He suddenly looked up and asked his wife, "Where can these things be sold?"
Zhao Jiaqi gave a wry smile. How could she possibly know? But she could guess, "There are three possibilities. First, sold to people from Yun Country. Second, sold to people from Yun Country and also to people in our inner city. Third, perhaps only sold to vassal states. I think this last possibility is nonexistent."
Not to mention she didn't believe it, even he, whose mind wasn't as sharp as his wife's, would never believe it. It was an absurd guess.
Fan Zehao said, "If it weren't for those people in the vassal states with ulterior motives instigating them to plant these, I would be eternally grateful. At least then, the people in this village wouldn't be intentionally selling out the country."
Just as Zhao Jiaqi was about to nod, Fan Zehao continued, "I suspect this was orchestrated by some local officials in our Yun Country who were contacted by a vassal state. The intention is obvious: to undermine us from within. It won't take many years, just you wait and see, Yun Country and the inner city will be their first targets."
With her husband's analysis, Zhao Jiaqi suddenly thought of something.
"Husband, if you wanted to attack a country, but were not as powerful as the opponent, what part of a stronger country would you attack?"
Fan Zehao was stunned. Without thinking, he replied, "Of course, the weakest part. That way, there's at least a sliver of a chance to win."
"Then think, which aspect of Yun Country and the inner city is the weakest?"
This rhetorical question completely stumped Fan Zehao. After careful consideration, he couldn't pinpoint any weakness.
In terms of economy, although the inner city wasn't large, its economy was comparable to that of a country. If it were about military strength, then there was no question.
Firstly, they had strong soldiers and horses. Secondly, the generals under him had all been forged in real combat. And now, with the 'black coal balls' in the barracks, a single explosion could cause massive casualties. Who would dare oppose them?
If it were about undermining them with gossip, that was even more impossible. The people in the inner city were very united, especially towards them, their revered couple, whom they treated like deities.
Fan Zehao couldn't think of any weak point in the inner city. "I can't think of any. Wife, your mind is so clever, help me think."
Zhao Jiaqi sat down and repeatedly asked herself, which part of the inner city was the weakest?
But after much thought, she still couldn't figure it out. "It's not weak. Let's change the approach. Which aspect of our inner city is the strongest?"
Fan Zehao chuckled and reached out to stroke his wife's head. "You don't have a fever, do you? Why are you talking nonsense!"
"Of course, it's the military camp. You know how strong our soldiers are, and that 'black coal ball' you invented is incredibly powerful."
Zhao Jiaqi looked into Fan Zehao's eyes and uttered a sentence that made him instantly shiver, "What if my 'Immortal Cream' was exclusively for your army's soldiers? And given for free, no silver required."
Fan Zehao was dumbfounded. "Then what do you think the consequences would be? You know better than I do."
In the best-case scenario, the soldiers would become addicted and their combat effectiveness would plummet. An enemy wouldn't even need to use their fists; perhaps a single finger would be enough to defeat them.
In the worst-case scenario, there wouldn't even be a war. If the enemy brought a few chests of this substance, the soldiers would immediately surrender and open the gates for them to enter.
Thinking of this, a cold dread crept up his spine. He couldn't sit still anymore. "I... I need to go back and see. If this is truly their conspiracy, we'll be in dire straits."
Conspiracies and schemes never ceased. Being a prince was truly a nerve-wracking ordeal; there wasn't a single peaceful day.
No wonder his wife said that after handling everything, they would find a place with beautiful scenery to live in seclusion. He used to think she was shirking responsibility, but now he realized how truly tired he was.
Zhao Jiaqi held his hand, stopping him from leaving. "You can't. If you leave now, what about this place?"
"Everything we've done before will be in vain. Listen to me!"
Zhao Jiaqi pushed him back onto the stool and said slowly, "Our daughter is in the military camp, and Fan Lao Er is there too. Although that child Helian Jinli doesn't know what this thing is, she's clever. If she realizes something, she'll tell Yumeng, and she'll write to you. But so much time has passed, and they haven't discovered anything. This suggests that perhaps this substance hasn't reached the military camp yet."
When she analyzed it this way, it seemed logical, but once suspicion was sown in his heart, it was impossible to uproot.
"Although what you say makes sense, I still need to send someone to investigate secretly. Only then will I feel at ease."
Zhao Jiaqi completely understood his feelings. As long as he was here, continuing to negotiate with Wang Zhiyuan, everything would be fine.
"Alright," Zhao Jiaqi agreed, and then added, "You've reached an agreement with Village Chief Wang for cooperation. So, use this opportunity. Say you want to personally escort this batch of goods, but you don't have enough silver. You leave me here as collateral, and you'll travel with the goods to collect the silver. This way, you'll have the chance to do what you want to do, and I'll continue to deal with them here."
Upon hearing this, he immediately refused, "No, you'd be a hostage! How could I abandon you?"
In his heart, nothing was more important than his wife. The country was secondary to his parents, wife, and children.
Zhao Jiaqi frowned. Why was he so stubborn at such a critical moment? "Our identities are: I'm a rich young lady, and you're the live-in son-in-law. Leaving me as a hostage is what will give them a sense of security. Do you understand?"
"So what? I disagree."
They were at an impasse, neither willing to back down. This was quite infuriating. Before their tempers could flare, Wang Yuanzhi arrived.
Entering the room, he saw the tense atmosphere. His smile froze on his face, and he held a piece of paper in his hand, unsure whether to speak.
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at him, her expression not friendly. "Village Chief Wang, speak directly if you have something to say."
Since the madam had spoken, he had no choice but to address her. "It's like this, I've tallied up the gold. We have this much in stock. See if it's enough?"
He handed the paper to Zhao Jiaqi. Seeing the figures, she was quite satisfied. She smiled, "Not bad, quite a lot. I want all of it, but it seems the silver we brought isn't enough. Would you consider..."
The village chief immediately waved his hand with a smile. "We're a small business here, no credit. Mainly, this is our first cooperation, and to be honest, we're not yet familiar with you. So... apologies, Madam."
This was within her expectations. She didn't speak, but instead handed the paper to the man beside her. "This is a rare opportunity, don't let it slip away. You must look carefully."
These words were a clear warning, and Fan Zehao, of course, understood. He took the paper and looked at it carefully, his brow furrowing.
"Indeed, we are short on silver. How about this, I'll stay behind, and my wife will go with the goods. Once she returns with the silver, we can leave."
Wang Yuanzhi chuckled upon hearing this. Playing such tricks with them, these two were clearly still a bit too naive. He immediately refused and kindly offered two suggestions.
"How about this: either the Madam stays, or you take the goods that correspond to the silver you have on hand and leave. What do you say?"