Chapter 178: Guests from the South

Fanyang.

Zhong Li knelt on one knee before Yuan Li, his left hand clutching his right shoulder, which was still seeping blood.

"My Lord, Zhong Li is incompetent. I could neither save Commandery Governor Gao nor avenge my father. I beg you to punish me."

A flash of displeasure crossed Yuan Li's eyes, but his face immediately broke into a smile. "Captain, please rise. This matter cannot be blamed on you. Yan Wang has always been cunning; if this attempt failed, we shall simply seek another opportunity."

"Many thanks, my Lord. This subordinate will not be a man until I have avenged my father; I will certainly not fail next time." Zhong Li raised his eyes to look at Yuan Li.

He did not have absolute certainty about this risky return to Fanyang.

Would Yuan Li let him off lightly? Or would he punish him? It was all unknown.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed Yuan Li had no intention of pursuing the matter further.

Perhaps, to him, keeping a general who harbored hatred for Yan Wang would be useful in the future.

"Captain, do not overthink it. Go back and tend to your wounds properly. If there is a golden opportunity to kill Yan Wang, I will certainly inform you," Yuan Li said.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Li cupped his hands in thanks and then departed, thinking to himself that he had guessed correctly.

"Hmph!"

As Zhong Li's figure disappeared, Yuan Li let out a heavy snort.

This time, when Zhong Li went to Shanggu Commandery, he had expected him to at least engage in a bloody battle with Yan Wang and kill a few thousand of his men.

He had not expected Zhong Li to be so impulsive as to lead the troops to attack the city himself and get hit by an arrow.

However, he had never counted on Zhong Li being able to bring back Gao Yuan.

Furthermore, his objective in sending troops to Shanggu Commandery had already been achieved.

Next, if Yan Wang impeached him to the Imperial Court, he would let Zhong Li take the blame; it would not be too late to kill him then.

If Yan Wang did not pursue the matter, he would have Zhong Li seek another opportunity to kill Yan Wang next time.

"How goes the matter of the ambush on Mo Di?"

Skipping over the previous topic, Yuan Li turned to Guo Tu.

For him now, the most important thing was not Yan Wang, but the alliance with the Northern Di people.

After all, he had already submitted his letter of allegiance to Enke.

If he failed to deliver, he would lose the protection of the Northern Di people forever.

"The generals I selected this time are all trusted subordinates of the Yuan Family; there will be no mistakes. In another month, Mo Di must return to Jingshi, and then we can..." At this point, Guo Tu began to laugh sinisterly.

Yuan Li nodded slightly.

As long as this matter succeeded, the alliance between the Yuan Family and the Northern Di people would be sealed.

Yancheng.

Zhao Xu sat up from the bed, stretching his body with a languid air.

Beside him, Feng'er was curled up in the quilt, revealing a sliver of her snow-white forearm.

Luan'er was always diligent and had long since woken up, sitting by the table doing needlework.

Seeing him wake, Luan'er parted her red lips slightly, "Your Highness, this servant will attend to your dressing and washing."

Zhao Xu nodded, watching with interest as Luan'er swayed her waist while walking away.

After washing.

Having finished breakfast, a maidservant came over from the front courtyard and said at the door, "Your Highness, a merchant has brought a calling card and requests an audience."

Having said this, she held up the card in her hand.

Zhao Xu took the calling card and glanced at it, his brows knitting slightly.

"I didn't expect this perfume to actually attract merchants from the influential clans," Zhao Xu thought to himself.

He had received three calling cards this time.

The recommenders on the three cards were Prime Minister Dou Wei, Minister of Revenue Xie Duan, and General Protecting the State Xiao Cheng, respectively.

Among them, Dou Wei represented the Jingzhou Dou Family, and Xie Duan represented the Ningzhou Xie Family.

Xiao Cheng represented the Yizhou Xiao Family.

Moreover, the surnames of these three merchants were Dou, Xie, and Xiao.

It was obvious that the three were likely people from the three influential clans, responsible for the trade within their families.

Tossing the calling cards onto the table, Zhao Xu straightened his attire and headed toward the Hui Ke Tang.

Some time ago, when the Prince's Mansion sold the exclusive rights to Fine Wine, those who came to purchase were generally merchants from the North; there had been no movement from the South.

Now that the merchants from the three influential clans had arrived one after another, what they were coming to discuss was surely no small matter.

At this time, in the Hui Ke Tang.

After exchanging pleasantries, the three merchants stood separately without speaking.

Although the Eight Great Influential Clans were united in opposing the Imperial Clan, they fought and schemed against each other in private.

Especially in trade, they guarded their own territories strictly, not allowing the other side's merchants to gain a single cent of profit.

And in the provinces controlled by the Imperial Clan, they often undermined each other just to earn an extra tael of Silver.

Therefore, although they were polite on the surface, in their hearts, they wished they could beat each other up.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming awkward, they heard the sound of footsteps outside.

Then, a youth in magnificent robes walked in.

They knew in their hearts that this was Yan Wang.

"Dou Yong, Xiao Jian, and Xie Hua pay our respects to Your Highness." The three bowed to Zhao Xu almost simultaneously.

"No need for formalities." Zhao Xu stepped into the Hui Ke Tang, sat down in the main seat, and ordered the three to sit in turn.

Once the three were seated, Dou Yong, who sat at the front, cupped his hands and smiled, "Although I am in Jingzhou, I have heard of Your Highness's mighty reputation. Seeing you today, Your Highness is indeed extraordinary in appearance and worthy of respect..."

"That is not all; His Highness's imposing stature is known to all, but what is most rare is that His Highness's talent is peerless in the world. The Fine Wine he brewed so casually has made men across the world submit, unable to put it down, and now he has created Perfume that women across the world are fighting tooth and nail to snatch up. Truly impressive, truly impressive," Xiao Jian interrupted Dou Yong to say.

As soon as his voice fell, Xie Hua hurriedly said, "In my opinion, what makes people admire His Highness most is his courage. Personally leading the army on the battlefield in Yancheng to defeat the Northern Di and capturing the Great King of the Northern Di, Kutu, alive—how magnificent that was."

The three of them launched into a flurry of flattery the moment they met, making Zhao Xu feel embarrassed himself.

He waved his hand, "You all flatter me too much; it is merely some minor skill."

Following that, he stopped speaking and waited for the three of them to open their mouths.

Since they had sent calling cards, they naturally had requests for him; he had to maintain his composure and could not lose the initiative.

The air grew quiet once again.

The three looked at one another, and finally, Xie Hua spoke first.

"Your Highness, the Empress asked me to convey her regards. Since Your Highness left Jingshi, the Empress and the First Prince have missed Your Highness dearly and have both urged the Emperor to allow Your Highness to return to Jingshi to visit your family soon."

"Is that so?" Zhao Xu revealed a look of surprise. At this moment, he suddenly realized that the Xie Family was the Empress's maternal family. "Many thanks to the Empress for her concern; I also miss my relatives in Jingshi dearly."

Xie Hua continued, "Coming to Yancheng this time, besides bringing the Empress's concern, the Empress also entrusted me with one matter. I heard that Your Highness is selling the exclusive rights to the Prince's Mansion's Fine Wine. Our Xie Family is very interested. If Perfume also has exclusive rights, our Xie Family is willing to take down the exclusive rights for Ningzhou as well."

Zhao Xu nodded; he had already guessed the truth of the matter before he arrived.

Previously, the Prince's Mansion only had the Fine Wine exclusive rights, and these powerful clans could still hold back for the sake of their pride and were unwilling to contact him.

Now that Perfume had appeared, they could no longer remain calm.

Things like face were no longer that important; Silver was what was real.

"I came for this matter as well." With Xie Hua taking the lead, Dou Yong and Xiao Jian were no longer reserved.

One after another, they stated their true purposes.

"So that is how it is." Zhao Xu laughed lightly.

To him, their arrival was timely; now was the perfect moment to divide up the market of the Great Song.