Isolated town in northern border region

Over the next few days, Xiao Lie led his team through the villages and towns of Yongzhou.

Xiao Lie noticed something.

The crops in the fields were indeed very good, but the people working by the fields rarely had smiles on their faces.

They worked silently with their heads down, like silent machines.

When someone sees his carriage by the roadside, they will instinctively lower their head even further.

When people encounter them on the street, they will voluntarily move aside without looking up or bowing, and simply wait for them to pass.

Xiao Lie kept quiet and simply remembered everything.

Five days later, the group arrived in Yongzhou City.

Yongzhou City was even larger than Youzhou City, with tall and thick city walls and wide-open city gates, with a constant stream of people coming and going.

The guards at the city gate saw the banner of "King of the Northern Frontier" from afar and immediately lined up to salute.

Xiao Lie led his men into the city and found an inn to settle down.

I had just settled in and hadn't even had a chance to wash my face when the guard came to report.

"Your Highness, Luo You, the Prefect of Yongzhou, requests an audience."

Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow.

"Luo You?"

"Isn't he a member of the Wang family?"

"What? Instead of learning from Du Ming and avoiding suspicion, you've come to our door of your own accord?"

He had heard of Luo You, the prefect of Yongzhou.

A native of Yongzhou, who married into the Wang family, a top-tier aristocratic family in the Chu Kingdom!

It's the Wang family that he extorted in the northern border region back then.

Luo You, a son-in-law of the Wang family, became a powerful regional official in his early thirties, demonstrating his skill even with the Wang family's support.

"Please let him in."

Luo You was a middle-aged man in his mid-thirties, dressed in a dark official robe. He was tall and slender with a thin face, and a jade pendant of excellent quality hung at his waist.

He moved slowly and deliberately, bowing as he entered.

"This humble official, Luo You, Prefect of Yongzhou, pays his respects to His Highness the King of the Northern Frontier."

Xiao Lie sat upright in the main seat and glanced at him.

"You're too kind, Lord Luo. Please have a seat."

Luo You sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries about the local customs of Yongzhou, the joy of the restoration of the northern frontier, and the unparalleled benevolence and righteousness of Qingzhou. His tone was humble and appropriate, and there was nothing to criticize.

But Xiao Lie noticed...

When Luo You spoke to him, his gaze passed over him several times, looking towards the side room behind him.

Xiao Lie frowned, then quickly regained his composure.

I simply picked up my teacup and waited.

Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry. Since Luo You was willing to talk about it, Xiao Lie just treated it as listening to a story.

Luo You chatted for a while longer before finally getting to the point.

"Your Highness, the Qixi Festival is approaching. The royal family of Yongzhou is hosting a Qixi literary gathering and has invited scholars and celebrities from various families in Yongzhou."

"I have heard that Princess Minyue is also in Your Highness's entourage. I wonder if the princess would be interested in joining us?"

He took out a gold-embossed invitation from his pocket and handed it to him with both hands.

Xiao Lie took it, but didn't open it; he simply placed it on the table.

"Is Lord Luo here to deliver the invitation on behalf of the Wang family?"

Luo You smiled slightly.

"Your Highness is wise. The Wang family is a prominent clan in Yongzhou, so the literary gathering will naturally be handled by the Wang family."

"As the prefect of Yongzhou, I certainly will not act as a messenger for the sake of one family or clan."

"As an official of the Great Chu, I am deeply grateful for the favor bestowed upon me in governing Yongzhou. It is my duty to contribute to the flourishing of Yongzhou's cultural heritage!"

Xiao Lie glanced at Luo You.

What a silver tongue you have!

If I do not accept, it would be a delay to the prosperity of the Great Chu's cultural heritage!

He then looked at the invitation again and nodded.

"I understand."

"I will convey the message to the princess. As for whether the princess will go..." He paused.

"That depends on what the princess thinks."

Luo You wanted to persuade him further, but Xiao Lie changed the subject.

"However... I've always been interested in exciting things!"

"At the Qixi Festival literary gathering, even I, a mere warrior, would like to join in the fun!"

"I wonder if Lord Luo and Wang Jia Huan aren't welcoming him?"

Luo You's face immediately lit up with a smile, as if he were truly looking forward to Xiao Lie's arrival at the literary gathering.

"It is a great honor for Yongzhou that Your Highness has graced us with your presence!"

He exchanged a few more pleasantries, then got up to take his leave. As he reached the door, he paused, turned back, and smiled.

"Your Highness, with the literary gathering approaching, the Yongzhou Prefecture City has opened a night market for seven days. If Your Highness has the leisure, you might as well go and take a look."

"In Wenhua Lane in the northwest corner, there are some stalls selling calligraphy and paintings, where you can occasionally find some good stuff."

Xiao Lie nodded with a smile.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Luo."

After Luo You left, Xiao Lie picked up the invitation and glanced at it.

The calligraphy was excellent, flowing smoothly, and the signature read "Wang Family of Yongzhou".

He closed the invitation, placed it on the table, and took a sip of tea.

"A literary gathering for Qixi Festival?"

"Wenhua Lane?"

"night market?"

He was talking to himself.

"This Luo You is probably not simple!"

He looked out the window; dusk was falling.

One by one, the lights of Yongzhou City lit up, and the sounds of people on the streets gradually increased.

Xiao Lie put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the unfamiliar night scene.

suddenly!

A dark shadow flashed past the window with a "whoosh," then circled in mid-air a few times before landing on Xiao Lie's shoulder.

"Hmm? A carrier pigeon!"

Xiao Lie looked at the small bamboo tube on the pigeon's leg and took out the sachet that Xu De had given him from his pocket.

Sure enough, after smelling the scent of the sachet, the carrier pigeon began to flap its wings incessantly.

"Sure!"

"Old Xu's pretty quick!"

Xiao Lie took down the small bamboo tube and pulled out a piece of cloth from it, unfolding it.

"The Mu family processed large quantities of medicinal herbs such as henbane, datura, and rhododendron, in quantities far exceeding what is appropriate for normal patient treatment!"

"After three days of tracking, the medicinal herbs disappeared in Langgu Mountain, Bingzhou!"

The cloth strip was small, and Xu De's message was also short.

But that's enough to prove that the Mu family is definitely not clean!

Xiao Lie immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Du Ming in Qingzhou overnight, thus beginning the next step of his plan.

After finishing everything, Xiao Lie weighed the sachet in his hand.

"These carrier pigeons are really convenient. Looks like I should find some time to raise a batch for myself."

Over the next few days, Xiao Lie led Bi Su and a group of northern men to explore the entire city of Yongzhou, enjoying the food, drinks, and entertainment all over the place.

Those young masters from aristocratic families were also sensible; they avoided Xiao Lie whenever they saw him, showing no intention of trying to show off.

Xiao Lie was particularly unhappy about this!

Other transmigrators always encounter brainless young masters who show off and slap them in the face in one go, but why is it that when it comes to me, there's not even a ripple?

Are the second-generation rich kids in Yongzhou really that cowardly?

Little did Xiao Lie know that his reputation for dealing with those rich young masters in the Northern Frontier had already spread far and wide, and no good person would be willing to be dealt with!

After his tour, Xiao Lie gained a clear understanding of the prosperity of Yongzhou.

While there are few handicrafts, the service industry is surprisingly developed, except for agriculture, which has a unique advantage.

Restaurants, teahouses, theaters, and brothels were countless, and even the street vendors had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves.

But what Xiao Lie found disconcerting was that there were hardly any farmers on the street, not even a single person selling vegetables or grain!

As Xiao Lie saw along the way, Yongzhou was flat and fertile. Surely every household must have some surplus grain.

This is so bizarre!

Just as Xiao Lie sensed something was wrong, Du Ming from Qingzhou, following Xiao Lie's instructions, sent a secret report to the capital exposing the collusion between the Mu family of Qingzhou and the Panlong Guard.

Emperor Xiao Mu of Chu was far from calm!

…………

The capital city, the Imperial Study.

The Chu Emperor read the secret report and smiled.

"Very good."

He closed the secret report, without issuing an order to investigate or sending anyone to question the suspect. He simply said a sentence to the guards around him.

"I understand."

After the guards withdrew, Emperor Chu stood up and walked to the window.

The Mu family!

Xiao Lie!

The Panlong Guard!

He put the three names in his mind and gradually pieced together a picture.

Xiao Lie made contact with the Panlong Guard through the Mu family, intending to use the Mu family's medicinal herb business to provide supplies to the Panlong Guard.

The Mu family approached him because they wanted to hedge their bets.

Since that's the case, he might as well give the Mu family a little something in return, so they'll think they've already fooled him.

Then, he could use the Mu family to send some "carefully prepared" messages to Xiao Lie.

"Xiao Lie!"

The Chu Emperor spoke softly.

"You think I'll take action directly? You're wrong!"

"I will wait! When you think everything is ready, I will wipe out all you traitors and rebels!"