Wealth and glory seek stability

The weather in the northern part of the Great Wall is complex and changeable, and what is even more amazing is the complex terrain. Two places are only one mile apart, one is a saline-alkali land with no grass, and the other is a green field.

Complex terrain means it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Being in it, Jian Xi became more and more curious about what kind of strategy Shen Nanxing used to become famous in the Battle of Saibei.

In the chief office.

Half of the dilapidated courtyard was demolished and rebuilt, while the other half is still inhabited.

There are some burrs on the tiny parts of the wooden door, and it makes a creaking sound when pushed. The thick texture feels solid to the touch, and you can already see the gilded patterns on the back of the door that remain from being pulled hard.

A faint minty scent emanates from the amber glass incense burner. Sunlight shines through the window, and the dust particles scattered in the air can be vaguely seen.

Jian Xi was sitting in the study room. Her nine-month-old belly was pressing down on her pubic bone, causing an unspeakable pain. The pregnancy-preserving pills did make her feel a lot more relaxed, but the feeling of being squeezed by the baby in her belly could not be eliminated.

Qiangwei was exactly twenty years old. Jane Xi looked at the blooming girl in front of her and felt truly happy for her.

"It seems like you've been having a good time these days."

Qiangwei chuckled, "I've seen things I've never seen before. Life is not as comfortable as staying in the backyard. Being alone and free is more enjoyable than before. No wonder men want to go out and make achievements. Now I know why."

"Oh? Why do you think that is?" Jian Xi raised her eyebrows, curious.

Qiangwei poured herself a cup of tea, then walked to the fireplace, picked up the kettle with gemstones on the handle, and filled the cup in front of Jian Xi with water. Her smooth movements seemed like she had done it countless times.

She turned and sat on the back of a mahogany chair at the side, her eyebrows relaxed, a unique charm of a mature woman bloomed silently, and her hands were spread out:

"Look, before I could only stand and serve after pouring tea for others, but now I can sit and speak freely. Countless people come to see me every day just to get a good job from me. Now it's their turn to act according to my instructions. This is the difference."

Jian Xi smiled, revealing her pearly teeth, and raised her red lips slightly, "Do you regret it?"

Qiangwei shook her head without thinking and looked at Jian Xi with a serious face, "I have never been so grateful for following your decision as I am now. Even if I get married, I will still serve my husband. In my opinion, this is no different from living in the palace. In fact, without the glory of the palace, my life will be even more miserable. I don't want to entrust my life's honor and disgrace to a man."

Jian Xi moved her body and found a more comfortable position. "Okay, let's get down to business. What did the agriculture official say when he came?"

Qiangwei said seriously, "The agricultural officials are still measuring it. I heard from them that they estimate that there are tens of thousands of hectares of land that can be used to grow crops in the northern part of the Great Wall. If we build a dam south of the capital and improve the soil quality, there will be even more land available in two years."

While the two were discussing, there was a noise outside.

Jian Xi and Military Officer Qiangwei frowned, looking very unhappy.

"Come here! You kid."

"S-Stop pulling my ears, let me go!"

"Come on, follow me to see the master."

The heavy wooden door was pushed open.

Qu Lian twisted a child's ear and went to the study. When he saw Jian Xi, he bowed respectfully, "Sir."

"What's the matter?" Jian Xi rubbed her temple. Ever since she officially took over the responsibilities, the subordinates would come to her for judgment on every minor matter. Even though she had told them many times that they could handle small matters themselves, they still fought back, saying that a subordinate dared not take the initiative.

Qu Lian pushed the boy in his hand forward and said, "This is the boy. He sneaked around my house and refused to tell me where he came from. My boy and the boy from the Tang family even brought him food every day. His accent sounds like he is from the Central Plains, so I wanted to ask you, sir."

Jian Xi tilted her head. The boy in front of her looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old. His face was dark for some unknown reason. His big eyes were bright. The cotton jacket he wore was made of good material, but it was dirty and had a few holes in it.

The boy spoke, a voice that only belongs to a teenager in the voice change period, "Master, don't you recognize me?"

Jian Xi: .....?

She searched her memory but could not find any memory of the boy.

The boy twisted his arm that was pulled so hard by Qu Lian that it hurt. "I'm Xiaotian, He Xiaotian, and my father is He Hao from Qianxi Manor."

Jian Xi was stunned, "Are you Xiaotian?"

He Hao was her confidant, and he often mentioned his youngest son, He Xiaotian. "Aren't you in Qianxi Manor? Why did you come to Saibei?"

Jian Xi frowned, and with anger, she slammed the table with her palm, "Did you tell your parents before you came?"

He Xiaotian lowered his head instantly, hesitating, not knowing how to answer, "I left a letter, my father should have seen it."

bad boy!

Jian Xi stood up suddenly and darkness appeared in front of her eyes. Fortunately, she managed to hold on to the table and recovered. Qiangwei wanted to come over to support her but was stopped by her.

He Xiaotian obviously didn't realize the seriousness of the problem. "Master, I heard that you want to grow crops here? I secretly hid in my master's carriage and followed him here. I heard him say that the terrain in Saibei is complicated. I was afraid that my master would be angry and not take me with him, so I hid in Xiaomi's firewood room. Can you talk to my master and ask him to take me with him to survey the fields?"

Jian Xi's fist was so hard that it made a creaking sound when placed on the table.

Qiangwei had never seen Jian Xi so emotional before, so she sat aside and watched the show, wanting to see how miserable this boy would be.

Qu Lian looked at Jian Xi walking towards him with her fists clenched, her big, trembling belly, fearing that something might happen to her. "Sir, calm down. For the sake of the child in your belly, you can't do anything." He originally just wanted to find Jian Xi to recognize her just in case, but he didn't expect to provoke Jian Xi to want to do something.

Ever since Jian Xi's last speech on the street stage, all the officials in the office, including those who used to sneer at Jian Xi and didn't believe she could achieve anything, have now become Jian Xi's loyal supporters.

The Tao family moved into the main city, and their caravan took over the construction of a section of the main city blocks. In return, Jian Xi exempted them from commercial taxes and rent for two years.

The Tao family's business partners knew that there was a big business to be done in Saibei, and with the recent small moves by Jiangnan Grain Store, they were more certain of this idea and had begun to think about moving.

Jian Xi is now the mainstay of Saibei, and there can be no mistakes.

"Ouch!" He Xiaotian cried out in pain.