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

"Third brother, you're the best off. Your wife doesn't care about you, and you can do whatever you want."

After a few rounds of drinks, all three of them were slightly tipsy, even though Zhou Wu and Gu Xinyuan were using small cups and Lu Da was using a bowl.

"Second brother, don't you also have a happy life and a fulfilling family?"

As a Duke, Lu Da already had status and position, and his wife was said to be from a wealthy family. With two sons and a daughter, he could be considered to have a perfect life. Zhou Wu couldn't understand what troubles he could possibly have.

"Hey, you're a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of a starving man. There are many people in your family, and your sister-in-law hasn't bought any new clothes for several years."

"Oh no? Second brother, you are a duke."

As the Duchess of the State, she hadn't bought new clothes for several years. Zhou Wu felt that his second brother was exaggerating.

"You don't believe me? Ask your older brother."

Knowing Zhou Wu wouldn't believe it, Lu Da directly brought up Gu Xinyuan.

Seeing that Zhou Wu and Lu Da were both looking at him, Gu Xinyuan took a small sip and slowly began to speak.

“Third brother, your second brother didn’t lie to you. Although your second brother’s family has a lot of land, your second sister-in-law only wanted the lowest quality land in order to take in more refugees.”

"Inferior fields?"

Clearly, Zhou Wu didn't understand the difference between these things.

"You should know that the imperial court grants different amounts of fiefdoms and tenants based on the rank of the nobleman."

"Ah."

Zhou Wu nodded, because he was now also an earl of the Great Dragon.

The titles of nobility in the Great Dragon Kingdom, from highest to lowest, are Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. Lu Da and Gu Xinyuan are both Dukes, the highest rank, so they naturally have more fiefdoms.

“Your second brother and I are both dukes. According to the court’s policy, we are entitled to a certain amount of superior land. However, your second sister-in-law insisted on exchanging all the superior land for inferior land at a ratio of one to three.”

"Why is that, sister-in-law?"

Generally speaking, the output of superior land far exceeds that of inferior land, and it can also save tenants a lot of food. Therefore, everyone prefers superior land. However, Zhou Wu couldn't quite understand his sister-in-law's actions.

“Your sister-in-law is kind-hearted. With more land, she can legally take in more tenants. She said that although life would be harder, it would allow more people to survive. However, this also resulted in your second brother’s fiefdom not yielding a single grain of grain, and he even had to pay out of pocket.”

Gu Xinyuan also held Lu Da's wife in high esteem. Although she was born into a wealthy family, she did not have the demeanor of one. She was always considerate of the people and did good deeds.

"Second brother is truly blessed."

"Haha, that's true, but it's tough on my wife."

Lu Da is not afraid of hardship, and his life is much better now than before. At least he has no worries about food and drink. However, his wife has been living a life of luxury since childhood, but now that she is with him, she is not as well off as before, which makes him a little annoyed. Although his wife never complains and doesn't care, it doesn't mean that Lu Da can pretend that nothing is wrong.

"Isn't my second brother in the seaweed business?"

Zhou Wu suddenly remembered that Lu Da was running the kelp business in the capital, so his income should have improved significantly.

"Thanks to your seaweed, it brought in a lot of income and filled a lot of the holes we owed before. But we are a big family with a large business. Our eldest son Jian'an will be marrying a princess in a few months. So far, we don't have any surplus food at home."

Lu Da was somewhat embarrassed; for a duke to act like this was unprecedented in history.

"Second brother, since we've come this far, as the younger brother, if I don't do something, wouldn't I seem like I'm being too inconsiderate?"

“Oh, my dear brother, if you have any connections, please help your second brother out. He’s been the laughingstock of the world for years.”

Upon hearing Zhou Wu's words, Gu Xinyuan quickly added fuel to the fire. Over the years, he had considered helping Lu Da, but besides his fiefdom, all he owned were a few restaurants. If it weren't for Zhou Wu's appearance and his revitalization of the restaurants, they would probably have been ruined long ago.

"Second brother, I'll put in a word with our hometown. We'll have you handle all the sales of our dried seafood. What do you think?"

"That's great."

Lu Da might not understand what this means, but Gu Xinyuan, because he owns several restaurants, knows a little about it. The dried seafood produced in Zhouwu now includes all kinds of abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw, all of which are expensive luxury goods. They are either high-end ingredients for restaurants or gifts among nobles.

These kinds of items are now hard currency in the capital. Every time, they are snapped up before the ships from Niujia Town even disembark.

Gu Xinyuan Restaurant's signature dishes rely entirely on these few ingredients. If it weren't for his connection with Zhou Wu, Gu Xinyuan, despite being a Duke, wouldn't have stood a chance.

Now Zhou Wu is directly handing over this profitable job to Lu Da, which is practically giving him free money.

"Then thank you very much, Third Brother! Haha, let's drink, let's drink!"

Gu Xinyuan simply shook his head slightly. Once Lu Da learns the true value of this deal, he probably won't be so dismissive.

. . . .

When Zhou Wu woke up the next day, he couldn't remember anything about what had happened the day before; he only found out from the servants.

"After the master got drunk yesterday, Duke Gu also pretended to be drunk and ran away, leaving only Duke Lu. He drank another jar of wine before leaving somewhat sullenly."

"Do you think his sullenness is due to something on his mind, or is it because he didn't drink enough?"

This is very important to Zhou Wu.

"He's definitely not happy."

"Are you so sure?"

"Oh my goodness, my lord, the look in Duke Lu's eyes at the end was so intense, he looked like he wanted to devour the wine jar. Anyone who saw it could tell he wasn't happy at all."

Alright, from now on, Zhou Wu must avoid Lu Da whenever he sees him. His alcohol tolerance is beyond human limits. If he drinks with Lu Da and one day he gets drunk and dies at the table, that would be such a waste. He wonders if he will become the first transmigrator to drink himself to death.

I drank too much yesterday and my head still hurts today, so Zhou Wu can't leave for the time being. He might as well rest for two days. Once he goes back, he won't have time to be so leisurely.

He closed the mansion gates, had a servant bring over a reclining chair, brewed a pot of tea, and lay down there.

The servants in the mansion were used to it and didn't find it strange. They were all busy with their own work and didn't need to pay any special attention. Before long, Zhou Wu fell asleep.

In a daze, Zhou Wu seemed to hear a woman crying softly. He slowly opened his eyes and found that Li Xixue was sitting right next to him, and the one crying was her.

"Why are you crying?"

Fortunately, this was inside the mansion, with no outsiders present. If it had happened on the street or in the palace, Zhou Wu would have been guilty of bullying the princess.

"Gao Liguo requested a marriage alliance with his father, the Emperor."

"They're going to send you?"

"Ah."

Zhou Wu slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his face full of anger so intense that Li Xixue dared not cry. This was definitely the most furious Zhou Wu had ever been to her.