Why does he feel like he’s turned into an old nanny? 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Retired Emperor: "Those who are capable must bear more labor."

Zhou Shuren: "..."

If not for the common people—he couldn’t bear to see them starving—he truly wouldn’t bother to deal with all this. Too exhausting.

The next day, in Pinggang, Rongchuan met General Hou. Hmm, General Hou reeked of fish. "General, what’s this?"

General Hou’s face looked pale and haggard. "This time, I personally patrolled the waters. When I returned, the ship was loaded with fish, and though I’ve washed my clothes several times, the smell of fish still sticks."

Rongchuan thought of himself. He’d also have to deal with sea fish.

General Hou gestured, "Prince Qin invites you."

Rongchuan followed General Hou to the place where sea fish were stored. General Hou explained, "I’ve requisitioned Pinggang’s ice cellar, but there are just too many fish, and quite a lot of them are left outdoors. Thankfully, it’s winter, so it’s less likely to spoil."

Rongchuan walked into the open-air storage area. Whoa, the smell was truly overpowering. His eyes fell to the seaweed nearby. "Thank you for your hard work, General."

General Hou didn’t find it hard, but he truly thought it was torturous—the smell was just unbearable.

Time is life. Once Rongchuan got familiar with the situation, he began arranging tasks. The workers hired at the workshops were all from military households. Payments were divided into half wages and half fish cakes.

Although the fish cakes contained more bran and straw, they were still popular among everyone. Add more salt to them, and they could be stored for days.

Rongchuan’s work progressed smoothly. When the first batch of fish cakes was transported away, Rongchuan felt like he was about to turn into a fish himself.

The catch wasn’t just fish; there were shrimp and other seafood as well. After categorizing the haul, the truly precious items were sold, not to merchants for silver, but exchanged for grain instead.

The ones truly lacking grain were regular commoners. Families with some means had stores of food, and noble families, needless to say, had land and estates. Surprisingly, some valuable seafood managed to exchange for a fair amount of grain.

Even some foreign merchants would trade grain for these goods as well.

The success of Pinggang’s fish cakes led other ports to set up workshops in succession.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Zhou Shuren exhaled deeply. Fish cakes now had several grades—the best were reserved for military provisions, while others were designated for relief aid. One mustn’t shortchange the soldiers defending the nation. With the territory expanded, they’d still be needed for suppression duties!

Some fish cakes were also traded to merchants in exchange for goods like cornmeal and bran.

When Rongchuan returned, Xue Han was almost done with her confinement period. Rongchuan had been spending every day at the workshops, yet no matter how many times he washed, there was still a faint fishy smell lingering on him.

Xue Han held back from wrinkling her nose and said with concern, "You’ve lost weight."

Rongchuan, whose nose could no longer smell the odor on himself, knew from his wife’s expression that he still carried the scent. "Fine, I’ll go bathe again."

Xue Han hurriedly grabbed his arm, "Don’t bother. There are red marks on your neck already. You’ve been scrubbing too much, haven’t you?"

Rongchuan moved his neck a bit, which hurt slightly. He hadn’t even mentioned adding flower petals to his bath water. "I guess I’ll just have to let the smell fade slowly over time."

"Now that you’re back, who’s in charge?"

Rongchuan: "Ming Teng and Xu Chen are handling things."

Xue Han chuckled, "Just wait, Ming Teng’s going to come back crying to you."

"I’m doing this for their own good—to temper their resolve."

He had cultivated his own resolute will through trials, and his two apprentices had to go through the same.

In the main estate, Zhulan was reading Yushuang’s letter. "This child says the price of seaweed has risen significantly."

Madam Zhao: "It has. My husband and I planned to visit her, and he’s bought quite a lot of seaweed. The price of seaweed has been consistently increasing lately."

Zhulan set the letter down. "Have you two finished packing your luggage?"

"Yes, everything’s ready."

If not for waiting for her sister-in-law to finish her confinement period, they would’ve departed half a month earlier.

Zhulan said, "I’ve prepared two carts of grain for Yushuang. You can take them back with you."

Having stored grain at home provided great peace of mind—sending food supplies was the best choice.

The current shortage wasn’t the worst yet. Grain had just been harvested in autumn, but next year would be dire if the temperatures stayed low. Agricultural yields in ancient times were heartbreakingly low.

Madam Zhao replied, "Mother, my husband and I have prepared grain ourselves."

"Parents preparing for their daughter comes from your love for her. My preparation is simply my way of expressing my sentiments."

Madam Zhao could only accept the gesture after hearing this. "As your daughter-in-law, I thank you on behalf of Yushuang."

"Alright, just be safe on your journey."

"We’ll be careful."

In the blink of an eye, Xue Han’s confinement period ended, and she returned to the Qin Prince Residence. Because the child was frail, Xue Han didn’t dare bring him along when she visited the palace.

Eventually, it was the Empress Dowager and Retired Emperor who came to the Qin Prince Residence to see the child.

Soon enough, Chang Yi and his wife set off for Zhangzhou Province, bringing along Yu Die and Ming Feng.

Ming Rui escorted his parents out of the city, only to turn around and get startled. "Hey, kid, why are you here?"

Yuan Bo’s hair was covered in snow, and he gazed pitifully at the carriage. "I didn’t catch up in time."

Ming Rui pulled his cloak tighter and noticed the box in Yuan Bo’s hands. "What’s in that box of yours?"

Liu Yuanbo hesitated about whether to chase after the carriage. His hands acted faster than his mind: his whip was already striking down onto the horse.

Ming Rui, who had arrived via carriage, had stepped forward to talk. Seeing Yuan Bo take off on horseback, snow flew up in his face as the wind swept past.

Liu Yuanbo didn’t spare his soon-to-be brother-in-law a glance. His eyes were fixed on the convoy ahead.

In the carriage, Yu Die perked up her ears. Ming Feng asked curiously, "Sister, what are you listening for?"

Yu Die: "I think I heard someone saying, ’Wait a moment.’"

Ming Feng snuggled deeper into his blankets and hugged his hand warmer tightly. "Sister, it’s just the sound of the wind; you heard wrong."

Liu Yuanbo soon caught up, and the convoy came to a halt. Chang Yi pushed open the carriage window. "Yuan Bo, you came to see us off?"

Face-to-face with his future father-in-law, Yuan Bo turned nervous. His father had said his future father-in-law was a tough man. "Yes, I heard the news and prepared a few things."

Chang Yi broke into a faint smile. The young man might be frugal, but he certainly knew how to win over his future father-in-law. Stretching out his hand, he accepted the box. "Good kid, I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

Liu Yuanbo silently fretted. His preparations were mostly snacks Yu Die liked. He wondered if his future father-in-law would be upset. Hopefully not.

Ultimately, Liu Yuanbo could only catch a brief glimpse of Yu Die through the carriage window, but it was enough to make him happy.

The young servant covered his face and groaned. "Master, please stop smiling."

Liu Yuanbo: "Why?"

The young servant recounted how Liu Yuanbo had sprinkled snow all over Zhou Ming Rui earlier. Liu Yuanbo: "..."

Chang Yi’s cheerful expression froze when he opened the box. "If I’m not mistaken, these are all snacks and sweets that my daughter likes?"

Madam Zhao was already laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. "That’s right, they’re all what she enjoys."

Chang Yi’s face darkened. "I think I’ve misjudged in my choice of son-in-law. Tell me, can we cancel the engagement?"

His elder brother’s son-in-law sent gifts regularly to show respect and affection for his father-in-law. But his own? His eldest daughter’s husband lived far away, and not only never sent anything back, but made him worry instead. And now, his potential future son-in-law wasn’t just stingy—he was downright miserly. Just thinking about it made him sour.

Madam Zhao gave him a side glance. "What do you think?"

Feeling frustrated, Chang Yi quickly shut the box. Hmph! He’d just tell his daughter the snacks were his idea, and had nothing to do with Liu Yuanbo!