Gu shi was sleeping an afternoon nap and didn't know so many people had come to the house...
Old Man Yun had gone to Wang Erxi's house in the neighboring village to offer his condolences. It was the third wedding for Wang Erxi's son this year. It was said that his previous two wives had been killed by him.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll go make some tea!" Xiao Xitian said with a sweet smile.
Brother Xiaolou treated her very well, so Xiao Xitian was also very enthusiastic towards these guests who had traveled from afar...
The leader of the group quickly stood up and gave a dry laugh, "N-no need to trouble you, we, we're not thirsty!"
Once people relaxed, their bodies became particularly fatigued.
The men had been on edge for a long time. As soon as they heard that the little prince had been safely returned to the country by An Rang, these people deflated like pricked balloons, all listless and unable to keep their eyes open...
"Then go get some sleep first. After you wake up, it will be just in time for dinner!" Xiao Xitian said with a sweet smile.
The leader of the group was deeply touched upon hearing this, "Th-thank you, miss!"
Drifting in a foreign land, receiving such warm care made the men feel warm inside.
"My name is Yun Xitian. Uncle, what's your name?" Xiao Xitian asked with a smile.
The leader of the group crossed his hands over his chest and bowed in the etiquette of Fusang country, "I... my name is Jin Xiuhan!"
Xiao Xitian hummed and asked curiously, "So Uncle also has the surname Jin?"
Jin Xiuhan smiled slightly, "In Fusang... almost all members of the Fusang royal family have the surname Jin!"
The King of Fusang was named Jin Sang. His princesses and princes also had three-character names, such as Jin Xiaolou and Jin Xiaoxin.
Just then, Niu Caixia walked in. Seeing so many people standing in the room, Caixia felt a little nervous and moved closer to Xiao Xitian, "Xitian, Brother Xiao asked you to go over..."
Xiao Xitian was slightly taken aback. What did Xiao Jinfeng want her for?
"Sister Caixia, please arrange some guest rooms for Uncle Jin and the others. I'll be right back!" Xiao Xitian said, then ran out with her short legs.
In the west manor, in the main hall.
Prefect Qin stood respectfully before Xiao Jinheng, "Your... Your Highness, as per your instructions, thirty-five windmills have been constructed within the prefectural city, and one hundred and twenty-three have been built in the surrounding villages and towns. All have now been completed!"
Xiao Jinheng did not respond upon hearing this. Instead, he unfolded a map and carefully examined the distribution of the windmills...
More in the west and fewer in the east, this was determined by the terrain and wind direction.
The area of Heyang County and even the prefectural city was constantly swept by the northwest wind. Small hills with higher terrain or scattered earth mounds were the most suitable places for building windmills...
"Are the common people satisfied?" Xiao Jinheng asked gently, putting down the map.
Prefect Qin beamed with joy and slapped his thigh, "Oh, they are more than satisfied! The common people praise you. The windmill blueprints have already been sent to the Ministry of Works. I believe this tool will soon be widely spread throughout the Daliang Kingdom..."
"Mm!" Xiao Jinheng nodded gently, his expression softening slightly. "Prefect Qin, you have done very well. I should reward you with something. Tell me, what do you want?"
Prefect Qin: "..."
Your Highness the Crown Prince, how dare this humble official ask anything from you.
That would be ungrateful.
"Your, Your Highness, you mentioned last time that as long as the task was completed, you would... you would restore me to my original position. Is that still valid?" Prefect Qin asked cautiously.
There was a fundamental difference between an inspector and a prefect.
An inspector was equivalent to a provincial governor today, while a prefect was at most equivalent to a mayor...
Xiao Jinheng raised his eyes upon hearing this and glanced at Prefect Qin, "Do you still want to be the inspector of the prefectural city?"
"I will, I will obey Your Highness's arrangements!" Prefect Qin cupped his hands, his heart filled with unease.
Xiao Jinheng sighed and pulled out a letter from a stack of books, handing it to Prefect Qin. "Take this letter to the palace. My father will consider your promotion after reading it..."
Prefect Qin and Magistrate Chen had done many things that benefited the country and the people in the past year, and Xiao Jinheng had seen it all.
Since both officials cared about the people and loved their country and home, they should go to larger places to display their talents...
Prefect Qin tremblingly held the letter, tears welling up in his eyes, "Wuwuwu, th-thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness!"
While he was grateful to Xiao Jinheng, he was also filled with awe for Xiao Xitian.
If it weren't for the Yun family's young daughter's exceptional intelligence and immense fortune, the Crown Prince wouldn't be staying here... Kuai Shu Ge
Xiao Jinheng rubbed his temples. "By the way, Jinshan passed the Xiucai exam a few days ago. After you return to the prefectural city, find the best academy for him and take good care of his living arrangements!"
Upon hearing this, Prefect Qin quickly wiped away his tears and chuckled, "Your Highness, you don't need to worry about this. This humble official has already made arrangements..."
Alas, no matter how proud and cold the young prince appeared on the surface, always keeping people at a distance, he was actually very kind-hearted.
The dignified Crown Prince was actually worrying about the education of a farm child.
"Besides, Jinshan is now my prospective son-in-law. Can this humble official not care about his affairs?" Prefect Qin said with a smile.
Xiao Jinheng grunted, "That's good. Jinshan's personality is different from Jinhe's, so managing him might be a bit troublesome. Prefect Qin will have to pay more attention in the future..."
Yun Jinshan was at an age of passion and rebellion, and he liked to act impulsively and emotionally.
He didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of his parents and elders, but who could guarantee that he wouldn't make mistakes once he reached the prefectural city?
"This humble official will keep it in mind!" Prefect Qin cupped his hands in agreement.
At the same time, in the neighboring Xiao Manor.
Xiao Xitian sat in front of Jin Huaihua, diligently checking her pulse...
Xiao Jinfeng paced back and forth like a monkey, constantly asking Xiao Xitian, "Little County Princess, what's wrong with Huaihua?"
Huaihua had been vomiting everything she ate for the past few days, and she was also very sleepy and in poor spirits.
Only the little county princess in the entire Dashui Village had some understanding of medicine, so Xiao Jinfeng had to find her...
Xiao Xitian rolled her eyes at Xiao Jinfeng and said helplessly, "Brother Xiao, don't be noisy. You'll disturb my pulse-taking!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinfeng quickly covered his mouth, leaned towards Xiao Xitian, and whispered, "Little County Princess, is Huaihua, Huaihua suffering from a terminal illness? How long does she have to live?"
Xiao Xitian: "..."
Brother Xiao, what do you think about all day?
Sister Huaihua is so young and healthy, how could she have a terminal illness?
A moment later, Xiao Xitian released her pulse and giggled, "Sister Huaihua is pregnant..."