The group stayed in Jingxiang for about ten days. Gu Yuzhi led them forward a little each day until they were almost at the city wall, but they still hadn't found anything. Gu Yuzhi had no choice but to order the group to turn back.
Gu Yuzhi sat in the carriage, lying on the bed, his face puffed out, looking very unhappy: "Teacher Shu, Teacher Shu, we haven't found Jingxiang. Could Xiaomai be with the Northern Di?"
Shu Xiaohan was also somewhat disappointed, but she had considered this outcome: "Probably."
There was no such country as the Sang Dynasty in history. Shu Xiaohan guessed it might be from the Song or Ming Dynasty based on the official system and the clothes they wore. However, wheat cultivation technology in China was already quite advanced during the Song and Ming Dynasties.
But Sangchao had not yet discovered wheat.
This made Shu Xiaohan very uncertain, and for a moment she regretted mentioning the wheat to Gu Yuzhi.
Shu Xiaohan said somewhat dejectedly, "Your Highness, I haven't been able to find wheat these past few days, and I was thinking that perhaps your dynasty doesn't have wheat. But don't be discouraged. Once you arrive in Xinliang, I will try my best to increase the yield of crops such as rice and sweet potatoes."
Gu Yuzhi responded with an "oh," but still felt somewhat unhappy. When he returned, he didn't even feel like opening the window to look at the scenery.
Chief Secretary Xie didn't know what Gu Yuzhi was looking for in Jingxiang, nor did he know why he was in distress. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Your Highness, shall we go to Quanzhou, or go directly back to Xinliang?"
Seeing that Gu Yuzhi still showed no interest, Chief Secretary Xie said, "Why don't we just go back to Xinliang? Didn't His Highness say that he wanted to talk to Prefect Chen about planting a mulberry grove?"
Upon hearing the name of the mulberry grove, Gu Yuzhi perked up, turned to look at Chief Secretary Xie, and said in a muffled voice, "Alright then, let's go back to Xinliang."
Seeing that the guards were not very close to the carriage, Xie Changshi moved closer to Gu Yuzhi and whispered, "Your Highness, could you tell me why we are planting so many mulberry trees?"
If it's a textile business, linen and cotton are enough to support its operation.
Gu Yuzhi's eyes darted around, and he leaned close to Chief Secretary Xie and whispered, "Chief Secretary Xie, Chief Secretary Xie, I have a little secret to tell you, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else!"
When Gu Yuzhi went to Jingxiang, he asked Shu Xiaohan what he should tell Xie Changshi and the others if he found wheat, that wheat was edible.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes had already fooled us before, but wheat is not so easy to fool.
Xie Changshi is so smart, he'll definitely be suspicious. It's better for him to confess.
When Xie Changshi heard Gu Yuzhi tell him the little secret that he couldn't tell others, his eyes lit up and he stroked his beard with satisfaction.
As expected, he was the person the young prince trusted most!
Chief Secretary Xie nodded with a stern face: "Your Highness, please speak freely. I will certainly not tell anyone else."
Gu Yuzhi chuckled and, following Shu Xiaohan's instructions, asked mysteriously, "Chief Secretary Xie, do you believe in gods?"
He pointed towards the sky: "I dreamt of a deity. The deity told me that there's a new grain crop called wheat north of Quanzhou, and told me to go find it..."
Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks in frustration and said, "But I couldn't find it."
Xie Changshi was trembling all over, biting his lower lip hard to keep himself from laughing out loud.
He explained why the young prince had suddenly decided to come to Jingxiang, a place with so much weeds, because it was the "immortal" who had told him.
Chief Secretary Xie originally wanted to say that the idea of immortals was nonsense, but when he thought of the young prince's depressed appearance before, he changed his mind and said, "Your Highness should have told me sooner, so that I could have arranged more people to search for him."
Upon hearing Xie Changshi's words, Gu Yuzhi's big eyes widened immediately. He grabbed Xie Changshi's hand and said, "Xie Changshi, you also believe in gods, don't you?"
Although Shu Xiaohan taught him these words, Gu Yuzhi thought about it and felt that Manager Wen and Teacher Shu were like gods.
He shook his little head, his tone becoming even more mysterious: "Let me tell you, the gods not only told me about new crops, but also that mulberry bark can be used to make paper."
"He also told me that paper made from mulberry bark is exceptionally thick and resilient, much better than the paper I use now."
Chief Secretary Xie's eyes flashed: "Papermaking?"
Your Highness has never heard of papermaking before!
At that moment, Chief Secretary Xie began to truly believe what the young prince meant by "immortals".
He didn't believe in gods, but he was certain that the young prince had a master guiding him. And how exactly did this master, who appeared and disappeared mysteriously, come into contact with the young prince?
Suppressing his surprise and doubt, Xie Changshi tentatively asked, "Your Highness, did that immortal tell you how to make mulberry paper?"
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, puffed out his cheeks, and shook his head. Then he said confidently, "The gods only pointed me in the right direction; they won't tell me exactly how to do it!"
Seeing Xie Changshi's suspicious look, Gu Yuzhi hurriedly said, "But the immortal told me that mulberry paper is made from the bark of mulberry branches that are two to three years old."
The real reason is that Ms. Shu said she couldn't quite remember the steps, so the people in the papermaking industry had to figure it out slowly.
Xie Changshi was unfamiliar with the papermaking industry, but he had never heard of mulberry bark paper before.
If mulberry bark paper really existed, it's very likely that papermaking ultimately failed.
He didn't want to see the young prince looking as dejected as he was today after the final failure, but if he didn't let the young prince try...
Xie Changshi couldn't help but think of what the young prince had told him before: "You must never tell anyone else."
He sighed silently: "In that case, after you go to Xinliang, when Your Highness mentions this matter to Chen Dianyi, you only need to say that it was a fragment you saw in an ancient book, and Your Highness does not need to specify what that ancient book is."
With him around, Chen Dianyi and the others would certainly not have any doubts.
"However, planting a large number of mulberry trees will require a lot of manpower, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle in Xinliang."
The people of Xinliang will first plant the wasteland they reclaimed last year. Only after they have finished planting these will they continue to reclaim wasteland.
Chen Dianyi had discussed it with him before and had already given the people of Xinliang a new order: if there are no unforeseen circumstances, Xinliang's grain production this year should be one-third higher than last year.
This is a very heavy task, and I'm afraid Chen Dianyi won't be willing to assign people to plant mulberry trees.
Gu Yuzhi also knew that Chen Dianyi would definitely prefer to grow grains rather than mulberry bark paper, since mulberry bark paper would not save the lives of the people if the Northern Di invaded.
He puffed out his cheeks and said, "When I wrote to my brother last time, I mentioned that those who were implicated and exiled should be exiled to Xinliang. I wonder if my brother will agree!"
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