Chapter 103
Luan Feng smiled and replied, “His Highness went to the palace early this morning. The Emperor summoned him. He told me to inform you.”
Lu Hanzhi acknowledged this and thought for a moment. That worked out well—he had planned to visit the estate anyway.
He would just wait for His Highness to return before talking to him.
He then instructed Luan Feng to notify He Ming to prepare the carriage so he could inspect the newly acquired land at the estate.
He Ming quickly got the carriage ready and drove Lu Hanzhi to the estate.
Meanwhile, at the Crown Prince’s residence, just as Lu Hanzhi had predicted, Su Wan’ning was in a terrible mood after returning home.
She hadn’t slept well the entire night, and every time she thought about what had happened, it filled her with frustration.
She was always the one trapping others, but this was the first time she had fallen into someone else’s trap.
Though she still maintained the appearance of a pitiful, wronged young woman, deep down, she was already plotting her revenge.
Early in the morning, the Crown Prince had been summoned to the palace.
Several other princes had also been summoned, including Yuwen Mingji, Yuwen Jue, Yuwen Jing, and Yuwen Min.
According to what the Crown Prince had confided in her, the purpose of this gathering was likely related to the unrest in the Western Territories.
Although the previous conflict had been suppressed, signs of renewed rebellion had surfaced in recent days.
The Emperor intended to send a prince to lead the western campaign, alongside the newly appointed martial champion, Lu Xuzhi.
Lu Xuzhi had declined the Emperor’s offer to enter the Great Zhao Bureau and instead volunteered to serve as a general in the western expedition.
But which prince would be chosen to go?
It wouldn’t be Prince Chu, who was expecting a child, nor would it be Yuwen Jing, who had already been stripped of his princely title.
And it certainly wouldn’t be Yuwen Mingji, who prided himself on being a romantic scholar—sending him would only make Great Zhao a laughingstock.
That left only Yuwen Min, whose strength and swordsmanship were unparalleled.
After the two men leave Prince Chu and Prince An’s residence, what could the remaining two Xiao Langjuns accomplish?
Su Wan’ning thought to herself—it was time to send a little gift to Lu Hanzhi.
And the secret death camp she had painstakingly cultivated through Yuwen Mingji over the years—it was time to put it to use.
She had lost three times in a row, but this time, she would eliminate them all in one swift strike!
By the time Lu Hanzhi arrived at the southern suburban estate, it was nearly noon. He saw the workers preparing a feast with freshly slaughtered pork.
He couldn’t help but crave some of that rich, fragrant blood sausage.
Plump pig intestines were stuffed with fresh pig blood, seasoned with thirteen different spices.
Lu Hanzhi’s mouth started watering as he instructed, “Save me a big bowl! I’ll be back to eat it later!”
The foreman grinned and responded cheerfully, “Don’t worry, young master, I’ll save you a hearty portion!”
Lu Hanzhi smiled as well and changed into a more comfortable short robe. Just as he stepped out, he ran into Zhong Yao, the head of the kiln.
Zhong Yao stepped forward and greeted him with a bow. Lu Hanzhi nodded in return and asked, “Mr. Zhong, how is the kiln business going lately?”
Zhong Yao replied, “The business is managed by Zai Yu. I only handle the firing process.”
Lu Hanzhi found Zhong Yao to be a bit rigid—wasn’t the number of fired ceramics a clear indicator of how well the business was doing?
Fortunately, Zhong Yao added, “The number of ceramics we’ve been firing recently has increased several times compared to before. We’ve even started building a second dragon kiln and have received many new orders.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded. “You’ve worked hard, Mr. Zhong.”
Zhong Yao said nothing and simply went back to work.
Lu Hanzhi was quite curious about this Xiao Langjun. Did he not experience heat cycles? He had no man by his side—how did he suppress it?
Moreover, there were plenty of men in the village. Wasn’t he worried that his scent might cause trouble?
Lu Hanzhi had little interest in gossiping about others. Right now, he was eager to check out the land he had been assigned.
Zai Yu led the way, and after a long walk, they finally arrived at the designated area.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad piece of land—it was a vast stretch of winter bamboo.
Also known as scattered bamboo, it was the most common type in the north.
This bamboo forest didn’t seem to be artificially planted. It was chaotic and disorderly, spreading across the entire mountainside.
Lu Hanzhi gazed at the endless sea of bamboo, contemplating how to maximize its economic value.
Bamboo could be used to make many things, but the key was to find the fastest and most widely applicable use.
From fragrant soap to marinated meats to porcelain, all his previous products were everyday essentials.
They sold well because people needed them.
In fact, several of his existing products already incorporated bamboo.
For example, brushes and toothbrushes both had bamboo handles.
But the system wouldn’t want him to take such an ordinary approach. The first three products had been milestone innovations—how could the fourth be something so mundane?
So, Lu Hanzhi ordered a large amount of bamboo to be brought back to his workshop. He needed to experiment.
He Ming personally chopped down a cart full of bamboo and hauled it down the mountain. Northern bamboo was thick and long, and getting a whole cartload into the small courtyard took quite some effort.
He Ming asked, “Young master, how should we process these bamboo stalks?”
Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment and said, “Cut them into small segments first.”
He Ming didn’t ask why—he simply followed the instructions.
Lu Hanzhi had someone brew him a pot of tea. As he sipped, he pondered all the possible products that could be made from bamboo.
Bamboo strips? No, craftsmen specializing in woven bamboo were already common in this era. There was no need to create another bamboo-weaving product.
Bamboo salt? It was worth considering, but it wasn’t an everyday necessity.
Winter bamboo shoots? Lu Hanzhi shook his head—food was outside his area of interest.
To truly bring prosperity, he couldn’t focus on food production anymore.
Just as he was at a loss, his eyes landed on the paper he was using.
He picked up a sheet. It was as white as jade—made from silk cocoons.
This wasn’t the later-era silk cocoon paper people might be familiar with. It was actual paper made from silk cocoons, also known as silk paper.
Only nobles and officials could afford such paper because it was expensive.
Ordinary people couldn’t even afford silk clothing, let alone paper made from silk.
Commoners typically used hemp paper, which came in two types: white hemp paper and yellow hemp paper.
It was made from jute, grass fibers, and shredded rags.
This type of paper was sturdy but unattractive. The back of the paper often contained visible bits of straw and fabric threads.
Lu Hanzhi thought of bamboo pulp paper. It had a delicate texture and a slightly yellow hue.
But the advantage was that bamboo was abundant, and this paper would be vastly superior to the rough hemp paper.
He wanted to try making it. So, based on his knowledge of papermaking, he wrote out a step-by-step process.
However, he also needed Zai Yu to prepare the necessary tools.
Lu Hanzhi worked through the entire afternoon, even forgetting to eat lunch.
If the foreman hadn’t personally delivered two bowls of pork stew and a bowl of rice, he probably would have just gone hungry until dinner.
The rich aroma of the dish made Lu Hanzhi’s stomach growl. He eagerly ate an entire bowl of rice with the steaming hot stew.
Once he was full, he went back to writing out the papermaking process.
The current paper-making techniques in the Great Zhao dynasty were still crude. Paper was only used for writing and painting.
The only other uses were for making festival decorations and window paper. Forget toilet paper—there wasn’t even coarse straw paper for hygiene.
Lu Hanzhi used cloth for personal hygiene, but commoners had to rely on wooden boards.
He wanted to try making soft toilet paper. After all, bamboo covered the mountains and was practically worthless to people in this era.
With low production costs, it could be sold cheaply and easily popularized.
However, making paper from bamboo pulp wasn’t easy. Softening the bamboo fibers was a tedious process.
Typically, the bamboo had to be soaked in water for ten to fifteen days to soften.
But if it was boiled, it could be done in just a few days.
That meant he needed at least four main steps:
First, chop the bamboo into small pieces.
Second, steam it at high temperatures until the fibers separated.
Third, use a screen to filter out a thin layer of wet pulp.
Fourth, dry it in the sun or bake it.
Of course, the detailed process he wrote down was far more intricate. He included precise steps and a list of necessary tools.
By the time he finally handed the proposal to Zai Yu, the sky had already begun to darken.
Watching the sun sink lower on the horizon, Lu Hanzhi found it strange.
Usually, if he returned home even slightly late, Yuwen Min would ride over to pick him up. But today, at this hour, there was still no sign of him.
Lowering his head in thought, Lu Hanzhi instructed He Ming, “Prepare the carriage. We’re heading back to the capital.”
Qin Se looked worried and advised, “Young Master, it’s quite late. Would it be safe to travel back now?”
Lu Hanzhi knew that this route had long been under surveillance. During the daytime, travel was relatively secure, but at night, the dense valleys and forests became the perfect hiding spots for ambushes.
But…
Lu Hanzhi said, “Let’s go. Ah Chan can’t be without me at night.”
Just as Lu Hanzhi finished packing and was about to depart, the familiar sound of galloping hooves echoed from outside the courtyard.
The sharp neighing of a horse rang out as Yuwen Min dismounted. On his back, tied securely with silk bands, was Ah Chan.
The moment Ah Chan saw Lu Hanzhi, he waved his tiny hands excitedly and called out, “Father!”
Yuwen Min set him down, but Ah Chan still couldn’t stand steadily. He had no choice but to crawl toward his father.
Lu Hanzhi was overjoyed. He stepped forward, scooped Ah Chan into his arms, then looked up at Yuwen Min and asked, “Why did you bring him here directly?”
Yuwen Min replied, “I spent the entire day at court. When I returned, I realized you hadn’t been back to the prince residence all day. Ah Chan missed you, so I brought him over. It’s late now. If I take you back, the journey will be bumpy. We might as well stay here for the night.”
A warmth spread through Lu Hanzhi’s heart. He looked up at Yuwen Min and said, “Thank you.”
Yuwen Min, slightly embarrassed, replied, “We’re family. No need to say thanks.”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “You were in the palace all day? What was it about?”
Yuwen Min answered, “For the matter you asked me about last time.”
Lu Hanzhi was puzzled. “What?”
Yuwen Min’s expression remained unchanged. “Last night, you asked me something, and I said you’d have to do something in exchange.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
Oh, that matter.
Yesterday, he had asked Yuwen Min why he was so certain that his second brother wouldn’t have to go to the Great Zhao Bureau.
Yuwen Min had shamelessly suggested that Lu Hanzhi trade his body for the answer.
Now, with a faint blush on his cheeks, Lu Hanzhi found it difficult to meet Yuwen Min’s gaze.
Yuwen Min stepped closer and said, “Last night, you fell asleep, and this morning, you got up late. Why don’t I just tell you the answer now?”
Lu Hanzhi sat down on a chair, holding Ah Chan, ready to listen to Yuwen Min’s explanation.
However, Yuwen Min only smiled at him. He rarely smiled, but when he did, there was an unmistakable charm in it. Lu Hanzhi’s heart skipped a beat.
Yuwen Min reached out and gently pinched Lu Hanzhi’s chin. “But now that I see Wang Fei, I suddenly feel distracted. Did you cast a spell on me? Why is it that every time I see you, I lose control of myself?”
Lu Hanzhi: … How is that my fault?
And yet, Yuwen Min took things even further, wrapping his arms around both father and son, holding them tightly in his embrace. Looking down at his beloved wife and child, he whispered, “Why don’t you let Qin Se take Ah Chan for a while?”
Lu Hanzhi: … No.
Yuwen Min kissed him lightly and said, “I’m setting off on a western campaign tomorrow. Would Wang Fei really refuse to satisfy me before I leave?”
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