Traveling through time and space

"Eunuch Shen, I'm afraid you're not just going to try the venison," Gu Yuanyuan asked quietly, sensing the guilt in Eunuch Shen's eyes. Seeing his accusation exposed, Eunuch Shen simply smiled. "It's Father's kindness. What's so special about it? He's always thinking about Yuanyuan." Gu Yuanyuan stood still. "Second brother, here, give Mother one pill every two hours, and she'll be fine tomorrow." Reluctantly, Gu Yuanyuan took out two more Purple Jade Pills and gave them to her brother. But then she thought about it, realizing that her own space would regenerate, indicating she had plenty, and there was no need to worry. Not wanting to ask about yesterday's events or the outcome, Gu Yuanyuan left the Princess's residence and followed Eunuch Shen to the palace. Taking advantage of the moment to rest, they unknowingly reached the palace gates. Eunuch Shen led the way to Fengtai Hall, a small office hall. Without waiting for them to announce themselves, Gu Yuanyuan went inside, only to find others present. "Yuanyuan greets Father," she quickly bowed. Her father waved, motioning for him to rise and speak.

"Your subordinates greet the legitimate princess," the three people in the room stood up and saluted.

"No need to formalize, everyone." As Gu Yuanyuan spoke, Eunuch Shen quietly reported the affairs of the Princess's Mansion to the Emperor. The Emperor nodded repeatedly and looked up at Gu Yuanyuan. "Your Majesty, why did you call Yuanyuan here?"

"Come sit next to our father. This is Chi Yunzheng, the grandson of our old regent king of Qingyang. Those two are Li Jinning, the Minister of Revenue, and Liu Yandong, the Vice Minister."

"Hello, everyone." Gu Yuanyuan stood up and greeted them.

"Yuanyuan, the place where Qingyang and Fengyan intersect is Tainan Mountain Island."

"Father, what do you mean?" Gu Yuanyuan asked in confusion.

"That is your fiefdom. Now that there is turmoil, you should naturally know about it. Lord Chi, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and you have just returned from there. Please introduce her fiefdom to the princess in detail." The emperor felt a sense of joy of victory.

"The princess' fiefdom is located in the north of our Qingyang, in a mountainous area. The princess' fiefdoms are Anru, Linzhou, Yanwan, Lihe Shouzhou, and Tainan Mountain Island."

"Lord Chi, please be brief and get to the point. What kind of unrest has occurred in this princess' fiefdom?" Gu Yuanyuan noticed a hint of panic in Lord Chi's eyes.

"Princess, because Tainan Mountain Island is adjacent to Fengyan, people from Fengyan often cross the border to cause trouble in Qingyang. This has been going on for some time. In previous years, there was only drought in the north, but for some reason this year, there were floods. There aren't many things to grow in the mountainous areas, and now the people in those counties are having a very hard time. Fengyan's people came and burned, killed, looted, and did everything they could to the extreme."

"Aren't there any soldiers guarding the border over there?"

"Yes, everyone says that General Qiao is heroic, but he's not."

"Could he have concealed such a huge incident on his own?" Gu Yuanyuan asked. "Will the prefect not do anything about it?"

"In reply to the princess, I don't know the details of this matter, but after hearing about it, I went to Tainan Mountain Island. As Qiao Dongfei said outside, he turned a blind eye to Feng Yan's offense. As for the prefect, he is also a piece of shit, selling off all the stored grain at a high price."

"It seems they are birds of a feather. Will Father send troops to attack Feng Yan?"

"Yes, they have been causing trouble for me over the years, which has made me very angry. It's time to settle this account with them."

"Your Majesty, Princess, whether or not to strike Feng Yan requires long-term consideration, but the people of Tainan Mountain Island must be taken care of immediately. Food and medicinal materials are in short supply right now. Your Majesty and Princess, please resolve this issue as soon as possible." Lord Chi stood up and bowed. "We've seen people fleeing famine along the way. I'm afraid it won't be long before they scatter everywhere, which is not conducive to the stability of the people."

"Father, can Yuanyuan make the decision?"

"Of course, that's your fiefdom."

"Father has made up his mind and is no longer concerned about it," Gu Yuanyuan stood up and paced back and forth.

"Your Majesty, the princess is a girl who has only been raised in the boudoir. How could she understand what is happening outside? Please don't delay the disaster." The Minister of Revenue spoke out first to stop them.

"Yes, Your Majesty, neither the harem nor women are allowed to interfere in government affairs."

"Lord Li, Lord Liu, women are human beings too. Why can't they express their own opinions? Also, what kind of lives are the wives and mothers in your respective mansions leading? Do you also have the final say in your own mansions?" Gu Yuanyuan asked unimpressed. "Lord Chi, please don't bother two masters with one matter. I have a few questions for you. How long will it take to transport the grain from here to Tainan Mountain Island? How long will it take for a messenger to go there?"

"If we don't sleep, it will take a month to transport the grain even if we move slowly. If we run twelve horses, it will take about three days."

Gu Yuanyuan nodded, "Father, I want the special envoy to do two things. First, exempt Tainan Mountain Island from taxes for three years. This princess doesn't rely on taxes to make a living. Second, spread the word on the way to Tainan Mountain Island that there is a serious food shortage in Tainan Mountain Island, high prices and limited food. Let all the grain sellers along the way come to Tainan Mountain Island to sell their grain."

"No, if all the grain merchants go to Tainan Mountain Island to sell grain at high prices, won't the common people have no way to make a living?" Li Jinning objected.

"Lord Li, more grain merchants are pouring into Tainan Mountain Island. With more competition and more grain, the price of grain will naturally drop. As long as we hold out for another ten days or half a month, the relief grain from the imperial court will arrive, and the situation will be alleviated."

"This is a good idea. We can't just wait for disaster relief grain. Your Majesty, could you please issue a decree to have the surrounding warehouses release some grain, secretly leading to a downward trend in grain prices in Tainan Mountain Island." Lord Li's words were spot on, and Gu Yuanyuan nodded in agreement. "But the princess mentioned a three-year tax exemption. This is unprecedented in Qingyang, and I'm afraid other places will follow suit."

"It's OK. The people are not living a happy life right now, so they deserve to be dismissed. Yun Zheng, you will temporarily take over the post of prefect. Carry the imperial edict and set off for Tainan Mountain Island. As for going to war with Feng Yan, it's still under discussion, but it should be started. When you arrive, have someone capture Zheng Bin, the former prefect of Tainan Mountain Island, and behead him as a public display. I haven't forgotten the people of Tainan Mountain Island. I will let An Zhiyu accompany you and take over the border army. As for Qiao Teng, we will deal with him right there. Only by their death can we stabilize the people and the army's morale. But after Zhiyu goes, can we make the border troops obey him and obey him willingly?"

"Your Majesty, this matter has been kept secret for so long. One or two people cannot accomplish this."

"Yun Zheng, don't alert the enemy yet. The court isn't ready yet. Your first mission is to reassure the people and the military. Let them think that the court only wants to reassure the people and help everyone get through this difficult time. As for other things, they haven't taken them seriously yet."

"I understand a little, but I just went there." Lord Chi was afraid that they would not listen to him.

"Father, Yuanyuan has a plan, but I'm not sure if I should tell you." The father nodded. "Although the border guards are all our disciples of Qingyang, Qiao Teng has been guarding for so many years, and there must be some relatives and friends among the soldiers. When the people here arrive, we will reshuffle the cards and sort out Qiao Teng's close relatives. Their inaction over the years may mean that they have been colluding with Feng Yan's bandits. After dealing with them, we can select some truly talented and capable people from the remaining people, promote them, and let them take over the management together. I believe those border troops will obey."

"Yes, they will manage it together with General An, so that General An will be able to integrate into it more quickly." This Lord Li is a fence-sitter. That's not right, it can't be said that way. He will listen to whoever makes sense.

"Your Majesty, the disaster over there is quite serious. We must at least provide them with six months to a year of food. Otherwise, during this period of famine, most of the victims will not be able to survive, and we will not be able to win over the people."

The emperor held his hand, pausing Master Chi to speak. "Yuanyuan, I remember you said a few days ago that you had obtained some rare seeds suitable for planting in the mountains?"

"Father, the land of this farm has just been tidied up. Starting tomorrow, Yuanyuan plans to start working on this matter."

"Princess, I'd like to ask you, what are some things suitable for growing in mountainous areas?"

"Master Li, the princess is a royal concubine, how could she be concerned about these farmland matters?"

"Don't you know, Lady Chi? Before I was thirteen, I lived in the countryside, so I naturally understand this. The temperature and humidity in the mountains are relatively low, and the soil acidity and alkalinity vary. Growing crops in these areas is more difficult than in other places. For this special growing environment, choosing the right kind of food is very important. First, corn. It grows fast, has strong adaptability to the climate, can be grown on a wide area, and yields a high yield. Secondly, sorghum. Sorghum has a long growing season, is relatively drought-resistant, and is well-adapted to acidic and alkaline soils and mountain climates. It's also a good choice. It tastes good, and everyone likes to eat it. Then there's buckwheat. Buckwheat has low growing requirements and can withstand high temperatures, making it a more suitable crop for growing in mountainous areas."

"Princess, I've heard of sorghum and corn, but what is buckwheat?"

"It's a kind of grain that can replace staple food, but it's easy to grow, easy to survive, and can withstand all kinds of weather."

"Ah." The emperor sighed heavily, "Although our Qingyang is vast, I heard that most of the food is imported from outside."

"Father, vegetables also have to be imported from abroad? No wonder." Gu Yuanyuan thought of the several restaurants she was involved in. It turned out that all the vegetables were imported from outside. No wonder the prices were so expensive.

"Princess, what is import?"

"Sir Li, import means that the product is not available in your own country, so you have to spend money to buy it from other countries." Gu Yuanyuan explained.

"That's fine too. We can share what we have."

"Of course you can, but Lord Li, think about it. If a country buys too many foreign goods, and they are all simple necessities, then a lot of silver will have to be given away. When will the country be able to save silver? If the silver is only used to buy food and clothes, then when will the country be able to develop? Development requires a lot of silver."

"Yes, the country's development requires money. If it is all used in inconspicuous places, what's the use of it?" The emperor sighed.

"Yes, Father. Military pay, disaster relief, people's livelihoods, road construction, river digging, etc., all require silver, so it is best to spend silver where it counts."

"Okay, go ahead and do it without worry. Father will help you with anything you need. Father fully supports you."

"Yuanyuan wants people who are loyal, honest, down-to-earth, hardworking, smart, literate, and patient."

"Is the princess planning to choose a prince consort?" Eunuch Shen remained silent, but when he did, it was truly frightening.

"This princess is not looking for a prince consort. The conditions for finding a prince consort are much more stringent than this. I want someone like this. Yuanyuan wants to find someone to help me. First, these seeds are hard to come by. Second, someone who can stay at the farm all the time to keep records will be more convenient for national promotion in the future."

"Princess, are you so sure about what you're doing?"

"Of course, Lord Li, if you don't want to do it, don't do it. If you do it, you must do it to the best of your ability. Father, do you believe in Yuanyuan?"