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Following Consort Rong’s instructions, a young eunuch hastily fetched a chair and placed it behind Fei Jinhe.
Fei Jinhe didn’t cling to any pride that would serve no purpose; she simply sat down. Her legs had grown painful after kneeling for so long.
“Thank you, Noble Consort,” she expressed with courtesy, a trait her mother had instilled in her. Fei Jinhe was content with her demeanor.
Consort Rong wore a beaming smile, appearing like a benevolent elder. She began, “A few days ago, it was my oversight. Since you’re here now, I’ll have a room prepared for you next to the Fifth Princess. You two should get along well.”
Upon hearing her mother not only refraining from punishing Fei Jinhe but also suggesting they live together, the Fifth Princess was instantly displeased. She stood up in protest, declaring, “I don’t want to live with this wretched girl!”
After uttering this statement, the Fifth Princess flicked her sleeves and stormed out.
Consort Rong attempted to mediate, saying, “The Fifth Princess has a stubborn temperament, but you’re well-behaved, so I believe you won’t hold it against her.”
“When you get used to living here, I’ll arrange for your mother to visit the palace and reunite with you.”
Hearing the possibility of reuniting with her mother, Fei Jinhe’s face blossomed into a smile.
She sought confirmation, “Will I really get to see my mother?”
Consort Rong smiled mysteriously, “As long as the County Princess behaves obediently, this palace will naturally arrange for a mother-daughter reunion.”
“Take the County Princess downstairs and attend to her properly. If I ever find out that you’ve neglected her, beware of the consequences.”
In the evening, at the residence of Prince of Wuding,
Fei Yanchen, Fei Yunsong, and Wen Yunlan were sitting in the study, discussing matters.
At that moment, a palace guard swiftly entered, knelt on one knee, and recounted everything that had happened to Fei Jinhe in the palace today.
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Upon hearing that Fei Jinhe had been mistreated, Wen Yunlan’s eyes reddened with anger, and she stood up, ready to rush out.
Fei Yunsong quickly blocked her path and tried to calm her down.
Fei Yanchen also spoke, “Mother, please don’t be hasty. Since Consort Rong has taken Jinhe to her palace, she won’t face any mistreatment for some time.”
“She’s definitely trying to use Jinhe to make us submit to the Fourth Prince. Before we enter the palace, she won’t let anything happen to Jinhe.”
Although Wen Yunlan was stopped, her emotions didn’t calm down significantly.
In the past year, although they had been able to gather information about Fei Jinhe, heavy guards had been stationed outside their estate under the guise of protecting them, preventing them from entering the palace to see her.
Sometimes she wondered if they should just openly rebel against the royal family. But now wasn’t the right time, so they had to endure for the time being.
Meanwhile, in the village of Longxian, far in the south of Great Wei, Shen Yu’an received a reply from Fei Yanchen.
Shen Yu’an had received the letter four days after it was sent.
When Shen Yu’an received the letter, she was somewhat surprised. She had assumed that even if Fei Yanchen replied, it would first pass through Fei Xi’s hands.
What Shen Yu’an didn’t know was that the letter she received was the first one, and the letter Fei Yanchen wrote to Fei Xi was still on its way.
In the letter, Fei Yanchen encouraged Shen Yu’an to do whatever she deemed necessary and told her to directly ask Fei Xi for any assistance she needed.
Most importantly, he discussed the matter of the mines, stating that he would send a few craftsmen who would be at her disposal. He also briefly mentioned the current situation in the capital.
Even though Shen Yu’an was not in the capital, she could almost visualize Fei Yanchen’s challenging situation.
In the previous year, the Great Wei had suffered numerous natural disasters, and the court hadn’t allocated much food relief for the affected citizens. They cited the urgency of the border wars as a reason and diverted funds from the Ministry of Revenue to the border regions.
Shen Yu’an couldn’t help but feel the weight of the challenges Fei Yanchen was facing, even from afar.
Because the border wars were being fought by the Fourth Prince’s maternal family, and the Emperor was preparing to head west at any moment, and the Fourth Prince was the most popular among the common people, the Ministry of Revenue dared not withhold food supplies.
Through the intermediaries of Consort Rong and the Fourth Prince, these food supplies and funds ultimately ended up in their own pockets.
The national treasury was running low, and with the common people experiencing poor harvests, grain merchants in many places had already started raising grain prices.
It was now May, and everyone was busy, with no time to spare.
In addition to studying at the local school or in the study, all of Shen’s children, from the eldest to the fourth, were preparing for this year’s imperial examinations.
However, they didn’t neglect their martial arts training and physical exercise.
A few days later, along with the second letter from Fei Yanchen to Fei Xi, several reliable craftsmen arranged by Fei Yunsong arrived at the campsite in the mountains behind Longxian Village.
Shen Yu’an handed over the management of the paper mill business to her family and found a reason to enter the mountains, informing her family that her return date was uncertain.
In the letter that Fei Yanchen handed to Fei Xi, he explained the arrangements for the mining site discovered by Shen Yu’an.
Upon receiving the letter, Fei Xi got to work immediately and assigned the task of mining to the appropriate personnel.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu’an immersed herself in her workshop, collaborating with the new craftsmen to develop higher-quality smelting techniques.
Originally, the craftsmen who had been assigned to this task had heard about someone who could forge iron better and had come with the intention of learning from this master. However, when they saw that the master was a young girl, they were completely bewildered.
However, they were soon impressed by Shen Yu’an’s abilities. The iron she refined was actually significantly stronger than what they could achieve using their traditional techniques.
Four months had passed in the blink of an eye.
The room’s temperature was too high, and Shen Yu’an wiped away some sweat, causing the dust on her hand to mix with the sweat. The next moment, a black smudge appeared on her face.
One of the craftsmen handed Shen Yu’an a glass of water and said with a smile, “Miss Shen, please have some water.”
This craftsman was a middle-aged man in his forties, and he looked at Shen Yu’an with admiration in his eyes.
Not only him, but even the other craftsmen who were slightly older than him also held great respect for Shen Yu’an.
Initially, when they first met Shen Yu’an, no one believed that such a young girl could possess any real skills. However, over these four months, Shen Yu’an had pleasantly surprised them so much that it had changed their attitudes.
The most significant aspect was that Shen Yu’an didn’t keep any secrets. Whatever she discovered, she shared it with everyone for further research.
Although they hadn’t yet produced steel, seeing the improved purity of the iron they were working with, Shen Yu’an was satisfied.
Shen Yu’an took the glass and finished it in one gulp, placing it back on the table.
“You’ve all worked hard,” she said.
The craftsmen smiled and replied, “Miss Shen, you’re being too polite. If anyone deserves credit for their hard work, it’s you. We old folks must thank you for generously teaching us the true art of refining.”
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