Compared with the palace of Ning State, the palace of Wu State is more gorgeous.
Those palaces, those flowers and plants, and those vaguely visible pavilions and pavilions hidden among the ancient trees are all more exquisite and better maintained than the Ningguo Palace.
Walking on the bluestone corridor leading to the harem, Li Chenan looked at the layout of the palace and casually talked to Wu Hui:
"Your sister..."
"I remember that it has been fourteen years since you left Dongxu City and went to the fiefdom of Guazhou."
"Your sister is still a few days away from getting hairpins."
"Basically, you had already gone to Guazhou when she was born. Isn't this the first time you two, brother and sister, have met?"
Wu Hui shook his head:
"Not really. When the fifth sister was six years old, she went to Guazhou once with her uncle, Concubine Shu's second brother."
"She stayed in Gucheng for more than a month, and our brother and sister got along with each other for more than a month at that time."
"It's just that eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the fifth sister has grown up from a little girl."
"oh……"
Li Chenan suddenly turned his head and looked at Wu Hui, "What are these people from the Qi family doing in your fief?"
"Business."
"The Qi family is considered the largest ironware business in Wu. They own nearly 30% of Wu's iron mines. They are also the family with the most private blacksmith workshops and the widest range of ironware sales."
Li Chenan glanced at Wu Hui again and didn't ask any more questions.
Wu Hui must have private soldiers in his fief, so he needs weapons and armor.
Emperor Wu had always wanted to cut down his vassal, so it was not easy for Wu Hui to obtain standard weapons from the Ordnance Department.
I think I came to see Qi just to solve this problem.
Just this moment and that moment.
If he really becomes the emperor of Wu, it is estimated that the Qi family who once sold banned weapons to him will not get any good results.
"By the way, Prince An seems to be still in Dongxu City. Have you brothers... made an appointment to meet him?"
Wu Hui shook his head: "I heard that my second brother returned to Kyoto last year to celebrate my father's birthday, but I came back in a hurry and haven't contacted him yet."
"I haven't seen my second brother for two years. He was the one who came to Gucheng before..."
"According to the rules, the vassal kings are not allowed to come and go. It's just that the second brother is more courageous, and the father is also very kind, turning a blind eye to this, and we brothers have the opportunity to get together."
"Since he is in Kyoto, I will definitely go to his house to visit him someday."
Li Chenan asked in surprise:
"He still has a mansion in Kyoto?"
Wu Hui glanced at him: "Of course, all the vassal kings have mansions in Kyoto, but some of them are too far away from the vassal, and there is almost no chance of coming back. Some people just sold them."
"My second brother's calligraphy and paintings are very valuable. He is not short of money, so his Prince An's Mansion is still preserved."
"And you?"
"me……"
Wu Hui pondered for three breaths and said bluntly: "My Prince Ping's Mansion has been sold a long time ago... I'm short of money!"
"Besides, I never thought that I would ever be able to return to Beijing!"
Li Chenan expresses deep sympathy.
"Then where will you live next?"
Wu Hui grinned: "I would rather live in your home, but after much thought it's not appropriate. Let's see how my father arranges it."
The two of them just talked, and old eunuch Zhang led the way.
Unknowingly, I came to a very quiet palace.
Wu Hui stopped and turned to look at Li Chenan, with a solemn look on his dark, bearded face.
"Since my father has arranged this meeting here...although I am a rough man, I still roughly understand what my father is thinking."
He looked at Zhongli Ruoshui and the others again, and then his eyes fell on Li Chenan's face:
"Fifth sister... she looks much greener than the three girls around you."
"She has been living in the palace and does not have the experience of these three girls."
"Although I only had one interaction with her eight years ago, to tell you the truth, I like this sister very much."
"so……"
Wu Huihu bowed his hands and said very seriously:
"Be kind to her... This is my last request to you!"
For Wu Qin, if we talk about feelings, this is obviously very reluctant.
After all, Li Chenan only met Wu Qin once on the Li Pagoda when he returned to the garden.
He didn't deny her beauty.
It was a different kind of beauty, more delicate because of its youthfulness.
She is like the little lotus in the lotus pond.
Although the sharp corners are just exposed, the light red on the sharp corners is the most eye-catching color in the lotus pond!
In fact, when they first met in Lita, Wu Qin's impression of Li Chenan was not that he had little experience as Wu Hui thought -
That is a girl with a very rich heart and some small thoughts!
What she did on Li Pagoda couldn't be hidden from Li Chenan, who had met countless people!
Her little thoughts were clearly revealed when she deliberately left the silk scarf embroidered with mandarin ducks.
And Li Chenan put away the silk scarf...
Men don't speak secretly. Now that you have come to this world, of course you have to experience the extremely fine tradition of three wives and four concubines.
As for feelings...
The feeling of "sleep, sleep" arose.
"do not worry!"
"As I said to you when I returned to the garden, my woman is as sacred and inviolable as the territory of Ning Kingdom!"
Zhang Jingzhong and Eunuch Zhang who were waiting on the side looked up at Li Chenan, then turned to look at the door of Princess Qin's mansion. He felt slightly nervous because the emperor did not ask him to tell Princess Qin Li Chenan in advance that they were coming.
…
…
Wu Qin, who had finished embroidering the purse, had left the lotus pond.
At this moment, she was in the back garden with two palace maids.
She didn't wear the cumbersome princess clothes, nor did she wear the white skirt that she liked very much.
She was wearing plain gray linen!
The weather at noon has become a bit better.
The sleeves of her linen clothes were rolled up high, revealing her arms as soft as green onion.
There is a huge shed under a big banyan tree in the back garden.
There is a spinning wheel in the shed.
Wu Qin was actually sitting in front of the spinning wheel, spinning a piece of linen!
When Zhang Jingzhong led Li Chenan and his party to the moon gate in the back garden, they heard the sound of the spinning wheel coming from inside.
There was also a woman’s voice speaking:
"Your Highness, please take a rest and let the slaves do the rough work!"
A familiar oriole-like voice sounded:
"What is this tiredness compared to the suffering of the people?"
"It is my great blessing to be born in the palace."
"You don't know... I went to the vassal territory of the Great Emperor once when I was six years old, and traveled with him to three and two counties in Guazhou."
"There are no mulberries in Guazhou, only hemp."
"The common people wear no silk... There are silk and satin shops, but the common people cannot afford them, so they can only wear linen."
"Then I learned that although our country of Wu has a population of nearly 80 million, 90% of them wear hemp."
"I think it will be the same in Ningguo."
"I was thinking about how I could improve this spinning wheel to make the linen spinning more efficient... In this way, the price of linen cloth could also be made cheaper."
"It would be good if the common people can save a few more copper coins."
"Ning Guo is even poorer than our Wu State... Father said that he will ascend the throne as emperor after returning to Ning Guo... If you want to be a good emperor, the first priority should be to solve the problem of food and clothing for the people."
"Why……"
In the sight of Li Chenan and others, the girl in linen raised her hand and wiped the sweat from her face.
"I really wanted to do something to help him, but it was useless. I also asked the craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry... There is no way to improve this."
She just finished speaking.
Li Chenan had already walked over.
A smile on his face.
There was a softness in that smile.
Wu Qin looked up, and in front of her shocked gaze, Li Chenan smiled and said:
"Maybe I can help you find a way to improve it!"
