Chapter 928 - 928: Incognito
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia Tao leaned over. “I heard that there’s a silkworm farm on the mountain.
Miss, do you want to go up and take a look?”
Yu Youyao was indeed very interested. She followed the mountain path up the mountain.
The first batch of silkworm cocoons had already come out. The silkworm farmers in the silkworm manor were busy picking the silkworm cocoons and moving baskets of pure white cocoons into the manor.
The manor was opened to the public, and the nearby individual silkworm farmers also brought their own silkworm cocoons to sell for money.
Yu Youyao kept a low profile on this trip. She was only wearing ordinary clothes and accessories. Chun Xiao, Xia Tao, and Yin Shi, as well as a few guards, disguised as servants to accompany her. There were only nine people in total.
At first glance, she looked like a young miss from a family who had come out to play. She was not very eye-catching.
As soon as they entered the manor, Xia Tao, who had sharp ears, had already joined the crowd of people queuing to sell silkworm cocoons. She was eloquent and sweet-tongued, and chatted with them in a few words.
Not long after, she heard some news and returned to report.
“The price given by the silkworm manor is the final price after you joined forces with the individual silkworm farmers and foreign merchants to pressure the nobles this year.”
“Didn’t you ask Steward Qian and the others to hold an exchange meeting at the Moon Pavilion in Liancheng earlier? It’s the one where the silkworm farmers exchanged their silkworm nurturing experiences. Steward Qian has organized such an exchange meeting in various areas in Liaodong that are suitable for raising silkworms and spread some good silkworm nurturing experiences to the local silkworm farmers. The silkworm farmers have benefited. The quality of the silk worms they raised this year is not bad, and they’re even more grateful to you.”
“As the retail silkworm farmers in the Liaodong area were bullied by the nobles in the past, they were unwilling to sell their silkworm cocoons to them. In order to buy silkworm cocoons from the retailers, some nobles even increased the price of their silkworm cocoons by a level. However, the silkworm farmers had all been harmed in the past, and there were still very few commoners who were willing to sell their silkworm cocoons to the nobles.’
“The silkworm farmers have all sold their silkworm cocoons to the nearby silkworm farms that have agreed to trade with you. I heard that the local silkworm farmers have all lost a lot.’
“The owner behind this silkworm manor is a retail investor who raises silkworms. He has signed a contract with the silkworm manor under your name to sell and buy silkworms. The silkworm cocoons collected by the silkworm manors will all be supplied to the silk worm manor under your name. Steward Qian has also said that he will accept as many as he can. The price will strictly follow the rules.”
“Young Miss has reorganized the silkworm business in the Liaodong area. Many retail investors have expanded the scale of raising silkworms. Even the commoners are raising silkworms in their own homes. Many new silkworm farms have been opened in the Liaodong area. The first batch of refugees that were settled caught up to the first season of spring silkworms. In just a few days, the production of spring silkworms has far exceeded that of before.”
Xia Tao told her about the situation in the silkworm manor. She was not far off.
Yu Youyao listened carefully. Previously, she had heard from the county magistrate of Liancheng that there had been a tradition of raising silkworms in the Liaodong area since ancient times. At the peak of the silkworm industry, every family had planted trees in front and behind their houses. Other than farming, the commoners would also raise some silkworms at home to improve the conditions at home.
With additional income, the commoners were living well.
However, later on, the nobles controlled the resources in the North. The price of silkworm cocoons was too low, and the scale of raising silkworms was too small. Not only would it not be profitable, but it would also be thankless.
Gradually, the farmers stopped raising silkworms.
There were too many uses for silk, and it was also a consumable item. The Great Zhou Dynasty’s annual production of silk was simply not enough. Furthermore, they still had to trade overseas, so it was naturally better to have as much silk as possible.
She estimated that she would let all 300,000 You soldiers wear the latest armor this year.
Yu Youyao was very gratified to hear that the commoners of Liaodong were especially enthusiastic about raising silkworms.
Their group was not here to sell silkworm cocoons. Instead, they kept a low profile. However, anyone with some discernment could tell that they had an imposing aura.
The steward of the silkworm manor noticed Xia Tao’s information- gathering actions and couldn’t help but feel a little wary. He couldn’t help but pay more attention in secret.
The more the steward looked at them, the more shocked he became. He kept feeling that this group of people was not simple.
It wasn’t until he had spied on the nobles and attracted the warning gaze of one of the “house servants” that an unbelievable thought suddenly appeared in the steward’s mind.
Could that noble just now be Princess Shaoyi, who was patrolling incognito? It wasn’t without reason that he had such a guess.
The son of the steward served under King Yue Fei. He was no stranger to the iron-blooded aura emitted by well-trained soldiers.
In this group, other than the two maidservants and the noble who was much petite than ordinary women from the North, the others were all well-trained soldiers.
From the looks of it, it was not difficult to deduce this noble’s identity.
The steward was shocked. For a moment, he did not know what to do and quickly went to look for the owner.
When the owner heard that Princess Shaoyi had come over, he was also shocked. “Is— Is it really Princess Shaoyi? Did Princess Shaoyi come to our manor incognito? How is that possible?”
The steward looked solemn. “Probably. Although Princess Shaoyi is wearing ordinary clothes, her aura can’t be hidden. No family in the North has such a demeanor.’
This time, the owner also believed 70% to 80% of it. For a moment, he panicked. “What— What should we do?”
The steward also felt troubled. Seeing that his boss was in a daze, he could only stiffen his scalp and say, “Don’t worry. Princess Shaoyi is kind and benevolent. Our manor is also a serious business. Princess Shaoyi might have only arrived here incognito to take a look at the situation in the silkworm manor. You also know that Princess Shaoyi values the silkworm industry in Liaodong. ”
Only then did the owner calm down, and the panicked expression on his face turned to respect. “You’re right. If it weren’t for Princess Shaoyi joining forces with our retail investors and foreign merchants to pressure the nobles and reset the price of the silkworm cocoons, my silkworm farm would have fallen into the hands of the nobles. Princess Shaoyi is so kind, so she will definitely be humble.”
Towards the end, his tone had already become very excited. Princess Shaoyi was so concerned about the development of the silkworm industry, which made them, the silkworm households, even more excited.
The steward wiped his sweat and also felt deep veneration for Princess Shaoyi.
After the excitement, he was in a difficult position. “Do you think I should pay a visit to Princess Shaoyi?” His tone was filled with eagerness. For a moment, he rubbed his hands and paced back and forth in the room. “l can’t pretend not to know that Princess Shaoyi is here!” As if he had convinced himself, he immediately wanted to walk out, but after taking a step, he paced back. “But since Princess Shaoyi is here incognito, she definitely doesn’t want anyone to know her schedule. Isn’t it too rude to go over like this?”
The owner fell into an endless dilemma.
At this moment, a shop assistant came over to report, ” . . . The group you asked me to keep an eye on has already left the manor.”
The steward was stunned for a moment. This time, he did not have to hesitate..
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