The two princes were settled, and Xiao Ce immediately dispatched troops to surround the manor tightly.
After everything was arranged, he led Su Ya back to the manor.
It was already evening when the manor finally quieted down. The welcome banquet for the two princes could not be too shabby.
To this end, Prince Xian personally provided funds for a bonfire party at the manor. They would grill meat and dance around the bonfire. A lively and unrestrained banquet was what everyone desired.
The banquet lasted for a long time before it finally concluded. Both Helian and Baili ate and drank their fill of the delicious food and fine wine. Even Helian, who had tasted many delicacies before, felt that the food here was the most down-to-earth.
The fruit wine had a strong kick. Baili, who woke up early, was shaking his head, trying to recall how he had returned the previous night, only to realize he had blacked out!
At breakfast, he encountered Helian. They looked at each other and smiled, discussing the wine from last night: "Brother Helian, this fruit wine is indeed delicious, but its after-effects are a bit too strong. I still can't remember when I returned yesterday."
Helian Jinli burst out laughing, not knowing what to say to him. He was still swaying and asking for more wine, constantly shouting that he hadn't drunk too much.
In the end, Prince Xian, unable to watch any longer, carried him back.
"I don't know how you got back either. If you can't remember, then don't think about it. Eat quickly, and don't forget the purpose of our visit."
Hearing this, Baili no longer dwelled on it. The two of them went to have some breakfast together.
At the dining table, crystal shrimp dumplings, soup dumplings, custard buns, and milky steamed buns were served with lean meat porridge and several plates of exquisite cold dishes, making for a sumptuous breakfast.
After the meal, a plate of fruit was brought out, offering a balanced nutrition. Even after eating so much meat, one didn't feel greasy.
Baili Fengge was once again conquered by the food, exclaiming, "With this kind of dining, I think I'll gain at least another pound before I return to my country."
"It proves that the food here is quite good," Helian Jinli said with a smile.
As they ate, they also discussed whether they could cooperate on something between themselves.
In the main hall of the manor.
When it came to business matters, Fan Zehao felt he was not as sharp as his wife and thus brought her along for reference.
Regarding the expansion of cooperation, Helian Jinli had no hesitation. They had already cooperated once and still trusted each other implicitly.
Helian Jinli: "Your Highness, Your Highness Consort, upon my return to the inner city, I intend to purchase the grain for this season and pre-order the grain for the next season. I need thirty thousand dan of wheat, fifty thousand dan of sweet potatoes, ten thousand dan of rice, and fifteen thousand dan of corn. All these will be paid for with banknotes. I wonder how long it will take to gather this much grain?"
The quantity was truly enormous. Even for a large producer, advance communication and an assessment of storage capacity were necessary.
Zhao Jiaqi's mind began to calculate rapidly. With such a total demand, her own territory would not be enough. She would need to combine the lands of several other enfeoffed lords to ensure sufficient supply.
"Crown Prince Helian, the amount you require is substantial. I need to deliberate carefully and will give you a reply in a few days."
Helian Jinli understood that his request was not for a small quantity of ten or twenty jin of goods, and he readily agreed.
Baili Fengge, seeing Crown Prince Helian's large grain order, showed no expression on his face, but inwardly, he was so shocked that he didn't know what to say.
He had originally intended to ask for less silk, fabric, and cotton. However, seeing Crown Prince Helian's grand gesture, he felt that the inner city was indeed very powerful, and thus he joined the ranks of large-scale procurement.
Regarding Baili's requests, Zhao Jiaqi felt they were nothing.
She readily agreed: "Crown Prince Baili, shortly, Shi He will take you to the Miracle Workshop. All the goods you require are there. Even if there's a shortage, it won't be much. You can load your goods after making the payment."
Baili was astonished. He had requested tens of thousands of bolts of fabric. While not tens of thousands of bolts of a single type of fabric, the sheer volume of goods would still require a considerable amount of silver.
What... what kind of existence was this inner city?
He truly regretted not doing his homework before coming. Now that he was here, he felt embarrassed by his requests.
Baili Fengge quickly composed himself and cupped his hands towards the Princess Consort: "I respectfully accept your offer."
Helian Jinli was aware of this Miracle Workshop. It was established by the Princess Consort when she proposed trade, in collaboration with Zong Han. Later, due to the Trade City, the inner city had amassed wealth at an unprecedented pace.
The common people had also become prosperous, and countries had followed suit in their development. Now, other enfeoffed lords also had trade cities, but none were as large as this one.
The primary reason was that certain delicacies, fine wines, and high-end glass ornaments, as well as boutique items, could only be purchased here.
However, what astonished Baili Fengge even more were the canned fruits.
He saw grapes, which were only available in summer, and an abundance of fresh fruits and fruit preserves.
This greatly piqued his interest. He felt that exporting fresh fruit was somewhat redundant. It would be better to learn from them and produce canned fruits for export to various vassal states, thus generating tax revenue for the country and income for the common people.
Wu Lifeng, as usual, was portly and swayed as he introduced the workshop to them.
As they walked past row after row of workshops, Baili was dumbfounded. Helian Jinli was not far behind, his eyes not enough to take it all in.
Baili pointed to a row of buildings and asked Wu Lifeng, "Are all these buildings used for making silk?"
Wu Lifeng looked at where he was pointing, patted his belly, and smiled shyly, "More than that, the ones further ahead as well."
Before Baili Fengge could express his surprise, he continued, "With the change of seasons from spring to summer, it's the peak season for everyone to buy fabric to make clothes. So, we always work overtime in advance. If you need those ten thousand bolts of fabric, it will only take less than ten days to process them for you."
Baili Fengge's expression gradually turned grim. He was finding it increasingly difficult to accept the reality.
Wu Lifeng continued, "These two rows of workshops producing fabric have already divided their labor. The front row of workshops has already started producing autumn and winter fabrics, while the back row is for summer production."
Baili Fengge nodded mechanically, his inner world collapsing.
They were already producing winter fabrics, while he was foolishly requesting summer fabrics.
No, he had to place another order for autumn and winter fabrics. Otherwise, upon his return, he would have to make another trip to buy winter clothes.
Helian Jinli also followed suit and placed a large order. Wu Lifeng's smiling face did not show much change, but the fleeting glint of cunning in his eyes was clearly seen by Xiao Ce, who had accompanied them.
The old fox was indeed an old fox. With a few simple words, he had secured two more orders. The plan was executed so cleverly.
After admiring the workshops for the entire afternoon, Helian Jinli and Baili Fengge had no idea how many items they had ordered. Their once bulging purses were now empty, and they even owed the workshop a large sum of money.
Their hearts bled, yet they were also somewhat happy. Spending money until it hurt bought them happiness!
Perhaps only the two of them could now understand this kind of joy.