But their mood didn't lighten for long; it soon became quite heavy again, especially for Prefect Wei.
He kept thinking about the words "protecting the northern desert," and pondered the meaning behind the young prince's words about the King of Chu colluding with the enemy. He understood that the young prince's urgent summons of them must be related to the invasion of the Northern Di.
Prefect Wei asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, has the Northern Di made any moves?"
Gu Yuzhi shook his head, first recounting Mr. Huo's guess, and then said, "That's why I called you here, to tell you that this year's focus in Mobei is stockpiling grain."
He looked at Prefect Ke and said, "Especially in your Quanzhou, you must ensure that the provisions needed for the battle are fully prepared."
Prefect Ke stood up and respectfully replied, "The matter of purchasing grain and fodder will still require Guard Shen's attention."
These people are all considered to be on their own, and they naturally know that the Wen family business is operated by Guard Shen, and the Mobei Merchant Guild is now also under the control of the Wen family business. Therefore, the purchase of grain naturally has to go through them.
Shen, the guard, stood behind Gu Yuzhi and nodded slightly.
These past few days, since Guard Qi has already gone to report to the Northern Desert Army, Guard Zhang is keeping watch over things in the mulberry grove, and the other guards are either on escort missions or guarding the city, he naturally has to come back to be responsible for His Highness's safety.
Speaking of this, Chief Secretary Xie turned to him and instructed, "Guard Shen, the situation in Jiangnan is unclear right now. There are still many followers of the King of Chu who have not yet revealed their identities, so we must be careful when purchasing grain."
The fact that the merchants from the northern deserts are buying too much grain will definitely attract the attention of the King of Chu. If he does, he can send a letter to the Khan of the Northern Di and launch a war ahead of schedule, which will put them at a disadvantage.
As Gu Yuzhi listened to Xie Changshi's explanation, he nodded his little head and said, "Then Jiang Ningqi was able to leave Quanzhou, so someone must have tipped him off."
He said angrily, "Prefect Ke, especially in Quanzhou, you should be more careful about building granaries and stockpiling grain."
Prefect Ke also stood up: "Your subject understands."
Gu Yuzhi then waved for them to sit down: "Not only should we be careful not to reveal anything when buying these things, but also, we cannot show that we know that Brother Chu has a tendency to collude with the enemy, otherwise I'm afraid Brother Chu might cause us trouble in the matter of purchasing grain."
Although Huizhou is controlled by the Prince of Qi, it belongs to Jiangnan, and the Prince of Chu is the one who truly controls the Jiangnan region. The Prince of Qi is often constrained by the Prince of Chu in many ways.
Just as Gu Yuzhi was thinking this, he suddenly exclaimed, "Chief Secretary Xie, since the King of Chu has sent people to the Northern Barbarians, will he take action against the Crown Prince of Qi?"
"Last time, Guard Qi..."
He stuck out his tongue and quickly corrected himself, saying, "Qi Xianfeng said that the situation of the young master Qi in Huizhou is particularly bad. There are no servants in his mansion, only guards. Even when he goes out, he is surrounded by guards."
He had previously felt that his situation in the northern desert was not good, but compared to Prince Qi, he was living a very safe and happy life!
Chief Secretary Xie frowned and said, "After we discovered that Qi of Jiangning had fled to the Northern Barbarians, we sent a letter to His Majesty. We believe that after receiving the letter, His Majesty will arrange for people to protect Prince Qi as soon as possible."
Speaking of delivering the message, Shu Xiaohan, who had been silent all along, finally smiled a little: "The young prince is really lucky. He saved a wolf from Xueye and not only gained the recognition of the entire wolf clan in Mobei, but Xueye also sent you a bird of prey."
When the mention of birds of prey was mentioned, Gu Yuzhi smiled with pursed lips.
Not two days after returning from Jingxiang, he saw the black kite at the entrance of the temporary post. The black kite was very friendly to him and even took out the fruit that Xueye liked, which was hidden under its wings.
Only then did he realize that Hei Yuan was someone Xue Ye had found to keep him company.
With the Black Kite, they no longer needed to use the escort agency to communicate with their elder brother, as it was too slow and inconvenient for urgent communications.
But the black kite is different. It flies much faster in the air than a horse can cross mountains and valleys. What used to take ten days or half a month can now be done in just a few days.
However, this is Black Kite's first time delivering a message, and it's uncertain whether the palace guards will discover it or whether the Emperor will believe it.
Upon seeing Gu Yuzhi's expression, Shu Xiaohan understood his concerns and whispered, "Your Highness need not worry. Black kites are relatively small, and it is difficult for ordinary people to spot them. Besides, black kites are very intelligent and know how to use tools to hunt, so they will not be easily caught."
Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks; even if he was caught, there was nothing else he could do.
Wait two more days, if it's Black Kite...
Just as Gu Yuzhi was thinking this, the door to the council hall was suddenly pushed open, and a dark figure flew in and landed lightly on his shoulder.
He exclaimed with delight, "Black Kite, you're back!"
Black Kite nuzzled Gu Yuzhi's face and gently tugged at his clothes to show affection before flying to the square table next to him and chirping twice to indicate that there was something on her lap.
Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up: "It's a message from my imperial brother!"
Chief Secretary Xie hurriedly stepped forward to untie the note, but the black kite was very wary. Apart from Gu Yuzhi, it was unwilling to get close to anyone else. It lowered its head and was about to fiercely peck at Chief Secretary Xie's outstretched hand.
Gu Yuzhi exclaimed in alarm, "Chief Secretary Xie, be careful!"
He lunged forward to hug Black Kite, but Black Kite flapped its wings and flew away.
It didn't thank the chief clerk, but its sharp eyes were fixed on him, as if to say, "If you dare to reach out to me again, I'll really slap you."
Xie Changshi was also terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. If Hei Yuan had really bitten him, his hand would probably have been poked with a hole.
The word "raptor" is not just a casual term.
After Black Kite landed back on the square table, Gu Yuzhi gently tapped its head and spoke to it in a kind voice, "Black Kite, you can't treat Chief Secretary Xie and the others like that."
Hei Yuan tilted her head and looked at him, chirping twice. Gu Yuzhi didn't know if she understood or not, but he just assumed she did.
He patted Black Kite's head: "Good girl. Now I need to get the letter my brother gave me."
Black Kite stood still, obediently waiting for him to untie the ropes.
Gu Yuzhi opened the letter, glanced at it, then pouted in dissatisfaction and handed the note to Chief Secretary Xie: "Your Majesty speaks as concisely as ever."
Xie Changshi took it and saw only two words: "Read."
He puffed out his cheeks and said, "Hmph, if my brother doesn't talk to me more in his next letter, I won't write to him separately anymore!"
Anyway, his sisters-in-law dote on him, and he's rich now. Apart from the potential threat from the Northern Di, he has no other worries.
Chief Secretary Xie breathed a sigh of relief: "With the Emperor's arrangements, there will definitely be no problems with Prince Qi. Your Highness can rest assured."
Gu Yuzhi snorted and poked Hei Yuan's head. Just as he was about to tell Hei Yuan to go to the kitchen to ask Granny Xu for some food, Hei Yuan flapped its wings and flew away.
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