Chapter 34 "Your subject requests permission to travel north to assist the Princess..."

Dusk, as dark as ink, silently painted the sky. Lanterns lit up one after another along the long street, casting long shadows of pedestrians against the gray-tiled walls.

Behind a tall, upright figure was a dejected figure clutching his stomach.

Shan Yi glared resentfully at the prince's retreating figure, rubbing his rumbling stomach in frustration but daring not to utter a word. According to his plan, he should already be sitting in the palace, feasting and drinking to his heart's content. But for some reason, the prince insisted on walking back to the palace today, and walking very slowly at that.

When will we be able to go home and have dinner?

Bai Lixun was watching the people on the street.

Shop signs and flags fluttered softly in the deepening night, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of a few households, and the joyful sounds of children mingled with the hustle and bustle of the long street, creating a vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.

Since parting ways with Feng Mian today, he has been thinking about what she said. Now, seeing the people's happiness, seeing the shops with the "Feng" sign swaying in the wind, and seeing the satisfied smiles on the faces of the people coming and going, he felt that what she said must be true.

At least, her arrival made things a little better in the northern frontier, and perhaps he should trust her more.

"Brother Crown Prince?"

A soft voice called out, and Baili Xunzhou looked up to see Yuan Jixue. Unbeknownst to him, he had already arrived near the Prince's residence.

As dusk deepened, Yuan Jixue stood alone outside the Yuan residence, the candlelight casting a cold glow on her. Her hairpins and ornaments were disheveled, making her appear somewhat disheveled, as if she had just been through an argument.

Baili Xunzhou frowned and glanced into the Yuan residence. "Who's making things difficult for you again?"

"It's nothing, just a few words with my father. I came out for some fresh air, I'll be back in a bit." Yuan Jixue waved her hand with a smile, her beautiful eyes sweeping over Baili Xunzhou, and asked with concern, "You rushed to the wedding as soon as you got back yesterday, I didn't even have a chance to ask you if you were injured on the trip? Let me check on you?"

Baili Xunzhou suddenly curled up the corners of his lips and said, "No need, the princess has already applied the medicine for me."

It's just applying medicine, why is he so happy?

Yuan Jixue felt a sudden pang of disappointment. Seeing that he didn't seem to have noticed her absence from his wedding, she felt a little lost. She continued, "That's good then. If I hadn't caught a cold yesterday, I would have definitely gone to the Prince's residence to congratulate my brother, the Crown Prince, and the Princess."

This time, Baili Xunzhou understood the key point in her words and immediately said, "The night wind is chilly. Since you've caught a cold, don't stand here in the wind."

Before Yuan Jixue could even feel happy about this word of concern, he continued, "I saw that the princess caught a chill last night and will need to drink a bowl of herbal medicine when she gets back. You should take precautions as well."

After exchanging only three sentences, two of which mentioned the princess, Yuan Jixue felt her heart grow colder than the night wind and returned to the Yuan residence listlessly.

Thinking of the several marriage proposals her father had just made for her, she felt even more desperate. She couldn't continue with these half-hearted hints, waiting for Baili Xunzhou to realize her feelings; she needed to think of a faster, more direct method…

*

Upon entering the Hidden Bow Courtyard, Baili Xunzhou was taken aback by the brightly lit interior. He paused for a moment before remembering that he had just married the princess and that she had moved here from Snow Moon Residence.

Baili Xunzhou grew up in the military camp with the Prince of Dingbei. He was very independent and did not like too many people to serve him. Therefore, when he returned to the Prince's mansion, the courtyard was always empty, with only a servant guarding the courtyard lighting a solitary lamp.

Seeing such a warm and lively scene in his own yard for the first time, Baili Xunzhou felt a little unfamiliar. He felt both awkward about his living space being invaded by others, which he had always been used to, and also a little bit of inexplicable anticipation and joy.

He strode into the room. Feng Mian, who was sealing the letter with wax under the lamp, turned around when he heard the noise. His eyes curved slightly, revealing a faint smile. "Your Highness is back? Have you had dinner yet?"

In the past, when he returned to the Prince's Mansion, his mother would ask him the same question if he hadn't rested yet. But for some reason, the same words coming from Feng Mian's mouth made him feel inexplicably shy and nervous.

Before Baili Xunzhou could say anything, Shanyi pitifully peeked out from behind him, "Reporting to the Princess Consort, we not only didn't have dinner, but we walked all the way back, our legs are practically worn out..."

Before she could finish speaking, she received a glare from Baili Xunzhou and shrank back, looking aggrieved.

Feng Mian smiled and said, "The kitchen has left some food. Liu Ying, go and make the arrangements."

Liuying responded and went out, with Shanyi following closely behind. "Sister Liuying, I'll go with you!"

Baili Xunzhou stepped forward and watched as Feng Mian handed several letters to Wu Liu, telling her without any hesitation to have them delivered to the palace by fast horse.

"A letter to His Majesty?"

Feng Mian nodded. "I need to tell my uncle about opening the soup noodle workshop. I think it would be best if the soldiers of Dayong could all eat these ready-to-eat soup noodles in the future."

"Also, I wrote about the Northern Barbarians in the letter." Feng Mian looked at Baili Xunzhou frankly. "Although the Prince will definitely mention it in the memorial, the fact that someone in Dayong betrayed the country will be seen differently by those in the court than by me."

"I've come up with another idea that, if it works, might prevent some of the northern tribes from uniting. But this method might be a bit dangerous, so I'll tell you after my uncle agrees."

Is there anything else you'd like to know?

Baili Xunzhou was just making conversation casually, and he never expected Feng Mian to tell him everything he had written in his letter. Feng Mian even asked him what else he wanted to hear, as if he was afraid that he hadn't heard enough.

He chuckled for a moment and said, "Princess, you don't really need to explain things to me in such detail."

"If you treat me with sincerity, I will repay you with trust. I will not hide anything from you, and I hope that in the future, Your Highness will not hide anything from me either. This kind of equal exchange is good for both of us."

Feng Mian had her own plans. She still needed to keep an eye on Baili Xunzhou's every move. If she didn't want to annoy him, she naturally had to be more proactive and honest.

Baili Xunzhou understood. "What does the princess want to know?"

"That's a lot!" Feng Mian immediately perked up. "Has the trail about burning the grain supplies gone cold? Could it also be related to the Northern Barbarians' ambush of you and the Prince? Are there any suspected traitors in the Northern Frontier? Do you have anyone you suspect?"

A barrage of questions rained down on Baili Xunzhou's head, none of which he could answer at the moment. Just then, Liu Ying returned with the food, and Baili Xunzhou quickly moved to the table.

"I'm so hungry, I'll eat first."

Feng Mian simply rested her chin on her hand and watched him eat, her eyes following his every move, making him lose his appetite. He obediently confessed, "These are still under investigation. I can only say that I also suspect that these events are related to each other. But if possible, I do not want to suspect anyone in the Northern Frontier."

"If we suspect everyone, chaos will soon break out in the Northern Frontier. We might even fall into their trap."

"Your Highness is absolutely right. Your Highness is indeed wise, perceptive, and discerning." Feng Mian nodded in deep agreement, praising Baili Xunzhou until his ears turned slightly red.

She didn't press him further; she would keep an eye on him and help him identify the suspicious individuals.

*

The capital city, Mingxin Hall.

"Is there enough time?"

"That's enough! The princess said in her letter that all we need to do is silently count to one hundred and eighty. Quickly, lift the lid of the bowl and take a look!"

Yan Huanzhi, the Vice Minister of War, urged the young eunuch to get to work.

He wasn't on duty today, but His Majesty specially sent someone to summon him to the palace, saying there was some new food he wanted to see. He was quite puzzled; he was the Vice Minister of War, not the Minister of Revenue, so what kind of new food required such a special summons?

It wasn't until he entered the Mingxin Hall and saw the few pieces of dried soup cake lying in the lacquer box that he understood the secret to its deliciousness. He had heard that this food could be stored for a long time without spoiling, and could be eaten immediately after being boiled in boiling water. It contained both meat and vegetables and was fresh and delicious.

If this item could be used in the army, the daily diet of the soldiers of Dayong would be greatly improved!

Therefore, he is now extremely excited about this thing!

When the lid of the bowl is lifted, steam rises carrying the aroma of wheat, and the fragrance of various sauces fills the nostrils.

The young eunuch quickly ladled the softened, hot soup dumplings into several small bowls and presented them to Emperor Jiayu and the other officials present.

Ignoring the heat, Yan Huanzhi swallowed a mouthful whole, then his eyes widened in delight. "This tastes wonderful! Lord Yao, Lord Gu, you must try some!"

As he spoke, he eagerly took another sip of the hot soup, his eyes crinkling with happiness.

Vice Minister Yao Feng of the Ministry of Revenue looked at him suspiciously, picked up a piece of soup dumpling with his chopsticks, blew on it, and then cautiously put it in his mouth. He was immediately surprised: "This soup dumpling is so chewy? It has a different flavor than the ones made in soup dumpling shops."

The newly appointed top scholar, Gu Chunwen, took up the position of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Revenue. He was highly regarded by Emperor Jiayu and the Vice Minister of Revenue. He was summoned to the palace this time. He carefully tasted the soup noodles, soup, soaked meat pieces and vegetables one by one, and his eyes showed undisguised surprise.

"Was this developed by the princess? Is it intended for military use?"

Emperor Jiayu nodded with pride, "That's right. Qingping said that she couldn't bear to see the soldiers in the northern frontier eating chaff and wild vegetables, so she thought of doing her best to do something practical for them."

"But these soup dumplings are quite expensive..."

Upon hearing Emperor Jiayu recount the expenses of making these soup dumplings, Yao Feng's brow furrowed deeply: "With such expenses, let alone supplying all the soldiers in the Great Yong region, even if it were only for the soldiers in the northern frontier, we wouldn't be able to afford to eat..."

"Why do you need to bring up such an obvious question? Qingping already thought of it." Emperor Jiayu's smugness was almost overflowing. "She has already opened a soup noodle workshop in the northern border, intending to use the profits to support the needs of the army, which has greatly reduced the cost of military supplies. Jingqi is also in Yunzhong County recently. He is very interested in this workshop and has invested in it along with Qingping."

"The workshops in Yunzhong County are now operational, and Jingqi has also inspected several surrounding towns, planning to expand the workshops outwards from Yunzhong County. If you ministers find it feasible, I have decided to allocate some silver for a shareholding arrangement, officially incorporating these instant soup noodles into the military supplies!"

Yan Huanzhi knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling: "If this can really be done, our soldiers can have five more hot meals of meat soup every ten days!"

He kowtowed deeply, "Your humble servant here, on behalf of the soldiers of Dayong, thanks Your Majesty and the Princess!"

Yao Feng and Gu Chunwen also knelt down. Yao Feng said, "The Ministry of Revenue will definitely do its utmost to help!"

"Alright, get up, all of you." Emperor Jiayu smiled and ordered the men to stand up. He then carefully arranged the matter of military supplies. After coughing twice, he solemnly said, "Qingping's letter also mentioned something else. There are signs that the thirty-six tribes of the Northern Barbarians may be cooperating again. There are people within our Great Yong who are secretly colluding with foreign enemies."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall became solemn. Yan Huanzhi exclaimed in surprise, "If I remember correctly, the Prince of Dingbei also mentioned this matter in his memorial two days ago?"

Emperor Jiayu snorted: "There are still people submitting memorials to me, accusing the Prince of Dingbei of spreading alarmist rumors and burying his head in the sand. They've really been living in comfort for too long, and their brains have gone mad!"

He coughed heavily twice in anger, and after taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he continued, "Qingping has suggested a plan for this matter. She feels that she is not knowledgeable enough, so she came to ask for my opinion."

"She wants to reopen the border trade in the northern frontier, first trading with a few peaceful tribes of the Northern Barbarians, and then gradually expanding. Once the various tribes of the Northern Barbarians become suspicious of each other's alliance with our Great Yong, their private alliances will also become unstable."

"I would like to hear your opinions."

Yan Huanzhi and Yao Feng had served as officials for many years. Although they were tempted by what they heard, they exchanged a cautious glance and dared not speak rashly.

Gu Chunwen, however, said decisively, "I think the princess's suggestion is worth a try."

"The reason why the Northern Barbarians like to plunder our borders is because they are short of resources. If we can open a trade market and achieve mutual benefit, we can obtain resources without having to fight and kill each other. This will make them want to be more secure and weaken their will to fight."

Emperor Jiayu nodded approvingly, "However, Qingping is still a young woman, inexperienced in politics. If we are to open a trade market in the northern frontier, we will need someone to assist us. I would like to send someone with an imperial decree to assist her. Who do you think would be suitable?"

The princess is bold and wise to come up with the idea of ​​a trade market, how could she not do it well?

As Gu Chunwen thought this to herself, a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

"Your Majesty." He knelt down, his crimson official robes spreading out on the ground. "Your subject is willing to request permission to go north to assist the princess in opening up trade routes."

His voice was steady, but his fingertips, unusually tense, gripped a corner of fabric in his sleeve.

I thought I would never have the chance to see the princess again in this lifetime, but I never expected the opportunity to come so soon.

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Author's Note: Baili Xunzhou: She's already my wife, what are you expecting?

Gu Chunwen: [Sunglasses][Sunglasses][Sunglasses]