A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Shen Qingci was still not used to being so intimate in public, and soon pushed Zhao Daxuan away.

"Husband, there are still so many people watching."

Shen Qingci's pretty face turned bright red.

Zhao Daxuan laughed heartily, "Haha, alright then, let's talk about it when we get back!"

Zhao Daxuan stopped riding his horse and pulled the women towards the direction of Black Mountain Pass. Only then did Zhao Daxuan notice the city guards protecting the women.

Zhao Daxuan looked them over and asked with a puzzled expression, "Who are you?"

The leader of the city guard stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Reporting to Lord Zhao, we are General Yue's personal guards. General Yue specially arranged for us to escort the ladies to the Black Mountain Pass this time."

Zhao Daxuan nodded slightly, a warm feeling washing over him. His smooth sailing during this period was inseparable from Yue Zhenyuan's help.

"My lord, now that we have escorted the ladies to Black Mountain Pass, we must return to report."

The city guard leader stepped forward to bid farewell to Zhao Daxuan, who smiled upon hearing this.

"Don't rush, eat and drink well first, get some rest here tonight, and go back tomorrow! You've had a long journey!"

After saying that, he turned to Ah Liang, who was standing to the side, and said, "Ah Liang, take these brothers out for a good meal."

"Tell the cooks that I said so, and have them butcher the wild goat I hunted today and give some to these brothers to have a good taste."

Ah Liang's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he grinned as he looked at the city guard captain beside him. "Brothers, come with me. I'll take advantage of your generosity today and get some good stuff too."

The captain smiled and bowed to Zhao Daxuan to express his gratitude, saying, "In that case, thank you for your hospitality, Lord Zhao."

Zhao Daxuan waved his hand and led the women to the general's residence inside the pass.

As a medium-sized border fortress, Heishan Pass is built on the mountainside, integrating offense and defense, and contains many facilities and buildings.

Besides the main wall, there is also a barbican and an inner city. Zhao Daxuan and his soldiers usually rest in the inner city.

Although it is the residence of the commander-in-chief, it is not very big, but about the same size as the Zhao residence in Zhenbei City. Zhao Daxuan has lived here since he moved into Heishan Pass.

After some simple repairs, it's barely habitable.

Upon entering the mansion, Shen Qingci and the others curiously surveyed the dilapidated state of the commander's residence, frowning as they did so.

"Husband, you've been staying here lately? Why is there a hole in the roof? Haven't you had it repaired?"

Li Weiwei spoke with a pained expression, looking at the hole in the ceiling of the reception room, feeling a pang of sadness.

Zhao Daxuan shrugged indifferently, "Why be so particular? We're short on manpower right now, and we'd rather spend our time repairing the passes. As long as the facilities in the inner city are functional, that's fine."

"Let's not talk about that. Ladies, you've come all this way, it must have been tiring. Did you have a safe journey?"

Zhao Daxuan changed the subject, asking about their journey to the Black Mountain Pass.

When Zhao Daxuan asked about the journey, Li Shishi and the other girls all looked at Shen Qingci. As the head of the household, it was natural for her to give the summary.

Shen Qingci smiled and briefly described the general situation on the road. Then, she changed the subject and spoke solemnly.

"My lord, there was actually another important discovery along the way, all thanks to my sister Lin Zhiqing, and this discovery could greatly increase the strength of the Wangbei Camp!"

Seeing Shen Qingci's serious demeanor and the fact that he could significantly increase the strength of the Wangbei Camp, Zhao Daxuan immediately showed curiosity.

He turned to look at Lin Zhiqing, who had a smile on her face, and was surprised that she had discovered something, so he urged her on.

"Oh? So what did you find? Tell us quickly!"

Lin Zhiqing coughed a few times, and only spoke triumphantly after Zhao Daxuan glared at her angrily.

"My lord, at the place where we rested yesterday, we discovered a high-quality iron ore deposit!"

"And more importantly, that iron ore deposit is highly likely to also contain gold!"

As soon as Lin Zhiqing finished speaking, Zhao Daxuan's eyes widened.

iron ore?

Are there also associated gold deposits?

"You actually made that discovery? Are you sure it's true?"

Zhao Daxuan looked incredulous. If there really was such a gold mine, how come it was only discovered now?

Seeing that Zhao Daxuan did not believe her, Lin Zhiqing turned around and took out a fist-sized stone and some fine sand wrapped in a handkerchief from her bag and handed them to Zhao Daxuan.

"My lord, look for yourself. This stone is rich in iron ore. This kind of iron ore can be mined directly in the open, and the cost is extremely low!"

"And look at this handful of fine sand, take a closer look and see what's in it!"

Zhao Daxuan picked up the fist-sized stone, which was extremely heavy. He tapped it and it produced several crisp sounds, which were indeed very similar to the sound of striking metal.

He then stirred the sand a few times and saw a few golden lights shimmering in it, which gave him a sudden shock.

Zhao Daxuan looked up at the women, his face filled with shock. "Is this true?"

Shen Qingci rolled her eyes at Zhao Daxuan and snorted coldly, "What? Do you think we'd lie to you?"

Zhao Daxuan awkwardly touched his nose, then shook his head and smiled, "That's not what I meant, I just find it unbelievable!"

"These ladies are truly my lucky stars. They've given me such a wonderful gift so soon after I arrived at Black Mountain Pass. I must thank you properly tonight!"

Shen Qingci understood Zhao Daxuan's implied meaning, and couldn't help but blush, giving Zhao Daxuan a sidelong glance.

"My lord, you command thousands of soldiers and influence the lives of tens of thousands of people. How can you be so improper!"

Zhao Daxuan shrugged indifferently. "So what? Even if I command tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people, I'm still just a mortal!"

Shen Qingci had no choice but to shake her head, "Husband, you should hurry up and arrange for people to take over that mine. As for the subsequent exploration and mining, we must carefully consider that."

Seeing that Shen Qingci had returned to the serious matter, Zhao Daxuan also put away his joking attitude and looked at Shen Qingci seriously.

"Indeed, this matter is of great importance. I wonder what your opinion is, Madam?"

Shen Qingci had already considered this along the way, so after Zhao Daxuan asked her, she smiled faintly and spoke her mind.

"According to the official rules, this iron mine cannot be mined privately; it must be reported to the imperial court!"

"But in this way, we can only get a small share, and we won't even have the chance to get a share of the profits. We can only get a small amount of money as a reward."

"My lord, are you willing?"

Zhao Daxuan looked pained. It was indeed a bit painful to give up a mine that was practically within his grasp, especially since this mine also contained gold!

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Daxuan shook his head with a bitter face and looked to Shen Qingci for help.