Chapter 236 Personal Maid
In the ninth year of Zhaowu, many changes occurred in Dayuan. The biggest change was that Dayuan began to hoard iron and ships. Apart from a few special partners such as the Prince of Hejian, the Marquis of Kaiyang, and the Duke of Liang, other merchants could no longer buy ironware and ships and could only turn to the business of sugar, wine, etc.
The ironware of Dayuan is of excellent quality. It can be easily melted and forged into high-quality steel, which is very popular in the interior of Daxia, not to mention Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia where the smelting technology is backward.
"Uncle Wu, each person must have one set of this light armor, and the number of heavy armored soldiers should reach 10,000, with 10,000 sets of armor."
Although Wu Shengze's eyes were full of excitement, he kept clicking his tongue and saying, "Your Highness! Isn't this too much? How much will this cost?"
"It's my problem how much money I have to worry about, Lao Wu. You can tell how happy you are just by looking at your eyes. You've gone astray; you've even started saying one thing and meaning another."
Uncle Lin has been in an exceptionally good mood lately, and he's been laughing and scolding Wu Shengze. Now, the two of them have a clear division of labor: one is in charge of logistics and finances, and the other is responsible for the military's allocation of Qin Mo's troops. They are considered the two big shots in the civil and military affairs of the high-ranking official, but to avoid suspicion, they are still called "the chief steward of the Prince's Mansion" and "the chief of the troops."
Wu Shengze dropped his fake smile and sneered, "Since you're so generous, Lao Lin, how about adding a thousand or eight hundred artillery pieces? I've only assembled about 50,000 infantrymen, which is really not enough. Strengthening our firepower is a must."
"You want cannons too? Do you know how many cannons the Imperial Guard only has? You have more cannons than they do now. Can't you be a little more discreet?"
As Qin Mo subtly influenced those around him, "keeping a low profile" had become a family tradition among several bigwigs.
"Am I not discreet enough? I only have a little over 10,000 men left on Da Yuan Island now. I've sent the rest to the south. If other powerful people had such troops, they would want to put them out in the street to let everyone know their strength. But my family is hiding them here and there, like thieves."
"Uncle Wu, you can't say that. If our strength is too conspicuous, we'll inevitably be suppressed. It's better for us to develop quietly. Only when we're strong enough will we be unafraid of those corrupt officials." Qin Mo quickly interrupted Wu Shengze's grumbling. If he were allowed to continue, he would suffer injustice.
Wu Shengze shut his mouth, exchanged a glance with Uncle Lin, then went outside to take a look, and came back to nod to Uncle Lin.
"Your Highness, what are your thoughts on future high-ranking officials?"
Seeing the two old men suddenly become tense and cautious, Qin Mo naturally knew what they were asking. With their own strength growing, and most importantly, with Allen's words that "they can advance to the Saint level at any time," they had an idea in mind.
"The Great Xia is too strong. Our foundation is still too weak. There are plenty of unclaimed territories outside. We can go and seize them, occupy them, and plunder them. That's what we need to do now."
The two breathed a sigh of relief and immediately smiled. Qin Mo's meaning was clear: they would not rebel for the time being, but... the will to be independent had been formed, and that... was enough.
As the wedding date approaches, Princess Kai can no longer stay in the palace. You can't exactly bring her from one room to another when you're going to fetch her!
Fortunately, Kaihime is now quite wealthy, with wineries, sugar factories, and textile workshops outside the city. She can move to her own estate outside the city and wait for Qin Mo to come to her.
Qin Mo finally understood what it meant to reap what you sow. A prince taking a concubine didn't actually need to be so formal; simply reporting it to the Imperial Clan Court and registering it in the household register was enough. Of course, some princes who loved their concubines would hold weddings, but that was mostly to give face to the bride's family.
Qin Mo insisted on following the proper procedures of the Three Letters and Six Rites. Now that Kaihime was suddenly not by his side, Qin Mo, who was used to being a master, felt very uncomfortable. There was no one to help him change his clothes, no one to help him take a bath, and no one to practice his bedroom skills with him.
There were quite a few maids in the Prince's mansion, but Qin Mo had a secret about her body, so she didn't have any personal maids and was now all alone.
The rocking chairs on the terraces of the Twin Towers were exquisitely crafted, making no noise when rocking back and forth. Qin Mo closed his eyes, and the starlight swirled and danced around him, bringing him great joy.
A pair of hands touched his eyes, and fresh, moist breath came from behind him. A smile appeared on Qin Mo's lips.
"Xia, why aren't you helping Ruoxi make her wedding dress? What are you doing here instead?"
What's the point of doing something that benefits someone else?
Shia withdrew her hand and gently pressed Qin Mo's forehead and the back of his head. Although her technique was not as skillful as Kaihime's, it was not far off. Every time Kaihime glared at her, she would hide behind Qin Mo and massage him.
"Xia, as Ruoxi's good friend, you shouldn't be so fussy about making her wedding dress. Now that you've learned it, you can make your own wedding dress when you get married!"
"Hmph! Who wants a pink wedding dress!"
Shia uttered a resentful remark, increasing the pressure on her hand, which made Qin Mo grit her teeth.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, wedding gowns were generally bright red, as were those worn by commoners. However, only the principal wife of a prince was entitled to wear a bright red wedding gown, while concubines could only wear pink wedding gowns to show respect for the principal wife.
After learning the difference between bright red and pink, Shia immediately lost interest in making a wedding dress. She went out and ate and drank to her heart's content for several days, spending all her money before remembering that she should go back to Qin Mo to fulfill her duties as a prisoner.
"Yes, yes, yes, Shia should wear a bright red wedding dress. Pink is really not worthy of your status. After you come of age, I will find you a great hero to be your ideal husband, okay?"
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