After coming out of the breeding area, I stood on the hillside and looked at the sparkling paddy fields below. The water surface of the plowed paddy fields was khaki-yellow. Villagers who had already finished breakfast picked up seedlings and dumped them into the fields. Others followed.
The villagers lined up in the fields and began to plant rice.
Xia Jing looked at the speed of the villagers at the foot of the mountain and said with a smile: "They planted rice seedlings for the first time, and their speed was good. They say that farmers rely on the sky for their livelihood. I think their hands-on ability is good. In the future, they can still survive even with this hands-on ability."
Let’s eat.”
Zuo Jiuchuan looked at the many plowed paddy fields down the mountain, and villagers joining the rice-planting team, and nodded: "The speed is not bad, practice makes perfect, they should be faster in the afternoon."
Xia Jing had never actually been in the fields, so her visual inspection of the villagers' speed was pretty good, but Zuo Jiuchuan knew more about farming, so his judgment should be more accurate.
"It would be better to increase the speed. Your task for summer planting this time is very arduous. Hundreds of hectares of fields are waiting for you to cultivate. It will be very hard for everyone during the busy farming period. Next, you can go to the surrounding villages to buy a batch of pigs.
, give the villagers extra meals to ensure nutrition, and pay attention to preventing heatstroke. You can prepare and buy some heatstroke prevention medicinal materials in advance."
"You can rest assured that these things will be arranged carefully. The villagers will not be tired during the busy farming period."
The logistics are guaranteed, which makes Xia Jing feel a little more at ease.
The land area of several hundred hectares is quite large, and it cannot be all located in one place. It is divided into more than a dozen farms, but Xia Jing was appointed as the temporary acting general manager of Zuo Jiuchuan.
If the summer planting and autumn harvest are completed and there are no major problems in each farm, then Xia Jing will officially appoint him as the farm manager, taking charge of all the farms under her and Xiaowu.
Now they support many people, and food is particularly important.
If food can be self-sufficient, then Xia Jing's army expansion plan next year will be much smoother.
If you cannot be self-sufficient in food, you will always be restricted by others, especially the Tong family, a large grain owner in Lingnan.
This year's land reform policy has damaged the foundation of the Tong family. Although peace is maintained on the surface, secretly the Tong family hates Prince Qian's palace.
If you don’t have enough food, you will ultimately have no confidence and no sense of security.
Therefore, the most important thing for Prince Qian to do when he came to Lingnan was to open up wasteland and grow grain.
After arranging things at the farm, Xia Jing rushed back with her maids and guards.
In the hot summer, even if there is an ice basin in the carriage, the wind blowing in from the door curtains and windows will still burn the skin.
Near the gate of the city, many people gathered on both sides of the road. Their clothes looked more like servants of some families.
"What's going on? Why are there so many servants gathered at the city gate?" Hongmei noticed the situation outside.
Not long after she finished speaking, Ye Fei rode over to report, "Princess, there are many servants from aristocratic families gathered at the gate of the city. My subordinates inquired about it and found that they are all organized to go out to suppress bandits. Do you think we are going to
Don’t stop it?”
Xia Jing opened the curtain and looked at the situation outside, then asked with a smile: "Why should we stop it?"
Ye Fei was a little anxious, "If these aristocratic families also participate, wouldn't our great cause of suppressing bandits have to be terminated?"
There is a huge amount of wealth in the bandit's den. If a noble family gets there first, then what will the soldiers and horses in the hands of their masters use as whetstones?
Xia Jing couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this, "Let them go. There are a lot of bandit troubles in Lingnan, so it would be good to let them contribute a little bit. What's more, the famous bandit troubles in Lingnan have to be exterminated by the regular troops of the palace."
The bandits in Lingnan have been encircled and suppressed by their own guard camp and Xiao Wu's personal soldiers. They have been alerted. They must be prepared, or the small group of bandits has completed the integration.
Now someone is taking the vanguard, so why should she stop him?
Ye Fei was a little unwilling, "Just let them go like this?"
"Yes, let nature take its course." Xia Jing lowered the curtains, "Let's go back home!"
Ye Fei didn't understand why the princess let these aristocratic families go and let them get a share of the pie, but the master had spoken and he couldn't disobey.
——
Back at the palace, Xia Jing had just finished washing when she heard the maid report that Mr. Zhang was looking for him.
Xia Jing asked someone to lead her husband into the study.
Entering the study room, Mr. Zhang unexpectedly found the study room of a woman named the Princess. The bookshelves were filled with books.
It had not been long since he came to Lingnan. Apart from being busy with her livelihood, he had never seen her visiting a bookstore. Where did these books come from?
Xia Jing noticed his surprised look and smiled softly: "Sir, are you curious about where these books come from?"
Mr. Zhang nodded, "I have some doubts in my heart."
"Actually, I collected most of these books from Yuzhou. At that time, everyone in Yuzhou City who had some connections knew that the emperor was being chased by Beidi. Who would care about these worthless and bulky books when people were running for their lives?"
"So you sent people to collect and transport them to Lingnan?" Mr. Zhang found it unbelievable. No short-sighted woman would have done this during the escape.
Xia Jing once again impressed Mr. Zhang.
Xia Jing laughed loudly: "Yes, it's just to kill the boring time on the road."
Mr. Zhang didn’t believe this at all.
Xia Jing saw Mr. Zhang looking at her collection of books like a wolf staring at flesh, with his eyes glowing green, so she first asked, "Why did you come here today?"
Mr. Zhang coughed lightly and finally found a seat to sit down, "Well, Wei Chen came here today for the fine steel matter. Now the palace has recruited tens of thousands of troops, and the first recruitment in Lingnan is over.
The prince has long had the idea to have tens of thousands of new soldiers trained and trained in the mountains and rivers of Lingnan to suppress bandits, but the ordnance forged in the military workshop is not as good as the ordnance made of fine steel."
After hearing this, Xia Jing could probably guess why he came, "So?"
"So, Wei Chen came here this time to talk to you about the price of this fine steel. Since you and the prince are a family, can you give me a preferential price?"
Mr. Zhang is miserable because the matter that the couple cannot agree on is left to him by an adviser.
The prince went to the princess's ironworks workshop today. The steward of the workshop heard that they wanted the quantity and directly offered a price. The prince wanted to negotiate the price, but the steward refused.
The reason for the management is that smelting fine steel is difficult, the output is not high, and the cost is high, so the price cannot be negotiated.
When the prince saw that he couldn't reach an agreement with the steward, he sent him to talk to the princess. Isn't this making things difficult for him?
Xia Jing did not answer his question immediately, but poured him a cup of jasmine tea, "Sir, please try this tea to see if you are used to it."
Mr. Zhang smelled the floral fragrance as early as when he entered the door. At first, he thought it was the fragrance applied by the princess, but later he found out that it was coming from the teapot.
In fact, he had already wanted to ask what kind of tea this was?
"Jasmine can also be used to make tea?"
Xia Jing laughed after hearing this, "Any flower in the world can be made into scented tea as long as it's not poisonous."
Mr. Zhang took a brief sip and said, "Oh, this statement is quite novel, but I am ignorant. But what does this jasmine tea mean?"
"This tea is made by blending and scenting tea leaves and jasmine flowers. The tea leaves absorb the fragrance of the flowers. The tea soup is bright yellow-green and tastes mellow and refreshing. It is especially suitable for drinking in the hot climate of Lingnan."
Mr. Zhang listened to her introduction and took another sip. "It's rich and mellow, with a lingering fragrance. It's very suitable for gatherings of scholars."
"Haha. It's very rare. It's an honor for this tea to get a fair comment from Mr. Xia Jing." Xia Jing smiled and said: "This flower is not only spread all over the mountains and plains in Lingnan, but it still grows a lot. What do you think if this flower
What do you think the future is like for the large-scale production of tea and its sale to various parts of the Yu Dynasty?"
Mr. Zhang tasted it briefly and had a long aftertaste. He was caught off guard and shocked by Xia Jing's words.
He digested it for a while and then gave a thumbs up, "If the princess were a man, the position of Wei Chen's staff should have been replaced by others."
Xia Jing looked at him with a half-smile but not a smile, "Thank you sir, I am just a housewife. In the eyes of the prince, as long as I take care of the household affairs, provide husband and raise children, I will be a good wife and mother. And my wife is a good wife and mother."
Even though I have not met my standards, I cannot afford your evaluation."
When Mr. Zhang heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched. He really couldn't reply. Some of the prince's thoughts were beyond the control of his staff.
Otherwise, the prince would not have been known as a playboy, and he would not have been whipped by the princess on the way to escape among the flowers.
Xia Jing did not embarrass him, "The price of steel is not negotiable. Go back and tell the prince that although our family will suffer losses and prosper, in business, I cannot sell steel to him at a loss."
Mr. Zhang was silent for a while and advised: "Princess, you should know that the current situation in the world is unpredictable. Having force in your hands means you can live with peace of mind. Only when the prince is good can you be good, and only when the fifth master can be good."
Although the prince is the king of a state, he started too late. Now the power of the prince is not afraid of the powerful officials anywhere in the world. They can come and pluck the prince's beard.
In such a difficult situation, you and your wife should work together to bring the palace out of this quagmire."
After hearing what he said, Xia Jing sneered, "If the palace has to rely on me and the prince and the old lady to support it, it will have to withdraw from the stage of history sooner or later, so it is better to withdraw earlier.
If the other houses don’t work hard, it’s useless for you to force me. At least for now, I won’t compromise, and the price is not low. If the prince is short of money, he can release tens of thousands of horses, and Lingnan is full of treasures. Will he be afraid of short of money? "
Mr. Zhang tried his best to talk, but when he saw that Xia Jing was unable to come in, he was helpless. "The prince has already sent out the team. I believe there will be good news soon."
"That's okay. If he really can't come up with the money now, he can pay a deposit and get the goods first, and the money can be paid monthly."
Xia Jing originally wanted to refuse the credit, but after thinking about it, she took a step back.
Just this small step also found a market for the smelted steel.
Mr. Zhang had already had great expectations. Xia Jing would not compromise and would pay the price and deliver the goods.
But she didn't expect that Xia Jing finally took a step back and agreed to end the marriage on January 1.
For a moment, he was surprised and happy.
However, just to be on the safe side, I asked one more question: "Princess, can you change the monthly payment to March?"
Xia Jing rolled her eyes at him and reminded: "Sir, it's best not to push yourself too far. Be careful, it will be counterproductive, and you won't get anything in the end."
Mr. Zhang was threatened and immediately shut up, and he no longer dared to be good after getting the benefit.
After seeing Mr. Zhang off, Xia Jing asked Hongmei to serve the meal.
"It's true, Mr. Zhang, it's almost lunch time, and he still wants to talk to you. After his delay, the food in the kitchen has been heated up."
Listening to the maid's complaint, Xia Jing smiled: "The weather is too hot, and the food will get cold when it gets cold. It's okay."
Hongmei shook her head: "It's definitely not okay to eat cold food and cold dishes. Your stomach and intestines won't be able to bear it."
Xia Jing smiled and stopped talking, waiting for her to put the food on the table.
This is the advantage of living in ancient times. There are maids to take care of everything and take care of every detail of daily life and food. How corrupt!
Xia Jing lay down and let the maids help wipe her hands and face, lay out the food, and actually made clothes to stretch out her hands and open her mouth to eat.
But this feeling didn't last long before it was disturbed by a voice.
"Concubine, my son is here to dine with you."
Xia Jing glanced at Li Chengmu who came in, and said angrily: "It's already getting late, why haven't you eaten yet? Where have you been?"
Li Chengmu naturally sat under Xia Jing, closest to the ice basin, and let Hongmei and Baimei help him wipe his face and hands, "My cousins are clamoring to go to the military camp to have a long experience. I was attracted by them."
I had no choice but to take them to the military camp and let them experience the military camp, hehe!"
Wait until the heat is almost gone.
He picked up the chopsticks and picked some of Xia Jing's favorite dishes for Xia Jing, and then started eating them himself.
Xia Jing was a little surprised by these words, "They have experienced it once, what should they say?"
"Other cousins said that the military camp was too hard and tiring, except for one, my mother-in-law. Guess who it is?"
"Who is it?" Xia Jing was not interested in guessing.
"Second cousin Xia He, you said he is already married, why doesn't he want to be with Wenxiang Ruyu in his arms, but actually wants to stay with those stinky men in the barracks? I really don't know what he thinks?"
Li Chengmu chatted while eating, seeming to have forgotten his childhood upbringing, and kept silent while eating and sleeping.
He now eats with Xia Jing and gradually got used to chatting about everyday things.
This kind of warm daily life is something that a large family in the palace cannot experience when dining.
Xia Jing took a sip of the soup, put down the bowl, and said calmly: "The Xia family's situation does not allow him to waste his time. He worked so hard to get ahead, probably because he wanted to change the Xia family's family background. Did his background as a merchant affect him?
There are too many restrictions on children’s major marriage matters, whether they are getting married, and the range of choices is too narrow.”
Of course, the original body was a complete accident. In fact, Xia Jing is now quite curious about the reason why the original body married King Qian as his step-concubine?
Li Chengmu nodded. In fact, he guessed it was probably because of this reason.
He took the soup Hongmei served for him, took a few sips, then put down the bowl and remembered something.
"Mother, you know, maybe I was too high-profile when I entered the city this time. All the powerful families in the city went out to suppress the bandits when they recruited their servants."
After Xia Jing heard the news, her expression was calm and she said, "Well, I found it when I went into the city today."
"I'm really afraid that they will confiscate the bandits' den. In order to grab more treasures, I plan to gather the team and set off tomorrow." Li Chengmu looked at Xia Jing, "Mother concubine, my son will not come to say goodbye to you tomorrow. Maybe
We will set off before dawn."
Xia Jing took the tea cup and touched it lightly with his bowl, "Okay, I wish my son a successful victory and a safe return!"
I found that the network signal is not good these days~