Two pheasants, one stir-fried and one stewed, each had its own distinct flavor, and Gu Sinian and his entourage ate to their heart's content.
After the meal, Gu Sinian did not leave immediately. Qi Zhenzhen brewed tea and brought it to him. "Your Highness, the royal family should have hunting grounds, right? Why are they suddenly establishing a hunting ground in Huya Mountain? After this hunting ground is established, will commoners be forbidden from entering the mountain to hunt?"
"Huya Mountain has many rare and exotic beasts, which is why His Majesty had this idea. The animals in the original hunting grounds were raised by special personnel, and their wild nature was long gone. His Majesty is fond of warfare and found it uninteresting..." Gu Sinian said.
"I often go into the mountains, but I haven't seen any rare and exotic beasts."
"It is said that there are white wolves in the mountains. Historical records state that white wolves are extremely rare and seldom seen." Gu Sinian told Qi Zhenzhen what he knew. "His Majesty's interest is all due to the white wolves."
Qi Zhenzhen was greatly alarmed. The reason was actually related to Ye Bai. Now that His Majesty knew of the white wolf's existence, after establishing the hunting ground, he would inevitably search for Ye Bai's whereabouts. Unless Ye Bai completely left Huya Mountain and went into hiding, the danger could not be averted.
"Are you worried that you won't be able to enter the mountain in the future?" Gu Sinian asked, seeing Qi Zhenzhen frowning.
Qi Zhenzhen nodded. "Huya Mountain not only has various beasts but also various medicinal herbs. The doctor in our village often goes into the mountains to collect herbs. If Huya Mountain is requisitioned like this, I don't know where he will go to collect herbs. Moreover, many hunters in the surrounding villages rely on Huya Mountain for their livelihood. If they cannot enter the mountain, their lives will surely become much more difficult."
Gu Sinian did not expect Qi Zhenzhen to say these things. Indeed, after the hunting ground was established, even if the entire mountain was not enclosed, people would not easily enter Huya Mountain again. After all, this had become a royal hunting ground. To ensure the safety of the royal family and dignitaries who came, Huya Mountain would be garrisoned by soldiers.
"There is nothing that can be done about this..." Gu Sinian said with some difficulty.
Qi Zhenzhen knew that Gu Sinian was just an executor. She pursed her lips and smiled. "I was just speaking casually. Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king."
Qi Zhenzhen found an opportunity to see Ye Bai again and told him the news she had obtained from Gu Sinian.
After thanking her, Ye Bai left without saying anything further.
Qi Zhenzhen did not have any good ideas to help the wolf pack and other beasts at the moment.
At the foot of Huya Mountain.
Gu Sinian stood with his hands behind his back, Gu Qing and Zhang Xiaoniu standing beside him. Craftsmen transferred from Yunlai Prefecture were busy selecting a site. The hunting ground required a palace, and the foot of the mountain was Xinghua Village. The palace could not be built in the same place as a village, so a suitable location needed to be chosen and leveled.
"Your Highness, Xiaoniu and I went into the mountain to look around. There aren't many wild animals in this mountain. There are quite a few pheasants and rabbits, but we haven't found any traces of large animals like jackals, wolves, or tigers. Establishing a hunting ground here, does His Majesty only intend to hunt pheasants and rabbits?" Gu Qing muttered softly.
"When Qian Yuanbao and I came to the mountain, we encountered wild boars and brown bears," Gu Sinian said.
"Could it be that the entire mountain only had that one brown bear and wild boar, and Your Highness happened to encounter them?" Zhang Xiaoniu mumbled.
Gu Sinian glanced at him sideways and said slowly, "The secret decree from His Majesty stated that there are white wolves in Huya Mountain."
Zhang Xiaoniu did not know how precious white wolves were. He pouted, "There are white wolves? I've only heard of gray wolves and black wolves."
Gu Qing nodded in agreement. Indeed, he had never seen a white wolf either.
"I haven't seen a white wolf either, but it's recorded in history books, so it's probably true?" Gu Sinian said after a moment of silence.
Whether they existed or not was not important. He was just following His Majesty's orders. As long as the hunting ground was successfully established and there were enough rare and exotic beasts within it, the rest was not within his consideration. The hunting ground was estimated to take three months to complete, and he only needed to get closer to Qi Zhenzhen during these three months.
The hundred or so craftsmen who came to work initially cooked their own meals. However, they were all rough men, and while they could manage for one or two meals, after three meals a day, they were not eating well and began to complain.
Gu Sinian was a bit troubled. For craftsmen, eating was a very important matter. If they didn't eat enough, they wouldn't have the strength to work, and the three-month period would be extended. Moreover, these people were now under his charge, and he couldn't pretend not to see the issue of food.
If there were only ten or eight people, the food problem would be easy to solve, but there were a hundred or so people. Furthermore, many more people would be transferred later. If the food problem was not solved, it would be a big problem.
Unable to think of a solution, Gu Sinian's brow was furrowed.
The two were now in a cooperative relationship. Seeing Gu Sinian like this, Qi Zhenzhen asked a few more questions, only to find out that he was worried about the craftsmen's food problem.
Seeing Qi Zhenzhen smile, and thinking that she was full of ideas, Gu Sinian quickly asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"
"The government provides grain for the craftsmen, right? Then you can completely gather the women from the village to cook, and the craftsmen can exchange their grain for ready-made food," Qi Zhenzhen said. "Of course, the women who cook should have some benefits, they can't work for free. For example, if one jin of grain can produce one jin of cooked rice, then exchanging for food with one jin of grain can only get eight liang of cooked rice, and the extra two liang will be considered as labor cost."
Gu Sinian's eyes lit up. This was a good idea. The craftsmen would cook the grain themselves, and one jin of grain might not even produce the full amount of cooked rice, and sometimes they would burn it, wasting it. According to Qi Zhenzhen's method, after the craftsmen finished their work, they could directly eat hot meals, saving them the trouble, which was very convenient.
"Thank you, Zhenzhen," Gu Sinian said sincerely.
"I'm just trying to get a little benefit for the villagers of Xinghua Village," Qi Zhenzhen said playfully.
Qi Zhenzhen quickly spoke to Song Lizheng about this matter, and Song Lizheng gathered the women of the village to convey the message. In addition, Qi Zhenzhen also suggested that the women of the village each make their own specialty dishes to accompany the meals. These could be exchanged for grain or purchased with money.
At first, some people were skeptical, fearing that their dishes would not sell. However, those who made dishes first actually made a profit.
They were all home-style dishes, with a little oil and water, and they were not sold at expensive prices. Most craftsmen were willing to pay a little extra for a spoonful.
For a time, these small food stalls, operated by each household, did very good business. Even some savvy peddlers from neighboring villages brought wine to sell. Gu Sinian was strict, and drinking was not allowed during morning and noon, but it was allowed in the evening.
In addition, Madam Yu also prevented people from doing laundry and mending work.
The craftsmen were all rough men, without wives by their side, and laundry and mending were not their specialties. This business, once publicized, truly gained the craftsmen's favor. Not only could they eat satisfying meals, but it was also thoughtful. The fees for laundry and mending were not high, and almost all craftsmen sent their dirty clothes and torn clothes to Madam Yu. Madam Yu and a few women actually made a small profit.