Chapter 154 Someone Has Their Eye on Your Estate

Li Changshi's face darkened even more. He truly hadn't expected that Steward Liu would also know about this matter. And this wasn't the end of it; Steward Liu continued...

"If I hadn't reminded you to have the candied hawthorn vendors move their stalls to a different spot and avoid Miss Lin, wouldn't you have continued to buy candied hawthorns, and wouldn't your young masters have been vomiting sour water? I wonder who was fined half a year's salary by Prince Zhongshun for their incompetence."

"Bah, Steward Liu, come here, let's have a go. You don't hit someone in the face, you don't insult someone by revealing their weaknesses, but you're just stabbing me where it hurts, aren't you!" Chief Secretary Li rolled up his sleeves and was about to go up to him.

“A gentleman uses words, not fists, and I have no reason to fight you. Mr. Yuan, you be the judge. I’m just stating the facts. Chief Secretary Li is just being unreasonable!” Steward Liu decided to let Yuan Hongqu settle the matter.

"My lords, there's really nothing good left in my greenhouse. Which of you doesn't have one or two greenhouses where you can eat fresh vegetables in the winter? There are only some radishes and cabbages left, which we'll keep for our own consumption, so don't worry about them. I'll definitely think of you next time I have something good," Yuan Hongqu said with a light smile.

“Mr. Yuan, you said the same thing before the New Year. Who knew a grape greenhouse would appear? Maybe there are other good things inside that you didn’t think of?” Butler Liu’s expression was practically fawning.

“Yes, Mr. Yuan, your family is so wealthy and powerful that you can grow anything and have good luck. Things that are extremely difficult for ordinary people are just a piece of cake for you…” As Li Changshi was speaking enthusiastically, Liu, the steward, pulled him back.

Li Changshi then realized what he had said, only to see Yuan Hongqu also looking at them thoughtfully.

"It seems that you two are hiding something from me, and this matter is related to me."

“Mr. Yuan, it’s not that we’re hiding it from you, but this matter is truly too unbelievable. We’re afraid that telling you would bring you disaster…” Butler Liu said after a moment’s thought.

“Then there’s no need to say more.” Yuan Hongqu replied decisively, secretly reminding herself that she must not be as careless as before when dealing with these people in the future.

Steward Liu and Chief Secretary Li exchanged a glance, conveying their message. Steward Liu then stepped forward.

"Mr. Yuan, your little shop and estate have caught the eye of the higher-ups. I don't know which noble person is secretly pushing things along, but there's a rumor circulating in the palace that your products are blessed with good fortune. People with weak constitutions can recover their health after eating them, and ordinary people can also improve their health. Moreover, coincidentally, three nobles in the palace have all become pregnant after eating the fruits and vegetables produced in your estate..."

"Your information is outdated; there are already five. At the New Year's Eve banquet, two more nobles discovered they were pregnant after eating Shine Muscat grapes," Li Changshi added.

"So, the higher-ups want to seize my estate?" Yuan Hongqu, despite considering the worst-case scenario, didn't even flinch and answered calmly.

"Just give them to them. I just wanted to grow some vegetables for my family to eat, I didn't think too much about it. If they take them, I'll just stop growing them! When do you want them back? I'll move my family out."

Yuan Hongqu knew that she couldn't possibly stand against the highest power of the feudal dynasty on her own, and she never intended to oppose the royal family. It was just a manor, and she wasn't going to be reluctant to give it up.

“Mr. Yuan, the higher-ups mean to maintain the status quo. If there are any changes, it will ruin the feng shui. Mr. Yuan, just pretend you don’t know anything about this. Just continue as before. However, production should be prioritized for the higher-ups…” Butler Liu didn’t expect Yuan Hongqu to be so magnanimous. She was willing to give up such a golden goose so easily. Most people don’t have that kind of courage.

“Mr. Yuan, someone from the palace might come looking for you after the Lantern Festival.” Chief Secretary Li also greatly admired Yuan Hongqu. Her estate produced more than ten thousand taels of silver a season, yet she didn’t care at all.

"So, you two still have your eyes on the things on the estate? Why were you almost fighting just now?" It's just for special supplies, isn't it? She understood. If it's just being taken directly into the inner palace, then it has nothing to do with the Prince Zhongshun's and Prince Xian's residences. What were they arguing about just now?

"Mr. Yuan, you have so many greenhouses in your estate. How many can the palace use? We should get a share of the rest. Our family must be at the top. Our prince always likes to pick the best. Mr. Yuan, please help me!"

"Come on, do you think your prince is so picky? Do you think our prince is so easy to get along with? Mr. Yuan, my prince is extremely filial. Ever since my old lady ate the produce from your estate, she refuses to eat vegetables from anywhere else, even if she eats radishes and cabbage every day. Considering my old lady's advanced age, you should at least let my family choose first..." Steward Liu said with even more sincerity.

“You’re the only one with an old lady in your family who doesn’t have one? My prince is quite old! Steward Liu, you should be encouraging your prince to show respect for his elders…” Chief Secretary Li refused to back down.

The two were still arguing when Yuan Hongqu saw that Daiyu's carriage had already left the street and was heading towards the Lin family's residence.

She went downstairs, got into the carriage, and left.

The seeds for the fruits and vegetables in Goose Village were all taken from the space.

Yuan Hongqu knew that the fruits and vegetables grown from these seeds were much more nutritious than those grown from ordinary plant seeds, but she didn't know exactly how much better.

When Yuan Hongqu returned to the Lin family, Daiyu had already arrived home first.

In the small courtyard of Jiaoyun Garden, there were many treasures that Daiyu had collected in the past few days. After sorting them out, she sorted them one by one and put them into boxes. Then she put labels on the boxes so that they would not be mixed up.

While Daiyu was still busy, Yuan Hongqu quickly entered the space.

The crops in the space grew one after another, but she never had time to harvest them before she grew old.

Even ginseng, which is readily available everywhere, was pulled up from the soft soil by Yuan Hongqu as easily as pulling up radishes.

The ginseng in the original space grew much slower than other plants.

However, not long after the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, the ginseng seemed to have been injected with a growth stimulant, changing every day at a visible rate.

The first batch of ginseng planted has grown to the thickness and size of a small carrot.

The ginseng soup that Daiyu drank on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year was made with fresh ginseng from her spatial dimension.

Yuan Hongqu never expected that the Spirit Jade would have such great power.

That day, she unintentionally bought a stone from a child. At the time, she only felt that the stone was special, but later she realized that it seemed to be that magical jade.