Gu Yuzhi bowed to Chen Dianyi with a straight face, and after he left the school, he couldn't help but let out a big yawn.
Hearing a noise outside the door, Gu Yuzhi quickly covered his mouth, his round eyes filled with tears, afraid that Chen Dianyi would catch him wanting to sleep in class again and then complain to Xie Changshi.
Fortunately, it was Granny Xu who came in and did not notice Gu Yuzhi's actions. While packing her things, she said, "Your Highness, Chief Secretary Xie and Guard Qi have returned and are waiting for you in the council hall."
Gu Yuzhi breathed a sigh of relief, put his hands behind his back and walked out towards the council hall, basking in the warm sun. There was a layer of fallen leaves in the courtyard, and his feet made a rustling sound as he stepped on them. Occasionally, a leaf would break and make a small cracking sound.
He found it somewhat amusing, and on his way to the council hall, he deliberately chose to walk on areas with leaves, sometimes even skipping and jumping. However, Granny Xu, who was following behind, frowned.
When Gu Yuzhi arrived at the council hall, Chief Secretary Xie and Guard Qi were talking. Hearing the commotion, they quickly turned around and bowed to him.
He climbed onto the chair and sat down, his gaze shifting between the two men, his eyes filled with anticipation: "Chief Secretary Xie, Guard Qi, have you found the escort agency?"
They must have found it, otherwise Chief Secretary Xie wouldn't have come to report with Guard Qi.
Gu Yuzhi pursed his lips, trying hard to control the corners of his mouth that wanted to turn up. He felt that Teacher Shu's words were very appropriate at this moment: when luck comes, you can't stop it.
Sure enough, Xie Changshi nodded the next second and said, "Yes. It is a long-established escort agency. It seems most likely that they were targeted. Before we went there, they had already planned to sell the agency to a local Li's Trading Company."
Before Gu Yuzhi could ask, Qi Chenglang hurriedly spoke up: "Your Highness, you must say, the Longchang Escort Agency truly lives up to its long history. I estimate that at its peak, it was the largest escort agency in the area. Its training ground was almost a quarter the size of the palace, and it was fully equipped with weapons such as knives, swords, spears, lances, halberds, and lances. I checked, and the weapons were all in excellent condition."
Those who practice martial arts attach extraordinary importance to their weapons. In the case of Longchang Escort Agency, the head镖师 (escort officers) and镖师 (escort masters) maintain these weapons every day, which gave Qi Chenglang a good impression even before he met them.
This is also why he later mentioned that if His Highness had taken over the escort agency, he would have been willing to let these people continue to stay there.
When this matter was brought up, Xie Changshi said in an annoyed tone, "You were too impulsive. You made promises without even investigating these people properly."
Qi Chenglang glanced down at Xie Changshi and chuckled as he argued, "I didn't say anything definitive! Do you really think I'm stupid? Besides, isn't Xie Changshi the one who's going to vet these people?"
Xie Changshi sighed deeply, feeling that his hair had turned quite a bit whiter recently.
Gu Yuzhi covered her mouth and chuckled secretly, feeling that Xie Changshi's expressions were much richer than when they first met: "And then? And then?"
Xie Changshi immediately straightened his expression: "The people from Longchang Escort Agency didn't agree immediately either. After all, the Wen family is a place that the locals in Mobei have never even heard of. It's normal for them to have doubts."
Because of the Emperor, the news of Prince Wen Gu Yuzhi being "exiled" to the northern desert was not widely publicized among the people. In addition, for the sake of His Highness's safety, Xie Changshi and others concealed their whereabouts all the way, and even fewer people in the northern desert knew His Highness's identity. Naturally, the people of Longchang Escort Agency could not associate His Highness with the surname Wen.
“Your Highness, I have decided to have the Longchang Escort Agency escort Eunuch Ran back to the capital, with Guard Qi accompanying him, along with Guard Fan Cong.”
Guard Fan?
Gu Yuzhi tilted his head and thought for a moment before remembering what Guard Fan looked like: "Is it that guard with the dark face?"
Guard Fan's skin wasn't actually that dark; he was just serious and rarely smiled. Your Highness's description wasn't wrong.
Chief Secretary Xie smiled and said, "Yes. Guard Fan Cong previously worked in the Ministry of Justice and was under Guard Zhang. He is quite good at building relationships with people. Guard Qi's main duties are to protect Eunuch Ran and learn how to escort goods. Guard Fan's main purpose is to understand the character of the escorts from Longchang Escort Agency."
Gu Yuzhi's mouth gaped open, her face full of disbelief. How could the fierce-looking guard Fan Cong possibly get along with people?
Shu Xiaohan clicked her tongue twice: "Oh my, it seems that everyone around our young prince is a person of great hidden talent!" She chuckled, revealing eight white teeth, "Of course, the person who is the most hidden talent is me."
Manager Wen glanced at Shu Xiaohan, fanning himself smugly, and said, "I'm the one who's truly the most unassuming. What's so special about your agriculture? Last time, I made His Highness go to Xinliang, spending several days traveling, and all he got was the conclusion that we could establish a residence there." He paused and continued, "And besides, you're a woman, don't you have any self-awareness as a woman? Dressing provocatively is one thing, but don't you know you shouldn't smile with your teeth showing?"
Upon hearing this, Shu Xiaohan rolled her eyes without hesitation: "Are you a living ETC device?"
Gu Yuzhi blinked. What new term is this?
Manager Wen's face immediately darkened: "What do you mean?"
"What do you mean?" Shu Xiaohan spat angrily. "It means you like to argue! No matter what I say, you have to argue, always saying that agriculture is no good or no good. What, did you grow up eating the northwest wind?"
Shu Xiaohan had wanted to say these words for a long time. She had always thought that she and Manager Wen were in a cooperative relationship, and that both of them were doing what was best for the young prince, so she was willing to take a step back and let things be.
Now it seems that the saying has been proven true: "Take a step back and they'll take a big swipe!"
"I really don't understand what you people who discriminate against agriculture are thinking. If there were no farmers, what would you eat? What about your clothing, food, shelter, and transportation can be separated from agriculture? Don't try to act superior to me all the time. I'm not buying it. In the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, you merchants have the lowest status!"
Upon hearing this, Manager Wen's expression changed drastically, and his gaze toward Shu Xiaohan was filled with murderous intent. If he weren't currently only in a state of consciousness, he would guarantee that he had a thousand ways to kill Shu Xiaohan!
Shu Xiaohan, however, seemed oblivious to Manager Wen's expression and continued, "Also, in later generations, this kind of smile is the standard! Don't try to manipulate me with those 'smile without showing teeth' nonsense."
Gu Yuzhi covered his head, his face pale. He hadn't expected that Manager Wen and Shu Xiaohan would argue so fiercely over such a trivial matter.
He felt a terrible headache, worse than when he had a high fever, and silently cried out, "Stop arguing! Stop arguing!"
At this moment, he really wanted to say what his father often said: "Guards, drag these two people out of here!"
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