"Oh? He really asked that?"
The Eldest Princess of Jinyang lifted her brush, rolled up her sleeves, and let the ink flow freely across the xuan paper.
Gu Lanxi set a cup of tea, still steaming, beside her hand and looked at the bold, soaring character for "grain" written on the paper.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The black-clad shadow guard stood to the side with a respectful bow, his expression blank, his tone as steady as ever.
"Did he say anything else?" Gu Lanxi asked with interest.
The guard's face remained impassive. "No. Miss Lu stopped him from continuing."
"In that case, keep watching them. Report immediately if anything changes." Jinyang waved her hand, dismissing him.
Once only the two of them remained in the room, Gu Lanxi turned lightly and settled into her arms, slender hands resting on her shoulders as she spoke with a hint of sourness, "That Miss Lu is quite cautious."
Jinyang wrapped an arm around her waist, clearly long accustomed to such sudden closeness. Hearing the jealousy in her tone, she couldn't help but laugh softly.
"What? Are you jealous?"
As she laughed, she leaned closer to Gu Lanxi's delicate ear.
Feeling the warm breath at her ear, Gu Lanxi felt the ticklish sensation spread straight to her heart. She tilted her head slightly and said reproachfully, "You were alone with that Miss Lu in the room for so long—who knows what the two of you talked about?"
Of course, Gu Lanxi knew perfectly well that nothing improper had happened. She was simply taking advantage of the affection she enjoyed to tease her a little.
"I asked about her family situation," Jinyang said, resting her chin on Gu Lanxi's shoulder. "You already investigated the two of them, didn't you? I just wanted to ask whether she needed my help. After all, I once had some ties with her maternal family."
"No need to guess—I'm sure she refused," Gu Lanxi said with a soft snort. "That Qin Ke is extremely protective of her. If there weren't real feelings involved, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths for him, begging help everywhere."
"I know," Jinyang replied. "But it was still better to ask."
Gu Lanxi turned her head and gently rubbed her cheek against Jinyang's, her closeness and reliance plain to see. "What do you think of Lu Youqing? Do you intend to use her?"
"She's not qualified yet."
She was indeed clever—but cleverness alone was not enough. If she wished to enter Jinyang's sphere, she would need far more bargaining chips.
Gu Lanxi's gaze drifted to the character on the desk, and she asked the same question that Qin Ke and Lu Youqing had wondered about:
"You've thought about that position too, haven't you?"
Though phrased as a question, her tone was full of certainty.
"I've been gone too long," Jinyang said instead, smoothly changing the subject. "The people at court are getting anxious."
She did not answer directly, but Gu Lanxi, who knew her well, had already received the answer she wanted.
Still, hearing those words made Gu Lanxi's heart tighten.
"You're going back?" She knew exactly what awaited her if she returned—but she couldn't stop her, nor could she help her.
"Yes." Jinyang closed her eyes against Gu Lanxi's shoulder, her voice light. "Once I return, I'll request an imperial decree to formally take up my title. You needn't worry."
Gu Lanxi caught the implication immediately and exclaimed with delight, "You've made up your mind?"
"Yes."
Jinyang said no more. Between the two of them, there was already enough unspoken understanding.
Besides, the bold character 'grain' on the paper already explained a great deal.
"Go without worry," Gu Lanxi said softly. "I'll keep a close eye on Qin Ke and the others. If he truly can produce grain with such high yields, it will solve many of our problems."
"Mmm. I'll leave these shadow guards with you. Command them however you wish."
---
Meanwhile, back in Qinghe Village, Qin Ke—still inseparably clingy with Lu Youqing—had no idea that their conversation had already reached those ears.
Those in high positions had always been cautious and suspicious. The Eldest Princess's presence here was an absolute secret. Even if Qin Ke and the others were sensible enough not to speak of her identity, she would never place full trust in anyone so easily.
Gu Lanxi acted quickly. No one knew what she had discussed with the village head, but within just a few days, she had already dispatched people to begin constructing a factory at the foot of the mountain not far from Qinghe Village.
Qin Ke clearly noticed that when the village head saw him again, his attitude had become far more respectful.
On the day Gu Lanxi and the others arrived in their carriage, many villagers had seen it. The carriage was extremely luxurious, and the attendants accompanying it were all finely dressed. Naturally, people guessed that Qin Ke had found a powerful patron, and his status was no longer what it once was.
People were quick to follow the wind. Knowing Qin Ke had backing, villagers were unusually eager and courteous whenever they saw him.
Even Li Nanqiao began receiving treatment she had never experienced before when walking through the village.
The Gu family was immensely wealthy, with abundant resources, so construction progressed rapidly. Moreover, Gu Lanxi had already told Qin Ke that the current factory was only temporary, so there was no need to build anything overly elaborate.
At the same time the factory was being built, she sent over the carpenters Qin Ke had requested. The person who brought them was a woman in her early twenties.
She introduced herself as Pei Xiu, a steward under Gu Lanxi. Her speech and conduct were steady and well-considered.
She was a few years older than Qin Ke, so he addressed her as Sister Pei. Qin Ke knew that aside from delivering manpower, her main role was supervision.
Once the personnel arrived, Qin Ke immediately began work. Since the factory wasn't finished yet, he first taught the craftsmen in his own courtyard, assigning tasks based on each person's expertise. His plan was to build a model according to the blueprints first.
From the moment work began, Pei Xiu arranged guards around Qin Ke's residence. Unauthorized individuals were strictly forbidden from entering.
The system-provided blueprints were extremely detailed. As long as everything was crafted and assembled step by step according to the specified proportions and dimensions, there would be no problems. However, carpentry and blacksmithing at this time were entirely manual, making precision more difficult.
Fortunately, the craftsmen Gu Lanxi sent were skilled. Most were older than Qin Ke and did not rely on seniority to interfere. Whatever Qin Ke instructed, they followed.
He was quite satisfied with this. On the day the factory was completed, they successfully produced the model. Watching the intricate, smoothly rotating mechanism, Pei Xiu finally smiled.
It was the first time since arriving that Qin Ke had seen her show any expression.
Once the model test succeeded, Qin Ke led the craftsmen in producing the full-sized harvester inside the factory. Anyone entering or leaving the workshop was searched, and security was extremely tight.
While the model had been relatively easy, the real harvester required blades forged from iron. Iron tools were strictly controlled in Great Yan—but this was not something Qin Ke needed to worry about.
For the Gu family, whose wealth rivaled the state itself, obtaining iron was hardly a problem.
Qin Ke left early and returned late every day, rushing against time. At last, just before the autumn harvest, the harvester was fully completed.
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Currently at chapter 204 for advance chapters
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