Gu Moran walked out of the corridor wearing a loose-fitting outer robe, her hair unkempt, as if she had been dragged out of bed.
He was holding a half-bowl of medicine.
Shen Ling'er followed behind, carrying silver needles and a medicine box, her expression cold.
"Your Highness, please finish your medicine before seeing guests."
"Alright, alright, we'll drink in a bit."
"Drink it now."
"Let me say a few words to you two first."
"Drink first."
Gu Moran stopped on the threshold, looked down at the dark soup in the bowl, and his face scrunched up.
Si Renyou and Zhen Daijin watched this scene simultaneously.
The Prince Yi.
He was being chased by a woman wielding silver needles.
Gu Moran resigned himself to taking a swig, and the bitterness made his shoulders hunch.
Shen Ling'er handed over the dish of candied fruit. "Drink it all."
Gu Moran mumbled through a piece of candied fruit, "Please forgive me, gentlemen, but my wife is very strict."
He stepped over the threshold into the main hall and sat down in the chair between the two men.
He was still holding the remaining half-bowl of medicine in his hand.
"Gentlemen, is there something you need so late?"
silence.
Si Renyou and Zhen Daijin exchanged a glance.
They then moved away from each other.
Si Renyou spoke first, his tone polite.
"Your Highness, I have heard that the Prince's storeroom has undergone some renovations, with improvements made to ventilation and moisture control; the work is quite ingenious. I would like to humbly request Your Highness's guidance..."
He paused for a moment, choosing a very careful wording.
"The state granary has been reporting losses every year, and we are currently having a major headache over this matter. Your Highness's damp-proofing methods... could we borrow the state granary's methods?"
No sooner had he finished speaking Zhen Daijin continued.
"Your Highness, my military stables are even more dilapidated; the moldy hay we get in a year is enough to feed a hundred horses. Could you perhaps draw a few pictures of your high and low windows and shelves for my camp as well?"
After they finished speaking, they both looked at Gu Moran.
Gu Moran held the bowl of medicine.
He lowered his head and took a sip.
A bitter taste shot from the back of my tongue to the top of my head, and my brows furrowed.
"This king..."
Shen Ling'er's voice came from outside the door.
Have you finished your medicine?
Gu Moran the bowl to her lips and took another sip.
The medicine bowl was placed on the table, with about an inch of soup remaining at the bottom.
"I am truly ignorant of both political and military affairs."
The two looked at each other.
Gu Moran coughed twice.
"But..."
Si Renyou leaned forward slightly.
Zhen Daijin loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife.
"Those drainage ditches, you know?" Gu Moran rubbed his temples, his tone light and casual.
"When I was in the capital, I flipped through a few old books about how to prevent dampness in Shu Region. I also found some notes from the past in this old house. I'll give them a try; I don't know if they'll work."
"If you two gentlemen find it useful, then have someone copy it."
He finished speaking and coughed again.
"It's just that my health... prevents me from drawing too many pictures. Tomorrow, I'll have Uncle Fu make a copy of today's sketches for the two gentlemen. As for the rest... let's do it another day."
The main hall was quiet for three breaths.
Zhen Daijin made the first move.
He stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gu Moran.
The movements were short and swift.
"Your Highness, I'll send someone to pick up the map tomorrow."
After saying that, he left, walking two steps faster than when he came.
Si Renyou also stood up and bowed.
"Your Highness, please rest early. Sorry to disturb you."
He glanced back as he reached the door.
In the dim light of the main hall, Gu Moran, wrapped in an outer robe, huddled in a chair, a candied fruit in his mouth, his face pale and looking utterly disheveled.
His lips moved, but he didn't speak.
He turned and left.
After the courtyard gate was closed.
Gu Moran spat the candied fruit into the dish.
"It is too sweet."
Uncle Fu emerged from the shadows.
"Young Master, the two lords' attitudes... have changed."
"Things have changed." Gu Moran pulled his robe tighter around himself and shrank back in the chair. "It's my first time here, so not much has changed."
He closed his eyes.
"Have Su Yao calculate the cost of moisture protection for the granary in more detail tomorrow. Also, make sure everyone knows the value of the items sent to the prefectural government."
"Yes."
The next day, at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
Uncle Fu took the two copies of the sketch and delivered them to the state capital and the military camp respectively.
Afternoon.
The results came out first at the military camp.
Lin Xin dismantled an old stable according to the blueprints, working from morning till noon.
After the two windows, one high and one low, were opened, he stood in the shed and waited for about fifteen minutes.
The wind blew in through the low window, ran along the ground, and carried away the dampness from under the hay.
The hot air escaped through the high windows, and the temperature inside the shed dropped significantly.
He then raised the hay rack by three inches.
He crouched down and touched the ground at the bottom of the shelf.
Dry.
It's been three years.
He'd been saying for three years that he wanted to improve the ventilation of the stables, but nobody listened.
One picture, two hours, one shed—the problem was solved.
Lin Xin squatted beside the hay rack, her nose stinging with tears.
He wiped his face, stood up, and ran towards the captain's tent.
"Captain! It's done!"
Zhen Daijin was eating a dry biscuit inside the tent.
"What are you yelling about?"
"It's all fixed! The wind can pass through! The ground is dry! The hay won't get damp anymore!"
Zhen Daijin put down the cake, stood up, and walked out.
He stood in the newly renovated stable and looked around.
The wind whistled in through the cracks in the low window, carrying the dry, earthy smell of the drill ground outside.
The sunlight outside the high window was very bright, and the beams of light slanted across the hay rack.
Zhen Daijin touched the bottom of the shelf.
It is definitely dry.
He stood inside for a long time.
"Captain?" Lin Xin looked at him cautiously.
Zhen Daijin pursed his lips twice, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
"Renovate. Renovate everything. All thirty-six stables, renovate them according to this."
"Yes!"
"Materials cost..."
Zhen Daijin lowered his voice.
His hand gripped the old, chipped knife tightly, his knuckles digging into it.
Thirty-six stables. Timber, labor, window frames.
It adds up to quite a bit of silver.
Lin Xin noticed, opened her mouth, but didn't dare to say anything.
Zhen Daijin turned and walked towards the tent.
After taking three steps, he cursed.
"Fuck you."
After he finished cursing, he muttered something under his breath.
"You really don't understand military affairs?"
Over in the state capital.
Fang Bi delivered the map to the back hall.
Si Renyou laid the drawing flat on the table, then took out the version that Fang Bi had drawn from memory yesterday and compared the two.
The drawing that Gu Moran sent was clearer than the Fang Bi drew.
The depth, width, and slope of each ditch are marked with numbers.
Even the spacing of the iron grilles at the drain outlets was written down.
Si Renyou looked at it for a long time.
He took an old blueprint of the Yi Prefecture granary and stacked the two blueprints together.
The drainage ditch was designed to avoid the load-bearing walls of the grain silo.
The ventilation window is located right upwind of the prevailing wind direction.
This is not something that can be drawn by "scribbling".
It is essential to understand Yi Prefecture's topography, climate, and architectural structure.
But he's only been here for three days.
Si Renyou put down the blueprints and picked up his teacup.
The tea has gone cold.
He didn't drink; he held the rim of the cup in his hands, lost in thought for a moment.
Fang Bi stood to the side and asked in a low voice.
"My lord thinks that this prince..."
Si Renyou placed the teacup back on the table.
"It's been over a decade." His voice was soft. "Four inspectors came, three prefects were transferred, and two censors conducted covert investigations. Zhen Daijin and I held out for over a decade, just waiting for him to come."
"I haven't forgotten a single word of what Lord Liu instructed me to do back then. ' Yi Prefecture will guard this place for him, waiting for his return.'"
Fang Bi remained silent.
Si Renyou looked down at the picture.
I thought I was being treated like a spoiled brat.
"Looking at it now, we don't know if he's a playboy or not. But this picture... isn't something a playboy could draw."
He stood up, carefully put away the two blueprints, and locked them in the wooden cabinet next to his desk.
"Arrange for someone to go to the Prince's Mansion tomorrow to measure the dimensions of the old granary. Just say it's a routine maintenance by the prefectural government."
"Yes."
Fang Bi.
"This old man is here."
"From now on, send gifts to the Prince's residence a few more times. But just observe, don't ask questions. We'll call it a day when he's willing to tell us the truth."
Fang Bi responded and turned to leave.
Upon reaching the door, the old butler paused, turning back to glance at Si Renyou's retreating figure.
It's been more than ten years.
These old guys in Yi Prefecture have been waiting for over a decade, and finally, their people have arrived.
Fang Bi closed the door, straightening his hunched back slightly.
Inside the old prince's mansion.
Gu Moran was unaware of the reactions of the two officials in the city.
He was currently surrounded by six women, with a huge sheet of paper spread out in front of him.
The paper contained Su Yao's overall plan.
Infrastructure projects on the left: moisture-proofing for grain warehouses, ventilation for stables, brine drainage for wells, slope protection for post roads...
Commercial area on the right: Snow Milk Tea Shop, Fruit Tea and Honey Drinks, Herbal Desserts, Shu Brocade Clothing, Storybook Sales...
Intermediary network: Si Renyou, Zhen Daijin, embroidery shops, bookstores, molasses merchants, bamboo and wood merchants...
The bottom line shows: initial budget, shop rent, and estimated payback period.
Gu Moran stared at the picture, not even noticing that the candied fruit in her hand had fallen.
"When... did you guys do this?"
Su Yao put down her pen. "This afternoon."
"Six people spent the whole afternoon on this?"
"Mmm," Xie Wanqing said softly.
Gu Moran flipped the paper over and then back over.
"It seems like you really don't need anything from me."
Shen Ling'er brought over a bowl of freshly brewed medicine.
"You do one thing."
"What?"
"Drink your medicine."
Gu Moran looked at the bitter-tasting soup in the bowl, then at the planning map on the table that had already demolished and reorganized Yi Prefecture.
Am I superfluous?
Six people were looking at him.
Everyone's expression was almost the same.
Who are you.
But you still need to take your medicine.
"Okay, okay, I'll drink it. I'm happy, and you're all happy too..."