I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 83 Lack of Manpower

In the princess' carriage, Gu Xuan huddled in a corner and shivered violently.

She knew everything. Tang Zhao knew everything. Gu Xuan was afraid. Tang Zhao dared to threaten Bai Rouyin in front of the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Her mother doted on Tang Zhao so much. Gu Xuan couldn't imagine how Tang Zhao would deal with her.

The carriage was silent all the way. After returning to the palace, Tang Zhao went back to the Bidan Courtyard without looking back, while Gu Ci pushed Gu Xuan to Minghui Hall.

In Minghui Hall, Princess Xuan remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Gu Xuan trembled with fear, "Mother..."

"I originally thought that even if she didn't have a mother-daughter relationship with me, she would at least feel a little guilty," Princess Xuan chuckled. "I was too foolish."

"Go back to your room and continue copying books."

Gu Xuan was surprised. She didn't expect her mother to let her go so easily. She immediately got up from the ground and slipped away.

Gu Ci looked at Princess Xuan worriedly, "Mother."

"It's alright, Mother is used to it." Princess Xuan's gaze turned gentle towards her son. "As long as I'm Princess Xuan, and as long as your elder brother is Crown Prince Xuan, the Meng family won't dare cross the line."

Gu Ci frowned, "What is the Meng family's intention in teaching Seventh Sister to be like this?"

"Of course they want Xuan'er to marry the eldest son of the eldest house. If the Meng family holds Xuan'er in their hands, the palace will be wary of any future actions."

"Meng Yixin?" Gu Ci frowned even more tightly. "My son seems to have heard that he has a bad reputation?"

"If he were a good man, how could he bear to marry him to Xuan'er?" Princess Xuan sighed, "If it were me, I would never allow a daughter-in-law like Xuan'er to enter my family."

Gu Ci also felt that Gu Xuan did a lot of inappropriate things.

"Forget it, let's not talk about her anymore," Princess Xuan rubbed her brows, "Are you and Zhao Shan having a quarrel?"

Gu Ci pursed his lips and whispered Tang Zhao's warning to Bai Rouyin, "She seems to still be bothered by the Lake Heart Island incident."

Princess Xuan looked at her silly son and said, "Zhao Shan is not bothered by the incident on the lake island, she is bothered by the disturbance at Jing'an Temple."

Gu Ci listened carefully to Princess Xuan's words, "If Zhao Shan really cared about the Lake Heart Island incident, after helping you cover up your lie, she would have argued with you when she returned to the courtyard."

Gu Ci clenched his fingers slightly, "She didn't."

"But today, Zhaoshan first taught Xuan'er a lesson, then warned Rouyin, and finally ignored you," Princess Xuan sighed, "This is what makes her really angry."

Gu Ci clenched his right hand.

"Go and apologize to Zhao Shan. After all, it's because of you that Rouyin and Meng Shu'er targeted Zhao Shan."

"Son, I understand." Gu Ci hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mother, can you give me some loyal stewards?"

Princess Xuan looked at her son for a long moment. This was the first time Gu Ci had asked her for something. "Okay."

Gu Ci stood up and left Minghui Hall, returning to the Bidan Courtyard. He asked Zhaohui, who was guarding the study, "Is the princess in the main courtyard?"

"Yes," Zhao Hui said, "The head and steward of Mingxia Manor have come to pay their respects to the princess. They've been waiting all day."

Gu Ci nodded, walked to the bookshelf, opened the secret compartment, took out the treasured "Collection of Divine Weapons" and returned to the desk to read.

Zhaohui didn't hear the sound of turning pages for a long time. He looked around quietly and was surprised to find that his master was distracted.

In the main courtyard, Tang Zhao was listening to Song Kai's report on the progress of the canal.

"The main canal has been completed, and the four auxiliary canals are mostly finished. Preparations for the remaining small canals have been made, and we're just waiting for the next spring to resume work." Sun Qing continued, "The farm strictly follows the schedule set by the princess. Rest when needed, work when needed. All wages have been paid out. The tenants are grateful for the princess's kindness, and before leaving, they specially prepared some gifts for me to give to her."

He rubbed his hands, his honest face full of embarrassment, "These are worthless things, just a token of appreciation from the tenants, so I shamelessly brought them here."

"These things," Sun Qing pointed at a pile of mountain products and dried goods on the ground, "the princess's precious body certainly can't use them. They can be used as rewards or as extra dishes for the girls and guards in the courtyard."

Song Kai chimed in, "The tenant farmers usually pick them in the mountains, dry them in the sun, and store them at home. They only take them out during the New Year or when entertaining distinguished guests."

Tang Zhao took a closer look at the pile of dried mountain products, which included everything from edible wood ear mushrooms to dried sheepskin and cowhide.

"Please tell Mr. Sun Zhuang that I like it very much." Tang Zhao smiled, feeling that all the anger of the day had dissipated completely. "Thank you all for your kindness on my behalf."

"Next spring, I will go to Mingxia Manor to visit everyone in person."

The head of the manor, Sun Zhuang, said modestly, "How can I, a mere lowly creature, deserve the Princess's thanks?" Then he added joyfully, "Since the Princess has arrived, everyone in Mingxia Manor will treat her with the utmost respect."

"Your kindness is a thousand times more precious than pearls and gems."

When Sun Zhuangtou heard this, tears couldn't help but flow from his eyes.

"New Year's Eve is coming soon. I've prepared gifts for everyone in Mingxia Manor. They're not many," Tang Zhao said. "They're not worth much either, so please don't despise them."

Sun Qing slid off the wooden stool and knelt on the ground. "The reward from the princess is the best festival gift. I and the tenants dare not despise it."

"That's good. There are a lot of things, and we haven't prepared them all yet," Tang Zhao counted the days. "Wait until the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, when you come to the palace to make your year-end report, bring more people to take the things away."

Sun Qing took note of it and asked in detail about what Mingxia Manor was going to do during this period of time before bowing and leaving.

After Song Kai and the others left, he said, "The princess gave me potato seeds before. I tried planting them according to her instructions. The yield is really amazing. One seedling can produce five kilograms of potatoes."

"If these potatoes can really fill the stomach as the princess said, then they will truly benefit all people."

When Song Kai thought of the round, gray potatoes in the greenhouse, he felt like there was a fire burning in his heart.

Tang Zhao was delighted. "Okay, you continue to cultivate potato seeds. Produce as many as you can and wait until next spring to try planting."

She walked back and forth twice. "The potato matter must be kept secret. No one else can know about it without my permission."

Song Kai assured, "Don't worry, Princess. No one else knows except this old slave and Qian Wu's family."

Speaking of Qian Wu, Tang Zhao thought of another person, "How is Yunniang?"

Song Kai said without hesitation, "Qian Wu's wife is a good one! She learns things very quickly, and she's good at accounting and housekeeping. She has arranged the greenhouse and potato cultivation in perfect order."

"In my opinion, leaving Qian Wu's wife on the farm is a waste of her talent."

"Oh?" Tang Zhao was curious. "It's rare to see you recommend someone like this."

"Not only Qian Wu's wife, but also his two daughters are good too." Song Kai was not afraid that Qian Wu's family had been servants of the Duke of Wei's mansion. "The princess is short of people, so you might as well use them. If you don't need them, you can just go back to the farm."

"Okay," Tang Zhao ordered, "Then have the mother and daughter come to see me at the palace in five days."

Zhao Zhao: We need to set up a big stall.

Author: Please give me lots of rewards, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets and comments!

(End of this chapter)