Ever since returning to the northern desert, Gu Yuzhi has been on edge.
Although he was well taken care of by Granny Xu every day and his sleep was guaranteed, the young prince still lost weight at a visible rate.
Looking at his sunken face, Chief Secretary Xie felt a pang of heartache: "Your Highness, why don't you rest for a couple of days? When Prefect Ke came to discuss matters a couple of days ago, didn't he also say that the entire prefecture was fully prepared?"
Quanzhou is the first checkpoint of the Sang Dynasty, so Prefect Ke must be more anxious than anyone else.
Gu Yuzhi thought about it and agreed, so he nodded and said, "Alright, then I won't go for now. I'll talk to my brother about the down vest and cotton-padded jacket first."
Although he felt that down jackets had a bit of an odor and weren't as comfortable as silk, he was sure that if they could be promoted, many people in the capital would be willing to buy them.
Thinking about this, Gu Yuzhi couldn't help but secretly smile at Manager Wen.
Manager Wen said that cotton is a major issue concerning people's livelihood. If it were used to make money, it would certainly make people rich, but it would arouse the emperor's suspicion. Therefore, he wanted to make this matter public.
This not only lets the emperor know that he won't hide anything from him, but also lets merchants who want to make a fortune from these two things know that the people can make their own choices, so the prices won't be outrageous.
After handling various matters, Gu Yuzhi still focused on practicing martial arts and studying military strategy. Before he knew it, it was already late October.
Before the first snow of the northern desert arrived, the emperor's reward came.
Gu Yuzhi wasn't particularly lacking in gold, silver, and jewelry, so he wasn't as excited as he had been at the beginning. After having Xie Changshi count and store them, he happily took the letters from his mother and his sisters-in-law into his study and eagerly began reading them.
After finishing his inventory, Chief Secretary Xie strode into the study, his voice filled with joy: "Your Highness."
Gu Yuzhi looked up at him, his eyes sparkling, and a big smile spread across his face: "Chief Secretary Xie, come and see!"
On the desk was an open portrait of the empress, holding a baby in her arms.
Chief Secretary Xie glanced at him and immediately knelt down: "Your Highness, is this the First Prince?"
Gu Yuzhi nodded: "Yes! But this little guy is not only the eldest prince, but also the crown prince."
He waved the letter his sister-in-law, the Empress, had written to him: "My sister-in-law said that when the little guy was just born, his elder brother named him Crown Prince, and later he even said that the imperial medicine in the harem had been stopped..."
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, clearly puzzled by the question: "Why can the imperial brother stop the herbal medicine in the harem after he is made crown prince? What kind of herbal medicine is being stopped?"
Xie Changshi's expression changed, and he thought to himself, "Empress, have you forgotten that the little prince is only eight years old? Why are you telling him all this?"
Unable to understand, Xie Changshi offered no explanation. Gu Yuzhi knew this was difficult to explain, and that he would understand when he grew up. His attention immediately shifted back to the portrait.
The little guy has chubby cheeks and big, round eyes. He looks a lot like his sister-in-law, but he's too small. You can tell how small he is just from the portrait.
He pointed to the little guy's hat and shoes in the portrait and said, "Master Xie, look, this tiger-head hat and tiger-head shoes are gifts from me!"
He tilted his head back with a proud look on his face: "My sister-in-law told me that the little guy loves the tiger plush toy I gave him the most, and he hugs it to sleep every night."
It was Teacher Shu's suggestion to give the tiger doll as a gift. Last year's cotton was used, and he drew the picture so that the textile factory workers could make it according to the design.
When Manager Wen saw the finished product, he wanted to expand the market and asked him to make more dolls to sell specifically to the children of high-ranking officials and wealthy families.
However, Gu Yuzhi refused, since cotton was in very short supply for him.
Gu Yuzhi rolled up the portrait and then looked at Chief Secretary Xie: "Chief Secretary Xie, is there something good that you've come to see me about?"
Only then did Chief Secretary Xie remember the purpose of his visit, and he handed over one of the land deeds with a smile: "Your Highness, please take a look at this."
Gu Yuzhi took it and looked at it, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Why would my royal brother give me this?"
He scratched his head: "Teacher Shu, Manager Wen, look at this! My imperial brother actually gave me the land deed for two thousand acres of fertile land in Jiangnan!"
Shu Xiaohan and Wen Xiuzhu immediately came over, and after confirming it again and again, they both burst into laughter.
Especially Shu Xiaohan, whose voice cracked: "What do you call this, 'Searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly'!"
Shu Xiaohan was quite angry when she was told that the young prince couldn't buy fertile land in Jiangnan. But things took an unexpected turn; the emperor simply sent it to the young prince without him having to pay for it himself.
She chuckled for a while: "The Emperor has finally done something decent."
Although the young prince said he didn't do anything in Jiangnan and was just a mascot, in Shu Xiaohan's opinion, the young prince played a very important role!
Gu Yufan's fiefdom was in Jiangnan. Before the late emperor passed away, he was especially favored and allowed to control Jiangnan. His navy, private army, and even most of the merchants in Jiangzhou were his confidants.
When the young prince first arrived in Jiangzhou, he faced not only the difficulties of the Princess Consort of Chu plotting against him by killing the entire Chu royal family, but also numerous attempts to assassinate him.
But the young prince never complained about these things. He appeared in front of the people of Jiangzhou every day to deal with the previous cases. While calming the restless hearts of the people, he was also telling them that he, the prince, was different from Gu Yufan, the prince.
That's why Shu Xiaohan thought that the Emperor's gift of land deeds to the young prince was a good thing.
She smiled and ruffled Gu Yuzhi's hair: "Your brother gave it to you, so keep it safe. Have Prince Qi find a reliable person to look after it for you."
With Prince Qi around, who would dare to embezzle the harvest from the young prince's fertile fields?
Manager Wen smiled and gently fanned himself: "Fertile land is good! Having fertile land in Jiangnan is equivalent to opening up the Jiangnan market!"
Two thousand acres of fertile land is not much. Even if there are two harvests a year, it is obviously not worthwhile for the young prince to collect the grain and send it to the northern desert to sell. Therefore, Manager Wen's suggestion is to open the Wen Family Grain Store in Jiangnan.
Manager Wen said with a smile, "Your Highness, it's time for your Wen Family Trading Company to venture beyond the northern desert."
He glanced at Shu Xiaohan without making it obvious, and for some reason, he had a strong premonition.
When the young prince defeats the Northern Di people, that will be the time he finds the wheat seeds.
If they find it this year, Shu Xiaohan will guide the young prince to a bountiful harvest next year. This year will be the last year they spend with the young prince.
Gu Yuzhi had no idea of the bitterness in Manager Wen's heart. He placed the land deed on the desk and said cheerfully, "Tell me all the other surprises, Chief Secretary Xie!"
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