It was past the midpoint of the hour of Xu (around 7–9 PM), and Li Junche passed by the backyard to find the lights still on. Man Qiu and the others were standing outside the door.
Normally at this hour, Wen Jinhe would have been asleep.
Seeing Li Junche approaching, the four of them quickly bowed. “Your Highness.”
“Has the princess not gone to bed yet?”
Hearing the commotion outside, Wen Jinhe hurriedly put her book away into her storage space.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
Wen Jinhe looked at the shadow through the papered window and said, “Come in.”
When Li Junche stepped into the room, he saw Wen Jinhe sitting cross-legged on the couch, her long black hair cascading down.
The kang table was cluttered with sheets of white paper, some scattered on the other side of the table.
Seeing this, Man Qiu quickly went over to tidy up and made space for Li Junche to sit.
After arranging the papers aside and preparing to leave, Wen Jinhe called out, “I’m a bit hungry—bring some snacks.”
Man Qiu knelt and replied, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Li Junche’s gaze fell on the writing in Wen Jinhe’s hands. He casually picked up one of the sheets filled with text.
Before he could finish reading, Wen Jinhe snatched it back. “Business secrets. Isn’t it improper for the prince to take without asking?”
Li Junche’s eyes narrowed. “It looks like notes about planting. I didn’t expect you to know about these things.”
She had been confined in the cold palace since childhood. Had she learned about farming while there?
Wen Jinhe finished the last character, put down her brush, and called for Man Dong to come in and tidy up. “Farming knowledge is naturally confidential. I bought some farmland today and plan to plant a few things.”
Li Junche didn’t intend to ask what she had done outside today. If anything unusual occurred, Zhao Bi and He Shi would report it.
No questions meant there was likely nothing serious.
Worried she might struggle with the harvest, he reminded her, “It’s hard work for farmers to grow crops. Sometimes the weather isn’t favorable. Droughts, floods, or poor yields can happen.”
Wen Jinhe looked at Li Junche under the yellow candlelight, her expression a bit mischievous. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’m using my personal assets, so it will be properly managed—there won’t be a single lost grain.”
Just as Li Junche was about to say that she could withdraw silver from the treasury if needed, Man Qiu entered with the late-night snacks.
Looking at the table set with an array of snacks—though each portion was small, together they were plenty—Wen Jinhe got down from the couch and said, “Your Highness, let’s eat together.”
Sitting at the table, she didn’t pay attention to Li Junche and began eating on her own.
After four or five pieces of snack, she felt full. After finishing a cup of milk, she went to wash up.
Li Junche looked at the white liquid in the cup and asked Man Qiu, “What is this?”
Man Qiu replied, “Your Highness, this is milk from a cow the princess purchased today.”
Li Junche was puzzled. “Why doesn’t it have the typical odor?”
No one in the imperial palace drank cow’s or goat’s milk; the smell usually made it unpalatable.
Man Qiu explained, “The princess had the cook boil it with black tea, strain it, and then add honey. The odor becomes very mild.”
When Man Qiu brought the cow back, the head cook was surprised that Wen Jinhe wanted to drink milk. He hadn’t expected that, following her method, the flavor would turn out so rich.
Li Junche finished the cup of milk and was about to leave.
Just as he stepped out, a few servants carried in a bucket of milk, still steaming.
“This is…?”
Man Dong replied, “The princess wants to take a milk bath.”
Li Junche’s feet seemed glued to the stone tiles. He turned around, staring in disbelief at the silhouette on the window.
Seeing their lord hurry away in such a flustered state, Man Qiu and Man Dong exchanged glances, signaling the servants to quickly carry the milk inside.
Outside, everything was quiet. The faint candlelight cast a thin veil of mist over the carved railings and tiles.
From the trees, the hoarse calls of birds and insects could still be heard.
Man Qiu whispered, “Princess, it’s late at night—be careful not to catch a cold.”
Wen Jinhe closed the window and handed Man Qiu the stack of copied planting instructions. “Follow the requirements listed here. Take the seeds from the storeroom—they’re in the remaining boxes of my dowry.”
Man Qiu lowered her head and took them. “Yes, Your Highness.”
The remaining dowry boxes in the princess’s storeroom originally contained the betrothal gifts from the prince—when did they become seeds?
The next morning, Man Qiu, accompanied by He Shi, opened the boxes in the storeroom and found that they really contained various seeds, each labeled.
When did the princess switch them?
After breakfast, Man Qiu had the servants carry several boxes of seeds out of the residence.
Having spent all day running errands yesterday, Wen Jinhe felt lazy all over, so she asked Zhao Bi to move a lounge chair under a tree.
A small table held snacks and tea.
Holding a book she had purchased outside, Wen Jinhe eagerly flipped through it. “Has Your Highness gone out after the morning court?”
He Shi replied, “A few days ago, the prince was given a few days off after your marriage. After the three-day wedding leave, besides the regular morning court, he is responsible for the daily affairs of the troops outside the city. Being busy is normal.”
Wen Jinhe sat up, and Man Dong immediately placed a soft cushion at her back. “A worker’s spirit, working hard with no harvest.”
Thinking about the two shops she had bought, as well as the vegetables and grains in the fields, she knew it would be some time before there was a harvest—leaving the land idle would be wasteful.
“Zhao Bi, roughly how many blacksmith shops are there in the city?” The transportation in this era was inconvenient and slow.
Even though she had a motorcycle in her space, she couldn’t just take it out.
Better to make bicycles instead.
After thinking for a while, Zhao Bi answered, “Around thirty to forty. They’re all small businesses making hoes, iron pots, and kitchen knives. Occasionally, they take custom orders for swords and knives.”
Wen Jinhe instructed Man Dong, “You and Zhao Bi go out of the residence and acquire one blacksmith shop. The people inside must sign contracts. If they refuse, give them some severance pay. Then buy some skilled workers from the tool market to staff it.”
Zhao Bi felt uneasy. The princess openly wanted to take over a blacksmith shop to make weapons—what exactly was she planning?
This matter needed to be reported to the prince.
At that moment, Li the steward entered the backyard with an invitation in hand, bowing. “Princess, the Princess of Heng sent an invitation for you to attend the full-month celebration of the young princess the day after tomorrow at the Prince of Heng’s residence.”
Wen Jinhe opened the invitation, read it, and set it aside. “Can I skip it? Too many people, too annoying.”
Li the steward hesitated. “Princess, previously, there were no ladies in the residence. When high officials and nobles in the city hosted banquets, there was no one to invite. Now it’s different. Besides, the young princess is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Prince of Heng. Being addressed as ‘aunt’ by her, wouldn’t it be improper not to attend?”
Their prince never went to social banquets. If the princess also refused, the outside world would gossip.
Wen Jinhe glanced to the side. “Fine, then I’ll go.”
Only then did Li the steward feel at ease and leave.