GBP Chapter 719 The Princess of the Ming Dynasty (2)
Chapter 719 The Princess of the Ming Dynasty (2)
There's absolutely no reason for them to be idle.
Wangyou led his men to search around Qingzhou for a month and found two iron mines and one gold mine. Now, they would definitely have no shortage of weapons.
As for reporting it, there was no need for that. Zhu Yuanzhang himself said that whatever was discovered in Qingzhou belonged to Princess Chang'an.
In addition, the soldiers of Qingzhou were well fed by Wangyou, and their leaders were all Wangyou's men, so no one dared to say a word.
Blacksmiths were gathered together to forge weapons, resulting in a complete overhaul of the weapons used by the soldiers of Qingzhou. They were so powerful that a single strike could sever a head from a body. As for the guards in the princess's residence, not only did their combat prowess increase significantly, but their weapons were also better than those of the soldiers guarding the city.
After all, it's still important to forget about your own safety.
News from Qingzhou is only known to those who are willing to spread it, and no one knows if those who are unwilling to spread it.
Two years later.
Qingzhou has undergone a complete transformation. Under Wangyou's leadership, Qingzhou has become a vital hub for north-south trade and transportation. The people not only have enough to eat and wear, but also have surplus grain in their homes.
The fleet organized by Wangyou not only brought back the crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn that Wangyou had previously provided, but also a large amount of gold and silver jewelry. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Wangyou is now richer than a country.
"Now that we've found it, let's send these high-yield grain seeds to my father. I'm sure he'll be very happy," Wangyou said with a smile, looking at the contents of the box.
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly convey your good intentions to His Majesty," Qingyun said firmly.
"Then I'll trouble you to make the trip. Your bonus will be doubled when you come back."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Besides loyalty cultivated from childhood, real money is the most effective way to win people's hearts.
"By the way, Qingzhou has been making such a big commotion in the last two years, my father must be very curious about it. You can tell him about it if you want."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Qingyun was very good at handling conversation. Apart from not being able to talk too much about income and taxes, everything else could be said. For example, the development of Qingzhou alone was not enough for the entire Ming Dynasty.
The main reason is that Qingzhou is almost saturated with people. The word spreads among the people that they want to settle down in Qingzhou. However, despite the large number of people moving there, the officials did not notice anything different. Although they found it strange that so many people wanted to go and stay with their relatives, they did not think too much about it.
These days, even a prime minister has a few poor relatives. It's not surprising that they would come to visit him. In addition, in the past two years, many young men and women have either married into Qingzhou or married girls from Qingzhou.
The high-yield grain seeds went to Qingzhou with Qingyun. As for herself, she was delicate and weak and unable to go out. Presumably, her father would be too embarrassed to make her get up.
"Tell me, can this stuff really yield a thousand catties per mu?" Zhu Yuanzhang rushed over and asked as he listened to Qingyun's introduction from below the stage.
“Your Majesty, what I am saying is true. Her Highness the Princess has tried it herself, and she also said that she has planted quite a lot on her estate in the capital. They can be dug up now. Your Majesty will know this at a glance.”
"She also owns a manor in the capital. Which one?"
"It's Peach Blossom Manor."
"Come on, take us to see it now!" Zhu Yuanzhang was curious, as were all the civil and military officials.
A large group of people rushed towards Peach Blossom Manor. Upon arrival, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't wait to order people to start digging. Seeing the clusters of grain, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't resist getting his hands dirty and started digging himself.
Finally, it was determined that the highest yield of sweet potatoes per mu reached 5,000 jin, while the lowest was 800 jin.
Why is there such a large difference in production volume?
"His Highness instructed that these grains are suitable for planting anywhere, but good land will inevitably yield high yields, and poor land will inevitably yield low yields. This comparison will allow us to see the results clearly," Qingyun said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Even if the yield is 800 jin per mu, the people will not go hungry."
“Your Majesty is right. The princess also said that this estate has a total of 13,000 mu of land, all planted with high-yield grains. Your Majesty can take it all. The princess said it would be considered a donation to the court. In addition, I have also had some dishes made from these grains prepared. Your Majesty may try them.”
"Come on, let's take a good look. My daughter seems to be quite extraordinary!"
After eating food made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he had the idea of going to Qingzhou to take a look.
"Seventh Sister is really amazing, but I wonder how her health is?" Zhu Biao said with some emotion.
"Your Highness is in relatively good health, but she still can't stand the wind." Qingyun immediately indicated that his princess's health was not very good.
"After we return to the palace, I will have someone prepare a batch of medicinal herbs so that your master can take good care of his health," Zhu Biao, who had lost a lot of weight, said earnestly.
"I will send another imperial physician there and have him stay there without having to come back." Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Qingyun's expression didn't seem to be feigned, and he felt a little uncomfortable.
His daughter is already in such poor health, yet she's still thinking about finding high-yield grain varieties to ease his burdens. She's much better than those brats.
The princes, who had been inexplicably glared at, felt a chill run down their spines.
"Your Majesty, His Highness has something else he wishes to tell you," Qingyun said, kneeling down.
"Get up, what is it?"
"Your Highness said that she has been away from the capital for two years and misses her older brothers and sisters very much, especially her two older sisters. However, her health is not good and she cannot withstand long journeys. Your Highness would like the two princesses to go and see her."
"I grant your request." Zhu Yuanzhang immediately agreed upon hearing that it was such a small request.
Speaking of Wangyou's two older sisters, Wangyou actually likes them quite a bit, but both of them are unlucky and got married at a young age.
The eldest sister, Princess Ningguo, was married off to Mei Yin by Zhu Yuanzhang when she was only eight years old. The second sister, Princess Anqing, was also married off at the age of ten. At such a young age, they were simply inhuman.
As for why Wangyou escaped this calamity, one reason is Empress Ma's dying words, and the other is that Wangyou had been in poor health since childhood; otherwise, she would have been destined to marry early.
Zhu Ying and Zhu Ran were overjoyed to hear that they could visit their younger sister. Now they could finally see her openly and honestly.
The two of them packed their things in a hurry, and left without looking back when Qingyun came to pick them up. Anyway, they didn't have children yet, so they weren't that reluctant to part.
As for their husbands, they weren't worried at all. The younger sister said that men are like clothes; they should be discarded when necessary. If it weren't for their fathers' disapproval, they would all want to divorce their husbands.
Upon entering Qingzhou, the two felt overwhelmed by the sights. Good heavens, this was far more prosperous than the capital city—no, many times more prosperous.
Qingyun noticed the two princesses' curiosity and, instead of rushing on their way, explained to them, little by little, the changes in Qingzhou and the role that Wangyou played in them.
"My little sister is so much better than us! Let's go, I can't wait to meet her!" Zhu Ying said cheerfully.
"After coming out for a while, I feel much more refreshed. No wonder my little sister is trying so hard to leave the palace. Qingzhou is much better than the capital. I feel so invigorated now," Zhu Ran said with a smile, looking out the window.