Xueye was very close to the human who had trained her. Hearing his voice, she hurriedly ran out and happened to see Qi Chenglang turn his head. Xueye's eyes widened, and she stopped abruptly, letting out a howl as she ran to Gu Yuzhi's side. Her face was full of terror, and she frantically pulled her feet up his trouser leg, clearly frightened by Qi Chenglang's dark face.
Shu Xiaohan added casually, "See? Even our Xueye loved Qi Shiwei's face before. That face was truly horrific, utterly hideous..."
Gu Yuzhi picked up Xueye and giggled.
Qi Chenglang thought His Highness was happy because of his return, so he grinned and said, "Your Highness..."
"Oh my god!" Teacher Shu exclaimed, covering her eyes. "Guard Qi should just keep his aloof demeanor."
Gu Yuzhi chuckled again, making Qi Chenglang baffled. He scratched his head and stood up, pulling out several letters from his pocket: "Your Highness, these are replies from the Emperor and the various consorts." He handed over the thickest one separately, "This is from Consort Taixian."
Gu Yuzhi took the letter and was eager to open it, but then remembered that Chief Secretary Xie had gone to the yamen and didn't know when he would be back, so he pouted and put it away.
Seeing this, Qi Chenglang stepped aside and chuckled, "Your Highness, these gifts are return gifts from the Emperor and the concubines. I secretly inquired for you, and the Emperor gave you a thousand taels of gold this time. Most of the concubines gave you medicinal herbs, and there are also many clothes and shoes that Consort Taixian brought for you."
As Qi Chenglang spoke, the guards opened all the boxes, and a golden light instantly burst out. Gu Yuzhi glanced at it and then looked away.
He was so moved he almost cried. How could his elder brother be so kind!
A few days ago, he and Xie Changshi went to Xinliang and found that the weeds at the border had been cleared away, and the narrow path had been turned into a road as wide as the official road.
Because of the snow, the land reclamation stopped after only half a month, but in that half a month, almost all the silver that had been intercepted was spent.
This was the first time Gu Yuzhi realized that money could be spent so quickly...
He circled the silver box, nodding smugly. "Quickly close it so it can be stored when Chief Secretary Xie returns." Only after the guards closed the gold box did he continue, "Where are the things my mother sent?"
Qi Chenglang hurriedly opened the most inconspicuous black box inside. Inside, besides clothes and shoes, there were some books that Consort Tai Xian had found for him. At the bottom was a sewn tiger skin and a silk quilt.
Gu Yuzhi suddenly felt like crying. He knew that this tiger skin was the only thing that kept him warm in his mother's palace.
He secretly wiped away his tears, and when he looked down, he saw Xueye staring at him with her round eyes. His bad mood immediately improved. He rubbed Xueye's head and muttered, "Mother is really something. Knowing that my brother gave me so many things last time, why did she still give me this tiger skin?"
Although the weather in Beijing is not as cold as in the northern deserts, it can still be freezing in winter.
Seeing Gu Yuzhi's reaction, Qi Chenglang quickly understood: "Your Highness, please rest assured. My elder brother said that His Majesty has allocated enough silver charcoal to Consort Taixian's palace this year, and the Empress has also sent two silk quilts to Consort Taixian."
Gu Yuzhi finally smiled, his gaze falling on the last two boxes. One box contained a thousand taels of silver, and the other was full of medicinal herbs.
Qi Chenglang cleared his throat: "Your Highness, this box of medicinal herbs was sent to you by Consort De."
Gu Yuzhi pouted: "Sister-in-law Defei is so kind. Next time I'll send her more local specialties."
He actually disliked these medicinal herbs at all; they smelled strange, and most importantly, seeing them reminded him of the dark and bitter medicinal decoctions that Imperial Physician Qin had brewed for him…
Shu Xiaohan kept clicking her tongue and shaking her head as she listened to the names of the medicinal herbs Wen Xiuzhu reported: "Extravagant, so extravagant! This is what rich people are like, no, this is the foundation of an aristocratic family!"
Look at the names Wen Xiuzhu mentioned; even she rarely comes into contact with them.
Seeing her looking so eager, Wen Xiuzhu couldn't help but say, "Teacher Shu, don't you feel envious looking at these medicinal herbs? If you could grow these medicinal herbs in Xinliang, His Highness wouldn't have to worry about money in the future."
Shu Xiaohan couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Manager Wen, it's true that I have a PhD from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, but I'm not a god who can turn stones into gold. The cool and pungent soil and climate determine that there are many things that cannot be grown here. However, your idea is correct. Angelica, Codonopsis, and Angelica pubescens are all cool and pungent medicinal herbs that can be grown here."
Upon thinking about it, Shu Xiaohan chuckled: "Manager Wen, didn't you say agriculture was useless before? How come you suddenly thought of making money by growing medicinal herbs?"
Manager Wen replied without any politeness: "Teacher Shu now knows that without us merchants, even the rarest crops you grow would be a waste of manpower and time."
Neither of them would yield to the other, but because of the incident when Gu Yuzhi fainted last time, they simply remained silent, their gazes meeting and sparking an invisible flame.
Gu Yuzhi was already used to their arguments and wouldn't be as eager to reconcile them as he had been at the beginning; they would be fine in a little while anyway.
But when Teacher Shu mentioned that medicinal herbs could also be grown in Xinliang, Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up, and his disdain for the herbs vanished: "Put these herbs aside and give the list to Judge Qin after they are stored in the warehouse."
Last time the medicinal herbs went missing, Imperial Physician Qin was furious. He gave Guard Qi and the others a good scolding in the courtyard. If Chief Secretary Xie hadn't pulled him away in the end, who knows how long he would have continued to berate them.
During those two days, even Gu Yuzhi would avoid seeing Imperial Physician Qin, fearing that Qin would catch him and take his pulse.
He walked around the gifts, in high spirits: "My sisters-in-law are so kind, sending me so many gifts in return." He counted on his fingers, "It seems like the New Year is just two months away. What should I give my sisters-in-law in return?"
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head and looked at Qi Shiwei's dark face, quickly putting aside his previous worries: "Qi Shiwei, now that the Emperor has agreed to open a security escort agency, are you going to officially go there tomorrow? Did you go to the agency after you came back? Did the agency get any business this time since you came back safely?"
His barrage of questions left Qi Chenglang somewhat bewildered. He only remembered the last question, glancing at the return gifts behind him: "Your Highness, are you short of money?"
Gu Yuzhi wanted to pat Guard Qi on the shoulder like an adult would, but he had to stand on tiptoe to reach Guard Qi's waist. He pouted and said, "I'm short of money, so Guard Qi, you'd better work hard!"
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