"Then Your Highness, please be careful."
Lili didn't feel comfortable asking any more questions.
Gu Ziyi smiled and nodded, handing the booklet from Zhuifeng to Lili: "The harvests in recent years have been quite good, and the lives of the people on the border have improved a lot. When I came, many people asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that you are welcome to visit the border again anytime."
Nowadays, the people of the border region all know that the daughter of Magistrate Shen of Liucheng in Nanlin County is quite accomplished in farming, and is also kind and selfless, ensuring that the people of the border region have enough to eat.
Lili's initial worries did not come true. Firstly, the severe drought in recent years has eased, and the national harvest has gradually recovered. After deducting 20% of the grain stored in Lili's private warehouse, the sudden bumper harvest in Nanlin County was not so conspicuous.
Secondly, the border is very far from other places, and news is not very readily available. The border is full of General Wei Wu's troops, which are basically Gu Ziyi's people. There is no need to worry about being maliciously speculated by people with ulterior motives.
Thirdly, the people on the border were very grateful to Lili and naturally did not want her to end up in any bad situation.
The harvests of the past few years have been booming, but this year they have begun to decline for the first time.
Although it is still much higher than other places overall, it is significantly lower than in previous years.
Lili frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy.
The two of them naturally noticed it. Gu Ziyi also remembered what he asked Lili when Grand Tutor Zeng led people to Xixiang County to provide disaster relief five years ago.
Zhui Feng didn't dare to interrupt, but gave his master a meaningful look.
Gu Ziyi gestured for him to calm down and asked Lili softly, "Is something wrong?"
These past few years haven't been exactly blessed with favorable weather, but they've also been unusually normal. Plus, Lili personally taught them the farming methods at the border, so she didn't think the problem was with the farming itself.
I felt a vague unease.
Lili pursed her lips, her expression somewhat grave.
The Great Cold should be this winter.
Lili didn't speak, but looked up and stared intently at Gu Ziyi.
Gu Ziyi's eyes darkened, as if he had confirmed something.
Turning his head, he instructed Zhui Feng: "Tell Han Xi to give the order to send an additional team of men to guard the area near the granary, starting now."
It is common knowledge that Nanlin County now has abundant grain, even surpassing that of Jiangnan.
Since the situation has gradually returned to normal, the effects of these stockpiled grains have not yet become apparent.
But when the Great Cold arrives, stockpiling food becomes especially important.
The safety of the stored grain must be guaranteed.
Lili was a little uneasy. The last drought in Nanlin County hadn't affected it much, but this time...
And then there's Saigo County. It was so serious last time, wouldn't it be even worse this time...?
"Don't worry." Gu Ziyi patted her shoulder reassuringly. "This time we are prepared, and I will do my best to minimize the losses."
"Um."
"Oh, right."
Gu Ziyi looked at Lili: "Didn't Lili ask Zhuifeng to tell me a few years ago that she wanted to cooperate with the Qi family?"
Lili thought about it and realized that there was indeed such a thing.
Since Father became the magistrate of Liucheng, although he hasn't said anything, the Qi family seems to have been reassured and are now doing their business honestly and diligently. They have also done a lot of good deeds over the years.
Qi Zheng asked no less than a hundred times when they could turn the grand plan that the group had casually conceived on the street into reality.
After all, they were all children a few years ago, but five years have passed, and Qi Zheng and Shen Jialu have grown up. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, they can get married in this era. With the protection of His Highness the Crown Prince, Qi Zheng is eager to do something practical.
However, Gu Ziyi did not agree at the time, but silently protected the Qi family under his wing.
"Um!"
"Tell me your thoughts. What Zhuifeng said is not as clear as what you said." Gu Ziyi smiled. "Five years have passed, and some people in the capital are starting to get restless again."
Gu Ziyi still had a gentle and refined appearance, but his eyes had a new glint in them, firm and bright.
Where there's a will, there's a way; no distance is too far, no mountain too high, no sea too wide. Where there's a will, nothing is impenetrable; even the sharpest weapons and finest armor cannot withstand it.
The book says that with a firm will, there is no distant place that cannot be reached; once a goal is set, one possesses great power, shining like light.
It seems His Highness the Crown Prince is now determined to compete?
The two chatted about this topic for a few minutes, and then a group of brothers who had just finished their studies at the academy came in noisily through the door.
"Did you remember what the master said?"
"What did the gentleman say?"
"That article we discussed today, Fifth Brother, did you understand it?"
"Me? Hehe, did you understand, bro?"
"I didn't understand. I know what each word means when they are separated, but I don't understand them when they are put together."
"Me too. My fifth brother and I only half understood what we were learning in Class C. How could we possibly understand the articles that the dean was teaching to all four classes?"
Several people entered the room noisily. Upon discovering that Gu Ziyi was there, they abandoned their previous aloofness and politeness, greeted him as "Your Highness the Crown Prince," and began chatting familiarly.
"Your Highness, how is the border?"
Gu Ziyi smiled and said, "Everything is fine."
"Hey, Your Highness, how about we have a competition this year?"
Lili's eyes lit up as she looked at Shen Jiahao: "Wow, we get to see big brother and His Highness fight today?"
Shen Jiahao has been practicing martial arts diligently for the past five years. His innate talent, combined with his hard work, has allowed him to progress rapidly, earning high praise from Shen Zhengzhong on several occasions.
He just didn't have many sparring partners, so every time Zhui Feng came, he would pester Zhui Feng to fight him.
At first, he couldn't beat them, but later he gradually became able to fight them to a draw.
Playing too much gets boring; let's try playing with someone else today.
Gu Ziyi raised an eyebrow. He didn't care. He knew that Shen Jiahao was very capable, but he was also personally trained by General Weiwu. His years at the border hadn't been wasted.
"good."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Your Highness."
Just as Lili was about to pull everyone aside to make room for the two, the two had already leaped onto the roof and stood on either side, bowing to each other.
Wow, that's fast!
Shen Jialuo called over a servant and gave him a few instructions. Immediately, someone brought over several stools for them to sit down, and even brought out a few small tables and set out some snacks.
Huang Ying placed a soft cushion on Li Li's stool and stood behind her, somewhat worried: "Miss, the young master is much larger than His Highness the Crown Prince. Won't he be bullying her?"
Shen Jiahao is six years older than Gu Ziyi and will be of legal age next year, so he is naturally much older than Gu Ziyi, who is still a teenager.
In addition, Shen Jiahao's special physique made him look like a soldier just by standing there. He was eight feet tall (one foot in the Qin Dynasty was about 23.1 centimeters, so eight feet was about 184.8 centimeters), like a small mountain, strong and tall.
On the other hand, Gu Ziyi is at a crucial stage of development for boys. He is considered tall among his peers and exercises regularly, but he still appears short next to Shen Jiahao.
The two stood on the rooftop, one on the left and one on the right. The one on the left was tall and imposing with a serious look in his eyes, while the one on the right was radiant with a gentle smile on his face. One was strong and the other was gentle, each with their own highlights.
Judging solely from physical attributes, Shen Jiahao would undoubtedly win.
The Shen family's sons also thought so.
"I've never seen His Highness the Crown Prince make a move before. My brother is so powerful, he won't be so disrespectful, will he?"
"Have you forgotten that His Highness's maternal grandfather was a famous and mighty general? His Highness the Crown Prince must be no less so, otherwise why would my elder brother have proposed a contest with His Highness?"
“That’s right. However, Your Highness is still young, about the same age as my third brother. I’m afraid he might suffer from being younger.”
"It's a pity that my third brother is studying with Grandpa Yang in the village of Juren, so he never gets to see these exciting things."
"What's the pity? Do you think Third Brother is studying like us just to learn to read? Third Brother's brain is a top priority!"
"Sigh, eldest brother can compete with His Highness in swordsmanship, third brother can compete with His Highness in poetry, so what can I compete with? Beauty?"
"Second brother, stop talking. You're shameless. You should think about how to comfort His Highness later before trying again."
Zhui Feng chuckled but didn't say anything.
Huang Ying grew increasingly worried and was considering whether to send a servant to fetch Shen Jiaqing's medicine box so that he could be treated immediately should anything happen.
Lili smiled and stopped her, her tone relaxed: "Your Highness will not lose."
Huang Ying always listened to Li Li the most, and when Li Li said it was nothing, Huang Ying stopped worrying about it.
Two men on the rooftop, swords in hand, stared intently at each other.
"Your Highness, you flatter me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Jiahao lightly touched the ground with his toes and stepped forward to draw his sword.
Gu Ziyi turned his sword, and the blades clashed, producing a crisp sound and sparks flying.
Shen Jiahao was dressed in black, his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and he held the long sword firmly in his hand, his swordplay steady and domineering.
With a slight turn of his wrist, Gu Ziyi's longsword danced like a serpent, not striking but deftly dodging his attacks.
Shen Jiahao moved with agility, his longsword sometimes thrusting out lightly, sometimes slashing down.
The two men stood facing each other, their swords pressed tightly together, their eyes meeting, and a fierce spark ignited as their swords clashed, producing a crisp sound.
The collision of forces seemed to make the surrounding air tremble.
Suddenly, Gu Ziyi dodged to the side, and at the same time, he flipped his wrist and spun around. The sword in his right hand somehow ended up in his left hand. He moved nimbly and knocked the sword out of Shen Jiahao's hand from behind, skillfully deflecting Shen Jiahao's attack.
Shen Jiahao's eyes sharpened, and he immediately adjusted his steps. He pursed his lips slightly, his facial lines tense, and with a thought, he suddenly bent down and unleashed a sword aura from bottom to top.
Gu Ziyi immediately leaped into the air, dodged the attack, and then switched from defense to offense. Shen Jiahao attacked from below, and he countered from above.
The people below were mesmerized, their heads following the movements of the two figures on the roof.
They kept looking to the left and then to the right, and the row of heads together was strangely comical.
Lili was amazed. His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed extraordinary. He had made tremendous progress while biding his time at the border. It was astonishing.
She still remembered that on her fifth birthday, she pestered Gu Ziyi to perform a sword dance for her. She had only thought that it would be pleasing to the eye to watch a little boy dance with a sword, but she did not expect that Gu Ziyi's sword dance was not just a show, but that he actually had real skills.
Gu Ziyi has been staying at the border for the past few years, ostensibly to inspect the border on behalf of the emperor, but in reality, he has been learning from General Weiwu.
His Highness is very ambitious, and Lili is very satisfied.
Who wouldn't want their backing to be as strong as possible?
Y(^_^)Y
As they were thinking, the two who had been fighting on the rooftop for a long time without a clear winner had already sheathed their swords. Shen Jiahao said excitedly, "Your Highness, that was exhilarating, truly exhilarating!"
The two jumped down, and Gu Ziyi tossed the sword to Zhuifeng, calming his breathing: "Young Master's swordsmanship is becoming more and more exquisite."
"Your Highness is not bad either. Let's have another fight next time!"
"good."
As the two were talking, Lili started clapping.
There's no lie about it; the sword fight between these two was truly spectacular.
Shen Jiahao is strong and large, so his swordsmanship is powerful, sharp, and very aggressive.
Gu Ziyi is not as strong or physically imposing as Shen Jiahao, but precisely because of this, she is light and agile, with a gentle yet firm touch, and is in no way inferior to Shen Jiahao.
"Your Highness is amazing! Big Brother is amazing too!"
Pear Pear praises herself to everyone, highlighting her skill in maintaining a balance.
Shen Jiahao was displeased: "Why do I feel like Lili, you didn't seem to have a second half to your sentence?"
"How could that be? Lili loves her brother the most."
Lili changed the subject, "By the way, big brother, Uncle Shen took Brother Shen Ye back to Xinghua Village today. The wooden beds in Uncle's shop are almost out of stock, so Uncle Shen went home to get some from Second Uncle."
While Lili embarked on her farming journey with no turning back, Shen Lao Er's carpentry skills quickly became famous throughout the capital.
Because of its scarcity and high price, it was rumored by the wealthy young men of the capital to be an "extravagant item" that was priceless, and became famous throughout the Southern Jin Dynasty.
But Shen Lao Er never intended to do business only with wealthy families. Initially, it was Liu Wu Mo's publicity that made many people in Liucheng want to buy. Later, people in the capital raised the level of interest, and more and more people went directly to Xinghua Village to find Shen Lao Er.
Shen Lao Er simply discussed it with his family and took out all the money he had saved from selling wooden beds in the past few years. He opened a shop in Liucheng, with Shen Lao Da as the boss and Shen Lao Er in charge of supplying goods. They specialized in selling affordable woodworking products.
Later, as demand grew, Shen Lao Er simply hired several apprentices and taught them how to make it.
It's really strange. The Shen family's shop only sells carpentry products, which are not consumables. Yet, in the past two years, the Shen family's shop has become more and more prosperous, and several branches have been opened throughout Nanlin County.
Shen Jiahao nodded: "I was wondering why I didn't see that kid Shen Ye coming to beat me up after school today. Turns out he went back to the village."
Lili returned the booklet to Zhuifeng: "It's fine as usual. If a natural disaster is going to happen, we can't stop it."
Upon hearing this, the other cheerful people instantly fell silent.
"A natural disaster?"
"What natural disaster?"
Lili gave a brief explanation, and the group of people were somewhat incredulous.
"No way, the weather has been fine for the past few years, and nothing seems wrong since five years ago."
"Is what Lili said false?"
"In short, it's not a loss for us to be on guard. Fortunately, we have enough grain in our granaries to last for eight hundred years, so it's fine."
Lili didn't say anything.
After Gu Ziyi left, Lili sent Shen Jialu to find Qi Zheng to discuss the plan from five years ago, and went to the fields on the outskirts of the city alone.
It was springtime, and the rice in the fields was still just a seedling, just like when Lili first arrived in Xinghua Village.
Huang Ying followed behind, carrying Li Li's thin cloak, her face beaming with joy: "Miss, this seedling is growing so well, this year will surely be another bumper harvest."
"Hmm." Lili paused for a moment, "Huang Ying, how much grain is stored in each of our granaries?"
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