The eleventh lunar month had arrived. Zhulan put down the letter in her hand and warmed herself by the fire. It was so much better to have a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) in the house; the temperature rose quickly, much more comfortably than in the capital.

The door opened, and Xue Han came in with Yu Lu. Xue Han smiled and said, “Mother, it’s snowing outside.”

Zhulan stood up and walked to the door. Snowflakes were falling from the sky. She reached out and caught a few. “It really is snowing. The snow came a bit early this year.”

Xue Han liked snowy days, but the wind was a bit strong today. “Mother, it’s cold outside. Come in.”

Zhulan shivered; a gust of wind really made it cold. Returning to the stove, Zhulan looked at Yu Lu warming herself by the fire and couldn’t help but smile. Her little hands were just like Li Shi’s. Zhulan looked at the brazier and felt a craving for roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes. Her family didn’t grow sweet potatoes or potatoes. Her original plan was that the people in Lizhou City had plenty of potatoes and sweet potatoes, and no one would buy them anyway. If her family didn’t grow them, they could buy from the people and help them earn some money.

As a result, Zhou Shuren’s vermicelli recipe was given to merchants, and the common people no longer had to worry about selling their potatoes and sweet potatoes. Thinking of vermicelli, Zhulan thought of hot and sour noodles and called Liu Ya. “Go and tell your eldest daughter-in-law, Li Xia, to buy some potatoes and sweet potatoes today, and also vermicelli and peanuts.”

Liu Ya noted it all down. “I’ll go and tell her right away.”

Since there were more vermicelli merchants in Lizhou City, Zhulan’s family had eaten it several times, mostly sauerkraut stew with vermicelli and chicken stew with vermicelli. Not only did Zhulan’s family buy a lot, but every household bought a lot, and merchants from other ethnic groups placed orders in batches.

Now the price of sweet potatoes and potatoes had risen to two coins a pound!

At noon, Zhulan described what hot and sour noodles looked like, and at noon she ate them. Actually, in Shanzhou, a city famous for its vinegar, this way of eating was very common.

It was snowing lightly outside, and inside she was eating roasted sweet potatoes with hot and sour noodles. Zhulan felt that this was a pretty good life.

Ming Teng felt uneasy. Ever since his fourth shū shu came, his good days were over. His shū shu, for some reason, kept watching him study all day long. And, to top it off, he held him to his own standards. He really didn’t have his shu shu’s talent for studying!

But he couldn’t tell his yé ye. Well, even if he did, his yé ye wouldn’t care. And he didn’t need to tell his father either; his father would just tell him how many people wanted to learn from his shū shu but never had the chance!

Changzhi grabbed Ming Teng by the collar. “You’ve eaten and drunk your fill; let’s go. You haven’t even memorized today’s article all morning.”

Ming Teng looked at his naǐ nai for help, but all he saw was her waving her hand. “…”

Ming Teng should have been disciplined a long time ago. After arriving in Lizhou City, she and Zhou Shuren were busy, and Boss Zhou was busy too. The only one who could control Ming Teng at home was Li Shi. But Li Shi couldn’t even talk to Ming Teng. The house was big, and once Ming Teng ran away, there was no way to beat him. The boy became even more unruly, daring to climb ladders and tear off tiles from the roof.

Ming Teng really thought Chang Zhi was willing to help him? It was only because she had instructed him to, though, of course, Ming Teng couldn’t be told this.

The first snowfall in Lizhou City was quite heavy, and the temperature dropped significantly afterward. Despite the cold, the main street of Lizhou City was still bustling with traffic, mostly from foreign merchants selling furs, cattle, and sheep.

These foreign merchants were itinerant, without fixed shops; in previous years, without war, they wouldn’t stay in Lizhou City for more than a few days.

This year, the people had sold their potatoes and sweet potatoes for money, and with many wealthy households planting apples, the foreign merchants knew these wealthy households had money, so they stayed longer.

Lizhou City specifically opened up a section in the south of the city for these foreign merchants to rent out.

Zhulan took Li Shi and Boss Zhou to browse the foreign merchants’ stalls. The gems from the foreign tribes were different from those from the locals, and because it was a border town, the prices were much lower than inland. Zhulan bought some red gems, intending to save them for her granddaughter’s headdress.

Li Shi, unusually generous, also bought some small gemstones.

Zhulan mainly looked at the furs on the street. There weren’t many fox or mink pelts on the stalls; most were wolf pelts and pelts of large carnivorous beasts.

Zhulan also saw bear pelts, and the prices were quite shocking. Even though prices were lower in the border town than inland, they were still very expensive in Zhulan’s eyes—three hundred taels for one pelt!

These foreign merchants often exchanged goods for half silver and half grain.

In the eyes of these foreign merchants, bringing back grain meant they could make another profit, all because the lands of these foreign tribes were unsuitable for cultivation, and the dynasty’s own grain production was insufficient for self-sufficiency. Foreigners had very little grain to buy, and the court’s regulations prohibited grain merchants from selling large quantities to foreign merchants, further exacerbating the food shortage. In foreign territories, grain prices were almost on par with meat prices.

Zhulan browsed around, selecting some fine rabbit and mink pelts. She kept the top-grade pelts for her daughter’s dowry and sent the second-grade pelts to the sewing shop to make cloaks.

Zhulan calculated the days ahead and allocated silver to the sewing shop, ensuring that when Second Zhou and the others arrived, each person would receive at least two sets of clothes and a cloak.

The foreign merchants sold mostly beef and mutton, especially mutton, which sold best. The sheep were brought in and slaughtered fresh. The beef wasn’t yellow beef but rather yak meat, which made quite good beef jerky.

Zhulan had Steward Ding buy a lot of mutton and beef. Since the outside temperature was low, they could be frozen in large vats without spoiling. Buying so much also meant preparing New Year’s goods.

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the apples and meat Zhou Shuren sent to the capital arrived.

Zhou Shuren had sent a lot of apples and pork; these were all gifts from the common people to the government, which had then provided money in return, essentially buying them.

Some fruit had been spoilt by the frost, but there were still plenty of apples left. The pork wasn’t susceptible to freezing and didn’t spoil. Besides these, there were also several baskets of vermicelli.

The Emperor picked up a slice of apple and ate a piece. “The taste is good.”

The room was dry, and the apple, freshly brought in from outside, was cool and refreshing, its sweet and sour taste very appetizing. The Emperor was somewhat reluctant to send it to his ministers.

The Crown Prince, seeing his father gesture for him to try a piece, took one and said, “Indeed, it’s quite good.”

The Emperor said quietly, “Winter fruits are quite expensive, and the annual tribute isn’t enough to eat. Keep all the apples, and distribute the vermicelli and pork. You make the arrangements.”

The Crown Prince replied, “Yes.”

Could he say he had expected this outcome? This year’s fruits were indeed very expensive, and he felt a pang of regret at having to distribute these large, good apples.

The Emperor wiped his hands. “Our Minister Zhou deserves a reward. He’s quite adept at using my gifts to intimidate people. Send some of this year’s tribute tea and tangerines, and also pick out an uncarved piece of jade from the storeroom. Oh, and send the deed to the bestowed residence as well.”

“Yes.”

The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow. His father was unusually generous. The jade in the storeroom was quite large. As for its source, well, it was all confiscated. And where did the ministers whose homes were confiscated get theirs? They all stole it during the rebellion, and in the end, it all benefited his father.

That said, even though Lord Zhou was capable before, Father Emperor didn’t pay much attention. If Lord Zhou didn’t perform well, someone else could replace him. Now, Lord Zhou not only performed well but also far exceeded Father Emperor’s expectations. This time, Father Emperor truly remembered it and wasn’t keeping him hanging on anymore; in fact, he was willing to reward him.

Father Emperor didn’t have much real gold and silver, but his treasury was full of treasures!

In Lizhou City, Zhulan and her daughter chatted. “According to the schedule, your second brother and his party should have arrived by now.”

Xue Han was also very worried: “Mother, what if the snow and wind on the way delayed them?”

(End of Chapter)

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