The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

"I obey your command!" Luo Qing bowed respectfully, and then began to describe in detail what he had learned.

In short: Wang Xinyao, only seventeen years old, wasn't born and raised in Xiejia Village. Five years ago, she was rescued by local hunter Xie Aniu. Unfortunately, Xie Aniu was mauled and killed by a tiger the day before his wedding, leaving her as a stepmother to three children. In just four months, she built a brand new house, found her younger brother, married a robust hunter in his thirties, and established a mushroom and papermaking workshop, and now, a saltworks.

After hearing this, Zhao Guoan couldn't help but be slightly surprised. He never expected that this woman was so amazing and had achieved such great things in just a few months.

He looked at Luo Qing and asked, "Does this woman have any other outstanding qualities?"

Luo Qing thought for a moment and replied, "As far as I know, Wang Xinyao is also proficient in medicine and has cured many villagers' illnesses."

Upon hearing this, the emperor became even more curious about Wang Xinyao. However, he immediately shook his head and sighed, "How could such a young woman find a thirty-something hunter as her husband? What a pity, what a pity!"

Luo Qing echoed, "Your Majesty, I feel the same way. It's such a pity!"

At this time, Zhao Guoan waved his hand and said to Luo Qing in a bad mood, "Tomorrow you and Ouyang Ping will set off immediately to return to Nanhu County. This time, bring more soldiers and carriages with you to bring back the first batch of salt for me, and also bring back some more paper."

"Your Majesty..." Luo Qing hesitated to speak.

Zhao Guoan looked displeased: "What's the matter? Just say it directly, don't hesitate!"

"Will the emperor continue to use Miss Wang's paper from now on?" Luo Qing asked.

"How much does the paper her family sells cost?" Zhao Guoan frowned, thinking to himself that the price of paper in the capital these days is ridiculously high. If he spends all his money on it, even if the item is very good, he will definitely be reluctant to part with it even though he is the emperor.

Luo Qing smiled flatteringly and said, "Your Majesty, I am the only one who can get the purchase price from her."

"Oh, the purchase price? It seems Lord Luo has quite a bit of face!" Zhao Guoan said teasingly, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze, yet with a hint of cunning. "What's the purchase price?"

"Your Majesty, please don't laugh at me!" Luo Qing scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, "The purchase price of paper is not expensive. Writing paper is 100 wen per book, and toilet paper is 50 wen per small bag!"

"What? So cheap?" Zhao Guoan was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped.

He muttered to himself, "I wonder how much that little girl from my uncle's family has earned? She bought the goods at such a low price, but she didn't even bother to send me some. Her mother only sent ten packs of toilet paper to the Empress Dowager. Humph, how stingy!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is the purchase price!" Luo Qing replied affirmatively.

Zhao Guoan thought about it, waved his hand, and said, "Since it's so cheap, then everything the palace needs will be purchased from her from now on!"

"But, Your Majesty, the road to Xiejia Village is too narrow and not suitable for a large number of horse-drawn carriages to transport goods!" Luo Qing said with embarrassment, his expression looking like a bitter gourd.

Zhao Guoan said without hesitation: "Then let's build the road. Eunuch Xu, pass on my order and tell the Ministry of Works to start arranging it immediately!"

"I obey your order!" Eunuch Xu replied quickly.

Luo Qing immediately smiled and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

"Wait a minute, how far is it from Nanhu County to Xiejia Village?" Zhao Guoan became alert when he saw Luo Qing kneeling so quickly. He felt as if he had fallen into a trap. Before Eunuch Xu left, he spoke sternly.

Luo Qing was startled and whispered, "It's not far to go back to the emperor, only 180 kilometers away."

"What? 180 kilometers? That's not that far?" Zhao Guoan was shocked, thinking to himself, "Building a 180-kilometer road just to get some paper for the palace is simply not worth it!" He couldn't help but feel a surge of regret, wanting to back out. But the words had already been spoken, and at this moment, a hint of anger towards Luo Qing flared in his heart.

Seeing this, Luo Qing quickly knelt down again and said in a fearful tone, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Miss Wang said that if the court is willing to build a road for Xiejia Village, she is willing to donate the method of making sand, water, and mud into a single piece of flat, hard stone for free!"

Luo Qing glanced at Zhao Guoan's expression and immediately continued, "Miss Wang said she calls it cement! It's a production method that's very useful for building roads and houses."

"How is it possible? Is Miss Wang a fairy? Can she turn mud into stone?" Zhao Guoan said angrily with a look of suspicion on his face. He always felt that Luo Qing had become dull after staying in Nanhu County for too long.

"Your Majesty, Miss Wang may not be a deity, but she truly can do it. Her yard is nearly 20 mu (approximately 16 acres) in size. Apart from the house and the areas with trees, flowers, and plants, the rest is entirely flat and hard, like a mirror." Luo Qing assured him, patting his chest. "Miss Wang said it was made of something called cement. If this method were used to build a road, whether it's delivering goods or passing on urgent information, who knows how much time would be saved on the road!"

"Really?" Zhao Guoan was still skeptical.

"Really!" Luo Qing assured firmly.

At this time, Eunuch Xu also spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have been to Miss Wang's house before, and their yard is indeed very flat. I have been wondering why this is so, but I have never been able to figure it out."

"Okay, then let's build the road! Eunuch Xu, you must immediately ask the Ministry of Works to arrange a plan and start building the road in the spring!" After hearing what Eunuch Xu said, Zhao Guoan thought for a moment and gave the order decisively.

Then he turned and said, "Luo Qing, you must return to Nanhu County quickly and bring me some salt. You must also bring plenty of each type of paper back to the palace. I want to see you before New Year's Eve. Go pick the fastest horse and rush back as fast as you can!"

"Your Majesty, I obey your command!" After receiving the order, Luo Qing came out of the palace and rushed to Nanhu County with a large group of people and horse-drawn carriages carrying goods.

At this time, Zhao Haoxuan, Chen Jingyuan and others who were far away in Xiejia Village were immersed in cultivation every day, and their strength had improved significantly.

Especially Wang Xinyao, although she would occasionally take some time to practice, she was busy with collecting herbs, refining pills and making money most of the time.

In less than ten days, she was successfully promoted to a second-grade alchemist and refined a large number of spirit-gathering pills and beauty-enhancing pills.

The Soul Gathering Pill greatly enhanced the strength of the Xiejia Village Guard, and the Beauty Pill was a best-seller at the Rouge Shop! Meanwhile, the workshop's business was booming, and the salt field was operating smoothly. Just eight days before the Lunar New Year, the first batch of salt had already been officially released.