As if seeing through Chu Yuye's thoughts, Ning Ye said, "Your Highness, we are all in the same boat now, and we will all depend on you in the future. This is just a small thing, so don't worry about it too much."

Chu Yuye naturally knew that Ning Ye's words were meant to shut him up, and now he really didn't know what to say.

After this little incident, Wang Mingyuan had no choice but to set off ahead of schedule.

Ning Ye got up early the next morning because Wang Mingyuan and Chu Yuye were leaving for the capital. Otherwise, if the people who came with them found out that the princess had stayed here for so long, it would be unacceptable.

Just as Ning Ye was doing his morning exercise in the courtyard, Chu Tianhe came looking for him.

"Young Master Ning got up early to practice martial arts; he seems quite obsessed with it."

Ning Ye shook his head and said, "I just like to keep my body healthy. If my body is too weak, there are some things I can't do."

Chu Tianhe only vaguely understood what he was saying, but if it were an experienced driver, they might have been able to understand it.

"Sigh, I've had this since I was a child, so my body has always been very weak. If this disease can really be cured, I'd like to try it."

Ning Ye wiped the sweat from his body. "Your Highness came to see me specifically, so I don't think you just wanted to tell me these things. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Chu Tianhe was slightly taken aback. "Do I look like I'm here to interrogate someone?"

"No, I just think you couldn't help it. After all, Her Highness has been staying with me for so long, it's normal for her to have some questions."

"It seems I'm still not good at interacting with people. I didn't expect Young Master Ning to see through me at a glance."

Ning Ye smiled slightly, "If you're not good at interacting with people, then interact with them more. You'll get used to it eventually. In this world, it's not that we're afraid of people doing things, it's that we're afraid of no one doing them. That's the real tragedy."

Chu Tianhe laughed as well, “I think I don’t need to ask what I want to ask. After all, someone as open and honest as Young Master Ning shouldn’t do anything out of line. But I still want to know what kind of cooperation you have with my sister.”

Ning Ye was somewhat surprised by this. He hadn't expected that Chu Yuye wouldn't tell Chu Tianhe about their collaboration, which meant she didn't want Chu Tianhe to know.

Ning Ye was not the kind of person who liked to ruin other people's plans. "You should ask Her Highness the Princess about this. If she doesn't tell you, it would be rather inappropriate for me to say it."

"My sister has never consulted anyone about what she wants to do since she was little. Once she decides to do something, she will definitely do it without telling me. Could it be that Young Master Ning really can't talk to me about it?"

Ning Ye shrugged and said, "Princess Yuye is unwilling to tell His Highness, so she must have her reasons. I can't be the bad guy."

Chu Tianhe nodded and said, "It seems that it will be difficult to find out from you. In that case, I will not force you. If you ever go to the capital, Young Master Ning, remember to invite me for a drink."

"Don't worry, being able to drink with a prince is an honor for me, and I certainly will."

Their conversation ended there. Ning Ye didn't speak to anyone else until it was time to leave, quietly seeing them off. After Wang Mingyuan left, Qingyuan County was temporarily without a master. As for the matter of presenting the gift, it could only be left to Xu Sanguan for the time being.

After sending the people away, Ningye prepared for spring planting. Compared to last year, they needed to cultivate more wasteland, because only more land could feed more people.

This time, the number of people that can be mobilized is definitely more than before. With such a large number of people working at the same time, the biggest problem is the lack of farm tools. For this reason, Ning Ye thought of the map he had previously obtained and had to go there first, otherwise the tools would indeed be a big problem.

The iron ore mine is located in a place called Longmen Town, which is quite different from other places, as it has always been a major coal producer.

Although coal mining has been implemented, most coal is unusable. Only carefully selected coal can be used for heating, while the rest is rarely valued.

Ning Ye knew very well that this was because they did not wash their eyebrows. This step could only remove some of the impurities on the coal after the enzyme washing process, and only in this way could they feel more at ease.

Therefore, Ning Ye came here to purchase a batch of coal, which others considered to be of the lowest grade, to be transported back for brick making.

As for the iron mine, it was quite a distance from Longmen. Moreover, after Ning Ye arrived in Longmen, he inquired around and found out that it was indeed unclaimed land. After all, there were quite a few stones there, but they were basically unusable. In addition, there was no vegetation, so no one would care about such a wasteland.

To get things done in one go, Ning Ye decided to go directly to the wealthiest family in the area.

This tall horse, adorned in fine clothes, exuded elegance and extraordinary presence. From any perspective, Ning Ye's aura was already at its peak, and no one would dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

So when Ning Ye arrived at the Lin family, the servants immediately went to inform their master.

When the portly patriarch came out, he knew as soon as he saw Ning Ye that a big business deal was coming his way.

"Oh my, whose young master is this? He's so dashing and debonair, and he looks incredibly wealthy."

Ning Ye suppressed the urge to complain. Seriously, does this person have absolutely no good compliments for others?

This sounded incredibly embarrassing for Ning Ye.

"You must be Consort Lin."

"Yes, yes, I am Lin Changzai. It seems that you came here specifically to see me. May I ask what you are planning to buy this time? I can supply whatever you need."

Ning Ye said with a hint of disdain, "I'm here to buy coal, of course. Do you sell anything else? I'm here to buy a lot this time."

Lin Changzai nodded with a smile, "Then you've come to the right person. I have the largest coal reserves here. No matter what kind of coal you want, I can supply it."