"Thank you!"
Princess Xu squeezed out these three words through gritted teeth.
The fourth prince still looked bewildered: ...Thank me? Why? (Reading...)
Princess Xu nearly lost her temper, but she couldn't actually beat up the Fourth Prince in front of Helian Jue.
Taking a deep breath, Princess Xu suppressed her anger and patiently explained, "Your Highness, you have already lost the bet. According to the agreement, Sister A Yuan does not need to pay the stakes."
"But my sister treated us like family and still revealed the secret method of salt production."
"Your Highness, we should be grateful for the kindness shown between His Highness the Prince of Yue and Sister A Yuan!"
After hearing what Princess Xu said, the Fourth Prince finally realized what was going on.
He was a little embarrassed and awkwardly cupped his hands in greeting to Helian Jue and Xie Yuan.
"Thank you, brother and sister-in-law!"
"Hmph!" Helian Jue snorted coldly again.
However, his attitude has softened considerably.
Although the younger brother is foolish, he has a shrewd queen.
With Princess Xu's "encouragement," the foolish younger brother should not do anything foolish again.
Moreover, it's not entirely without its advantages that the younger brother is a little slow-witted.
The fourth prince may not have many merits, but he is obedient.
Didn't you see that he almost always obeyed Princess Xu's every word?
Helian Jue understood the Fourth Prince; he wasn't specifically afraid of his wife, but rather simply "admired strength."
As long as someone is more capable than him and doesn't have any malicious intentions towards him, the Fourth Prince will obediently listen to him.
"Alright, my princess has already told you the secret recipe. Just follow it next year."
Helian Jue said magnanimously, "Your Yongzhou is not by the sea, but my Yuezhou, Jiaozhou, and Huangzhou all have beaches. You can freely choose some unclaimed beach areas."
"Alright! Then I won't stand on ceremony!"
The Fourth Prince had already acknowledged Helian Jue as his leader, so naturally he wouldn't stand on ceremony with him.
Princess Xu, however, astutely discerned the underlying meaning in Helian Jue's words—
"Jiaozhou? Huangzhou? Both of these places have also been captured by the King of Yue?"
She muttered to herself as she mentally recalled the map of Lingnan.
She remembered very clearly that Yuezhou, Huangzhou, and Jiaozhou were all located along the southern coastal area.
These three prefectures are very close to each other, and if they were connected, they would form a very large territory.
Oh, right, there should also be Luozhou.
Princess Xu's mind stirred, and she looked at Helian Jue with a flickering gaze.
She really wanted to ask directly, but she had some reservations.
On the contrary, Helian Jue seemed to have noticed Princess Xu's hesitation.
A hint of approval flashed in his eyes: This Xu is indeed intelligent and insightful.
"Fourth brother, although it doesn't snow in Lingnan in winter, it is still quite cold."
When the weather gets cold, there will be fewer snakes, insects, rodents, and ants in the wild.
The miasma didn't seem as strong anymore.
This situation is very suitable for marching and fighting.
The fourth prince was slow-witted and had no experience in leading troops into battle. He couldn't understand the problem at all based on Helian Jue's words alone.
It was still Princess Xu. She had been in Lingnan for several months and had already experienced the weather and the snakes and insects there.
The mosquitoes in the mountains and forests, in particular, are enormous and seem to be poisonous.
A mosquito bite can instantly cause a red bump to appear.
When marching through the jungle, soldiers inevitably get bitten by mosquitoes and venomous snakes.
If not handled properly, it could even cost someone their life.
And the terrifying miasma can kill silently.
Princess Xu witnessed all of this firsthand and finally understood why people feared Lingnan as a tiger.
In fact, Lingnan has a warm climate and is extremely rich in natural resources.
It's as if you can grow food just by scattering a handful of seeds.
There are two or three harvests a year.
This is a dream come true in inland areas.
However, this place, so rich in resources, is fraught with danger.
Miasma! All sorts of poisonous creatures!
It's truly impossible to guard against.
Sometimes, a bite from an unknown insect can be fatal.
This situation is terrifying; just thinking about it sends chills down my spine and fills me with dread.
In summer, there are especially many miasma and poisonous insects in the mountains and forests.
Helian Jue specifically mentioned winter, and Princess Xu couldn't help but nod secretly: Yes, Helian Jue is really clever, he actually made use of the cold of winter.
When it gets cold, snakes hibernate, and mosquitoes also decrease in number.
Sending troops now would be the most opportune moment.
Wait, is the King of Yue about to point his sword at Luozhou?
Furthermore, he deliberately brought this up in front of the couple, because he wanted to take the Fourth Prince with him.
Just as Princess Xu was making wild guesses, Helian Jue spoke up again, "Fourth Prince, I heard you have 1,500 personal guards in your palace. How strong are they?"
The fourth prince glanced at Princess Xu subconsciously, and seeing her nod slightly, he obediently replied, "I do have 1,500 personal guards, and their combat strength is not bad, is it?"
To prove he wasn't exaggerating, he quickly gave an example: "On the way to Lingnan, we also encountered some bandits and pirates. My personal guards launched a powerful attack and defeated all of them."
They also made a fortune along the way.
Tsk tsk, double-crossing, how delicious!
"What about the imperial guards?"
Helian Jue suddenly blurted out such an audacious remark.
This already constitutes treason.
The fourth prince shuddered, his eyes filled with a hint of resentment: "Brother, I've only just become your disciple, and you've already revealed such a big secret. Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
We brothers aren't actually that close, sharing everything.
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