Chapter 18 The First Step of the Probe: What Does the Little Princess Want a Hoe For? ...
What does the little princess want the hoe for?
Andra was very curious. But she didn't ask a single question and strode towards the gardener's hut.
"Huh?" She suddenly realized something as she walked, and chuckled to herself. Really, she could be this obedient sometimes.
Andra entered the narrow wooden hut.
The slave gardener naturally dared not look directly at the noblewoman; she knelt tremblingly to one side, her head bowed to the ground, not daring to even glance at her.
Andra had no interest in slaves. She stepped over the corner of the gardener's clothes and walked forward, her eyes lighting up when she saw the Nolana farm tools in the corner.
Iron? Nolana's hoe was actually made of iron.
She picked up a hoe and weighed it in her hand: it was quite heavy and felt good. She wondered if only royalty was so extravagant as to use iron hoes, or if even ordinary people could use them?
It's most likely the latter.
Andra examined the patterns on the hoe: if it were just for showing off, this hoe would certainly have many decorative patterns. But apart from an emblem, there were no patterns on the surface of the farm implement, clearly indicating that it was intended for practical work.
It seems that the actual situation in Norlana is better than I previously observed.
Andra's eyes were deep and unfathomable. She would not waste this journey as a hostage into the borders of Norlana, and she had been carefully observing the situation in various places along the way.
Norlana had many slaves, and even ordinary citizens were accustomed to saving money to buy one or two slaves to help their families with heavy labor.
This is similar to Hetuya, but Hetuya's slaves were always gathered together by slave owners and nobles for herding and labor, unlike Norlana where they were scattered among thousands of households.
Then the Norlana people really like to build big projects.
The Hetuya people are accustomed to wandering around. They generally do not spend a lot of effort building stone or wooden houses in a fixed location, but use tents to meet their daily needs.
The nobles of Norlana, on the other hand, had a great fondness for building tall stone houses.
They would buy huge stones, then carve them into beautiful squares and stack them together one by one. Such labor was an unbearable toil even for slaves.
Finally, there are the huge differences between city-states.
The Hetuya royal family are the alpha wolves of the Hetuya people. They regularly organize herding, hunting, and... "hunting".
The King of Hetuya will handle loot relatively fairly and will always be at the forefront of battle.
Even though tribes are mostly scattered across the grasslands, as long as the royal family blows the horn, the rest of the tribes will still do their best to rush towards the royal banner.
After all, no one wants to be driven from the lush wilderness and exiled to a barren, desolate place.
The Norlana people, on the other hand, were completely different; each of their city-states had considerable independence.
It's not a difference in family or bloodline, but a disconnect between thought and life.
She entered through Enlin, where the environment was extremely poor; even the "city walls" were just earthen walls and fences. It was less a border town for defense and more a buoy that could be discarded at any time.
But the neighboring city of Mihir is quite different.
The city not only had high stone walls, but also many caravans traveling in and out of it. Mihir's entrance tax was outrageously high, and they'd rip you off again if you left.
She entered the city with a diplomatic entourage, and local officials even took away a fine horse and a large box of dried, precious medicinal herbs.
Ah, it's ironic that such a country possesses iron ore of decent quality.
In comparison, Hetuya was far inferior; they had very few iron tools, let alone bronze ones. Many of their people spent their entire lives making do with wooden swords, wooden spears, bone knives, and stone axes.
Andra's eyes were unfathomable as he picked up two hoes and turned to leave.
The little princess has stepped out of the pavilion and is standing among the blooming flowers.
Andra couldn't help but slow down: she had chosen a great spot.
There are winding trees and lush shrubs on both sides, but here, in order to maintain a sense of openness, a large open space is left, filled with bright and long-lasting wildflowers.
Eleanor saw her at the same time and immediately stood on tiptoe and waved: "Here, here!"
So cute.
Andra strode briskly over to Eleanor and handed her a hoe.
She couldn't help but take two steps back when Eleanor took it with both hands.
I really want to see the little princess looking adorable carrying a hoe; they must look so mismatched!
Andra stood not far away, watching Eleanor's movements.
At first, they were indeed not a good match. Eleanor was too small. Even though the gardener's hoe was much smaller than that used by ordinary farmers, it felt like a small child trying to hug a big doll when she held it.
My lovely little princess, you should be wearing a pretty dress and lying in a warm and safe room. How can you do such rough work?
Andra stood with one hand on her hip, waiting for Eleanor to hoe the ground twice before throwing down the hoe and calling out sweetly, "Come and help me!"
call--
Eleanor suddenly twirled the hoe in her hand, and her demeanor subtly shifted in the instant she changed her grip.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
She lowered her center of gravity, forming a triangular angle with the hoe, and exerted a slight force with her muscles.
Her first two movements were a little clumsy, but after a few more, her movements became more graceful.
No, rather than aesthetics... Andra narrowed her eyes. The little princess's movements were surprisingly practiced? The Hetuya people rarely cultivated crops, so she was a little confused.
But what is certain is that Eleanor's movements were very fluid, unlike someone who was farming for the first time.
Does the Norlana royal family place extraordinary importance on agriculture, even requiring their 10-year-old princess to study it diligently? Surely, the princess doesn't have an innate talent for farming?
She quietly approached Eleanor, lowered her head, and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, your movements are so beautiful. Did you learn them before?"
"Mmm." Eleanor nodded reflexively.
She had barely nodded when she realized her mistake: No, she couldn't say that. Don't let Andra's seemingly carefree demeanor fool you; she's incredibly shrewd.
Even if she can speak without revealing any flaws, the smooth and soft condition of her hands and feet cannot lie.
"Hmm~ not really." She wiped her sweat shyly and said, "I like watching other people farm. It's amazing that flowers and fruits can grow from seeds."
After saying that, the little princess leaned on her hoe and pointed to the empty space next to her, scolding, "How long have you been watching? Come on, come on, let's do it together!"
“Okay.” Andra immediately picked up the hoe and started hoeing.
She had just been doubting Eleanor, but she picked it up even faster than Eleanor. After only watching for a couple of seconds, her muscle activation and posture were all correct.
Her strength was astonishing. By the time Eleanor finished digging the small patch in front of her, Andra had already worked like an old ox, turning over the rest of the soil. If she dug any further, she would be digging up the valuable flowers and trees next to her.
"Alright, that's enough!" Eleanor quickly called for a stop. If the flowers were accidentally damaged, the gardeners would be in trouble.
*Slap.* Andra easily stopped hoeing and asked curiously, "Why are you hoeing the grass here? To plant some fresh flowers?"
Haha, even the way we address each other has changed.
Eleanor chuckled inwardly: You can't help but become respectful whenever you're curious about someone.
She wanted to keep it a secret, but her smile vanished as soon as it appeared.
What am I doing? Am I flirting like I did in my past life? Whenever I chat with Andra, I become happy, and then naturally relax and crack jokes...
If this continues, I will repeat the same mistakes.
Eleanor felt a dull ache in her wrist, as if an invisible hand was gripping hers and pulling her outwards.
Andra... she never lets go of anything she truly wants.
Eleanor sighed inwardly.
She handed over the hoe, feigning indifference, and said, "Alright, enough talk. Let's decorate the nearby flowers and plants later, then watch my performance."
Andra blinked sensitively: something about the little princess seemed a little different from before. But—this expression was quite adorable, wasn't it?
She bent down to take the hoe, and sang sweetly, "Yes, ma'am!"
...
The sun was high in the sky, and the ministers waited respectfully in the court hall, but the seat in the very center remained empty.
No one was surprised; they all knew that their queen, Her Majesty Eva, must have drunk too much again last night.
For about ten years now, as long as it doesn't rain too much at night or something unpleasant happens, Eva always hosts lively banquets in the palace or hall.
However, she was of decent character. Although she was extravagant and loved to play, she would never forcibly take away the wives of ministers, nor did she have the habit of making anyone the main course at a banquet.
Now that the king was beginning to take human form, the ministers were willing to be patient and wait until she sobered up in the afternoon before visiting her in her bedchamber.
Pat, pat.
They were lucky today; they didn't have to wait until the afternoon.
About half an hour later, Eva, shuffling in her golden slippers, casually walked over and sat down beside the throne.
"Hey everyone, good morning/next day!" she greeted casually, the incense in the room barely masking the smell of alcohol.
When the king arrived, the ministers hurriedly took out scrolls of sheepskin from their robes and presented them to him with both hands.
However, Wang simply waved his hand and tilted his head back: "No rush, we'll talk about those things this afternoon. Yawn~ Do you guys have anything interesting to say?"
If the king wants it, then of course it will be available.
Everyone forced smiles and told the king stories in a soothing tone, among which the finance minister's jokes made the king laugh heartily.
"Ha, hahaha, um." After Eva finished laughing, everyone fell silent, waiting quietly for the King to get down to business, or something even less serious.
"Hey~" Wang is of noble blood, and he is not even 50 years old yet.
However, despite her young age, her eyes were somewhat cloudy and swayed slowly as she pondered.
"I think the weather's nice today..." Her tone, which had been dreaming just moments before, suddenly became resolute: "Let's go hunting in the back mountains!"
"good."
"What a brilliant idea, Your Majesty."
"I want to go, I want to go."
Everyone tacitly agreed. In the end, whether she went or not was up to her; Wang wouldn't care if a few fewer people were there, as long as there were enough people to play with her.
As for hunting in the back mountains?
The king could not easily enter or leave the capital, and most hunting activities involved him taking his guards to the back mountains.
As a result, all the animals that lived nearby were killed, forcing the steward to bring in rabbits, goats, and other animals from other city-states to release into the area.
After a thorough preparation, the general and the imperial guards led the way, while the favored ministers and attendants followed at the back.
Wang, meanwhile, yawned as she rode her horse—thankfully, many trees on the back hill had been cut down, otherwise she would have needed to be carried. It was unclear how long it had been since Wang had practiced a forced march...
The back mountain is very large, but the part of the palace complex that connects to the back mountain must first pass through the Sky Garden.
Eva raised her eyes listlessly and suddenly noticed something "small": the garden was bald, or rather, it was alopecia areata.
A note from the author:
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