Chapter 24: The Entire Linzhou Stands Behind You!

As it turned out, this Miss Gu was indeed from the capital.

She was Gu Qianrong, the daughter of Gu Feng, the Imperial Censor currently inspecting Haizhou.

Gu Qianrong had always enjoyed traveling with her father and elder brothers, rarely staying in the capital. She was also a close friend of Xin Ningyu, the third sister of Xin Che. Whenever she returned to the capital, she would visit the “ailing” Xin Ningyu.

Gu Qianrong nodded gracefully at Li Sicong. “So, this is Young Master Li’s junior. Please, go ahead.”

Li Sicong suppressed his surprise at encountering an old acquaintance in a foreign land. Pulling Jiang Lili aside, his previously elegant expression turned into one of utter despair.

“Ancestor, I’m begging you, stop talking. Save some lines for me!”

“You’ve already used up all the famous quotes. What am I supposed to say in the future?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a persistent “di-di-di” in his mind. A group chat interface suddenly appeared in his head.

[Vice Monitor: Whoa, Sales Champion Li! You finally showed up!]

[Hou Xiaoxiao: Lili, you’ve made contact with the Sales Champion Li already?]

[Study Committee Member: Brother Sicong, looking forward to seeing you build a commercial empire in the Great Sheng Dynasty! Also, try to hold back on using too much poetry—I need some lines for my imperial exam prep.]

“What the heck? This is absurd!”

Li Sicong clutched his head, utterly bewildered. A class group chat had somehow manifested in his mind!

“Calm down. Stay calm.”

Jiang Lili quickly explained the situation of their entire class transmigrating together. It took Li Sicong quite a while to process and accept this bizarre reality.

“Oh, by the way, I also brought you the ingredients that were blocked at the city gate.”

Jiang Lili patted the back basket she was carrying.

Li Sicong led Jiang Lili to an empty storeroom. Jiang Lili called on Xiaopang to initiate a transfer. Moments later, crates of ingredients appeared in the room.

Even though Li Sicong had heard about the magical properties of Jiang Lili’s back basket, he couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

“My goodness! When you reach Haizhou, you can start by transporting seafood, cultivating vegetables, and tropical crops, and then send them to Xiaopang through the back basket. Xiaopang won’t even need to pay for farm or ranch rentals—what a huge saving!”

Li Sicong’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Land in the modern world is far more expensive than in Haizhou.”

Jiang Lili sighed, resting her face on her hands. “We’ll see once we’re in Haizhou. That place is barren, with poor transportation. It’s going to be a lot of work.

“Our classmate Master Liao is a horticulture major, isn’t he? He’d be perfect for farming and land reclamation.”

The “Master Liao” Jiang Lili referred to was Liao Ji, a quiet, laid-back individual with a penchant for divination. He always approached things unhurriedly, exuding the demeanor of a reclusive sage. That’s why everyone called him “Master Liao.”

“I wonder where he ended up after the transmigration. Haven’t seen a trace of him.”

Jiang Lili shook her head. “This batch-by-batch transmigration setup is such a headache. Finding people is way too difficult.”

“Tsk, don’t forget you still have me.”

Li Sicong calculated aloud, “My father manages more than a dozen coal mines in Linzhou, and my mother left me several estates and shops.”

“When I win my father over completely, the entire Linzhou will be your support!”

Jiang Lili clapped her hands. ‘Impressive, Sales Champion! You’ve already started painting a bright future for your client. Li Sicong may be annoying sometimes, but his title as the Sales Champion is well-deserved!’

Remembering her purpose for coming, Jiang Lili told Li Sicong about the bandit suppression order.

“I’ve heard about that order. My idiot younger brother is behind it,” Li Sicong said, shaking his head. “It’s such a waste of resources, mobilizing troops like that. Wouldn’t it be better to develop Linzhou’s economy and improve the people’s lives instead?

“By the way, you mentioned Guan Yue came along. Where is she?”

Jiang Lili slapped her thigh. “Oh no! I forgot about our bandit leader!”

The servant came to invite Guan Yue to the second-floor private room. Guan Yue, along with Tao Zhi and Cheng Jiayu had already settled in and begun eating a small hotpot.

“I’ll go find the manager first, you all enjoy your meal,” Guan Yue instructed Tao Zhi and Jiayu, then followed the servant upstairs.

“Sister Yue, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” Li Sicong greeted her with a beaming smile.

In high school, Guan Yue didn’t like eating in the school cafeteria. Li Sicong, being a day student, often helped her get food from outside the school, and as a result, he got his fair share of “kickbacks.”

Guan Yue snorted, “It’s actually pretty hard to meet you, Big Brother Li!”

Li Sicong grinned, “Sister Yue, don’t be mad. I heard from Lili that your bandit hideout is overcrowded. How about you bring some of them over to my estate? Also, I’m planning to set up an escort agency, and we’ll need capable people.”

An escort agency in ancient times was similar to a logistics and security company—it could escort goods or protect important individuals.

If they wanted to establish a reliable cargo route between Linzhou and Haizhou, a trustworthy escort agency would be essential.

“That’s actually a great idea. The brothers would have stable food to eat!” Guan Yue clapped her hands. “But right now, with the city under such tight surveillance, how are they supposed to get in?”

Li Sicong smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, leave it to me.”

Soon after, a servant came in and reported, “Young Master, the magistrate has arrived and is waiting in the private room next door.”

Li Sicong stood up, brushed off his robe, and gracefully headed out the door.

Not long after, a stern voice filled with anger could be heard from the next room: “Sicong, you invited me to this feast, and yet you didn’t even prepare any dishes?”

It sounded like the voice of the Magistrate of Linzhou.

Jiang Lili pondered for a moment, noticing a gap in the wooden partition that separated the private rooms. She quickly called for Guan Yue to come and eavesdrop on the conversation.

“Dong—” The sound of a knee hitting the ground rang out, followed by Li Sicong’s voice: “Father, I am an unfilial son, incapable. It’s all my fault.”

Jiang Lili and Guan Yue were both startled by the sound of him kneeling. This Sales Champion Li truly had a knack for both humility and pride!

But wait, hadn’t they already delivered the ingredients for the hotpot? There was a huge box of them.

Li Sicong kept apologizing but refused to explain why, leaving the Magistrate of Linzhou puzzled.

At this point, a servant nearby couldn’t stand it anymore and softly spoke up, “My Lord, you don’t know… it’s all because the Second Young Master…”

“Shut up! Don’t say another word!” Li Sicong sharply interrupted the servant and took the blame upon himself. “Father, it’s my failure in managing things that delayed your meal. I’ve already sent someone to fetch the ingredients from outside the city.”

The Magistrate of Linzhou, sensing something was off, pointed at the servant and demanded, “Why are they going outside the city to fetch ingredients?”

“My Lord, you don’t know…” The servant proceeded to explain how Li Sicong’s younger brother had caused the situation.

Li Sicong, with a tone of utmost defense for his younger brother, said: “Father, my younger brother only acted out of concern for Linzhou’s order and safety. I’m sure he wouldn’t do anything against me, after all, we’re brothers!”

“If there’s any fault, it’s mine. Surely, it’s because of the ingredients, or the new manager, chef, or maid I hired… that they got stuck outside the city. It’s definitely not my younger brother’s fault.”

At that moment, Li Sicong seemed like a saint defending his younger brother, like a pure white lotus, completely different from the slick and savvy person who had been talking to Jiang Lili and Guan Yue earlier!

Jiang Lili and Guan Yue couldn’t help but click their tongues in amazement.

<< _ >>

**TN

Merry Christmas! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° Wishing you a season filled with joy, love, and warmth.

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