"So, what news do you have for me?" Qian Yu immediately asked as soon as the three of them got seated. She pushed the plate with delicate snacks on the table toward her younger sisters.
"First, as you can see, Yu Xiang Pavilion has already been moved here.", Lou Yi opened the talks. "So we are now back to normal operations."
"That's good.", Qian Yu exhaled a sigh of relief. " Will Yang Che still be the one managing the headquarters?"
Yang Che is Lou Yi's trusted right-hand man. Basically, he is the one who is at the head of the shopkeepers and would oftentimes become her proxy when the presence of the pavilion's master is needed. When the pavilion master is supposed to meet other people yet she can't show her identity as the second princess of Zhao, Yang Che will replace her in the negotiations. It was her who personally trained Yang Che so Lou Yi herself can vouch for the man's skills. Qian Yu and Rou Xi knows of the man and they pretty much trusts him as well.
"Yes, Yang Che will still manage the headquarters. They've properly set up the office right next to the Yu Xiang Pavilion here."
"I see. That's good."
"As for the three maids I've provided you, they are skilled in martial arts. They are already trained and they know what to do when you have some confidential message you want to pass on to me. Use them well as they are already yours."
"Okay, I got it."
"Also, we've got bad news coming from Hua Kingdom.", Lou Yi added while sipping the tea she poured herself.
Qian Yu froze upon hearing her words. She rashly turned to look at Lou Yi wide eyed, as if trying to search for a hint that she is joking.
"What?!", she leaned closer to her younger sister before asking. "Is it what I think it is?"
Lou Yi looked at her elder sister for a brief moment before nodding.
"That can't be! You must be joking!", Qian Yu exasperatedly exclaimed.
"I wish I am too. Unfortunately, I'm not. We've definitely received news that there's mass movement of sulfur from the Kingdom of Hua."
The Kingdom of Hua is just located a bit further north of Zhao and Xin, bordering the two kingdom. What sets the said kingdom apart from the others is its volcanic ranges. There are numerous active volcanoes scattered in the area. In fact, there are minor volcanic eruptions every year. It is a good thing that despite that, the Kingdom of Hua can still support itself through exporting volcanic ash used as natural fertilizer and volcanic deposits which are durable construction materials.
"But isn't it too early?"
"Yes, it is indeed to early. Something might have happened to that secret organization that prompted them to take action earlier than we've predicted."
Qian Yu massaged her forehead as she felt worried on Lou Yi's words. "Things are progressing according to what we've predicted a few years ago, only earlier."
Lou Yi nodded at Qian Yu's words.
"The only good thing about this is that we've always been in the lookout for this kind of movement since the beginning and haven't been caught off guard. Our plans won't change but we really have to hasten our steps now." Lou Yi continued. "I've already dispatched an order to Yang Che to collate all information gathered in the past month that is relevant to this movement and report to me as soon as possible."
Qian Yu fell silent for a while, as if she was trying to process the details she had just received. Afterward, she finally opened her mouth to ask questions again.
"Did your people find the route that exported sulfur is taking? Where did it get delivered in the end?"
"As per our investigations, the caravan that signed the export of sulfur is Chenggou Winery. They are making it seem that they have found a way to use sulfur to preserve their wines better."
Qian Yu snorted at Lou Yi's words.
"Of course, as we all know, that's a lie.", Lou Yi continued. "There's just no way that the volume of sulfur their exporting will be used for preserving wine alone. There's just too much. They've taken the road up north of Xin to deliver the goods, but eventually stealthily detoured to Zhao. My people have reported that the carriages with the sulfur in them have indeed entered the Zhao branch of Chenggou Winery."
Heavy silence hung in the air as the two older princesses mulled over the information they have at hand.
"Uhm, Eldest Sister, Second Sister," Rou Xi voiced out softly to get her sisters' attention. "You guys predicted this bad news?"
Qian Yu and Lou Yi both looked at their naive little sister. Qian Yu, finding her little sister who was nibbling at her snacks like a hamster cute, reached out to pinch her soft cheeks.
"Big sishta!", Rou Xi exclaimed with creased brows as she tried to move her face away from her eldest sister's reach.
Lou Yi smiled at her sisters' antics.
"Indeed, you haven't been listening at all when we were talking about this matter years ago. Just like now, you were just nibbling on your snacks back then.", Qian Yu continued to stretch her little sister's cheeks as she spoke. "Just like a tiny hamster!"