The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1708 - 1702: Unleash Your Full Potential

Song Chongjin also had the same idea. The couple had always been quite in sync when it came to external affairs.

Moreover, two heads are better than one.

Song Chongjin always liked discussing these outside matters with Wang Yongzhu because she not only kept up with his pace but also complemented his thoughts with her own unique insights.

Over the years, they’ve managed their official duties in this way, solving many potential troubles.

After finishing their discussion on public affairs, just as they were about to talk about family matters, a letter from Gu Zikai arrived.

Wang Yongzhu opened the letter, smiled, and silently handed it to Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin took a few glances before slowly folding the letter, "I’m happy that Cousin Gu has this idea! I’m sure our uncle in the Capital City will be even happier when he finds out."

Wang Yongzhu agreed, "This time with Cousin Gu in Yunzhong County, you’ve already arranged everything for him, and naturally, a significant accomplishment will be handed to him in due course. If it were just an ordinary person, they would simply be grateful to you. But our cousin has high ambitions and surely won’t be content with just being a figurehead gaining accolades."

"I estimate he would first want to establish his footing before trying anything else. I didn’t expect him to turn things around so quickly and take decisive action! You must admit, it takes some courage! After all, he was once a Tanhua Lang and a shining light of the Hanlin Academy, a person of serene grace, yet now he’s raising wild boars! If word of this gets back to the Capital City, I’m sure many women would lament, and many behind the scenes would laugh at him! But he can pick it up and put it down with ease!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Song Chongjin, however, wasn’t concerned, "As an official, as long as it benefits the people, what does it matter if he’s raising wild boars? His ability to adjust so quickly will allow him to govern Yunzhong County smoothly. If he clung to his prestigious Hanlin stance from the Capital City, even with the talents of the adept Master his family found for him, it would all be a joke!"

"Cousin Gu has a deep-seated strategy, we’ve indeed underestimated him in the past!"

Hearing this, Wang Yongzhu glanced at Song Chongjin, unable to suppress a slight smile.

In the past two years, Song Chongjin’s depth was increasingly reminiscent of Gu Changqing.

When Gu Zikai first arrived in Chicheng County a while back, it’s said that upon seeing Song Chongjin, he nearly fell off his horse.

Later, when Old Granny Zhang asked him, he said that having not seen him for years, at first glance, Song Chongjin bore a certain resemblance to his father; the dust and wind had blurred his vision, almost causing him to mistake him for his father, thinking he had somehow arrived in Chicheng County.

He once jokingly complained to Wang Yongzhu, getting away from his father in the Capital City only to find a brother-in-law resembling his father so closely in the frontier, claiming that he would never escape his father’s shadow in this lifetime.

Unaware of Wang Yongzhu’s thoughts, Song Chongjin couldn’t help but ask, "Do you have a plan for raising these wild boars?"

Wang Yongzhu only had a thought, but this wasn’t a challenge for her. She had already consulted the System, determining that these wild boars were akin to the fern-fed pigs from her previous timeline, sharing similar habitats and habits.

She had already gathered information on the lifestyle habits of the fern-fed pigs as well as precautions and farming techniques.

In a few days, once she had some free time, she planned to visit Yunzhong County for a site inspection.

If the conditions were suitable, she’d prepare for large-scale farming; if not, it wouldn’t be a problem. She’d just fence off a hill, hire people to raise about a hundred, which would be good either for personal use or gifts.

Hearing Song Chongjin’s inquiry, she truthfully spoke, "I’ve discussed it with Ninth Master Lee; farming them is necessary. The quality of this wild boar meat is excellent; I’ve figured out it’s due to the farming methods. Large-scale farming might decrease the quality, which wouldn’t be cost-effective."

"Therefore, I plan to first buy one or two hills, conduct trials, and see how many wild boars a single hill can hold without compromising quality. Establish a standard first, so that whether it’s for our own farming or for larger promotion, it’ll adhere to this standard."

"Otherwise, blindly going for large-scale farming could reduce the quality of wild boar meat to something no different from regular pork, and all our efforts would be wasted, tarnishing the wild boar’s reputation!"

"If we test successfully and set a standard, we’ll promote it county-wide. Our manpower is limited, so there’s no need to invest too much effort or resources into this. By promoting it, letting those farmers in Yunzhong County with years of farming experience take over, and we simply buy from them, won’t it be more efficient and convenient? That way, we benefit, the farmers increase their income, Cousin Gu achieves political success, and everyone’s happy?"

Wang Yongzhu’s words were reasonable and thoroughly considered.

While listening to her, Song Chongjin picked up a pen to write Gu Zikai a reply, incorporating Wang Yongzhu’s considerations, advising him not to let any news leak yet, but simply to mention that relatives were incredibly fond of this wild boar meat, and hearing that raising them was challenging, they planned to buy two hills and raise them personally.

As for how Gu Zikai would hustle and toil to acquire around a hundred little wild boars upon receiving the letter, that was his issue.

Song Chongjin, having had his negotiations with the grasslands collapse, found himself with some leisure time.

Upon returning, he had already written a report, sending it urgently at eighty miles a day to the Capital City. He reported the situation and his plans comprehensively.

A few days later, word from the Capital City agreed with Song Chongjin’s approach, authorizing him to execute his plans as he saw fit.

With approval from the Capital City, Song Chongjin naturally broadened his scope.

In the ensuing days, merchants coming and going in Chicheng County all knew that Lord Song frequently summoned merchants from the Western Region for talks.

Each meeting lasted most of the day.

Those Western Region merchants, upon leaving, all had flushed faces and joyous expressions.

Evidently, something good had happened.

Naturally, people began to inquire, and initially, those Western Region merchants adamantly refused to reveal anything.

Until one of them, after being plied with drink, revealed the secret.

It turned out that Lord Song, observing the prosperous development of the trading market, had a mind to open up a trading route from the Great Chu to the Western Region.

It should be known that a century ago, there existed a trade route from the heartland to the Western Region; during that period, the Central Plains were flourishing, respected by all, with countless small states coming to court.

Wonders and treasures from the world over converged upon the Central Plains.

That trade route was once a necessary passage for merchants from the Central Plains and the Western Region.

Unfortunately, due to warfare and various other reasons, that trade route gradually faded into history.

Today, Central Plains merchants only dare venture to Wuzi Country, the Western Region nation closest to the Great Chu.

Meanwhile, those merchants from the Western Region mostly hail from the neighboring small countries of Wuzi and Yuelai.

It’s worth noting that back then, the trade route stretched all the way to the end of the Western Region, to places like the distant Kochand and Parthia Kingdom, where people were said to have golden hair, blue eyes, and snow-white skin, speaking incomprehensible languages, with manners and customs vastly different from those in the Central Plains.