Gu Yanxi came in right after Xiaoliu left. Hua Zhi joked, "My study is really lively today."
Gu Yanxi walked straight to her side, "Bitter and sweet candy?"
Hua Zhi almost wanted to roll her eyes. The more she got along with him, the more she felt that he was a jealous person. She opened the drawer and motioned for him to take it himself, but he didn't move at all. Hua Zhi had no choice but to take a piece and feed it into his mouth as this man became more and more spoiled.
It was indeed a bit bitter, which neutralized the sweetness of the sugar, making Gu Yanxi, who usually didn't like candy, find it quite acceptable.
"Xiao Liu..."
"I heard everything." Gu Yanxi held her hand and massaged her with a little force, "You did the right thing. The prince is different from others. Although he enjoys wealth and honor, there are some things that he is born without."
For example, family, friendship, and love, to them, these are just a fun thing.
Touching the thin calluses on her fingertips, Gu Yanxi thought of Ah Zhi's words, "Because sometimes we can't rely on anyone, and there is no one to rely on." Isn't that true? His mother died so tragically, and he was full of despair, but even now his father is still alive and well. When the Hua family fell, everyone could only stand by and watch for various reasons. Ah Zhi had to shoulder all of this. Who else could they rely on except themselves
Therefore, Ah Zhi saw things clearly. Even though she was so close to him, and even though there was a prince by her side who admired her deeply, she had never thought about relying on them. At most, she would just consider them as a factor.
"I will send two people to protect them secretly. You don't have to worry about their safety."
"Even if you don't tell me, I would still like to borrow someone from you." Hua Zhi curved her eyebrows. She could still bring herself to ask for such a thing.
Gu Yanxi stroked her cheek gently and pulled her up, "It's time to go to dinner."
The next day, Gu Yanxi accompanied them when they went to another farm. Looking at the clumps of mushrooms growing luxuriantly in the cellar that didn't smell very good, Gu Yanxi also felt it was magical. He had heard that some people would build a greenhouse to grow vegetables in the winter, but this was the first time he had cultivated mushrooms in this way.
Hua Zhi did not introduce Gu Yanxi's identity. The steward Tang Yong just thought he was a buyer who came to collect mushrooms. He introduced him attentively: "This is the oyster mushroom. It grows the fastest and tastes good. We have several varieties right next to it. Why don't you go over and take a look?"
Hua Zhi turned her head away and suppressed her laughter, not saying anything.
Gu Yanxi looked at her indulgently and really went to the cellar next to her.
The cellars were interconnected, one connected to the other, just like rooms underground. After looking through them all, Gu Yanxi understood what Ah Zhi had said before about why this business made money quickly.
Mushrooms are not cheap among food ingredients, and they are only available in a specific season. If you sell them when no one else has them, the price will naturally be several times higher. You can imagine the profit from such a unique business.
Sitting back in the main hall, Hua Zhi waved Tang Yong away and said, "The vegetarian restaurant has been promoting mushroom banquets recently, and the response has been very good. Of course, it is impossible to sell them at the same high price as the vegetarian restaurant, but it is no problem to sell them at a higher price than usual. Where do you plan to distribute the products?"
"The thing that the capital has the most is wealthy families, and restaurants are also a good place to go. I plan to take a share of this business as the prince, and the steward of the prince's mansion will go to negotiate this matter."
Hua Zhi considered the pros and cons of the Hua family being involved with the prince, "Would it be inappropriate if the emperor knew about this?"
"The emperor will know about your business skills sooner or later. This is not a bad thing. There is no need to hide it." Gu Yanxi touched the teacup. "If he had not been so exhausted and let me do many things, he would have known about your existence. It is time to let him know. He is dealing with the male members of the Hua family. Even if you are outstanding as a woman, he can't find anything wrong with you."
"You know the situation better than I do. You decide."
Gu Yanxi liked her straightforward personality. She knew when to do something, she would let it go and bear the consequences.
"The cultivation of mushrooms will continue to increase. I plan to expand the farm as much as possible. I don't need to stack yards on top of yards. I can just build houses one after another." Hua Zhi lowered her head and took a sip of tea. "I am now considering how to expand. In fact, it would be best to cultivate and sell locally, which would save costs and ensure the freshness of the source. However, this would require manpower and risks. It would be easier to supply directly from the capital."
Gu Yanxi made a decision for her after a brief consideration. "It is more convenient to cultivate and sell locally. You provide the people and I will do the work. There will also be fewer people causing trouble in the Prince's Mansion."
Hua Zhi naturally had no objection, "It's also okay to make appropriate concessions to the local tyrants."
This is indeed the best way, Gu Yanxi nodded in agreement.
It's easy to say but difficult to do. The first thing is to choose the right people. If you want to keep the cultivation method in your hands, you have to send at least five people to each place, and then find local people to do some unimportant work. However, manpower is the most scarce resource for the Hua family now. Hua Zhipu's stall is too big, and the Hua family is always in need of manpower.
Those who are sent out must be family sons who have a sense of belonging and are loyal to the Hua family. If those who have just been bought into the mansion don't work, I don't know how many people can be drawn from the side branches. If that doesn't work, then the people from the canning workshop can be transferred out, and then some of the people who were bought in later can be sent from the workshop.
But she couldn't ask Yan Xi for help on these things. The love she recognized was not dependence, but companionship.
Fortunately, there is no need to rush. Before expanding outward, we must first meet the needs of the capital.
The two did not stay for long. Gu Yanxi sent Azhi home and then returned to the palace.
The desk was piled with memorials, and Gu Yanxi dealt with them quickly, then took a few important ones and went to Haoxin Palace.
The emperor was dressed in casual clothes and was reading some unknown file. His hair was half white and his face was as dry as a dehydrated fruit, making him look even older.
His gloomy expression softened after seeing Gu Yanxi. "I've already told you to review it. No need to ask for instructions again. I can't trust you more than I can trust others."
Gu Yanxi didn't respond to his words at all. She opened the memorial and began to read it to herself, and she read it very concisely, "There has been no rain in Bingzhou for two months, the land is dry and cracked, and there is a fear that the harvest will be completely lost..."
The emperor listened to him casually as he read one letter after another, occasionally replying with a few words. Gu Yanxi would decide which minister to hand it over to based on his answer. If the emperor had no objection, it would be finalized. This has been the case for the past few days, and the two of them handled it very skillfully.
Seeing that he finally had no memorials in his hands, the emperor complained: "Why do you have to bring them to me? In the end, won't you still have to deal with it?"
"That's different."
The emperor liked his behavior. It was rare to have someone who remained unchanged when everyone else was changing, so he wanted to treat him better, hoping that such a person would remain unchanged.