Buying and selling

After seeing Gao Yuan off, Zhao Xiyao's heart finally settled, and she sat quietly for a while.

Reflecting on Gao Yuan's words once more, she finally made up her mind to pick up her brush and reply to the Former Crown Prince.

Although the contents of the letter didn't follow Gao Yuan's intentions exactly, they weren't far off.

She wrote that the situation on the Southwest border was perilous, with Toungoo, Lan Xang, and Western Kang watching like tigers, and those Local Chieftains in Qian Prefecture were beginning to stir.

The local soldiers were unwilling to leave their homes, and she feared that if their morale wavered, others would take advantage and invade.

She hoped the Crown Prince could dispatch elite troops and capable generals to take over the defenses of the three regions and escort her back north.

She had seen Gao Yuan's ability to win people over; those soldiers had become utterly loyal to him overnight.

If Gao Yuan knew what Zhao Xiyao was thinking, he would surely cry out that he was being wronged.

His ability relied on a cheat; unfortunately, aside from a Martial Soul Trial Card, he was currently penniless and empty-handed!

On the other side, in Guangzhou, a grand fleet of ships slowly docked at the port.

Gao Zhong stepped out from under a sunshade and found a dark-skinned man.

"Manager Feng, how is it?"

The man smiled and pulled out a piece of silk, handing it to Gao Zhong.

"Shopkeeper Gao's business is my, Feng Si's, business. How could I possibly fail?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the fleet behind him and leaned closer to Gao Zhong, lowering his voice.

"Ten ships. I filled five of them entirely for you. If the Madam found out, I'm afraid..."

Seeing the greed revealed in Feng Si's eyes, Gao Zhong felt a surge of contempt.

However, his face remained bright with smiles as he pulled a massive pearl from his robe and pressed it into Feng Si's hand.

"I knew Manager Feng had great methods. Don't worry, I will personally go to thank Lady Xian."

Feng Si laughed loudly and patted Gao Zhong on the shoulder.

"Shopkeeper Gao truly knows how to conduct himself, hahaha!"

Once Feng Si had left, Gao Zhong discreetly brushed off his shoulder and coldly instructed his subordinates.

"Go and bring the people back. Settle them all in the side courtyard first so they can recover their strength."

"Understood!"

A dozen or so subordinates responded and set off to work, while Gao Zhong boarded a carriage.

The climate in South of the Ranges was sweltering, so the demand for ice was naturally very high.

Particularly since every autumn and winter, there was the task of transporting fresh fruit to places like Luoyang to offset taxes.

Understanding this situation, Gao Zhong quickly secured the support of the Duchess of Yue, Lady Xian, at the cost of forty percent of the profits.

With official support and money clearing the way, the business naturally flourished, accumulating a massive fortune in just half a year.

Aside from bribing officials of all ranks and tribal chiefs, and maintaining appearances, the rest of this money was originally intended to be converted into gold and sent back to Menge at the end of the year.

As for now, it had all been turned into people according to Gao Yuan's orders—refugees bought from the north.

When the five ships for transporting fresh fruit returned, they were filled with refugees from the Hebei region.

In the north, these refugees were practically worthless, even a burden.

As long as Feng Si provided a bite to eat, plenty of people naturally scrambled to board the ships.

But once they reached South of the Ranges and Guangzhou, Gao Zhong had to pay two strings of cash for each person.

Of course, this was the official payment to Lady Xian; Feng Si and his subordinates naturally had to be paid separately.

Looking at the more than five hundred dull-eyed men and women in the courtyard, Gao Zhong showed a look of pity.

"Go find two physicians to help them recover, and ensure food and water are supplied on time;

By the way, has the route for transporting them back to Menge been cleared?"

To safely send these people to Dehong and Menge, they had to pass through seven or eight prefectures.

A small portion was Lady Xian's territory, which was fine, but the territories of those Local Chieftains would not be so easy to cross.

"Rest assured, Shopkeeper. We have already bribed everyone along the way in Wu Prefecture, Yongzhou, Lingyun, Guangnan, and Puer. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"The Area Commander of Yongzhou, Wang Chuan, and the Prefect, Wang Fu, said they want to make a deal with us."

"What kind of deal?"

"They have a batch of prisoners exiled by the imperial court, as well as locals caught for various crimes, totaling over a thousand people..."

Gao Zhong immediately understood that this fellow wanted to make a profit, and he couldn't help but sneer.

"How much does he want?"

"He... he wants ten percent of the dividends. He said as long as we agree, he will send troops every month to help us capture people from various places and send them to Dehong."

Gao Zhong's eyes lit up. After only a moment's thought, he made the decision.

"Tell Wang Chuan and Wang Fu that I agree to this condition, but they must guarantee at least five hundred people every month."

"Understood!"

In one breath, Gao Zhong spent all the wealth he had accumulated over the past several months, handing in a perfect result to Gao Yuan.

Time flew by, and it was now mid-December; a peaceful year was drawing to a close.

This year of recovery and growth had allowed all parts of Nanzhou to see significant development.

Through plundering and purchasing, and including the two thousand-plus people Gao Zhong had just sent, the population of the three regions reached over thirty thousand households, totaling more than one hundred and fifty thousand people.

Grain production had barely reached self-sufficiency, and Gao Yuan's chicken farm had welcomed its first batch of chicks; protein independence was just around the corner.

The army's strength had also expanded, with the City Defense Forces growing to three thousand five hundred men.

Among them, fifteen hundred were stationed in Luang Namtha, while Menge and West City each had one thousand.

Gao Yuan's core First Division had also returned to a scale of fifteen hundred men.

Meanwhile, in Luoyang, within the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince Zhao Wu harm was so enraged that he swept everything off his desk onto the floor.

"Xiao Jiu, what a 'good' Xiao Jiu. Truly my good sister. Not only does she refuse to help me, but she actually has the nerve to reach out for more;

Fine, fine. Since you are so heartless and unjust, don't blame me for disregarding our sibling bond."

After his harsh words, Zhao Wu harm looked at the nearby eunuch with murderous eyes.

"Prepare the carriage. I am going to the Hall of Martial Virtue."

Emperor Zhao Che had just set down his medicine bowl when he heard an attendant report that the Crown Prince requested an audience.

He had long been utterly disappointed and perplexed by this son, who was both stupid and narrow-minded.

If there was one thing worthy of note, it was that Zhao Wu harm had ambition and some skill in political maneuvering.

The reason he hadn't chosen to depose the Crown Prince yet was partly out of fear of causing unrest, and partly because he hoped to give The Emperor more tempering.

Of course, he didn't rule out keeping a backup plan; after all, he only had two sons who were at all capable.

In case something happened to The Emperor, Zhao Wu harm would be the reserve choice.

"Tell him to come in!"

Zhao Che said in an old, weary voice.

"Understood!"

After a moment, Zhao Wu harm walked in and performed a respectful bow.

"Your son pays his respects to Imperial Father. May Imperial Father's dragon body be healthy for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations."

Zhao Che's face showed no change in expression.

"Why has the Crown Prince come to the Hall of Martial Virtue so late?"

Perhaps because the lights in the hall were too dim, Zhao Wu harm didn't notice Zhao Che's expression at all.

"Does Imperial Father still remember Ninth Sister and the Consort Kin, Gao Yuan?"

"Hmm?"

Zhao Che squinted his eyes at his son, naturally seeing the venomous expression on Zhao Wu harm's face, and his tone gradually turned cold.

"Didn't they go to the Southwest border?"

"I was thinking that Consort Xian misses her daughter, so I wrote a letter hoping Ninth Sister would return to Luoyang to live. I didn't expect this Ninth Sister..."

Zhao Wu harm added fuel to the fire as he recounted what Zhao Xiyao had done over the past year and her reply.

"Imperial Father, I feel that Ninth Sister is failing in her filial duties, and that Gao Yuan is even more full of ambition."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"I believe we should mobilize a large army to capture Ninth Sister and Gao Yuan and imprison them in Luoyang..."

Before Zhao Wu harm could finish his sentence, an inkstone suddenly came flying toward him, striking him right on the knee.

Whether from pain or fear, Zhao Wu harm suddenly knelt on the ground, trembling.