Chang'an, Fang Family Village.
The old mansion had been vacant since Xiao Huan, Xiao Mi, and Chen Xuelian were taken to Shenyang.
Sitting in the courtyard, looking at the sky, Fang Er felt as if he had just moved in.
Thinking back a few years, he was just a commoner, and now he was a prince. It had to be said that it was all like a dream.
"Your Highness, my old bones have come to kowtow to you~"
"Congratulations on Your Highness's promotion!"
As he was lost in thought, Old Ma Tou and Ma Tong Yuan, along with the managers of various workshops, rushed over after hearing the news.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they knelt down happily and kowtowed to Fang Er.
"Hahahaha, you old fellows, your ears are really sharp!"
"Your Highness had just returned home, and before I could even sit down, you all came running."
"Get up, get up and sit down to talk!"
Fang Er smiled and walked over, helping them up from the ground.
It was fine for their younger counterparts, but Old Ma Tou and Old Sun Tou were both old men in their fifties and sixties, and none of them had nimble legs. If one of them bumped their head again, he would be greatly at fault.
After they had each found a place to sit, Fang Er asked Wang Xuance to get a pile of unwrapped cooked food from the kitchen.
These were originally intended for them to eat, but now that these people had come, he might as well serve them with wine.
When the food and drinks were all served, Fang Er asked them about matters concerning the estate.
Old Ma Tou was in charge of breeding, but Fang Family Village no longer had to worry about these things; the Ministry of Revenue had taken over everything.
Old Sun Tou said from the side.
"Your Highness, you have no idea, that Zhu Bajie is truly a talented person!"
"With his help, this old man has been spared more than half the worry."
"Now, the number of pigs alone has reached over three thousand, and these are all breeding pigs that can be sold next spring."
"Not only that, but even though Zhu Bajie's surname is Zhu, that fellow is also very good at playing with chickens!"
"He further classified the hybrid chickens he bred, creating two varieties: egg-laying chickens and meat chickens."
"Our farm only produces breeding stock, not adult chickens."
"Villages within ten miles all come to us to buy chicks. I'm not bragging, but seven out of ten chickens sold in Chang'an city are offspring from our chicken farm!"
"As for the eggs, it's even more incredible. Almost 99% are from the chicks we sold!"
"When I came, I had someone calculate it, and just by selling chicks and breeding pigs this year, we earned forty-three thousand guan."
Old Sun Tou was very excited, and Fang Er smiled and nodded.
Money was not important; what was important was that the popularization of these superior breeds could play a significant role in improving the lives of the common people.
At least, when he entered the village, he saw that the children in the village were all plump.
Unlike when they first moved in, when the people in the village were almost like refugees.
The income from the estate, after deducting expenses, was regularly handed over to the Chang'an Bank every month. There was an independent account, and it would be sent to the Prince's mansion for accounting at the end of each year.
These matters were all managed by Dali from the Zui Xian Lou.
Speaking of Dali, Fang Er felt a little guilty. They had all come out of Gaoling with him. Now Xiao Qing had become a concubine, Zhuzi had become a teacher, and only he remained in Chang'an to look after these industries for him.
"Hahahaha! Good, well done, come, Your Highness will toast you!"
Secretly making a note of Dali's matters, Fang Er stood up and raised his wine glass to everyone.
"We dare not! We dare not!"
"It is I who should toast Your Highness!"
The few of them quickly got up, lowered their wine glasses, and touched Fang Er's.
The situation in the various workshops was as usual. The products that were produced could not be stored in the warehouse and were all snatched up by merchants from all directions as soon as they were made.
"Your Highness, do you think we should expand the workshops a bit more?"
After finishing the brief report, Ma Qi asked with anticipation.
The others also quieted down, as this was a question they all wanted to ask.
They heard that the workshops in Shenyang were growing larger day by day, and that Shenyang alone had over three thousand craftsmen. How wonderful it would be if the workshops under their management could also expand to such a scale.
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Fang Er put down his wine glass, lit a cigarette himself, looked up at the sky, and then sighed.
"Your Highness understands your thoughts, but the workshops in the estate absolutely cannot be expanded."
"Whether it is coking, printing, cement, or glass, the environmental pollution from these is not to be underestimated."
"Let's maintain the current scale for now. After Your Highness returns to Shenyang, I will send people to find a deserted island overseas, and in the future, all these things will be done there."
"If you are still willing to follow Your Highness, then bring your family with you."
"If you are not willing to go, Your Highness will not let your years of hard work be in vain."
Everyone had never expected to receive such an answer and were stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
Fang Er smiled slightly, "Don't worry, not all of them will be moved. Woodworking and textiles will remain here."
"Niu Liang, Xiu Niang, you can spread the news tomorrow and recruit more people."
"But remember, Your Highness is not short of money."
"Therefore, I don't care how much money you can earn for me. What I want are skilled craftsmen!"
Everyone ate this meal as if they were chewing wax. Thinking that the workshops they had worked in for so many years would be shut down soon, they felt very disheartened.
Seeing them leave in dejection, Fang Er also felt a little uncomfortable.
But no matter what they thought, the decision had been made and would not be retracted.
Now that cotton could ensure that the common people were warm, and high-yield crops could fill their stomachs.
The products from the workshops were merely to improve the living standards of the common people. If the environment was ruined because of it, it would be better not to do it.
Green mountains and clear waters are priceless.
The matter of the train had been widely rumored in Chang'an.
The next morning, the printing workshop sent over the new Great Tang Daily.
"Shocking, the Black Dragon has appeared!"
"World Miracle, from Shenyang to Yangzhou, in just one day!"
"Is it the decline of morality or the distortion of human nature, they actually did such a thing on the train!"
"So big, so long, so black! This is Prince Kun's treasure~"
Looking at these headlines, Fang Er's mouth twitched a few times unnaturally. He casually threw the newspaper aside and said to Wang Xuance.
"Go, notify Dali, tell him to hand over the restaurant to someone else, and come back to Shenyang with us!"
The only ones who had come out of Gaoling with him were still in Chang'an. He had worked hard over the years, and it was time to find him a wife and settle down in Shenyang.
An hour later, two Arctic Fox electric vehicles left Chang'an and set off for Shenyang.