How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

"This! This stone can actually burn?"

The two bandits were incredulous and used their knives to poke at the coal stones. Unexpectedly, the air poured in and the coal stones burned even more vigorously.

Sheng Yiren stared at it in amazement. She rubbed her eyes and almost thought she was dazzled. "Your Highness, is this what you are looking for?"

"That's right." Xie Chengze squatted down and put his hand close to the flame. The scorching heat through his skin made him smile. "These coal mines can burn for at least three to six hours."

Sheng Yiren, the second in command, and the mountain bandit: !!!

Three to six hours!

If it were replaced with firewood of the same size, it would burn out very quickly. How could this unprepossessing black stone be so fire-resistant?

Sheng Yiren immediately smelled a business opportunity. This thing was obviously rarer and much more durable than firewood, and would definitely be liked by dignitaries. Moreover, these coal stones were much more brittle than normal stones. If they could be made into the right size and used as hand-warming objects, the price would naturally be very attractive to businessmen.

If I could occupy another coal mine like this...

No.

Sheng Yiren shook her head again, feeling a little regretful and sorry.

I'm afraid these coal mines cannot be owned by individuals, because these coal stones are durable and are simply the best choice for smelting iron ore. If the court knew about this, it would definitely pay great attention to it.

Like salt and iron, it will become an important source of income to support the court's finances.

However, Sheng Yiren was not discouraged. Even if she could not own the coal mine, she could still make things related to the coal mine, such as the small hot hand stove she had just thought of. If she could find a suitable blacksmith, she would be able to make it into a luxury item and sell it to the nobles in the palace.

Don't forget, she is the most beautiful woman in the capital, leading the popular styles of items in the entire capital and even the surrounding provinces.

Whatever she uses, there will naturally be many people who will follow suit and buy it, so she will never have to worry about not making money.

After calming down a little, Sheng Yiren quickly figured out the connection.

At the beginning, the Second Prince anonymously asked me to persuade northern merchants to go to Yizhou to sell grain so that the refugees in Yizhou who were suffering from floods and famine could have food to eat. Later, he asked me to find a mountain that could spontaneously combust, so...

She said confidently, "Your Highness is looking for this coal mine so that the people in the north can survive the snowstorm and no longer fear the cold winter, right? Maybe it's more than that."

If the entire Qiantai Mountain was covered with coal mines, Sheng Yiren couldn't even imagine how much money the court would earn, how rapidly ironware would develop, and how Jian'an's declining military force would be strengthened, ultimately leading to a path of national prosperity and a strong people.

Xie Chengze smiled and glanced at her, "You trust me so much? Perhaps I am rebelling in order to forge weapons?"

Sheng Yiren shook her head, "If that were the case, you wouldn't have brought your servant here."

Moreover, she believed that even if the Second Prince forced a rebellion, an emperor who recognized the value of women, did not belittle their abilities, and instead made good use of them would not be too bad.

Maybe, if the Second Prince really rebels one day, she might still stand on his side...

The second in command and two bandits at the side blinked, feeling mixed emotions in their hearts.

Unexpectedly, the second prince is quite loving to the people. Not only that, he also has a keen eye for talent. They had been in the mountains for so many years and had not discovered the black coal, but the second prince discovered it as soon as he arrived!

The second in command secretly said that it was a pity that the second prince would not live long. In that case, he must fulfill his last wish of building one hundred ice sculptures for him!

-

Because the identity of the Second Prince was exposed, Hu Lai's status also rose.

He strolled around the village, squinting his eyes, looking at the brothers who were training in Qianjin Village, occasionally stopping to pinch their muscles, and exclaiming from time to time, "Good! Young man, these muscles are very good!"

Each of them has an upright figure and a strong physique, making them very suitable to be trained as the Second Prince's "death squad"!

The bandits who were praised by him suddenly felt a little shy and a little proud. After all, the boss was very skilled in martial arts, and in order to survive, they also learned some martial arts. Even if they were not as powerful as the boss, they were much better than ordinary bodyguards.

Not to mention, influenced by the big boss, they are particularly self-disciplined.

They had no idea that in Hu Lai's eyes, they had become lackeys who would be deprived of their personal freedom, and they all said modestly, "No, no, our boss is the real boss."

Hu Lai was naturally very satisfied with the eldest boss. Such a warrior should charge into the front line on the battlefield for the second prince. Maybe he could even subdue the Huns for the second prince and create another historic achievement.

However, a big tree attracts the wind after all. The Second Prince has been making too many moves recently, which may easily arouse suspicion. This matter can be put aside for the time being.

After strolling around the training ground, Hu Lai put his hands behind his back and strolled over to Shen Yuan.

He still remembered the two-pronged approach. Now that Su Qinghe had become the Second Prince's man, the only thing left was to recruit Shen Yuan, who was highly appreciated by Emperor Jian.

The Second Prince is too shy after all, so this matter still requires Old Hu to step in and mediate.

Arriving at Shen Yuan's room, Hu Lai stood at the door and put his ear close to what was going on.

The sound of Shen Yuan and the boss talking could be heard from inside, but it was not clear. Only words like "recruitment" and "siege" could be heard, so Hu Lai knocked on the door directly.

The voice inside stopped, and after a while, the door opened. Shen Yuan looked at Hu Lai standing at the door and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, "Are you... Hu Lai, the retainer of the Second Prince?"

"Oh? Lord Shen has heard of me?" Hu Lai's eyes lit up. He has always behaved in a shabby manner, no, he has always behaved in a low-key manner. He is not well-known among the retainers. How did Shen Yuan hear of him? Did the Second Prince tell him?

"Master Hu is very wise. The Second Prince often praises Master Hu in front of Mr. Shen."

Looking at Hu Lai's expectant and admiring eyes, the corners of Shen Yuan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

In his previous life, this man named Hu had done many things to trip him up, using all sorts of insidious and cruel tricks. He was also extremely vigilant, as slippery as a loach and difficult to catch.

When he was just reborn, he was still thinking about how to catch Hu Lai and kill him without anyone knowing, so as to prevent him from becoming the second prince's helper again.

Unexpectedly, Xie Chengze came in this life, and such a big trouble instantly became a friendly party.

Such a reversal made Shen Yuan feel a little amused and helpless.

Hearing Shen Yuan's words, Hu Lai couldn't help but feel happy, "So the Second Prince thinks highly of me. It seems that after I return to the capital, I can ask for more monthly salary from the Second Prince!"

"I wonder why Lord Hu came here...?" Shen Yuan indicated with his eyes.

Hu Lai looked left and right, then leaned close to Shen Yuan's ear and whispered, "Master Shen, are you worried about the amnesty?"

Shen Yuan's pupils narrowed. It seemed that Hu Lai had just heard the conversation inside.

"Lord Shen, I have a plan..." Hu Lai began to show a mysterious expression.

Shen Yuan: ...

Shen Yuan didn't want to listen, because he knew that Hu Lai's idea would definitely be against the will of heaven or even harm one's virtue.

So he held Hu Lai's shoulder and said meaningfully, "Sir Hu, wouldn't it be better for you to take a vacation in Cheng Huan Palace with your monthly salary? Why do you have to get involved in these troublesome matters?"

Hu Lai was stunned and thought to himself, how come Shen Yuan is the same as the Second Prince, both wanting him to take a salary and take a vacation in Chenghuan Palace without working?

But forty years old is the age when a strategist should make his way in life, so how can he just lie down?

He feels he can work for another twenty years!