In no time, Zhao Jiaqi struck up conversations with the villagers. On a summer day, her throat parched from talking, she bought some fruit on the spot.
Everyone present bought some fruit, and observing this, Zhao Jiaqi realized the village truly had every kind of fruit imaginable.
Cherries, loquats, lychees, mulberries, and she was even presented with a basket of strawberries.
After Chunfen washed them, she handed them over, and the conversation grew even warmer.
"Sisters-in-law, where do you sell all these fruits? I heard that fruits are quite famous in our town!"
Wang's wife sighed, "Not only does our town have many orchards, but our neighbors do too. If you go west, seven out of ten towns grow fruit trees. It's just that our town is closer to the prefectural city."
Li's wife chimed in, picking up where Wang's wife left off, "Selling fruits in town doesn't move much. Most of them are sold to the county town or Mingyuan Prefecture. Fruits like strawberries and lychees can only be sold nearby because they spoil quickly!"
"Exactly, mulberries are the same. They're delicate, can't be bumped, dropped, squeezed, or bruised. Sometimes, if they don't sell and the quality isn't good, they end up being fed to the pigs!"
After Wei's wife finished speaking, a young woman beside her also lamented.
"Your pigs can still eat them. My pigs go wild and squeal when they see these things. Even the chickens, ducks, and geese in the yard avoid them. Isn't that frustrating!"
The young wife's words resonated with others.
The mistress and her maid were both stunned. Such fine fruit was being fed to pigs?
Did the village have a shortage of pigs?
Chunfen genuinely wished she could apply for that job. In the capital, it was a struggle to get loquats, yet here they were, used as pig feed!
Furthermore, things that even pigs disdained, they treated as treasures.
They were living worse than pigs!
Zhao Jiaqi slowly recovered from her shock. This was such a waste of good produce! If things continued like this, the likelihood of them cutting down fruit trees to plant grain was high.
But, given the current situation, why weren't they cutting down fruit trees to plant grain?
When Zhao Jiaqi asked, she learned the reason.
"We can't bear to. A few years ago, after we opened trade with the State of Wei, most of the fruits from our county town were sold to them. Even if we didn't make a fortune, it was better than planting grain. If we cut down these trees to plant grain, and then trade opens up again, wouldn't we regret it!"
So that's how it was!
After learning about all these matters, Zhao Jiaqi asked about the per-mu yield of several orchards to gauge how much fruit the trees in this county could produce.
Having understood the situation, Zhao Jiaqi waved goodbye. The village wives were still very enthusiastic about the remaining fruits, loading the baskets onto her carriage and waving her farewell.
By the time she returned to the Prince Xian's mansion, the sun was setting, revealing only half its orb.
Fan Zehao stepped forward. Seeing that she had returned in one piece, the face that had been as long as a donkey's slowly retracted into a square shape.
"Why didn't you inform me when you went out? Without any guards, if something had happened, could you expect Chunfen to protect you?"
Chunfen meekly replied, "I could have!"
After all, she had trained with the guards in the mansion. While not an expert, she could still manage a few moves.
Fan Zehao glared at her. This maid was a far cry from Xiazhi, lacking any sense of discretion and standing there like a block of wood.
"Go and heat the bathwater, and assist the Empress in bathing!"
Granted a reprieve, Chunfen awkwardly hurried away, her gait quite a spectacle.
With only the two of them left in the room, Zhao Jiaqi playfully swayed his arm and chuckled, "Why are you angry? The world is at peace now, and Mingyuan Prefecture has excellent security. Who would do anything to a woman like me?"
She pinched Fan Zehao's chin and winked at him, "Besides, who would know I am the Empress?"
Fan Zehao angrily swatted away her teasing hand and gritted his teeth, murmuring low, "You had that old man send lychees. If certain people heard or saw this, it wouldn't be hard to guess you're the Empress!"
Who in Prince Xian's mansion, a concubine, could leave without the Prince's permission?
A concubine going out without guards?
Anyone with a bit of sense would figure it out. Not to mention, their arrival in Mingyuan Prefecture wasn't a secret.
Upon her husband's reminder, Zhao Jiaqi realized her oversight. But the deed was done, what else could be done!
"Alright, next time I'll bring you with me, is that acceptable!"
Satisfied with her answer, Fan Zehao grumpily retorted, "You're wise!"
He pulled a small booklet from his怀, flipped a few pages, found a drawing he was pleased with, and pointed at the illustration, saying to her, "Tonight, we're doing this pose. You must practice with me!"
Zhao Jiaqi: "......" Her eyes nearly bulged out, she was so shocked by him.
Since when did her husband carry such picture books?
Fan Zehao closed the book and tucked it back into his怀, walking away with his head held high. For the first time, he tasted the sweetness of asserting his authority.
The next morning, Zhao Jiaqi summoned the Prince of Xian.
She discussed with him the issue of fruit oversupply in the towns under Mingyuan Prefecture's jurisdiction.
"Selling these fruits to Wei yields little profit, but the common people can still earn some money. My idea is that we acquire all the fruits and process them into fruit wine, which we can then sell to Wei."
The Empress's opinion was greatly favored by Huangfu Xian. Fruit wine was a highly sought-after beverage.
Up to this point, fruit wine was only available within the inner city, directly supplied to the State of Zong. To drink such wine in the State of Yun, one truly needed connections. Otherwise, the scent itself was elusive.
He wholeheartedly agreed, "I'll fund the construction of a winery. As long as we can produce fruit wine, we'll split the profits fifty-fifty!"
Zhao Jiaqi shot a glance at the man grinning sheepishly. He always knew how to seize an opportunity. However, this fellow was quite sensible, offering her a share of the profit, which aligned with her intentions.
She grudgingly agreed, "Fine, but shouldn't your trade business give me a few shops? This idea can't be for nothing, right!"
"Truly a cunning merchant, that's you!" Huangfu Xian muttered under his breath, then loudly declared, "No problem, just a few shops, this Prince can afford it!"
As he spoke, his heart ached. A few shops! Not only would he forgo the rent for a year, but if he were to sell goods himself, the profit...
He couldn't think about it anymore. If he continued, his heart would bleed dry.
Without looking back, he reflected on himself. He used to be quite generous, so why was he so stingy now?
Pondering this, he concluded with one sentence: Being with Zhao Jiaqi made it impossible not to be a shrewd merchant!
The two reached a basic agreement regarding the winery and fruit procurement.
The fruits purchased from the common people must be priced one or two coins higher than what they could sell them for themselves, ensuring the populace benefited.
Furthermore, the cost of producing the fruit wine was not high, but due to its rarity, it could be sold at a much higher price to the people of Wei.
Therefore, even with increased costs, the profit gained was even greater, creating a win-win situation.
Regarding the winery, his adoptive father, Wu Lifeng, had extensive experience. He directly wrote to him, asking him to find ways to coordinate and transfer some winemakers.
After discussing these matters, Huangfu Xian seized the opportunity and laid out various other miscellaneous affairs from his fiefdom before her.
"Sister-in-law, I have another place here, it's rather poor, but people can get by. The environment is quite unique, and there's no land to farm!"
Unique?
This piqued Zhao Jiaqi's curiosity and gossipy nature, "Tell me more!"