The Prince's eyes flickered with an unusual light, but he quickly concealed it, his face resuming its customary sternness. He addressed Lu Ye, "Treat her well."
Lu Ye tightened his arm around Bai Sheng's waist, "There is no need for the Prince to worry. This humble subject will, of course—dearly adore my... darling."
Adore? Darling?
To declare it so openly, to use such a term in front of so many people, was it... appropriate?! Had they no shame?
The Prince couldn't help but tremble, and the kitchen maids trembled along with him.
Bai Sheng, however, couldn't fathom the "trembling" of these ancient people. She simply felt her man's public affection and his calling her "darling" made her heart flutter and her spirit soar.
However, she could now confirm that the Prince understood the art of Gu. From his expression alone, he knew she and Lu Ye had consummated their marriage.
Wasn't witchcraft forbidden in the Great Xia Kingdom? How could the capricious Prince...
Oh, she was overthinking it; it had nothing to do with her!
Bai Sheng's train of thought braked in time, and she immediately shifted focus. She looked at the Prince, offering him unreserved praise, "Oh, Your Highness, it has been a few days, and you have become even more heroic, spirited, charming, and dashing. By the way, Your Highness, what type of dishes would you like to eat? This humble subject will 'send' you some recipes later." Sorry, a woman's thoughts are just that jumpy.
The Prince's lips twitched, and he let out a cold snort, "'Send' me recipes, not 'sell' them? Speak, what is it you require of this Prince?"
As Bai Sheng smiled and was about to speak, Lu Ye stepped in front of her. Lu Ye disliked the Prince's attitude when speaking to his darling.
His woman would not beg others; if there was anything to request, he would request it.
He was a man, and he had to take the lead in paving the way for Brother Ji. Whatever happened next, he would bear it. "Your Highness, we have indeed come with important matters to discuss with you. This is not a suitable place for such a conversation. May we move to another location?"
The Prince tilted his head to look at Lu Ye, scoffing dismissively, "You, a peasant grubbing in the dirt, have important matters to discuss with me? Do you think we have any common ground?"
Is your mouth itching again? Do you need the nine-toothed rake to help you scratch it? Bai Sheng glared at the Prince with fierce eyes.
Lu Ye, however, was not angered at all. Instead, he smiled faintly, "Without the fulfillment of us peasants, Your Highness would merely be a desolate, empty shell of an abandoned son in this impoverished border state, where even undergarments cannot be afforded. If you cannot govern diligently and find a way to change the current situation, in another year or so, the border state will truly become a desolate land. At that time, Your Highness's reign as Prince would be rather lonely."
At these words, an eerie silence fell upon the scene. Even the kitchen maids, standing with bowed heads, silently admiring their toes, were too scared to breathe. Had this husband of little Miss Bai lost his mind?
Bai Sheng quietly gave her man a thumbs-up in her heart. He dared to retort even to the perverted, capricious Prince. He was indeed her Bai Sheng's man.
"Lu Ye! How dare you speak so disrespectfully to me!" The Prince suddenly pointed at Lu Ye and roared furiously.
Lu Ye cupped his fists and bowed slightly, "This humble subject dares not disrespect Your Highness, but merely speaks the truth. Your Highness, as the Prince of the border state, if you look down upon even a peasant, how can you truly care about the lives of the people in your fief? Today, this humble subject and my wife have come to offer advice, and I fear it has been in vain."
The Prince stared at Lu Ye for a moment, then closed his eyes, his voice softening, "Follow me to the front hall."
After they were seated, the Prince maintained his aloof and noble expression, stating calmly, "Speak, what matters are there to discuss."
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng were both granted seats. Lu Ye stood and cupped his hands, "This humble subject dares to say a few words that might offend Your Highness. With Your Highness's talent and ability, you should be a vital pillar of the court. Yet, you have been dispatched to the poorest, most remote, and desolate border state of the Great Xia Kingdom. Whether Your Highness admits it or not, I believe you must be extremely unwilling."
The Prince picked up his tea cup, took a shallow sip, and tapped his finger on the table, "Continue."
Lu Ye went on, "However, people often say 'a desperate situation breeds a chance for survival.' Although Your Highness is currently in a desperate situation, seemingly at an impasse, you can still turn a life-and-death situation into a chance for survival. The border state is full of deserts, drought, poverty, and starving people. These difficulties seem insurmountable, but they are not impossible to overcome. Speaking of which, this humble subject has a question for Your Highness: given the current level of drought, do you think it is possible to dig for water in the desert?"
The Prince thought for a moment, "It's almost impossible."
"It is possible! As long as you find the location of the underground water source, it is definitely possible," Bai Sheng suddenly declared, "Our family has dug a well, which is enough to prove that there is still plenty of groundwater in our border state."
"Is this true?" The Prince seemed somewhat incredulous.
Bai Sheng nodded, "It is absolutely true."
Lu Ye added, "For this well digging, my family spent over 1400 taels of silver, of which about 5 taels of silver were obtained through fundraising."
"Fundraising? What is this?" The Prince had never heard of such a term.
"Fundraising is when the common people collectively contribute money or labor to accomplish a task, and then enjoy different levels of benefits according to their contribution. If the fundraising method were promoted in the court, it would surely alleviate the problem of insufficient local finances," Bai Sheng explained.
"Hmm, that is a good method," the Prince nodded. "Did you two come up with this idea?"
"No," Lu Ye's gaze shifted slightly, "The method of fundraising was conceived by Ji Cheng, the Judicial Officer of Tianshui Town. He asked our family to try it first before promoting it. Since our family is an unknown and ordinary household, the villagers did not trust us, so very few people were willing to contribute money or labor. However, if the government were to step in, the situation would surely be different."
The Prince nodded, "However, with even a slight misstep, it might become another way for certain officials to extort the people's labor and wealth."
Bai Sheng said, "There are corrupt officials in the localities, but this is due to insufficient rigor in the laws and a lack of firm execution. As long as Your Highness apprehends a few exemplary cases and makes a decisive example, without mercy. At the same time, dismiss incompetent officials who do not act, and appoint aspiring officials who are upright, honest, and self-disciplined. Then, the 'upper beam' of our border state will be straight, and the 'lower beam' will not be crooked. With unity from top to bottom, and collective effort, why should the border state not become prosperous and strong?"
At this point, what Lu Ye and Bai Sheng said struck a chord with the Prince. He had been in the border state for over a month and had roughly grasped the situation. He was contemplating where to start in rectifying the prefecture, and unexpectedly, these two individuals had provided very clear ideas.
"Then tell me, if I wish to change the border state, which problem should be addressed first?"
Lu Ye said, "My wife and I are merely ordinary farmers. For governing administrative affairs, we require professionals. The Judicial Officer Ji of Tianshui Town already has a plan for the question Your Highness has raised. If Your Highness is interested, this humble subject can have Judicial Officer Ji come to pay his respects to you quickly."
"Oh? Is Judicial Officer Ji in the county town at the moment?" the Prince asked.
Bai Sheng sighed deeply, channeling her inner drama queen, "Your Highness, you may not know, but Judicial Officer Ji is dedicated to doing practical things for the people and changing the extremely poor and weak state of Tianshui Town. Therefore, he specifically wrote a memorial of advice and submitted it to the county magistrate's residence today. He was actually directly driven out by the county magistrate. He didn't even see the county magistrate's shadow. Our Judicial Officer Ji, being a minor official of the ninth rank, could barely afford to eat and his clothes were patched and mended. He saved money for a long time to afford the travel expenses, only to have made this trip in vain."
County magistrate, you scoundrel, don't blame this young lady for causing you trouble, who told you not to be a good official?
The Prince sneered, "Guo Mingyi, he is merely a running dog of the Rong Kingdom's manor. His position as county magistrate is likely nearing its end!"