Pick up a princess to be your wife

"Where is Young Master Li?" He Xianzhi asked.

"They probably went to the back room," Xiaolan replied.

"Didn't you tell the steward to arrange a separate courtyard for Young Master Li and the others?" He Xianzhi asked.

"I forgot," Xiaolan replied.

"No manners." He Xianzhi glared at Xiaolan.

Xiao Lan was about to get up and leave when He Xianzhi said, "Never mind."

"Have you been able to find out who these strategic materials came from?" He Xianzhi asked.

"We really couldn't find anything. He still didn't contact anyone this time, and a bunch of supplies appeared in that courtyard. I told you, his supplies were all conjured up. Miss, I suspect that Young Master Li is a celestial master descended to earth," Xiao Lan said solemnly.

She wasn't joking.

This time she kept a closer eye on things than before.

But Li Muzhen didn't exchange supplies with anyone. That morning, Li Mu went there first, and then Li Ertie brought his men there. The supplies appeared in the courtyard.

What else could this be but a conjured illusion?

“Perhaps Young Master Li knows that someone is secretly following him, so he is doing things meticulously,” He Xianzhi said.

"Miss, he really didn't notice me following him, and he really didn't contact anyone. Those supplies just appeared out of thin air. Why don't you believe me?" Xiaolan said helplessly.

It would be strange if He Xianzhi believed it; who in this world can change into whatever they want?

If Li Muzhen has that kind of ability, why would he need to do any business?

They could easily conjure up a huge amount of resources, recruit a large number of people, dominate a region, or even dominate the world.

Although He Xianzhi didn't believe Xiao Lan's words, she really hoped that Li Mu had that kind of ability.

In this way, Li Mu will definitely catch her father's eye.

"I'm tired, time for bed."

"I will assist Miss in bathing and changing."

"Ah."

The following morning, He Xianzhi entered the side hall.

A woman dressed in a magnificent, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) sat regally in the hall.

The woman's headdress was elaborate and exquisite, her skin was fair, and her features were stunning.

The three vermilion marks between her eyebrows perfectly accentuated her cold yet noble temperament.

"Greetings, Your Highness." He Xianzhi bowed slightly.

The princess rose and walked gracefully to He Xianzhi.

"Why be so polite, sister?"

The princess held He Xianzhi's hands and carefully examined her for a while.

"It's been five years since we last met. My younger sister has grown into such a beautiful young woman that even I pale in comparison," the princess said with a smile.

“Sister is the most beautiful woman in the Great Yan Dynasty, and her beauty is naturally unmatched,” He Xianzhi said softly.

"I heard you came last night. I should have greeted you personally, but I neglected you all night. Please don't hold it against me, little sister," the princess said.

"Don't dare."

The princess pulled He Xianzhi to sit down together in the hall.

The princess's name was Xu Yi, the principal wife of the Prince of Chu, and the younger sister of Xu Sheng, the governor of Lingnan Circuit. She was once hailed as the most beautiful woman in Lingnan Circuit, and was skilled in both music and painting.

He Xianzhi and the princess had only met a few times, and their relationship was not as deep as it seemed on the surface.

When Xu Yi married into the Chu Prince's mansion, the wedding was held in Baiyujing. He Xianzhi attended the wedding and met the princess.

Not long after, the King of Chu went to Lingnan to assume his fiefdom, and the two never saw each other again.

Over the past five years, He Xianzhi has not changed much; her demeanor still carries a faint chill.

Princess Xu Yi has long since lost her youthful appearance.

At the age of thirty, she was as beautiful as a blooming lotus.

"Why is my sister in this military town instead of at the Chu Prince's residence?" He Xianzhi asked.

"With the Wu bandits' army pressing in, my brother can't handle many things by himself. He doesn't trust others to do some of the things, so he asked my sister to handle some complicated matters here," Xu Yi replied.

"What's the situation outside Yaoguan?" He Xianzhi asked.

"Yesterday, the Wu bandits attacked the pass three times, only withdrawing when it got dark. Yao Pass won't fall anytime soon, but with the Wu bandits launching a major offensive against Huainan Road, Qu County is probably in danger," Xu Yi said with a worried expression.

"Where is His Highness the King of Chu?" He Xianzhi asked again.

"Upon receiving the imperial decree, we are to proceed to Qu County to recruit soldiers in preparation for dealing with the Wu bandits."

The thought of this made Xu Yi even more worried.

If Wu Zetian were to launch an attack on Qu County, it's unclear how the Prince would respond.

"With the Prince and the Governor guarding the two key routes to the east and west respectively, there is no worry about the Lingnan route," He Xianzhi said.

"I hope so. By the way, sister, just hand over the supplies you sent to me. I'll take care of most of the logistics," Xu Yi said.

"The ten divine crossbows, fifty ten-thousand-stone bows, and fifty sets of chainmail that the governor needed have been brought," He Xianzhi said.

"Name your price, sister."

“Originally, these supplies would cost over 500,000 taels of silver at market price. But with a formidable enemy at hand, the reputation of the He family can be of some use. I can get them for a low price; 300,000 taels will suffice, sister,” He Xianzhi said.

Xu Yi had appraised the value of these supplies, and He Xianzhi's estimate was pretty accurate; it would cost 500,000 taels of silver to acquire such a small amount of strategic materials.

The Divine Arm Crossbow and the Ten Thousand Stone Bow are also hard to obtain, but if you have money, there's always a way to buy them.

Chainmail is a rare commodity that money can't buy.

With the world in chaos, the prices of strategic materials have skyrocketed. However, He Xianzhi's asking price of 300,000 taels indicates that her purchase price is even lower.

It would be somewhat unreasonable to say that the He family had foreseen the chaos that would engulf the country and stockpiled supplies in advance to profit from the national crisis.

Even in times of peace and prosperity, no one would sell such a batch of supplies at such a low price.

However, given the He family's connections, obtaining these resources, which even top nobles couldn't acquire, was unexpected yet reasonable.

That man named He Chou is far too powerful.

"The battle at Yaoguan has lasted three months and is extremely costly. I'm now desperate to make every tael of silver count as two. Could you possibly offer me a discount?" Xu Yi said softly, a gentle smile on her face.

“Sister should understand that for a merchant like me to openly resell military supplies is a grave crime, and involves immense risks. You know perfectly well whether the price I offered you was fair. If you try to haggle, I'll be in a real bind,” He Xianzhi said.

The Xu family is a family of officials, and their wealth is self-evident.

He Xianzhi was only there to make money, and selling these supplies at this price was a favor to Xu Yi.

When Xu Yi said he had no money, he meant that the treasury was nearly empty.

But He Xianzhi didn't care where the other party would get the money from; she just wanted 300,000 taels.

“My sister is right, three hundred thousand it is. Let’s settle it all with banknotes, how about that?” Xu Yi suggested.

“I don’t need silver notes. Gold and antiques are fine. Silver is too heavy and inconvenient to carry,” He Xianzhi said.

"Alright, we'll do as you say, sister. I'll send someone to prepare what you need right away."