Chapter 67: Arranging the Business

Tian Mi was thinking about a plan. She had a residence in the capital, along with shops and estates. How many people would be attracted to a bookstore in Qinghe County? It might be better to open the bookstore in the capital.

Hehehe! Isn’t there more choice there? Perhaps it could even turn into a beautiful love story of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady.

Or maybe a clever princess could charm a talented scholar.

Hehehe!

There were also more shops to rent out over there.

Tian Mi said, “Feiyan, in a while, I’m going to the capital. How about we open a bookstore there? There are far more scholars in the capital than here in Qinghe County.”

Xu Feiyan’s eyes lit up. This is a great idea! She had heard that the capital was bustling with activity.

At this time, the capital was in the location of Xi’an, not far from Qinghe County, though the journey was difficult, which made it feel especially distant.

Xu Feiyan’s expression quickly darkened as she said, “My parents won’t approve.”

Tian Mi replied, “We can have your elder brother go to the capital to study. You can take care of him.”

Xu Feiyan’s eyes brightened again. Tian Mi was so clever! The local academy in Qinghe County had been severely damaged by the flood, and many of the older teachers were gone. The current level of education wasn’t very high. Her elder brother was preparing for the county exams, but if he could go to the capital to study, her parents would definitely approve.

Xu Feiyan smiled widely, saying, “I’ll go back and persuade my elder brother.”

The two of them arrived at a bamboo grove outside Qinghe County. Since they were already here, they might as well cut more bamboo. She picked a few old bamboo stalks, chopped them down, and made them into short sections. Xu Feiyan packed them into several bags, and both horses were loaded with several bags. This would be enough to make eyebrow pomade to sell for a year.

As they were leaving the mountain, with Tian Mi carrying a large axe and both of them riding horses, they encountered Bai Mucheng, who was with Zuo Zhengfeng and a group of soldiers.

When Bai Mucheng saw Tian Mi carrying a large axe, looking majestic on horseback, with so many bags loaded onto the horses, he thought she might have just returned from robbing someone.

Bai Mucheng teased, “Fatty, what have you been up to?”

Before Tian Mi could respond, Xu Feiyan glared angrily, “You’re the fatty! Your whole family are fat!”

Xu Feiyan had always helped Tian Mi in arguments, and Tian Mi had always helped her fight. She couldn’t stand anyone insulting Tian Mi.

Everyone present was stunned, especially Zuo Zhengfeng, who nearly drew his sword.

No one dared insult Bai Mucheng, especially not his entire family.

Tian Mi secretly felt delighted—very delighted!

She quickly pretended to stop Xu Feiyan, “Feiyan, be quiet. This is Prince Ding.”

When Xu Feiyan heard it was Prince Ding, she was immediately shocked.

When Bai Mucheng had called her a “fatty,” Tian Mi hadn’t dared to retort. After all, he was her creditor, and she didn’t have much confidence facing him. But that didn’t mean she was willing to let him insult her.

It was Xu Feiyan, who could curse without any hesitation.

“Your Highness, my younger sister is ignorant. Please forgive her,” Tian Mi said.

Bai Mucheng’s expression darkened as he shot Xu Feiyan a sharp look. He then asked Tian Mi, “Princess Changfeng, when are you planning to go to the capital?”

Tian Mi smiled and replied, “I haven’t made arrangements yet. We’ll see.”

Bai Mucheng said, “You should arrange it quickly. When I return to the capital, you can come with me.”

Tian Mi responded, “There’s no need to trouble His Highness. I’ll take my time.”

Bai Mucheng gave her a cold, stern look and said, “I am informing you.”

He finished speaking and spurred his horse to leave.

After they had gone, Xu Feiyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had barely dared to breathe just now.

She then stubbornly said, “Hmph, even the birds are being stolen from him. He deserves to be cursed.”

It seems Tian Mi needs to discuss things with her family. She wasn’t sure how long she would be in the capital, as Prince Ding only mentioned going there to express gratitude.

When they returned to the manor, they learned that Huang Yuanying had arrived. He was worried that Prince Ding might cause trouble for Tian Mi, so he came to ask her about what might have offended him and whether they could find a way to resolve it.

Tian Mi wasn’t sure if she should tell him, so she didn’t say anything. She only mentioned that she was unclear and would ask Tian Mi when she returned.

Sigh! This situation was so complicated; she didn’t know how to explain it.

Tian Mi said, “It’s nothing serious, just a misunderstanding during the journey. Uncle, do you know how long the princess will be staying in the capital?”

Huang Yuanying replied, “Usually, they stay in the capital. If they need to leave, they have to submit a request to the palace for approval. I’ll be going to the capital when you do, so don’t worry.”

Tian Mi was curious, asking, “Why are you going to the capital?”

Huang Yuanying explained, “I’m currently only a scholar. If I become a county magistrate, it’s still just a small position. To have a future, I’ll need to go to the capital to take the imperial examination.”

In this era, one’s background in the bureaucracy was very important. If he only had the title of scholar, his future would be limited.

With Huang Yuanying accompanying her to the capital, Tian Mi felt much more at ease. But this also meant that she would need to stay in the capital for most of the time.

She had them invite Qiu Si and Qiu Wu to help her build a kiln for making bamboo charcoal. There were two methods for making bamboo charcoal: one required drying the bamboo first, which would take almost a month. Tian Mi decided to go with the dry distillation method, which would only take a few days.

Since she was making eyebrow pomade, the only requirement was that the charcoal needed to be very black and finely ground.

Tian Mi instructed them on how to build the kiln, making sure to leave enough air holes and how to dry the bamboo. After that, they fired the kiln, paying close attention to the heat, gradually blocking the air holes until they were completely sealed.

It took six kilns to finish the process.

In the evening, Tian Dabiao returned, and while the family was having dinner, Tian Mi discussed her plans to go to the capital with him and asked how to handle the matters here.

Tian Dabiao was also troubled. They had just started here, and he couldn’t leave without her. If Tian Mi went alone, he wouldn’t feel comfortable, and it would be too much of a loss if they both left.

Tian Mi said, “Father, you stay here to keep things stable, and then come later.”

Tian Dabiao refused, saying, “I won’t feel at ease with you going to the capital alone.”

Tian Mi replied, “Father, I’m the princess. Not to mention my status, even my skills are not to be underestimated.”

This made Tian Dabiao proud. “Of course, who would dare to bully my daughter?”

Tian Mi continued, “Father, doesn’t the Lianhua Society have some idle workers? You can form a guard agency specifically to run between the capital and Qinghe County. This way, our goods can travel more easily.”

In fact, there was a waterway from the capital to Nanjun, and from Qinghe County to the lower reaches of Nanjun, where boats could travel. Though it required a detour, the time was longer, and from Qinghe County to Nanjun, the flow was favorable, but traveling from Nanjun to the capital was upstream and would depend on the wind.

However, transporting large quantities of goods by water still saved a lot of trouble, especially when shipping out of the capital.

Tian Dabiao, who had already been considering forming a fleet, was now more determined after hearing his daughter’s suggestion. “I’ll go inquire about the situation with the boats.”

Tian Mi also needed to discuss things with her maternal grandfather’s family and Xu Ershu, as the medicine shop and the restaurant couldn’t be left unattended.

The next day, Tian Mi spoke with her maternal grandfather and thought for a moment before saying, “How about having Uncle Ershu and his family come to the capital? Your nephews are growing up, and the family can manage the medicine shop here. Once they’re in the capital, they can open a shop and explore new opportunities.”

Like all elderly people, Tian Mi knew her maternal grandfather was reluctant to be far from her.

Her maternal grandfather thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go visit as well. If everything is fine, I’ll return.”

Tian Mi nodded, “Alright!”

She wouldn’t refuse her grandfather’s good intentions.

After hearing her plan, Xu Ershu smiled and said, “The restaurant business is booming here. You can go to the capital first to see how things go. Once it’s stable, we can open another restaurant there. The market there is much bigger than here.”