The prince repeated the story that An Ning was able to refine rock salt into refined salt. If the emperor was overjoyed just now, he was ecstatic now. He seemed to be able to see that under his governance, the country would prosper and reach an unprecedented prosperity.
After the ecstasy, the emperor calmed down and said to An Ning: "An Ning, show me the method of refining refined salt."
An Ning said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The prince had already brought everything he needed. An Ning and An Dashan worked together to refine a small bowl of refined salt.
The emperor looked at the crystal clear salt, laughed, and said, "Okay, Chen Zhong drafted the decree. An Dashan and An Ning increased wheat production, developed winter wheat, and contributed the method of refining refined salt. They have made contributions to the country. An Dashan is specially conferred the title of Rongchang Earl, with a fief of 700 households. An Ning is conferred the title of Yongjia County Lady, with a fief of 500 households, and is granted the Earl's Mansion, and is rewarded with 10 hu of pearls, 20 bolts of silk and satin, and 1,000 taels of silver."
An Dashan and An Ning quickly knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor nodded and said, "Your Highness has done a great job this time, so I will give you a thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver."
The prince also kowtowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, father."
The prince continued, "Father, Huaishu Village in Beichuan County harvested nearly 300,000 kilograms of wheat this time. I suggest that we buy these wheat seeds at the market price and use them as wheat seeds for next year. Next year, we will promote this new wheat seed near Huaishu Village in Beichuan County. I believe that it won't be long before the whole of Dayong will be able to grow this high-yield wheat."
The emperor naturally had no reason to disagree and said, "Okay, let's do as the prince said. The villagers of Huaishu Village have made great contributions to planting, so all taxes this year will be exempted, and taxes for the next three years will also be exempted." As soon as these words came out, the prince, An Dashan and the other two knelt down in unison to thank the emperor for his grace.
The emperor saw that it was getting late, so he said, "It's getting late, let's stay in the palace to eat today!"
It is a great honor to be invited to dinner by the emperor, so An Ning and An Dashan stayed with the Crown Prince to have dinner.
During the meal, An Ning felt that eating with the emperor was a torture. After finally finishing the meal, An Dashan and An Ning followed the prince out of the emperor's Qianqing Palace.
The prince ordered his personal eunuch to send An Dashan and An Ning back to the villa, and then he returned to the Eastern Palace.
An Ning and An Dashan returned to the guest room in the villa and finally relaxed. An Ning rubbed her sore shoulders and said, "It is said that serving a king is like serving a tiger. This is really true."
An Dashan made a "hush" sound and whispered, "Be careful, the walls have ears." An Ning also nodded and started talking about other things.
The father and daughter talked for a while, then went back to their rooms to sleep.
After breakfast the next day, An Ning said to An Dashan, "Dad, why don't we go for a walk on the street? It won't be a wasted trip to the capital."
An Dashan didn't want to spoil An Ning's mood, so he nodded and said, "Okay, let's go for a walk and buy some local specialties to bring back." An Ning and An Dashan hit it off immediately, and they went out, taking a servant from the villa as a guide.
The servant was very familiar with the capital, and he took the two of them directly to the most prosperous street in the capital. An Dashan and An Ning were dazzled by the scene in front of them. They saw shops lined up on both sides of the street, and pedestrians were bustling and bustling. It was very lively.
Led by the servant, An Ning and An Dashan visited several famous shops and bought a lot of things. When it was almost noon, An Ning and An Dashan were tired, so they found a restaurant that was said to have good food and had lunch there. After lunch, they returned to the villa.
After that, there was no sign of the Crown Prince for three days. An Ning and An Dashan wanted to go home, so they asked the servants of the other courtyard to find the Crown Prince's personal eunuch.
The personal eunuch thought that An Dashan and the others had something to do, so he reported to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and came to the other courtyard. Before coming to the other courtyard, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also reminded that if An Dashan and the others had any requests, as long as they were not excessive, they could be satisfied. Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince valued the two so much, the eunuch did not dare to neglect them.
When the eunuch arrived at the courtyard and saw An Dashan and An Ning, he quickly bowed and greeted them, saying, "I greet the Earl of Rongchang and the Princess of Yongjia."
An Dashan said quickly: "Eunuch Qian, you don't have to be so polite. I came to ask Eunuch Qian when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is free. We want to go back to Beichuan County and say goodbye to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The eunuch was very surprised. Normally, An Dashan and An Ning had been granted titles and mansions, so they should want to stay in the capital. Why were they in such a hurry to go back? So he said, "Lord Rongchang, the emperor has already granted you mansions, you can stay in the capital."
An Dashan smiled and said, "Eunuch Qian, it's hard to leave our hometown. We still want to go back to Beichuan County."
Eunuch Qian, as a servant, naturally would not say much. He just said, "Okay, I will go back and report to the prince and give you news later." After An Dashan thanked Eunuch Qian, Eunuch Qian returned to the East Palace.
In the East Palace, the Crown Prince was extremely busy. The Emperor had handed over the matter of refining refined salt to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not been to the villa these days.
Eunuch Qian came to the study and reported, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the Earl of Rongchang and the Princess of Yongjia want to go back to Beichuan County. They want to know when you are free to say goodbye to you."
The prince nodded. From what he knew, the father and daughter were not the kind of people who coveted fame and wealth, so he nodded and said, "Rongchang uncle and his daughter saved my life. You go and prepare a valuable gift. We will go to the other courtyard tomorrow. Then we will send a team to escort Rongchang uncle and his daughter back to their hometown. Talents like them are much more useful in the countryside than in the capital."
After hearing what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said, Eunuch Qian said, "Yes, Your Highness," and then began to prepare.
The next day, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came to the villa in person, bringing valuable gifts. An Dashan and An Ning had already received the news and stood at the gate to welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
After the ceremony, they sat in the living room and talked. The prince said, "I have been busy these days and have not had time to come to the villa. I hope you will forgive me if I have neglected you."
An Dashan said hurriedly: "Your Highness, you are too polite. Business matters are more important. We are doing well in this villa."
The prince smiled and said, "This is a small gift I brought to thank you for saving my life."
An Dashan said: "Your Highness, you are too polite. It's just a small favor."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before the prince said, "Marquis Rongchang and Princess Yongjia haven't had a good look around the capital yet! Why don't you stay a few more days before returning home?"
An Dashan said: "I have been walking around the area these past two days and have seen the prosperity of the capital. I have a wife and children at home, so I think I should go home early!"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not try to persuade them to stay, and said, "In that case, I will not stay any longer. I have already sent a team to escort you two home safely." An Dashan and An Ning hurriedly thanked him.
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