In the imperial study, Prince Su was listening to the emperor's instructions.
"Your cousin went to the northwest?" asked the emperor.
"Yes." Prince Su immediately understood that the emperor was talking about He Xiyuan from the Chengguo Mansion. This cousin was young, but a man who valued friendship and loyalty.
His cousin could have taken the imperial examination to become an official, but he chose to pursue military service in the northwest, believing that military careers might be faster than those in literature. He Xiyuan did not want to break off his engagement with his exiled fiancée, but only through his own efforts could this engagement continue.
"His fiancée was exiled to the northwest with her family," Prince Su added. Even if he didn't say it, the emperor would have known. Since his cousin was unwilling to break off the engagement, perhaps he could persuade the emperor to believe that He Xiyuan was a good person.
"From the Marquis of Jingning's Mansion?" asked the emperor.
"Yes." Prince Su was puzzled. Why was he still talking about the Jingning Marquisate? The Jingning Marquisate was gone. What was the emperor's intention in mentioning the Jingning Marquisate at this time? Could it be that the Jingning Marquisate was useful?
The Marquis of Jingning's family had initially been undecided, perhaps due to their lack of alignment and the Emperor's purge of corrupt officials. When one of the Marquis's brothers was found guilty of corruption and bribery, and the Marquis couldn't deny his involvement, the entire family was exiled.
No one went to plead for mercy on behalf of the Marquis of Jingning's Mansion, and the emperor intended to strip a group of people of their titles, which would save the court expenses and serve as a warning to others.
The emperor wanted to make those people understand that they should not think that they could take sides with impunity just because he was old.
"You should learn more about knowing how to use people well." The emperor waved his hand and said nothing more to Prince Su.
Prince Su was no fool; he more or less understood the emperor's intention, which was that the people of Jingning Marquisate were still useful. He could sense that the emperor's health had deteriorated considerably, and he also knew that the emperor had gradually let him do some things recently, but he still had to be careful not to let the other princes seize the opportunity.
After several days of drying, and with the help of some people hired by Liu Yulian, most of the cotton seeds were finally removed. Liu Yulian kept some of the cotton without removing the seeds, intending to send this part of the cotton to the military camp so that the soldiers could see for themselves what the cotton was like.
This matter was still handled by Liu's father. Liu Yulian made several coats, three for her brother and two for He Xiyuan. After all, there was still a difference between the two of them, and it would not be right to treat He Xiyuan better than her brother.
He Xiyuan wasn't unhappy, and when he received the coat, he was actually very happy. The size had been measured long ago, and as he held the soft coat, he thought that Liu Yulian still cared about him.
General Xu and Father Liu were also old acquaintances, but their relationship was not that close.
This time, Father Liu sent the cotton mainly to General Xu. Compared with other people, Father Liu trusted General Xu more.
In the tent, General Xu saw the cotton and reached out to touch it. It was soft and tender.
"It's quite warm." General Xu hadn't expected the Liu family to know about these things. Where did this cotton come from? He didn't ask any more questions. There were many opportunities in the deep mountains and old forests. Perhaps the Liu family had gone there.
Of course, it is also possible that it was just as Liu's father said, that they had bought some seeds before, and they happened to bring them here, and then they found that this cotton was good.
The rich and powerful may not feel much about these cottons, but when they are short of money or poor, they find them useful.
"This is the recipe for the culture medium for cotton and wheat." Father Liu took out all the things.
"With such a good thing, aren't you afraid that I will take credit for your family's work?" General Xu asked.
"Just take it." Father Liu just couldn't bear to see those people starving, and he also hoped that his son could live a better life in the military camp.
The Liu family had fallen into such a state, and if others wanted to take credit for their achievements, then they could do nothing about it. Even if they tried to cause trouble, they wouldn't be able to accomplish anything, and they might even lose their lives.
If only the Liu family grew such a good thing, they would probably get into big trouble.
"You're quite open-minded." General Xu said, "From now on, the housekeeper should take better care of things."
General Xu believed that the Liu family's greatest regret was this, so as to avoid being dragged down by the bastards at home. However, this was also a problem that existed in many large families. With so many people in the family, problems were inevitable.
As long as there is a problem, if you break the law and get caught, it's hard to say.
General Xu thought that the Liu family was so sensible that they would be able to recover in the future. He didn't think of taking credit for these achievements. This kind of credit was not something he could take for himself. Did he really think that having the formula would make it easy to prepare the so-called culture medium?
Nothing is so easy in this world. It’s just like cooking. Everyone knows what ingredients to put in, but after cooking, everyone’s dish will be different.
Some people even burned down their kitchens!
General Xu was still thinking that the Liu family girl was so knowledgeable about reading agricultural books and researching and preparing culture fluids, and she might be able to prepare more things in the future. It would be better to keep an eye on her now and give the benefits to the Liu family.
"This is the money for buying cotton, keep it. There will be more good things later, remember to come to me." General Xu did not mention his official title. He believed that Liu's father would rise to power sooner or later, so there was no need to put on airs in front of Liu's father.
General Xu had just submitted the formulas for the ointments and disinfectants to the emperor some time ago, and now he had obtained cotton, and he was in high spirits. Even if he hadn't discovered it or planted it, since he was the first to submit the memorial, the emperor would surely reward him and consider him meritorious.
Cotton is so warm that it can keep countless people warm and prevent them from freezing to death so easily.
General Xu, of course, sent it in an expedited manner, which resulted in the emperor receiving an urgent memorial from the northwest while he was in court. The emperor thought that a war had broken out in the northwest, so he quickly sent someone to deliver the memorial.
After the emperor read the memorial, he looked at the balls of cotton in his hand.
The Liu family...it's the Liu family again...
The emperor couldn't help but wonder if it was too late to exile the Liu family. If he had exiled them earlier, then those people in the Liu family would have come to their senses sooner and dealt with these things sooner.
However, it was obviously not suitable for a grand reward at the moment. After all, the cotton had not yet been widely promoted, and it was unknown whether it would be feasible. The emperor thought that the cotton was probably feasible, but as for whether the culture medium could increase the yield of wheat, the emperor was not sure.
After the court session, the emperor called Prince Su and decided to let Prince Su take his imperial edict to the northwest.
"Wait, the New Year is almost here, and wheat isn't harvested at this time. Let's wait until spring." The emperor walked around the imperial study twice before deciding to let Prince Su wait until spring before heading to the northwest. "The Liu family is quite clever. I remember that Marquis Jingning has more than one legitimate daughter, right? Is she married in the capital?"
"Yes." Prince Su replied, "She is the daughter-in-law of the Minister of Rites."
"You are relatives, after all. Isn't your cousin engaged to her sister?" said the emperor.
"The princess is planning to hold a flower viewing banquet another day and invite her." Prince Su understood that when the people from the Jingning Marquis' Mansion were in the northwest, it would be easier to win them over in the future by giving them some benefits.
The emperor said that on purpose to make sure Prince Su was not confused and to prevent him from telling others to cancel the engagement.
In reality, Prince Su had no intention of forcing the couple apart. It was his cousin's business to decide who he liked and who he wanted to marry. He couldn't force his cousin to marry a woman from a wealthy family. If he really tried to win over court officials in this way, the emperor would probably be dissatisfied.
Prince Su's mother was the Imperial Concubine. After he came out from the Emperor's side, he went to see the Imperial Concubine.
The Imperial Concubine and the wife of Duke Chengguo were sisters. She had originally believed that since the Marquis of Jingning's Mansion was gone, there was no need for her nephew to marry a daughter of the Liu family. However, she did not express it directly like the old lady of the Duke Chengguo Mansion.
Prince Su was afraid that the imperial concubine would also instigate Lady Chengguo to cancel the engagement between his cousin and the daughter of the Liu family, so he came over and said a few words.
"It seems that the Emperor intends to reuse the Liu family." The Imperial Concubine learned from Prince Su that the Liu family had sent some things through General Xu, such as cotton to keep out the cold. "That's good. Regardless of whether they can produce anything else in the future, at least they have made this great contribution."
"Someone may be exiled again recently." King Su said.
“…” The imperial concubine was silent.
"People can burst out with powerful strength in desperate situations." When Prince Su was talking to the emperor, he also heard the emperor's sigh.
This made Prince Su speechless, but the emperor was old and sometimes he would do whatever he wanted, and people like them were powerless to stop him.
"Be obedient to your father." The imperial concubine coughed lightly. They, mother and son, had finally reached this point, how could they fall so easily?
In the northwest, Liu Yulian made quilts, jackets, and cotton shoes for her family, both adults and children.
Widow Zhang also bought some cotton from Liu Yulian. She thought cotton was a good thing, and if there were children at home, it would be a good idea to buy some. As for the adults, they didn't have to think about it.
"This little hat is nice." Widow Zhang saw the little cotton hat that Nannan was wearing. She touched it and found it was really warm.
"Is this enough?" Liu Yulian looked at the cotton bought by Widow Zhang. The total amount was less than five pounds, not even enough for a quilt.
"That's enough. I don't have that much money to buy them. I'll just grow them myself next year." Widow Zhang said, "This thing is good. If you take it to town and sell it, you'll definitely get a good price."
Widow Zhang thought that if she had not been efficient at work and knew how to seize opportunities, she would probably not be able to buy this cotton now.
"Okay." Liu Yulian did not urge them to buy more cotton. After all, the price of cotton was not cheap.
Fifteen cents for a pound of cotton. A pound of cotton cannot be used to make a quilt, but it can be used to make a jacket.
Liu Yulian's price might seem high, but cotton doesn't spoil easily and lasts a long time. Furthermore, scarcity makes things valuable, so at this price, she wouldn't make much money. She might as well be doing embroidery.
"What do you mean fifteen cents per pound?" Su Qiuya was shocked when she learned the price Liu Yulian was selling cotton for. It was more expensive than the price of meat, and she still had the nerve to sell it in the village, saying that she would sell some in the village first and then sell it in the town.
Haha, this is not selling favors to the villagers, it is clearly disgusting.
"That means Widow Zhang's family bought it," Liu Yanbo said. "If they can't sell it, they have to go to the town or the county seat."
"Don't be so foolish as to buy it." Su Qiuya reminded Liu Yanbo, "Filial piety doesn't work this way. If you really want to buy it, just buy a pound. It's enough for your father to eat meat, and don't say we are too cold-hearted."
When Liu Yanbo went to the big house to buy a pound of cotton, he said, "One pound is enough. I don't have any extra money."
"Okay, just one pound." Liu Yulian's mouth curled up slightly, as if she was giving alms, which was a bit ridiculous.
Liu Yulian still planned to sell them a pound of cotton, and then not sell it to them, so that they could feel the warmth of the cotton but without too much cotton, and they would know what they had missed.
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