Shu Xiaohan said with a smile, "Manager Yu fought a brilliant comeback last night. The Zhou family is the epitome of villains in Changzhou. If Li's Trading Company doesn't want to incite public resentment, it will definitely distance itself from the Zhou family. You know, the customer is king!"
Gu Yuzhi didn't understand what God was, but he knew that this statement was the same as what Xie Changshi said about water being able to carry a boat but also capsize it.
Not long after Qi Wenhan left, Xie Changshi went to Longchang Escort Agency to finalize the acquisition. Then, he worked tirelessly with Xu Mama to purchase servants, making sure that things in the mansion could run smoothly.
After a flurry of activity, the mansion finally managed to purchase some servants, and the signboard of Longchang Escort Agency was changed to Wen's Escort Agency a few days later.
Although Qi Wenhan did not attend to offer his congratulations, he did send two highly skilled veteran constables to the door. Manager Yu knew the background of these two men, so he decided to accept them.
Once the matter with the escort agency was settled, Chief Secretary Xie immediately began recruiting workers, hoping to clear a simple road through Xinliang before the snow melted next year. Apart from taking care of Gu Yuzhi's three meals a day, Granny Xu spent the rest of her time training the servants.
Gu Yuzhi was tormented to the point of death by Chen Dianyi's rote memorization teaching method every day. As soon as get out of class ended, his energy would recover. Every time, Chen Dianyi would shake his head in anger and say that he would go to complain to Xie Changshi. However, because of what Qin Yuanpan had said before, he would not actually go. He could only suffer the headache himself.
Time passed slowly, and when the first snow fell in the northern desert, Qi Chenglang and his entourage finally arrived at the post station on the outskirts of the capital and handed over Ran Gonggong to the people in the palace.
Geng, the head镖师, originally wanted to lead his men back, but Qi Chenglang refused. The group then stayed at a small inn on the outskirts of the capital.
Eunuch Ran, carrying numerous return gifts, entered the imperial study and, before he could even speak, burst into tears: "Your Majesty, I almost didn't make it back to see you! I... I'm so guilty..."
Gu Yuchen stared at him expressionlessly until Eunuch Ran's sobs subsided before speaking, "Tell me, how have you wronged me? And how have you committed a crime?"
Eunuch Ran sniffed: "Your Majesty, our servants encountered bandits while traveling through the northern desert. I escaped because I needed to relieve myself, but the guards were all wiped out, and Your Highness's gifts were also stolen..."
Zhao Xi, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What?"
The accompanying guards were all dressed in armor, and the procession was adorned with bright royal banners. How could these bandits be so blind as to dare to rob imperial gifts!
"Yes, we servants never expected that bandits would be so bold. Fortunately, Guard Qi, who was by His Highness Prince Wen's side, led everyone to retrieve the rewards. However, the guards themselves are missing."
As soon as Eunuch Ran finished speaking, he felt a chill run through his body. He knew that the Emperor was angry, so he lowered his body even further and trembled uncontrollably.
After a long while, Gu Yuchen said lightly, "You're lucky."
Upon hearing this, both Eunuch Ran and Zhao Xi breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the Emperor did not intend to implicate him.
Eunuch Ran pushed the small box he always carried forward forward: "Your Majesty, this is a return gift from Prince Wen, a famous luminous cup from the northern desert."
Gu Yuchen's eyes flickered slightly: "Is that so? Open it and let me see."
Eunuch Ran hurriedly opened the box and handed it to Zhao Xi. Zhao Xi skillfully found several letters in the inner compartment and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, His Highness has written you such a thick stack of letters again."
"Besides the letter to you, I also replied to the letters to all the ladies in the harem, but none of them were as generous as the one to you. Your Highness must miss you very much."
Gu Yuchen's mood improved considerably: "Missing me? You miss my rewards, don't you?"
Zhao Xi chuckled as she unfolded the letter and read it aloud. Gu Yuchen had already obtained the information he wanted from the letter. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a while before waving his hand, showing no intention of reading the letter himself: "The escort agency in Mobei sent you back?"
At this point, Eunuch Ran's tone softened: "Yes, it was Chief Secretary Xie who found the escort agency for me. The journey back was not without its dangers, but fortunately the escorts were highly skilled, which is why I was able to return safely."
Seeing Gu Yuchen's relaxed tone, Eunuch Ran continued, "His Highness not only returned the gift to you, but also to all the ladies of the palace, filling several carriages to the brim."
At this point, Eunuch Ran swallowed hard and boldly said, "I heard from people in the Prince's mansion that His Highness was heartbroken for several days after receiving your reply. Chief Secretary Xie told me that His Highness misses you."
He didn't say anything more, but Gu Yuchen had a faint smile on his face. He deliberately only wrote a few words to make Gu Yuzhi anxious, since that kid had asked for so much from him with just one letter.
He pointed to several letters on the dragon desk: "Send the return gifts to all the palaces, so that the ladies can see Xiao Liu's return gifts and avoid them complaining to me."
The eunuch Ran tactfully withdrew with the letter. Once outside the imperial study, he straightened up, clutching his wildly beating heart, and let out a long sigh of relief, muttering softly, "Thank you for your protection, Your Highness..."
Gu Yuchen's gaze fell on his own letter: "Zhao Xi, what do you think of Chief Secretary Xie's suggestion?"
How about it?
Zhao Xi had no idea. He broke out in a cold sweat for a while before finally saying, "This servant thinks that since it was proposed by Chief Secretary Xie, it should be feasible."
"Heh..." Gu Yuchen chuckled sarcastically, "You old codger, you're as cunning as ever."
However, that's true; using a security escort agency to transmit information would indeed be much more convenient.
However, there are also drawbacks to doing this, and it is difficult for Gu Yuchen not to think about these things with the mindset of an emperor.
He understood that Chief Secretary Xie was hiding guards within the escort agency, using the agency to increase the number of Gu Yuzhi's personal guards.
If he agrees, this is just the beginning. Gu Yuzhi mentioned in his letter that he wanted to do business, so people from all walks of life would be mixed in with Gu Yuzhi's personal guards.
Gu Yuzhi is still young, and Xie Changshi can keep him in check, but as he grows up, will he still listen to Xie Changshi like this? Or rather, after Xie Changshi has been in the northern desert for so long, will he still be as loyal to him as he is today?
The human heart is the most uncontrollable thing!
But right now, it's him who pushed things to this point.
Remembering the master's words, Gu Yuchen decided to take the gamble, since the situation in Mobei could not get any worse.
After figuring this out, Gu Yuchen's expression relaxed a bit. He beckoned to Zhao Xi, who promptly handed him the letter. Gu Yuchen read it carefully from beginning to end and then laughed: "See? What did I tell you before? My brother is getting smarter and smarter. He said that these mountain bandits had been troubling the northern desert for more than ten years, but now they have all been wiped out by his personal guards. He asked me if this counts as a meritorious service."
Zhao Xi chuckled and echoed, "It's all because of Your Majesty's wisdom that His Highness has this opportunity to make a contribution..."
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