“Your Highness, please board the carriage.” The Little Eunuch diligently guided Qi Chengming to the carriage station and invited him onto a horse-drawn carriage.
One couldn’t possibly leave the palace on foot, and since no one knew how skilled this obscure Second Prince was in archery and horsemanship, it was safer to borrow a carriage just to be cautious. After all, even the ministers attending court often came here to borrow or park their carriages.
Who hadn’t experienced carriage troubles a few times?
Ministers from poorer families rode in donkey or mule carts. The more prestigious officials, like several Ministers, traveled in exclusive carriages pulled by two horses, each engraved with their respective insignias.
The taciturn Xiao Chengzi sat outside on the carriage shaft with the coachman to memorize the route, while Xiao Dezi accompanied Qi Chengming inside the carriage. They had reached the outermost gate of the palace; beyond it lay the streets where commoners lived.
The noise and clamor rushed toward them through the tall, imposing red wooden gate.
“There isn’t even any tea to drink in this carriage,” Xiao Dezi complained, touching the teapot on the low table. Their master already lived frugally enough, and this public carriage only had a pot of cold water and a few teacups—not even tea leaves in the small drawer. It was far too shabby.
“It’s fine,” Qi Chengming said, lifting the window curtain to curiously observe the outside. He didn’t think the eunuchs at the carriage station were neglecting him; ordinary ministers probably didn’t receive much better treatment during court sessions.
The streets outside the palace exceeded Qi Chengming’s expectations.
Dusty, grimy roads covered in dirt. Low-tiled houses and bustling streets filled with people. The cries of vendors, soliciting voices, children playing, all mixed with the rumble of carriage wheels.
This was a vivid ancient world.
“Is it… this dirty outside the palace?” Qi Chengming fell silent for a moment. Though he had mentally prepared himself, he couldn’t help but ask.
How long had it been since they left the main street outside the palace? A few dozen meters? The road ahead was visibly filthy, with sewage flowing everywhere. Qi Chengming couldn’t help but tilt his head back, hold his breath, and carefully lower the curtain.
He had thought that in ancient times, feces were considered treasures, used to fertilize vegetable gardens. If he remembered correctly, there was even a profession called “Night Soil Collector,” specifically responsible for collecting feces from towns to take back to the countryside for farming. Had this world of imperial succession struggles not developed such practices yet?
Xiao Dezi, who came from a poor family in his childhood, recalled and said nonchalantly, “Your Highness, the ‘Night Soil Collectors’ you mentioned only serve wealthy households! Common folks like us couldn’t afford to hire them. Everyone just relieves themselves wherever they are—the streets have always been like this.”
Qi Chengming: “…!!!”
For the first time since his transmigration, his expression turned horrified, his face nearly scrunching up like a cabbage.
How terrifying!
His mind began racing.
In ancient times without sewers or toilets, the countryside was manageable. But in towns, aside from wealthy families, ordinary people had no way to handle waste. Qi Chengming had initially misunderstood, wondering why Night Soil Collectors would leave so much fertilizer on the streets unused. Turns out, the causality was reversed—they only went for the money from wealthy households.
They didn’t rely on that night soil to significantly boost their vegetable gardens’ fertility; or rather, the night soil collected from wealthy homes was already sufficient.
Qi Chengming eyed the value of the night soil on the streets with envy… while simultaneously finding the scene distasteful. Yet others remained completely unaware of these two points.
‘Composting…’
‘The difference between directly irrigating fields with ordinary sewage and supplying nutrients to the land after composting is tremendous.’
Qi Chengming racked his brains recalling his high school chemistry knowledge and silently activated the Infrastructure System.
Within the map of Liuzhou, it was clearly marked:
Vast stretches of uncultivated wilderness lay outside the city walls.
Firstly due to water scarcity, and secondly because of the harsh environment—some lands were particularly barren.
While the capital might tolerate flowing filth, Qi Chengming genuinely didn’t want his permanent residence of Liuzhou to be the same. The displaced night soil that had nowhere to go—couldn’t it be relocated to appropriate places? The town would gain cleanliness, the land would gain fertility. Such major expenditures must be uniformly managed under the leadership of either the local government or the Prince of Commandery Manor…
Earning money upon arrival had become urgently necessary.
As these thoughts circulated in Qi Chengming’s mind, the carriage gradually came to a stop. Xiao Chengzi outside reminded him: “Your Highness, we’ve arrived.”
The coachman had already stepped forward to knock on the gate of Weiyong Count’s Mansion. Whether due to decline or other reasons, there wasn’t even a gatekeeper present. The eunuch serving as coachman knocked for quite some time before an old soldier emerged from the side entrance. Spotting the imperial palace insignia, he hurried over in a fluster to inquire.
“Hurry up and announce our arrival, open the main gate! This is… His Highness the Second Prince!” the eunuch coachman whispered through gritted teeth. Had the Weiyong Count’s Mansion been living behind closed doors for so long that they’d lost their senses?
Among common folk, this would be their own grandson visiting—how could the gatekeeper still be standing there dumbfounded!
“Oh! Oh…!” The old soldier hastily went inside, followed by sounds of chaotic commotion.
After waiting briefly, Qi Chengming felt the carriage begin moving forward again—they were entering through the main gate. Soon, noisy commotion arose in the distance. A clear child’s voice that hadn’t yet lost its childish lilt called out: “Cousin! Is cousin here?”
Further away came other servants’ flustered and disorderly attempts at restraint: “Young master, wait—you mustn’t run over there! It’s too improper!”
“What’s happening?” Xiao Dezi knelt suspiciously in the carriage, trying to peer outside.
Qi Chengming had already smiled. He lifted the door curtain and ordered: “Stop the carriage.”
Before the vehicle came to a complete halt, Qi Chengming—with youthful impulsiveness—pushed himself off the carriage shaft with one hand and jumped down, causing Xiao Dezi to exclaim: “Your Highness?!” Xiao Chengzi remained silent, not out of composure but because his face had turned pale with fright, his lips opening and closing without producing sound.
Qi Chengming waved them off and looked into the distance.
Running toward him was a half-grown child—a tall, slender boy transitioning toward adolescent physique. Even at his young age, one could see he had fine, regular features, though this attractive appearance was somewhat wasted:
The boy’s skin was tanned to a healthy dark hue, his entire body lean and wiry. Not only was there no baby fat on his face, but there wasn’t a trace of childish delicacy either—clearly a rough half-grown lad who had practiced martial arts nearly to the point of foolishness.
Wang Shuo appeared quite excited to see his young cousin, his heart filling with compassion. Immediately welling up with tears, he choked out sobs as he rushed forward to grasp the other’s hand.
Wuwu… Cousin, you’ve been worn down since childhood, suffering so much!
You’re already thirteen—why does your complexion look so unhealthy?
“Cousin, why are you so thin?” The young boy asked with a choked voice, looking as if he wished he could suffer in the other’s place, his face full of heartfelt distress. His tearful eyes finally revealed a hint of childish innocence. “Come with me quickly, I have something for you!”
Qi Chengming: “…”
Cousin, why don’t you take a look at which of us appears more frail right now?
Although this familiar young cousin was so warmly affectionate toward him and thoughtful enough to keep him in mind, filling his heart with warmth, still…
“Cousin, shouldn’t we first go pay our respects to…” Qi Chengming hesitated for a moment, hinting tactfully, “our grandfather?”
“No hurry, they need some time to get ready too.” Wang Shuo, this kid who seemed to have grown up eating who-knows-what, possessed remarkable strength and ran exceptionally fast. Just like that, he dragged Qi Chengming away.
A three-year age gap might sound small, but when comparing a ten-year-old and a thirteen-year-old, they seemed like they belonged to two quite different age groups. Indeed, in modern terms, this would be like comparing a fourth grader to a first-year middle school student, with a noticeable difference in physique.
Qi Chengming, astonished, waved to Xiao Chengzi and Xiao Dezi, signaling that they didn’t need to follow too closely.
…Maybe I should start exercising when I get back?
Qi Chengming glanced at his own frame, then at his young cousin’s, still somewhat bothered by the comparison.
“We’re here, look!” His young cousin pulled him through numerous twists and turns until they reached a backyard. Under the eaves here, seven or eight sealed jars were neatly arranged. The earthen jars varied in age, size, and color.
“When I heard about it, it was already too late, so I could only purchase these from outside.” Wang Shuo said sincerely, pointing to each large jar as he introduced them. “These are all inexpensive things that you can take on the road to eat. These are salted fresh vegetables: Xuelihong, mustard tuber, and radish. These are pickled vegetables: Babao Cai and cucumber strips. In the ice cellar, there are also soybean paste and meat sauce.”
Wang Shuo spoke in one breath, his face wearing a serious, almost adult-like expression, as if he weren’t just talking about food but discussing some important matter. “The last two are hard to preserve! Cousin, you should eat those first on the journey. Fortunately, the weather hasn’t been too hot lately, so they should last for a while.”
“Alright, alright.” Qi Chengming listened quietly, his throat tightening, a wave of warmth surging in his heart. “I deeply appreciate your kindness.”
These might sound like trivial items, but each one was filled with heartfelt consideration.
Travel in ancient times was difficult to begin with—how well could one eat? Yet his young cousin, worried that he might have a monotonous diet, had gone to great lengths to prepare so many side dishes and sauces for him. This was… truly thoughtful.
“Cousin, don’t take this lightly!” Wang Shuo, seeing that his cousin was only moved, his eyes shimmering with emotion but his attention mostly on him rather than the food, grew anxious and emphasized again,
“You must eat properly on the road! Otherwise, otherwise it would be a waste of my efforts.” He could only say this, sounding like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I will.” Qi Chengming naturally had to agree properly; just based on his young cousin’s earnest demeanor, he would follow through.
Only then did Wang Shuo seem satisfied, leading Qi Chengming back. “Alright, grandfather and grandmother should be about ready now. Let’s go pay our respects.”
In the main hall.
Old Weiyong Bo and Old Weiyong Bo Furen had been waiting for quite some time.
The old man sat there fuming, glaring: “…The Second Prince finally visits, and where has that rascal dragged him off to now?!”
Lately, that boy has been mischievous every single day, but strangely enough, his thoughts are entirely preoccupied with his cousin—so much so that it’s becoming excessive.
We must keep a close eye on that little scoundrel—otherwise, even Weiyong Count worries that on the day the Second Prince establishes his fiefdom, the boy might sneak into the procession and follow along. That would truly make one’s vision go dark.
And this isn’t something that couldn’t possibly happen!