Chapter 8, Chapter Eight: A Chapter with a Taste
"Your Highness, please get in the carriage." The young eunuch eagerly led Qi Chengming to the carriages and invited him to get into one.
Leaving the palace on foot is impractical, and we don't know how well the relatively unknown Second Prince is at archery and horsemanship. To be on the safe side, it's better to lend him a carriage. After all, ministers sometimes come here to borrow carriages or park their cars on their way to court.
Everyone has experienced problems with their vehicles and horses a few times.
Ministers from poor families rode in donkey carts or mule carts. Ministers of high status rode in horse-drawn carriages, such as the ministers, who rode in their own carriages drawn by two horses and engraved with their respective insignia.
The taciturn Xiao Chengzi and the coachman sat on the outside of the carriage shaft to familiarize themselves with the way. Xiao Dezi accompanied Qi Chengming into the carriage. This was the outermost gate of the palace. Outside the palace was the main street where ordinary people lived.
The noise rushed in through the tall, imposing red wooden city gate.
"There's not even any tea to drink in this carriage," Xiao Dezi complained, touching the teapot on the low table. Their prince already lived a very frugal life, and this public carriage only had a pot of cold water and a few teacups. There wasn't even any tea leaves in the small drawer. It was far too simple.
"It's nothing." Qi Chengming lifted the curtain and curiously observed the outside. He didn't think the eunuchs in the carriage office had mistreated him; ordinary officials weren't necessarily treated very well when they went to court.
The streets outside the palace exceeded Qi Chengming's expectations.
The streets were dusty and gray. Low-rise tiled houses stood on the main street, teeming with people. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, soliciting customers, and children playing mingled with the rumble of horse-drawn carriages.
This is a vibrant ancient world.
"Is the area outside the palace... really that dirty?" Qi Chengming paused for a moment. Although he was somewhat prepared, he still couldn't help but ask.
How long had they been away from the main street outside the palace? Had they only gone a few dozen meters? The street before them was already visibly filthy, with sewage flowing everywhere. Qi Chengming couldn't help but tilt his head back, hold his breath, and carefully lower the carriage curtain.
He thought that ancient excrement was a treasure, something that could be used to fertilize vegetable gardens. If he remembered correctly, there was a profession in ancient times called "night fertilizer," who specialized in collecting excrement from towns and bringing it back to the countryside for farming. Hadn't these things developed yet in this novel about the struggle for the throne?
Xiao Dezi also came from a poor family when he was young. He recalled for a moment and said casually, "Your Highness, the 'night soil collectors' you mentioned only work for wealthy families! How could ordinary people like us afford to hire a night soil collector? Everyone just goes wherever they can to relieve themselves. That's always been the case on the streets."
Qi Chengming: "...!!!"
This was the first time he had looked so terrified since he transmigrated; his face was practically scrunched up like a cabbage.
How terrifying!
His brain began to work at lightning speed.
In ancient times, without sewers and toilets, things were manageable in the countryside. But in towns, aside from wealthy families, ordinary people couldn't solve their excrement problems. Qi Chengming hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, wondering why the night soil collectors were ignoring all the fertilizer on the street. The cause and effect were reversed. They were only there for the money from the wealthy families.
They didn't expect to add much fertilizer to the vegetable garden with that little bit of night-blooming jasmine, or rather, the night-blooming jasmine they received from wealthy families was already enough.
Qi Chengming coveted the value of the night soil on the street... at the same time, he disapproved of the scene. But others were completely unaware of these two points.
'Composting...'
The difference between ordinary manure irrigation and composted manure providing nutrients to the soil is significant.
Qi Chengming racked his brains, recalling his profound high school chemistry, and silently opened the infrastructure system.
The map of Liuzhou clearly marks:
Outside the city, there were vast stretches of uncultivated wasteland.
First, there is a lack of water; second, the environment is harsh, and some land is very barren.
The capital city can be filthy, and Qi Chengming sincerely doesn't want Liuzhou, where he'll be stationed, to be the same. Wouldn't the unused night soil be moved to a more suitable place? The town would be cleaner, and the land would be more fertile. Such a large expenditure must be handled uniformly by the government or the Prince's residence…
Making money locally is an urgent matter.
As these thoughts raced through Qi Chengming's mind, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Outside, Xiao Chengzi reminded him, "Your Highness, we have arrived."
The coachman had already stepped forward and knocked on the gate of the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion. It seemed to have fallen into decline, as there wasn't even a gatekeeper. The eunuch acting as the coachman knocked for a long time before an old soldier finally came out from the side gate. Seeing the palace insignia, he hurriedly came over to ask questions.
"Hurry up and announce our arrival! Open the gate! This is... His Highness the Second Prince!" The coachman and eunuch said in a low voice, gritting their teeth. Had the Marquis of Weiyong's residence been living behind closed doors for so long that they'd gone mad?
In ordinary households, this would be like a grandson coming to visit, and the gatekeeper is still standing there in a daze!
"Oh, oh...!" The old soldier hurriedly went inside, and another round of chaos ensued.
Qi Chengming waited a moment, then sensed the carriage continuing forward, indicating it was about to enter the manor through the main gate. Soon, a commotion arose in the distance. A child's clear, still-childish voice rang out: "Cousin! Is that you, cousin?"
Further away, the chaotic, panicked voices of other servants could be heard trying to restrain him: "Young Master, wait—you can't run over there! It's too impolite!"
"What's going on?" Xiao Dezi asked suspiciously, kneeling in the carriage and trying to look around.
Qi Chengming was already smiling. He lifted the curtain and ordered, "Stop the car."
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Qi Chengming, full of youthful vigor, jumped off with one hand bracing against the carriage shaft, causing Xiao Dezi to exclaim in surprise, "Your Highness?!" Xiao Chengzi didn't make a sound, not because he was calm, but because his face was pale with fright, and his lips opened and closed but he was too scared to utter a sound.
Qi Chengming waved to them and looked into the distance.
Running towards him was a boy—a tall, thin boy whose physique was developing into that of a teenager. Even at such a young age, his features were clearly handsome, but it was a waste of such good looks.
The boy's skin was tanned to a healthy dark color, and he was very thin. His face had neither baby fat nor any childlike innocence. He looked like a rough, unrefined young man who had been practicing martial arts so hard that he was almost brainwashed.
Wang Shuo was deeply moved to see his young cousin. Overwhelmed with affection, he immediately burst into tears and rushed forward to take the boy's hand, sobbing.
Waaah... Cousin, you've suffered so much since you were little!
He's thirteen years old, why does his complexion look so unhealthy?
"Cousin, why are you so thin?" the young boy asked, his voice choked with sobs, as if he wanted to take the blame for the other's. His face was full of pity. Tears welled up in his eyes, and only now could one see the childishness in his eyes. "Come with me quickly, I have something to give you!"
Qi Chengming: "..."
Cousin, why don't you take a look and tell me who looks thinner and weaker between us?
Although his overly friendly younger cousin was so warm and kind to him, and even remembered him, which touched his heart, however…
“Cousin, shouldn’t we go and pay our respects to…” Qi Chengming hesitated for a moment, then subtly suggested, “Grandfather?”
"No rush, they need to pack up for a while." Wang Shuo, that kid, must have been incredibly strong and fast. He just dragged Qi Chengming away like that.
A three-year age difference may not seem like much, but when you compare a ten-year-old to a thirteen-year-old, it's like a significant age gap. Indeed, in today's terms, it's like comparing a fourth-grade elementary school student to a first-year middle school student; the physical difference would be substantial.
Qi Chengming waved his hand at Xiao Chengzi and Xiao Dezi in shock, indicating that they didn't need to get so close.
...Or maybe I should go back and exercise?
Qi Chengming looked at his own physique, then at his younger cousin's, and remained somewhat resentful.
"We're here, look!" His little cousin pulled him through a maze of turns until they reached a backyard. There were seven or eight sealed earthenware jars neatly arranged under the eaves. The jars varied in age, size, and color.
"By the time I heard about it, it was too late. I had to go outside to buy them," Wang Shuo said sincerely, pointing to each large vat and introducing them one by one. "These are all worthless things, but my cousin can take them with him on the road. These are salted fresh vegetables, pickled mustard greens, mustard tubers, and radishes. These are pickled vegetables, eight-treasure vegetables, and cucumber strips. There's also soybean paste and meat sauce in the ice cellar."
Wang Shuo spoke in one breath, his face full of the seriousness of a little adult, as if he were talking about something important rather than introducing food: "The last two are hard to preserve! Cousins, you should eat them on the way. Fortunately, the weather hasn't been too hot lately, so they can last for a while."
"Okay, okay." Qi Chengming listened in silence, his throat tightening, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. "I appreciate your kindness."
These may seem like insignificant items, but they are all expressions of heartfelt sentiment.
Traveling in ancient times was difficult enough, so how good could the food be? My little cousin was even worried that his meals would be monotonous, so he went to great lengths to prepare so many side dishes and sauces for him. That's... too thoughtful!
"Cousin, don't take it lightly!" Wang Shuo noticed that his cousin was only focused on being touched, his eyes even flickering, and his attention mostly on him rather than the dishes. Wang Shuo grew a little anxious and emphasized again.
"Make sure you eat well on the way! Otherwise, you'll be letting down all my efforts." That's all he could say, like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I will." Qi Chengming naturally agreed readily, and he would do as his little cousin did, given his earnest expression.
Wang Shuo was finally satisfied and led Qi Chengming back: "Yes, yes, Grandpa and Grandma should be almost done getting ready. Let's go pay our respects."
In the main hall.
The old Earl of Weiyong and his wife had been waiting for quite some time.
The old man sat there glaring angrily: "...The Second Prince finally came, and that brat has run off to somewhere again?!"
This kid has been mischievous lately, which is quite strange. He's been thinking about his cousin so much that it's almost excessive.
We need to keep a close eye on that brat—otherwise, even the Marquis of Weiyong is worried that on the day the Second Prince is enfeoffed, the brat will sneak over and run off with the procession. That would be truly disastrous.
This is not impossible!
A note from the author:
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