In the afternoon, Wen Jinhe took a short nap, then sat on the couch to begin copying the structural blueprints for a bicycle.
Man Dong returned with the land deed for the blacksmith shop, the workers’ servitude contracts, and Zhao Bi. “Princess, everything has been taken care of.”
At the Heng Prince’s residence:
“Princess, the Prince of Che’s residence replied that Princess Che will attend the young princess’s full-month celebration the day after tomorrow.”
The Princess of Li Yu-Heng’s residence was the daughter of the Minister of Revenue of Beidi, born to a prominent family, and had a gentle temperament.
“Just going through the motions, and she really wants to come. The princess of a rival country, an un-favored bride, coming to my Heng Prince residence makes me feel insulted.” She slowly put down the porcelain cup in her hand, never to pick it up again.
The servant reporting this bowed low, too afraid to speak further.
“Why get so angry over this?” A male voice came from outside the door.
The Princess of Heng jumped slightly, standing up in alarm. “My Prince.”
Li Yuheng’s face was cold as he looked down at her. “The princess from the Cold Palace of Linyue has married into Beidi and become the second prince’s consort. Her status is already elevated. I cannot attend the full-month banquet the day after tomorrow. Observe Wen Jinhe’s temperament and see if she can be useful to me in the future.”
The Princess of Heng raised her eyes carefully. “Prince, you cannot attend Mi’er’s full-month banquet? Many male guests from noble families will accompany their ladies.”
Li Yuheng waved his sleeve, hiding his hand behind his back. “I have official business with the Minister of Justice that day.”
The Princess of Heng curled her lips slightly and nodded. “Understood. I will ensure the guests are properly received.”
After Li Yuheng left the room, the Princess of Heng sat silently on a low stool for a long while.
She picked up the porcelain cup on the table and threw it to the ground, a trace of dissatisfaction and anger in her eyes. “Wretch.”
These past few days, the lights in Che Prince’s residence—both in the study and the backyard—never went out before the middle of the night.
Both masters stayed up late, one later than the other.
The prince’s long work hours could be excused, but the princess had been active nonstop since entering the residence.
Li the steward did not concern himself with the princess’s private property, but seeing Man Qiu, Man Dong, Zhao Bi, and He Shi coming and going daily made him worried.
The princess had sold all her dowry—he hoped the money wouldn’t be wasted!
For the sake of the Che residence, Li the steward, over fifty years old, was truly worried sick.
In the bright study, Zhao Bi stood upright in front of Li Junche. “The princess took over a blacksmith shop today. She seems short on personnel. According to Man Qiu, she plans to hire more people from the tool market tomorrow.”
Li Junche raised his eyes. Buying shops to do business or land to farm was understandable.
But a useless forest near the river? Pure waste of silver.
Now a blacksmith shop too—what exactly is she planning with all this?
“I will arrange for a few retired soldiers to blend in tomorrow. Pay attention when selecting people with Man Qiu.”
Zhao Bi cupped his hands. “Understood, Your Highness.”
Looking over the finely drawn blueprints and reviewing the plans for establishing a rubber workshop and tire-making process, Wen Jinhe finally put down the papers, stretched, and squinted sleepily. “Finally done.”
The next day, before Man Qiu and Zhao Bi went out, Wen Jinhe summoned them. “First, buy fifty people, half male and half female. Literate ones are even better. Have Li the steward prepare the empty rooms in the service quarters for them—they’ll need some time for training before deployment.”
“Yes.” Man Qiu bent her knees in response. Since being assigned by Li the steward to serve the princess, she had barely had time to attend to her, instead running out daily, busier than before.
They arrived at the personnel broker’s place. The broker, an older woman, recognized Man Qiu. “Miss, you were here just yesterday. Why are you back today?”
She suspected that perhaps some of the blacksmith servants had caused trouble yesterday, and they had come back today to stir up more, especially with a guard in tow.
Man Qiu straightened her posture and said, “The master wants to buy more servants. We need to see them all so we can pick.”
When the broker realized they weren’t here to cause trouble but for business, her face split into a smile. “Very well, miss. Give me a moment, I’ll have them all brought out.”
Several rows of servants lined the courtyard, around two to three hundred in total.
Man Qiu instructed, “Those who can read, stand in the front two rows.”
After a careful inspection, Man Qiu and Zhao Bi quickly selected fifty people. They paid the silver, took the servitude contracts, and returned with them to the Che residence.
That afternoon, Wen Jinhe handed the bicycle blueprints to Zhao Bi. “Give these to the blacksmiths in the shop. Have them study them carefully and produce the items as soon as possible. Keep it secret—don’t let anyone outside see this.”
“Yes.” Zhao Bi looked at the strange contraption on the paper—it resembled a carriage wheel, but the other parts were unfamiliar.
By the time they arrived at the service quarters, all fifty had changed into the Che residence servant uniforms, standing in five neat rows.
Seeing Wen Jinhe, they quickly knelt and said, “Greetings, Princess.”
Man Qiu pointed to the five men in the front row. “Princess, these five can read.”
Wen Jinhe looked them over. Most were physically impaired—missing limbs, short legs, or facial birthmarks. Only one appeared fully healthy. “Why do they all look so weak?”
Man Qiu hesitated. “If not for their disabilities, they wouldn’t have been sold. The one at the very edge is deaf in the right ear, only hearing with one ear. If you think they’re unsuitable, we can return them.”
“No need. The work isn’t manual labor, so physical impairments don’t matter.” Literate people were rare in this era. Even in a shop, literate assistants were in high demand, but these were shunned because of their disabilities.
The five literate men in front and the seven retired soldiers behind breathed a sigh of relief.
One side worried they might not be purchased if returned; the other feared being noticed by Wen Jinhe and blamed by Li Junche.
The retired soldiers were either too old or physically unfit for battle. Most buyers wouldn’t choose such people—but because Li Junche had coordinated with Zhao Bi in advance, they were brought in.
Zhao Bi took the blueprints to the blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith frowned at the papers. “These designs are too intricate. Making an exact copy will be very difficult.”
Zhao Bi raised an eyebrow. “Just tell me—can you make it or not?”
The blacksmith thought for a moment. “I can, but it will take effort.”
“Arrange it as soon as possible. Keep it safe—no outsiders should see it.” Since all the shop assistants were bound by contracts, there was no worry about leaks.
Wen Jinhe then went to the storage room and looked through the dowry boxes. None of the items were suitable for a young girl’s full-month gift. “Does the prince’s private store have anything appropriate?”
Man Qiu felt slightly embarrassed for Li Junche. “His private store is managed by Steward Li. Anything sellable has been converted into silver. The remaining items are imperial gifts. Since the residence has no female family members, much less children, the court naturally wouldn’t give gifts like that.”
Wen Jinhe sighed, realizing she shouldn’t have expected help from Li Junche. “Take some silver and buy a delicate longevity lock from outside.”