I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 502: What exactly are you planning to do?

Fang Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment and said, "Let's start by investigating his medicinal herb supply chain and see if we can find any loopholes."

Ouyang Tuoba said, "That's probably not easy. His business network is intricate and complex, and it's difficult for us to infiltrate it."

Fang Xiaoxiao said firmly, "No matter how difficult it is, we have to try. We can get information from some of his downstream merchants."

Everyone thought this method was feasible and decided to split up and take action.

Fang Xiaoxiao took Li Wan'er to visit some small merchants who had business dealings with Li Fu, while Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba went to investigate Li Fu's warehouses and transportation routes.

However, their operation did not go so smoothly. The small business owners avoided Li Fu at all costs, fearing that they would get into trouble.

Fang Xiaoxiao and her friends encountered setbacks repeatedly, but they did not give up.

Over the next few days, Fang Xiaoxiao took Li Wan'er and Hongxiu for a stroll around the city and its outskirts, and also went to Li Fu's pharmacy to buy some medicinal herbs. Meanwhile, Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba went to He Jinnian to discuss with Fang Xiaoxiao about taking the Five Stone Powder stored in Li Fu's residence out of the city.

The appointed day soon arrived. Steward Li Fu arrived at Fang Xiaoxiao's courtyard with four or five carriages. Fang Xiaoxiao came out to greet them, but he waved his hand, indicating that they should be taken out of the city gates quickly, otherwise something might happen.

Fang Xiao nodded to indicate that there was no problem, and then turned around to instruct Li Wan'er and Hongxiu to make preparations.

Soon after, the group prepared to set off.

Butler Li Fu urged, "Hurry up, don't dawdle!"

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled apologetically, "Don't be in a hurry, butler, we'll be leaving now."

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they noticed that something was off about the atmosphere.

Fang Xiaoxin's heart tightened, and she knew something was wrong.

Sure enough, a group of men in black suddenly appeared and surrounded them.

Butler Li Fu's expression changed drastically: "Who are you people? How dare you block our way!"

A leader stepped out from among the men in black and sneered, "None of you are taking this shipment with you!"

Fang Xiaoxiao stepped forward: "How dare you be so arrogant in broad daylight!"

The leader in black snorted, "Enough talk, make your move!"

The two sides instantly engaged in fierce combat.

Just then, He Jinnian arrived with his officers and soldiers.

"Take them all down!" He Jinnian shouted.

Seeing that things were not going well, the men in black tried to escape, but none of them were able to escape the encirclement and suppression by the government troops.

Fang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and said to He Jinnian, "Luckily you arrived in time."

He Jinnian laughed and said, "I came here as soon as I received the news. This batch of Wushi Powder must not fall into the hands of bad guys."

Then, they escorted the carriage and walked together toward the city gate.

However, just as they reached the city gate, new troubles arose.

A group of armored soldiers appeared before them. The leader was none other than Pei Yan's elder brother, Pei Zuo. Pei Zuo walked towards the group with a cold smile and asked Fang Xiaoxiao and her group where they were going.

Steward Li Fu immediately realized something was wrong and prepared to flee with his men, but Pei Zuo waved his hand to stop them.

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and said that she had purchased a batch of medicinal herbs and planned to transport them to the dock outside the city and sell them along the canal to Jiangnan.

Pei Zuo responded with an "oh" and was about to send someone forward to check.

Steward Li Fu was in a panic, sweating profusely, fearing that the matter of the Five-Stone Powder would be exposed. He tried to stop them, but He Jinnian held him back.

He Jinnian respectfully told Pei Zuo that he was the Chief of the Judicial Bureau and was accompanying his wife on this trip. He hoped that the Crown Prince would grant him this favor.

In order not to reveal his identity as the Crown Prince, Pei Yan could only hide in the crowd.

When Ouyang Tuoba saw that it was the eldest prince who had come forward, he quickly stepped forward with a smile and introduced himself as the prince of the Northern Kingdom. He then took out the prince's token from his bosom and handed it to Pei Zuo.

Pei Zuo accepted the token, examined it for a moment, his expression changed slightly, and said, "So it is the prince of the Northern Kingdom. My apologies for my rudeness. But this matter is of great importance, and it is my duty to investigate."

Ouyang Tuoba laughed and said, "Your Highness, these are just ordinary medicinal herbs. Why make such a fuss?"

Pei Zuo snorted coldly: "Whether it's ordinary or not, an investigation will tell."

Just then, Fang Xiaoxiao said, "Your Highness, if you insist on inspecting and miss the appointed time, the losses will be great."

Pei Zuo's gaze swept over the crowd as he pondered something.

At that moment, one of his advisors leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

Pei Zuo's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty before he finally said, "Fine, let them go!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and quickly set off to leave the city.

However, what they didn't know was that Pei Zuo didn't give up, but instead sent people to secretly follow them.

The group finally arrived at the dock. Butler Li Fu was deeply grateful to Fang Xiaoxiao for her great abilities and said he would definitely tell his master about the incident. Fang Xiaoxiao was overjoyed, finally able to infiltrate the enemy's ranks.

He Jinnian and Pei Yan were speechless. As government officials or even princes, they had actually done something against their conscience. Their faces turned bright red, but there was nothing they could do but smile and cooperate with Fang Xiaoxiao's performance.

After all the commotion, everyone parted ways, and Steward Li Fu successfully loaded the five-stone powder onto the cargo ship.

After bidding farewell to Steward Li Fu, Fang Xiaoxiao glanced back at her three nominal husbands and smiled, asking if they were feeling particularly sad, and suggesting that the batch of Five Stone Powder would end up scattered throughout Jiangnan Province.

Pei Yan readily agreed, saying that this was exactly what he was worried about, believing that the Five-Stone Powder was too harmful to the people.

Ouyang Tuoba echoed, "That's right. If this were to enter the market, countless families would suffer."

He Jinnian secretly thought that his wife would not really let Wushi Powder flow into the Jiangnan Province market, and said, "I believe Fang Xiaoxiao must have a countermeasure."

Fang Xiao smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry, how could I let such a thing happen?"

Pei Yan asked anxiously, "Then tell me quickly, what exactly are you planning to do?"

Fang Xiao kept everyone in suspense: "Don't worry, you'll find out tonight."

As night fell, Fang Xiaoxiao led the three of them quietly to a secluded spot near the dock.

The cargo ship loaded with Wushi powder was still moored there, showing no sign of setting sail.

He Jinnian asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I had already arranged for people to tamper with the ship, so they can't leave."

Just then, a commotion broke out on the ship.

It turned out that Fang Xiaoxiao's people had already begun to take action and had brought the situation under control.

A moment later, a subordinate came to report: "Miss, the matter has been taken care of."

Fang Xiaoxiao nodded in satisfaction: "Confiscate all the Five-Stone Powder, leave none behind."

Pei Yan and the others breathed a sigh of relief and gave Fang Xiaoxiao a thumbs up.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from a distance.