Chapter 5.1 – Is He Not My People Already?

Xiao Fei eventually revealed his identity as a prince. 

“From now on, follow me. Do well, and you’ll be promoted and honored.”

Pei Zhuo feigned surprise. “You’re the second prince!”

Xiao Fei nodded. “I have someone under me who can slightly alter appearances. If you’re afraid that fop will recognize you, I’ll have him disguise you, as long as you advise me properly on the horse farm. I want 300 young Western horses born this year.”

Pei Zhuo replied, “Guaranteed.” Still wanting to show off some skills and earn a bit of money, he added, “I can do accounting faster than anyone. Does the second prince need that?”

What kind of world is this where even claiming to be the best at math gets no reaction?

Xiao Fei gave a thoughtful “Mm” and said, “I’ll check when we get back.”

His imperial brother liked Pei Zhuo, definitely because this great beauty could do arithmetic—just like some people liked musicians, while others admired painters. Whether those fair fingers plucked abacus beads or zither strings—was there really a difference? The crisp clatter of the abacus, while managing the household, was just as pleasing to the eye.

He was intrigued to see more.

Pei Zhuo finally understood what it felt like for professional skills to be appreciated in ancient times. At last, someone with an eye for talent. The second prince wasn’t bad.

***

The second prince’s residence was grand and imposing. From the outside, it looked like any other noble estate, with only architectural details differing, but inside—it was another world. Xiao Fei liked color; even the floor tiles were patterned and multicolored. In early spring, in Yujing, the plants had only just started to bud. The streets were still dusty and gray, but stepping into the garden was refreshing and eye-opening.

It was Pei Zhuo’s first time out of his small courtyard, observing the prince’s estate. In general, every brick and tile of a royal residence represented the pinnacle of ancient craftsmanship—effectively his new baseline of technology.

A crisp sound of jade striking brought Pei Zhuo back from his thoughts—Xiao Fei had placed a jade abacus in front of him. Each bead was flawless jadeite, vivid and translucent.

Pei Zhuo had to admit, no matter how much technology progressed, the luxury once enjoyed by royalty in ancient times was still beyond the reach of modern commoners.

Xiao Fei took out an account book. “Calculate the total expenses of the horse farm from last year.”

Pei Zhuo took it. The pages were densely filled with records—number of horses, expenditure, costs.

The farm was named Yong’an and spanned over ten thousand acres, housing six thousand horses. Last year, the Ministry of Revenue allocated 500,000 taels. Raising horses was more demanding than raising people, and in the end, fewer than a third were fit for battle. Young horses with good potential were selected for training and fed with care. Fitting horseshoes and more added even more costs.

Xiao Fei had someone brew a pot of Huangshan Maofeng tea. White jade cups held the steaming liquid, fragrance wafting. He crossed one leg over the other, thinking, When the imperial sister-in-law did accounts, what did the crown prince do? He certainly wouldn’t focus on the numbers—probably held a memorial in his hand, pretending to be busy.

He decided to multitask as well. “Bring another plate of dragon beard rolls and chestnut cakes.”

Pei Zhuo focused on the ledger and began mental calculations. Mental math wasn’t hard for him, but he had to first convert all the spelled-out traditional numbers into Arabic numerals and memorize them. To outsiders, he looked like he was zoning out as he speed-calculated.

Xiao Fei picked up a piece of chestnut cake, frowning slightly. Could he not understand the ledger?

Was he just avoiding the abacus?

Or afraid to touch the jade one?

“If it breaks, it breaks. Use it boldly.”

“553,750 taels,” Pei Zhuo said cleanly after flipping through the pages.

“Cough, cough—” Xiao Fei nearly choked on the chestnut cake, bending over coughing. “The crown prince told you?” He jumped up, demanding. Their relationship must be close—was that escape act all for show?

Pei Zhuo was stunned. “What’s this got to do with the crown prince?!”

“The ledger was only submitted last night. Other than me, only the crown prince knows the total farm expenditure. Did he tell you in advance?”

“I calculated it!”

“You didn’t even use the abacus.”

“I did it in my head. If you don’t believe me, get another ledger.”

Still doubtful, Xiao Fei called in an accountant to test him.

He wrote two numbers on paper. Pei Zhuo and the accountant calculated them at the same time.

The accountant flicked the abacus until it blurred. Pei Zhuo lightly said the answer.

Xiao Fei pointed at the accountant. “You—”

The accountant wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I did my best!”

“Leave.”

Xiao Fei looked at Pei Zhuo again, suppressing his shock. Now he understood.

No wonder the crown prince treated Pei Zhuo so differently. After ascending the throne, with such a capable empress by his side, would those old geezers in the Ministry of Revenue dare falsify tax reports? Would the eunuchs in charge of palace affairs dare inflate household expenses? The national and private treasuries would be firmly under control!

Such a capable crown princess, now snatched away by him, working for him instead.

Xiao Fei said, “Sir, your talent is extraordinary! I have several vacant courtyards here—choose whichever you like, stay wherever you wish.” Suddenly remembering something, he added, “Oh, not the one near the garden. That’s reserved for the future princess consort.”

What if Pei Zhuo moved in there and his imperial brother got ideas?

Pei Zhuo smiled, his eyes curving—he hadn’t expected the second prince to treasure talent this much. He had the makings of a wise ruler. The system did say the second prince gathered many retainers—seems it was true.

He recalled the peanut kernels in his bundle and figured he should find someone to help plant them. “Does the second prince’s residence have anyone skilled in agriculture or sericulture?”

Xiao Fei leaned his chin on the frame of his fan and thought for a while before finding someone. “Have the steward take you to see Mr. Liu. He can make any plot of land yield 50% more than others, no matter what he plants.”

Pei Zhuo touched the peanuts, feeling like he’d just found a good family to marry off a child to. The second prince was truly reliable. He’d come to the right place. If he wanted to experiment in the future, Xiao Fei had all kinds of skilled people to help.

“Thank you, Second Prince. I’ll go wash up first,” Pei Zhuo said, still having soot on his face—not fit to meet people.

Xiao Fei nodded. “Go ahead.”

After Pei Zhuo left, the steward quietly asked the second prince, “Who is Sir Pei? What standard should we follow for his daily needs and provisions?”

Xiao Fei replied without hesitation, “Who he is doesn’t concern you. Treat his expenses as equal to those of the crown princess.”

The steward was visibly shocked—his master was this ambitious? Though the court was full of hidden currents, the second prince had never openly suggested replacing the crown prince.

“Hmm?” Xiao Fei asked.

But surely the steward couldn’t say that aloud, so he merely replied, “Understood.”

***

Pei Zhuo chose a courtyard near the main gate for easy access. After putting away his luggage, he followed the steward to meet the farming expert Mr. Liu.

He thought these retainers lived within the prince’s residence, but instead, they took a winding route, exited through the back gate, crossed a street, and finally reached the second prince’s talent placement residence.

The steward noticed his confusion and flattered him, “Sir Pei is a noble guest of the second prince, not an ordinary person.”

Not ordinary? Pei Zhuo tried to figure out what was so special about him, but just then, they arrived at a flower hall.

“Sir Pei, please wait here. I’ll go call him.”

Pei Zhuo, sipping tea, reviewed his limited agricultural knowledge. For instance, the hybrid rice that had a huge impact in later times—he didn’t know much about it, but he could mention hybridization concepts, which might inspire the other party.

“You were looking for me?”

The person who entered wore rough, short clothes and had thick fingers—clearly someone who’d worked the land for half a lifetime.

“I’m Liu Gui.”

“Mr. Liu, sorry to trouble you.” Pei Zhuo opened the cloth bundle on the table. “Please take a look at these peanut seeds.”

Liu Gui glanced at them indifferently. “These peanuts are plump and well cared for, but they’re no better than mine.”

Pei Zhuo said, “This variety has high yields. I cultivated them with care—”

Liu Gui’s attitude suddenly shifted. He interrupted, “What’s the yield per mu?”

Pei Zhuo remembered an old lady neighbor mentioning it before and gave a modest figure. “Six hundred jin.”

“Hmph.” Liu Gui sneered. “I’ve planted peanuts that yielded a thousand jin per mu, each the size of a copper coin. I was planning to offer them to the court, but a fire burned down my home and everything with it. Even the smoke from the fire smelled fragrant. Your peanuts are all show and no substance—not suitable for planting and won’t bear good fruit.”

Pei Zhuo: “…”

A thousand jin per mu? Without fertilizer or pesticides? Better than modern agriculture?

He had just wanted to find someone experienced to help with planting, but Liu Gui seemed terrified that his place as a retainer was being threatened—so he bragged wildly while belittling him.

Liu Gui turned to the steward and said, “This guy hasn’t even carried a hoe before. Why is the second prince keeping him around?”

Pei Zhuo was deeply frustrated. He packed the peanuts back up and left.

The steward quickly caught up. “Sir Pei, were you dissatisfied with him?”

“Yes. Please find me someone else.”

He believed Liu Gui could indeed farm—likely very capable—but he worried the man’s intentions weren’t pure and could sabotage things. Looking back at Xiao Fei’s talent placement residence, he began to suspect that all the people inside were just full of hot air.

The steward hesitated. “Uh… there’s no one better than him at the estate.”

Pei Zhuo gave up hope. “Then just find me someone ordinary who can grow peanuts. The gardeners at the residence—some of them must have the skills, right? My peanuts are very precious, with high yields. And I only have these few. They must succeed—if they fail, there’s no second chance.”

“May I take a look at the peanuts?” A middle-aged man’s voice suddenly cut in.

Pei Zhuo and the steward were talking right on the street, where many people passed by. Since Pei Zhuo had made himself look plain and the topic was agriculture, no one had paid much attention.

Pei Zhuo looked toward the speaker. The man had a tanned face and a burly frame, looking like a well-traveled merchant.

Merchants always had a keen eye for business opportunities. A single peanut planted in spring could yield thousands by autumn. In three to five years, selling peanut seeds alone could earn a fortune.

Pei Zhuo carefully took a handful out. “Here.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up. He held the peanuts in his palm, sniffing and examining them, then pinched one between his fingers and split it in half. The more he looked, the brighter his expression became.

“Brother, would you be willing to sell me these peanuts?”

“They’re not for sale.”

The man replied, “Just now you said you were looking for someone to plant them. I may not be much, but I do know farming. Let’s draw up a contract: I’ll help you plant them, and we’ll split the harvest 50-50. If the crop fails, I’ll compensate you 100 taels.”

Pei Zhuo pressed his lips together. Something that good? Was this just a scam to get his peanuts?