The reason for going into the mountains was that a new copper mine was discovered fifty miles southwest of Hedong Prefecture.

Copper mines produced the raw material for making ritual vessels and casting copper coins. Especially this copper mine was discovered in Hedong, which could just make up for the shortcomings of insufficient coinage in Shanxi and the need to transport copper coins from other places.

The Emperor attached great importance to the Hedong copper mine, so he specially sent He Yanxiu to inspect it and deal with matters such as copper mining, smelting, and even the establishment of the Hedong Mint.

These tasks added up to be very heavy, and also a big challenge for He Yanxiu.

He Yanxiu did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

For Qu Zhiwen, the mining of copper mines and the establishment of a mint both require a large number of people to work. At the same time, the workers’ daily food, accommodation, etc. required even more people to maintain.

It could be said that these things would bring many benefits to Hedong Prefecture.

Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue set up a mint in Hedong Prefecture and would favor Hedong Prefecture in terms of military pay.

In short, there were many benefits.

Because of this, even though Qu Zhiwen was the prefect, he was extremely polite and respectful to He Yanxiu, the lángzhōng of the Ministry of Revenue. Even the carriage prepared for He Yanxiu was very spacious and luxurious.

“Sir Qu, it’s inconvenient to go into the mountains by carriage. Why don’t we go there on horseback?” He Yanxiu suggested.

The mine was not very close to Hedong Prefecture, and riding a horse was faster.

“That’s fine.” Qu Zhiwen nodded, “But I’m sorry to wrong Lord He.”

After all, he was a civil servant and looked gentle and elegant. Even if he could ride a horse, he thought he couldn’t stand too many bumps.

However, it was enough to show that He Yanxiu was a man who worked hard and was not just a playboy who came here for pleasure or to build his reputation.

“Master Qu, you are too polite.” He Yanxiu bowed, and after the prepared horse was brought over, he climbed onto it.

The movements were so smooth that even the mounting stone was not used.

Not bad.

Qu Zhiwen agreed, got on his horse, and followed He Yanxiu.

The group galloped out of Hedong Prefecture and headed west.

At first, it was a flat official road, and the journey was smooth, but the further they went, the narrower and more rugged the road became, and it became more and more difficult to ride on. Even with a horse under him, Qu Zhiwen still felt exhausted.

Looking at He Yanxiu again…

He looked normal, rode skillfully, and was obviously much more relaxed than him.

Qu Zhiwen, “…”

Previously, he was worried whether He Yanxiu could bear riding a horse, but now it seemed that the weak scholar was actually himself!

After riding for another half an hour, they arrived at the foot of the mountain, where the copper mine was located.

The mountain was not high, because there was gurgling water in the mountain. Even though the weather was not warm enough now and the grass had not turned green, you could still see the lush vegetation through the short trees and dense weeds.

In the cave dug at the foot of the mountain, a sturdy wooden frame had been set up, which was large enough for people to go in and out. A small number of people had been going in and out, continuing to dig the mine in preparation for future mining.

“This is the estimated distribution of the copper veins, and this is a topographic map of the area.” Qu Zhiwen showed He Yanxiu a few drawings, “This place is relatively flat, so it’s more suitable for building a smelting furnace.”

“This place is suitable for building houses, which will be convenient for everyone to stay and eat. Before Master He came, I had posted a notice to recruit masons and smelters. Some people have signed up in recent days. Once Master He has looked at the drawings and confirmed that they are correct, we can immediately start leveling the ground and starting construction.”

He Yanxiu looked at the blueprint, then at the surrounding terrain, frowning and thinking.

—

Su Yujin had breakfast at a breakfast stall.

Meatball soup, vegetable sandwich, a combination of meat and vegetables, just the right amount.

After breakfast, she walked slowly around the city of Hedong Prefecture.

Hedong Prefecture was much larger and more prosperous than Qinghe County. The streets were wider, and there were more shops and restaurants on both sides than in Qinghe County, and it was also more lively.

However, Hedong Prefecture was located in Shanxi, and the things sold here were similar to those in Qinghe County, which was adjacent to the capital. However, things like cloth patterns and jewelry were not as exquisite as those sold in Qinghe County.

After strolling around for the whole morning, Su Yujin was not in high spirits and just went to a restaurant to eat at noon.

It was a restaurant with an imposing facade and was of considerable size. It should be one of the most famous restaurants in Hedong Prefecture.

Su Yujin ordered some of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Crispy pork, tofu boxes, pork elbow with handle, dry-fried carp, dry-fried bergamot, radish meatballs in clear soup, and the staple foods were scallion pancakes and fried cakes.

They could all be regarded as local specialties of Hedong Prefecture. The cooking was pretty standard, not amazing, but tasted pretty good.

After dinner, she walked around the street again, bought some rouge and powder, lard ointment for hand washing, and then went back.

They had dinner in the backyard of the government office in the evening. There were a few exquisite side dishes and glutinous rice porridge, but nothing special.

After finishing her meal, she took a short rest, watched Ai Cao do some needlework, and watched Qingkui tidy up the house. Before He Yanxiu came back, Su Yujin was too sleepy to go to bed first.

In the following days, He Yanxiu was busy with official duties, leaving early and returning late, while Su Yujin’s daily life was like a train, shopping and eating.

After a few days like this, Su Yujin felt really uncomfortable.

She had nothing to do all day long. She either went out for a stroll or went out to eat and drink. It was extremely boring and not as fulfilling as when she was busy in Qinghe County.

Su Yujin suddenly felt homesick.

She also suddenly understood why the women in the backyards of wealthy families always caused trouble.

They are so bored that they just want to bully this one and fight for that one.

Sure enough, it was better to keep busy!

After Su Yujin calmed down and thought about it, she changed her clothes and called Ai Cao, Qing Kui, and two maids to accompany her into the small kitchen in the backyard of the government office.

When Chen Shi arrived, she was slightly surprised to see that Su Yujin was not there, “Miss Su is not in the courtyard?”

When she came, she asked the doorman and was told that Su Yujin had not gone out.

“My lady, Miss Su is in the kitchen,” the maid answered truthfully, “She said she wanted to make some food.”

Wanted to cook something by herself?

Was it because she thought the food in the small kitchen here was not tasty enough?

Her husband had repeatedly told her to take good care of Su Yujin and not to make any mistakes. Now she wanted to cook for herself. Didn’t that mean she was not taking good care of her?

If He Yanxiu heard about this, he would definitely be dissatisfied.

Chen Shi suddenly felt uneasy, and without any hesitation, she hurried to the small kitchen.

The small kitchen was filled with steam.

And, bursts of fragrance.

This made Chen Shi unable to help but sniff her nose again and again.

Author’s Note: The ancient coin minting agency was the Shanglin Sanguan in the Han Dynasty, and the Qianjian in the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. During the Qing Dynasty, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works could mint their coins for easy use.

For the sake of the plot, this article borrows the setting of the Qing Dynasty and tentatively stipulates that the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for coinage.

Regarding official duties in the text, the author usually makes slight adaptations based on certain historical materials. The historical background of this article is fictional, so please do not delve too much into it.

(End of this chapter)

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