Indeed, the one arriving was none other than Tu Qingdong, the Minister of Water Affairs of the current dynasty. Little Xi Tian had met him once before at Gu Mingyan's wedding banquet...
Old Ma glanced at Tu Qingdong, then turned back to Little Xi Tian, "Shopkeeper Xi Tian, do you know him?"
Actually, Little Xi Tian didn't know this person's name, but anyone who could personally congratulate Marquis Gu at his wedding banquet was definitely either wealthy or noble...
"I suppose I do!" Little Xi Tian said with a smile.
Upon seeing Little Xi Tian, Tu Qingdong rushed forward as if he had seen a savior, "Your Highness the County Princess, your humble servant's name is Tu Qingdong, and I am in charge of the water transport and ships of the Daliang Kingdom..."
If the young county princess could help him build warships, Tu Qingdong would be grateful to her even if he had to pour out all his possessions.
Moreover, in order to meet the county princess, he had waited from noon until now, and finally, he had waited for the young county princess to return...
"So it's Minister Tu, what can I do for you?" Little Xi Tian tilted her small head.
Tu Qingdong found it difficult to explain. Building ships was not something that could be clarified in a few words, so he thought of inviting himself in for a cup of tea.
Unexpectedly, before he could speak, a small figure suddenly walked out from the courtyard...
Tu Qingdong's gaze sharpened, and he was so startled that his legs trembled. He quickly cupped his hands in a salute, "Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince!~"
He was puzzled. Since His Highness the Crown Prince had returned to the capital, why wasn't he staying in the palace?
His sudden appearance made Tu Qingdong a little flustered...
After all, he had never had a private conversation with His Highness the Crown Prince.
"Minister Tu?" Xiao Jinheng narrowed his eyes and asked, "It's so late, what business do you have, Minister Tu?"
He didn't need to guess; he knew this Minister Tu was here to find the little village girl...
His father had put so much pressure on him, and he couldn't find any top talents.
And the deeds of the little village girl were widely known. Minister Tu must have come looking for her after hearing about it...
Tu Qingdong bit his lip and lowered his head, "Your humble servant, your humble servant is here to see the County Princess!~"
Just as he expected.
Xiao Jinheng chuckled and moved aside, "Come in and talk!"
As the saying goes, gold shines everywhere. Xiao Jinheng was also happy that the little village girl had such a great reputation...
He strongly supported anything that benefited the people and was advantageous to the country.
Dinner was prepared in the main hall. There was Little Xi Tian's favorite scrambled eggs with tomatoes and pork stewed with sauerkraut. Xiao Jinheng had also specifically asked Granny Jin to buy two crucian carps to make crucian carp soup for Little Xi Tian...
"Minister Tu, haven't you eaten yet?" Xiao Jinheng served a bowl of rice for Little Xi Tian and gestured to the chair beside him, "Sit down and eat together!~"
He had no choice but to be diligent now that he was staying at the Yun residence...
He could do chores like serving rice and pouring water.
This way, he wouldn't give the little monk any leverage to mock him.
However, this scene seemed very unusual to Tu Qingdong...
The dignified Crown Prince was actually serving a little girl rice, and even helping her pull out a chair and wipe her mouth. When did His Highness become so attentive?
"Minister Tu, please eat with us!~" Little Xi Tian also invited with a smile.
Tu Qingdong was overwhelmed with gratitude and trepidation...
What an honor it was to dine with the Crown Prince and Princess Dongping together.
"Th-thank you!" Tu Qingdong sat down nervously, his hand trembling as he picked up his chopsticks.
After eating a couple of bites, Little Xi Tian realized something and looked around, "Huh? Has Jie Kong not returned yet?"
He wouldn't have really gone to buy a carriage, would he...
Xiao Jinheng curved his lips and thought to himself, he'd better never return.
"Perhaps he got carried away and lost track of time!~" Xiao Jinheng said indifferently.
Little Xi Tian was slightly stunned and stared at Xiao Jinheng, "You little brat, what's with that expression?"
Why was it so sinister?
Xiao Jinheng: "......"
Is my expression that wicked?
"If anything happens to Jie Kong, you'll be responsible too!~" Little Xi Tian glared at him.
Xiao Jinheng was speechless.
So this little monk was a clingy fellow. What did his well-being have to do with this Crown Prince?
Granny Jin walked over with the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Tu Qingdong, "Minister Tu, why aren't you eating?"
He was just sitting there blankly, his clothes soaked with sweat...
If people didn't know, they'd think you were being tortured.
"I-I-I'm eating!~" Tu Qingdong picked out a fishbone and placed it in his bowl.
Seeing this, Little Xi Tian giggled, "Minister Tu, if you have something to say, just say it. I'll help if I can..."
No one visits the temple without a reason. Minister Tu's abrupt visit must be for a request.
Upon hearing this, Tu Qingdong's eyes lit up.
He hadn't expected the young county princess to be so straightforward. It seemed he hadn't asked the wrong person...
After a moment of hesitation, Tu Qingdong finally revealed his unspeakable difficulty.
At the end of his speech, to avoid offending the young Crown Prince, he could only try to express his grievances tactfully, "His Majesty has ordered me to design the blueprints for warships within a month. I... I don't have that ability, but I dare not disobey His Majesty's decree, so I had to invite all the craftsmen and water conservancy talents of the Daliang Kingdom to the capital to discuss plans and design blueprints!~"
"But these people have never seen a real warship, let alone know its internal structure. Let alone a month, even one or two years, we would just be building in isolation and could not complete the task..."
At this point, Tu Qingdong lifted the hem of his robe, stood up, and cupped his hands towards Little Xi Tian, "Your Highness the County Princess, your humble servant heard that you single-handedly invented the waterwheel and windmill, and His Majesty and the ministers of the Ministry of Works have praised you highly. Therefore... therefore, your humble servant wishes to ask you to help design a blueprint for a warship!~"
"As long as you agree, your humble servant will repay your great kindness even if he goes bankrupt!~"
Xiao Jinheng didn't react much after hearing this...
Because he already knew Minister Tu's predicament.
On the other hand, Little Xi Tian was a bit surprised and stared blankly at Tu Qingdong, "Minister Tu, do you really believe I can build warships?"
Good heavens, in her previous life, she was an agronomist. She was proficient in farming, but military matters were her weakness...
Warships were probably something only boys would be interested in.
"If I didn't believe in Your Highness the County Princess, I wouldn't have come to beg you!~" Tu Qingdong murmured.
Little Xi Tian: "......"
You're making it difficult for me.
However, designing an ancient warship shouldn't be that complicated.
Later, she could go into her space to check some information and combine the advantages and disadvantages of ancient warships and modern ships to spark inspiration and get to work designing...
Thinking of this, just as Little Xi Tian was about to say something, she suddenly heard a shout from outside the door.