After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Any merchant who has some knowledge of the Dragon City Commercial Bureau knows that Xu Duo holds a very high position in the city. Even though he is just a deputy envoy of Dragon City Commerce, his rank is at least third grade.

Apart from the fierce generals under the Crown Prince, and excluding the three pillars of civil officials Zhang, Liu, and Yu, there are very few civil officials of the third rank or above in the entire Dragon City, and Xu Duo is one of them.

Given his status, even Qin Liangyu's sworn brother, without a title, would have to leave his seat and respectfully address him as "Lord Xu." How come now Xu Duo is the one being asked to bow to him?

Most importantly, judging from Xu Duo's appearance, he seemed extremely afraid of this "Young Master Qin".

Seeing Xu Duo's pale face, Chen Futu found it amusing: "Alright, do what needs to be done, don't worry about me. Of course, it is absolutely unacceptable to cause trouble knowing that Baihua Pavilion is an official institution."

Xu Duo immediately accepted the order and subconsciously uttered the word "Yes."

Others didn't hear the word, but Yan Qing heard it clearly.

When she looked at Chen Futu's harmless face again, she felt completely numb.

The Third Rank Courtyard responded, and there was only one such person in the entire Northern Frontier: the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Zhenbei.

Yan Qing began to get very nervous, even appearing uneasy.

After Xu Duo stepped aside, Chen Futu asked suspiciously, "Madam Yan, why are you standing there? Come and sit down."

Yan Qing was speechless.

She recalled everything that had happened in Chuzhou City.

As expected of the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, he is incredibly audacious, leading a dozen or so men to swagger into Daqian to plunder people, and in the end, they succeeded.

Yan Qing glanced at Xu Duo again, but ultimately didn't dare to sit down.

Xu Duo was standing, how could she dare to overstep her bounds?

"Let you sit, just sit."

Chen Futu's face darkened, his imposing presence radiating authority without anger.

Yan Qing shivered, then lowered his head and took his seat.

Liu Longyue thought to herself, "It seems she has figured out your identity and is afraid."

"I don't know how to eat people."

"Your Highness has both a good reputation and a bad reputation. The people of the Northern Frontier are willing to call you Your Majesty, but outsiders call you Butcher."

"The Lord doesn't care."

Chen Futu would never fear a mere bad reputation.

As they were talking, Boss Hua led Sun Gongye downstairs.

Sun Gongye, unaware of the impending disaster, first spotted his brother-in-law in the official procession and immediately went to greet him.

The other person initially thought it was just a coincidence of names, but when he realized it was actually his brother-in-law, his legs went weak, and cold sweat suddenly soaked his back. He growled, "What have you done!"

"Brother-in-law, I just wanted to get a second wife. I took a fancy to a woman, but she didn't agree," Sun Gongye said, explaining what he had done.

"You bastard, you've ruined my life!"

"What are you afraid of, brother-in-law? It's that woman."

Sun Gongye pointed to Yan Qing, who was sitting next to Chen Futu.

Seeing this, Yan Qing was no longer afraid. Anyway, with the Prince of Zhenbei's heir there, no matter how powerful the background was, it wouldn't matter.

"By the way, brother-in-law, there's also that kid who's been targeting me. He's probably a businessman too. You have to stand up for me."

"Shut up!"

The official shoved Sun Gongye aside, then stumbled to Xu Duo and knelt down with a thud. "Lord Xu, I knew absolutely nothing about this matter!"

Xu Duo looked at his subordinate kneeling at his feet, trembling, and was speechless for a moment.

Having a relative who's an idiot can sometimes really get you killed...

Sun Gongye finally came to his senses and hurriedly groveled at Xu Duo's feet like a dog, then tried his best to put on a smile, "Sir, I was confused for a moment, please forgive me. I have caused trouble for Madam Yan, and I am willing to compensate you."

"How much compensation do you want?" Chen Futu interjected cheerfully.

Sun Gongye was stunned, only to find that Xu Duo was standing right behind this "Young Master Qin". He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, cold sweat poured down his face, and he stammered, "Replying to Young Master, this humble official is willing to compensate one, no, compensate one hundred thousand taels."

In order to save himself, Sun Gongye went all out and gritted his teeth to offer a huge sum of 100,000 yuan.

Chen Futu feigned surprise and said to Xu Duo, "Tsk tsk, all the officials in Longcheng are now rolling in money."

Xu Duo said in a deep voice, "Young Master, this person is not an official. In a place like a brokerage firm, he is at most a minor clerk."

"People are willing to spend 100,000 yuan for peace of mind, what do you say?"

"Young master, let him pay compensation first, and then we'll discuss the matter further."

"can."

Next, Sun Gongye quickly sent someone to collect the money.

Throughout the process, he and his brother-in-law remained kneeling, drenched in sweat, and dared not rise without Chen Futu's order.

Everyone else was just watching the spectacle.

They had previously felt some sympathy for Widow Yan, but now it seemed she didn't need anyone's sympathy at all. Her powerful backers were terrifyingly strong; it was more like she was the one sympathizing with others.

As for Boss Hua, he quickly brought out the finest Hundred Flowers Wine from his establishment and then smiled as he poured a cup for Chen Futu.

Chen Futu took the wine cup and said to Sun Gongye, who was still kneeling on the ground, "Lord Xu, now that we have some time, tell me what other businesses your family owns?"

"Young master, in addition to managing the brokerage firm, my family is also involved in the search and exploration of mines."

Sun Gongye speaks fluently and always chooses the best words.

Chen Futu had previously ordered a search for all kinds of mines in the northern border region, and everyone could participate. As long as a mineral deposit was found, the royal court would not be stingy with rewards.

However, to claim credit without finding any mineral deposits is simply too shameless.

"Did you find anything?" Chen Futu asked expressionlessly. To his surprise, Sun Gongye nodded frantically, "Yes, yes!"

"really?"

Chen Futu and Xu Duo were surprised, not expecting such an unexpected surprise!

Sun Gongye flattered, "There is indeed news. I only learned about it a couple of days ago. It's located at Yinma Mountain and should be a copper mine. I'm still trying to confirm it, so I haven't reported it yet."

"Xu Duo, you should arrange for someone to investigate. If a copper mine is indeed discovered, his merits and demerits will cancel each other out, and he can be dismissed. If he is deceiving people, he will bear the consequences."

Chen Futu made a decision.

Sun Gongye was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly.

He might be exonerated, but his brother-in-law would be in big trouble.

Soon, boxes of money were transported by horse-drawn carriages to the entrance of Baihua Pavilion.

Chen Futu said to Yan Qing, "Go and check it out."

“I was originally planning to leave Dragon City, but I didn’t expect you to help me solve my troubles. Consider this money as a token of my gratitude for being new here.”

Yan Qing is indeed a businessman; he knows how to handle people.

Chen Futu smiled slightly and did not refuse. After all, 100,000 taels was not a small amount, and the development of the Northern Frontier required a lot of money.

"Madam Yan, I was blind and offended you. Please forgive me, you are a magnanimous person."

With a forced smile, Sun Gongye slapped himself several times in front of Yan Qing, hitting himself hard enough to swell his face.

Yan Qing said indifferently, "Since compensation has been paid, let's call it a day. Hopefully, it won't happen again."

"I would never dare to do it again."

And so, Xu Duo took away Sun Gongye and his brother-in-law, who was now a pile of mud. Of course, before he left, Chen Futu didn't forget to remind him of one thing: the drunken merchant who had been taken away earlier might have some problems.

Xu Duo also realized that the other party was probably after Guo Yunqi, the son of the Minister of War, and Liang Huan, the younger brother of the Crown Princess.