New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

As Ye Yilie had predicted, in order to prepare for Wanyan Wuqimai's arrival soon, Wanyan Xi sent a team of guards to recruit several young men from the city to serve as temporary miners, carrying hoes out of the city to mine.

Meanwhile, Ye Yilie's subordinate, A Da, took the opportunity to infiltrate the team and dug in the sizable mountain hollow for two days before finally finding the quartz vein buried in the mountain.

The miners each carried a basket of ore back to the city to exchange for food. Just as the mining team left, several swift figures appeared in the mountains and forests.

Centered on the mine, they dispersed to search for the best ambush points. They quickly explored the surrounding environment, roughly determined the possible location of the Jin emperor, and found A Si's ambush position based on the range of the arrows.

Meanwhile, Ah Er, who had been waiting on the official road for two days, also brought good news: the Jin emperor, Wanyan Wuqimai, was indeed leading three hundred imperial guards and was heading towards Youzhou City in a grand procession. They would arrive in no more than one day.

In addition to Ye Yilie's assassins, the scouts sent out by the princess's mansion also relayed the message.

With Wanyan Wuqimai's exact entry time in the city, and under Wanyan Xi's instructions, the entire Youzhou immediately sprang into action. Messy courtyards were swept, snow-covered roads were cleared, and dilapidated city walls were repaired. This time, to welcome the emperor, all the people in the city mobilized. There was no coercion as before; the people all voluntarily came out of their homes to kneel and welcome His Majesty the Emperor.

Standing atop the city tower and witnessing this scene, Wanyan Xi was filled with emotion. Her gaze toward Tang Qian was filled with gratitude and admiration. Tang Qian had made a great contribution to winning over so many people's hearts.

Compared to the emperors of the Central Plains, Wanyan Wugumai's entourage could be described as meager. However, the Jin people were generous by nature and, having lived deep in the mountains for a long time, did not seem to mind.

A troop of cavalry led the way, followed by fifty guards gathered around a black four-horse carriage, the emperor's vehicle. Following closely behind was another carriage carrying Empress Tangkuo, the mother of Wanyan Xi. Finally, a troop of cavalry brought up the rear, and they slowly made their way toward Youzhou City.

At the North Gate, Wanyan Xi and his personal guards had been waiting for a long time. Amid a chorus of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", Wanyan Wuqimai lifted the black carriage curtain, and the guards beside him immediately brought out a stool and placed it in place.

Wanyan Wuqimai raised his hand to signal the generals to rise, and Wanyan Xi immediately went forward to greet his father: "Your subject respectfully welcomes Father and Mother."

Wanyan Wuqimai laughed heartily and walked side by side with Wanyan Xi, protected by a group of imperial guards. He would pat Wanyan Xi's arm that was linked with his from time to time, looking very doting.

The family quickly returned to the princess's residence and sat down in the side hall where the charcoal stove was lit. Wanyan Wuqimai sighed, "Back then, I appointed you, Xi'er, as the lord of Youzhou City simply because you said you longed for the reputation of the Central Plains. Originally, I only intended for you to come to Youzhou to experience the culture of the Central Plains firsthand. I never expected that you could govern Youzhou so well. Along the way, the people in the city have all sincerely admired and respected you. It seems that in Youzhou City, your reputation as the Seventh Princess far surpasses mine. I am very pleased with you."

Wanyan Xi bowed and replied, "Father, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise. I simply cannot bear to see the people in the city suffering from cold and hunger. The grain in my household is also insufficient to feed the entire city. If it were not for Tang Qian's help, I would not have been able to accomplish this on my own."

"Was it the Song Dynasty person who made glass?"

Wanyan Wuqimai was no stranger to Tang Qian. He had learned of Tang Qian's existence from Wanyan Xi's letter when the iron charcoal stove was all the rage in Liaoyang. However, Wanyan Wuqimai never expected that this young man from the Song Dynasty would not only make iron charcoal stoves, but also be proficient in glassmaking.

He was so fond of the glass tea set that Wanyan Xi had presented him that he must have made it himself.

Turning to the guard beside him, Wanyan Wuqimai said softly, "Summon Tang Qian to come and pay his respects."

Although he was extremely unwilling to kneel and kowtow, the situation was beyond his control. Even if he was unwilling a thousand times over, Tang Qian had no choice but to kneel and kowtow to the high and mighty Emperor of Jin, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" He kept comforting himself, thinking that it was like kneeling to his ancestors on Qingming Festival, and that it wasn't shameful.

Wanyan Wuqimai's attitude was quite good. He did not humiliate Tang Qian because of his Song identity. He raised his hand to indicate that he did not need to be polite, and then pointed to a seat below him: "I have read the two design drafts that Xi'er sent. Underfloor heating and fireplaces can indeed greatly improve the harsh environment of my Great Jin in the winter. I have said that anyone who has done a favor for my Great Jin is a friend of my Great Jin. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Tang Qian immediately stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "It is my duty as a staff member of the princess's residence to share her burdens. I dare not ask for anything in return."

Wanyan Wuqimai laughed heartily, satisfied with Tang Qian's answer, and did not notice anything amiss. However, the concubine sitting next to him glanced at her daughter and her expression changed slightly.

Tang Qian built iron charcoal stoves without authorization, wasting military supplies. Wanyan Wuqimai originally came to Youzhou intending to punish him severely, but now it seems that he can't do it.

As Wanyan Xi had previously stated in her letter, Tang Qian possessed a multitude of methods for keeping warm in winter. Whether it was underfloor heating, fireplaces, or glass, all of these could improve the lives of the people in the Great Jin Dynasty. With these means of keeping warm, the Great Jin Dynasty was sure to prosper and have a long reign in the near future.

"I heard from Xi'er that you are young but possess the talent to govern the world. I ask you, if you were to govern Youzhou City, how would you ensure that the people live in peace and prosperity?"

After a brief moment of thought, Tang Qian rose again to complete his audience with the Jin emperor: "In this chaotic world, the people's only desire is to have enough to eat and wear. Youzhou is located in a mountainous area with limited arable land. In addition, the climate is cold, and crops are harvested only once a year. It is impossible to feed the entire city's population by growing grain alone. It would be better to plant cotton on all the arable land. The cotton fruits can be used to make clothing after they mature. As for grain, it can be exchanged for glass. With the unique resources of the Yanshan Mountains alone, Youzhou can become a large city with immense wealth."

Cotton loves sunlight and needs long hours of sunshine to grow. Youzhou is not actually suitable for cotton growth, but this plant is still very useful. If Tang Qian has to stay in Youzhou for a long time to come, this plant must be grown.

"You mean that, in the whole world, only Youzhou can make glass?"

Tang Qian nodded: "Although this kind of transparent ore exists in other places, those veins are all buried deep underground and difficult to excavate, while Youzhou is an open-pit mine, so naturally only here can glass be made."

Wanyan Wuqimai laughed loudly again, "Back then, Shi Jingtang gave the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to the Liao Kingdom for the sake of the country. I thought they were all useless, barbaric lands, but I never expected them to be a treasure trove. Hearing you say that, my interest has only grown stronger. I'll go and take a look at the glass workshop first, and then go and see the mine. That way, the trip will not be in vain."

Since the emperor had spoken, Tang Qian naturally dared not disobey. He immediately led the way and personally demonstrated the glass production process in the workshop, which amazed Wanyan Wuqimai. He was truly astonished that grinding stones into powder and burning them could produce crystal-clear glass products. This young man's extraordinary skills were truly remarkable.

Emerging from the workshop, Wanyan Wuqimai mounted his prepared warhorse and galloped out of the city.

Upon discovering that the Jin emperor was indeed heading towards the mountain pass, Ye Yilie, who was guarding outside the city, involuntarily clenched his fists. He stayed close to Tang Qian, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"It truly is a place where outstanding people and auspicious energy gather."

Dismounting at the entrance to the mountain pass, the Great Jin Emperor climbed the steps and peered out from the mountain where the transparent ore had been extracted, his face full of curiosity.

Just as they were marveling at the wonders of nature, a whistle suddenly rang out, and a figure flashed on the hilltop not far away. A sharp arrow flew out with a whooshing sound, aiming straight for Wanyan Wuqimai's chest.