Chapter 524: Gao Yiye Arrives
With the high monk from Pujiu Temple vouching for him, Zhao Sheng's initiative spread rapidly. Within days, a significant number of cotton farmers had signed contracts with him.
Thus began a grand and ambitious "New Agricultural Movement."
Land preparation was underway: winter plowing, winter irrigation, and the application of winter fertilizers.
The entire rural region west of Puzhou City took on a joyful and vibrant appearance.
Unfortunately, the villages to the east remained untouched by such prosperity.
The Heavenly Lord's vision had not yet extended to that side, and still, not a single drop of rain fell there.
When the cotton farmers in the east witnessed the scene in the west, they felt a profound sense of anguish. What they didn't know was that as the cotton farmers on the west side of Puzhou City were saved, countless points of light rose from them, slowly entering the diorama box. And with that, the box's field of view gently began to expand once more.
Before long, the eastern region also came into Li Daoxuan's view.
"Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, heed my call!"
It was at this very moment that...
Gao Family Village’s grand warship docked at the Gudu Ferry. A figure of opulent grace, Gao Yiye, dressed in a white gown embellished with red decorative stripes and adorned with sparkling jewelry, disembarked from the vessel, stepping onto the soil of Shanxi.
Accompanying her were her loyal personal secretaries, Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, along with her assigned bodyguard, Zheng Gouzi.
No sooner had the group stepped ashore than Padi Tu bounded out, laughing boisterously. "Gouzi, Gouzi, you're finally here! I always feel like something's missing when you're not around."
Zheng Gouzi retorted with exasperation, "First, you should greet the Saintess!"
Gao Yiye giggled. "Oh, don't be so particular. I'm not one for all that fuss."
Padi Tu chimed in, "See, Gouzi? The Saintess herself doesn't mind!"
Zheng Gouzi chuckled along with him.
Padi Tu then asked, "So, Saintess, what brings you to Shanxi this time?"
Gao Yiye pouted prettily. "The Heavenly Lord said that Puzhou City is renowned for its abundant cotton production, a very famous source in the Central Plains. We need to secure these cotton resources, establish large-scale cotton plantations, and move our supporting textile industry here as well."
Padi Tu blinked. "Huh? Doesn't Gao Family Village always have an endless supply of cotton? The village stores seem inexhaustible, no matter how much we 'borrow'."
At the mention of "village stores" and "borrow," Gao Yiye blushed faintly! The Heavenly Lord had always been aware of her pilfering cotton from the village reserves. And as the inventory management of the village stores grew more sophisticated, with every item meticulously recorded upon entry and exit, Thirty-Two and Tan Liwen had also discovered her secret habit.
Yet, despite knowing, no one held it against her.
Thirty-Two would covertly report the exact amount of missing cotton to the Heavenly Lord, who would then secretly bestow a supplementary batch to cover Gao Yiye's pilfered portion, ensuring the village accounts always balanced.
They all doted on her with boundless affection!
It really was enough to make her blush again.
Qiu Ju, standing behind her, arched a disapproving eyebrow and scolded Padi Tu. "The cotton in the village stores is all a divine blessing from the Heavenly Lord! For us to have relied on His bestowed cotton for our textile industry for so long, that's incredibly unsustainable. The Heavenly Lord declared that from now on, our cotton must be self-sufficient. We shouldn't burden him with the worry of continuously bringing cotton down from the heavens. That's why Puzhou is so crucial!"
Padi Tu stuck out his tongue. "Ah, I see! So the Saintess is here to oversee cotton cultivation and the textile industry?"
Gao Yiye laughed. "Oh, it's not me in charge; I'm no good at such things. Qiu Ju is leading this effort. I'm just here to accompany her."
Of the four secretaries originally brought into service from Chengcheng County, Chun Hong now managed the Heavenly Lord Fabric Manor in Gao Family Village, overseeing the cooperative efforts of all the women running the manor and supporting the myriad industries they had developed.
Xia Yu, meanwhile, was in Chengcheng County, organizing women to produce Chengcheng embroidery, using exquisite embroidered artworks to draw silver from the dignitaries and gentry of Xi'an.
Now, Qiu Ju was also stepping forward to manage an enterprise of her own.
Gao Yiye had long since befriended her four secretaries, so with Qiu Ju stepping up to manage a new venture, there was no way she wouldn't come to show her full support.
Zheng Gouzi grinned at Padi Tu. "Now that the Saintess has arrived, it's time for you to rejoin the ranks and resume your duties as her bodyguard. Come on, brother, let's get back to it."
Padi Tu chuckled, then moved to stand beside Zheng Gouzi. The two positioned themselves, one on each side, a respectful step behind Gao Yiye.
With Gao Yiye leading, followed by the two young women like attendants, and a hundred fully armed guards marching behind, their procession through the streets was even more formidable than anything Zhao Sheng could command.
When people saw Zhao Sheng, they might take him for a mere country squire, riding in a soft sedan chair, suggesting a certain rustic status.
But seeing Gao Yiye's retinue, one would immediately perceive her as the wife of an exceptionally high-ranking official, certainly not someone comparable to a common local gentry or minor functionary.
When she led her grand entourage into Puzhou City, Magistrate Qiu Qianfan was thoroughly rattled. Upon receiving a subordinate's report about this formidable woman's arrival, Qiu Qianfan hastily scurried out of his yamen. He initially kept a cautious distance, observing from afar, only to be utterly bewildered. "Who in the world is this woman? Where did she suddenly appear from? And why is that useless underling of Xing Honglang's – what was his name, Rabbit? – acting as her bodyguard? He was pacified along with Xing Honglang and is now considered an imperial military official. What kind of decorum is it for him to serve as a mere guard for a woman?"
The subordinate whispered, "If this woman is the wife of an even higher-ranking official, then it would make sense. Look at her bearing—she must at least be a second-rank imperial consort... no, perhaps even a first-rank!"
Qiu Qianfan pondered this carefully. Indeed, wasn't it obvious? Such an impressive woman *had* to be an imperial consort of some standing!
He quickly adjusted his official robes, emerged from his hiding spot, and approached Gao Yiye. "Ah, greetings, Madam. I am Qiu Qianfan, the Magistrate of Puzhou. Might I inquire, Madam, as to your esteemed identity?"
Gao Yiye smiled. "This humble one is from the Li clan of Longxi."
"The Li clan of Longxi?"
Those four words left Qiu Qianfan utterly stunned. "No way! Could it be *that* Li clan? Are there still descendants of *that* Li clan? Impossible!" Yet, observing her impressive retinue, he realized it was no exaggeration.
Qiu Qianfan's gaze immediately fell on Padi Tu, silently demanding an explanation.
Padi Tu chuckled. "The Li clan has long been doing business with our Boss Xing... ah, pardon me, General Xing. They are a crucial business partner for us in Shaanxi. This time, she has come to Puzhou to travel, relax, and conduct some incidental business. General Xing himself ordered this general to accompany her."
Qiu Qianfan suddenly understood. "Ah, I see!"
Padi Tu continued, "Didn't you, Magistrate, instruct our General Xing to establish more factories, conduct more trade, and employ more refugees? Well, all those endeavors now fall squarely upon the shoulders of the Li clan from Shaanxi."
Qiu Qianfan now understood perfectly: after all that pomp and circumstance, it was the God of Wealth himself who had arrived.
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