Seeing Him in a New Light

Because the price of Feicui was extremely low at that time, and the area was still in a semi-wild stage, his subordinates spent several hundred taels of silver and gave some porcelain, silk and other items to the local chieftain to buy several rich mines.

After the stones were extracted, his subordinates invited the most famous jade expert in the area to select the best-looking stones, those that they thought were most likely to contain top-quality Feicui, and to examine them by opening windows.

As expected, they found top-quality Feicui inside, so they reattached the cut-off skin and sold it to Zhao Ruxi's people.

Therefore, although Xiao Lingyan asked this question, he still had confidence in the stones that his subordinates had mined.

Sure enough, a smile appeared on Zhao Ruxi's face when this was mentioned, "Oh my, your subordinates are so capable. More than 90% of the stones they picked contain excellent Feicui. Only a few have only a single layer of skin inside, or have blemishes that make them unusable."

She sighed, "I never imagined that I could only dream of owning such exquisite Feicui in my past life, and now I'm worried that my safe won't be able to hold it all. That's why I only opened one-fifth of the rough stone before stopping."

As if suddenly remembering something, she stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then shook her head. "I was originally thinking of having you postpone the auction for a few days, so that my jade craftsman could carve a set of Feicui jewelry, and then the Feicui could be auctioned. But I think it's better not to, it would be too deliberate, and it might steal Zhong's thunder."

Xiao Lingyan thought for a moment and nodded, "That's fine. Let's wait until Zhongdu has been auctioned off once before showing the Feicui in Jiangnan. That way, it won't seem so deliberate. Otherwise, if all these new things appear at once, and in the same way, it's easy to arouse suspicion."

Zhao Ruxi wholeheartedly agreed.

With so many sperm in the capital, it's easy to give yourself away if you're not careful. It's better to sell them in Jiangnan first, and then slowly let them spread to the capital. Just like that clock, the more detours it takes, the better.

After saying this, Zhao Ruxi prepared to leave.

Before leaving, she asked, "My workshop's production capacity is insufficient; I also need to make other parts. If you need too many parts for your crossbows, you'll have to find a way to set up your own workshop."

"Not too many, just thirty. I'll make them first to equip my bodyguards, then find an opportunity to send one to Xiao Lingpu. If he finds these useful, he'll naturally find someone and a place to make them."

Zhao Ruxi nodded, waved, and left the courtyard first.

When the capital city was covered in snow for the second time, Fu Yunkai, along with his personal guards, returned from the border, weary from their journey.

"Brother, you're back? That's wonderful! You've made it just in time for my clock auction." Fu Yunlang was Gao Xing to see his elder brother.

He went to great lengths to travel south and bring the bell back, and also spent a lot of energy helping Xiao Lingyan organize the auction, all in the hope of making something of himself and impressing his father and brothers.

But his father couldn't come home; he had to guard the border. His elder brother, who was at home, had taken on the task of transporting grain to the border and hadn't returned yet. Fu Yunlang was very disappointed.

But to his surprise, his elder brother returned at the crucial moment, much to Fu Yunlang's delight.

Fu Yunlang knew every single word Fu Yunkai said, but he didn't understand the meaning when they were put together.

Still exhausted, he only replied perfunctorily, "Okay, okay."

Despite Lady He concern for her eldest son, Madam He arranged for hot water to be prepared for Fu Yunkai's bath. When Fu Yunkai emerged from the bathroom, a table full of his favorite dishes was laid out.

"Come on, eat more." Lady He put a piece of food on her eldest son's plate, watched him eat, and then casually asked about Fu Dayong's situation before stopping.

Fu Dayong wasn't alone at the border; he was with his beloved concubine and their two children. The family was living happily and contentedly, so Madam He didn't need to worry about Lady He too much.

For this reason, Fu Yunkai felt indignant on behalf of his mother. Therefore, even though his mother was unreliable and often did foolish things, he always protected his mother whenever his father and mother argued.

He felt that his father owed his mother a great deal.

Therefore, he patiently answered the questions asked by Lady He.

"Your younger brother has made something of himself now. He went to the south a while ago and brought back a few Western Ocean water clocks. He presented one to the Emperor, and the remaining three are going to be auctioned off at the Fifth Prince's auction tomorrow," Lady He continued rambling.

Because Fu Yunlang kept talking about auctions during this period, Lady He also learned the new word "auction".

When Fu Yunlang first introduced the "clock" to his mother, he wanted her to understand what it meant, so he explained that it was a "Western Ocean water clock." Later, Lady He. He remembered these four words, and no matter how Fu Yunlang tried to correct her, it was no use.

Upon hearing the words "presented to the Emperor," Fu Yunkai stopped picking up food with his chopsticks and looked up at Fu Yunlang.

"What did the Emperor say?" he asked.

Fu Yunlang secretly curled his lip.

He knew this would happen. His father and brother only cared about politics and never about him and his mother.

However, he still honestly told his brother the details. Of course, this excludes the fact that the emperor refused to invest.

When he made a mistake, his older brother said he would send him to the army. If his mother hadn't pretended to be sick and refused to let him go, he might have actually been sent to the army by his brother.

The guards who followed their elder brother were all veterans of battle, and each one of them was ruthless. They only listened to their elder brother; even their mother's words were disregarded.

Therefore, Fu Yunlang didn't dare to act arrogantly or cause trouble in front of Fu Yunkai.

Hearing that the Emperor was satisfied and even praised Fu Yunlang, Fu Yunkai finally gave his younger brother an approving look and said, "Not bad, Yunlang has grown up and can finally handle serious matters."

Upon hearing these words, Fu Yunlang's resentment finally subsided.

Remembering the Fifth Prince's words, he quickly replied, "If you urgently need the silver from the auction of the remaining three bells, you can take it from me. Anyway, I'm interested in business, just like the Fifth Prince. From now on, I'll focus on managing household affairs and working hard to earn money. If you're short of money and food at the border, I can also offer some small assistance."

Although his father and elder brother were generals leading 100,000 troops, these troops belonged to the imperial court and did not require them to pay for them privately. This was a taboo and would be considered as keeping a private army.

However, once war breaks out on the border, the situation becomes critical. The imperial court has to follow procedures to allocate grain and funds, and the ministers often argue back and forth in the court, which often delays the opportunity to win the battle.

Therefore, it's good to keep some money and food at home, so they can be useful in a pinch.

When the emperor initially granted land to the Fu Family, he did so in a place very close to the border. This was not only to ensure their effective defense of the border, as there was no land in the capital to grant them, but also because it meant that if the army encountered an emergency and lost its provisions, the grain harvested from the Fu Family's estate could provide relief to the army.

Sure enough, Fu Yunkai was deeply moved upon hearing this.

He patted Fu Yunlang's shoulder hard and said, "Yunlang, you've really grown up. Your father and I are relieved to see you like this."

"Brother." Seeing his elder brother like this, Fu Yunlang also felt a pang of sadness, and felt even more that what the Fifth Prince said was right.

From now on, he must stay close to the Fifth Prince and learn from him as much as possible. He hopes that he can make his father proud in the future.