Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 251 Dilemma
For Cui Wenhe, Jiu Que's suggestion was a good thing. After all, it was pointless to leave the wool piled up in the warehouse. It was useless, and after a long time, it would have a strange smell. Its effect on heating in winter would be minimal.

Now that Jiuque can make use of those wools, it would be even better if they could actually be put to use. Even if they can't be put to use, it's just a waste of wools, and those things aren't worth much money.

Given that their Northern Frontier Army was so poor they were practically digging up stones to see if they could buy a couple of coins, they wanted every kind of money and wanted to hold onto it all. Moreover, Jiu Que was known for her ability to make money. This time, she brought some supplies to the Northern Frontier, some of which she bought herself. Although a considerable portion of them were gifts from His Majesty, the rest were all earned by her.

While Cui Wenhe was still pondering how to ask Jiu Que for tips on making money to generate extra income for the Northern Frontier Army, Lin Chongshan had already roasted the lamb and was inviting everyone to eat. Upon hearing this call, the people who were doing various things immediately forgot what they were doing and rushed over, sitting around the campfire and waiting for Lin Chongshan to distribute the lamb.

Lin Chongshan didn't hesitate and directly pulled off a leg of lamb and stuffed it into Jiu Que's hand.

"Look how thin you are! You're naturally strong, so you must eat a lot. Don't be shy, these are all family. The kitchen has made some mutton buns, they'll be served in a bit. Everyone, don't be shy, enjoy!"

"Okay! To be honest, I've been waiting impatiently for a long time."

General Yuchi excitedly took the meat Lin Chongshan had given him, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and revealed a happy expression.

"Your cooking is truly superb. To be honest, I've been craving this for years. It's a pity you're so busy that I don't get to eat it often."

Upon hearing this, Jiu Que also took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"good to eat!"

She had previously thought General Yuchi was exaggerating, but now it seemed that Aunt Lin's cooking skills were truly exceptional.

Everyone then feasted heartily. Not content with just the roasted lamb, they devoured two whole pots of steamed buns. It must be said that the lamb from the grasslands was incredibly tender and delicious, and remarkably, it had almost no gamey smell. After this meal, Jiu Que was even more certain that the lamb business would flourish in the Central Plains and bring substantial profits to the Northern Frontier Army.

After the meal, Jiu Que threw herself into her fervent experiments. First, the fertilized eggs in the incubator hatched one after another into chicks. Then, at Jiu Que's suggestion, a large-scale chicken farm was specially set up. Employees at the farm had to disinfect and change clothes every time they entered or left, and wood ash was frequently sprinkled in the chicken farm to eliminate viruses. Although everyone was unaccustomed to so many procedures for raising chickens, the results were visibly good. The chicks had been hatched for a month, and the mortality rate was less than 10%. Of course, the biggest reason for this was the employees hired to raise the chickens. Jiu Que's original intention was to improve the lives of the people throughout the Northern Frontier, so she specifically recruited the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled from the city to work. Not only was room and board provided, but they also received several dozen coins' wages each month.

Those elderly or disabled people from the northern frontier who were no longer able to support themselves were incredibly grateful for this opportunity. They wished they could live in the chicken farm and raise every chick to be plump and healthy to repay the kind-hearted Lord Ying. Seeing that the chicken farm was on track, Jiu Que turned his attention to the wool.

She had tried her best to find skillful women, but even after picking out the dirt and washing the wool, it was still rough and difficult to weave into clothes. The team leader in charge of washing and weaving the wool came to Jiu Que tremblingly for advice; they really didn't know what to do.

Jiu Que took a look at the wool factory. Although she named it the wool factory, it was actually just a huge open space surrounded by tents, filled with wool and frowning female workers.

Upon seeing Jiu Que arrive, almost everyone stood up hastily, somewhat flustered. This Lord Ying had kindly invited them to work, but they were proving useless. Almost a month had passed, and they still hadn't produced the wool Lord Ying wanted. They were extremely anxious, fearing Lord Ying would send them home. Working under Lord Ying had brought them more than just money; it had given them a sense of security from earning their own money. Whether married or unmarried, their families looked upon them with more respect. This was a novel experience for them. Although women held a higher status in the borderlands, the harsh environment and barren soil meant that men were still the primary labor force. This was the first time they had tasted the joy of earning money through their own labor—it was truly wonderful.

The head of the wool mill was Yang Wanwan, the wife of a military commander. She was a remarkably literate woman, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, with a resilient character. Jiu Que had noticed her at the egg-hatching farm and promoted her to the wool mill. She was eager to make a name for herself and show others that women were no less capable than men, but almost a month had passed with no progress, putting immense pressure on her.

"Lord Ying, it's not that we haven't worked hard, but for some reason, no matter how many times we wash this wool, it remains stiff and can't reach the thread-like consistency you described. I... I truly feel I've let you down..."

Jiu Que remained silent, intently observing each step. Washing wool required a large amount of water, and the wool factory was conveniently located beside a large river with abundant water. Now that it was autumn, the river water was gradually cooling, but the female workers spared no effort, and many of their hands had already become rough. This was only early autumn; if the weather grew colder, their hands would likely become red and swollen.

However, even though everyone's face showed undisguised exhaustion, no one slacked off. They just stood there cautiously, watching Ying Jiuque with utmost care, hoping that this Lord Ying who had descended from the sky could help them solve their current predicament.

These people aren't stupid. They know that Lord Ying is here to help them solve the problem of the Northern Frontier Army's lack of silver and food. Did Lord Ying eat all those chicks that hatched from the chicken farm all by himself? Wasn't it all for the sake of the people on the frontier?
That's why everyone's anxious. The chicken farm is already on track, but the wool factory is still stuck in the first step. If they could really make soft and warm wool clothes as Lord Ying said, how wonderful that would be! At least the people on the border wouldn't have to suffer from the cold anymore...

(End of this chapter)