25 Chapter 25
◎Southern goods store?◎
The Eid al-Adha celebrations were bustling with activity, except for one person who was absent.
It was Cen Jue. After careful consideration, the important task of overseeing the road construction was finally given to him. Cen Jue naturally understood the significance of this matter and worked tirelessly day and night.
Furthermore, he had selfish motives. He was a scholar, and while he had mastered the six arts, his archery and horsemanship were nothing but showpieces that would be laughed at by people like Helian Xiao. He also looked out of place in the Central Plains, and unwilling to embarrass himself in front of Li Hengqing, he simply worked overtime to relieve his worries.
Today he was going to escort supplies to a settlement outside Yunzhou City, and at the same time coordinate with the other party on warehousing matters so that the subsequent road construction and business operations could proceed more smoothly.
He took out the token Li Hengqing had given him and showed it to the guard on duty. The guard's face quickly turned solemn. "I'll go inform Captain Cen. Please wait a moment, young master."
Captain Cen? Cen Jue's eyelids twitched when he heard the name. Cen wasn't a well-known surname like Zhao, Qian, Sun, or Li, and it was located in the northern border region. This Captain Cen might actually be a distant relative of his...
If it meant getting work done, there was nothing wrong with building connections. He clenched his fist and made up his mind, but the thin skin of a scholar still made him feel embarrassed and fidgeted.
Half a minute later, the guards ushered him in and led him to a simple residence. An old man, his face full of wrinkles from time, was drinking tea at a table, large flakes of bitter tea leaves floating in the coarse earthenware cup.
"I have told His Highness not to waste any extra—" He spoke without raising his head as soon as he heard the noise.
The visitor accidentally knocked over a chair, and after hearing a loud "bang", Captain Cen raised his head from the account book covered with densely packed and tiny handwriting, and a look of surprise flashed across his cloudy eyes.
Cen Jue's mind wandered, and he accidentally knocked something over, only to be startled back to his senses. He introduced himself, "...I'm Cen Jue, a junior, entrusted by His Highness Shunyang to reconcile accounts with the captain. The supplies have been delivered to the door; you can check them against the roster."
Cen Bazong fell back into his chair, sighed, gestured to the guard to take the booklet, and asked, "Good boy, why are you here?"
Cen Jue naturally didn't want to bring up the fraud case so easily, and instead asked, "Does Captain Cen know this junior?"
More than just acquaintance. Boss Cen moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing and took another sip of the bitter tea in his cup.
…
Another batch of letters arrived, and since Cen Jue was away, Li Hengqing carefully sorted them herself. She checked the letterheads, sorted them by the nature of their work, and then read them carefully afterwards.
Her hand trembled as she pulled out a letter from a settlement outside Yunzhou City. She frowned slightly. She had already given Cen Jue full authority over this matter, so why would they send a letter to her?
It was a private letter from Captain Cen. The letter thanked His Highness Shunyang for facilitating the reunion between them, stating that the imperial examination fraud case involving Cen Jue was perpetrated by the Sixth Prince's group under the guise of eliminating "remnant traitors." He feared the recent difficulties were not simply a matter of preventing the Northern Goods Company from growing larger. He urged His Highness to exercise caution in all matters.
Signed: Yanshuanwei Cen.
Contrary to Li Hengqing's initial assumptions, the Falcon Guards did not belong to the original body's mother, Li Yunqing, but were instead a legacy of her sister, Li Yunyan. The traitor, naturally, also referred to Li Yunyan. During Li Yunyan's treasonous conspiracy, Concubine Lan, who had accompanied her, had also played a significant role.
A mere concubine could leave behind such power, and even make Concubine Lan's eldest son so fearful to this day...
At this time, Lang Yue came to report: "Princess, the newly selected guards for the Eid al-Adha are waiting outside the tent. Do you want to see them now?"
Li Hengqing put the letter away and nodded, saying, "Bring it in."
The people who filed in were all strong and robust young men from the grasslands, half men and half women. This was also Li Hengqing's instruction. She wanted to train a group of her own personal guards.
But there was a person standing in the corner. Although he was tall, he was much slender, which made him look out of place. Li Hengqing walked up to him and looked at him. Although he had an ordinary face, he couldn't tell what was wrong with him... Got it!
The young man that Cen Jue met that day also had an ordinary appearance!
The guards outside the tent received a signal and stepped forward to tie the boy's hands. The boy did not struggle, allowing Li Hengqing to grab his chin, groping for the edge of the mask, and rip it off with a "swish".
Her face was beautiful, with fox eyes and smiling lips. Even though she was in pain and embarrassment, she did not forget to wink at Li Hengqing.
Li Hengqing said coldly, "Are you the one who stole the seeds from Silver Moon Valley?"
The boy nodded.
Li Hengqing snorted, "Take him away and let the Khan decide his fate."
If he fell into Helian Xiao's hands, this wouldn't be his fate. That horrible jealous husband might kill every attractive man around Li Hengqing! The young man's face changed, and he spoke in a uniquely accented Chinese: "Your Highness Shunyang, I know the secret of the Sand Fox Tribe—don't you want to know the weakness of that war machine? The leader there is always coveting you!"
"Coveting me?" Li Hengqing laughed, waved his hand to stop the guards, and pinched the boy's chin again, "You'd better explain yourself clearly."
"Because he is like you and one of your predecessors," the young man said word by word, "to some extent, he is the same person."
Li Hengqing's expression changed slightly, and the boy knew that he had made the right bet.
After a while, she said, "You stay here and keep your hands tied. The others keep a close eye on him."
"I won't call you 'him' or 'you'." The young man didn't resist, but his tone was strangely aggrieved. "My name is Saga. The leader of the Sand Fox Tribe is used to calling me White Fox. Your Highness Shunyang, you can call me whatever you want."
…
"White Fox?" Helian Xiao frowned when he heard the name.
Li Hengqing nodded: "This person might be useful. I'll keep him."
She paused for a moment, then asked with interest, "Khan wants to blame me?"
"...Ahem. Of course not. I'm just worried he might harm the princess." Helian Xiao quickly explained, "I've never heard of the name Saga, but Baihu is indeed a scout under the command of Chief Sand Fox... Judging from his actions, is he planning to surrender to the princess?"
Thinking of the handsome face of the young man who called himself the White Fox, Helian Xiao couldn't help but frown and gritted his teeth, saying, "...I'll have people pay more attention to him, but Princess, you must be extra careful too. Foxes are very cunning creatures."
Li Hengqing was about to answer when his personal guard suddenly entered the room, earning a glare from Helian Xiao. Li Hengqing turned his head, missing the scene, and nodded to the personal guard, "Go ahead."
The guard was caught between the two men, unable to move forward or backward. He could only watch and think: "Khatun, Nasakya insists on having a private conversation with you face to face and refuses to write anything down."
"A secret conversation?" Helian Xiao raised his eyebrows. "Why not take him away and give him a couple of beatings first?"
Li Hengqing listened, thought for a moment, and said, "That makes sense. Let's do it this way. Be careful not to cause any harm to anyone."
After all, this person actually stole her seeds, causing everyone in Silver Moon Valley to be in a panic for a long time. He really deserves to be taught a lesson.
Unexpectedly, not long after, the guard came back to report: "That man was willing to confess everything when he saw the whip, and asked me to tell the princess a message..."
He looked down at the note and hesitantly read: "...System..."
Li Hengqing: "Stop."
Helian Xiao: "What thin bucket?"
The two of them spoke almost at the same time.
"The leader system's energy source is conquest. Now it's almost exhausted, which will be detrimental to the princess." The guard straightened his tongue, his expression somewhat confused. "Does this mean that the Sand Fox Tribe is going to harm us again?"
"Got it. Give me the note first." Li Hengqing stretched out his hand, feeling inexplicably tired and his temples aching.
If the source of her system points is "Grassland Blessing", if there really are other systems in the world, how do they get points?
If it was really a war, there has been no news about the Sand Fox Tribe in more than ten years, and the new leader only took office more than ten years ago.
"Keep asking," Li Hengqing said, lowering his eyes. "Just tell me what I said. If he's truly a smart man, he should explain everything he knows about the leader."
After she finished her explanation, she felt a tangible gaze fixed on her. Turning her head, she saw Helian Xiao's tangible gaze, his upper eyelids wet, as he rested his chin on the armrest of the chair, looking up at her. Li Hengqing found it amusing and reached out to ruffle the Wolf King's soft black hair, waiting for him to speak.
Playing the game of "wanting to say something but not saying it" with her? Interesting.
"In the later period of the previous leader of the Sand Fox Tribe, the current leader has already held military power and frequently provoked disputes of varying sizes inside and outside the alliance. Some of his reasons are quite poor, and cannot even be considered legitimate." After a long while, Helian Xiao finally spoke slowly.
That made some sense. However, Li Hengqing still couldn't understand why he had suddenly stopped thinking for so many years. She pinched Helian Xiao's chin again and thought, "If that's really the case, if there really is a battle with the Sand Fox Tribe, it would be better to attrition."
But there's still a missing link. What's the connection between all the strange events from over a decade ago?
Li Hengqing reclined in his chair, lazily stroking the lifelike white tiger head on the fur rug. "...Is this really the Sand Fox Tribe in the north?"
Helian Xiao nodded, took the black tea brewed by Lang Yue very naturally, and gently placed it in front of Li Hengqing: "Old Sand Fox has many offspring. There have always been rumors in Bingyuan that he will be harmed by his offspring and die in the civil war."
Another civil strife. Li Hengqing silently sipped his tea and had a newly forged dagger brought in from the iron mine. The handle was plain hardwood, the scabbard ordinary leather. Only the sharp blade flashed a brilliant, almost blinding cold light as it was unsheathed under the animal oil lamp. A light breath blew away the hair.
"There's no problem with smelting," Li Hengqing said. "As long as the road is repaired, production will be stable for many years. But to be invincible, short weapons like daggers are far from enough. Khan, I want firearms."
Helian Xiao looked at her. He knew that Li Hengqing disliked war and had never provoked other tribes. He simply nodded and said, "Okay."
"...We'll start with a group of elite firearms battalions as a deterrent. We don't need too many," Li Hengqing continued. "Horseshoes and better horse harnesses can all be used. Our manpower is limited, so the Khan can make the decision."
*
There are many mysteries surrounding the Sand Fox Tribe. Li Hengqing asked people to investigate, but there was no news for a long time.
Even so, there were many matters of the tribe that could not be delayed. Thanks to the improvement of machinery, the efficiency of road construction was much higher than that of traditional methods. Despite the haste, the road was completed before the ground froze in winter.
Winter, just before the Lunar New Year, is a prime time for the people of Nansheng to stock up on New Year's goods. During this time, the Northern Goods Company saw another significant influx of revenue. Li Hengqing flipped through the account book and felt as if the Lunar New Year itself was approaching. He could still hear the jingle of cash flowing into his pocket.
However, the branches in the city still lacked a favorable sponsor, and many large and small orders could not be negotiated, leaving customers disappointed and feeling a bit upset. Many of these customers went to another newly opened "Southern Goods Store", which sold mostly aged rice and cured meat, but the prices were surprisingly low.
Where in the world is the most abundant rice? Of course it is not in the warehouses of the landlords, but in the government granaries.
She couldn't help but frown, but then Lang Yue came in with a falcon in his hand: "Princess, it won't let me take the mailbox. You have to come and get it yourself."
Falcon turned his head and looked at Li Hengqing innocently with his round eyes, letting her take off the mailbox without struggling at all.
However, the content of the letter was not so comforting.
Shen Zhenyuan said that someone from the palace was about to arrive in Yunzhou City with an imperial edict, and judging by their posture, it seemed that they were heading for Shunyang Palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
