eurekapd Chapter 80 Horseshoe
Chapter 80 Horseshoe
"Sister Yuxia, besides this house, do you have any other properties?" Xia Yichen asked.
Wen Yuxia did not hide anything, and clearly explained her shareholdings in her farms, fertile land, shops, and businesses such as ceramics, charcoal pencils, charcoal pencil sharpeners, and erasers.
Of course, Xia Yichen didn't mention Wen Yunhong's businesses unless asked. Xia Yichen chuckled and said, "Sister Yuxia, that's great!"
Xia Yichen got Wen Yuxia a job raising warhorses from his grandfather, the Emperor. His trip to Xinchuan County was to help her acquire land, but he never imagined this girl was so capable; she already owned thousands of acres of fertile land.
Most of the land in Xinchuan County is in the hands of wealthy people. Even if he wanted it, he might not be able to buy it in a short time. Since Wen Yuxia has land, raising warhorses becomes much simpler.
Xia Yichen smiled and said, "Sister Yuxia, all the warhorses of the Great Xia Dynasty are purchased from foreign tribes. This time, I captured quite a few warhorses at Pingyuan Pass... Do you think this will work?"
Wen Yuxia had never known that the warhorses of the Great Xia Dynasty were imported from other countries, nor did she know that the warhorses had all been gelded. Only now, after hearing Xia Yichen's explanation, did she understand how precious these fertile horses were.
Xia Yichen captured over five hundred warhorses on the battlefield. These horses were to be sent back to the capital and, along with other supplies, handed over to the national treasury.
The warhorses sent to Xinchuan County for Wen Yuxia to raise were seized from the enemy's horse farm by Xia Yichen and his strategist, who led soldiers deep behind enemy lines. There were only 1 of them.
These 1 warhorses can be considered the most precious treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty, because they are all fertile. If they are well cared for, the Great Xia Dynasty will no longer need to spend money to purchase warhorses from other countries.
Now that Xia Yichen had secured the opportunity for her to raise warhorses, Wen Yuxia certainly couldn't refuse. Raising warhorses was a unique privilege in the Great Xia Dynasty; it was a must.
Wen Yuxia said in a serious tone, "Brother Chen trusts me, so I won't hide anything. My master loved to travel and had been to many places. He had experience in raising horses, and I learned a lot about raising horses from him..."
The area, feed, water, feeding methods, brushing and grooming, hoof care, disease prevention… Wen Yuxia rattled off a whole list of things, all horse-raising knowledge she had watched videos on in her previous life, which she now used to impress Xia Yichen.
"Sister Yuxia, does the horse's hoof still need care?" Xia Yichen listened attentively, occasionally asking questions.
In his understanding, it's normal for horses to have small stones stuck in their hooves after running on the road for a long time. Does he expect that the hooves should be cleaned after every run?
Wen Yuxia was stunned. Didn't the warhorses here have their horseshoes nailed on? She said softly, "Brother Chen, may I see your mount?"
"Okay," Xia Yichen waved for his men to lead the horse.
Looking at the bloodstains on the horse's hooves, which had dried and then become wet again, Wen Yuxia said with a touch of heartache:
“Brother Chen, this hoof is just a lump of dead flesh. No matter how much you rub it, the horse won't feel anything. But when you rub the flesh, the horse will get hurt, bleed, and feel pain…”
Wen Yuxia told Xia Yichen that shoeing warhorses could prevent hoof wear and cracking, thus increasing their service life.
Xia Yichen was very excited after hearing this and urged Wen Yuxia to draw the horseshoe design for him.
Wen Yuxia took out a charcoal pencil and drew a U-shaped pattern based on a horseshoe, carefully noting the length of the nails used to make the horseshoe.
"When I go to the capital, I will definitely report the matter of the horseshoe to my grandfather, Yuxia. You just wait at home for my grandfather's reward!" Xia Yichen held the horseshoe design and laughed happily.
What did the Great Xia Dynasty lack most? Warhorses. The warhorses they bought were all gelded; if they were lucky, they could be used for 5 years, but if they were unlucky, they would have to retire after 2-3 years.
Horseshoeing a warhorse allows it to serve for 8 years. A warhorse can cost anywhere from 150 to 300 taels of silver. If it serves for an extra 3 years, how much silver will that save the Emperor? Xia Yichen's mind is now filled with nothing but silver.
"Sister Yuxia, these boxes are my gifts to you, and that box is for Hong'er. Quickly have someone fence off the fields. I'll have someone send you warhorses and grass seeds later."
In addition, I will send you a group of retired veterans. I will pay their monthly wages, and you can leave the horse farm affairs to them.”
Wen Yuxia pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Chen, the veterans work for the horse farm, so their monthly wages should rightfully be paid by the horse farm. As for the horse farm, my abilities are limited, and I hope to cooperate with Brother Chen."
The horse-raising business was secured for her by Xia Yichen, and she shouldn't reap all the benefits alone. It would be best if she and Xia Yichen each held 50% of the shares in a joint venture.
Generally speaking, only when the crown prince dies will his eldest son be made the imperial grandson.
The Crown Prince is still alive, yet the Emperor has named Xia Yichen the Imperial Grandson. There are two possibilities: either the Emperor favors Xia Yichen, or...
Secondly, if the emperor is young and reigns for a long period, there is a possibility that he could bypass the crown prince and directly pass the throne to his grandson upon abdication.
As long as her interests are tied to Xia Yichen's, Xia Yichen will be her biggest backer. With Xia Yichen around, no one in Xinchuan County or even the entire Great Xia Dynasty will dare to bully her.
Xia Yichen asked Wen Yuxia to raise horses purely to repay her life-saving debt. He didn't expect Wen Yuxia to share the benefits she had already received. Considering that he was also caring for many wounded soldiers who had nowhere else to go, he decided to accept Wen Yuxia's kindness.
Taking out two five-thousand-tael silver notes, Xia Yichen said with a faint smile, "Since Sister Yuxia is willing to offer such a discount, I will accept it without hesitation. You can keep the silver notes as my initial investment. I'll leave the horse farm to Sister Yuxia..."
Wen Yuxia didn't take the money, but said with a smile, "Brother Chen, those hundred stallions are your share capital."
Seeing that Wen Yuxia truly refused to accept the silver notes, Xia Yichen said nothing more, simply put the silver notes into his pocket, and gestured to his subordinates to prepare to leave.
Wen Yuxia called out to Xia Yichen, who was urging his horse onward, and said softly, "Brother Chen, please wait. I've had some dry rations prepared for you."
Knowing that Xia Yichen had taken time out of his busy schedule to come to Xinchuan County to find her, and would definitely rush back tonight, Wen Yuxia immediately asked Aunt Lu to prepare some dry rations as soon as she got home.
At the same time, he sent Wen Yunhong to the "Haochidian" pastry shop to pack up all the pastries that hadn't been bought yet.
After instructing Nan Yi and the others to load all the steamed buns and dumplings from the kitchen, along with the pastries Wen Yunhong had brought back, onto the carriage, Wen Yuxia waved and called out with a smile, "Brother Chen, take care!"
After seeing Xia Yichen off, Wen Yuxia returned to the main room and saw Wen Yunhong looking like a little money-grubber, lying on the box of jewelry Xia Yichen had given him and grinning foolishly.
The Wen brothers, Wen Yuhai and Wen Yubao, were also in the main room. Except for Fubao, the Wen brothers all looked at the several large chests in the room with envy. After a moment's thought, Wen Yuxia spoke:
"Hong'er, Fubao, the Crown Prince has already prepared a separate gift for you, so I won't prepare one for you two..."
Feeling bad about leaving the Wen brothers here to just watch, Wen Yuxia planned to give them some silver and gold after counting the gold and silver jewelry in the box, so that they could share in the joy.