eurekapd Chapter 219 Corn Inventory Reduction
Chapter 219 Corn Inventory Reduction
Wen Yuxia had just returned to the Princess's residence when she received a visiting card from Helan He. Wen Yuxia racked her brains and finally remembered that more than ten years ago, at the black market...
The woman who was knocked off the stage by Gu Xingchen in the martial arts tournament where the major families competed for rankings, the woman who had given Gu Xingchen a bottle of medicine, was He Lanhe.
"Hehe, so it's her," Wen Yuxia smiled. Thanks to the effects of the millet pearls, her appearance was slowly transforming into that of someone around twenty years old.
Touching her ageless face, Wen Yuxia thought to herself: More than ten years have passed, I wonder what that proud and arrogant woman looks like now.
Helan He arrived as promised early the next morning and saw that Wen Yuxia looked exactly the same as when they met at the black market more than ten years ago.
Helan He pointed at Wen Yuxia's face and asked in surprise, "Princess, how did you do that?" Wu Guodong, who was traveling with her, also looked surprised.
Wen Yuxia casually wiped her face with her hand, then held her hand out to Helan He, "No makeup, I haven't put anything on, my appearance has always been like this."
Helan He pressed her for details about her usual diet, even her snacks and fruits, and said with a smile, "When I go back, I will follow the princess's eating habits. Maybe when we meet again, I will be as beautiful as a flower."
Nangong Wenrui wasn't home, and Wu Guodong couldn't stay long, so he took his leave after sitting for a while. Wen Yuxia smiled faintly and said, "You were still moved by Young Master Wu and finally got married."
He Lanhe's only wish back then was to break off her engagement with Wu Guodong. After she was injured in the martial arts competition, Wu Guodong took meticulous care of her. In order to avenge her, he even went to Gu Xingchen's house and fought him to a draw.
Wu Guodong's sincerity moved He Lanhe, and the two eventually got together. Now, they have two lovely children.
After shyly recounting her family matters, He Lanhe got down to business. She explained that she had come to buy Journey to the West, and added that if Wen Yuxia had any other good stories, she would buy them as well.
There's no concept of copyright here. The stories published in the "Shishitong" tabloid will be told in teahouses the next day. Helan He wants to read Journey to the West, and even more so, he wants to bring it back to Blue Star Kingdom for publication.
After Wu Guodong finished his business and was about to leave for Guolan Star, Helan He, who hadn't yet obtained the complete story of Journey to the West, was reluctant to leave as the series was still ongoing.
Wu Guodong, a doting husband, decided to buy his wife the complete Journey to the West story. After making inquiries, he learned that the author of Journey to the West had long since passed away, and the version of Journey to the West published in the "Shishitong" tabloid was written by Wen Yuxia.
More than ten years ago, during a grand family competition, Wu Guodong and his wife had both met Wen Yuxia. He Lanhe then sent a visiting card to request an audience with Wen Yuxia.
The Journey to the West has been serialized for a month. Selling it to Helan He to publish in Blue Star Country will not affect the Shishitong tabloid, and it will also allow her to get a free manuscript fee.
Wen Yuxia said with a faint smile, "I can sell you Journey to the West, but I have no intention of selling the other stories for the time being."
Helan He laughed and said, "Alright, name your price, and we'll exchange money for goods."
"Besides the ones you already have, the rest of the stories will cost one tael of silver per episode," Wen Yuxia said with a faint smile.
Helan He nodded in agreement. She kept every single one of the tabloids published by Da Xia; those thirty tabloids saved her thirty taels of silver—by any measure, she had made a profit.
Wen Yuxia chuckled inwardly. The original Journey to the West had 330,000 words, but the tabloids only published 1,000 words at a time.
After deducting the 30,000 words already published, there are still 300,000 words left. Helan He needs to pay her 300 taels of silver. Heh, how many taels of silver does a storybook cost in a bookstore?
Three hundred taels of silver for a book—hopefully Helan He won't feel the pinch later. Wen Yuxia slowly mentioned that her copy of Journey to the West could be published three hundred times.
Helan He asked in surprise, "Three hundred times?"
Wen Yuxia nodded slightly, then suggested that she could serialize the story back in Blue Star Country or sell it to teahouses. Finally, she added with a smile, "Mrs. Wu, believe me, as long as it's managed properly, you can recoup your investment quickly."
Helan He smiled and said, "Your Highness misunderstands. What surprised me was that the Journey to the West wasn't silver. Three hundred taels of silver is just the cost of a meal. Buying the Journey to the West is definitely worth it."
The money was exchanged for the goods, and the transaction was completed. He Lanhe rose to take her leave, and Wen Yuxia escorted her to the gate. Before leaving, He Lanhe left Wen Yuxia her contact address.
"Princess, remember to let me know if there are any new stories," Helan He waved his hand and rode away gracefully.
More than a decade ago, Wen Yuxia brought back corn from the black market. Because of its high yield, most people were willing to grow corn. In recent years, more than half of the grain stored in the granaries set up by the government in various places has been corn.
Minister of Revenue Wen Yunhong was troubled, and so was Emperor Xia Yichen. The two stared at each other in the imperial study.
Finally, Wen Yunhong had a bright idea: "Your Majesty, this humble subject will go to the Princess's residence to ask my elder sister if she has any way to sell these corns."
Xia Yichen nodded slightly: "Go ahead!" Over the years, Wen Yuxia and Nangong Wenrui have contributed a lot to both construction and economic development, and I hope they can help this time as well.
"What? Half of the granary is corn? The corn yield has reached such an astonishing level?" Wen Yuxia looked at Wen Yunhong with some doubt.
Wen Yunhong sighed. The common people preferred to pay their taxes with high-yield potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes. Potatoes and sweet potatoes also tasted good, and the soldiers would accept them as rations.
Cornmeal burned their throats, and the soldiers didn't like to eat it. Over time, the corn in the granary piled up higher and higher.
Wen Yuxia glanced at Wen Yunhong speechlessly, "Besides corn grits, don't you know how to grind corn into flour?..."
Despite the complaints, the mountain of corn cobs in the granary still needed to be cleared. Wen Yuxia drew up a blueprint for a popcorn popper and asked Wen Yunhong to find a blacksmith to forge it.
Two days later, Wen Yunhong arrived at the Princess's residence carrying an iron pot. He was astonished to see Wen Yuxia pour golden corn kernels into the pot and pour out tiny white flowers.
Wen Yuxia picked up a popcorn kernel and put it in her mouth, then handed one to Wen Yunhong, saying, "Try it, this stuff is called popcorn, it's sweet and delicious."
Wen Yunhong carefully put the popcorn into his mouth, his eyes immediately lighting up. "It smells so good!"
Carrying popcorn and an iron pot, Wen Yunhong entered the palace to meet the emperor. After tasting the popcorn, Xia Yichen was delighted and exclaimed, "Mu Hua is indeed my lucky star!"
A few days later, popcorn appeared simultaneously in several of the busiest places in the capital. Popcorn stands were packed with people, and various prefectures received popcorn pots and instructions on how to make popcorn sent by the emperor.
Officials were immediately dispatched to the markets to sell popcorn, and the corn in the granaries of various places quickly decreased. After deducting costs, the local governments even made a profit.