Brother Chen brought back a lot of goods from the south, and I also bought some. Instead of keeping them at home, it's better to send them to the grassland to exchange for some good things.
"Besides, Brother Chen and I have been to the grasslands many times, so we're not afraid of wind, snow, or bandits. I just don't know what's going on at the grassland royal court. Is it a serious commotion?"
He Xiong didn't hide it. As he poured wine for the two of them, he said, "The Khan of the Grassland is in poor health, and several princes are constantly making small moves, preparing to fight for the Khan's throne. We've also heard some news from the passing caravans. It seems that the princes have already contacted the various tribes, and a war will come sooner or later."
Chen Zhao was worried about the Third Prince and immediately asked, "General He, have you heard about the Third Prince's situation? Is his life in danger?"
Ehe was puzzled by what he said, and seeing his anxious face, he asked tentatively, "Does Shopkeeper Chen know the Third Prince, or do he have business dealings with him?"
Chen Zhao hesitated for a moment and subconsciously looked at Tai Jiye. Tai Jiye was also embarrassed, but still said, "General He is a brother my father knew well in the army in the past, and he is also a trusted subordinate of the general. Our family believes in his character and even more so in his loyalty to the Great Wei."
Tai Yongan, Tai Yonglu and others were originally chatting and laughing, but suddenly they shut up when they saw their elders were so serious.
He Xiong was a shrewd man. He vaguely sensed something was going on, so he said sternly, "I've been in the army with Uncle Tai since I was young. We're comrades-in-arms, sharing life and death together. Even the general has great trust in Uncle Tai, and we've relied heavily on him to take care of us. Shopkeeper Chen is half a Tai family member. As long as Shopkeeper Chen doesn't rebel against Wei and doesn't harm the border troops, they will never harm you."
Chen Zhao quickly stood up and saluted, then replied, "General He, you're too kind. I'm not worried about the border troops doing anything bad to me. The situation is complicated right now, and I'm worried that if I'm not careful, my convoy and I might be put in danger. That's fine, but I can't let Jiye and my friends get in trouble."
He Xiong helped him sit down and said with a smile, "Manager Chen is a man of integrity. There are no outsiders here. Why don't you tell me about it? Even if there is something wrong, it will only come out of your mouth and enter my ears."
Tai Jiye was also worried and wanted to know the details of the grassland. After all, he was with quite a few of his people. If there were any casualties, he would have no way to explain to the villagers when he returned.
Chen Zhao thought for a moment and said, "To be honest with General He, I'm a playboy by nature and enjoy traveling. My family is in business, so having a caravan makes it easier for me to travel. Previously, when I was traveling in and out of the grasslands, I saved the life of the Third Prince of the grasslands by chance. He treated me with sincerity, and we can say that we have a life-long friendship.
“If in the future I have to leave the Great Wei and temporarily hide from the world, the Third Prince’s place will be my escape route.
"Therefore, I must make sure that the Third Prince is safe and sound. I will even do my best to help him seize the throne of Khan."
After he finished speaking, no one in the tent responded for a long time. It was really shocking.
The Tai family was better off, after all, they knew that Chen Zhao had a wide circle of friends and had heard some of the things that happened between him and the third prince.
He Xiong was already staring. In his opinion, Chen Zhao was just a businessman.
As a general of the border army, he had never seen whether the third prince of the grassland was fat or fat, but Chen Zhao actually became a brother of the third prince and wanted to help the third prince win the throne of Khan!
This... should I praise his luck or criticize his arrogance?
He coughed dryly, thinking that Chen Zhao had told the truth and had not concealed anything, so he picked out what he could say and revealed some of it.
"As you know, we have a truce agreement with the grasslands. Although there are occasional frictions, most of them are caused by bandits. At least on the surface, we are at peace with the grasslands. Our main purpose of guarding the border is to prevent and target the Rakshasa from moving south. Therefore, we don't know much news from the grasslands, and even less about the Third Prince.
"I only know that the Third Prince doesn't have the upper hand among the other princes, but the Living Buddha is very supportive of him. Now that the Khan is still alive, if the Living Buddha can persuade the Khan to officially pass on the throne, the Third Prince can save a lot of effort and directly recapture half of the grassland power. But some of the other princes will definitely not accept it, and in the end, there will still be a fight.
"If you want to enter the grasslands, you must hurry. It would be best if you could enter the royal court before the Khan dies, or even return to the border. Otherwise, if you are involved, no one will be able to keep you safe."
Chen Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. If He Xiong hadn't concealed anything, then the Third Prince wouldn't be defeated for the time being.
He was about to speak when someone outside the tent spoke.
"I have an idea!"
Everyone was startled, and Yongan hurried to lift the door curtain to check, and it turned out that the person who came in was indeed an acquaintance.
"Cousin!" Yong'an greeted him with surprise.
Tai Yonglu, Tai Yongyue and Chen Ruiyang all came to the door happily to welcome them, shouting in unison.
"Cousin, why are you here?"
The Sixth Prince was wearing a long silk robe and a black cloak embroidered with a goshawk. He walked in from outside with an upright posture and a chill. The guards immediately closed the door curtain tightly.
He smiled and patted Yonglu and the others, and replied casually, "I didn't expect to meet you here. Let's talk later.
Having said this, he stepped forward to greet He Xiong and Tai Jiye, then looked at Chen Zhao intently for a few moments before saying, "I was idle at the palace, and a new batch of food and supplies just happened to arrive, so I sent them over. I heard that Third Uncle was here with his cousins, so I came to join in the fun. I just overheard a few words outside the tent, and I spoke rashly, which actually startled everyone."
He Xiong quickly responded, "It doesn't matter. Even if His Highness doesn't come, he will know about this sooner or later."
As he spoke, he looked at Tai Jiye.
Tai Jiye understood and took the initiative to act as an introducer.
"Sixth Prince, this is Ruiyang's uncle, Chen Zhao, a well-traveled merchant. Due to some circumstances, he and Ruiyang now live with us. This time, I brought the boys and followed Brother Chen to the grasslands. We passed by here and came to bring some food to Yong'an and have a drink with General He."
After that, he motioned Chen Zhao to look over and said, "Brother Chen, this was originally a secret. After all, if it gets out, there will be some unnecessary trouble at home. But you are family, and I didn't have the chance to tell you before. Now that we meet by chance, I will say a few more words.
"This is the Sixth Prince of the current dynasty. He became acquainted with our family due to some circumstances. Later, he discovered that my eldest sister-in-law was his aunt, so they became relatives and have been in frequent contact. His Highness is a trustworthy person, so there's no need for Brother Chen to be so reserved."
If He Xiong was shocked just now because Chen Zhao was the sworn brother of the third prince of the grassland, then now Chen Zhao was so frightened that his soul had left his body because the prince was the nephew of the Tai family!
Which god or Buddha favored such a small peasant family?
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