Chapter 65 "What's the use of telling me all this..."

The rising sun couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for making money. Other merchants from Dayong, who had been observing for two days, saw the bustling market and rushed over to register, preparing to take over the stalls of merchants who had already collected enough goods and were planning to close down.

People strolled around the market entrance, casually enjoying the fruits and vegetables soaked in well water.

This is a small stall set up at the entrance of the market by the village chief of Heishigou and the villagers. He once saw the princess eating crispy mountain, which sparked his idea, so he started a business selling well water-soaked bitter melon.

Ice was a rare and scarce commodity, and their small businesses couldn't afford to supply it. However, every household had a well, and they would soak the fruits and vegetables in the well water the night before. When they wanted to eat them, they would take them out, cut them open, and the refreshing coolness that hit them was enough to relieve the summer heat of July.

To ensure the fruits and vegetables were served cool enough, they would take orders first, then send their children running home to retrieve the fruits and vegetables the customers wanted, and then run back home.

Business is booming, but it's a bit tough on the kids.

The village chief was busy with something and was all smiles when he heard someone muttering something he couldn't understand above his head. He looked up and saw a stranger.

In the past few days, the village chief has become familiar with almost everyone at the trade market. The person in front of him not only has a strange face, but also an unfamiliar style of dress, and the ends of his hair are dyed a strange red. After speaking in the Northern Barbarian language for a long time, he finally uttered two large Yong characters, "trade market".

The village chief didn't immediately understand what he was talking about, but he knew that the Holy Maiden of the Canglang tribe stood guard at the entrance of the trade market every day, waiting to translate for the Northern Barbarians who couldn't speak the Mandarin of Dayong. So he pointed in the direction of the Holy Maiden and said, "Go over there, ask her, over there!"

The northern barbarian understood and left him a round, shiny bead as a thank you gift before heading towards Mitu.

Mi Tu had spotted them long ago; their hair was dyed a fiery red, fox-tail-like color with a special plant dye, indicating they were from the Flying Fox Clan.

The Flying Fox Clan is considered a large tribe in the Northern Barbarians, and its fighting strength is also of medium level. It has always been an object of the Alna tribe's efforts to win over, and now it has taken the initiative to show goodwill to Dayong.

The leader of the Flying Fox Clan was a middle-aged nobleman named Fei Li, who had met Mi Tu a few times on the grasslands. He respectfully greeted Mi Tu and asked, "Holy Maiden of the Azure Wolf Tribe, what do we, the Flying Fox Clan, need to offer to join this trade fair?"

He asked directly, his eyes serious. On this trip, he and his companions brought the tribe's finest goods. He was willing to pay any price to join the trade and get a share of the profits.

Before Mi Tu could speak, a head popped out from beside her, and Chu Jingqi exclaimed cheerfully, "Oh, friend from the Northern Barbarians, Dayong welcomes you!"

Chu Jingqi's status has risen dramatically in the past two days, and he now has his own seat next to Mi Tu. He has just discovered that he seems to have an extraordinary talent for learning languages; after only a few days, simple communication in the Northern Barbarian language is a piece of cake for him.

Fei Li stared in astonishment at the man from Dayong who had appeared beside the Holy Maiden of the Canglang Tribe. Judging from his gold and jade attire and his landlord-like tone, he seemed to be a nobleman from Dayong.

It seems the rumors are true; the Canglang tribe and Dayong have a really good relationship.

Chu Jingqi pointed excitedly to the ends of his hair, which were showing signs of strain, and asked, "This color is really unique. Can I dye it?"

Before he could finish speaking, Mi Tu shoved him behind him with an elbow strike.

Mi Tu pointed to the other side of the entrance, "The princess of Dayong is over there. You should go and talk to her about the trade matters yourself."

Those who come later cannot take advantage of her influence to directly obtain the terms she agreed upon from Feng Mian.

Chu Jingqi, clutching his chest and rubbing it repeatedly, jumped out enthusiastically, "I'll take you there!"

Under the shade of a canopy on the opposite side, Feng Mian was listening to a seed merchant explain in detail the seeds he had brought.

On the table in front of them were rows of various seeds. The seeds that Lu Mingzhu and Mi Tu had brought with them in the past few days were also laid out here. Under each seed was a piece of paper with the plant's name, appearance characteristics and planting tips written on it.

Perhaps having heard that the princess was searching for novel seeds, a seed merchant traveled thousands of miles to come, claiming that he had traveled tens of thousands of miles to search for rare and exotic seeds, hoping to close a deal.

He glanced at Feng Mian's expression and felt that she remained indifferent, showing little interest. He began to feel anxious.

He prepared mostly unique and beautiful ornamental plants or spices with special flavors, which should have been most popular with these noble ladies, right?

The seed merchant was running out of ideas, so he took out his last seed. "Your Highness, don't be fooled by the unassuming appearance of this seed. Its flowers are pure white, like fluffy clouds in the sky, or like the first snow that falls to earth and never melts."

The seeds he held in his palm were dark brown, irregularly shaped, and somewhat shriveled.

"The place where I got the seeds seems to be called Baidiezi, so I used that as its name."

Feng Mian's eyebrows twitched suddenly. She remembered a winter when she was a child. It snowed heavily in Shengjing, which was rare. He was playing and got cold. When he fell ill, he felt cold all over. She had seen this plant in her dream at that time.

It is called cotton, and it is not only for ornamental purposes. After processing, this cotton can be sewn into clothes and bedding as stuffing, which is very lightweight and warm.

Thinking of the biting cold winds of northern Xinjiang, she was somewhat tempted. "How many seeds of white cypress do you have?"

The seed merchant was overjoyed to have made a deal on the last seed and hurriedly said, "I brought back five hundred seeds this time. If the princess needs more, I can get even more!"

Feng Mian nodded: "Okay, take as many as you have."

She also selected several other truly special seeds and bought them all, instructing the official to finalize the contract with him. Although she hadn't found the seed she most desired, Feng Mian was still very happy to have discovered another equally important seed. Once the Minister of Agriculture from the Ministry of Revenue arrived, they could begin trial planting!

Seeing that she had finally finished her work, Chu Jingqi quickly led the Flying Fox Division members forward, "Little cousin, a new person has arrived!"

In the few hours he had been waiting, he had already figured out the situation of the Flying Fox tribe using his newly learned Northern Barbarian language, and now he told Feng Mian everything.

“I think they’re quite wealthy. They’re not just here to ask around and leave. They’re prepared to pay a price to join the trade. Name your price.”

Feng Mian cast an admiring glance at him, "Ninth Brother, you really should take a position at the Four Barbarians Bureau."

"Spare me! I'm having a lot of fun playing around in your market, but if I were to be an official on duty, it would be the death of me." Chu Jingqi quickly begged for mercy. Seeing that an interpreter was coming over to help translate, he hurriedly ran away, afraid that Feng Mian and his imperial uncle would throw him into the Four Barbarian Tribes Pavilion for training.

The negotiations with the Flying Fox tribe went very smoothly. As Sheng Ruchu Jingqi said, they were prepared to pay a price. However, Feng Mian did not propose any harsh conditions, only asking for 10% of the profits from their trade.

When the trading districts were originally divided between the Northern Barbarian merchants and the Dayong merchants, the area occupied was the same. Therefore, there are still vacant stalls in the Northern Barbarian trading district, and they can move in today without waiting for other tribes to withdraw from the market.

While Feng Mian was discussing matters with the Flying Fox Division, Fu Ciyan sat with his legs crossed behind her, watching her back with a smile on his lips.

Gu Chunwen turned around and took in his expression, and the strange feeling in her heart grew stronger.

Fu Ciyan persuaded Feng Mian to rest at the post station for two days, but Feng Mian didn't come to the market. He even made a fuss about wanting to see the market, refusing to come himself. As soon as Feng Mian arrived at the market, he eagerly followed him there.

She was still watching Feng Mian's retreating figure with a smile on her lips; she didn't seem innocent at all.

Gu Chunwen took two steps back and stood in front of Fu Ciyan, blocking his view.

Fu Ciyan, still restless behind him, lifted his foot and lifted his robe, "Hey, Lord Gu, move aside, you're blocking my way."

Gu Chunwen originally wanted to give Fu Ciyan some face and not expose him, but now she really couldn't help herself. She turned to look at him and coldly reminded him, "Young Master Fu, Her Highness the Princess has already married the Heir Apparent. Please restrain your actions and words."

"Hmm?" Fu Ciyan raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "You mean, like you?"

Gu Chunwen froze, his blood rushing to his head, only to recede instantly, leaving him with a deathly pale face.

He stared into those smiling, all-knowing eyes, and forced out a few words from his throat: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Tsk, they're still young, they can't hold back when someone sees through their thoughts.

Fu Ciyan found it amusing and deliberately said, "I don't need to make it any clearer, do I? Once this kind of thing is said, it can't be hidden anymore."

He lowered his voice, his tone laced with amusement, as if deliberately teasing Gu Chunwen, and said, "So what if you're married? The princess can keep male concubines."

"With my status, I have no qualms about being a princess's lover; I can be shameless. But you, a top scholar, dare to abandon your dignity?"

Gu Chunwen's hidden thoughts were once again touched upon. How could he not have thought of this? When they parted in Shengjing at the beginning, he truly believed that there would be no chance to meet again, and he had decided to let go of this unrequited love. But later, when he arrived in the Northern Frontier and saw the princess again, he could still feel a sense of attraction that he had never experienced before.

He coldly watched Lu Mingzhu act foolishly, his thoughts written all over his face. When he saw the princess, he wagged his tail like a puppy. He himself subconsciously resorted to some childish tricks in order to see the princess and ride with her.

He watched coldly as the Crown Prince gradually developed feelings for the Princess, thinking it was for the best; seeing their loving relationship, he could finally give up. But he couldn't help but wonder, what if the Crown Prince's feelings didn't last? He dared not think about it.

Seeing that the princess did not seem to have feelings for the prince, he couldn't help but feel a subtle sense of joy, as if this gave him a chance.

Does he want to? Does he dare? Can he do it?

Gu Chunwen clenched his sleeves tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force, and he heard his own rapid and chaotic heartbeat pounding like a drum in his empty chest.

Fu Ciyan's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile, his tone as sharp as a blade, "What's the point of telling me all this?"

He spoke slowly and clearly, “If you’re so capable, go find Baili Xunzhou.”

He thought about it and decided not to add that silly boy Lu Mingzhu's name; the poor bastard was not worth mentioning.

Even the intelligent Gu Chunwen was so angry that he lost his mind.

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Author's Note: Fu Ciyan: I don't have that kind of intention; I just love bullying people [eye roll]

Baili Xunzhou: Tear it apart, tear it even louder!