Second Brother Wanted a Hongmen Banquet; I Would Play Sweet and Trip Him Up over Ground Every Strategist Would Fight For

Liu Ruyan continued, "You can run a clandestine business at the Flower-Between Pavilion; some money can be hidden there."

Shen Ling'er immediately looked at her.

"I don't care about the money. Just make sure I get enough medicinal herbs. I need life-saving medicine, not the dregs left at the bottom of the shop's chest."

Su Yao paused writing and looked up at her.

"Medicinal herbs come first. If someone collapses on the road, even more money will be spent."

Murong Xue immediately raised her hand. "Horses can get sick too, so horse medicine should also be considered."

Su Yao looked at her, remaining silent for a long while.

Murong Xue lowered her hand and coughed.

"A smaller calculation is fine. I didn't say I had to fight with anyone for it."

The sound of pens clattering beside the ledgers resumed, and the pestle fell back into the mortar.

Gu Moran a slight relief, as if the breath that had been stuck in her chest was about to burst.

Normally, each of the six hospitals has its own temperament, but when it comes to a life-or-death situation, no one backs down.

He placed the imperial edict in the center of his desk and pressed down on the yellow silk with his palm.

"Don't argue yet, let me fill in the hole."

Several pairs of eyes fell on them at once.

Gu Moran scanned the area, first plugging the most critical opening.

"The imperial edict has been issued. No one is to go to their maternal relatives to cry, plead, or submit memorials. Father is very suspicious now; whoever peeks out right now will be the first to be noted down."

Lin Qingdai asked first, "Even the Grand Commandant's Residence can't be touched?"

"Cannot."

The faster he answered, the quieter the room became.

Lin Qingdai understood and didn't ask any further questions.

Xie Wanqing lowered her head to write it down, then casually added, "Your Highness should appear relaxed on the outside but be disciplined on the inside."

Gu Moran looked at her. "Yes. They were saying that I was so shocked by the imperial decree that I fell ill and couldn't get out of bed. Madam Shen stopped me, forbidding me from being exposed to the wind. Madam Su was busy with accounts. Madam Murong was busy moving horses. Madam Lin that it's understandable that she banged on the door. Madam Liu said she couldn't bear to leave the capital. As for Madam Xie— "

Xie Wanqing looked up. "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

Looking at her most dignified face, Gu Moran's tense nerves relaxed a little.

"You're copying scriptures."

Xie Wanqing's pen froze in mid-air.

"I'm copying scriptures?"

"Because you seem like the most respectable person." Gu Moran, afraid she wouldn't respond, "And others would believe it."

Xie Wanqing looked at him for a moment, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

"No matter how poor Your Highness is, I will transcribe the eulogy for you tonight."

Gu Moran coughed, deciding to stop while he was ahead.

If he keeps talking, Su Yao might actually hit him with the account book.

He turned to look at Uncle Fu, and as he finished speaking, the slight relief he had felt earlier vanished completely.

"Go, move all the maps of Yi Prefecture, old official registers, trade routes, salt and iron records, mountain roads, and waterways into the study. The older the better, the more complete the better."

As he said this, he tapped the yellow silk with his fingertip.

"Especially military maps."

Uncle Fu looked up. "Your Highness, are you going to look now?"

"Now."

Su Yao immediately moved the account books to the side table.

"I'll do the calculations here. You look at the diagram, I'll do the math; let's not waste each other's time."

Shen Ling'er sat down by the window, carrying her medicine box.

"I'll deliver the pills for the journey."

Murong Xue pulled Batuer away.

"I'm going to check on the carriages. Even if there's no horse ranch on the fiefdom, I'll still need to bring horses."

Liu Ruyan stood still.

"I left a secret order for Madam Chun: Don't move anyone yet, but start working on the accounts first."

"Good."

Lin Qingdai stared at him for a long time, then placed the Grand Commandant's Residence's token on the table and pushed it back into her sleeve.

I will not go to the Grand Commandant's Residence. But I will write a letter home.

Gu Moran nodded.

Lin Qingdai snorted, "Don't make that face. I'm just worried no one will collect your corpse on the way."

Gu Moran immediately clutched his chest. " Madam Lin's words are truly sweet."

"Less poverty."

Uncle Fu and his men brought over several large boxes.

The musty smell of old paper mixed with the smell of lamp oil filled the entire room.

Gu Moran sat down at the desk and opened the first volume. The mountains and rivers of Yi Prefecture unfolded before his eyes.

Outside Chengdu Commandery, waterways crisscrossed the area, and salt wells, brocade workshops, rice granaries, and wharves were marked on the map.

rich.

There is grain.

There is a waterway.

Su Yao looked up from the side table. "What did you see?"

Gu Moran turned the map towards her.

" Yi Prefecture is wealthy, but the money isn't in the hands of the Prince's Palace."

Su Yao glanced at it and tapped the paper twice with the tip of her pen.

"If the money isn't in your possession, first trace where it went."

Xie Wanqing continued, "Waterway."

Liu Ruyan said, "Shu brocade."

Shen Ling'er lowered her head and pounded the medicine. "There are many medicinal herbs. There are quite a few good ones in Central Sichuan."

Murong Xue had just returned from outside when she heard the words "waterway," and her face fell.

"Horse and boat?"

Gu Moran at her.

"You can also accompany Ma You across."

Murong Xue glared at him.

The oppressive atmosphere in the room dissipated somewhat.

Gu Moran continued flipping through the old books.

The second volume was a map of the old army in Yi Prefecture, the edges of which were badly torn. Uncle Fu moved the lamp forward, and the firelight illuminated the incomplete markings on it.

Gu Moran had only glanced at it initially.

The next moment, his hand stopped.

Beside an old grain route outside Chengdu, there is a camp record so faintly visible that it is almost impossible to read.

This is not a commonly used military seal of the Great Yan.

Older.

He swallowed hard and reached for the hidden compartment.

Liu Ruyan's expression changed. "Your Highness?"

Gu Moran took out half of the old copper plaque from the Liu Clan.

The edge of the bronze plaque overlaps the image.

The remaining cracks gradually closed up.

The pestle stopped at the edge of the mortar, and Su Yao also stopped writing.

The system panel popped up in front of me.

[There is a hidden connection between the Liu Clan's old military line and the old Yi Prefecture camp.]

[Risk level raised.]

[Opportunity increased.]

Gu Moran looked at the words and pressed his palm down on the bronze plaque.

His father banished him to Yi Prefecture.

But they drove him to the gate of the old Liu Clan camp.

After the Prince An's Residence received the imperial decree, one of the teacups in the front hall broke.

Gu Mochen sat in the main seat, holding the imperial edict in his hand, the edges of the paper creased from being pressed.

Anyang County, Xiang Prefecture.

He clenched his teeth as he pronounced those five words.

Zhou Huaili, an aide, stood beside the desk with his head bowed low.

"Your Highness, although Xiang Prefecture not as wealthy as Yi Prefecture, it is a crucial location on the northern frontier. The imperial court has always attached great importance to it, and Your Highness may find opportunities to make a difference after you take up your fiefdom."

Gu Mochen looked up.

"You're comforting me?"

Zhou Huaili's Adam's apple bobbed. "This subordinate dares not."

Gu Mochen slammed the imperial edict onto the table.

"The third brother went to Yi Prefecture. Shu brocade, salt and iron, waterways, granaries—it was all lucrative business."

When I went to Anyang in Xiang Prefecture, I found the whole place garrisoned, and the supply lines were still blocked by the Ministry of War.

"Moving money, the Ministry of Revenue watches. Mobilizing troops, the Ministry of War watches. Repairing city walls, the Emperor watches."

The more he spoke, the tighter his chest felt.

The case of offering pills is not yet closed.

Tao Wujiu is dead, Han Che is dead, and the old wax is still pressed in the cabinet of the Imperial City Bureau Office.

Once he leaves Beijing, who will cover up the mess in the capital?

Zhou Huaili took half a step forward.

"Your Highness, now is the time to play it safe. The Crown Prince has been appointed, and His Majesty is filled with suspicion. If Your Highness makes any further moves before you leave, I'm afraid..."

"Stable?" Gu Mochen sneered. "Stable enough to wait to die in Anyang?"

Zhou Huaili lowered his head and remained silent.

Gu Mochen stood up and walked a few steps in the hall.

" Gu Moran has managed to escape unscathed every time he's caught a trend lately. Is he really just pretending to be stupid and sick?"

Zhou Huaili did not answer immediately.

No one dared to answer that.

Gu Mochen stopped at the window, tapping his fingertips on the window frame.

"He has six families in his household, any one of which could be used. No matter how wealthy Yi Prefecture, it still has a governor and a military commander. But if he could find a way to avoid his father's suspicion and take the resources of all six families into his fiefdom..."

As he said this, a glint of light appeared in his eyes.

"Passing the invitation."

Zhou Huaili looked up. "Hand it over to Prince Yi's Residence?"

"Let's have a drink before you leave Beijing, brother."

"Your Highness, Prince Yi may not come."

"He will come." Gu Mochen picked up the imperial edict again. "He likes to play the coward. Especially at times like these, we need to show Father that the brothers are getting along."

Zhou Huaili's fingertips felt cold.

There wasn't a trace of harmony at this banquet.

When the Prince Yi's Residence received the invitation, Gu Moran was staring at the map of Anyang.

Uncle Fu placed the invitation on the table.

" The Prince An's Residence is hosting a banquet. They say that the two princes are about to return to their fiefdoms, and as brothers parting, it is fitting to share a drink."

Gu Moran opened the post and saw Gu Mochen's neat handwriting; her eyes flickered.

"Second brother can't sit still anymore."

Su Yao was doing the accounting on the side, without even looking up.

"The Feast at Hongmen"?

"Hmph. Does he even have that kind of skill?" Gu Moran tossed the invitation onto the table. "At most, it's just a farewell dinner for brothers."

Shen Ling'er was preparing medicine pills when she heard this and looked at him.

Are you going?

Gu Moran to the map of Xiang Prefecture.

"Go."

Lin Qingdai looked up. "You think there's not enough trouble?"

Gu Moran picked up his pen and circled several places near Anyang.

" Anyang is backed by the Taihang Mountains, connecting You Prefecture, Luoyang, and Weibo. In peacetime it's a tough job, in chaos it's like a bolt from the blue."

Xie Wanqing walked closer to examine the picture.

"A strategically vital location that military strategists must contend for."

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[Thank you for the update reminder, Old Cat's knife, Plum's inspiration capsule, Fang Bi's flower, Han Yu's inspiration capsule, Xin Li's character summoning, and all the other babies who contributed their love and support.]

[What can we do once we're in our fiefdom? We welcome your suggestions, Baozi.]

[The book is preparing for a book test soon and I'm soliciting new titles. Please help me think of one, considering I've updated with four chapters! Love you all~]