Chapter 89 The Prince Who Failed to Revolt
Zhang Xiaojia smiled and showed the little item in her hands to the Emperor and the Grand Princess, her tone tinged with pride. "It was originally a compass fish, but after careful modification, it became the compact and convenient compass you see today! This was made especially for me by the prince. He was always worried that I would get lost when I went out, so he put a lot of thought into making this treasure."
She gently turned the compass, and the sunlight filtering through the window lattice shone on the delicate scale, casting a faint glow. "Look, every part of it is meticulously engraved with markings, clearly labeled in the language of the Arabs. This way, as long as I carry it, no matter where I go, I'll know exactly where I am."
The Grand Princess stared intently at the compass, a flicker of longing in her eyes. She thought to herself, this is a must-have artifact for war! With this, even if several armies attack from different angles, they can easily converge once their positions are established, making tactical deployments even more precise. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of her teacup, clearly captivated by the compass.
Zhang Xiaojia seemed to see through the eldest princess's thoughts. A cheeky smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said in a light tone, "I have already given the mirror technology to the court for free, but this compass and telescope, you have to reward me."
The Grand Princess frowned upon hearing this, unsure how to respond. She was a military commander, dedicated to the Emperor's campaigns. Shouldn't the Emperor have directly allocated these equipment to them? She turned to look at the Emperor, only to find he, too, looked perplexed.
The emperor sighed inwardly. He knew Zhang Xiaojia's personality. If she asked for money, he would give it to her on the spot.
But this girl doesn't care about money. All she wants is to go out and play with Jingwen.
If he was not the emperor and their brother and cousin, the couple would have disappeared without a trace long ago.
It was precisely because of this family bond that they stayed in the court to help him share the affairs.
Seeing that the Emperor and the Grand Princess were silent, Zhang Xiaojia took the initiative to speak: "I want to go with He Fei..."
Before she could finish her words, the emperor immediately interrupted her, with a bit of helplessness in his tone: "This is a family dinner, let's not talk about these things. I will ask the prime minister to discuss the franchise with you about these things."
Zhang Xiaojia's eyes suddenly turned red, and she looked at the emperor aggrievedly: "Brother, I want..." She wanted to continue saying "He Fei will go out with me during the holiday",
But before she could finish her words, the emperor had already picked up a bun and stuffed it directly into her mouth.
"Eat your buns and stop thinking about running out all day." The emperor said in a serious tone, but there was a hint of doting smile in his eyes.
Zhang Xiaojia's mouth was blocked by the bun, and she could only stare at the emperor with wide eyes and puffed up. Seeing this, the eldest princess couldn't help laughing, and the atmosphere of the family dinner became much more relaxed.
The emperor had been at the frontier for three days, during which time he had tirelessly visited every military camp, personally inspected and interacted with the soldiers to boost morale and understand the military situation. However, Zhang Xiaojia did not accompany the emperor, but wandered alone in the small towns on the frontier.
Compared to the bustling Kyoto, the women here are more open and passionate. Unconstrained by traditional etiquette, their behavior is bold and spontaneous. As Zhang Xiaojia strolled the streets, she stumbled upon a medical clinic. Through the open door, she spotted a military doctor in uniform standing among a group of women, holding a thick medical book and patiently and meticulously explaining the medical knowledge contained within.
Zhang Xiaojia was curious and couldn't help but stop and walk into the clinic to find out what was going on.
The military doctor beside the Grand Princess nodded slightly when he saw her and continued to focus on teaching.
After the military doctor finished his lecture, he walked up to Jia Dingding and saluted. "My Lady, to be honest, my family only has this precious daughter. Unfortunately, she was injured during childbirth and only gave birth to a girl. But who would have thought that her cruel husband's family would use this as an excuse to file for divorce! With my daughter's condition, it is almost impossible for her to remarry into a good family. Even if she could remarry, I'm afraid she would only marry someone with a bad appearance.
As a father, I was heartbroken! So I thought of letting my daughter learn a skill. Since teaching one person is the same as teaching two people, I might as well teach more girls so that everyone can have a skill to make a living.
Zhang Xiaojia discussed medical skills with him, and while talking, she thought that this military doctor's medical skills were very good, and she really wanted to recruit him to be the dean of her women's medical school. However, he was a soldier, so even if he was just a military doctor, she could not use him.
Along the way, she has been taking advantage of the situation and making jokes. Even in her dreams, she made the emperor think that she didn't want to go to court anymore. The emperor finally trusted her and He Fei, and she must not let the emperor have any doubts about them. Her mission this time is to make the emperor a benevolent monarch throughout the ages, with peace and prosperity for the country and people, and all nations coming to pay tribute.
The emperor finally finished inspecting the army and walked to the town. He looked at Jiaer's warhorse and walked in. He saw Jiaer and a military doctor discussing a medical book. The two actually talked about publishing a book together.
The emperor withdrew and asked the military envoy, "Jiang Hao, what does Jia'er do every day?"
Jiang Hao bowed, a helpless smile on his face. "Your Majesty, the county lady has been spending money like a spendthrift these days, buying things all the time. Her expenses in just these few days are equivalent to three years' salary for me."
The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "Oh? Where did all this money go?"
"Whenever the county lord sees a Western Region merchant selling seeds they claim are high-yield, she buys them without hesitation." Jiang Hao shook his head and smiled bitterly. "She doesn't even bargain. She buys all the seeds she can find. She's already bought ten carriages' worth of goods."
The emperor couldn't help laughing: "This girl, has she been deceived?"
Jiang Hao held his forehead and sighed, "Your Majesty is wise. Aside from soybeans, potatoes, and corn, crops that the County Lady is familiar with, she doesn't recognize most other seeds. Those Western Region merchants, seeing an opportunity, even dared to sell her some wild grass seeds."
The emperor couldn't help but smile when he heard this.
He stroked his chin, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes. "Tell me, if I send someone pretending to be a Western Region merchant to cheat her out of her money, will she fall for it?"
Jiang Hao's expression froze, and he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this has already been attempted. Unless the person is truly from the Western Regions, the County Master will never be fooled. As you know, the County Master of Lin'an has been interested in the Arab language since childhood and is fluent in it. She saw through those fake merchants the moment they opened their mouths."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's eyes flashed with admiration. "This girl is quite clever." He paused, then said thoughtfully, "But what exactly is her purpose in buying up such a large amount of seeds?"
Jiang Hao whispered, "The county lady may seem to be buying casually, but she always inquires carefully about the origin and characteristics of the seeds. She pays particular attention to high-yield crops."
The emperor nodded, his gaze far-sighted. "It seems this girl is planning something again. Well, let her be. I want to see what she can grow from the seeds of her ten carriages."
Jiang Hao bowed in response, but secretly thought in his heart: The emperor's favor for the county lady is truly unmatched.
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