Ren Baqian followed Qing Yuan into the palace.
The empress was still reclining on the couch.
It seemed that she would do this every time he saw her. She liked to recline.
In other words, Ren Baqian suddenly noticed a problem. The couch was very wide. A normal person sitting on it wouldn't be able to lean against the back. Furthermore, it would be very far away. It would definitely be uncomfortable to sit like this.
This discovery made Ren Baqian think of something. However, he quickly withdrew his thoughts and continued to narrate "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" not far away from the empress.
After narrating for two rounds, the sky was already dark. The empress then asked him to stop.
"You disappear every three days. What are you doing?" the empress asked lazily while squinting her phoenix eyes.
Ren Baqian's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Beads of perspiration rolled down his back and forehead.
Although he knew that this day would come, he still wanted to hide it for a period of time. This was because he couldn't explain his disappearance every three days. When he was discovered, the higher his status, the more secure his safety would be.
Previously, when he found out that the people of Dayao were all boorish and straightforward people, he was more or less relieved. He thought that perhaps he wouldn't be discovered so quickly.
When he was in prison, no one should have discovered him. He didn't expect to be discovered after leaving twice.
Although the empress had a lazy look on her face, Ren Baqian suspected that he would be beheaded if he didn't answer well.
"Both of you can leave." The empress waved her hand at the maids beside her.
Following which, the hall fell into silence.
The empress lay on the couch with one hand supporting her head and waited for Ren Baqian's answer.
Ren Baqian's forehead was dripping with sweat. He kept asking himself, "What should I do? Should I tell the truth or tell a big lie? How can I make the person in front of me believe me without giving myself away? "
Ren Baqian hesitated for a long time and was prepared to tell a big lie. If he couldn't hide it, he would tell the truth.
"Your Majesty …"
"Forget it. I don't want to listen to lies. I know you have secrets. Everyone has secrets. When you appeared, it was very unexpected. Naturally, you have more secrets than others.
It doesn't matter if your background is unknown. I don't care where China is.
However, you have to show your value. As long as you have the ability, I can use you. I can give you whatever you want.
Go down! "
Just as Ren Baqian was about to open his mouth, the empress suddenly spoke.
Ren Baqian didn't know whether he should be happy or sad about the content of her words.
He was happy that after hearing the empress's words, she would no longer pursue the matter of his origins and his disappearance every three days. In the future, he could be at ease.
Even if he suddenly disappeared, the empress wouldn't say anything as long as he displayed his ability and value. He didn't have to rack his brains to figure out how to hide his whereabouts anymore.
The sad thing was, who said that the brains of the people of Dayao were all muscles? The empress seemed to have seen through him. She could even detect that he was lying.
This made Ren Baqian feel a little terrified.
It was like playing a game, and suddenly the natives in the game pointed out that you were not from this world. It was a frightening feeling.
When he returned to the beast park, he felt much better after being blown by the night breeze.
In any case, it was a good thing that the empress didn't pursue the matter.
However, he had to be more attentive in the future.
Just as he returned to his room, Tiantian and Gungun hugged his legs and whimpered, refusing to let go.
Ren Baqian squatted down and stroked the two little chaps. Even though his heart was still palpitating, he had mostly calmed down.
He first filled a basin of water for the two little chaps and fetched some bamboo leaves. The two little chaps sat in the bamboo leaves and grabbed the bamboo leaves on the ground to eat.
Only Ren Baqian returned to his room to rest.
After thinking about the empress's words over and over again, he fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, he woke up and looked at the sweet potatoes. They had already been processed and were waiting to germinate.
Ren Baqian first looked for Caretaker Shi and brought him to look at the land for planting sweet potatoes.
Near the beast park, there was a piece of flat land that had been cultivated. There were some fruits and vegetables planted on it. Most of the food that the odd-job workers in the beast park ate was grown here. Usually, there were some elderly people and women who were the family members of the odd-job workers here to take care of the land.
"What do you think of this place? The vegetables are also ripe. I will get someone to pluck them now, "Caretaker Shi said as he led him to a piece of land.
"Let's walk around a bit more. It doesn't have to be so big for now. One mu is enough," Ren Baqian said.
After walking half a round, he saw a small piece of land at an oblique corner. It was about one mu in size. The location was a little remote and the land wasn't the best. However, Ren Baqian didn't mind. Anyway, the requirements for planting sweet potatoes weren't high. It was better to plant them in a more remote location.
"Let's do it here."
"The land here is ordinary. The harvest will be slightly worse," Caretaker Shi advised.
"It's alright, this is fine." Ren Baqian smiled. The location of this land was rather remote. However, it was just right. No one would notice what he planted.
"Can these two pieces be used?" Thinking of the spices that he brought back, he pointed to the land not far away and asked.
Caretaker Shi looked in the direction that Ren Baqian was pointing at. He patted his chest and said, "No problem. Even though the beast park doesn't have a lot of land, a few pieces of land can still be allocated. "
After confirming the location, Caretaker Shi hurriedly left to settle the matter of the shaved ice shop.
The other two shops had also been purchased. Now, all three shops had to be cleaned up. They also had to find a carpenter to make a bar counter and a bench.
Ren Baqian had already taught Caretaker Shi the method of making ice. It was very simple. All he had to do was to know where to find saltpeter.
As for making fruit shaved ice, it was even simpler.
Ren Baqian didn't need to participate in the subsequent matters. He just needed to split the profits.
After choosing the land, the sweet potatoes hadn't germinated yet. Ren Baqian had nothing to do, so he went to look for the odd-job worker who knew how to do carpentry. He asked him to make a weird-looking chair according to his requirements.
Ren Baqian wanted to make a sofa. He thought of it when he saw the empress's couch. A sofa that could sink one's entire body into would definitely be more comfortable than a couch.
Naturally, he would make a sofa for the empress first. Then, he would make one for himself.
Soon after, he began to look for fillers for the sofa in the beast park. Anything like cotton or bird feathers would do.
Even though cotton wasn't available in Dayao, there were plenty of bird feathers in the beast park. Every day, a lot of them were cleared out and all of them were burned as rubbish.
After getting someone to keep it for him, Ren Baqian realized that the people of Dayao actually didn't know how to tan leather. Leather was taken from animals and dried in the sun. Then, it was sold in bundles to those leather merchants.
Naturally, the price was so low that it made one's hair stand on end. If one wanted to buy tanned leather from the merchants, the price would make one flinch.
An ordinary sheepskin, the kind that belonged to a giant sheepskin that pulled a cart, could only be sold for one tael of silver. However, tanned sheepskin could be sold for ten taels of silver each.
Just thinking about the profits involved made one go crazy.
It was no wonder that foreign merchants flocked to Dayao. Even if it was so hot here that they could die, there was nothing to enjoy. Profits that were several times, or even more than ten times, could make most people take the risk out of desperation.
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