Chapter 39 Young Master Wen
"A member of a prominent family? A descendant of a peasant family?" Qi Chengming asked rhetorically, seizing on the key point.
The caravan leader arrived laden with goods, along with the manager and men sent by the Bai family, to provide His Highness with a new sum of money. Every single matter was urgent, so instead of sending a message through Lao Hua, the caravan leader came directly to the Prince's residence to report.
Hearing the prince's question, the leader dared not be careless and reported, "Yes, it is said that he is a young master from the Wen family, one of the four famous families in Jiangnan, a family of high-ranking officials. It is said that he traveled all the way to Longcheng. But as for his origin as a descendant of farmers... I have not been able to find out."
The leader looked troubled.
They were a bunch of roughnecks retired from the battlefield, good enough to do odd jobs and toil. But trying to gather information among these intellectuals, not the kind that's widely circulated outside... was incredibly difficult.
"..." Qi Chengming had already sensed something was wrong. He slowly put down the teacup he was holding, to prevent himself from accidentally breaking the beautiful and expensive antique artifact. After calming himself down, he asked,
"The Wen family? You mean the Wen family of Jiangnan? Did that young master say his name? And why did he come looking for me?"
Qi Chengming had a bad feeling.
Ever since he realized he'd transmigrated into a book, he'd meticulously memorized every detail of the original plot he could think of and scanned it into the infrastructure system. The roles of the famous ministers and generals who later assisted the new emperor in the original story were always quite significant. Among them was the second young master of the Wen family from Jiangnan:
He was naturally lively and carefree. Originally a pampered youngest son in his family, he loved to travel and, like in the folk tales, to right wrongs and fight for justice, possessing a chivalrous spirit. In the original story, one year, the original male lead, the seventh prince, contracted smallpox and was moved out of the palace to a small courtyard in the capital to recuperate. There, he met the second young master Wen by chance, and from then on, they formed a friendship.
Later, when the border was in turmoil, the Second Young Master Wen even joined the army on a whim. By the time things got interesting again, he had already become a Mingwei General, a fourth-rank official. This military general from a scholarly family was quite astonishing. However, after the original protagonist, the Seventh Prince, rose to become the new emperor, he became one of his most trusted advisors.
In the book, he is an eye-catching supporting character with youthful spirit and rebelliousness, who yearns for freedom but is willing to fight for his country and eventually becomes a famous general.
...At least, Qi Chengming was deeply impressed by the character and quite liked him.
One of the talents he originally planned to recruit was this traveling young master Wen. Since young master Wen hadn't appeared at this point in the original story, Qi Chengming didn't know where to find him. He was also thinking that after the caravan had established itself in Wuling Prefecture and Liuzhou Prefecture, it could slowly expand into Jiangnan and gather information so he could find a way to recruit people.
Young Master Wen is very loyal and good at making friends; he has friends everywhere. As long as you can find his trail, it's easy to get to know him and have a pleasant conversation.
But now...
Qi Chengming stared intently into the eyes of the caravan leader, awaiting an answer.
"He said his name was Wen Zhongnan, and he heard that as soon as the prince arrived in his fiefdom, he summoned the people to deal with excrement... uh, um, Da Gong." The leader stammered for a long time before racking his brains to squeeze out a word so as not to say anything vulgar that would offend the prince. They were rough men used to speaking like this, and for a moment they almost couldn't think of a proper way to address him.
"Just tell me the words, and then what?" Qi Chengming was extremely anxious, waving his hand to tell him to ignore the formalities. His heart sank; the name matched—it was indeed that Second Young Master Wen. But, then what?
His mind raced for a long time, desperately trying to recall every detail of the original plot, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing matched except the names.
—Although Qi Chengming didn't know when he had asked the people to deal with the night soil, he clearly hadn't had time to come up with a solution yet, so it must have been Mr. Qin who did it.
"He heard that the prince had summoned the people to deal with the daily excrement, and even had it transported together and piled up for disposal. He was very curious and wanted to see it for himself. He also heard that the prince was looking for talented people, especially those with expertise in agriculture. He must have encountered some difficulties recently, so he volunteered himself!" The leader finally blurted out all the details in one breath.
Qi Chengming remained silent for a moment.
Mr. Qin, you've done so much work in the government office.
It has to be said, they were a huge help. Regarding the parts involving modern knowledge, Qi Chengming had to handle many things personally, but to manage a territory well, he couldn't do without effectively utilizing his subordinates. Chief Steward Song hadn't kept his land purchases and six-month planning a secret, and Mr. Qin had been quiet for the past two weeks. Qi Chengming had assumed he was busy wrestling with his colleagues and subordinates in the county government…
It turns out he's already done a lot of work quietly outside; he's just too engrossed in researching fertilizer while holed up in his little courtyard!
On second thought, Qi Chengming realized why Mr. Qin hadn't come to report to him. Mr. Qin had learned basic composting methods on the ship, and Qi Chengming himself had some knowledge of the subject; the two had even discussed it at length—this part didn't require Qi Chengming to buy the composting method from the store.
The most basic composting method only takes twenty days to produce fertilizer. Qi Chengming had considered a composting method that would take two months. Considering the time, it was already mid-September, and Qi Chengming guessed that Mr. Qin would definitely use the twenty-day method for experimentation first, and would come to report the results to him in a few days.
"..." Wait, we've gone off-topic!
Qi Chengming took a deep breath and focused his attention back on the matter at hand: "Where is he now?"
"Young Master Wen is still waiting at the mansion in the suburbs! He insists on going to see him..." The caravan leader looked distressed. He just couldn't understand why such a pampered young master would be so interested in something like excrement.
"You've worked hard, go and rest for a bit." Qi Chengming thought about the scene and his vision blurred. He took a deep breath and told Xiao Dezi to lead the caravan away and settle them in, but the task fell to Xiao Chengzi, who obediently complied. Naturally, it was Xiao Dezi who followed Qi Chengming respectfully and asked him, "Your Highness, shall we head over there now?"
"What are you two up to?" Qi Chengming glanced at him with a puzzled look, but his mind was filled with the bizarre image of the upright and virtuous Second Young Master Wen playing with feces, so he couldn't bother to ask. He hurriedly went out, got into the carriage, and headed to the suburban compound.
That was the place where Qi Chengming had originally instructed Steward Song to buy the night soil disposal site.
Throughout the journey, Qi Chengming frowned, his hands clasped together on his knees, his composure revealing a deep sense of bewilderment.
It's understandable that the Second Young Master Wen traveled to Liuzhou Prefecture before the succession struggle plot began. But when did he become so down-to-earth? Not only was he interested in agronomy, claiming to be a descendant of farmers, but he also insisted on going to see composting. Is this something he would do?
This wasn't mentioned at all in the original storyline, and the description doesn't match up at all.
Qi Chengming racked his brains but still couldn't figure it out.
But to say that Wen Zhongnan's words were all lies, that he was trying to deceive him, is futile. What is there to deceive him about? Is he after the freshest excrement in Liuzhou City? Or does he want the attention of this disheveled, nearly exiled second prince?
"..." Little Dezi, who was sitting obediently next to him, saw that His Highness was deep in thought the whole time and did not pay attention to the dispute between him and Xiao Chengzi. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
call.
He and Xiao Chengzi arrived at His Highness's side to serve around the same time. He was shrewd, quick-witted, and strong. Xiao Chengzi was meticulous, cautious, and had a lucky appearance. At first glance, they seemed like right-hand men, but even the left and right hands have their preferred uses!
Xiao Dezi admitted without any shame that he, as a eunuch, had no other faults. He was neither greedy for money nor lustful. He only focused on the fact that His Highness valued him and firmly held onto the dignity of being the most important person by His Highness's side.
Fortunately, Xiao Chengzi was honest and simple-minded, and never liked to argue with him about this. Today, when he had his moment of madness, he skillfully switched tasks with him. Xiao Dezi was grateful and secretly resolved to buy some novel snacks and trinkets for Xiao Chengzi when he returned. From his observation, Xiao Chengzi did indeed have a preference for food.
I wonder if Xiao Chengzi will be able to eat the snacks I just bought from the composting site.
Xiao Dezi hadn't thought of that yet.
Fifteen minutes later, Qi Chengming urged the driver to hurry to the outskirts of the city.
Without Xiao Dezi's help, he nimbly jumped off the carriage with his own hands. Looking up, he heard a clear young man's voice speaking confidently: "Your compost won't work, you know? There's too much human excrement! You need to add mule and horse manure, lots of straw and weeds, restaurant garbage... even wine lees will do."
Beside the foul-smelling pit, a young man squatted, holding up a tree branch and speaking eloquently.
The man guarding the place was a middle-aged man with an unfamiliar face. He listened with a pained expression, wanting to refute but not knowing where to begin. When he saw Qi Chengming arrive, his eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior, and he pitifully hurried forward: "I greet Your Highness!"
"Who are you……?"
"I was introduced by Master Qin. I used to be the manager of the estate and have some knowledge of farming. Now I'm in charge of this... composting." As the middle-aged man said this, Qi Chengming saw his rough hands and thick calluses, all traces of years of hard work.
Qi Chengming turned his gaze back to the young man who was speaking eloquently, his mind completely blank.
He asked politely, on instinct, "Is this Young Master Wen...?"
He never dared to imagine his first encounter with the famous general from the original story by the cesspool... The image of the noble young master and chivalrous young general that he had liked so much while reading the story was shattered in an instant.
"No need to be so polite, Your Highness. Just call me Wen Er." The young man waved his hand casually, but when his gaze met Qi Chengming's, a genuine smile appeared on his face. He introduced himself without any hesitation, "I heard that Your Highness is preparing to cultivate land and clear wasteland? I am... cough, I am quite good at these things. Your Highness is welcome to test me."
Wen Zhongnan said this with a calm tone, but his confidence was strong.
Qi Chengming fell silent: "..."
Now, although nothing makes sense and his brain has completely shut down, since the person has come to him... he's not going to let them go. He has to use them if he can. Perhaps this is the butterfly effect of his time travel? Wen Zhongnan is indeed quite curious and likes new things.
However, Qi Chengming always harbored doubts about whether the Second Young Master Wen was truly skilled in farming.
"Alright, then I'll test you." Qi Chengming made up his mind and readily agreed. He had recently been engrossed in researching the combination of various fertilizers and feeds, so preparing a test would be more than enough for him. Let's see what he's made of!
The group returned to the Prince's Palace.
Half an hour later, Wen Zhongnan, who was sitting upright in the flower hall, received a complicated questionnaire. The words on it were so unfamiliar that they gave him a headache. What was worse, they were arranged from left to right.
"..." Wen Zhongnan was sweating profusely.
Your Highness, why release these things so early, giving someone you've just met a question to answer? Should he answer them or not?
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Author's Note: Wen Zhongnan (with a mischievous grin): Did this meeting leave a deep impression?
—If the court officials were present many years later, who would the new emperor remember most vividly from their first meeting?
Qi Chengming (slowly closing his eyes): ...
Suddenly, I was struck by a scene, complete with a smell!
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