The villain prince is three and a half years old

Ning Zhixing, the world's best carpenter, was basking in the sun. He had just finished a new wheelchair for Ning Shouxu and added some customized functions at Ning Shouxu's request.

Xia Jing pulled him up and took out a glass bead.

This glass bead is a 'weird little inspiration'. The effect of the prop has been used up, but the bead is still there.

Xia Jing demonstrated with glass beads, through which one could see an enlarged and distorted world.

He proposed a technical vision to make a lens that could stably magnify the field of vision, but he also raised a technical difficulty: the glass was not transparent enough.

Ning Zhixing was indeed interested and agreed to study it with Xia Jing.

This research is more complicated than the wheelchair research. First, we need to collect technical information on glass, then collect raw materials, and build a place to burn glass. It takes a long time to prepare.

Xia Jing was not in a hurry. The State of Chu was not strong at the moment. As long as Ning State took action, it could interrupt the rise of the State of Chu.

Compared to making a telescope, it is more important to make the Ning Dynasty take action at a critical juncture.

The State of Chu was next to the State of Yan and had close relations with it. If we had intelligence from Yan, we would be able to better persuade Emperor Kangning.

If persuasion doesn't work, then the only option is to use a dream catcher.

If possible, Xia Jing didn't want to use a dream catcher on powerful characters. If those characters moved, the impact would be huge, which would disrupt the future and erase his advantage of knowing the plot.

This was partly the reason why he didn't reveal the technology of cement and gunpowder, and partly because cement and gunpowder were not magic weapons for success, at least not the newly developed cement and gunpowder technologies. The Ning Dynasty was not a monolithic entity, and technology could easily be leaked.

He didn't want to turn the cold weapon war among the seven nations ten years later into a meat grinder with flying gunfire.

At least until he is sure of controlling those technologies, they should just stay in the Ninth Prince's head.

Now, let’s do some livelihood projects first.

Before the ninth prince of Minsheng tycoon could finish the production of the glass workshop, the slaves of Cining Palace, no, it was the prince's farm of Cining Palace that opened first.

Xia Jing sat in the arms of Empress Dowager You, who was sitting in the pavilion in the back garden, watching Ning Shouxu and Ning Zhixing sweating in the fields.

Sun Jingzhu played the zither, making mistakes from time to time. She looked at Ning Shouxu nervously.

Chapter 131 Yi Qiu Crying

Xia Jing looked up at Empress Dowager You. The old lady had certainly noticed Sun Jingzhu's distraction, but she said nothing and just drank her tea.

She lowered her head and asked the boy in her arms, "Your soap is pretty good, do you have any more?"

"There are still a few pieces left, and the next batch will be ready soon." Xia Jing looked at Queen Mother You in confusion, "Grandma, are they all gone so soon?"

"The fragrance is too strong. I didn't use it, so I gave it to Yuhe and the others. From a distance, it smells pretty good." Empress Dowager You said.

Xia Jing was filled with awe. He had never expected Empress Dowager You to have such a discerning eye. Even things like perfume, not to mention soap, were more pleasant to smell on others than on oneself.

"When the next batch is ready, I'll ask Honeysuckle to deliver it." Xia Jing said.

Counting the days, the second batch had actually been completed, but Xia Jing didn't have time to go to Xue's house to get it.

"I won't take it from you for nothing. I'll give you ten taels of silver for each piece." said Empress Dowager You.

If Empress Dowager You hadn't mentioned it, Xia Jing would have almost forgotten that he made handmade soap to make money.

As a little prince still in the palace, he really had no use for money. Although Jingyixuan was not rich, he already had some assets.

Moreover, the price of ten taels of silver was too high, and the Ninth Prince felt uneasy about earning this money.

Of course, handmade soap wasn't worth ten taels of silver; even one tael was too much, as the estimated cost was only a few coins. However, when the royal family was purchasing supplies, a lower price would make them look less attractive. In the previous dynasty, the royal family even made a fool of themselves by purchasing an egg for ten taels of silver.

Daily necessities and luxury goods are two different markets. If we don’t think of it as soap, but instead think of it as a string of perfumes with English names, the price of ten taels of silver will become much more normal.

Xia Jing shook his head and rejected the high price offered by Empress Dowager You: "One tael of silver is enough. I have other fragrances!"

Thanks to the Ninth Prince's connections, a handmade soap order was secured while still in development. The newly registered Jiutao Shenhuo Soap Co., Ltd. immediately became the exclusive partner of the Cining Palace. Unfortunately, they couldn't hire Emperor Kang Ning as their brand ambassador.

Xia Jing yawned and looked at the fields. Ning Shouxu and Ning Zhixing were watering and weeding respectively.

Ning Shouxu was watering the plants. It wasn't hard work, at least easier than weeding. However, the land next to the fields was not suitable for a wheelchair, and Ning Shouxu was staggering back and forth, which was frightening to watch.

Jumping out of Empress Dowager You's arms, Xia Jing went to support Ning Shouxu.

After finishing their farm work, the three princes walked out of the Cining Palace and rubbed their sore parts.

They parted at the door. Ning Zhixing went to study glass making, Xia Jing went to the study to attend classes, and Ning Shouxu returned to Yanghexuan to play with sand.

In the upper study, Zhang Zanyu examined the Ninth Prince's recent studies and assigned him new tasks.

Xia Jing looked at the long study list and asked, "Is this enough for a year?"

"No, ten days." Zhang Zanyu said.

Ten days is ten days.

"I'm young, Master Zhang, please don't try to trick me." Xia Jing refused to accept it. "It's impossible to complete it in ten days!"

"As long as the Ninth Prince comes to the study on time every day, and doesn't come late or leave early, it doesn't matter if he fails to complete the task. This means that my requirements are too high, and it is my fault." Zhang Zanyu stroked his beard.

"What if you're late or leave early?" Xia Jing asked cautiously.

"Then it's not my fault. It's the Ninth Prince's laziness. When the time comes, I will have no choice but to report it to the Emperor."

Zhang Zanyu's attitude was tough, and Xia Jing accepted it with grief.

He knew that it would be difficult to continue this life of drying the nets every day and rarely fishing, but he didn't expect that Zhang Zanyu would react so quickly and start increasing his learning.

The tasks on the list include calligraphy and memorization. It is an exaggeration to say that it takes a year, but for other princes, it is at least one or two months.

However, Zhang Zanyu still underestimated the Ninth Prince. A mere month or two of study for the other princes was no problem for Xia Jing, who had the added bonus of "Amu's Patience." Besides, he knew all the characters, and only needed to memorize some of them.

Pretend to be unable to accept it first to confuse Zhang Zanyu.

Xia Jing put away his study list and pretended to be deeply shocked. Ning Chengrui and Ning Gaoxiang, who were watching from the side, were delighted. They also wanted to follow Xia Jing's example of only drying the nets and not fishing, but their mothers refused to allow it. They joined forces to resist and were taught a lesson by their two mothers.

Ning Gaoxiang often looked at Xia Jing with envy. He sometimes wondered if he could have enjoyed such treatment if he had been under Xiao Yue's wing instead of Concubine Rou's.

There was no need to think about it now. He just stood up and took a look. There was no way that the contents on the list could be completed within ten days. Xia Jing would either have to go to school as hard as he did, or go to his father to apologize in ten days.

My father is not a soft-hearted person, not even when facing the prince.

The lost Ninth Prince used painting to relieve his sorrow. Adversity is the best source of inspiration for an artist. He painted the story of a farmer and a snake. The farmer who saved the snake was killed by the venomous snake instead.

Zhang Zanyu took the painting, tore it off and put it into his sleeve as usual. This time he frowned and did not quite agree with the content of the painting.

But he didn't object. After class, he took the painting to the Yangxin Palace.

Emperor Kangning looked at the painting and, contrary to Zhang Zanyu's reaction, nodded in approval.

"That's right. Send this and the previous copies to the princes' palaces, and also give them to the crown prince and the eldest prince." Emperor Kangning issued the dissemination order again.

"I think it's inappropriate," Zhang Zanyu advised. "The Snake Farmer's Notes is a bit narrow-minded."

"How narrow-minded? When saving people, one should distinguish between good and bad. Saving the bad and then getting killed is not a great story."

"Snakes are also subjects of the Emperor. Their primary concern should be education. How can we simply ignore them? I suggest changing the ending slightly so that the farmer gets bit and then recovers from a minor illness."

"Little Dezi!" Emperor Kangning ignored Zhang Zanyu and called Xu Zhongde to carry out his own orders.

He even went further: "Put the article about the snake farmer at the top."

"Yes." Xu Zhongde agreed.

He didn't ask for a reward for the Ninth Prince this time. Emperor Kangning and Zhang Zanyu were arguing. Moreover, with the attention Emperor Kangning was paying to the Ninth Prince, he didn't need to ask. Emperor Kangning would remember it later. Even better, it would be better if he remembered it later.

He left the Hall of Mental Cultivation holding the painting.

With no one around, Zhang Zanyu looked at the eunuch guarding the door and whispered what Emperor Kangning was thinking: "Your Majesty, this is for the sake of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"That's right." Emperor Kang Ning admitted.

Zhang Zanyu sighed. Emperor Kangning could be considered a wise ruler in terms of both attitude and ability, but he was too harsh on officials and gentry.

Officials gathered around the crown prince, hoping that he would abolish those harsh decrees after he ascended the throne. The crown prince was considered a wise ruler by all officials, but Emperor Kangning was not.

"I have other things to entrust to Master Zhang." Emperor Kangning changed the subject.

He took out a letter and handed it to Zhang Zanyu.

Zhang Zanyu took it, flipped through it quickly, and said happily, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

The memorial was about the State of Yan. Yan agreed to the conditions, ceded the city, and handed over the prince and princess as hostages.

The prince and princess of Yan are already on the way and will be able to enter the capital in about ten days.

"When the time comes, the education of the Yan prince will be handed over to Master Zhang." Emperor Kangning said.

Zhang Zanyu shook his head. "I am old and lack energy. I was planning to resign after the New Year. Now that the Prince of Yan has arrived, I will let the next master continue teaching. This will prevent the Prince of Yan from being upset by a change of teacher."

This means he wants to resign in advance. When the Prince of Yan arrives, it will be time for him to leave.

……

Xia Jing didn't know that the stern old man was going to leave early. He was outside the palace, in the Xue family's yard, taking inventory of his handmade soap.

I made a lot this time, and there are three new flavors, no, they are scents.

It was strange, why was he thinking about the taste just now, he had never eaten soap. Xia Jing was a little confused.

Xia Jing left one piece of each scent for Xue Zhixi. After returning to the harem, he divided the new soaps among the people, kept a few pieces for future use, and gave the rest to the Cining Palace, earning forty-six taels of silver.

Back at Jingyixuan, he saw his portfolio. It turned out that Kang Ningdi was not going to stop publishing once the first piece was finished, but was planning to collect a few pieces and publish them together.

Xia Jing flipped through the booklet. In addition to The Farmer and the Snake, there were four other stories: The Wolf and the Little Cat Fishing, The Fox and the Crow, and The Little Pony Crossing the River.

By tomorrow, these pamphlets will flow out of the palace and into the wealthy homes of the capital, and then spread throughout the capital and Ningguo.

If you have an entertainment system, you will definitely be able to earn a lot of rewards.

Yet his system only cared about his birthday party.

There are still eight days left for the birthday, and Xia Jing is not planning to invite anyone. He can't invite the Queen, Concubine Jing, or Concubine Duan. He can invite Concubine Rou, but considering Xiao Yue's mood, he decided not to.

The rest, what is supposed to come will come, and if it doesn’t come, it’s no big deal.

He dropped the booklet and ran to the supervisory department to supervise Ning Zhixing's work.

Eight days passed quickly. The glass workshop of the craftsman supervisor had just been built and started to be used for experiments. At the same time, the Ninth Prince's birthday arrived.

In the morning, the sky was unusually overcast. In the afternoon, heavy rain and strong winds came, blowing and beating, and the tiles on the roof of the palace creaked.

It was a rare day off in the study room, and classes were suspended. Xia Jing sat on the doorstep, watching the rain flowing down the eaves.

"What is Jing'er thinking about?" Xiao Yue bent down and looked at the boy's face.

Thinking about this lousy weather. Xia Jing muttered in his heart, why did it rain on his birthday instead of earlier or later?

As the night wore on, the rain showed no sign of stopping. Not only was it difficult to get the guests on their way, but even getting the food from the imperial kitchen became a problem.

"It's raining so hard, let's forget about it tonight," Xia Jing leaned back and looked at Xiao Yue's face, "Let Xiao Tianzi go and inform Empress Xian and the others, and we can do it again when the weather clears up."

There were no raincoats in that era, and the palace could not use sedan chairs with roofs. It was impossible not to get wet when walking in such rain.

"How can we not do it? The young master has been looking forward to it for days." Yi Qiu interrupted, tears welling up in her eyes. She stared at Xia Jing for a long time, interpreting the boy's pensiveness as melancholy. The Ninth Prince had been melancholy all day.

"We can't let the Empress and the others get cold. If they come to Jingyixuan to change clothes, it will be too messy and very indecent." Xia Jing replied.

He didn't feel anything. He had pretended to be looking forward to it to give face to Xiao Yue and Concubine Xian. In his previous life, he had never celebrated his birthday.

"Then we will spend the day with the young master." Yi Qiu wiped away her tears, "We can spend the day another day, but today is the day for now."

"Okay." Xia Jing agreed and turned to look at Xiao Tianzi, "Go and get someone to notify them."

Xiao Tianzi stood under the eaves without moving, turned his head to look at Xiao Yue with a nervous expression.

Huh? Xia Jing noticed something was wrong.

Chapter 132 The Ninth Prince’s Birthday Banquet

Xiao Yue patted Xia Jing's head and said with a smile, "It's not them who are going to get wet, it's us."

Honeysuckle came from the corridor and handed over a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat.

In such rain, the oil-paper umbrella can only be torn to pieces by the wind, so the straw raincoat is of some use. When the rain is heavy, water droplets will flow into the straw raincoat through the cracks.

Xiao Yue put a straw raincoat on Xia Jing and tied a bamboo hat on him: "Your wives and your brothers and sisters are already waiting."

Xia Jing was stunned: "Aren't we doing it at Jingyixuan?"

Yi Qiu was stunned: "No need to cancel it?"

"It's been decided long ago. It's not at Jingyixuan. Sister Xian and Sister Yun and the others were preparing there before the rain started."