I traveled through time and became the Queen of Ancient Dian

The Queen of Ancient Dian was about to announce Baona's brilliant plan but was interrupted by the guards.

"Your Majesty, Murong the Merchant requests an audience." This Murong the Merchant was one of the richest businessmen in the ancient Dian Kingdom. It was no exaggeration to say that he was rich enough to rival a country. It was unknown what he was up to when he requested an audience at this moment.

"Let him in." The Queen gave an order, and Murong the merchant walked in unsteadily with his belly protruding and his legs spread wide.

There were several traveling merchants following behind him, all of whom looked shrewd and calculating, and it was obvious that they were not easy to deal with.

"Your Majesty, I heard that you want to open up new trade routes?" Merchant Murong bowed with a forced smile, but there was a hint of questioning in his tone.

Shangguan Xingshang, who was standing behind him, echoed him, saying sarcastically, "Your Majesty, these rules passed down by our ancestors cannot be changed at will!"

My goodness, this is not a request for a meeting, it is clearly a call to bring an expedition to hold someone accountable!

Baona secretly complained that these old foxes must have sensed the crisis and were worried that the new route would dilute their profits.

The Queen of Ancient Dian was not stupid, so how could she not understand the meaning of their words?

But she remained expressionless and said calmly, "Merchant Murong, my decision is naturally for the future of the ancient Dian Kingdom."

"The future?" The leader of the Sima tribe also jumped out. This old guy usually makes a fortune quietly, but now he comes out to join in the fun.

"Your Majesty, this new route is too risky. Who will be held responsible if we lose money?" Xiahou Customs Officer behind him added fuel to the fire. "Yes, Your Majesty, if this attracts the attention of other tribes, wouldn't that be more trouble than it's worth?"

This group of people sang in unison, and every word they said was hurtful. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Guard Zhuge calmly gripped the hilt of his sword, secretly watching the actions of these people.

Seeing that this group of people were clearly going against her, Baona felt a little anxious.

A head-on confrontation will definitely not work, we have to find a way to make them shut up.

She whispered a few words to the Queen, who nodded slightly.

"Everyone, since you are so concerned about the trade of the ancient Dian Kingdom, I would like to invite you to attend a meeting on the prospects of trade." The Queen's tone was calm, but with unquestionable majesty.

"See you tomorrow at noon."

Murong Shangren and others looked at each other in bewilderment. How come they were in the middle of singing a dissenting tune when it suddenly turned into a meeting?

Before they could react, the Queen added, "At the meeting, I will explain in detail the plans for the new route and the benefits to everyone."

When he heard the word "benefits", a gleam of light flashed in Murong Shangren's eyes.

He cupped his hands and said, "I obey your command."

Shangguan Xingshang and others also responded, but their expressions were different.

Where will this meeting go?

After the meeting, Murong the Merchant pulled Shangguan aside and whispered, "What's the Queen up to? She's suddenly calling a meeting and even mentioned some benefits..."

Shangguan Xingshang touched his chin and smiled meaningfully: "There's going to be something interesting to watch..."

After the meeting, Murong the Merchant gathered several businessmen who had close relations with him, his face as gloomy as the ash at the bottom of a pot.

"This Queen is clearly trying to take our cake! We have to find a way to make her back off!"

Shangguan Xingshang waved his fan and said slowly, "Old Murong, don't be too nervous. This new route hasn't even been established yet. It might just be a cover."

"A cover? I don't think so!" A sharp-faced businessman jumped out, looking anxious. "I heard that several small merchants have already come to support the Queen! If they really succeed, how will we ever be able to enjoy the good life in the future?"

"What?!" Murong Shangren was immediately furious when he heard this. "These traitors! Just wait and see how I'll deal with them tomorrow!"

However, what happened the next day was far beyond Murong Shangren's expectations.

At the meeting, Baona explained the planning of the new route in detail and promised to give generous rewards to the participants.

More importantly, she sincerely expressed her determination to change the current trade situation in the ancient Dian Kingdom, which touched the hearts of many small businessmen.

"I'm in!" A young businessman stepped forward with a determined look in his eyes. "Rather than sticking to the old rules and waiting to die, why not give it a try?"

"I'm joining too!" "Count me in!" More and more businessmen came forward to express their support, and it spread rapidly like a prairie fire.

Murong the merchant was dumbfounded. He originally thought that he could make these small merchants obey him with just a wave of his arm, but he didn't expect that they would dare to openly resist!

He was so angry that his face turned blue, but he was powerless to stop the tide.

What he didn't expect was that the number of people who signed up to join the caravan far exceeded his expectations, including some experienced merchants and strong guards.

Looking at this huge caravan, Murong the merchant felt like an antique abandoned by the times, and his heart was filled with fear and anxiety.

Shangguan Xingshang leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Old Murong, it seems... we need to change our thinking..." Before he could finish his words, he heard a commotion outside the palace... "Welcome, His Majesty!"

The Queen of Ancient Dian, dressed in gorgeous clothes, stood on a high platform to see off the caravan that was about to set off.

She did not give an impassioned speech, but simply prayed gently for every member of the caravan, her eyes full of expectation.

It is a maternal radiance and a deep blessing to her people.

Baona stood beside the queen, looking at her gentle eyes, and a warm feeling surged in her heart.

She knew that the Queen placed all her hopes on this caravan and on her.

The sense of responsibility, like a mountain, weighs on Baona's shoulders, but it also makes her full of strength.

The caravan set off in a mighty procession, with flags waving and horses' hooves clattering, embarking on a road full of unknowns.

After walking for a few days, we were about to reach the border, but the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Something's happening!" Guard Zhuge growled, and everyone instantly went on alert.

Sure enough, a small group of robbers rushed down the hillside. They all looked ferocious and looked like desperate criminals.

"I opened this mountain and planted these trees. If you want to pass through here, you have to leave some money for passage!" The leading robber had a face full of flesh and was extremely arrogant.

Guard Zhuge sneered, "Just you little Karamis? Brothers, go ahead!" The guards were well-trained and immediately deployed their troops to engage in a fierce battle with the robbers.

The flash of swords and shadows, the shouts of killing shook the sky.

Although the robbers were few in number, they were all fearless and attacked fiercely.

The guards were unable to withstand the attack for a moment.

At this moment, some merchants in the caravan also joined the battle.

Although they are not as skilled in martial arts as the guards, they are more clever.

Some used the goods they were carrying to hit the robbers, while others took advantage of the terrain and attacked the robbers from the side.

This time, the robbers were thrown into disarray.

Shangguan Xingshang showed his true qualities as a "king of the mouth". While fighting, he did not forget to mock the robbers with words.

"With your mediocre skills, you still dare to come out and rob people? Go home and raise pigs!" He said as he nimbly dodged the robbers' attacks and took away the robbers' money bags.

When the robber leader saw that the situation was not good, he wanted to retreat, but was slashed in the thigh by Zhuge's guard and fell to the ground wailing.

"Brothers, run away!" When the remaining robbers saw their boss fall down, they immediately scattered.

When the people around saw this scene, they cheered for the caravan.

"Good job!" "Good fight!" "These robbers should have been dealt with long ago!"

Murong Shangren looked at everything in front of him with a complicated expression.

He didn't expect that these small businessmen and guards whom he looked down upon would have such courage and strength.

Shangguan Xingshang walked up to him, patted his shoulder, and said meaningfully: "Old Murong, times... have changed..."

Baona looked at the cheering crowd and her heart was filled with joy.

She knew this was just the beginning.

Suddenly, a guard pointed into the distance and exclaimed, "What is that?!"...

The robbers dispersed and the dust settled.

Baona walked to the injured Zhuge guard and asked with concern: "How is your injury?" Zhuge guard waved his hand, "It's a minor injury, nothing serious. I have thick skin and flesh, this little scene is nothing." He grinned, revealing his white teeth, looking nonchalant.

Baona was amused by his "iron straight man" appearance and felt relieved.

Murong the Merchant looked at the mess on the ground and felt heartbroken.

"Oh, my goods! This is a huge loss!" He beat his chest and stamped his feet, looking heartbroken.

Shangguan Xingshang came over to comfort him when he saw this: "Old Murong, don't feel bad. It's better to lose money than to suffer disaster! Besides, this loss is nothing compared to the future gains." He winked and gave an expression of "you know what I mean".

Murong the Merchant sighed. He knew that what Shangguan Xingshang said made sense, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.

"Everyone, pack up and keep going!" Bao Na gave an order, and everyone began to pack their luggage and prepare to continue on their journey.

After walking for a while, Shangguan Xingshang suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted excitedly, "Look, guys! There seems to be something happening up ahead!"

Everyone looked in the direction of his finger and saw a winding road on the distant horizon, like a giant dragon, coiled among the mountains.

"What road is that?" Baona asked curiously.

"Hey, this is a great road!" Shangguan Xingshang smiled mysteriously. "This road leads to a brand new market!" He paused and added, "A market... filled with gold!"

When everyone heard this, they immediately became excited and were eager to try it out.

Merchant Murong, however, poured cold water on the idea. "You wish! How could it be that easy? This road passes through the territories of several tribes. Each tribe will collect tolls, exploiting us layer by layer. By then, we'll be lucky to keep our capital, let alone the gold!"

Shangguan Xingshang chuckled disapprovingly and said, "Old Murong, you're so narrow-minded! You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your child! If we can open up this new trade route, the future profits will be unimaginable!"

Baona nodded. "Brother Shangguan is right! We can't be intimidated by the difficulties we face! We must find a way to overcome these obstacles!"

Everyone was full of fighting spirit again and walked firmly towards the winding road.

As it was getting dark, everyone set up camp at the foot of a mountain to rest.

It's late at night and everything is silent.

Suddenly, a guard ran into Baona's tent in a panic. "Oh no! Something happened!" He said breathlessly, "I... I saw... I saw..."

"What did you see?" Baona asked quickly.

The guard pointed tremblingly into the distance, his voice trembling, "I saw... I saw the checkpoint..."