Adoption brings disaster

It was originally a very ordinary parental work, but who is the King of Zhenbei? Since he has wronged a good person, he will not use his power to suppress others. He must give an explanation.

But I didn't expect that this statement actually refers to a magical weapon that many martial artists dream of, and a secret book that matches the magical weapon.

How could I not be happy? It was just too early for me to be happy. I didn't expect that I couldn't understand this secret book at all. Fortunately, the Seventh Prince was familiar with these secret books, so he took charge of it.

From then on, the Seventh Prince not only had to practice martial arts himself every day, but also had to teach me how to use a whip. He was really busy.

After practicing for a while, I increasingly felt that the poisonous anaconda was indeed a divine weapon. Just as Taoist Tianshu said, the poisonous anaconda was very spiritual.

As long as I activate my true Qi according to the method in the secret book, the poisonous anaconda will move as I wish.

Whether fast or slow, far or near, light or heavy, the anaconda can move as you wish, and it is extremely easy to practice.

Besides, the secret book of King Zhenbei is even more mysterious. The true energy flows smoothly without any sense of stagnation. It feels like the true energy from all directions is converging together, without any sign of exhaustion.

The most amazing thing about such a powerful martial art is that it is very easy to practice. Although there may be occasional bottlenecks, they can be overcome with a little guidance from the Seventh Prince. Nothing can be easier than this.

However, martial arts training is not something that can be achieved overnight. It still requires daily hard practice to achieve success.

This technique is easy to practice and master. After practicing for about ten days, I became extremely arrogant. For a while, I felt that I was invincible and no one could rival me.

I am a noble, a rich and idle person. There is no need for me to fight and kill. That is why everyone coaxes me, saying that I have outstanding talent, but I just started practicing martial arts a little late, otherwise I will become a top master like the prince in the future.

But the Taoist priest was a real man. He said that with my skills, I couldn't even beat a third-rate opponent.

After hearing this, I was so dissatisfied that I started to clamor for a fight with the Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest didn't give me any leeway. After only two moves, not even one more, he took away my poisonous anaconda. I was really depressed.

But I'm not unhappy about anything. Taoist Tianshu is a very talented person and has practiced hard for many years. If I could defeat him after practicing for more than ten days, no matter how arrogant and stupid I am, I would not believe it.

I understood all this, so I wasn't annoyed by the Taoist priest's straightforwardness. It just so happened that the next day was the day I could leave the palace, so I even said I would bring him some delicious food.

The next morning, Chunyu and the others woke me up early. There were time limits for entering and leaving the palace. If you missed the time, you couldn't go out or come back, so you couldn't miss it at all.

But the time to leave the palace was really early, and I was called up in a daze. I was so sleepy that I couldn't even open my eyes, so I could only let them wash and dress me.

It is really troublesome to go out of the palace. I have already started to back off. I yawned and thought that it doesn’t seem to be a big deal if I don’t go out of the palace. Otherwise, I will not go out today and go next month.

But I can only think about it in my heart. After all, I have important things to do when leaving the palace today, and I can't help but go out.

Chunyu and the others served very carefully, but after all, the Seventh Prince slept with me at night. No matter how careful they were, there were always some noises, and the Seventh Prince was naturally woken up.

I looked at the somewhat dazed Seventh Prince and felt very sorry for him. I said apologetically, "You're awake now. I'll be back soon. I won't disturb you for long. Go back to sleep."

The Seventh Prince was obviously a little confused. He was stunned for a long while before he rubbed his eyes, yawned and got up. He walked to my side and hung the jade token given by the King of Zhenbei around my waist.

I didn't understand what the Seventh Prince meant, and then I heard him say, "This is the jade token of the master of Zhenbei Palace. If you encounter any trouble outside the palace and it's difficult or inconvenient to deal with it at the moment, let me take this to Zhenbei Palace, and someone will naturally help you deal with it."

I looked at the jade token on my waist and wondered how there could be trouble in the imperial city under the emperor's feet.

Besides, I just went out of the palace to meet the shopkeeper who helps me manage my business and find out how much business I have. How could I encounter any trouble that even I can't solve?

Even so, this was a thoughtful gesture from the child, so I was naturally very happy. I pinched the Seventh Prince's face and said, "If I ever run into trouble, I'll tell him your name, Chongguang, and he'll back me up, okay?"

The Seventh Prince was very pleased with what he heard. His sleepy eyes suddenly brightened up. He quickly called A-da in and told him to stay close to me today and protect my safety.

Seeing that the Seventh Prince was so serious, I felt happy and chatted with him for a while.

But the palace rules are very strict. Before the seventh prince and I could say a few words, Chunyu came and urged us to set off as time was running out.

I naturally didn't dare delay, and I told the Seventh Prince to practice martial arts and study hard even when I wasn't around today, and not to slack off. The Seventh Prince also told me to keep my promise and not read the storybooks. We both agreed, and I headed out without stopping.

It was said that this carriage was prepared by Ada, and it was the carriage used by the seventh prince. It had the seventh prince's unique flag hanging on it. It had a smooth journey in the palace and soon arrived at the palace gate.

Xiaotian took my seal of justice to explain to the guards, and soon the guards let us leave the palace. We won’t mention it anymore.

Besides, my chief shopkeeper had already been waiting at the palace gate. When he saw me come out, he immediately came up to me and greeted me.

I saw that it was getting light, and it was time for breakfast, so I said, "Let's find a breakfast shop and talk while we eat."

This request was naturally fulfilled. I changed carriages and took the carriage prepared by the head shopkeeper. We drove on the street for a while, turned into a small alley, and then stopped in this alley.

The head shopkeeper saw the place and said respectfully outside the carriage, "Although this shop is not in the downtown area, the food is unique and has its own flavor. The scenery inside is also quite interesting. Your Highness, please dine here."

When eating, you must ask the locals, because they know where the food is delicious. The shopkeeper recommended it, so I thought it must taste good, so I nodded in agreement.

After getting off the carriage, I entered the shop accompanied by Ada and the shopkeeper and asked for a quiet and elegant courtyard. Soon, the waiter came up with several snacks of various shapes.

These snacks don’t look as delicate as those made in the palace, but they taste unique. Changing up the taste occasionally is a good choice, so I naturally enjoyed eating them.

I was so happy that I started chatting with the shopkeeper who was standing respectfully beside me.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Your Highness, my name is Li Er." The chief shopkeeper said hurriedly when he saw me asking.

After eating snacks, I let Xiaotian wipe my hands with a hot towel. I looked at the trees outside with new buds and said nonchalantly, "Tell me about the industry first."

"Your Highness has a total of sixteen shops and three farms. Six of these shops were given to you by the palace when you entered the palace, three are rented out, and three are managed by you. You can expect to earn about one thousand taels of silver every year."

After listening to Li Er's report, I thought to myself that one thousand taels was not a small amount, equivalent to my five years' salary. Naturally satisfied, I nodded and motioned for him to continue.

Li Er saw this and continued, "A few days ago, the Imperial Concubine in the palace sent two shops, the Prince of Zhenbei sent three shops, and His Majesty also sent five shops. These shops are all excellent, with good locations, large spaces, and very high rents. They bring in about three thousand taels of silver every year."

Money is the root of trouble; just enough is enough, don't be greedy. The shop takes in four thousand taels a year, which is enough to spend as long as you don't overindulge. So I nodded, not really concerned.

Li Er looked at me and thought I wasn't very satisfied, so he said nervously, "If I could take back these shops and run them myself, I would make at least ten thousand taels of silver every year."

"That's fine, let's just leave it at that. We don't need to take these shops back. Go on."

"There are three farms, two of which were left to Your Highness by the old lady. They are not big, and the two combined only cover a little over 300 acres. But the advantage is that they are all outside the capital, and most of them are fertile land. They also bring in 90 taels of silver every year."

As a modern person, I naturally don’t understand these things, but Xiaotao also found something wrong after hearing it and immediately scolded Li Er.

"How dare you deceive His Highness? You really want to die!" Xiao Tao cursed. "Rice is expensive in the capital. Let alone the fertile land outside the capital, even 300 acres of dry land would bring in at least 100 taels a year. How come you only make 90 taels?"

I looked at Xiao Tao in surprise. I didn't expect her to know this. I laughed and said, "You actually know this?"

Seeing me asking, Xiao Tao quickly replied, "Your Highness, Sister Chunyu said that after we sisters leave the palace, she will find a good husband for us. We will be the mistresses of the house in the future, so we must learn these household chores. Sister Chunyu has spent a lot of time teaching us, but I only know the land property, and the rest is fine."

"I see." I looked at Li Er and asked him to give me an explanation.

"There usually are, but last year's harvest was not good, so there are fewer."

After hearing this, Ah Da also took a step forward. His iron tower-like body frightened Li Er so much that he trembled.

Seeing this, Ah Da looked down on Li Er even more. He snorted coldly and said viciously, "You are deceiving the master. Don't you understand? When times are bad, the harvest is not good, but the price of rice will also rise. Even if there is less, it will definitely not be this much less. You, a dog slave, must have enriched yourself."

After saying this, he bowed to me and said, "In my opinion, it would be better to hand him over to the people in the palace for an interrogation. They will definitely make him vomit out everything he has eaten."

Li Er was already frightened out of his wits. He kowtowed and shouted, "I didn't embezzle any of it. I'm missing so much because, because."

The weather is still a bit cold now, but beads of sweat are dripping from Li Er's face onto the ground.

I didn't care about the money, so I wasn't in a hurry. I just drank my tea slowly and asked casually, "Why?"

Seeing my question, Ah Da took another step forward, as if he would tear Li Er alive at my command.

Li Er saw this and dared not argue. He could only accept his fate and said, "Last year's harvest was bad, so I took the initiative to reduce the rent from 40% to 30%."

I have seen many traitors who use the interests of their subordinates to please their superiors. This is the first time I have seen someone offend his superiors for the sake of his subordinates. I am a little surprised.

I looked at Li Er, who was lying on the ground waiting for his fate, and gave him a light kick. I asked in confusion, "There's one thing I don't understand. What is your relationship with them that warrants you helping them so much?"

"My hometown suffered a disaster a few years ago. When I was stranded in the capital, I received help from farmers. I knew how difficult it was for them. If the rent was not reduced, many people would have died. That's why I felt compassion for them." Li Er's voice became softer and softer, and in the end it was a little hard to hear.

"Do you often suffer from disasters?" I felt unhappy when I heard it, and continued to ask.

"The Beishang Kingdom has a vast territory, and there are always a few places affected by disasters every year." Xiaotian couldn't speak for Li Er, so he had to say this.

"If the farmers in the village are kind-hearted, we can collect 30% of the rent in the future. If there is a disaster year, we can reduce it according to the situation." I thought about it and said.

After hearing this, Li Er looked at me in disbelief, but he immediately understood what I meant and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"But if you do evil, the people from the Zhenbei Palace will naturally take care of you."

I came from the gutter, so I naturally understand that ordinary people are not capable of doing anything evil. It's just a quarrel or fight between neighbors. As long as you give them a way to survive, they will be grateful, just like me before.

I asked Li Er to stand up and said solemnly, "I have something for you to do. It needs to be done in secrecy. If you have any difficulties, you can ask the people in the Zhenbei Palace for help."

After saying this, he took off the jade token from his waist and handed it to Li Er.

Ah Da was also frightened when he saw this. He quickly stopped him and said, "If it's just a small business matter, just mention the Seventh Prince's name. Don't give out this jade token lightly."

I didn't dwell on it. I just took the jade token back, took out the drawing, put it on the table, and said, "Go find a good blacksmith to help me make this thing, and then buy some good wine and make some pure wine according to my method."

Although Li Er didn't understand what I was going to do, let alone what pure wine meant, the blueprint was simple and the purification technique wasn't complicated. Li Er looked at the blueprint and understood some key issues, then promised to complete it.

I didn't know how much it would cost to do all this, so I said, "Use the money in your account first. If it's not enough, it will be easy."

I touched the jade token on my body and said, "Go to the Zhenbei Palace and draw some for use first."

Ah Da looked at the blueprints, fished out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, handed them to Li Er, and said, "Look at the blueprints. This will only cost a few hundred taels. Take this money and make sure to do your Highness's work well."

Then he said to me in a flattering tone, "His Highness the Seventh Prince specifically ordered me to serve you well before leaving the palace."

When I saw Ah Da like this, I thought to myself, he is indeed a prince who grew up in the palace. He is really good at spending money to buy people's hearts. He has the style of a domineering CEO.

The Seventh Prince and I still have a long time to live together, so there is no need to worry about this small amount of money. I can find a chance to pay him back in the future. So I let Li Er accept the banknote and not mention it again.

After everything was arranged, Li Er took me on a tour around the capital, where I bought some interesting gadgets, food, and rouge and powder. It was almost time to return to the palace.

Arriving at the palace gate, I said to Li Er, "Hurry up and do what I've arranged. When you've finished, send a letter to let me know."

Li Er agreed, and I continued, "It's almost time to plant the millet. I won't be out next month, so be prepared the month after that. I'm going to visit the farms. Bring some food, and don't disturb the farmers. Just treat it as a normal outing."

After giving the instructions, I went into the palace, changed carriages, and went back to Qianqiu Pavilion.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the next episode.