Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

After all, in order for the policy of state monopoly on salt and iron to pass smoothly, more people had to be tied to his ship.

Otherwise, even if Zhengjie supported it in her heart, she wouldn't be able to find an excuse to openly face a group of opponents in the court.

Chapter 396 A Date with Hu Yi

Night was falling.

Bai Su had been busy all day before returning home. Everything had been taken care of, and now all that was left was to wait for news.

He walked toward the room and saw that the light was flickering and someone was inside. He knocked on the door and heard the crisp sound of wooden clogs clicking on the floor.

Hu Su opened the door and was overjoyed to see Bai Su.

She seemed to have just finished bathing, wearing a white bathrobe, holding a towel in her hand, and drying her hair with her head turned to the side. Her pair of fair, white feet were wearing delicate wooden clogs, and she stood on the ground, looking playful and cute.

Bai Su walked in and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Hu Yu, holding a towel, smiled sweetly after hearing Bai Su's words: "It's alright. As the Grand Master of Ceremonies, it's normal for my husband to come back late when he helps my mother with state affairs. It's just a pity that we didn't have dinner together."

She rolled her heterochromatic eyes, as if she had thought of something, and suddenly said, "But husband, you have to promise me one thing."

"what's up?"

Bai Su couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"Come out with me later." Hu Yu took off the towel, raised his head seriously, and stared intently at Bai Su.

Bai Su glanced at the night sky. It was already so late. What was she going out for? But seeing Hu Yi's serious expression, he nodded.

Hu Yu immediately laughed, came over, took Bai Su's hand, and led him to the bedside.

"Husband, help me dry my hair." She handed the towel to Bai Su.

How could Bai Su refuse her wife's request?

Hu Yu sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Bai Su. Her shapely figure was revealed under her bathrobe. She draped a towel over her shoulders to avoid getting her hair wet.

"Swish..."

Bai Su gently stroked Hu Yu's head and began wiping his hair with a towel.

Her hair had just been washed and was very smooth, with a faint fragrance, though it was hard to tell whether it was the smell of soap or the flower petals she had put in the bathtub.

As she sat down, a tear appeared at the collar of her yukata. Bai Su glanced at it and saw a smear of white grease. He quickly turned his head and focused on drying her hair.

Hu Yu raised her eyes and looked at Bai Su's face. His handsome face and bright eyes reminded her of the scenes when she first met Bai Su.

"Hey, you! What do you mean by 'seeing your head and looking up at your toes everywhere makes you an absolute beauty'?"

Back then, out of curiosity about my mother's delicious milk candy, I ran to the streets of Handan and found that so-called extraordinary person.

After hearing this man's strange comments about the stunningly beautiful woman, I, in my ignorance, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. Now, thinking about it, my face flushes. He really was a big bad guy.

Hu Yu's face turned rosy. She looked at Bai Su's large hand that was constantly shaking the towel, and thought of the Mid-Autumn Festival when Bai Su made delicious mooncakes for her in the deep palace.

It also helped her, who had always lost to Fu Su since childhood, to win against that high and mighty older sister for the first time, and she was so happy.

and also……

Whenever Hu Yu thought about all the things Bai Su had done for her, a sense of security would rise in her heart, as if as long as this man in front of her was by her side, she would not be afraid of anything.

She turned around and nestled in Bai Su's arms, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Bai Su smiled when she saw how attached Hu Yi was to her.

......

......

Qi region.

A spirited woman stood still, leading a horse.

Her eyes were fixed on a passing caravan, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Several attendants nearby couldn't help but ask.

This group of people were none other than Zhang Han and his entourage, who had come to Qi on Bai Su's orders.

"This group of people is a bit strange."

Zhang Han looked at the caravan with a solemn expression.

Having stayed in Xianyang for a long time and had contact with merchants from all sides, she could naturally tell at a glance that this was a Xiongnu person from the grasslands.

After all, the appearance and hairstyle of the Xiongnu people were different from those of the Central Plains people, making them easy to recognize.

Logically speaking, it is not surprising that Xiongnu merchants appeared in the Central Plains. The Central Plains traded with the surrounding states, and the Xiongnu people often brought cattle and sheep to the Central Plains to exchange for goods such as salt, tea, and porcelain.

Not to mention Qi, we encounter this every now and then, even in Xianyang.

What made Zhang Han feel uneasy was that the goods this group of people were carrying were actually cartloads of linen.

It's not that the Xiongnu people didn't need cloth to make clothes.

Instead, they came all the way from the northern grasslands, traversing mountains and rivers. Given such a great cost, one would normally think they would choose to buy some highly profitable items to take back with them.

For example, tea, porcelain, and salt—these are the hard currencies of the grasslands.

Who would travel thousands of miles to bring back a bunch of burlap? The profit wouldn't even cover the travel expenses.

and also……

This carriage seems rather heavy.

In the past, a horse-drawn carriage should have had an easy time pulling a cart full of cloth, but the caravan's carriages in front of us were moving with unusual difficulty.

This is clearly not the weight of ordinary linen.

"Sir, what should we do?"

A guard in plain clothes approached Zhang Han and asked in a low voice.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Han said, "There's something strange about this group of people. Let's go...follow them. I want to see what tricks they're up to."

"Yes."

The group of plainclothes guards nodded, glanced in the direction of the caravan, and secretly followed.

......

......

After Bai Su finished combing Hu Yu's hair, she piled her jet-black hair into a high bun, inserted a delicate jade hairpin, and said, "Madam, your hair is done."

Hu Yu reluctantly got up from Bai Su's arms, brushed his hair aside, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

She glanced at the night sky outside the window, her eyes lighting up: "Husband, we should go, or we'll be too late."

Hu Yu quickly got up, put on foot bags and wooden clogs, walked out of the room, took Bai Su's big hand, and headed towards the door.

"Where are you taking me?" Bai Su asked, puzzled.

You'll find out soon enough.

A look of anticipation appeared on Hu Yi's face.

Bai Su shook her head helplessly and had no choice but to walk with her.

Xianyang has now become the most prosperous capital city in the world.

Although it was late at night, the bustling atmosphere outside had not diminished at all; the streets were brightly lit and teeming with people.

Bai Su and Hu Yi sat in the carriage, looking at the lively scene outside the window.

Hu Yu leaned against the window and said to the driver, "Please hurry to the west city."

The driver looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Oh, you two are here because of that rumor too. Then I'd better hurry."

Bai Su was taken aback: "What rumor?"

Hu Yi's face immediately flushed red, and she quickly interrupted the driver, saying, "We haven't heard any rumors. We just want to go and see the sky lantern performance tonight during the Lantern Festival. Master, please just focus on driving."

"I understand, I understand..."

The driver smiled knowingly, turned around, and focused on driving.

Hu Yu's pretty face flushed red, and she couldn't help but glance at Bai Su cautiously. Only when she saw that Bai Su seemed to have noticed nothing did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Chapter 297 Releasing Sky Lanterns with Hu Yu

Bai Su stroked her chin and gave Hu Yi a strange look: "I have a feeling you're plotting something."

"No way..."

Hu Su playfully grabbed Bai Su's arm, blinked her heterochromatic eyes, and giggled.

Bai Su felt the softness on her arm, looked at the smiling girl beside her, shook her head helplessly, and didn't ask any more questions.

The carriage was very efficient, and in the blink of an eye, they had arrived at the West City.

Orange lanterns hung on both sides of the street, making it brightly lit. Even so late, many people had gathered here, mostly couples, and some families.

Many small vendors were hawking their wares, and from a distance, it looked quite lively.

As soon as they got off the carriage, Hu Yu grabbed Bai Su's arm, pointed at all sorts of novel things on the street, chattering away as he pulled him inside.

There were many young gentlemen from the city around, swaying their folding fans and chatting with the young ladies from noble families who had come to see the sky lanterns.

Hu Yu and Bai Su changed into casual clothes and didn't stand out at all in the crowd.

No one noticed that this young newlywed couple was none other than the world-renowned Grand Chancellor and the current Princess.

The night wind was a bit chilly, and the breeze made many people dressed in light clothing shiver.

Hu Yi couldn't help but shudder, and the little hand that was holding Bai Su's arm tightened unconsciously.

"What are you doing out so late at night? You just took a bath and you're dressed so lightly. Don't catch a cold."

Seeing her like this, Bai Su shook her head slightly, then took a few steps forward and stood outside Hu Yu, using her body to shield herself from the night wind.

At the same time, he reached out and put his arm around Hu Hai's shoulder, pulling her close to his chest so she wouldn't be so cold.