Chapter 412: Cultivating the Scholar Queen Consort

"Your Highness, here is today’s Qingzhou newspaper."

In the early morning, after washing up, Xiao Ming and Fei Yue’er were having breakfast. With merchants flooding into Qingzhou, supplies were getting richer. It was no longer like before when sometimes even with money, you couldn’t buy good things.

Now, for breakfast, Xiao Ming could always drink lotus seed porridge and eat some delicate pastries.

Fei Yue’er took the newspaper from Xiao Huan and began reading while sipping porridge. When she saw the news about green potatoes being poisonous, she was shocked and said, "Your Highness, these potatoes are poisonous?"

"Yes, green potatoes are poisonous, so you can’t eat them. But don’t worry, potatoes that have not sprouted are safe to eat and not poisonous," Xiao Ming explained.

Fei Yue’er calmed down. "These potatoes have high yields and taste good, but I didn’t expect this flaw. It seems nothing is perfect after all."

She picked up the paper and read some other news. Then she asked, "Your Highness, aren’t Ziyuan and Lu Luo usually not outside the palace? What are they busy with?"

In the last two days, Fei Yue’er noticed Ziyuan and Lu Luo often went out, which was rare in Chang’an, because maidservants were not allowed to roam freely.

Xiao Ming smiled and said, "Ziyuan is now in charge of the Qingzhou theater, and Lu Luo manages the largest weaving workshop in Qingzhou city. They are very busy."

Xiao Huan heard this and was a little jealous. She said, "Ziyuan and Lu Luo are amazing. No wonder Your Highness values them so much. But your servant and the princess stay in the palace all day. It’s so boring."

"Nonsense. It’s because you like to play around. I’m not bored at all," Fei Yue’er rolled her eyes at Xiao Huan.

Xiao Huan giggled and stuck out her tongue.

"Xiao Huan has a point. You just came to Qingzhou and don’t know anyone. Also, Qingzhou has no young ladies to keep you company. I am busy with state affairs, so you have it tough," Xiao Ming held Fei Yue’er’s hand and said.

Fei Yue’er smiled softly. "Your Highness, you should focus on state affairs. As your queen consort, I should help ease your burdens. Since I can’t do that now, I won’t let you worry about me. Please don’t be concerned."

There is an old saying: not afraid of being busy, only afraid of being idle. When idle, people get bored and worried. Xiao Ming understood this well. Fei Yue’er’s novelty had not worn off yet. Later, she might get even more bored.

But Fei Yue’er was quiet by nature. When bored in Chang’an, she liked to read books. Xiao Ming had a sudden idea and said to her, "If you have free time, I have some books you can read."

"What books?" Fei Yue’er showed a surprised expression.

By now their breakfast was almost finished, so Xiao Ming stood and took her to the palace study.

In the study, Xiao Ming pulled out seven books: Textile Materials, Spinning, Knitting, Weaving, Dyeing and Finishing Technology, and Dye Chemistry. These were written for the textile industry, and now suddenly they were perfect for Fei Yue’er.

Since ancient times, men worked and women wove. Having Fei Yue’er read these books was not too strange. It was still following the tradition of men working and women weaving.

"Your Highness, what are these?" Fei Yue’er looked through the seven books, increasingly amazed.

"These are textile knowledge books. Don’t you like embroidery? It’s also introduced here. Reading these will benefit you a lot," Xiao Ming smiled.

Now that Fei Yue’er was his queen consort and his partner, he naturally wanted to improve her knowledge and make her his strong support.

Moreover, the textile industry was just an advanced form of women’s handiwork. Letting Fei Yue’er manage it would both ease her boredom and help the business thrive with the queen consort personally involved.

Fei Yue’er nodded, opened one book casually, and was immediately attracted by the knowledge inside, unable to look away.

Seeing this, Xiao Ming smiled. Fei Yue’er was only seventeen or eighteen years old, the perfect age for learning. Besides, she was known as a talented woman in Chang’an, showing she was very smart. He might even train her to become a top female scholar.

After all, Fei Yue’er would be the person who spent the most time with him. She would learn much by listening and observing.

"Your Highness, this is great. Miss always can’t put down books when she sees them. Now she won’t be bored," Xiao Huan sighed, shaking her head. Poor her, she had to accompany Fei Yue’er to read again.

"It seems the rumors about the queen consort loving to read are true," Xiao Ming said to Fei Yue’er. "Feel free to look here. I have things to do outside. If you don’t understand anything, ask me in the evening."

Fei Yue’er nodded, her eyes shining with excitement for new knowledge. "Yes, Your Highness."

Shaking his head, Xiao Ming turned and left. He was increasingly pleased with Fei Yue’er. In the palace, most concubines believed “a woman’s virtue is her lack of talent,” spending idle days scheming in palace fights.

According to Zhen Fei, many princes’ consorts were the same: either fighting each other at home or joining palace intrigue, thinking about messy things all day. There were few women who could focus calmly on real matters.

That was why he especially liked Fei Yue’er, because in his view, a woman who loved reading would have good character. Although Zhen Fei judged by her own experience, it was mostly true in this era.

Leaving the palace, Xiao Ming went to the military workshop. Yesterday Chen Qi said there was progress with the Tiger Cannon. He wanted to see it.

At the workshop, Xiao Ming saw the Tiger Cannon on the test field. It was a short, thick cannon angled at 45 degrees.

"Your Highness, this is the experimental Tiger Cannon. We used high-quality steel to make the barrel. The weight is lighter but quality improved. This Tiger Cannon weighs only 26 jin and can be used in field battles," Chen Qi said excitedly.

Xiao Ming nodded with satisfaction. Chen Qi did not simply copy the Ming Dynasty Tiger Cannon but improved it, making it more stable. However, this test model was still not perfect because the barrel wall was a bit thin.

In the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang used the Tiger Cannon to bombard tightly packed Japanese pirates with good results. The Tiger Cannon was suitable for mountain warfare, ideal for Japan and Ryukyu’s mountainous areas. Chen Qi’s timing to develop it was perfect.

"26 jin is too light. Consider thickening the barrel wall, increasing range, and keeping weight around 50 jin. That way, it won’t be too heavy for field use. Increase gunpowder so the Tiger Cannon’s range can reach 1,000 meters," Xiao Ming suggested.

"Your Highness is right. This is just a prototype. I am preparing the official model, which is close to what you said," Chen Qi said with a smile.