Chapter 392 The Careful Thoughts of the Nine Princesses
When Jin Feng saw the Ninth Princess's hesitation, his heart suddenly tightened.
Even if he is a fool, he can guess some clues from the Ninth Princess's expression.
In the feudal period, the royal family was heaven. If the Ninth Princess demanded something by force, Jin Feng could only give it.
Fortunately, the Ninth Princess thought for a while and finally shook her head and said: "I just think it's magical and have no intention of buying it."
The Ninth Princess probably knows the overall situation of Dakang better than the emperor Chen Ji.
Due to wars and high taxes, the population of Dakang has been declining over the years.
Many existing cities have many vacant houses, so there is no need to build new cities.
Moreover, Dakang’s treasury could not afford to build another new city.
Therefore, even if Jin Feng agreed to give her the method of making cement, the Ninth Princess would not be able to use it.
Offending a person with unlimited potential for something that is useless is really not worth the gain.
Hearing what the Ninth Princess said, Jin Feng was relieved and quickly rinsed his mouth and went into the house.
Through this incident, Jin Feng also became wary of the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess cares about the world, but precisely because of this, she is more aggressive than ordinary princes and princesses.
It’s better to stay away from such people in the future.
So on the way from Maomao Mountain to Xihewan, Jin Feng rode in front, trying to avoid the Ninth Princess.
Even if you really can't avoid it, you won't be as casual as before. Every time you speak, you will think about it before speaking.
The Ninth Princess secretly glanced at Jin Feng's back several times along the way, feeling helpless in her heart.
Growing up, the people she interacted with were all very serious, including Qin'er, who she grew up with, and he never dared to talk nonsense in front of her.
Only Jin Feng didn't seem to care about her status as a princess, and acted very casually whether she spoke or acted.
Yesterday during dinner, he teased her a few words just like he teased Qing Mulan.
This feeling of equal treatment made the Ninth Princess feel very comfortable.
I feel that Jin Feng is much more interesting than those old foxes in the court who look serious and old-fashioned, but are actually scheming at every turn.
It also made the Ninth Princess understand why Qing Mulan was unwilling to leave Xihewan.
Ladies from wealthy families like them are actually very lonely.
It is simply too difficult to meet someone like Jin Feng who treats them as a friend from the bottom of his heart.
If it were Qing Mulan, she wouldn't leave.
But starting from the morning, Princess Ninth could feel that Jin Feng's attitude towards her had changed.
This is the outcome that the Ninth Princess least wants to see. Along the way, she was thinking about how to make up for the relationship with Jin Feng.
Maomao Mountain is not very far from Xihewan. Around Shenshi, the Ninth Princess saw a white fortress from a distance.
This fortress was built on the open space next to the official road. Like the small tower in Maomaoshan, the whole body is made of concrete.
On the top platform of the fortress stood six bodyguards holding crossbows.
Next to the bodyguard, a heavy crossbow and catapult were covered with coarse cloth.
There are many such fortresses around Xihewan.
It is also the first line of defense built by Zhang Liang for Xihewan.
If someone wants to attack Xihewan, the escorts can easily block the official road with the help of the catapults and heavy crossbows on the fortress.
After passing the fortress, we entered the boundary of Xihewan.
The Ninth Princess opened the curtain of the carriage and looked around curiously.
In the distant ravine, several pillars of smoke rose into the sky and shot straight into the sky.
"That's Changshegou. The cement factory, lime factory, brick factory, and charcoal warehouse are all over there."
Qing Mulan acted as a tour guide and pointed to the smoke pillars and said: "Those smoke pillars are all coming out of the brick kiln and cement kiln."
"What is the house over there used for? Is it a brick house?"
Princess Ninth asked again, pointing to the rows of three-story buildings in the distance.
"Yes, they are all brick houses."
Qing Mulan explained: "After my husband's textile factory was built, many women from other villages came to make a living, and those buildings were used to house their dormitories.
A few months ago, there was an empty land there, but now houses have been built. It is estimated that in a few months, Xihewan and Guanjia Village will be connected and become one big village."
"Sir, are you building brick houses to accommodate people from other villages?"
The Ninth Princess asked in surprise: "What kind of house do the people in this village of Xihewan live in?"
Although Princess Jiu has only been out of the capital a handful of times since she was a child, she knows very well that ordinary people cannot live in brick houses.
In fact, as she walked all the way from the capital, the villages along the way were basically thatched houses. Occasionally she could see one or two brick houses, where the local squires must live.
As a result, when they arrived at Xihewan, the brick and tile houses seemed to be worthless and were used by Jin Feng to house the defected women.
"In Xihewan, it was only a few months ago that Mr. Xihe started to set up a textile factory, and life got better. Naturally, there are more thatched huts here."
Qing Mulan said: "However, the wages of workers in Xihewan are relatively high. Now many people plan to build new houses with bricks and tiles, but the brick kilns produce are not enough to build factories, and they cannot buy bricks.
The last time I came back, I heard that the village was preparing to build several new kilns, and it is estimated that there will be many brick houses in the village next year."
"So that's it."
The Ninth Princess nodded slightly.
While talking, the motorcade entered the village.
Qin'er, who had been riding outside the carriage, sniffed and frowned slightly.
Zhu'er next to her directly grasped the hilt of the sword, ready to draw the sword at any time.
The Ninth Princess noticed something strange between the two of them and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Your Highness, it smells of blood." Qin'er looked around warily: "Your Highness, please close the window first."
"Don't be nervous, the bloody smell is from the ground."
Qing Mulan smiled and said: "Wuyang, do you still remember the first murder I told you in my letter? It was here."
"Is this the threshing floor where you and your husband killed the bandits in Tin Can Mountain?"
The Ninth Princess immediately remembered: "No wonder it smells like blood. After all, so many bandits died at that time."
"Sir, he asked people to dig this place over. It's much better now. The smell is even stronger in the summer. Many timid people don't dare to walk from here in broad daylight."
Qing Mulan turned her head and looked at a corner with a look of reminiscence.
The first time she killed someone, it was in that corner.
That was also the first lesson Jin Feng taught her.
After entering the village, there were more people on the road.
"Sir is back!"
"Da Liu, I heard that you went to rescue Miss Mu Lan. Did you rescue her?"
"Sir, how could he not be able to save me if he took action? Didn't you see that Miss Mu Lan was sitting in a carriage?"
"There are still bandits who dare to go against us in Xihewan. I really don't know what to think."
"Hey, who is the girl sitting next to Miss Mu Lan? She looks so handsome."
"If you can ride in the same carriage as Miss Mu Lan, you must be sir's distinguished guest. Just take a look and don't point your fingers, or you may break off your fingers!"
…
When the villagers saw Jin Feng, some said hello, some asked about the battle situation, and some curiously guessed the identity of the ninth princess.
The Ninth Princess found it very interesting, so she did not close the carriage curtain.
Just as I was enjoying watching it, a miserable howl suddenly came from the alley on the right.
A girl wearing rags and linen clothes rushed out of the alley and almost hit Jin Feng's horse.