Chapter 32: The Prince Has a Craving for Vegetables

Following the late-night campaign, Zhao Bin did not slowly awaken from his slumber until near noon. Ling'er, her delicate body curled within his arms, seemed to sense his stirring and slowly opened her eyes.

"Have you awakened, Your Highness?"

Zhao Bin looked at Ling'er in his arms without speaking, then gently lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers once more. Just as he intended to mount her again, Ling'er whispered, "Please, Your Highness, no more. You exhausted me so much yesterday. Shall I call Cui'er instead?"

Zhao Bin chuckled softly. "Very well, I shall spare you for today. I will settle this with you another time. Get up and dress."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Once they had finished washing, Cui'er brought a meal into the main hall. "Please dine, Your Highness."

Zhao Bin pulled Ling'er to the table, but as his eyes fell upon the food, a wave of nausea rose within him. "Cui'er, why is it mutton and mutton soup again? Do we have nothing else?"

Cui'er sighed helplessly. "Your Highness, our estate currently has an abundance of beef and mutton, or otherwise only radishes and cabbage. It is the depth of winter; there is nothing else to be had."

"Old Wu! Old Wu!"

Hearing the call, Wang Wu hurried in from outside. "Your Highness, I am here."

"Have you eaten breakfast, Old Wu?"

"Your Highness, it is already noon!"

"Ah, well, have you had lunch then?"

Wang Wu glanced at the beef and mutton on the table and shuddered. "Your Highness, I am not hungry."

"Forget it, forget it. I won't eat. Ling'er, you eat."

"I have no appetite either, Your Highness," Ling'er said with a coquettish pout.

"Shall I have the kitchen prepare something else for you, Your Highness?" Cui'er asked, looking at the two who had been tossed about all night and now had no desire to eat.

"No need. Have Cao Li and the others arrived?"

"They have. They are all working in the front hall."

"Let's go and take a look."

The group moved from the back courtyard to the front hall. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a peculiar fragrance.

"What is that scent?" Zhao Bin asked curiously.

Seeing Zhao Bin approach, the men rose and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"No need for formalities. What is that scent in this room? It is so fragrant."

Yang Guangtai, the Treasurer of Yancheng, lifted the teacup on the table and said, "Your Highness, it is jujube tea. During the golden autumn, my son gathered some red jujubes, and I picked some golden chrysanthemums. After drying them, I roasted the jujubes by the stove fire in the winter and brewed them with the chrysanthemums. The taste is quite pleasant."

Zhao Bin leaned in to sniff it and immediately felt refreshed. "Not bad, not bad. Treasurer Yang, could you bring some for me later?"

"If it pleases Your Highness, I shall have someone return to fetch some immediately," Yang Guangtai said, his face full of excitement.

"No rush. Just bring it the next time you come. Very well, tell me, is there anything important to handle today?" Zhao Bin sat in his seat as he spoke.

"Your Highness, the monthly wages for the workers have been largely calculated and are ready to be distributed. The salt refineries and ironworks are straightforward as the workers are within the city, but how should we distribute the pay for the coal miners in the Western Mountains and the miners in the north?" Yang Guangtai set down his teacup. As the Treasurer of Yancheng, he was in charge of money and grain, so this naturally fell to him.

"They were all registered previously. Send word to their villages and towns, and have their families come to Yancheng to collect it," Zhao Bin replied.

"As you command, Your Highness. Furthermore, the grain reserves in the treasury are depleting too rapidly. Because Your Highness reduced taxes and rents this year, the grain collected is far less than in previous years. Coupled with the fact that the treasury is currently bearing the cost of the workers' consumption, I fear the grain will be exhausted in two or three months at most. At this rate, we will not last until the summer harvest," Yang Guangtai continued.

"Mining is grueling labor, and it is winter; their physical exertion is great, so their rations cannot be reduced. I have already sent people to find a solution for the grain shortage. Our investment in the first year is significant, but once the cultivated area expands in the spring planting next year, our grain production will increase, and we will no longer worry about a lack of food," Zhao Bin said slowly.

"As you command, Your Highness." Yang Guangtai finished speaking and sat back in his seat.

He Miao, the Registrar of Yancheng, stood up and said, "Your Highness, the yamen officials reported this morning that the brick kiln owner came to ask what should be done with the bricks fired previously."

"How many bricks remain?"

"Not many, about a dozen carts' worth. After the frost set in, the soil became difficult to mix with water and froze, making it impossible to mold the bricks, so production stopped."

"Official He, order someone to haul all the bricks to the upper reaches of the White River. Later, I will provide you with a blueprint. Recruit some commoners; we are going to build greenhouses." Zhao Bin pondered for a moment. If he had to eat any more mutton, he would start smelling like a sheep himself.

"Your Highness, what is a 'greenhouse'?"

Zhao Bin had Cui'er fetch paper and brush, and he drew a rough design: fire walls, support pillars, arched frames, straw mats, and ventilation holes. Once finished, he explained to everyone how to build and use them. In truth, he knew nothing about agricultural greenhouses, but he understood the basic principles. It was essentially building a conservatory to grow vegetables, and he could simply hire experienced farmers to manage it. The logic was simple, and the group understood it once they heard him, though no one knew if it would succeed.

"Official He, do this as quickly as possible. Strive to have these five greenhouses built within seven days."

"As you command, Your Highness. I will go and arrange the manpower immediately." After saying this, He Miao drafted a notice and left with the drawings.

After He Miao departed, Zhao Bin looked at Cao Li. "Official Cao, how are things at the smelting workshop? How many farm tools have been cast?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, as you instructed, the smelting plant has been running on two shifts, day and night. The production of farm tools is very fast. The warehouse cannot hold so many, so as soon as a batch is finished, I have them distributed immediately. One-third of the households have already received their tools, and I believe we should be largely finished by tomorrow."

"Good. We must accelerate the production of farm tools. Once finished, we must prepare to defend against the Jie tribe. This year, the Xiongnu and the Jie were in conflict at the border, which is why they did not invade the south, but once they reach a reconciliation, the Jie will inevitably push south."

"I understand, Your Highness. Is there anything we need to prepare in the meantime?"

"Order men to scout for wood suitable for arrow shafts, then organize teams to fell the trees and prepare the shafts in advance," Zhao Bin said quietly.

Cao Li was startled. He looked up at the three people behind Zhao Bin—a guard and two maids—and saw that Yang Guangtai, standing nearby, also looked panicked.

Cao Li asked in a low voice, "Does Your Highness know that the private manufacture of military equipment is a capital offense?"

"A capital offense? Both of you know better than I how many people have died in Yancheng over the years. I do not want to wake up one day with a Jie blade at my throat. You survived when the Jie breached the city last time, but next time, who among you can guarantee that you and your families will remain unharmed? To survive, we must become strong."

Cao Li wiped the sweat from his face and continued, "But what if the Imperial Court finds out?"

"For now, we are merely preparing materials. We have not reached that point yet. Some lumber proves nothing; you can call them arrow shafts, or you can call them firewood. Moreover, we are the 'money tree' in the Emperor's hand right now; he relies on our salt to generate wealth, so he will know what to do."

"But we do not have enough craftsmen for this," Yang Guangtai interjected.

"Ordinary shafts do not require high standards; a common carpenter will suffice. If Yancheng lacks them, hire them from the surrounding areas. In any case, before the final processing, no one will know what these wooden shafts are for. Furthermore, I have already ordered people to purchase slaves from other regions; some things must be done discreetly."

"Purchase slaves? Your Highness may not know this, but since ancient times, it has been the people of Yancheng selling themselves into slavery elsewhere to survive; rarely do people come to Yancheng to be sold as slaves," Yang Guangtai sighed.

"The past cannot be undone, but the future can be changed. Just because it did not happen before does not mean it will not happen in the future. Besides, in this world, some people have no choice. Enough—this matter has been entrusted to others. For now, just focus on completing the tasks I have just mentioned."

"As you command, Your Highness," Cao Li and Yang Guangtai replied in unison.