CHAPTER 429: CHAPTER 426 BENEFITS

Song Xian reached out and held onto Xie Liangchen.

Song Xian said, "Don’t worry, if it really is Prince Lu, Liu Xi’s revenge will definitely be taken."

Song Xian and Prince Lu were destined to face off one day; for now, both sides maintained a superficial peace. Once they found the opportunity, they would both try to eliminate each other at all costs.

Song Xian said, "I will have someone continue looking into Liu Xi’s matter."

Xie Liangchen nodded.

Song Xian continued, "I have another thought, my father has always been preoccupied with my mother, and with the possibility of Prince Lu making some moves at sea, I am preparing to devote some effort to maritime affairs."

"Meng Changshu’s father, Meng Su, has always advocated for the development of maritime trade. However, Daqi has been plagued by continuous warfare, and the coastal states and counties are wary of too many barbarian merchant ships docking, which might incite conflict. In fact, the previous dynasty had a Maritime Trade Commissioner, and though there were risks with merchant ships going to sea, they always returned fully loaded, bringing significant tax silver to the court. The previous dynasty even had laws regarding sea merchants."

At this point, Song Xian smiled slightly.

Xie Liangchen gazed into Song Xian’s eyes, her expression full of contempt, resilience, and pride; emotions swirling within her eyes, shining brighter than the scorching sun.

Song Xian said, "But the previous dynasty didn’t fall due to maritime wars, rather from internal strife in the court. So, their reasoning was that it’s better to avoid more trouble. If conflict were truly stirred up, their positions might be at risk; additionally, someone might be fanning the flames. While the court doesn’t open up to sea merchants, some people might move privately."

Xie Liangchen knew Song Xian was talking about Prince Lu, merging the past and present situations, and Prince Lu’s affairs became increasingly hard to conceal.

At least, they couldn’t be hidden from Song Xian.

Song Xian said, "I will seek out Meng Su. Meng Su knows the coastal situation well, and with his help, it will be quicker to uncover the truth."

Upon hearing this, Xie Liangchen felt reassured, "You must also be careful."

"Don’t worry," Song Xian said, "Sister has already taken a step ahead for me."

Xie Liangchen was puzzled.

Song Xian said, "The fact that the Meng Family did not form a matrimonial alliance with Ji Yuan this time is the most important step. Moreover, Meng Changshu helped create a herbal illustration, and Meng Su now has some understanding of the Eight States. When I go to see him, it will reduce some unfamiliarity and estrangement."

Xie Liangchen said, "Meng Su is a decisive person; what I did may not be of much help."

"Madam, do not underestimate..."

Song Xian was interrupted by Xie Liangchen’s hand covering his mouth, "There’s still much to do, quickly make arrangements."

Xie Liangchen felt warmth in her palm, and Song Xian’s smile deepened, "As you command."

After Song Xian left, Chen Zigeng returned to the courtyard with Hu Zi.

"Sister," Chen Zigeng said, "look at what this is?"

Hu Zi was holding something fluffy, and upon closer inspection, Xie Liangchen saw it was a lamb.

"A sheep," Hu Zi was so excited he could barely speak, "a sheep... it’s a sheep."

Chen Zigeng had grown quite a bit over the past six months, considerably taller than Hu Zi, yet he still revealed a child’s nature when faced with the lamb.

Chen Zigeng said, "Brother-in-law bought many lambs." It was an enormous flock, the likes of which he had never seen before.

The Chen Family Village had also bought piglets and lambs, and had raised horses and yellow oxen, making surrounding villages envious, but they had never seen such a large flock of lambs.

If Hei Dan and the others came, they could spend several days just watching the flock.

It was quite the effort for Chen Zigeng to pull Hu Zi out of the flock, and to comfort him, he even let Hu Zi choose the smallest lamb to hold.

On the surface, it seemed to be for Sister to see, but deep down, Hu Zi just didn’t want to let go.

Not only Hu Zi, but everyone in the village grinned with their big white teeth when they saw this scene.

Xie Liangchen stepped forward to pet the lamb Hu Zi was holding. The lamb bleated softly, sounding so tender and endearing.

Hu Zi said, "I heard from the village chief that this year these lambs will be raised by the Sheep and Goat Breeding Bureau. The village can send people to learn, and once they’ve mastered it, they can raise lambs themselves next year."

The Eight States have vast pastures, not only for raising lambs but also warhorses. The Sheep and Goat Breeding Bureau will focus mainly on warhorses in the future.

Hu Zi looked up at Xie Liangchen, "Sister, can I go learn?"

Xie Liangchen reached out to pat Hu Zi’s head, "Once the spring plowing is done, you all need to study."

"We can’t study all the time," Hu Zi replied, "I heard there are doctors at the Sheep and Goat Breeding Bureau that diagnose and treat illnesses for sheep, cattle, and horses. They heal people and animals; can’t I learn this?"

Xie Liangchen said, "Not everyone has to study for the civil service exams; once you learn how to read, if there’s a profession you like, naturally, you can pursue it."

"I like this," Hu Zi said, "I will study hard and become someone like those doctors, treating animals."

After Hu Zi finished speaking, he said, "I’ll return the lamb now. I promised the people at the Sheep and Goat Breeding Bureau that I wouldn’t be gone long."

Xie Liangchen watched Hu Zi, "Since you’re just passing by the village, you can take it for a little walk around."

Hu Zi agreed with a joyful expression.

After Hu Zi left, Chen Zigeng and Xie Liangchen returned to the house and sat down.

Chen Zigeng sighed, "The Eight States are vast. Even though everyone is putting in a lot of effort, there are still not enough hands. Many lands remain uncultivated, and the officials and villagers are anxious with no solution. Missing the spring plowing means the land will go to waste."

As Chen Zigeng spoke, he took out a piece of paper and showed it to Xie Liangchen, "Sister, look, this is Zhenzhou. Zhenzhou has reclaimed some land this year, and the autumn harvest should yield thirty percent more grain than last year. This is from Dai State, and in Dai State’s current situation, forget reclaiming land; there are still many empty fields."

This task was given to Chen Zigeng by Mr. Dongli for him to observe and learn.

Since arriving in Dai State, Chen Zigeng had been running all over with the government officials.

Chen Zigeng said, "Not only are we short of manpower, but we also lack draft oxen and farming tools. If we prepare properly by next year, we could increase the grain yield by more than thirty percent."

Xie Liangchen said, "So, we need to take it slow and steady."

Chen Zigeng suddenly remembered something, "County Captain Li has found some people to transcribe documents, I’d like to go take a look."

Xie Liangchen took Chen Zigeng with her to the government office. After the spring plowing, the Paper Workshop would open, and she still needed to inspect its preparations. When the Fourth Uncle and others arrived from Zhenzhou, all these matters needed handling.

...

Li Tao watched as his men loaded goods onto the ship.

Li Tao asked the steward, "Why are you two days late?"

The steward hurriedly replied, "Previously, you instructed that the people of the Eight States should not know. We dared not be too conspicuous when buying goods, divided the task among a dozen people to collect them, and then carefully moved everything together. Initially, we could have delivered directly, but who knew Liu Xi’s body would be found?"

At such a time, they had to be cautious.

If there was a mistake, how would they explain it to their superiors...

Li Tao looked at the goods and found it worthwhile; at least, they did not expend too much effort. It was said that the people of the Eight States worked day and night to produce these things, almost costing them their lives.

Li Tao sneered inwardly, unaware that with just one touch, they could earn even more. Weren’t Song Xian and Princess Jia’an supposed to be clever, yet here they were, making a wedding dress for Prince Lu?

By the time they painstakingly built some family business, Prince Lu would already have a powerful army.

It was a pity about Liu Xi’s compass; they still hadn’t figured out its workings. Should they perhaps bring in another person from Liu Xi’s side?