Chapter 39 Time Flies By
Time flies, and seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The two travelers emerged from the forest and shook out their clothes.
The man in front of me looked to be in his prime, but his eyes were filled with a sense of weariness.
She stood tall and straight, supporting herself with a long pole.
At first glance, he had the unique air of a scholar, but upon closer inspection, his clothes were quite simple, with many metal objects jingling and a tattered cloth bag hanging around him.
A young man followed behind the middle-aged man.
The young man was tall, and she carried a heavy bundle on her back like a snail. Her sturdy body made her head appear small and pointed—she looked rather fierce.
Fortunately, a pair of clear eyes darted around on his face, which greatly reduced the sense of danger emanating from his muscular physique.
The two walked down the hillside and stopped after a short while because they saw vast fields of golden fields before them.
When the wind blows, the golden plants sway in the breeze, like golden beads floating in an ocean current.
"teacher!"
“Those are ears of wheat.” Parna wiped his sweat and held down the young apprentice.
Scholars had long heard of Princess Enlin, who was said to be somewhat supernatural.
Poets say that Princess Eleanor was not only blessed by the god of wisdom, but also received secrets about crops in her dreams.
She also used her actions and the most tangible results to reverse the farming habits that had been passed down for thousands of years in the nearby city-states.
People originally believed that the most auspicious way to cultivate crops was through birds, blood rivers, and the four seasons.
Simply put, it's about learning from birds in early spring to scatter seeds across the fields, creating a winding, river-like shape.
Then irrigate in a timely manner, remove some of the weeds that are blocking the sunlight, and wait for the seeds to germinate and grow slowly with the changing seasons. They can be harvested in autumn.
But Princess Eleanor refused; she insisted on forcing the issue.
She proposed a strange theory of seedling cultivation: first, the seeds should be placed in one place to germinate, and then moved to another square field that has been completely weeded.
She paid out of her own pocket to dig more wells, repair water conservancy projects, and even placed waterwheels and mills along the river.
At first, no one knew what she was trying to do.
Princess Eleanor not only reduced the taxes for the first year, but also used her own money to hire people to build houses everywhere.
In fact, all the land belongs to the lord.
As a princess, she didn't need to spend a single penny; she could simply assign tasks when conscripting laborers.
But the merciful princess not only did not conscript laborers, but when the serfs and citizens were conscripted for labor, she somehow produced some farm tools that they had never seen before and taught them how to use them.
The tools were incredibly useful, and when combined with the expensive oxen His Highness had purchased, the progress was rapid. A team of two people and one ox was equivalent to ten strong laborers.
"Teacher." Nana stood on the hillside gazing into the distance.
The endless golden squares and the orange and green melons interspersed among the field ridges complement each other, exuding a sweet aroma.
The young apprentice exclaimed sincerely, "Is Princess Eleanor truly a mortal?"
She had been educated in the temple and later traveled with the great scholar Parna, so she was not a blindfolded servant.
Nana had seen towering, awe-inspiring domed buildings, enormous mountain statues that must have taken countless years to create, and even the seemingly floating sky gardens that she had seen when she was summoned by the king during festivals along with many scholars.
But for some reason, compared to those exquisitely beautiful works of art, her heart didn't truly tremble until she saw this fertile field.
Farmers were busy in the fields, and many people were also moving around on the ridges.
They weren't the typical overseers with whips; they looked like farmers bringing food to their families, and some kind-hearted people were instructing others on how to use new tools to save energy.
Nana has seen what it's like during busy farming seasons in many places.
In spring, many shirtless, strong men would crawl through the fields carrying the foreman's whip.
Norlana is relatively better off; there are some tools available here that can be leveraged.
Everyone used their hands and hoes to clear away the excess weeds, just enough to make it look presentable. However, the lord's fields were so vast that it would take them a very long time to pull them all up.
In autumn, the farmers would be driven down the mountain like flocks of goats to harvest the lord's grain bit by bit, and only after the harvest was finished could they tend to their own fields.
Nana didn't ask the question, "Your Highness grows so much grain in your fields, don't the farmers complain when they harvest it?"
Because Princess Eleanor suddenly had the idea that seven and three were auspicious numbers bestowed upon her by the gods.
Therefore, she only collects 30% tax on land owned by citizens, and she gives 30% of the harvest to the prince, regardless of whether the prince's land is contracted by slaves, commoners or her servants.
This treatment is simply unbelievably generous.
You must understand that everything that belongs to the lord belongs to the lord, and everything that belongs to the slaves also belongs to the lord.
Even if you are an ordinary citizen, and you say that this piece of land is yours, does it really belong to you?
Even if the lord approves of certain transactions and gives you a sheepskin with his own signature, how dare you beat the lord in terms of profit sharing?
A 50/50 split is disloyal, while a 40/60 split is a great blessing; the person might even suspect they are the lord's illegitimate son.
In the first year, the surrounding city-states were all watching Princess Eleanor make a fool of herself, betting on when she would slink back to the capital in disgrace.
The following year, Enlin had a bumper harvest, leaving everyone stunned.
In the third year, those with ulterior motives gritted their teeth, and the surrounding slaves and commoners began to secretly migrate to the vicinity of Enlin...
Stacks of parchment scrolls thicker than bricks, along with wooden tablets used for reporting, flew towards the capital and landed in front of Eva's table.
Perhaps the king didn't see it, or perhaps the king didn't want to care; in any case, the king remained quiet and pretended not to see it.
But much more gold than wood chips must have flown into the hands of many assassins, for Princess Eleanor has been said to have faced danger and miraculously survived several times.
At the end of the third year, Her Highness began to share her farming tools and planting methods with everyone free of charge.
Even if it's a rival who's so envied that they're bleeding, or an enemy who's considered a prime suspect, His Highness doesn't hesitate to send someone to advise them.
The mills built by Princess Eleanor also brought benefits to the lords.
Norland has no shortage of plains and rivers, making it an excellent place for both windmills and watermills.
Thus, the attacks and assassinations temporarily ceased.
Unfortunately, the lords have always followed His Highness's methods, but they are unwilling to learn His Highness's ideas.
Those lords don't charge their people anything like "only processing fees." The mills belong to them, and they can charge whatever they want without any fixed amount.
Nana walked along the ridge of the field, unable to control her mouth like all young people.
"Those lords are all so wicked! Can't they learn from Princess Eleanor?"
Her mentor walked forward with her head down, saying, "They did the right thing; His Highness's ideas are outdated."
"Then we're in a good position?"
"We are out of step with the times."
The master and apprentice looked at each other and smiled.
They did not disturb the farmers, but calmly walked across the fields and saw a row of gray-white buildings at the end of the fertile land.
The building was located in the suburbs, square in shape, and had two floors made of bricks and mortar.
It is not very tall, but it is wide enough, including a spacious courtyard and stables.
Princess Eleanor called it the inn, supposedly a place for caravans and travelers to rest.
This type of building is novel, because other city-states only have taverns that provide accommodation within their cities.
Even though churches and some caravans would set up transit stations in deserted wilderness, these transit stations were set up in hidden places and other people were not allowed to enter at will.
The post stations set up by Princess Eleanor are different in function.
After taking control of Enlin, she established the Marigold Merchant Guild in her own name and announced that all merchants who joined the Marigold Merchant Guild would be exempt from exorbitant taxes such as the "touch-land tax" in Enlin and her subsequent partner city-states.
As a result, many merchants joined in, either because they were already there or out of respect for the princess.
What followed was an unstoppable surge.
Princess Eleanor's inn is open to all law-abiding guests, with guards protecting your safety and professionals helping to care for the horses.
It is said that she paid the slaves working at the post station and gave them a "prayer day" every week. So everyone who went in felt at home in a relaxed atmosphere.
The rooms at the inn were clean and tidy, and there wasn't a single lice on the sun-dried quilts.
The toilet is cleaned promptly, and soapy water is used to mask any odors—soap is also one of His Highness's excellent cleaning inventions.
Therefore, travelers with a slightly more generous budget could not refuse the existence of inns, and even those with limited funds would spend some time going to the water room to get hot water and buy some delicious hot meals.
The idea of drinking more hot water was also proposed by Princess Eleanor.
She believed that boiling water and praying to the gods during the boiling and cooling process was a very auspicious act that could remove some of the impurities.
Because of His Highness's noble status and his kindness and wisdom, many people believed this claim.
Those who did so claimed that drinking boiled and cooled water made them feel more relaxed and gave them a sense of closeness to the divine.
That being said, due to the scarcity of firewood, most people still had to go to the hot water room and inn run by Princess Eleanor to enjoy hot water service.
However, it is said that His Highness is already promoting a type of fuel called coal balls.
The master and his apprentice walked toward the post station.
They had neither mules nor horses, and walked straight past the stables to the fragrant food stalls.
It's lunchtime now, and many people are sitting at tables enjoying their meals.
Nana ordered a plate of fresh meat sesame cakes, but before the cakes were even served, she overheard some gossip.
What do you mean, "With Princess Eleanor being so intelligent and beautiful, which country will she become queen in the future?"
"No, no, Your Highness is too clever. She will definitely stay with us forever."
They even dare to say things like, "If Your Highness were a princess, you would definitely become a holy king!"
Nana made a face at the teacher.
The shop assistant brought over the fresh meat sesame cakes, placed them on the table, and also poured them two cups of tea.
Before they could ask any questions, the shop assistant enthusiastically introduced, "Ladies, this leaf tea is called Red Leaf Tea, and it's delicious! If you add two more copper coins, you can also add milk and sugar to it."
Milk? Sugar? These are both expensive items.
Before Nana could say anything, the teacher had already raised her sleeve and decisively laid out five copper coins.
"I'll have one cup for her and one for me, with extra."
"Hehe, thanks for your patronage~"
The shop assistant dashed to the back and, under Nana's incredulous gaze, brought out a copper kettle and a ceramic cup.
She deftly lifted the copper kettle, and the pure white milk gurgled into the black tea. Then, she picked up a spoon—and wow, that spoon was quite large!—and scooped up two large spoonfuls of sugar, stuffing them in.
Nana stared longingly at the spoonful of sugar granules.
Their color is very light, very close to expensive white sugar, only the grains are larger and slightly yellowish-red.
No wonder Her Highness's caravan has flourished in recent years.
If she can easily refine this sugar that is close to white sugar, coordinate some of the taxes, and continuously provide a large amount of grain and animal hides, she can do it too, right?
No, it's impossible.
Nana's fervent heart quickly cooled down.
She couldn't do it, because if she were to hold His Highness's power, she would never be as willing as His Highness to share profits with everyone in the channels.
According to the teacher's inquiries, Princess Eleanor would not withhold wages from either commoner merchants or the lowest-ranking slave shop clerks; instead, she would pay them based on relatively fair performance.
Slurp slurp~ Teachers aren't as conflicted as apprentices.
Parna gulped down the lukewarm milk tea, which seemed to contain tiny balls of viscous powder. She didn't know when the staff had added it, but the texture was excellent.
The sweet and warm syrup rolled around in their stomachs, instantly easing the weariness on their faces.
“Teacher,” Nana said sincerely, “I believe Her Highness the Princess has truly received divine grace. Shall we stay in Enlin a little longer?”
The two of them came at the invitation of the princess, who had sent them a letter.
Parna was a healer and a surgeon who had been excommunicated.
In fact, she was just like all church doctors, cultivating both inner and outer skills. She simply couldn't help but delve deeper into surgery and get her hands dirty because no one else was exploring it.
Problems arose once this was done.
When she "killed" her third patient due to the amputation surgery, neither her illustrious family nor the Church of Wisdom was willing to protect her anymore.
Although Parna was able to retain her name because of her early writings, she was expelled from the church and forbidden from performing so-called surgical techniques on people other than slaves.
If she wants to continue practicing medicine, she must obtain the patronage of another high-ranking nobleman.
Why did Princess Eleanor invite them?
Nana initially had many doubts, but now she is no longer confused and prefers to believe that this is a divine revelation given to believers by the god of wisdom.
"Well, of course I'm willing to follow His Highness."
The teacher put down his cup and said slowly, "However, the premise is that this prince can live a few more years."
"Huh? Who wants to assassinate Princess Eleanor! You must go and tell her!" Nana exclaimed in surprise.
Parna shrugged helplessly and said softly, "How could a chosen one die from assassination? I mean... war."
-----------------------
Author's note: Eleanor didn't initially harbor much resentment towards Andra, because she knew that they had changed the fate of many people in the process of working together.
She cherishes the pure love of her youth and is moved by the trust and support between the emperor and empress. However, she regrets that she is trapped by illness and the harem and cannot change much. Yet, when she looks at things from different perspectives, she will develop completely different feelings for the same person.
[Rainbow farts][Fireworks]
Andra: I have a bad feeling.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
