You have truly caused me great suffering!

Early in the morning, Cui Die and the two newly arrived maids helped Chen Shao get dressed.

He wore a brocade bellyband around his waist, a cloud-patterned brocade robe over it, and a belt inlaid with gold and jade. He was having breakfast in the room with Li Yumei, who had stayed there the night before.

The four maids in the room that came with him this time were sent by Li Tangchen.

They were said to have served Li Yumei since childhood, and then Li Yumei sent them to his room. In reality, they were all her cousins.

As a prince, he indeed had far too few people serving him.

Chen Shao accepted it with a smile.

In any case, anyone who can come to his side must have been investigated by Guangyuantang, including their ancestors for eighteen generations.

Originally, Li Yumei didn't want to do it this way, because this should be done by the Zhong family, and her arrangement made it seem like she was fighting for something.

After all, serving Chen Shao closely was no simple, menial job.

Countless people would be willing to risk their lives to come here.

But seeing that the princess had no such idea and the Zhong family hadn't done it either, Li Yumei had no choice but to do it herself.

She first cautiously asked Zhong Lingxi, but the latter didn't pay any attention and just gave a few perfunctory replies.

Li Tangchen hesitated, fearing that it would displease the princess, but he still found some gentle and quiet girls in the clan who would not cause trouble and sent them to the palace.

He repeatedly instructed them not to talk too much and to simply serve the King of Dai.

So Chen Shao was very surprised that this batch of maids was of such high quality. Each of them had an elegant demeanor, fair and delicate skin, and graceful manners, showing the demeanor of a refined lady.

Little did he know, these were all genuine ladies from prominent families.

Chen Shao's wives and concubines were of a relatively high standard, but his maids, due to his extreme caution, had never been able to eat anything good.

Hei Niu, who came from Fuyan Road in the northwest, was one of the main maids of the Prince's Mansion.

These maids spoke with a strong Kansai accent, were rough and careless, and their few good points were that they were efficient and had cheerful personalities.

Li Yumei served up a glass of fragrant West Lake Longjing tea, leaned against Chen Shao, and asked, "Is Your Majesty going out again today?"

Chen Shao leaned back on a brocade cushion and said, "I'd like to relax at home, but your father and the others won't let me off the hook."

Li Yumei smiled, picked a fruit and put it in his mouth, saying with a smile, "Your Majesty, just tell them that you want to stay in the manor to pray for offspring, and see who dares to say anything more."

Chen Shao found it amusing and slapped her on the bottom. "Stop talking nonsense. By the way, your sister Xiao should be coming today. If I haven't returned yet, please make the arrangements for me."

"I know, Sister Xiao and I are best friends. If you come, you don't need to arrange for me to stay anywhere else. Just squeeze in with me to sleep." Li Yumei raised her eyebrows slightly and said with a coquettish smile, "If Your Majesty misses Sister Xiao, just go to my humble place."

Chen Shao chuckled, stood up, clapped his hands, pinched her cheek, and said nothing.

Stepping outside, the cold wind invigorated him.

Even now, with so many official documents to submit every day, Chen Shao is still relatively free during the New Year period.

Everyone wants to celebrate the New Year, right?

Upon arriving at the council hall, one could hear a commotion inside, with officials gathered in small groups to discuss matters.

Even after Chen Shao came in, many people did not stop and continued to discuss government affairs.

This is their usual practice. When Chen Shao, as the person in charge, doesn't like everyone being overly respectful and ostentatious, but prefers a more pragmatic approach, this is the kind of effect that will occur.

Of course, it's not necessarily bad for everyone to stand up and greet him as soon as he enters, and then discuss matters together.

This depends entirely on the lord's personal preference; there is no distinction between high and low.

Most of the time, the style and behavior of a force or group depend entirely on the likes and dislikes of its leader.

Chen Shao sat down in his seat and did not call anyone else forward, but instead began to read today's reports by himself.

They learned that the government was very cooperative and willing to produce the maritime transport documents.

Moreover, it contains not only blueprints for building ships, but also valuable information such as sea route maps, customs, politics, and geography of the countries along the way.

There were even star-gazing techniques and celestial measuring rods: latitude was determined by observing the altitude of Polaris, and combined with tools such as star-gazing boards and sounding hammers, forming a systematic navigation and positioning system.

The maritime trade in the Song Dynasty was highly developed, and it was roughly divided into two routes.

The East Sea Route started from Mingzhou (present-day Ningbo) and led to Japan and Goryeo. For example, the envoy ship "Wanhu Shenzhou" traveled to and from Goryeo a few years ago, which caused a sensation throughout the Goryeo Kingdom.

The South China Sea route, with Quanzhou and Guangzhou as hubs, connects Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean coast, and East Africa, forming the "Spice Route" and the "Ceramic Route".

The Song Dynasty shipwreck discovered in later generations contained 180,000 pieces of porcelain alone.

Then, large quantities of ivory, rhinoceros horn, coral, and other valuables were transported back to the Central Plains via the Maritime Silk Road.

The Song Dynasty was wealthy mainly because of this, and in the later period, maritime trade taxes accounted for 15%-20% of the national treasury revenue, becoming a pillar of the dynasty.

If it weren't for the interruption by the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the Song dynasty's maritime technology and potential would not be underestimated.

These blueprints and experiences are extremely valuable; if Zhao Huan hadn't cooperated so much, it would have been very difficult to obtain them.

Chen Shao secretly credited Zhao Huan for this achievement.

Your Majesty, do a good job, and I will not treat you unfairly!
Now, Chen Shao only needs to wait for Liu Jizu to return with these things, and then hand them over to the caravan to handle.

If it can be managed well, it won't just be about making some money.
-

In Taiyuan, a horse-drawn carriage mingled with a caravan as it slowly entered the city.

The caravans of Guangyuantang in the Northwest had long been a constant presence on the roads to and from Taiyuan.

The people of Hedong inevitably complained that the money was all being made by them, but there was nothing they could do about it, since Guangyuantang had such a powerful background.

The female servant driving the carriage asked a few questions softly from beside the curtain, her attitude very respectful.

A cold voice came from inside, and the carriage was driven into a courtyard.

Someone lifted the curtain and helped a woman in red down to stand gracefully in the courtyard.

Her embroidered clothes and cloud-like hair, her fair skin and exquisite features made her a captivating sight even in the winter.

When Xiao entered the room, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and three charcoal stoves were burning fiercely, turning the walls of the stoves red in several places, and a wave of heat hit her face.

She loosened her sash and gently removed her silk robes, then took a bath with the help of her maids.

Then several maids brought over a stack of clothes. After Xiao Shi changed into them, her clothes changed from bright and luxurious brocade fur coats to simple clothes.

"Have the gifts for all the ladies been prepared?"

"Reporting to Madam, everything is ready."

Xiao nodded, and was about to leave when she suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "The last time I saw the King's maids, there were few of them and they weren't pretty. They've probably been replaced by his personal maids by now. You all know that these personal maids are the closest to their masters."

A maid said with a smile, "Of course we are all of one mind with Madam. Madam is even closer than a mother to us."

Xiao smiled irritably and said, "Then prepare a few more portions. If the King has personal maids, give them to him. If not, I'll be lenient and give you little hussies a chance to stay by the King's side."

"We servants are not fortunate enough to have such an opportunity, and we are reluctant to part with our mistress." The Great Cold was approaching, the cold wind howled, and white mist shone outside the window.

Xiao's hair wasn't completely dry, so she wrapped her head in a cloth to keep out the wind and cold. She clutched her clothes tightly, stood facing the wind, not feeling the cold at all, but only feeling refreshed and relaxed.

"Let's go to the Prince's Mansion!"

The thought of opening a second trade route filled Xiao with a burning desire.

For her, business is no longer simply about making money. She doesn't have much of an obsession with money, but she enjoys the feeling of making a fortune every day.

She was fascinated by the sense of accomplishment that seemed to come from personally building mountains of gold.

For her, getting along harmoniously with everyone in the Prince's mansion was not difficult at all.

But the Prince of Dai was indeed quite formidable, beyond her control, and she could never fathom his thoughts.

Therefore, doing some superficial work, preparing some gifts, and maintaining good relationships with other people in the Prince's Mansion were all things that could be done casually.

What really gave Xiao a headache was how to persuade Chen Shao to fully support her in opening the sea!
Once inside the carriage and seated, Madam Xiao touched the soft fabric of her bodice, secretly encouraging herself.

At this time, she was unaware that Chen Shao cared even more about it than she did.
He knew all too well whether opening the sea was a good thing or not.

Resources are plentiful outside, and there aren't even any elite monsters; they're all easy targets.

The real fighters in the world these days are all hiding around me.

Even the cat in Goryeo in the east, looking weak and trembling between the Jin, Song and Guo Yaoshi.

If you were to move it elsewhere, it would be a mini-tyrant, and it would probably expand rapidly.

Yelü Dashi had been utterly thrashed by the Jin Dynasty, like a stray dog, and fled in a sorry state to the west, only to suddenly find himself invincible.

When Xiao's carriage arrived at the Prince's Mansion, she found that Li Yumei had been waiting there for a long time. Upon seeing them arrive, Li Yumei clutched the collar of her sable coat and greeted them with a smile.

"How could I trouble my sister to come and greet me in person?"

"Sister, what are you saying? There's no need for us to be so distant."

We've only met once, and we're just nodding acquaintances.

Neither of them knew where their good relationship came from, but neither of them revealed it. They walked hand in hand into the palace in a warm and friendly manner.

Led by Li Yumei, Xiao Shi strolled around the Prince's mansion, visiting each courtyard in turn.

They all gathered here at Zhonglingxi.

As a princess, Huanhuan's courtyard was quite large. The size of the garden alone exceeded that of an ordinary wealthy family. At this moment, the soil in the garden was turned upside down, the artificial hill had not yet been erected, and only a water channel meandered in the garden, covered with a thin layer of ice, which showed how cold the weather was.

Thinking back to where Chen Shao used to live in Taiyuan, it wasn't very big, so it seems it has been expanded and renovated.

When Xiao visited his own courtyard earlier, she noticed that it wasn't very large, but the princess had built it to be very spacious.

Keeping these thoughts in mind, Xiao reminded herself that the king was not the type to favor his concubines over his wife, and that she should try to maintain a good relationship with the queen in the future.

Fortunately, her ambition was never to compete for favor in the harem, so she wasn't too concerned about that aspect.

When Chen Shao returned, it was already late. Seeing the lively atmosphere in the room, he was also happy.

Madam Xiao quickly stood up to pay her respects, and Chen Shao helped her up, saying, "We're all family, no need to be so polite."

Li Shishi asked, "Has my lord eaten yet?"

“I ate with them.”

After Chen Shao finished speaking, he looked around and saw that half of the women in the mansion had arrived.

Zhong Lingxi sat in the middle, with Xiao Shi and Li Yumei on either side, Chun Tao next to Chen Shao, and the Jin sisters next to Shi Shi. For a moment, they were quite happy together.

After chatting for a while, Huanhuan got a little tired and started to ask people to leave.

Xiao was indeed sleeping in Li Yumei's room, and Chen Shao naturally followed.

After washing up, the three of them went to bed and squeezed together, all wearing only their undergarments and trousers.

When Xiao saw that Li Yumei's words were so offensive, she secretly spat in her heart and went over to her.

Both of them are shrewd and intelligent.
-

For the next few days, Chen Shao did not mention the matter.

Five days later, on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Jizu returned.

Upon receiving the news, Chen Shao finished his breakfast early in the morning and went to Li Yumei's courtyard.

Seeing Xiao Shi washing up, Chen Shao patted her arm and said, "Change your clothes and come with me."

A short while later, the two arrived at the study, where Liu Jizu was already waiting.

While looking through the blueprints and documents he had brought back, Chen Shao began to talk to Xiao about the ship.

Listening to him speak eloquently about the current situation at sea in the Song Dynasty and his expectations for himself.

Only then did Lady Xiao realize that Chen Shao was a hundred times better prepared than she had been, and had even obtained such valuable documents from the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

Her beautiful eyes lit up, and she longed to hug Chen Shao and kiss him.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble concubine will certainly not disappoint you."

Chen Shao chuckled and said, "I know your abilities. If you have any difficulties, just let me know."

Xiao felt a surge of emotion. Unlike Li Shishi, she didn't like to hear sweet words.

The phrase "If you have any difficulties, just say so" was the most pleasing to her ears.

Moreover, she didn't hold back and immediately began to make her demands, "Your Majesty, there are bandits roaming the seas, and when we reach foreign lands, there are bound to be some villains. If Your Majesty could allocate some armored soldiers to me, it would be better to protect the caravan."

Chen Shao chuckled and said, "My men are all warriors from the Northwest; how could they withstand the rough seas?"

"I have already informed Qu Duan, and asked him to recruit sailors, build a naval base, construct warships for escort, and sail with the merchant caravans."

Upon hearing this, Xiao realized that she probably wouldn't be able to mobilize the navy again, and was slightly disappointed.

But since there were sailors protecting them, the problem was solved.

She knew in her heart that Chen Shao would never allow anyone to simultaneously control both financial and military power.

At this moment, Chen Shao's heart was no calmer than hers. He was filled with anticipation, imagining that he might be able to change the course of the Central Plains civilization once again on the vast ocean.

Once the navy is established, coupled with the already prosperous maritime trade of the Song Dynasty, the Age of Exploration will inevitably arrive sooner than expected.

At this time, Qu Duan was indeed waiting to build a navy, but that was not for him. He wanted to cross the sea to the north to attack the Jin dynasty.

As the battle line receded further north, Qu Duan and his men were frantic; they hadn't even fought a single battle yet! (End of Chapter)