Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

At this moment, in a side room on one side of the main reception hall.

Bao An was entertaining the heads of the four major clans.

They were chatting and laughing when Butler Diao gently knocked on the door.

"General".

After hearing what Butler Diao said, Bao An responded with a sound of agreement.

"come in."

Steward Diao entered the side room and bowed to the other four heads of powerful families.

Bao An asked Butler Diao, "Butler Diao, what happened?"

Butler Diao said respectfully, "General, there is a matter that requires your decision."

Seeing this, Bao An said to Butler Diao, "The heads of the families here are not outsiders. Let's get straight to the point."

Seeing that Bao An had said this, Steward Diao cupped his hands and said, "General, the eldest son of the Qian family business has come to offer his congratulations in person, and he has brought valuable gifts, including ten thousand taels of silver, two boxes of Tianshan snow salt, and Tianshan snow sugar, each box weighing fifty catties. So, I was thinking, should we transfer him to the palace?"

After hearing this, Bao An was somewhat surprised: "Oh? Qian's Trading Company? Is that the trading company from the Central Plains? The one that sold those exorbitantly priced snow salt and snow sugar a while ago?"

Butler Diao nodded.

"They're smart enough to offer me something if they want to do business here. Do you think a lowly merchant like him can even enter the inner hall of the venue? Even if it were the head of the Qian family, let alone the young master of the Qian family, he would only be able to sit outside. Won't there be an opportunity later for him to personally present his congratulatory gifts?" Bao An said.

Butler Diao nodded and said, "General, I understand."

He then withdrew.

After the butler left.

The other family heads said excitedly, "General Bao, you probably don't know this. Those snow salt and snow sugar are all divine products. We bought some, and they are indeed extraordinary. After eating some, we did feel some subtle changes in our bodies. The Qian family trading company previously claimed they had no stock. It turns out they were preparing them for you, General."

"Yes, General Bao, this stuff is really good. I wonder if there will be an opportunity later to give us some; we're willing to pay for it."

Several family heads started making offers to buy.

Bao An had indeed heard of these snow salts and snow sugars, although the rumors about them were quite mysterious.

But in the end, isn't it just sugar and salt?

He always felt that anyone who would spend two thousand taels of silver to buy a pound of snow salt and snow sugar was out of their mind.

To his surprise, there were four people with mental problems like this.

Moreover, listening to their boasts, it seemed to have a truly miraculous effect.

If someone else had said that, Bao An would definitely have remained skeptical.

These family heads are all shrewd and calculating; their saying this indicates that these things are indeed extraordinary.

"Gentlemen, if you want some later, just take it. Isn't that young master of the Qian family trading company here? From now on, make him pay us a hundred catties every month. Otherwise, get the hell out of here. Don't do business in our Mobei region," Bao An said with a smile.

The other family heads naturally smiled and echoed their agreement.

They're all shrewd people; they'd never refuse something that's free.

Anyway, it's Bao An who will play the villain.

...

As night gradually fell.

More and more people took their seats, and because they were in the open-air hall, they were only illuminated by a few dim red lamps.

With one table between us, I couldn't see who was sitting next to me.

Moreover, even though it's already October, the weather in northern Mobei is still extremely hot.

There are also quite a few mosquitoes.

The sound of swatting mosquitoes could be heard from time to time in the vicinity.

"This isn't a feast, it's torture!" Xiao Ce muttered.

Qian Lai took a sachet from his person and handed it to Xiao Ce, saying, "Your Highness, this sachet contains some herbs that repel mosquitoes..."

Xiao Ce accepted it without ceremony, as he was indeed quite uncomfortable from being bitten by these mosquitoes.

As Xiao Ce spoke, he glanced into the hall.

The hall was brightly lit, which was strange, since mosquitoes should normally be attracted to light.

However, they seemed to be using some kind of mosquito-repelling method, so no mosquitoes got in.

"It's almost dark, why haven't they started the feast yet?"

Qian Lai said from the side, "Young master, it should be soon. This is a custom in the northern desert; the wedding banquet must be held after dark."

Xiao Ce rolled his eyes: "What the hell kind of custom is this..."

Amid Xiao Ce's complaints, a group of people walked in from the entrance.

Xiao Ce spotted Bao An, an old man in his forties, at a glance, dressed in a bright red embroidered wedding robe.

He was arm in arm with a beautiful, delicate young woman.

The girl was very pretty, but judging from her expression, she didn't seem too willing.

Behind Bao An followed a row of girls, more than a dozen in total.

These must all be concubines; they all have hot figures, with big breasts and perky butts.

Putting aside everything else, this Bao An certainly has a knack for picking girls.

Xiao Ce originally wanted to hide, after all, it wasn't time for him to make his appearance yet.

As it turned out, Xiao Ce's worries were unnecessary.

Because Bao An's eyes were all looking upwards, he didn't notice Xiao Ce in the darkness at all.

...

Bao An was living a more comfortable life than the emperor.

After he went in and took his seat, he announced the start of the banquet.

Xiao Ce noticed that the food inside and outside the palace was different, even though it was all paid for.

What they were given to eat was a piece of grayish-brown meat and some unidentified vegetables.

The people in the inner palace were different; their tables were laden with all sorts of dishes.

This Bao An is clearly committing robbery.

However, those sitting outside seemed to be used to it.

These people were all merchants who relied on the influence of prestigious families to make a living.

After the banquet was announced, the families began exchanging gifts.

"The Cai family of Chanda City presented a pair of luminous pearls from the South China Sea, worth 80,000 taels of silver."

"That's what Butler Diao said loudly."

A young man from the Cai family walked up, carrying an exquisite wooden box.

In the darkness, after the exquisite wooden box was opened, it immediately emitted a dazzling fluorescence.

He bowed and said, "Congratulations to General Bao from the Cai family on your marriage! May you have a long and happy life together!"

The whole audience was shocked.

They all craned their necks, eager to see.

However, those people outside the hall, craning their necks, were only trying to catch a glimpse of the light.

Xiao Ce was also intrigued; he had never seen such a natural luminous pearl before.

He wasn't in a hurry, since all these things would be his later anyway.

"The Lin family of Wushan City presented a thousand-year-old snow lotus..."

"The Kan family of Qingshan City presents a Nine-Dragon Treasure Bow..."

...

It's supposed to be a treasure presentation, but it's actually quite boring.

Xiao Ce yawned repeatedly as he watched.

Qian Lai said to Xiao Ce, "Young Master, we might be last in line."

Xiao Ce glanced at the sky and nodded.

Thinking to himself, if all goes well, Yan Jia and his men have already sneaked in!

Xiao Ce's guess was correct.

At this moment, outside Lingxiao City, Yan Jia led a cavalry force of five thousand men in a grand procession.

They were all wearing Bao Family Army uniforms.

The leader of the soldiers shouted, "I am Sun Qiang, a military advisor under General Cai Wu. I have been ordered by Major General to enter the city to assist in the defense."

Perhaps even the heavens were on Xiao Ce's side.

After Sun Qiang shouted, a centurion on the city wall quickly responded, "Sun Qiang, weren't you at Yanmen Pass? What are you doing here?"

Hearing the sounds from the city wall, Sun Qiang became somewhat excited and said to Yan Jia, "General Yan, the man guarding the city is my sworn brother, named Zhao Long. I can make him surrender!"

Although Sun Qiang had previously served as a military advisor under Cai Wu, he was actually not convinced by Cai Wu's incompetence.

In addition, the benefits Xiao Ce offered were so good that they saw tens of thousands of troops gathering at Yanmen Pass before they set off.

He was a smart man; he knew that the situation in the northern desert was about to change.

Therefore, he acted very positively after surrendering.

Yan Jia glanced at Sun Qiang and said, "If you can persuade him to surrender and stop us from fighting, I will definitely report your achievements to the Prince tomorrow. But don't try anything funny, kid."

Sun Qiang nodded repeatedly, cupped his hands and said, "General Yan, I dare not! I understand the situation, and I no longer want to be a traitor's lackey! I am also from one of the four prefectures of Mobei! I also do not want to see our compatriots being treated like pigs and dogs by the Turks."

Yan Jia nodded, signaling Sun Qiang to continue.

Sun Qiang stepped forward: "Zhao Long, open the city gate immediately. Don't you trust me? This is Commander Cai's military tally!"

"Sun Qiang, I'm coming to open the city gate right now!"

Sure enough, the city gates were opened shortly afterward.

However, although one group of people had left, the rest remained at the city gate, observing the situation with wary expressions.

A strong, armored man led his men out.

Because it was dark, he couldn't see the people over there, so he didn't act rashly.

"Sun Qiang, where is Commander Cai? Since he is a Major General, why hasn't he come to mobilize the troops? Moreover, Commander Cai only has a little over three thousand soldiers. Did you send them all? Who is guarding Yanmen Pass?"