Chapter 422: He really isn't coming back, is he?

Early the next morning, in the prefectural office's conference hall.

Prefect Xu sat at the head seat, and all the senior and junior officials overseeing commerce and agriculture had assembled.

They were convened solely to discuss establishing a tea plantation in Qing Tian County.

Prefect Xu glanced around, saw everyone was present, and cleared his throat.

"You have all seen Boss Gu's proposal and the documents submitted by the Qing Tian County Office."

"If you have any opinions, speak freely."

He glanced at the teacup beside him, lifted it gently, and said, "Yesterday I obtained some fine tea; why don't we drink while we talk?"

"When a superior offers tea, who would refuse?"

Everyone picked up their teacups.

The clerk Ren Quan also spread out paper, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and prepared to take notes,

Just then, a figure appeared outside the conference hall.

"I, the Prince, am idle; may I sit in and listen?"

The officials all rose with a clamor, and the hall fell silent.

Most of them did not know Mu Nan Zhao.

They had only heard that a high-ranking, powerful figure from the capital had come and was staying in the prefectural office's rear courtyard.

Prefect Xu came to his senses first, hastily set down his teacup, and hurried forward to greet him.

"Regent Prince, please take the seat of honor!"

"If we could receive the Regent Prince's guidance, it would be the greatest fortune of our lives!"

Everyone in the hall was startled.

The Regent Prince?!

Today the sky was clear and cloudless, with the blazing sun overhead.

The carriage passed through the bustling crowds on the main street, and when it reached a less populated area, it sped up.

Lv Jing, feeling hot, pulled back the curtain halfway, and only then did the breeze make her feel better.

She fanned her face with one hand and said, "This place may be prosperous, but it's far hotter than our village."

Gu Xixi handed over the waterskin.

Lv Jing grabbed it and took a few sips, then frowned, "The cool water I drank this morning has turned lukewarm."

Gu Xixi laughed, "Just make do with it for now; when we get home I'll slice you some cold melon."

She lifted the curtain on her side and called out loudly, "Brother Zi Chu, would you like some water? Watch out for heatstroke."

Jiang Mingyuan appeared on horseback outside the window, smiling, "No need, I've brought my own waterskin."

"Besides, I still have the snow-melting pills you gave me; I carry them with me at all times, so I'm not afraid of heatstroke."

Lv Jing laughed, turning sideways, "I suppose even Magistrate Jiang didn't expect this trip to go so smoothly, did he?"

Jiang Mingyuan smiled faintly.

It wasn't unexpectedly smooth, was it?

Last night we arrived in Jing'an City and met Prefect Xu.

This morning, shortly after the si hour, the prefectural office sent someone to summon Magistrate Jiang.

Gu Xixi and Lv Jing stayed at the inn to wait for news.

Jiang Mingyuan returned in just half an hour.

He brought good news, as well as the formally issued endorsement document from the prefectural office.

It had barely passed noon when their return carriage had already left the city center.

Jiang Mingyuan said, "Each county has pressing affairs awaiting the prefectural office's instructions."

"I originally thought I'd need to stay at the inn for at least three or five days, but I didn't expect the prefectural office to be so efficient."

"Perhaps it's..."

He paused, then smiled and said, "In short, all the problems before the preparations have been resolved."

"Now it's up to our own abilities."

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Mingyuan's face; in his bright eyes lay both hope for the tea plantation's future and his own ambitions in the officialdom.

As this was his first official post, and he had returned to his hometown to serve as county magistrate, he naturally needed to showcase his talents and prove his ability.

Along the way, they rested one night at a relay station on the official road.

The following morning they finally returned to Qing Tian County.

Jiang Mingyuan had intended to continue escorting the young ladies back to Flower Pool Ford Village, but Gu Xixi politely declined.

"You must have accumulated a lot of official business during these few days you were away."

"Moreover, the documents you just brought back are likely to be quite tedious to implement."

Jiang Mingyuan sighed, nodded, and joked, "Rest assured, Sister Xixi, to have the northwestern region's first tea plantation built as soon as possible, I will surely rise at the crow of the rooster and work by lamplight through the night."

Gu Xixi chuckled lightly, "Then I'll await the county magistrate's further instructions."

Jiang Mingyuan bowed with clasped hands, "I will strive not to betray your trust."

He instructed the driver to continue toward Flower Pool Ford Village, making sure to drop them off at their doorstep.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Jiang Mingyuan stepped across the threshold of the county office.

Suddenly, he instinctively turned around, gazing at the path he had taken on his return.

Nothing.

Mu Nan Zhao indeed did not follow them back this time.

When Jiang Mingyuan went to the prefectural office that morning, he didn't even see the Regent Prince.

But he could still guess that this trip went so smoothly and quickly, in part or largely due to the Regent Prince's influence.

The reason Jiang Mingyuan didn't mention it in front of Gu Xixi is

Firstly, whatever he could think of, Gu Xixi had already thought of.

Secondly, he didn't want to erase Gu Xixi's efforts.

The Regent Prince's authority is one thing, but getting the government office to finally approve it was fundamentally due to Gu Xixi's tea garden plan.

On the way back to the village, Lv Jing whispered to Gu Xixi.

"It's so close now, I thought he would go home with you."

Gu Xixi glanced sideways, already seeing through Lv Jing's little thoughts, "You just want to watch the show?"

"If I had known, I should have borrowed back some of the popular reads that Jing Lan has read."

"Whatever genre you want to see, we have all the melodramatic ones."

Lv Jing chuckled, "Auntie still doesn't know what kind of person he is?"

"Jing Lan didn't say that he once sneaked home, not only revealing his identity but also proposing to you."

Gu Xixi sighed, "He did say his name, but it's too complicated, and Aunt Zhang didn't remember it."

"Maybe all they know is that his surname is Mu (they don't know which Mu), that he comes from a wealthy family, is a young master from a rich household, and perhaps he's an official in the capital."

Lv Jing couldn't believe it, frowned and said, "That's it?"

Gu Xixi spread her hands, "Nope."

Lv Jing leaned back weakly, dazed, and said, "Oh..."

"I was wondering, how Auntie seems to know everything and yet nothing at all."

"No wonder she, like everyone else, hears the Regent Prince's announcement and just thinks it's someone else's good fortune."

"She even has the mind to turn it into a joke to tell you."

After figuring it out, Lv Jing laughed and said, "This kind of vague situation is also fine."

"Anyway, you don't currently plan to get married."

Gu Xixi smiled.

Mu Nan Zhao really is that obedient, passing by without entering?

Probably not.

After returning to the village, a few days later Huachi Du Cun began harvesting wheat.

In the rainy summer, wheat must be harvested while the weather is clear to seize the time.

So everyone in the village, young and old, got busy.

Even lunch was prepared by each household's wife and taken to the fields to eat.

Since returning home last time, Gu Xixi has rarely gone out and has started tinkering with those bottles and jars behind closed doors.

She needs to formulate pesticides and fertilizers suitable for the tea garden's soil and the existing tea tree varieties.

Starting from when the tea garden's land is organized, these things will be put to use one after another.

Lv Jing and Aunt Zhang went to inspect their own wheat fields and returned.

Lv Jing knocked on the door, "Xixi, may I come in?"

After receiving permission, she pushed the door open and entered, "On the way back I saw many people going to deliver meals."

"Our hired workers also have someone bringing meals, but they all came early with them, bringing their own dry rations and water, plus pickled vegetables and dried meat, etc."

"I think they're their wives and children, not only bringing meals but also joining in the wheat harvest, so we don't need to worry about them."