Chapter 121: Keep Him Here
The next day, as soon as it was light, the camp was filled with the sounds of busy work. Jinsui went into the space to take care of her personal hygiene, not daring to worry about Gu Changxiao noticing.
Last night, the two of them had gotten covered in sand by the sea, and she felt uncomfortable if she didn’t wash it off. That evening, when the soldiers went to bathe in the shallow sea, they invited her and Gu Changxiao along.
She told Gu Changxiao to go by himself, using the excuse of a wound infection to simply wipe herself down in the tent.
The result was a sleepless night, her mind in a mess, and her body itching all over.
She checked the time in the space; it was only a little past four in the morning. Although it got light early by the sea, the soldiers were up too early!
As she stepped out of the tent, she saw Gu Changxiao leaning against a haystack, his eyes heavy with sleep. His long hair, washed just last night, was a bit messy, and his lips were tightly pressed together, as if trying to hide his morning grumpiness.
Gu Changxiao was rarely seen like this, and Jinsui couldn’t help but look at him a few more times. When their eyes met, Gu Changxiao instantly woke up.
Jinsui quickly turned her head away, no longer looking at him, as if she had done something sneaky.
Something’s wrong! Very wrong!
Ling Jinsui, Ling Jinsui, you are a man now! A man! Your persona cannot collapse.
She stretched lazily, pretending that there was no awkwardness between them, and said with a smile, “The soldiers are up too early, and the sound of the waves is loud. You didn’t sleep well, did you?”
Gu Changxiao was fumbling with his hair, tying it up. Some dry grass had gotten stuck in his long hair, making him look like a cat grooming itself in the morning.
Gu Changxiao like this was even rarer!
Of course, thinking about it carefully, the two of them hadn’t spent much time alone, and she didn’t know Gu Changxiao very well at all.
The more she pretended not to care, the more she couldn’t help but want to look at him, the more she cared about these small details.
In the past, she had feared, respected, and been wary of Gu Changxiao, afraid of revealing herself, always maintaining her persona and acting in front of him.
Looking at Gu Changxiao at this moment, she suddenly realized that the other person was just an eighteen-year-old youth. It was just that his experiences had made him more mature than his peers and more guarded.
Seeing him tie his hair as if it were straw, she couldn’t help but take out a comb and say with a hint of disdain, “Let me help you.”
Gu Changxiao paused for a moment. He was awkward about such an intimate gesture, yet he was reluctant to refuse Daoist Ji’s proactive contact. A flicker of struggle and hidden joy crossed his face.
Before his mind could process whether to refuse or accept, his body instinctively leaned forward. He even half-knelt in front of Jinsui to make it easier for her, as she was shorter.
The sea breeze blew, carrying his long hair and red hairband, brushing against Jinsui’s face, carrying the fragrance of soapwort.
Just then, Captain Liu ran over from a distance, smiling and greeting them, “Your Highness, today I will lead the men to level the salt fields and learn the sun-drying salt method as quickly as possible…”
And then he saw his own Prince helping his personal guard comb his hair.
In that instant, all three were very awkward. Jinsui reacted the fastest, tossing the comb into Gu Changxiao’s hand and pretending nothing had happened.
With her hands behind her back, she smiled at Captain Liu and said, “Then let’s go. I picked a good spot last night, perfect for leveling and making salt fields.”
Captain Liu stammered, “Yes,” and smiled obsequiously at Gu Changxiao.
The Prince’s new personal guard was so serious, making people afraid to get close. Unlike Hei Hu, who would chat with everyone he met.
Gu Changxiao also tied his hair up naturally. He glanced at the comb in his hand, then at Jinsui’s retreating back, and naturally tucked it into his embrace, following Jinsui with his sword.
The first step in leveling the salt fields was to clear the small stones on the seaside. With insufficient manpower, even the Li King himself had to get involved.
The three of them, along with the soldiers from the Tuntian Camp, cleared stones for half the morning. Gu Changxiao, worried about Jinsui’s injured foot from last night, told her to rest by the shore.
How could she rest like this? The Real Li King rolled up his sleeves and tucked up his trousers, working diligently, while the Fake Li King sat by the shore enjoying the scenery?
But Jinsui’s foot did hurt, so she took a rake and helped turn over stones. When she saw crabs and clams crawling out, she quickly grabbed a bucket to collect them.
The soldiers all knew the Prince was injured. Even if the Prince himself came to work, or just sat in the tent doing nothing, they wouldn’t have any complaints!
From just past four in the morning until past nine, Jinsui collected three large buckets of seafood. The soldiers who had gone into the sea to retrieve the nets brought back the nets they had set last night, with a bountiful harvest. They even caught a half-human-sized sailfish, and Jinsui helped to gut it.
The soldiers all laughed, saying that they hadn’t caught so many fish before, but after the Prince arrived last night, the fish seemed to have increased.
Even more surprisingly, when Jinsui opened an oyster, she found a pearl the size of a soybean. This was even rarer, as the soldiers hadn’t found any pearls since arriving at the East Sea.
Jinsui quickly told Captain Liu to keep it safe and to have it exchanged for grain in Yanzhou after they returned to the border city.
Now, without the soldiers’ flattery, Jinsui herself felt incredibly lucky.
She directed the soldiers to sort the seafood. Even the shells couldn’t be discarded; regardless of size, after the meat was removed, the shells had great use.
Gu Changxiao curiously asked, “What’s the use of these shells?”
Jinsui counted on her fingers, “They have many uses. These shiny ones can be used for dyes, rouge, and accessories. These ordinary ones are also good materials for construction. In short, they are all useful and shouldn’t be wasted.”
Gu Changxiao saw that she treated the border city as her own home, wanting to bring all good things back. Her eyes were full of ways to make her home prosperous.
The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards. Daoist Ji, you don’t need me to forcibly keep you here; you will definitely stay in the border city!
Perhaps you haven’t realized it yourself, but you care more about the construction of the border city than I, the Real Li King.
“If you dry the meat from these shells and sell them at the dried goods shops in the north and south, the price is very high!”
Gu Changxiao agreed with this point, “The restaurants in Chang’an use seafood for their good broths.”
Finally, the signal for breakfast was given. Jinsui was so hungry her chest was sticking to her back. She thought the soldiers worked so hard every day, eating only two meals, starting work before dawn and continuing until the moon was high in the sky.
She found out that they usually woke up at dawn. Today, Captain Liu was too eager and had roused the soldiers of the Tuntian Camp to work before dawn.
Jinsui: …
No, why are you guys working so hard? It makes me, the Li King, look lazy!
But then she proudly said to Gu Changxiao, “See? I’ve trained your subordinates to be diligent!”
Gu Changxiao felt a slight tremor in his heart. He seemed to really like seeing Daoist Ji’s expression.
The bowl in his hand burned his fingers red, but he didn’t notice. What illness was he suffering from?
Fortunately, Jinsui reacted quickly, “The seafood porridge is very hot. Put down your bowl quickly.” As she spoke, she took his bowl, and the heat made her quickly rub her ears.
Gu Changxiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. He seemed to be… quite ill.
Seeing Gu Changxiao staring at her intently, Jinsui’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong? Are you hungry?”
Gu Changxiao finally came back to his senses and answered her previous question, “Brother Ji has a discerning eye and knows how to use talent. With the Prince’s training, the border soldiers have indeed made great progress.”
For some reason, if anyone else praised her like this, Jinsui would have been proud long ago. Like when Wei Assistant Secretary was here, her chin was always held high.
But with Gu Changxiao saying this, she felt something was wrong. She quickly lowered her head and drank the seafood porridge, generously telling the soldiers:
“I know you’re all tired of seafood. Captain Liu specifically brought three sheep and a pig yesterday. We’ll have a special meal tonight!”
All the soldiers were overjoyed, and their resentment for being roused to work so early vanished.
Since the Prince was only staying at the East Sea for three days and two nights, Captain Liu was seizing every minute to ask about the sun-drying salt method.
Meanwhile, the soldiers boiling fish oil also had many questions, and the soldiers responsible for planning and constructing the coastal base also wished they could drag the Prince around the entire area.
The three of them almost fought over the Prince. Gu Changxiao was most interested in the fish oil, so he favored the soldiers in charge of fish oil and dragged Jinsui to give a “chemistry lesson.”
It was indeed very useful. The soldiers immediately proposed several improvements, resulting in more and purer fish oil.
In the evening, they had a fragrant lamb stew with flatbread. People were drowsy from the heat, and before it was even dark, Jinsui’s eyes were closing.
Yet, the soldiers in charge of infrastructure were waiting to take the Prince around. Questions about where to build roads, where to build the camp, which areas to use for military farms, salt fields, widening river channels to bring in fresh water, etc., all required Jinsui’s decision.
Everyone knew it was not easy for the Prince to visit the border city, and they wished they could work around the clock.
Jinsui, drowsy, said to Gu Changxiao, “Let’s switch back now! I really can’t do this work. It’s more tiring than being a Taoist priest!”
Gu Changxiao smiled indulgently, “I’ll take you for a ride on horseback. You can nap on the horse.”
“This work will have to trouble Brother Ji for a while longer. I also need to learn from Brother Ji.”
Jinsui was so flattered by his praise that she forgot whether she had refused or accepted. In any case, when she woke up on the bumpy horse, she found herself sitting in front of Gu Changxiao.
She had ridden with Han Xing before, and at that time, she had no other feelings, treating Han Xing like a driver.
But at this moment, Gu Changxiao’s breathing was close at hand, his large hand holding the reins in front of her. If she leaned back, she could lean into his embrace.
Jinsui’s sleepiness vanished instantly, her heart pounding like a drum.
The soldiers in charge of infrastructure didn’t stop talking, explaining their plans all the way. Jinsui, however, heard nothing clearly, her voice drowned out by the wind, the waves, and Gu Changxiao’s breathing.
Until Gu Changxiao said in her ear, “What does Your Highness think?”
Jinsui jolted, bringing her thoughts back to order. No, this person’s presence is too distracting for work!
She coughed lightly and admitted sheepishly, “The wind is too strong, this King didn’t hear clearly. Please say it again.”
The infrastructure soldier quickly repeated with a smile, pointing into the distance, “Your subordinate means to build the camp in this area, with the focus on protecting the fish oil workshop. What does Your Highness think?”
Jinsui looked around. To the left was a mountain, and the river channel was not far away. It was indeed suitable for building a base.
She nodded repeatedly, “Yes! Draw up the plan, and this King will approve the budget for you.”
After speaking, she realized and quickly asked Gu Changxiao in a low voice, “What does Your Highness think?”
“Whatever Brother Ji decides is fine. I support it all.”
Jinsui: … Why do you look like you’re ready to give up and delegate at any moment? How can you be like this?
On the way back, the moon was already high, and the Milky Way was brilliant. She couldn’t see such a starry sky in her previous life, and after transmigrating, Jinsui hadn’t been in the mood to look at the stars.
But tonight, sitting on Gu Changxiao’s horse, she felt very safe and, with great interest, took out her telescope to observe the stars.
Gu Changxiao knew about this item. Captain Huang of the scout team guarded it like a treasure, wanting to show it off but also afraid of it being damaged.
Gu Changxiao had wanted to borrow it to look at it many times, but he found the other person’s fussiness annoying. Seeing Jinsui holding this treasure and looking at it, he endured it again and again, but before he could endure it and ask to borrow it.
He heard Jinsui say with a smile, “I’ll hold the reins, and you can look at the stars.”
Gu Changxiao took the telescope from her hand without hesitation, and then Jinsui heard his exclamation.
“Isn’t it amazing! Actually, this thing is used for sailing at sea, but unfortunately, we don’t have sea vessels.”
Gu Changxiao looked at the stars that seemed within reach and heard Daoist Ji hint and imply several times about his desire to build sea vessels.
He answered directly, “As soon as the border city has surplus silver, I will immediately find craftsmen to build sea vessels.”
Jinsui asked happily, “But what if the Imperial Court doesn’t allow us to go out to sea?”
Gu Changxiao’s lips curved upwards, and starlight seemed to fall into his eyes, “This is this King’s fiefdom. The Imperial Court has no say.”
Jinsui chuckled softly, “I’ve been waiting for Your Highness to say that!”
Gu Changxiao put away the telescope and asked softly, “Then is Brother Ji willing to help this elder brother build sea vessels?”
Jinsui chuckled, “This is for you. Keep it for when you go out to sea later.”
Gu Changxiao was stunned, “This item is precious…”
Jinsui interrupted him, “Consider it my advance investment for going out to sea. Of course, if Your Highness doesn’t like it, you don’t have to accept it.”
Gu Changxiao quickly said, “I like it very much. Thank you, Brother Ji!”
He said with some guilt, “Speaking of which, Brother Ji has been working so hard for my affairs for so long, yet I have nothing to give you.”
As they spoke, they returned to the camp. Captain Liu was still awake, gathered around the bonfire discussing matters.
Jinsui looked at this scene of bustling activity, feeling a surge of emotion. She thought back to when she first arrived at the border city, the border soldiers were still worrying about food and were desperately trying to get their military pay.
Everyone was numb, living day by day.
Who would have thought that in just over two months, the people of the border city would all have a goal to strive for, and everyone would be working energetically for the future of the border city.
Jinsui joined their conversation. Everyone attached great importance to her opinions. Every word the Prince said was treated as a precious scripture.
What surprised her even more was that some young soldiers were learning to write. Although their handwriting was a bit ugly and they wrote slowly, they still meticulously recorded the procedures she described.
This surprised Gu Changxiao as well. When he was in the Northwest, the Northwest Army was known as a fierce and formidable force, and ninety percent of the captains were illiterate.
He never expected so many border soldiers to be literate.
They heard that they only started learning to read and write after the Li King arrived, and they learned from that book, the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Cheng Yu, Wei Assistant Secretary, and Han Xing each gave them lessons. Every day, along with training, they learned new characters and recited texts while training.
The Prince himself also gave them several lessons.
What amazed the soldiers was that they had always thought reading and writing were for intelligent people, and the characters were like heavenly scripts to them.
They never expected that after being tempted with brown sugar by the Prince in the early days, and later discovering the benefits of literacy, the soldiers genuinely fell in love with learning the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
Especially when they heard that this book sold for a hundred taels of silver to outsiders, the soldiers treasured it even more.
After cherishing it, they found that reading and writing were not that difficult.
Jinsui specifically told Gu Changxiao, “Don’t neglect your cultural education! Even for border soldiers, learning to write is very useful.”
How could Gu Changxiao not know this!
Daoist Ji’s abilities were far greater than he himself realized.
No, even if I have to give him half of the border city, I must keep him here!
