Chapter 49 Textile Factory
People gain three pounds during the Chinese New Year, but Zhu Yuhuan returned to his original appearance after the New Year, and even gained a lot of weight. Now he no longer had to worry about being criticized in the palace for being thinner and darker.
Liu Yuanran wrote a letter begging to return home and soon received a reply. Zhu Yuhuan also took this opportunity to present the elixir given by Liu Yuanran to Zhu Zhanji, mainly for the purpose of having a report so that she would not be blamed for any problems in the future.
As Zhu Yuhuan expected, Zhu Zhanji did not accept it, but asked her to keep it for herself and eat it when she felt weak.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh that Zhu Zhanji was considered a half-expert, and even knew how to distinguish the properties of medicines. It seemed that he must have taken a lot of elixirs, otherwise he wouldn't be so skilled.
After the Lantern Festival, Zhu Yuhuan started to leave the palace again and made an appointment to meet Chen Yanli at Taiping Teahouse. In addition, there was also Huang Jinfeng who spent the New Year at the imperial farm.
"Big sister is here!"
"Sister is here!"
Zhu Yuhuan asked Han Guilan to give the various fruits in her hands to the children who gathered around her, and then he went upstairs with a smile.
Chen Yanli had been waiting in the private room for a long time. When he saw Zhu Yuhuan coming, he immediately stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
Huang Jinfeng was also in the room. Seeing this, she hurriedly followed Chen Yanli in bowing. She couldn't help but secretly look at Zhu Yuhuan. She saw that she was wearing red on top and green on the bottom, and the material of her clothes was obviously very valuable. She looked completely different from when they first met at the border. She quickly lowered her head.
She brought her husband and child to the imperial farm, and only then did she learn from others that the so-called "young lady" was Princess Shunde.
Zhu Yuhuan asked the two to stand up. Chen Yanli spoke impatiently, "Your Highness, the looms at the textile factory have been improved. The weaving speed has increased significantly, and new patterns can now be woven in perfectly without the occasional jams that occurred before."
Zhu Yuhuan had been gone for nearly a year, and had accumulated a lot of unread letters from the Shen family. He took advantage of the New Year break to read them all. He had known that the looms had been improved, but he still smiled and said, "I knew that these people who make a living from textiles would understand these things best. You let the head of the textile factory, and if I can go to Jiangnan later, I will definitely have another reward."
A generous reward always inspires courage, and Zhu Yuhuan was particularly generous in this regard. He did not forbid the palace servants from sharing the loom drawings, but only temporarily prohibited them from being circulated. If a leak was discovered, the relevant personnel would be immediately fired, and the informant would receive a separate reward. This combination of kindness and force naturally made it impossible for anyone to risk their job by leaking the information about the spinning and looms.
Especially since everyone knew that this factory was related to Princess Shunde, no one dared to go against the royal family.
Huang Jinfeng was listening nearby and was a little surprised that Zhu Yuhuan was actually going to Jiangnan in person. But when she thought about it carefully, she realized that if this princess dared to go to the border, what else would she not dare to go to?
Upon hearing this, Chen Yanli smiled and said, "I would like to thank Your Highness in advance on behalf of these spinners and weavers."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't take it seriously and continued, "By the way, I saw in the letter that your father has found a school for his children. Has your daughter also gone there to study?"
Chen Yanli didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to ask this in front of Huang Jinfeng. It was obvious that he trusted Huang Jinfeng a little bit, so he said, "Your Highness, don't worry. My father has naturally arranged everything you ordered. It's just that I don't understand..."
Seeing the confusion on his face, Zhu Yuhuan was too embarrassed to speak directly, so he smiled and said, "First, the royal family selects female officials from the two capitals every year to enter the palace. It's a good way for them to advance. Second, they can learn something. If they want to work in factories like their mothers in the future, it will be useful. What if it helps improve textile machinery?"
"Your Highness is thoughtful."
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at Huang Jinfeng, who was trying hard to suppress her anxiety, and then continued, "I specifically asked you two to come here today because I have something to tell you two."
Long before Zhu Yuhuan entered the room, Chen Yanli and Huang Jinfeng had already had a brief exchange and roughly knew where the other was from. After Huang Jinfeng learned that Chen Yanli was a businessman, she vaguely guessed that this was the teacher Zhu Yuhuan mentioned, but Princess Shunde herself was not there, so she didn't say much.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yanli immediately stood up and said, "Princess, please give your orders."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly, raised his hand to signal him to sit down, and said, "Why didn't you go back to Wucheng for the New Year this year? You haven't been home for several years."
"I cannot be careless when serving the princess. It is best for me to stay in the capital." Chen Yanli said a little embarrassedly, "Besides, my wife is pregnant, and I am worried that the bumpy road will hurt her body. So I will stay in the capital with my family for the New Year. It is also possible to return home with the child next year."
Zhu Yuhuan had heard about this before and said with a smile, "You have your father and brothers in the south, so they can always rotate with you. But you are alone in the north, and you can't go home all year round. You should also bring a few more apprentices out early to share your worries."
Chen Yanli immediately understood what was going on and said, "I just had a conversation with this Huang Niang. I heard that she used to run a small business. Trading on the border is not easy. This shows that Huang Niang does have some courage and talent..."
The so-called "small business" was just something Huang Jinfeng said to give herself courage. When she saw Zhu Yuhuan looking at her, she couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't take it seriously and said with a smile, "That's great."
After Chen Yanli left, Zhu Yuhuan looked at Huang Jinfeng, whose hands were clenched until they turned white, and said with a smile, "How was your New Year this year?"
Huang Jinfeng felt a pang of pain in her nose when she heard Zhu Yuhuan say this. She quickly stood up and was about to kneel, but Zhu Yuhuan was already prepared. He had already reached out and grabbed her arms, saying, "No need for such formalities. I'm not helping you just to get you to kowtow to me, nor am I doing this out of a sudden act of kindness. I want you to repay me with all your strength."
Huang Jinfeng felt particularly relieved by her straightforwardness. She nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand!"
Zhu Yuhuan asked Han Guilan to hand her the handkerchief. He watched her wipe away her tears before saying, "I heard from the manager of the imperial farm that you studied with the children in the school within the farm, and you're more diligent than the other children."
Huang Jinfeng felt a little embarrassed and said, "Perhaps I just don't have the talent for studying. Even the children learn faster than me. I have to work harder, and sometimes I even have to rely on my maid to keep up with the class..."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't mind. He looked at her quietly and said, "Most people in the world don't lack talent, but they lack opportunities. Just give her a chance and she won't disappoint." Seeing Huang Jinfeng's nervousness, she slowed her voice and said, "Chen Yanli's family has been merchants for generations. He himself has a reputation for success. His knowledge and character are both excellent. You can learn a lot from him."
Huang Jinfeng nodded vigorously and said, "My dear lady... Your Highness, rest assured. I will study hard and will not let Your Highness down."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile: "I believe you."
Whether it is the New Year or new people, it is always better than the old one, which makes people unconsciously feel more hopeful.
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