The carefree sixth prince, my father respectfully invites me to ascend the throne.

Yang Ling sneered and turned to look at Li Tianba.

"Smash it for me."

Yang Ling uttered those three words calmly, and Li Tianba immediately understood his meaning.

"I'll approve your grain bin!"

Li Tianba roared, immediately startling everyone present.

Yang Ling smiled slightly and walked towards Yun'er.

"Your Highness, spare us! We were just following orders!"

Upon seeing Yang Ling like this, the grain store manager immediately knelt on the ground. If Yang Ling really smashed up the grain store, all their plans over the years would be ruined.

Yang Ling completely ignored it, holding Yun'er's hand and acting as if it were none of her business.

The people around were also frightened, and their faces turned ugly.

Without saying a word, Li Tianba slammed his axe down on the counter.

The counter should have shattered into two pieces.

The shopkeeper trembled, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have provoked this ancestor.

"Your Highness, I deserve to die. I shouldn't have offended you."

The shopkeeper looked sincere and kowtowed to Yang Ling, admitting his mistake.

Yang Ling merely glanced at him indifferently, showing no intention of making Li Tianba back down.

The shopkeeper became even more anxious. Yang Ling was the King of Liangzhou. If the matter were to be investigated today, he might lose his head.

"Your Highness, my subordinates are ignorant and incompetent. Please forgive them."

Just then, the person Yang Ling most wanted to see finally appeared.

The man, dressed in brocade robes and with a smile on his face, bowed to Yang Ling upon seeing him and said, "This humble subject pays respects to Your Highness, the King of Liangzhou."

"who are you?"

"I am the owner of this grain store, and also the largest grain merchant within a radius of several miles. Your Highness may call me by my name, Hu Wei."

Hu Wei had a smile on his face, seemingly not taking Li Tianba's actions seriously.

Yang Ling glanced at Hu Wei. This man was just as described in the intelligence she had received. He managed most of the grain in Liangzhou City.

I came here today just to meet this guy, didn't I?

"Manager Hu is quite arrogant. His men don't even respect me, the King of Liangzhou."

Yang Ling feigned a hint of mild anger on her face, which made Hu Wei even more nervous.

Although there's an old saying that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, this prince from the imperial court was even more of a local tyrant than these local snakes.

If they were to make an enemy of the Ninth Prince, they probably wouldn't have a good life from now on.

"Your Highness is too kind. I have already prepared fine wine and food at Fengyue Tower. Please do me the honor of joining me."

Hu Wei wore an extremely humble expression, not daring to show any other emotion whatsoever.

Seeing the other party's humble appearance, Yang Ling immediately sneered, "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"

"it is good."

After saying that, Yang Ling led Yun'er and Li Tianba and followed Hu Wei toward the direction of the Fengyue Tower.

The shopkeeper's expression finally improved slightly. Luckily, the boss had intervened; otherwise, he would probably have ended up like the person behind the counter.

……

With a fawning smile, Hu Wei led Yang Ling and the others to a luxurious private room.

Li Tianba plopped down in the chair, showing no regard for the grain merchant whatsoever.

Yang Ling smiled slightly; he genuinely liked Li Tianba's appearance.

"Your Highness, how much grain do you wish to purchase?"

After offering two toasts, Hu Wei tentatively asked in a low voice.

Yang Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, looked up and stared intently at the grain merchant in front of her.

Hu Wei was able to build such a large business in Liangzhou, a place in turbulent times, so he must have some ability.

There might be other forces behind this, so I must test them out properly today.

"I can acquire as many as you have in your possession."

As soon as he uttered those simple words, Hu Wei's eyes lit up.

After all, business is business with anyone, and having such a large buyer all at once is definitely a good thing for him.

"If Your Highness needs anything, just ask, and I will get it for you however much you desire."

Hu Wei's face was full of flattery, and Yang Ling smiled slightly upon seeing this.

It seems I made the right decision to come today. This Hu Wei is indeed extraordinary. In that case, it will be even better for him.

"Alright, then this prince will not stand on ceremony."

As she spoke, Yang Ling held up her hand and made a two-character gesture.

Upon seeing this gesture, Hu Wei's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he promptly stood up to offer a toast.

Yang Ling smiled and clinked glasses with him, then drank it all in one gulp.

Upon seeing this, Hu Wei immediately gave a wink to the beautiful women beside him, and they all stepped forward to offer toasts.

Yun'er was immediately displeased upon seeing this scene.

"His Highness doesn't like having so many women protecting and waiting around him."

Yun'er looked displeased and glanced at Yang Ling.

Yang Ling felt a slight tremor in her heart upon hearing these words.

The last woman to speak to me like that was back when I was in kindergarten.

I never imagined that after so many years, I would be reborn and meet a woman like this again.

But he's a prince now. If he doesn't have women around him, how can he be considered one?

But looking at Yun'er's expression, it's best not to provoke this girl.

Hu Wei's expression changed repeatedly upon hearing this, and he had no choice but to dismiss everyone.

"May I ask, Your Highness, Liangzhou is not a major grain-producing area. Where did Manager Hu get all this grain from?"

Ultimately, Yang Ling was still trying to find out about this issue.

Although he has now taken control of Liangzhou, if he wants to completely subdue all the forces in Liangzhou...

Not only do we need troops, but we also need a very large food reserve.

"Your Highness, I have a brilliant plan."

Hu Wei smiled and said, "Although Liangzhou does not produce grain, we have trade relations with Guanzhong and purchase a lot of grain every year."

Yang Ling had already heard what Hu Wei said before.

However, the imperial court had previously issued a ban, so grain from Guanzhong was generally not sold here.

Yang Ling smiled slightly, said nothing, and then downed another glass of wine.

"I wish to establish a long-term partnership with Manager Hu. What are your thoughts, Manager Hu?"

"Of course, Your Highness, rest assured, if needed, I will definitely not be stingy."

Hearing this, Yang Ling felt a little better.

Once the food problem is solved, his unification of the entire Liangzhou region and subsequent campaign into the Central Plains will be just around the corner.

"Very good. If I need anything in the future, I hope Manager Hu will take good care of me."