Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

After making up his mind, Wang Chuan called Liang An over almost without hesitation.

Liang An looked cautiously at Wang Chuan, who had suddenly summoned him: "My lord, you summoned me?"

Wang Chuan sat in the armchair, flipping through all the records in Lucheng: "It seems you've been a constable in Lucheng for quite some time now!"

Liang An nodded respectfully: "Yes, it has been five years since I was lucky enough to enter the Lucheng government office."

Wang Chuan continued, "You and Chu Xuan have a good relationship?"

Liang An guessed that Wang Chuan had summoned him most likely because of his relationship with Chu Xuan.

When he heard Wang Chuan ask about his relationship with Chu Xuan, he didn't hide anything: "As you know, sir, Lucheng used to be Chu family territory. Even Lord Cheng had to do things for the Chu family's children. As a yamen runner in Lucheng, I only ran errands for them a few times!"

Wang Chuan smiled more and said jokingly, "Since Chu Xuan is your backer, why didn't the Chu family promote you when they left Lucheng?"

Liang An's expression immediately turned serious, and he cupped his hands in a respectful reply: "Sir, if we're talking about backers, only the Lucheng Prefectural Government can be my true backer."

Liang An's answer caught Wang Chuan off guard. His expression froze for a moment before he chuckled, stroking his beard with one hand and saying, "The Lucheng government is your backer, well said!"

"I have a matter of great importance concerning the entire city of Lucheng. Could you go to Wuming Village and run an errand for me?"

Liang An breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had passed Wang Chuan's test, and respectfully said, "I will obey your orders, sir!"

Liang An nodded: "Okay, go to Wuming Village and arrange a time to meet Chu Xuan. Tell him that I want to see him!"

……

Zhen Mi stayed in the nameless village for two days. When she saw the head constable of Lucheng come to find Chu Xuan, she knew it was time for her to leave.

Before getting into the carriage, he joked with Chu Xuan, "You've accomplished such a big thing by using a favor; you must have made a fortune!"

Chu Xuan smiled and said, "Isn't this all thanks to you? I should have new products coming out soon, and I'll definitely want to collaborate with your Zhen family then!"

Zhen Mi was not happy to hear about the collaboration; instead, she looked serious.

Chu Xuan could tell she might know something, and said with a smile, "We're almost partners now, so just let me know if you have any news."

Zhen Mi no longer hesitated: "Are you aware that many nobles in the court are obsessed with cultivating Taoism?"

Chu Xuan's eyes revealed a hint of curiosity: "I've often heard that cultivation is very popular in the capital, and some nobles even go to great lengths and spend a fortune to cultivate. I never thought it was true!"

The Great Xia Dynasty had been established for a long time, and it seemed that everything, from the military to the civil officials, was predetermined.

Even the nobles in the capital city might not have room to maneuver, so it's quite normal for them to turn to Taoist cultivation to relieve their frustrations.

"So now you can understand why the Chu family gave Lucheng to the Wang family, right?"

Chu Xuan quickly thought of the cinnabar mines in Pei County.

"You mean, the Chu family chose to exchange cities with the Wang family to make it easier to transport cinnabar ore to the capital?"

Zhen Mi covered her mouth and chuckled: "Hmm, it seems you're not completely beyond redemption."

After a pause, Zhen Mi added, "According to the information I received, if you had returned to the Chu family back then, you should have been responsible for this matter. Now that it's in Chu Lian's hands, you're probably going to suffer!"

Chu Xuan remained noncommittal on this matter.

If the cinnabar mine was indeed sent to the capital, how could Chu Xiang Pavilion entrust such an important matter to a collateral descendant?

Even if Chu Lian is not very capable, he has the blood of Chu Xiangge flowing in his veins, which means that he will definitely be indispensable in major events related to the Chu family!

As for the Wang family, their deal with the Chu family was probably a mutually beneficial arrangement.

However, this will likely make Lucheng, which is adjacent to Peixian, much more lively.

"Thanks!"

Zhen Mi boarded the carriage and waved to Chu Xuan through the window.

The carriage rumbled away, and Liang An, who had followed at some point, teased Chu Xuan, "Young Master Chu, the carriage is already out of sight!"

Chu Xuan shook his head with a smile: "Now even you dare to tease me?"

Liang An waved his hand, and bowed to Chu Xuan with a resigned air: "Then, Young Master Chu, why don't you go to Lucheng to see Lord Wang?"

Liang An came with a mission: to reach an agreement with Chu Xuan on when to go to Lucheng.

Chu Xuan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, I'll go to Lucheng in three days and meet with Lord Wang then!"

“This isn’t a solution, you can’t just keep dragging it out like this,” Liang An said, only realizing after he’d already spoken that he might have misunderstood: “What did you just say?”

Chu Xuan emphasized, "I said I'm going to Lucheng in three days to meet with your Lord Wang. Did you understand?"

This doesn't mean that Chu Xuan was particularly anxious.

As long as Chu Xuan holds onto the perfume, he will definitely have the upper hand in the deal with the Wang family.

But the news Zhen Mi gave us today was truly shocking.

If the cinnabar from Pei County is so valuable that it has to be supplied to the capital, surely some people will come to Pei County to see it?

Given the grudge between Chu Lian and himself, Chu Lian would definitely go to great lengths to bring the nobles from the capital to Lucheng to disgust him!

Therefore, Wuming Village needs to become stronger, and its status also needs to be elevated!

After confirming the news that he was returning to Lucheng, Liang An thoughtfully escorted Chu Xuan back to the Chu family's courtyard before leaving.

Even after returning to the Chu family's courtyard, Chu Xuan was still preoccupied with something, pacing back and forth alone in the courtyard.

After witnessing this scene, Chen Xuening told Chu Ling'er, Xiao Ziqi, and the others not to disturb Chu Xuan, and that it would be best for him to figure things out on his own.

Chu Xuan pondered this for a while, and soon it was night.

Just as he stood up, he heard a somewhat annoyed voice beside him: "It's the middle of the night, can't a person get any sleep?"

Seeing Ah Leng's angry face, Chu Xuan realized that he had neglected Ah Leng a bit these past few days because of Zhen Mi's arrival.

"Go back to sleep. I need to think about something. Once I've figured it out, I'll go in!"

Ah Leng's expression remained unchanged, and she coldly retorted, "Are you worried about that corrupt official in Lucheng? Give me a knife, and I guarantee you'll see his head at your doorstep by tomorrow morning!"

Chu Xuan felt a warmth in his heart. Although Ah Leng still looked angry, she had actually started to think about him!

However, this idea is far too dangerous!