TV Series: When the Villain Chooses to Stand by

Chapter 218 Yixiu 87

"Wen Yi? Did you receive the letter my third brother wrote yesterday?"

"Of course, when I heard there were gifts, I went straight to Queen Qi to get them. Third brother is amazing. He saw so many rare things."

"When I grow up, I want to leave here and travel around."

Shuhe tilted her head and smiled, "You're always like this. You've made so many wishes for your grown-up self."

"When you really grow up, don't forget it."

Wen Yi smiled sheepishly, "Sister, don't laugh. My life is very long, and I will have the chance to realize all my wishes."

"If I want to build a career at 20, I'll wait until I'm 30 to see the world. I'll accomplish it one day. Time is never a problem."

"You are the only one who is right. You never want to suffer any loss."

The two sisters rode away with a smile, while Ye Lanyi, who was serving beside them, fell into deep thought.

The words of the two and the complaints of Concubine Qi appeared alternately in Ye Lanyi's mind.

The masters living in the deep palace have no worries about food and clothing, but they want to go out and have a look. But what about me? Do I really want to enter the palace?

A childhood wish?

Ye Lanyi couldn't remember what it was. Just having enough food and clothes was difficult enough to survive.

After thinking carefully for several days, Ye Lanyi took the initiative to find Nian Shilan.

"Have you thought of it so quickly? Get up, Songzhi will give you a seat."

Songzhi pursed her lips secretly and moved a stool for the other party. She didn't understand why her master cared so much about this palace maid.

Not only did he give her all the good things, he also had to worry about her marriage.

She's just a palace maid with a rather unruly personality. What's good about her? She grew up with her master since she was a child.

"Thank you for your kindness, madam."

"I have already considered what you said last time. I am grateful to you for having the leisure time today. I will not consider anything else."

"In that case, I will send someone to help you prepare for marriage... What did you say?"

Nian Shilan paused fanning herself, suspecting there was something wrong with her ears.

"My lady, I do not want to marry into Prince Guo's mansion."

As soon as Ye Lanyi said this, she felt much more relaxed.

She was very conflicted before coming here. She was not an indecisive person, so she couldn't help but hesitate when faced with such a thing.

Maybe if you really say it out loud you will find that it is just like that.

"Can you tell me the reason? It seems that you like Prince Guo very much."

Ye Lanyi lowered her eyes and looked at the aqua blue cuffs. She still liked green.

But this is just because I like it. The mountains, forests and plants that I have been accustomed to since childhood are of such vibrant colors.

It wasn't because Prince Guo said she looked good in green.

"Prince Guo saved my life."

"I can never repay such a kindness. I was indeed moved at first, but I'm used to being wild. If I marry into the palace, I'll have to live a life I don't like for the rest of my life."

"Staying in a small space, waiting for his occasional visit with many women."

"This is not the life I want. Although I come from a humble background, I don't want to live the rest of my life in a muddle."

"If the prince needs me one day, I will repay him even if it means risking my life. There is really no need for me to enter the palace."

Nian Shilan listened very carefully, as if every word was not spoken by Ye Lanyi, but by her.

If I had such thoughts back then, I wouldn't have ended up like this today.

She raised her head and laughed, then raised her hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Okay, since you don't want to, forget it."

"You are truly my type. This promise remains. If you have other ideas in the future, whether for a job or freedom, you can always come to me."

Seeing that she was not angry, Ye Lan Yi felt relieved.

She always knew how good Nian Shilan was to her.

"In that case, I will not disturb your Majesty's rest. I will take my leave."

"Empress~" After watching Ye Lanyi leave, Songzhi turned around and called out hesitantly.

For a moment, Nian Shilan seemed to see the jealous kittens in the Queen's palace.

"Why are you acting like that?"

"You are so kind to this palace maid..." Songzhi looked at Nian Shilan with a look of tears in her eyes.

She was not seeking any marriage benefits, she simply wanted to attract the attention of her master.

"Alright, alright, if you have someone you like, I can act as a matchmaker for you, okay?"

"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong for you."

This sentence scared Songzhi so much that she knelt down immediately.

"My Lady, I will never marry. I want to stay with you forever."

"Wherever you go, I will follow you."

Nian Shilan knew that she was speaking the truth, so she raised her hand and helped the person up.

"Okay, I'll take people around with me in the future."

Ever since Hongshi got the emperor's permission to leave the palace, he became the envy of everyone in the palace.

People outside think that the Forbidden City is a place of wealth and peace, but people inside think that it is an abyss that devours everything.

The letters sent regularly by Hongshi were not only what Concubine Qi looked forward to, but also what all the princes and princesses in the palace looked forward to the most.

The content of the letter Hongli received this time was different from before. It no longer contained picturesque scenery of lakes and mountains.

There are no unique customs from different places that make people smile.

Looking at what Hongshi saw and heard, Hongli also fell into deep thought.

Hongshi followed the marching route all the way to a small border town in the northwest.

His original plan was to head south to see the graceful and elegant scenery of the south of the Yangtze River.

On the way, he met a child begging on the street. The extremely hungry child ventured out to the street to steal things and was caught red-handed by the guards.

Hongshi felt sorry for him and let him go, and also bought him a lot of food.

After the previous lesson, Hongshi already knew that he should not give money to beggars. Without a strong body, he would eventually be robbed by those big beggars.

Not only will you not be able to get the things, but you will also get beaten up. It's really not worth it.

During the conversation, Hongshi realized that they were all refugees fleeing from war and famine.

After listening to them talk about their hometown, Hongshi suddenly felt the urge to go and take a look, and soon decided to head northwest.

When Hongshi came here, he saw many disabled men. Those who were missing limbs were considered lucky.

Many people didn't even have a chance to survive.

These are soldiers who were injured and retired from the battlefield. For various reasons, they were unable to return to their hometowns and could only be resettled locally.

Therefore, although this place is not very prosperous, the vendors on the street are very familiar with each other.

It took Hongshi a lot of effort to integrate into their group. He looked like a rich young man.

At first, everyone avoided him, fearing that he would be arrested by the guards if he said something wrong.

"The wind and sand in the northwest are very strong. It really tests one's mind. I am much stronger now than when I was in the capital."

"The imperial pension is not enough to support their future lives. It is heartbreaking to see these soldiers who fought for their country end up like this."

"Fourth brother has always been intelligent. Can you find a foolproof plan?"

Hongli couldn't help but sigh when he saw the ending. His third brother really knew how to cause trouble for him.

It’s not enough to deal with my own affairs, but now there are a few more things to do.

Hongli himself maintained a large army.

In recent years, there have been inevitable frictions with foreign enemies, and casualties are inevitable.

In addition, these people have left their hometowns to accompany him on his adventure, and the various benefits and pensions they receive are not small amounts.

In order to settle these people, a large amount of money and food will be needed in the early stages.

Even if Hongshi spent all the money he took away, it would be just a drop in the bucket.

We still have to think of a new way out.

Through frequent communications, the two finally determined the next direction.

There are not many local specialties, so processing wool into various items locally is a long-term livelihood.

In addition, there are dairy products and furs.

But there is not much rainfall there, and people still need to find water sources during the march. The local water sources are already struggling to keep people alive.

Washing wool and subsequent bleaching and dyeing require a lot of water.

Hongli did not understand the local situation and did not dare to make any rash decisions. Hongshi needed to go and understand the situation personally.

These are the long-term development directions for the future. The only thing that can produce immediate results right now is milk candy.

Hongli had eaten it once in the Queen's Palace and found it sweet and delicious.

However, he didn't know the specific production method, and this kind of snack was not sold outside.

Thinking of this, he walked towards Jingren Palace.

"Cook?"

When Yixiu heard that Hongli was looking for the cook, she thought something happened, but who would have thought it was just for a candy.

That was not made by the cook. She just took out some candy from the space to coax the children. She didn't expect Hongli to remember it for so long.

"If you want to eat it, just tell the Empress Dowager. It's just a candy. Why have you been thinking about it for so long?"

When the events of a few years ago were suddenly mentioned, Hongli blushed a little.

He admitted that the smell was indeed tempting, but not to the extent that he could not forget it. He was not the kind of person who could not resist temptation.

"My Queen Mother, I don't have any!"

"I have other uses..."

After hearing the brothers' plan, Yixiu was a little surprised. She didn't expect Hongshi to run to such a dangerous place.

But he's also a kind-hearted child.

This wasn't a great recipe, and she had no intention of making money from it.

"Jianqiu, go get some paper and pen."

"It's a good thing that you have this intention. The Empress Dowager will also help you."

Along with the recipe, Hongli was given a blueprint of an improved textile machine and a thick tutorial on how to weave a wool blanket.

"Here, you may need these in the future."

Hongli took a step back and knelt down. "Madam, each of these things can generate huge profits if sold. I cannot take advantage of you like this."

He never doubted the authenticity of these things. Those powerful weapons were enough to prove the queen's strength.

As for the source? He never asked these questions that shouldn't be asked.

"Keep it. It's not a good thing. You know I don't make money from it."

Seeing that she was determined to do so, Hongli accepted it.

"Don't worry, Empress Dowager. My third brother and I will definitely handle this matter well and will definitely not let these soldiers suffer."

Hongli took these things and started looking for new information.

He has some white sugar in his caravan, so we can allocate some of it over temporarily.

We will then see if we can grow sugar beets locally. It would be even better if we can produce sugar there.

When Hongshi received the reply, he was surprised to see these things.

Looking at the silver bills mixed in it, I almost cried out loud.

He had not been idle these days. Knowing that no matter what he did, he would have to find a source of water, he wrote a letter to the army to invite an experienced craftsman.

There are so many poor people in this place.

Even though Hiroshi told himself he couldn't help everyone, he couldn't help but empty his wallet.

After a few days, everyone knew that a wealthy family had come to the city.

He bought many shops and not only did business honestly but also often helped the people in the city.

It's just that the guy in the store is a bit scary, looking ferocious.

Hongshi no longer has much money on him.

Even at such an old age, I was too embarrassed to ask my elders for help. I wanted to write a letter back and ask the eunuchs in the palace to pick out some inconspicuous things to sell.

Just at this time, Hongli came to help.

Brothers should settle accounts clearly. Since they have paid money, they must also divide the profits.

Hongshi had no objection to this. He would be satisfied as long as he could do something for these people here.

In the following days, Hongshi was busy all day long.

"Third Master, the machine is ready. Would you like to take a look?"

"Third Master, this is my wife. She is very skillful and has a sharp mind. She will definitely be able to learn how to use the loom."

"Third Master, someone here reports that a caravan has arrived, claiming they're delivering valuable goods. We need you to come out and take a look."

……

Hongshi had just returned from outside and was asked to leave before he could even take a few sips of water.

Of course he knew that everything had to be done step by step, but he could wait while the people here could not.

The sooner they start making a profit, the more hope they have of supporting their families.

Even though those experienced veterans had lost an arm, they still accompanied him over mountains and across rivers to search for underground water.

They want to improve their family's life more than anyone else.

For those who are already married, the whole family will go out, and those who know a little carpentry will help.

There are not many people with skills in the city, and it is even more difficult to get them to teach this skill to others.

Hongshi also knew that this was someone's livelihood skill. If he couldn't bear the hardship and just left, and the skill was learned by others, they would have no place to complain.

The simplest way is to use money, fortunately Hongshi is rich now.

As soon as the caravan leader saw Hongshi, he knew that this was his master's elder brother.

"My humble servant greets you, Third Master. These are the goods you requested. Please inspect them."

In this era, both sugar and salt were rare commodities, and only the rich could afford them.

Even though Hongli had a new method of making sugar, the prices of these things remained high.

Anyway, it’s the rich who are enjoying it. They have plenty of money and don’t care about it.

But it’s much cheaper to sell it to Hongshi.

Looking at the bags of crystal clear white sugar, Hongshi's mouth was almost stretched behind his ears.

Before this batch of goods arrived, he bought sugar from the city with his own money to try to make milk candy.

When it came time to pay, Hongshi realized how expensive these things were.

Not only are there a lot of impurities, but the finished product isn't as beautiful as it could be.

They are going for the high-end route, and this kind of quality is simply not up to par.

Something this pure and flawless is worthy of the beautiful mold they have researched.

He is no longer the Third Prince who didn't know the difference between grains.

Such days were hard but fulfilling. Hongshi no longer had to worry about his teacher asking questions about his homework, nor did he have to fear being punished by his father.

Most importantly, everyone around him looked at him with respect.