The village chief replied, “Not just sweet potato slices, but also dried potatoes, dried radishes, dried vegetables, and corn kernels. We have no other choice; perishables spoil easily, but these items can be sun-dried and stored.”

Yang Haiyan asked, “Speaking of storage, rice is definitely the best for that. Why don’t you plant rice?”

The village chief explained, “Because Yunxiang County has many dry seasons, and there’s insufficient water. Besides, we have more land than fields. While we could convert some land into fields, it’s not simple to channel water into the fields.”

Though Yang Haiyan had grown up in a rural area, she had been living alone since her great-grandmother passed away when she was fifteen.

The land left to her was farmed by others, and after the rice harvest, they would give her two-tenths as rent.

If she wanted vegetables, she could go to their fields to pick them.

So, she was completely ignorant about farming.

That said, the things she understood were mostly what was popular online.

Living alone, she was often curious and researched various topics during her spare time, such as handicrafts, since people always needed something to occupy their time.

Yang Haiyan asked, “So, the most commonly grown crops are radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and greens?”

The village chief confirmed, “Yes, we dry radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and greens.”

Yang Haiyan thought for a moment.

While radishes and greens were one thing, potatoes and sweet potatoes had an even better preservation method—potato flour and sweet potato flour.

Even though potatoes and sweet potatoes can’t last a year in a dry place, potato flour and sweet potato flour can last two to three years without spoiling.

At most, they might get bugs, but if they are regularly dried in the sun, bugs won’t be a problem.

After all, bugs also feed on rice!

Suddenly, Yang Haiyan’s eyes lit up.

In Yunxiang County, sweet potatoes and potatoes cost one wen for two jin, but fine flour sells for eight wen per jin outside.

Generally, six jin of potatoes yield one jin of potato flour, meaning six jin of potatoes cost three wen, while one jin of potato flour can sell for eight wen, more than doubling the price.

Similarly, it takes about five jin of sweet potatoes to produce one jin of sweet potato flour, which also yields more than double the profit when converted.

So, Yang Haiyan suddenly thought that if Yunxiang County planted potatoes and sweet potatoes and turned them into sweet potato and potato flour, wouldn’t that be a local specialty?

Moreover, flour was not abundant across the country.

The emergence of potato and sweet potato flour could spark a flour trend.

The problem was that both potato and sweet potato flour were easy to make and learn.

If others figured it out, it could create competition.

However, Yunxiang County had an advantage: land was inexpensive.

Cheaper land meant lower costs.

If Yunxiang County could monopolize the production of potato and sweet potato flour, that would be fantastic.

But there was still the issue of how she could figure out how to make potato and sweet potato flour.

It wouldn’t be plausible to suddenly claim she could make them; even if no one could question her abilities, Yang Haiyan still wanted to find a suitable explanation.

After developing her idea, she felt more resolute.

She told the village chief, “Rest assured, Village Chief, we will buy all the sweet potatoes and potatoes from your fields, no matter the quantity.”

In fact, corn could also be made into corn flour, which is different from simply grinding corn kernels into powder in ancient times.

However, Yang Haiyan didn’t plan on producing corn flour because the cost was high—around eight jin of corn kernels were needed to produce one jin of corn flour.

So, for now, she decided to focus on sweet potato and potato flour.

Hearing Yang Haiyan’s assurance, the village chief felt relieved.

His visit was not for himself; how much sweet potato and potato could his family possibly have? He was there for the villagers.

“Madame… Madame…” Just as the village chief was about to take his leave, an urgent voice called from the entrance.

Yang Haiyan paused. The voice… sounded like Tao Shan.

But Tao Shan had gone to the capital… Calculating the time, he should be back soon.

Could it really be Tao Shan?

While Yang Haiyan was contemplating, Tao Shan had already arrived at the door but did not enter: “Madame, it’s your subordinate Tao Shan. I have urgent matters to discuss with you.”

It really was Tao Shan.

Yang Haiyan hurriedly said, “Come in.”

The village chief rose and said, “Madame General, I shall take my leave now. Once the potato harvest comes in, I will bring the potatoes over.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “I have matters to attend to at the moment, so I won’t see you off, Village Chief.”

The village chief said, “I dare not trouble you.”

Tao Shan entered, first bowing to Yang Haiyan, and then said, “Madame, I’ve returned from the capital with the imperial envoy and the palace eunuch. They are currently at the East Suburb Military Camp. I came to inform you that you will soon receive your imperial edict.”

This wasn’t Yang Haiyan’s first time receiving an imperial edict; she had received one for her fifth-rank title before.

However, it was the first time an imperial envoy had come to deliver it, which made her somewhat nervous.

Yang Haiyan had never liked ancient customs and didn’t want Qin Fang to go to the capital in the future.

The primary reason was that she was not accustomed to the rituals among the nobility, such as kneeling, which made someone like her, who grew up in peaceful times, feel very uncomfortable.

But ultimately, wasn’t it her pride that was acting up?

Because she came from the future, she often felt a sense of superiority, which made her disdain and not want to bow to those people.

However, she also knew that this was ancient times, and such etiquette was unavoidable.

So, she had always tried to avoid places where such rituals were necessary.

Yet, some things couldn’t be avoided.

A modern person with a sense of superiority coming to ancient times had to adapt to everything in this era.

Yang Haiyan knew that from this moment onward, starting with the arrival of the imperial envoy and the edict, she had to thoroughly understand how dignity was defined in ancient times.

She could not live according to modern ideas and do as she pleased.

Yang Haiyan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, her mindset was already adjusted. “Will the imperial envoy and the eunuch from the palace be staying at the General’s residence?”

Tao Shan replied, “Yes, the post station in Yunxiang County is too dilapidated.”

What kind of condition could a place that had never hosted a big figure possibly be in? Even the city wall was falling apart; what more the post station?

Yang Haiyan said, “I understand. I will arrange everything. Go back and tell the General to rest easy.”

Tao Shan replied, “Yes, I will head to the military camp right away.”

Two hours earlier, Tao Shan had taken the imperial envoy and the eunuch to the East Suburb Military Camp.

Normally, when someone from the capital came, they would either go to the county office or the General’s residence.

The reason for going to the East Suburb Military Camp was that both the eunuch and the imperial envoy were curious about Qin Fang, who came from a humble background yet had achieved numerous accomplishments.

Others might not know, but as the imperial envoy responsible for the sulfur and nitrate mines, he was certainly a confidant of the Emperor.

Since he was a trusted aide of the Emperor, it was clear that Qin Fang had made significant contributions.

Thus, after discussing it with the eunuch, they decided to come to the East Suburb Military Camp.

…….

At that moment, Qin Fang was on Beast Mountain.

Yang Xiaowei asked, “General, the tiger has died. How should we handle it?”

According to standard procedure, tiger meat would typically be consumed.

However, this particular tiger was quite special.

After being raised for half a month, the tiger had unexpectedly died today.

During that time, the tiger showed no signs of struggle, quietly confined in its cage.

They fed it meat, and it ate quietly, then lay down in its cage, behaving almost like a domesticated animal.

According to Doctor Li, the tiger’s life was already at its end.

The reason it hadn’t struggled or resisted was that it was waiting for death.

As tigers age, their ability to catch prey diminishes.

They can no longer hunt effectively and are reduced to scavenging smaller animals, such as wild chickens or hares, which are not enough to satisfy a tiger’s appetite.

Moreover, tigers prefer fresh meat, but an aging tiger, unable to catch prey, has to make do.

Alternatively, they might become prey to other animals.

Thus, for this tiger, being well-fed by humans before dying was already a satisfaction.

Qin Fang said, “Just bury it.”

Given the connection between the tiger and the chain man, Qin Fang couldn’t bring himself to eat the tiger’s meat.

Yang Xiaowei replied, “Understood.”

He waved his hand, instructing the soldiers to take the tiger away for burial.

Qin Fang walked into the room and saw Doctor Li administering a shot to the iron chain man.

The iron chain man became particularly docile when food was present; Doctor Li coaxed him to lie down properly for the injection using food as a lure.

Qin Fang asked, “How is he doing?”

Doctor Li said, “His condition has improved a bit, but he only looks better. His lifespan has already been affected, and he might only have two to three years left. Even with the adjustments we’ve made, it just means he will suffer less when he passes.”

Qin Fang replied, “It’s a pity we don’t know if he will regain his memory before he dies.”

Doctor Li felt ashamed. “My medical skills are limited, and I cannot guarantee that. How about this, General? We could invite other doctors from the county town to take a look?”

Qin Fang shook his head. “Let’s wait for now. Given the current circumstances, along with the sulfur and nitrate situation, it’s best if fewer people know about it. I have already reported this matter to the court; we will see how they arrange the sulfur and nitrate, as well as how to handle him.”

After all, this iron chain man was connected to Prince Liang, and the court would surely send someone to take him away.

So, for now, Qin Fang could not allow other doctors to come here.

Doctor Li replied, “As you say, General…”

“General… General… General, I’m back.” Tao Shan’s voice echoed in.

Upon hearing this, Qin Fang immediately jumped out of the window.

Seeing Tao Shan enter, he nodded. “It’s good you’re back. Why didn’t you take a moment to rest before coming here?”

Tao Shan hurriedly replied, “General, I came with the imperial envoy from the capital, and the eunuch is also here. By the way, here’s a letter from Lord Du for you. He asked you to read the letter first before discussing matters with the imperial envoy and the eunuch.”

“Oh?” Qin Fang raised an eyebrow and took the letter.

“I understand.” Lord Du had mentioned matters regarding the imperial envoy and the eunuch in the letter.