After giving up being the wife of a powerful official, Ling Yunlu became a concubine

"To...to...to answer your question, Your Highness, I discovered it by accident half a year ago. I only moved the loose parts at the foot of the mountain and made farm tools out of them. Sometimes neighbors thought they were good and gave them some money to take them away."

Li Zhuangtou tremblingly told how he discovered it and how he smelted the iron.

There was a heavy snow last winter, and the spring began to get unusually hot, and it started raining during the Qingming Festival.

The peak near the foot of the mountain cracked and a lot of rubble rolled down.

Li Zhuangtou was worried about the danger and wanted to go and take a look to make sure there were no more rubble falling and hitting anyone.

When he was patrolling the mountain, he found a fallen stone that looked like a dagger.

He took it home, thinking it would be useful as a knife for chopping pig grass.

After trying it at home, I found it really works well, and it’s even sturdier than the knives I have at home.

Li Zhuangtou had an idea about the hill. He didn't know where the bold idea came from, but he thought of refining the stones to see if he could produce iron.

He took advantage of the cover of night to carry back all the stones that had collapsed from the mountain, and secretly smelted them at home at night.

He was lucky as he was able to produce a small amount of molten iron the first time.

He poured it into the mold and got a knife.

He took a knife and swung it at the bamboo outside the yard, and the bamboo broke immediately, scaring everyone in the family.

When he looked at the knife, he knew that this mountain was a treasure.

You know, it was his first time smelting iron, so the purity of the iron was not high enough, but it was still extremely sharp.

He thought about digging up all the stones in the mountains, smelting them, and making them into ironware to sell.

In this dynasty, iron casting was not allowed at will. All iron tools were not only expensive but also very scarce.

If he could smelt it, he could definitely earn enough money to last for several generations.

However, when he learned that the owner of Zhuangzi was the queen of the royal palace, he gave up the idea.

In this era where royal power is supreme, you have to have money but also have the life to spend it.

He didn't care, since half of his body was already buried in the ground.

But his daughter is still young and his grandson is only a few years old.

In the end, he resisted the temptation and only fixed the cracked part at the bottom and replaced the farm tools at home.

He knew that the entire mountain and the farm belonged to the boss. If he took the boss's property without permission, the boss could send his entire family to jail.

After he finished speaking, he fell to the ground and couldn’t get up.

"Your Highness, I was greedy. This is all my fault. I will accept any punishment you want. Please let my family go."

Li Zhuangtou kowtowed several times.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Shen Yunjin frowned tightly.

"Only I and my eldest son know about this. I know this is a serious matter, so I dare not make it public."

Xiao Minshen observed the farm tools in his hand. They were very finely crafted, even more delicate than those in the blacksmith shop.

"Show me the first knife you made."

Li Zhuangtou got up, ran to the bedroom to get the knife, and then lay back on the ground.

Xiao Minshen compared the knife and the farm tools together, and the difference was immediately apparent.

He glanced at Shen Yunjin, who motioned to Li Zhuangtou, "Get up first and take us to have a look."

Li Zhuangtou nodded and quickly pointed the way ahead.

The mountain was not far behind Li Zhuangtou's house. It took them about half a cup of tea to reach the foot of the mountain.

The mountain is so high that you need to look up to see the top of the mountain when standing at the foot of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a large new crack, and the exposed ridge emits a faint light.

When I got closer, I found that there was a plant growing on the mountain. It had long leaves but long thorns at the tips.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, be careful, this thorn is poisonous." Li Zhuangtou pushed aside the plants growing near the foot of the mountain to let everyone pass.

Yuzhi looked at it with disdain, "This poisonous thing is still everywhere, we should dig it up."

"Girl, you don't know that this plant has stems inside its leaves. They are very tough and are the best crop for making ropes."

As he spoke, he carefully avoided the tip and cut off a small section of the leaf with the knife in his hand.

Then, he placed the leaves on a stone wall nearby and beat them hard with the handle of a knife.

The leaves broke into green juice, gradually revealing the off-white fibers inside.

Li Zhuangtou twisted all the fibers together and handed them to Yuzhi, "Miss, try it and see if it is strong."

Yuzhi took it curiously. The rope still exuded a unique plant fragrance. She pulled it but couldn't break it.

Fulu grabbed it and said, "You girls are too weak, watch out for me."

He exerted all his strength and pulled to both sides with both hands.

As a result, his face turned red, but the rope didn't move at all.

On this side, Shen Yunjin and Xiao Minshen walked around the foot of the mountain. This mountain was quite big.

If all of it were smelted into iron ore and made into weapons, it could fill up the imperial court's arsenal.

The two of them walked around and when they came back they saw several people fighting to pull the rope.

Xiao Minshen took the rope and looked at it. "You said this is made of this thorny plant?"

"That's right, sir. We saw it made up by Li Zhuangtou with our own eyes." Fulu was still in high spirits.

"Your Majesty, if this leaf is soaked in water for a few days and nights and then taken out to make a rope, it will be much stronger and more durable."

"I haven't seen this plant anywhere else. It seems to be only found here."

"Maybe it's because of the regional differences here. Our ancestors have been using its leaves to make ropes, and they last for decades."

"Your Highness, after the leaves of this plant are cut, they will grow again, just like the chives in the field."

When talking about matters he was familiar with, Li Zhuangtou couldn't help but talk a lot.

"Is this difficult to grow?" Xiao Minshen narrowed his eyes.

"It's not difficult to grow this. Once you plant it, you don't have to worry about it. It's drought-resistant and doesn't get infested with insects. Besides, why plant it? It's everywhere in the mountains. Sometimes we think it's blocking the way and we cut it down."

It was getting dark, and the group started walking back.

Xiao Minshen held the teacup in his left hand and unconsciously lifted the lid with his right hand.

Shen Yunjin and the other maids all retreated before looking at Xiao Minshen.

"Your Majesty, I want to..."

"This King wants to..."

Xiao Minshen and Shen Yunjin spoke at the same time.

"Your Highness, please speak first." Shen Yunjin pursed her lips.

"I want to buy your mountain and farm." Xiao Minshen picked up the teacup and took a sip, hiding the embarrassment in his eyes.

"I was just about to tell His Majesty about this." Shen Yunjin couldn't help but smile.

"I was just thinking of presenting this manor to the prince. I understand that a man is guilty of possessing a treasure even if he is innocent. The secret of this mountain cannot be kept secret for long. By then, I will not be able to protect it. On the contrary, it may bring disaster to me."

Xiao Minshen stared at Shen Yunjin for a long time without saying anything.