Moreover, the breach of contract is not the most troublesome issue; the greatest concern is that the owner of the Celestial Workshop is none other than the Gongye Family, a Third-Grade Noble Family, which the Qiaan Family cannot afford to offend.

If the shopkeeper of the Celestial Workshop gets angry with the Qiaan Family and complains about them to the owner, the foothold the Qiaan Family has painstakingly established in the Daqian Capital might regress to its former state.

Just thinking about it gave Qiaan Zhong a headache. After pondering for a moment, he instructed the staff, "Let everyone rest here for a moment. I’ll go ahead and see what’s going on, and try to negotiate with the soldiers for some leniency."

With that, he took the horse from the young attendant’s hand and rode towards the front.

Soon, he saw the rows of dark, towering barricades.

The Qengbei Corridor follows the direction of the water flow. Less than a mile to the south is the Spring-locking River, and to the north, the land rises into a scarcely populated forest, where Fierce Beasts occasionally appear. Thus, the barricades are made of sturdy hardwood to temporarily withstand the charge of Fierce Beasts and are very solid.

At this moment, the continuous barricades nearly blocked the entire road, with only gaps through which uniformed soldiers could occasionally be seen.

Qiaan Zhong removed the Sword from his waist and threw it to the Household Generals, then rode forward, loudly declaring, "May I ask if you are the soldiers of Qeng’an County? I am Qiaan Zhong from Qiaan’s Trading Company. Could you please let me through? I need to see your commander."

As soon as he finished speaking, a helmeted head peeked out from above the barricade, glanced at him, and then tossed down a "wait" before leaping off the barricade to inform someone in the back.

Not long after, a section of the barricade was moved aside, and a middle-aged soldier, dressed in a commander’s uniform, emerged from the back.

"Oh~ isn’t this Shopkeeper Qiaan?" Upon seeing Qiaan Zhong, the commander greeted him with a smile, "It has truly been a long time since we’ve met."

"Commander Zhao?" Qiaan Zhong was momentarily stunned, then quickly approached to engage in small talk, "It’s been over a decade since we last met. Have you been promoted? Judging by your uniform, have you advanced to Captain? Congratulations, congratulations~"

In the early years, Qiaan Zhong had served as a shopkeeper at Qengbei Guards and had dealings with Zhao Zhibang. This man, although amiable on the surface, was actually shrewd and not easy to deal with.

"I haven’t been with the Qengbei Guards for a long time. I’m now a roving Captain in Qeng’an County, in charge of patrolling the northern area with a few other Captains," Zhao Zhibang said, patting the barricade behind him. "Today, I’ve been dispatched to assist with road construction."

After a brief chat, Qiaan Zhong drew Zhao Zhibang aside and whispered, "Captain Zhao, who knows how long this road construction will take? I have a shipment that my client urgently needs. Is there any way you could make an exception?"

With that, he pulled out a Gold Note from his pocket, attempting to slip it into Zhao Zhibang’s pocket.

However, Zhao Zhibang, who seemed easy-going, refused to take the Gold Note. Instead, he rejected the request for leniency with a righteous demeanor, insisting that many accidents happen during road construction and that blocking them was for the safety of the convoy.

No matter how much Qiaan Zhong pleaded, exhausting his eloquence, Zhao Zhibang would not relent, steadfastly holding the Qiaan convoy behind the barricade.

Qiaan Zhong felt both aggrieved and angry, yet helpless.

Seeing Zhao Zhibang about to leave, he hurriedly grabbed him, suppressing his anger, and said in a low voice, "Captain, even if I’m going to die, at least let me die knowing. My goods were detained for several days in Qeng’an County City before, and now they’re blocking me again. What’s the reason behind all this? I haven’t offended you, have I?"

As he spoke, he forcefully stuffed the Gold Note into Zhao Zhibang’s hand, gripping it tightly to prevent its return.

"Shopkeeper Qiaan, you’ve been in this business for so many years. How can you not understand such a simple matter?"

With a helpless look, Zhao Zhibang glanced at the Gold Note in his hand, thought for a moment, then finally accepted it. He then whispered, "This was arranged from above today. There’s no chance of leniency. You should let your Patriarch consider who you might have offended recently~"

After saying this, he shook off Qiaan Zhong’s hand and, holding the Gold Note, retreated behind the barricade.

The towering barricades closed behind him.

Looking at the dark expanse before him, Qiaan Zhong’s mood was somber.

His earlier sense of foreboding had proven true.

Indeed, there are forces in Qeng’an County covertly targeting the Qiaan Family. This situation was far more serious than a delayed delivery.

If not resolved, today’s overdue order with the Celestial Workshop would only begin a series of offenses with various entities.

Long-term, would the Qiaan Family still be able to conduct business?

The truth is, the transportation sector is one of the lifelines of the Qiaan Family.

The route between Qeng’an County and the Capital alone accounts for nearly thirty percent of the Qiaan Family’s transportation profits. Should any issues arise, the losses would be significant.

Despite the Qiaan Family’s extensive holdings, the stewards responsible for specific tasks, like himself, are just members of the Spirit Platform Realm. If Qeng’an County was determined to create trouble for the Qiaan Family, he, a mere steward, could not withstand or oppose it.

He needed to quickly send a message to the Patriarch, urging him to devise a solution.

With this thought, he rode back to the carriage, face darkened with concern.

Soon, two white birds flew out from the carriage window, flapping their wings into the sky, heading towards Longzuo County City.

However, similar issues were not isolated incidents; the convoys of Qiaan’s Trading Company faced similar problems in various locations.