If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

The vanguard arrived in Niujia Town a day early to inform the prince and his party of their whereabouts.

The next day, all the important figures in Niujia Town arrived at the dock early to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince.

The newly appointed magistrate of Qingyang County was a rather serious-looking middle-aged man surnamed Zhang. It was said that he was arranged by the An family, but no one knew what the relationship was. However, since Magistrate Zhang took office, he had not caused any trouble for Zhou Wu and had ignored Niujia Town. He would only send someone to inform Zhou Wu when there was an official document. Zhou Wu thought this was quite good.

Magistrate Zhang's visit to Niujia Town was merely a routine matter. He came to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince, gave a brief greeting to Zhou Wu and the others, and then there was no further interaction.

"My lord, the Crown Prince's fleet has arrived."

The observer on high up shouted, bringing everyone back to their senses. Everyone began to tidy their appearance and stand upright to await His Highness the Crown Prince.

The Bull Demon King, which was quite imposing in the capital, looked very ordinary at the Niujia Town dock, and was even slightly inferior to the Bull Demon King-class ships next to it that were equipped with heavy crossbows.

"Your humble servant Zhang Wuji pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess."

Led by Zhang Wuji, the dense crowd on the dock all knelt down.

"No gifts."

In front of outsiders, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's every move represents royal dignity, so they are not as casual as when they meet with Zhou Wu in private.

"Ah, you."

"whee."

Zhou Wu raised his head slightly and saw the Ninth Princess Li Xixue behind the Crown Princess. Li Xixue was also looking at Zhou Wu and making faces.

The dock was crowded and noisy, so they didn't linger there for long. Under Zhou Wu's guidance, the prince and his entourage arrived at the "temporary palace" in Niujia Town.

"You, a mere village called Niujia Village, actually have a palace?"

When Crown Prince Li Junren saw his residence, he was somewhat shocked. A village actually had such a large and luxurious palace.

"Your Highness, this is not the imperial palace, this is... hehe... this is the newly built exchange, but don't worry, it's all brand new and hasn't been used yet."

Niu Ye and the others never expected that Zhou Wu would tell the Crown Prince the truth directly, and immediately large beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

"Haha, it has to be you, kid. You really don't play by the rules."

"The main problem is that there isn't a place nearby that suits your status. This place looks quite impressive, but don't worry, everything inside and out was cleaned by people personally arranged by our Boss Niu. It's all brand new."

"good."

"By the way, Your Highness, this is no longer Niujia Village, it's now Niujia Town."

"Oh, that's impressive, really!"

Outsiders may not be aware of this, but Crown Prince Li Junren knows it all too well. There are just too many conditions that need to be met for any administrative unit to be upgraded to a higher level.

Take the example of a village being upgraded to a town. The first requirement is population. This alone blocks most villages. In this era, the land is vast and the population is sparse. People in this era are more dependent on their hometowns than in any other era. So, unless there are special circumstances, there will generally not be a large-scale migration of the population. Niujia Village was just lucky and encountered a famine. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to meet the population requirement.

Secondly, it met the population needs. The prefecture and state would assess the future development potential of the area, and Niujia Village had no problem with this because, under Zhou Wu's leadership, Niujia Village vigorously developed its marine industry, including trade and fishing. Any one of these industries could meet the needs of future development.

Finally, there's the issue of location—whether there's enough land for development in the surrounding area. Because Niujia Village is located on the border, there aren't any big cities, just scattered villages. If nothing unexpected happens, it might remain in this state for the rest of its life. But then Zhou Wu appeared.

Finally, the sudden rise of Niujia Village is something that the higher-ups are happy to see. The development of the border area has been largely left to its own devices by the higher-ups. Now that a wild town has emerged, these high-ranking officials will naturally do their best to promote its success, as this is a chance to showcase their abilities and achievements.

Upgrading a village to a town may seem like a small thing, but it actually represents a significant achievement. However, this achievement has already been divided up by those in power.

"Your Highness, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you rest for a while? We'll call you when it's time for the banquet."

Zhou Wu noticed that the Crown Princess and the Ninth Princess looked a little tired, and it would soon be dark, so he made this arrangement. However, this arrangement was exactly what Li Junren wanted. He came to Niujia Town to relax, and there was no rush to play.

"Alright."

Li Junren and the Crown Princess were indeed on a boat for the first time for the first time. Although the inland lake was relatively calm, they were already exhausted.

. . . . . .

The banquet started on time. After resting for a while, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had clearly recovered and looked much more energetic than in the afternoon.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, Princess, please take your seats."

The banquet in Niujia Town still featured seafood as the main dish, but this time it looked even more appetizing than before.

Because the Crown Princess was present, Zhou Wu once again acted as a food commentator.

"Lord Zhou is indeed a gourmand. I have never seen many of these dishes before."

In the past, the Crown Prince's residence always served either stewed soup or roasted meats; the broth was either clear or dark black. Unlike today's table, which is full of red and pink dishes.

"Your Highness is too kind. I simply have a good appetite."

"Zhou Wu, quickly introduce this to the Crown Princess. The food here is far better than what you eat at the Crown Prince's residence."

Hearing this, Zhou Wu felt a little sour, but there was nothing wrong with what he said. So what if it was in the palace? In this era, cooking methods were limited to stewing and roasting, and the seasonings were not as varied as in later generations. Therefore, Zhou Wu's place could indeed be considered a food capital.

"Zhou Wu, what is this dark thing? I've never seen it before."

Before Zhou Wu could even introduce it, the Ninth Princess spoke up, pointing to a plate of soft-boiled abalone and asking a question. Zhou Wu glanced at the abalone, suppressed his sadness, and began to explain its origin.

"Your Highness, this is abalone."

"Abalone? No, that's not right. I think I ate abalone before, but it wasn't like this. Wasn't the one I ate last time white?"

Zhou Wu did cook abalone last time in the capital, but it was fresh abalone, which he simply boiled, so it was completely different from the soft-boiled abalone we have this time.

"Princess, you certainly have a good eye. This abalone is indeed prepared differently from the one in the capital last time."

"It's much bigger than last time. Are you deliberately hiding the good stuff so that Father Emperor won't get to eat it?"

This is why Zhou Wu dislikes children; how can you slander him so casually?