The Little Darling Wife Who is a Divine Doctor Saved the Entire Family of the Duke's Mansion Chapter 561: The People of Northwest China Completely Return to Normal Life.

Tang Mingrui's thoughts raced with endless business schemes—the costs of these ingredients were baked into his very first blueprint, particularly for that delectable, invigorating grape wine he eyed as a boundless moneymaker.

This boundless prospect wasn't tied to sales volume, but to its staggeringly high price.

Through many joint ventures, He Zhiran had grown quite pleased with Tang Mingrui's pricing decisions, so she had no plans to fret excessively this time around.

Since their partnership split profits evenly, whether prices soared high or dipped low impacted not just the Mo family's gains, but Tang Mingrui's personal earnings too.

Hiding the copper pot crafting technique served no purpose—anyone eager to learn could unravel it with just a brief examination of the pot.

He Zhiran's bold assurance in cornering the hot pot market stemmed primarily from the dipping sauces and broth base spices.

These stood as the Mo family's secret formulas, especially the rare raw materials no one else could acquire.

Thus, she confidently assured Tang Mingrui that hot pot would remain their exclusive long-haul venture, with any imitators falling woefully short.

Regrettably, He Zhiran had only fermented wine from the courtyard's mountain grapes that year, falling short of mass production scale.

She also noticed the two elders taking a clear shine to this grape wine.

For the moment, the modest output from these grape vines stayed reserved for family use alone; next year, with richer mountain grape harvests, large-scale brewing awaited, opening doors to a hefty collaboration payday with Tang Mingrui.

Tang Mingrui harbored deep regret over delaying the grape wine partnership.

Still, greed didn't sway him—nurturing genuine ties with the Mo family guaranteed he'd claim all these ventures in time.

In the span of one lavish meal, Minister Hao warmed even more to his daughter's in-laws, while He Zhiran inked a hot pot restaurant pact with Tang Mingrui on the spot.

True to past deals, the Mo family supplied ingredients and spices, Tang Mingrui managed shop setup and operations, with profits divided equally between the families.

Furthermore, ripe greenhouse vegetables from the Mo estate could flow in abundance to Tang Mingrui's eatery.

Tang Mingrui eagerly agreed to it all.

He viewed this outing as his richest haul from the Mo family yet.

How could a future merchant titan fail to spot the colossal fortunes lurking in hot pot?

Fully content, Tang Mingrui departed and plunged straight into shop-launch preparations back home.

With Mo Jiuye now safeguarding the western frontiers, northwest commoners had returned fully to daily routines.

His shop opening faced no wartime disruptions, and his outlets had already spread to neighboring prefectures...

Hot pot restaurant alliance with Tang Mingrui sealed, He Zhiran pressed on with fresh business pursuits.

...

Time sped past, and before long, the twelfth lunar month had arrived.

On the path to Xi Ling Village, Mo Jiuye urged his band of riders onward in a furious gallop home.

One month before, Nan Yu had commanded him to round up the full Barbarian Royal Family and nobility, hauling them to the capital as directed.

The leftover commoners carried on with their prior existences.

Meanwhile, the expansive Barbarian lands merged into Mo Jiuye's personal fiefdom.

True to He Zhiran's counsel, he began by handing out rations to Barbarian folk to weather the winter, soothing their loyalties.

Enduring a winter free of famine deaths, these people would doubtless thank Mo Jiuye profusely, perhaps even deeming Da Shun's Barbarian conquest a true fortune for them.

And so it proved—what truly stirred the hearts of simple civilians?

Merely keeping families fed and sheltered; they'd back whoever delivered such stability.

True to form, upon claiming rations from Mo Jiuye's dispatched aides, the Barbarians fell to their knees, echoing Da Shun folk by crying out "Long live the King of Defending the West!" Some professed readiness to serve as oxen or steeds for the King of Defending the West lifelong.

Whether they'd truly labor as beasts remained unclear, yet Mo Jiuye knew their devotion ran utterly genuine.

Come next spring, he intended to adhere to his wife's strategy by dispatching massive herds of horses, cattle, and sheep to the Barbarians.

Even though the Barbarian territories seemed starkly barren, they brimmed with plentiful resources, far from utter desolation.

The seeds sown by ordinary folk using conventional techniques barely produced any yield, causing vast swathes of land to lie fallow over the years.

Prior to his departure, Mo Jiuye ordered Liang Hao to command a squad of soldiers to remain and named him governor over the entire Barbarian domain.

This post as governor stood out as anything but typical.

Da Shun's prefectures generally featured a prefect at the helm, while certain areas saw the court install a commander too—meaning most had both a civilian leader and a martial overseer.

The northwest, however, formed an exception, with its vast western garrison eliminating the need for commander roles in the prefectures.

Within Da Shun, governors embodied the fusion of prefect and commander duties; hence, Liang Hao served as both civil administrator and military head for the Barbarian region, at the helm of ten thousand troops.

These ten thousand soldiers hailed from the imperial forces sent to assault the western frontier. Beneath Mo Jiuye's masterful direction and armed with abundant bombs, Da Shun's campaign wrapped up with virtually zero losses.

Fief-holding princes in Da Shun could retain a fixed troop count, and the freshly seized Barbarian lands demanded vigilant protection, so Mo Jiuye promptly petitioned Nan Yu to station some soldiers there as defenders.

Nan Yu had dispatched the army westward expecting casualties of two to three in ten. Yet Mo Jiuye's dispatch revealed next to no fatalities.

Given those results, Nan Yu chose to adapt, retaining the share of troops he'd braced to forfeit while recalling the remainder.

Such an arrangement fulfilled Mo Jiuye's requirements perfectly, while Nan Yu incurred no true setback himself.

Without Mo Jiuye's command, those dispatched soldiers might have perished entirely, leaving Nan Yu with zero regrets over the decision.

Crucially, his deep faith in the Mo family underpinned it all.

From the start, summoning Mo Jiuye to battle stemmed from the creed of "trust those you employ, don't employ those you don't trust", a conviction unshaken to this day.

Mo Jiuye harbored no excessive ambitions—he already commanded his seasoned veterans as personal guards, now bolstered by Nan Yu's gift of ten thousand imperial soldiers.

Once the new year dawned, he could methodically expand his ranks without a single worry over manpower shortages.

With Barbarian affairs secured, Mo Jiuye rapidly gathered a handful of his brothers and raced back to the family estate.

Departures for past campaigns had never stirred such profound yearning within him.

This time burned utterly differently—he yearned fiercely for his cherished wife and two darling children.

Several months of absence meant Ran Ran had undoubtedly toiled without respite to sustain the household.

Would his two little ones still identify him as their father?

Brimming with impatient longing, Mo Jiuye defied the piercing chill, urging his journey to its utmost haste until Xi Ling Village lay within reach.

Having paid homage to his parents and offered a swift summary of the western conquest, Mo Jiuye dashed without pause to his personal abode.