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

Chen Futu first went to a jewelry store and bought a lot of jewelry, including some for Liu Longyue who was not present.

Madam Yan was both surprised and delighted. "I dare not let you spend so much money."

"I've never given you anything before, but since this opportunity has come up, I should naturally do something to show my appreciation."

Chen Futu was very knowledgeable about human relationships and social customs.

Lady Yan went to great lengths and risked her life to help, and Consort Ge remained a loyal subordinate. As the ruler, he should show some appreciation, since emperors would reward their subjects from time to time to maintain their loyalty.

As expected, Madam Yan was overjoyed to receive the gift.

Consort Ge carefully put the hairpin into her bosom as if it were a precious treasure, after all, it was the first gift the king had given her.

Dian Wei, observing the expressions of the two women, nodded thoughtfully; he understood.

No wonder he couldn't find a wife; he just hadn't been using the right methods.

Not only that, Chen Futu also went to cloth shops and other places, and spent tens of thousands of taels of silver on a shopping spree.

Yan Qing, being quick-witted, soon noticed something amiss: Chen Futu was buying things from Liang's shops.

"That's enough, let's go."

As Chen Futu was about to leave, a shop assistant suddenly ran out, smiling obsequiously, and asked, "Excuse me, sir, are you a merchant from the Western Regions?"

Chen Futu glanced at the second floor. "That's right, do you have something to say?"

"Hehe, my boss would like to meet you."

"I'm too busy to see you." Chen Futu waved his hand impatiently, and the servant hurriedly blocked his way, "No, it won't take up too much of your time. My manager is on the second floor."

"This is really troublesome." Chen Futu was not in a good mood, and then said to Madam Yan and the others, "You go back first, Old Wei, come with me to see this manager."

And so, Chen Futu dismissed Madam Yan and entered the shop with only Dian Wei. With the help of a servant, they quickly went up to the second floor, where a portly middle-aged man greeted them with a smile, "Distinguished guest, your presence makes our humble shop proud."

Chen Futu raised an eyebrow and scrutinized him: "I don't know you, do I? What do you want with me?"

The other party wasn't angry. They warmly invited him to sit down and then arranged for someone to bring out good tea. "I just heard that you, esteemed guest, were making a large purchase at my Liang family's shop. I didn't expect you to be a merchant from a foreign land."

"I come from the Western Regions. What? Does the capital not allow merchants from the Western Regions to enter?"

Chen Futu looked annoyed and casually stroked the thick beard stuck to his chin.

"Look at what you're saying. What the state of the world is has nothing to do with us merchants... By the way, I am Liang Qinian, the manager of this business. May I ask who you are?"

“My name is Jilibala, but you can call me by my Chinese name, Chocolate.”

Chen Futu proudly announced his name.

Liang Qinian almost burst out laughing when he heard this, and Dian Wei also suppressed his laughter and looked out the window. This name from the Western Regions was just too ridiculous.

"Ahem, so it's Mr. Zhu. May I ask if you brought any special products from the Western Regions with you on your trip to Beijing?"

Liang Qinian asked with a smile.

"There are indeed quite a few good things. Are you interested, Manager Liang?"

"The goods from the Western Regions are not available in the Central Plains. If possible, would you be willing to sell your specialties to our company? Rest assured, price is not an issue."

Liang Qinian finally revealed his purpose.

Chen Futu found it amusing. They had just bought so much stuff and made such a big fuss, all for the sake of fishing.

And there it is, the fish has taken the bait.

Behind the Liang family's shop was a royal banner, and standing there was the Crown Princess.

“I can talk business, but I’m not talking to you. I want a long-term partnership, so if you’re really sincere, have your boss come in person. Remember, it’s the big boss behind you. If she doesn’t come, you can forget about making a living.”

After saying this, Chen Futu took Dian Wei and left without giving Liang Qinian any time to consider.

Watching the two figures walk away, Liang Qinian's expression changed repeatedly. "This barbarian seems to know that the Crown Princess is behind this business. What does he mean?"

Upon careful consideration, he realized that this matter was of great importance. He felt that the origin of the chocolate was probably extraordinary, so he dared not delay and hurriedly left the trading company to go straight to the capital to report the news.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Futu returned to the mansion with Dian Wei. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Liu Longyue return.

“I have sent out the message, but I don’t know when those officials will respond, or even if they dare to see me.”

"Hmph, a bunch of cowards. They have no choice. If they don't dare, they'll threaten you with evidence of treason. There's nothing more to say."

Chen Futu was certain that these parasites valued their lives and would come to see him.

Next, Chen Futu talked about the Liang family business. Yan Qing asked in surprise, "No wonder you made such a big fuss. But why did you meet with the Crown Princess? If Liang Huan knew your identity, she would probably kill you if she found out you were in your hands."

"I have a reason to see her. You should stay put for the next two days and try not to go out unless necessary."

Chen Futu instructed Dian Wei to select an exquisite phoenix glass cup from the glassware he had brought and pack it up. If the Crown Princess was missing, he told the shopkeeper to deliver it to her. He was sure she would be interested in such a large business deal.

In addition, Chen Futu used Yan Qing's connections to rent a large shop in the capital to prepare for the procedures.

Although Liu Longyue and the others couldn't understand it, they could sense that the king was about to stir up trouble.

In the Eastern Palace, Liang Qinian finally met the Crown Princess, Liang Siluo.

She was undeniably beautiful, with an oval face, crescent-shaped eyebrows, and a dignified and elegant demeanor. Otherwise, she wouldn't have caught the Crown Prince's eye. Moreover, she had been pampered and privileged, and as the former Empress, she already possessed the majesty of a mother of the nation before she was even twenty years old.

"Speak, what is it?" The Crown Princess had just finished bathing, and her moon-colored robe accentuated her nobility.

Liang Qinian lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head. "Master, I have received news that an unfamiliar merchant from the Western Regions has come to the capital with Yan Qing and has been making large purchases at our store. I think he must have brought a lot of good things from the Western Regions and I want to do business with him, but he specifically asked that the big boss should talk to him in person and said that it is a long-term cooperation."

"A merchant from the Western Regions? Yan Qing?" The Crown Princess was slightly surprised. "Isn't Yan Qing in the Northern Frontier? Why is he in the capital?"

"I don't know, but perhaps they just happened to meet in the northern frontier, so they came to the capital together."

"I have heard that Yan Qing has an ambiguous relationship with the King of Northern Frontier, and that they even helped provide relief to disaster victims together. Now that she has come to the capital, is she really just here to do business? I suspect that she is a spy sent by the King of Northern Frontier."

The Crown Princess said quietly.

Liang Qinian froze. "Should we notify the City Guard and have her arrested and interrogated under torture?"

"Foolish! How can you arrest someone without evidence? The Yan family is quite prestigious; they are a large merchant family. If you arrest her for no reason, what will those powerful families think of the Crown Prince?"

"I, a petty person, have spoken out of turn; I deserve to die!"

“Go back and tell that merchant from the Western Regions that I am too busy to see him, and at most I will send someone from my family to talk to him.”

"Here."

Liang Qinian dared not be negligent and withdrew from the main hall with his head bowed.

After he left, the Crown Princess paced back and forth in the palace. "Western Region merchants, the Western Regions... wait a minute, the Western Regions just finished a war with the Central Plains, how come there are still foreign merchants daring to come to the capital?"