The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

"No way, he even takes your hard-earned money? How can Sikong Rui be even more shameless and despicable than me? He's a disgrace to the word. No wonder I saw everyone discussing salaries in private a while ago."

"Everyone naturally believes that you, sir, are upright and honest, just like the Grand Commander-in-Chief. We have seen it all these days, and the brothers are very moved. They all think that the Grand Commander-in-Chief has returned."

Zhang Feihu looked at Sikong Jin with great gratitude.

Sikong Jin stroked his chin thoughtfully, thought for a moment, and then sighed, "In that case, if you follow me, I certainly won't let you suffer losses. This time when we head to the Northwest, I will make sure my brothers make a fortune. When there's a war, I'll take you all to make a huge profit from the war. I want you to know that any brother who follows me will definitely be rich and have prestige."

"My lord, what do you mean by that?"

Zhang Feihu looked at Sikong Jin with suspicion, somewhat puzzled by the chill in Sikong Jin's words.

Sikong Jin simply responded with a mysterious smile and didn't continue, saying, "You'll find out soon enough!"

General Zhang Feihu wisely refrained from asking further questions. Instead, he glanced at the mess of cups and plates scattered across the table and asked in a low voice, "Then, sir... what do we do now? I just secretly observed the place, and it seems this restaurant is not simple. There seem to be thugs stationed at the entrance and all around. I'm afraid we can't just rush out like this; that would have a very bad impact!"

Sikong Jin shrugged and sighed, "There is a way, but it will be a bit of a hardship for you, General Zhang. I never thought that someone as cultured as myself would have to go through this..."

"what?"

Zhang Feihu stared wide-eyed in surprise, his mouth agape. Before he could understand Sikong Jin's meaning, he suddenly saw the Sikong Lord opposite him flick his sleeve, flicking a dark gray object between his fingertips toward him. Before he could react, the object flew into his mouth. He was startled and instinctively swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"My lord, what did you feed me?"

Zhang Feihu smacked his lips and asked in a low voice.

A sly smile flickered across Lord Sikong's delicate face as he lowered his voice and said, "Rat droppings..."

'vomit--'

The words had barely left his mouth when General Zhang Feihu felt a churning in his throat and vomited violently with a few loud 'whoosh' sounds!

At this moment, Lord Sikong waved his hand, overturning the cups and plates on the table and smashing them to the ground. With a cold face, he said in a chilling voice, "Waiter, call out the manager of your restaurant."

The waiter rushed up and saw Zhang Feihu vomiting and looking pale. He was a little flustered and quickly said, "I'm sorry, sir, I'll go find the manager right away."

A short while later, the restaurant manager came up. He was a middle-aged man, slightly overweight, with sharp, piercing eyes. You could tell at a glance that he was a formidable character, the cunning kind. Just looking at him was intimidating, but that was no problem for Lord Sikong.

He immediately bowed to Sikong Jin upon entering, and upon seeing Zhang Feihu, who had vomited all over the ground beside him, his brows furrowed deeply. "May I ask what brings this young master here?"

Lord Sikong glared at him coldly and said in a chilling voice, "Go and see for yourself what you've put in your food. My subordinate is vomiting like this. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

As he spoke, his cold gaze immediately fell upon the large pile of vomit that Zhang Feihu had vomited. The steward's face was also gloomy. Following Sikong Jin's gaze, he saw a grayish-black object that looked like rat droppings among the pile of food and vomit...

A quarter of an hour later, Lord Sikong helped the pale-faced General Zhang Feihu out of the restaurant. In a secluded corner, Lord Sikong released the weak General Zhang Feihu and said calmly, "Alright, actually that wasn't rat droppings. It's a very precious pill that has the effect of warming and nourishing the meridians. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."

Zhang Feihu was taken aback. He glanced at Sikong Jin and quickly tried to circulate his internal energy. Sure enough, he could faintly feel a warmth slowly spreading in his dantian, but it was not obvious because he had spat it out at the time.

"My lord, how could you make such a joke... You should have told me first, and I'm now vomiting all over!"

Sikong Jin smiled, casually tossing the two silver ingots that the steward had just given as compensation to Zhang Feihu with a gloomy expression, and said with a laugh, "If I had told you earlier, could you have acted so convincingly? Besides, you wouldn't have gotten this benefit!"

Zhang Feihu nimbly caught the silver coins that Sikong Jin tossed to him. He was about to say something when Lord Sikong had already walked forward with his hands behind his back.

"Sir! Where do we go now?"

Zhang Feihu looked at the gleaming silver and contentedly slipped it into his sleeve. He quickly chased after the silver, but now he was starving!

"After a good meal, it's time to find a place to have a nice good night's sleep!"

Zhang Feihu scratched his head and could only helplessly follow.

Before long, the two arrived near the dock in Zhenjiang, Taizhou, and found a red-roofed house.

Taizhou City was a very important city in the northwest of Dayong, and an important hub connecting the central and northwestern parts of Dayong. It was the northwesternmost city in the Hangu Wangzhou area. Zhenjiang, which flows through Taizhou City, is an important tributary of the Shenglan River. This waterway was almost the most important route for the exchange of economic goods between the northwest region and the eastern and central parts of Dayong.

Almost all the grains, rice, flour, cloth, tea, and other goods imported into the Northwest region each year are transported via the Shenglan River. Shipping in this region is much more convenient than land transport, and the freight costs are also relatively cheap, making it the preferred transportation route for many business people.

In a private room of Yihong Tower, a melodious zither tune drifted through the beaded curtain. Inside, General Zhang Feihu was sitting at the table wolfing down his food, while Lord Sikong, holding a cup of hot tea, went to the window and slowly pushed it open.

A cool breeze suddenly swept in, carrying the somewhat desolate scent of the river. Looking out, one could see fishing lights dotting the river below, with fishing boats almost filling the entire shore. The docks nearby were also brightly lit and bustling with activity.

"As expected of the most important hub in the Northwest region, this bustling port is almost as grand as the capital! It's truly impressive!"

Sikong Jin sighed, took a sip of tea, leaned against the window frame with one hand, and gazed at the fishing boats coming and going below. Her eyes held a deep, silent light, and her expression was also somewhat somber.

"Sir, why are we here?"

Zhang Feihu walked over with a puzzled look, followed Lord Sikong's gaze downwards, and asked in a low voice.