After being away for a few days, the dilapidated government office in front of her made her feel happy and at ease with returning home. How strange it was!
"Concubine, let's go in."
Xia Jing glanced at her son with complicated eyes, then supported the maid's hand and stepped onto the steps in front of the Yamen.
Li Chengmu was puzzled by this look. He touched his innocent face. He didn't know what the mother-in-law meant? It seemed that he didn't say the wrong thing just now!
Mr. Yan took two steps forward and bowed, "We have met the princess and the fifth master."
"Mr. Yan, are you standing at the door to greet us? It seems that I didn't notify the palace when I came back."
Mr. Yan laughed and concealed his guilty conscience. Could he say it was just a coincidence?
After everyone in front of the Yamen had left, he originally wanted to enter the Yamen, but by chance he caught a glimpse of the motorcade slowly approaching on the street, so he stood here to greet the princess.
"Princess, you have been tired all the way. Go back and wash up and have a rest. Weichen will inform the butler to prepare lunch."
Facing him looking around, Xia Jing smiled nonchalantly: "There is a lot of seafood in the carriage. You can have someone carry it to the kitchen. Let's have a seafood dinner at noon."
After saying that, he led Li Chengmu and the maid into the gate of the government office.
Mr. Yan looked back at the motorcade parked in front of the Yamen, and called on the servants in the mansion and the one hundred guards who accompanied them into the city to move the supplies in the carriage to the mansion.
There are about ten barrels of seafood, which are kept in seawater in wooden barrels. However, the freshness is not as good as in the morning, so it can only be consumed at noon and dinner today.
When he saw the half-dry and half-wet kelp being loaded down from the two carriages, Mr. Yan said, "This is kelp!"
Ding Dazhuang grinned with big white teeth and said with a smile: "Mr. Yan, I think you know the goods. This is kelp. It is what we harvested at the beach, but it still needs to be dried."
Mr. Yan nodded and looked curiously at the carriages behind him, "Team D, what are these carriages carrying?"
When Ding Dazhuang heard this, he almost grinned from the corner of his mouth to his ears. He waved to the guard guarding the carriage, "Sir, see for yourself, it's all our harvest from this trip."
This time the guards carried the wooden box and did not open it at the yamen gate, but went directly into the yamen gate.
When they arrived in the yard, the guard put down the wooden box.
Mr. Yan had a guess in his mind, but he stepped forward and opened one of the wooden boxes without believing in evil, "It's silver ingots!"
He looked up at Ding Dazhuang in surprise, "That's the carriage behind."
Ding Dazhuang was astonished: "Sir, what are you thinking of? The carriage behind is filled with grain!"
If the carriages behind were all filled with silver ingots, they would have distributed them long ago!
Mr. Yan let out a slightly disappointed sound, but this box of silver ingots was not bad, so he opened another smaller wooden box.
This time he exclaimed, "Gold ingot!"
Ding Dazhuang came closer and said with a smile: "It's just a little missing. I only have this small box."
Mr. Yan was overjoyed. He patted Ding Dazhuang's strong shoulder and said, "It's very rare to get these harvests from a trip. I'll call someone to come over and put them in storage!"
Ding Dazhuang looked confused, "."
Mr. Yan called four guards from Prince Qian's palace and asked them to carry the silver and gold ingots to Zeng Yan for storage.
The four guards nodded in agreement, but as soon as their hands touched the wooden box, they were stopped by Ding Dazhuang.
He turned to look at Mr. Yan fiercely, "Mr. Yan, what do you mean?"
Mr. Yan and Monk Zhang Er were confused, "What do you mean?"
"These silver and gold ingots were obtained by the princess who led the guard camp through life and death. Are you planning to rob them?"
"No, you are bringing it back and don't plan to put it into storage?" Mr. Yan finally came to his senses.
"If you want to put it into the treasury, it will also be put into the princess's private treasury. It cannot be put into the palace's treasury."
Ding Dazhuang was annoyed with the gentleman in front of him. He used to look serious, but he actually likes to commit robbery. How is this different from the bandits on the mountain?
They are simply worse than bandits!
Mr. Yan was still unwilling to give in and asked one more question, "Is it your master's intention not to enter the treasury?"
"Of course!" Ding Dazhuang refused to give in, guarding the wooden box, "The princess has to support a lot of people, and she didn't let the palace support at least a thousand personal guards!"
As he said that, in order to prevent Mr. Yan from staring at his silver and gold ingots, he had to give him some clear directions, "If the prince is short of money, you can ask his guard battalion to suppress the bandits. This is a remote country, but the bandits are fat."
You have to drop oil."
"If you want to get something for nothing, I advise you to give up as soon as possible!"
Faced with Ding Dazhuang's warning, Mr. Yan didn't take it seriously, but after hearing what the other party said, his eyes lit up!
This is a good idea!
They were worrying about money these days, and when they felt sleepy, someone sent them pillows.
The last thing brought in was food.
Ding Dazhuang ignored the excited Mr. Yan. He pointed at the sack and said, "We brought back some of these grains and gave them to the government. You can do whatever you want with them."
After saying that, he waved his hands and asked his subordinates to quickly pick up the silver and gold ingots and follow him. It would be safer to deliver them to the princess as soon as possible.
The news of Xia Jing's return spread to the backyard, and everyone in the house had mixed reactions.
When the eldest lady heard the maid's report, she hurriedly stood up and said, "I have been away for a few days. Why don't you inform me in advance when you come back today? It also gives us time to prepare. You can go out with me to greet you."
But before she walked out of the courtyard, she heard that Xia Jing had returned to her own courtyard.
"This lady, this mother-in-law, acts too resolutely!"
The maid asked: "Madam, are we still going?"
The eldest lady thought for a moment and then waved her hand, "I think my mother and concubine are tired from the journey and want to take a break, and I don't want everyone to disturb her."
He turned around and told his mother-in-law to go to the kitchen and prepare a table for her, which could be regarded as a blessing for her.
When the other rooms heard that Xia Jing had returned to the backyard, there was no movement.
The noon banquet was held in the waterside pavilion of the garden, which was close to the water and cool. It was a good place to escape the summer heat in Lingnan, where the temperature is relatively hot.
When Xia Jing arrived, everyone was basically there, the children were playing in the garden, and the adults were sitting in the waterside pavilion chatting.
Except for King Qian, everyone in the waterside pavilion stood up to greet Xia Jing.
"Everyone, please get up. My family doesn't need to be so polite."
Xia Jing crossed the crowd and sat on the main seat. King Qian next to her snorted coldly. Although the voice was very soft, she still heard it.
The two have always been a bit incompatible, but after all, they are husband and wife, and sometimes you still have to give them the face they deserve.
Xia Jing doesn't care about him.
When the juniors saw Xia Jing sitting down, they took their seats again.
After the eldest lady sat down, she carefully looked at Xia Jing's clothes and said with a smile, "My concubine's clothes look bright and refreshing."
Xia Jing, who is sitting in the main seat, is wearing a sky-blue soft cigarette that has been soaked in rain. It is light, breathable and cool. She is now decorated with light makeup. If she didn't know her true age, she would have thought she was a newlywed bride.
King Qian glanced at the people beside him and saw that they looked good and dressed freshly. He didn't know what he thought of, and his eyebrows darkened.
Xia Jingdun looked over at the voice. As the head wife, the eldest lady may have abandoned the light colors commonly used in summer and chose brown color in order to appear stable.
The brown-brown color looks too old in autumn and winter, not to mention the summer when the flowers are red and the willows are green. In addition, she always looks like the lady of the house, and the whole person looks old-fashioned.
Xia Jing sighed in her heart. The boss and his wife were one who was rigid and the other who didn't know how to adapt, but they were made for each other.
Now that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are standing together, people who don't know their relationship will really turn their relationship upside down.
The mother-in-law thought she was her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law thought she was her mother-in-law.
"Boss and daughter-in-law, life is short, don't push yourself so hard. Women should know how to treat themselves well. While they are young, they should wear more bright clothes and dress themselves up beautifully. If you please yourself, you will also make yourself happy.
Your man is pleasing to the eye, why not do it?"
After hearing this, Li Chengshang tried hard to tighten his face so that no one could see what he was thinking.
King Qian was used to being a playboy and never liked being bound by rules. After hearing Xia Jing's words, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up slightly.
The eldest wife feels that a royal wife should be steady and dignified, and the same should be true for her dress. If she dresses in a flashy style, it is a tactic that will not make her a concubine.
Although she disagreed in her heart, she did not dare to refute on the surface, "What the mother-in-law said is that my daughter-in-law will pay attention to her clothes in the future."
King Qian didn't want to listen to their conversation anymore and asked, "Is everyone here?"
At this time, the eldest lady in charge of the reception stood up and replied, "Father, only the third brother who left the house this morning has not arrived. Do you think we should start the banquet first or wait for him?"
Xia Jing asked the eldest lady: "The third child has been managing the general affairs outside the mansion. Needless to say, it's hard work. Have you sent someone to inform him?"
Madam: "My daughter-in-law has sent her servant to inform her."
Xia Jing nodded directly: "The third child has had enough trouble running around for the palace under the scorching sun. It's okay for us to sit in the waterside pavilion and wait."
King Qian swallowed back the words he was about to say. If he spoke again at this moment, he would become an inconsiderate father to his son.
The third lady sitting in the corner felt a little warm in her eyes after hearing this. Looking at the scorching sun outside, she felt really sorry for her man.
Fortunately, Li Chengli didn't keep everyone waiting for long, and hurried back from outside covered in the heat.
"It's the son's fault for keeping his father, queen, mother and concubine waiting."
King Qian glanced at Xia Jing, who was smiling. He swallowed his reproach and cleared his throat, "Now that you're back, take a seat."
Xia Jing ordered: "For the third child, go and get a wet handkerchief to wipe the sweat of the third child."
The third lady seemed to have been prepared. As soon as she finished speaking, she asked the maid to bring a wet handkerchief.
There were only seven people sitting at the main table, King Qian, Xia Jing and their five sons, one table for the grandchildren, and two tables for the wives and daughters.
This time, the concubines from each room in the mansion did not participate, and the number of people was slightly smaller.
After Li Chengli wiped the sweat from his face, the maids served the masters with food.
Most of the seafood is steamed or boiled. Xia Jing tasted the boiled food and it tasted good. The steamed food was authentic and tasted good.
Li Chengli lowered his head and asked Li Chengmu beside him softly: "Xiaowu, did my mother-in-law take you to the beach this time?"
"Well, third brother, the sea is magnificent. I will definitely take you and fourth brother with me next time I go there."
Why didn't Li Chengmu think of taking the eldest brother Li Chengshang with him? It was because Li Chengshang was always serious and would never have fun if he went to play with him.
As for the second eldest brother, Li Chengzhan, there is a big age difference between him and his younger brothers. In modern terms, there is a generation gap.
The corners of Li Chengli's mouth curved slightly, "Okay."
After the meal, the maids removed the table and replaced it with brewed black tea.
Xia Jing took a sip of black tea that nourished her stomach, squinted her eyes slightly and asked Li Chengli, "Third brother, have you sorted out the general affairs in the house? What are your plans now?"
Li Chengli sat upright and said: "I went out for a run around the countryside two days ago. Lingnan is a vast land with few people. Many of the best lands outside the city are uncultivated and completely deserted. I thought that before the summer harvest has come,
First, organize a group of people to open up wasteland and cultivate the fields. The wasteland will be soaked in water for a period of time, and we will be there in time for summer planting."
Xia Jing nodded: "This plan of yours is very good. You can rush over to let them reclaim the land for the prisoners we have escorted along the way. If you are afraid that they cannot be suppressed, go to your father and ask his guard camp to take care of them."
"Thank you, concubine, my son knows."
"Yes." Xia Jing was not afraid of everyone's looks, her expression remained calm.
She asked again: "In the past, there were many shops in the government in Gyeonggi, but now there are definitely shops in Lingnan. How was your inspection in the city?"
Li Chengli got a headache when he mentioned this, and he actually touched his forehead.
Xia Jing laughed: "If you have anything to say, just say it. If you have any difficulties, we can all come up with solutions together."
Li Chengli glanced at King Qian cautiously and hesitated to speak.
King Qian despised him the most because he was not a good-tempered person himself.
When he got impatient, he cursed: "Why are you hesitating? Say what you have to say and let it go as soon as possible!"
Li Chengli scratched his head and finally expressed his difficulty: "Lingnan Fucheng is the poorest state capital I have ever seen. The main street runs through four streets from north to south. The commercial prosperity is definitely not as good as that of a county or county in Jingzhou next door.
In this county, the shops are also in shabby condition. My son wonders if there will be business in opening a shop under such circumstances?"
How can we feed so many people in the house without business?
When it came to business, King Qian could only stare blankly. He turned to look at Xia Jing.
Others sitting next to him also looked worried after hearing this. If Lingnan doesn't even have business, how will it make money?
Without money, how long can they maintain their comfortable life?
Xia Jing asked him: "Lao San, what are your plans?"
"My son is thinking of setting up a few shops and trying to open them first, and take a look first before deciding. If it doesn't work, he can only send people to other state capitals to do business."
Li Chengli looked a little depressed.
Xia Jing pursed her lips and pondered for a while, then she said: "There should be business in other state capitals, Prince Qian's Palace, right?"
"Yes." Li Chengli didn't hide anything.
"Then keep it open. Shops in Lingnan must also be opened. If the shop is too dilapidated, then demolish it and rebuild it. In short, the shop must not lose the prestige of Lingnan."
Li Chengli wanted to say that if that were the case, the government would suffer more losses, but he glanced at Prince Qian next to him and did not dare to say more.
My father is now the vassal king of Lingnan. If I lose the prestige of Lingnan, I will lose my father's face.
Of course Xia Jing knew Li Chengli's concerns, and she talked about her plan.
"My plan is similar to yours. I plan to send people to recruit people to open up wasteland around the suburbs of the city. After the summer planting is completed, we will choose a vacant lot in the city to build a commercial street."
Xia Jing has not yet perfected how to operate it specifically, so she will elaborate on it later.
“Will building a commercial street make it more prosperous?”
"Lingnan will slowly get better in the future, and the economy will slowly recover."
After saying that, Xia Jing turned to her daughters-in-law and said: "There are many wastelands in the suburbs. You can also send people to arrange for land reclamation. Most of your dowry shops and villages are in the capital. Now that you have come to Lingnan, you should make plans for yourself."
After all, it’s okay to just sit back and live in vain!
Thank you Ye Xingchen 3399, Xinru Zhishui, Chouji Puppet, Sake.Da, Ainianyu for your recommendation and support.
The ranking has taken a big step forward today, thank you all for your support~