“Come, I’ll introduce you.”
Jin Feng took one wife in each hand and led them to the carriage. “Xiaorou, Xiaobei, this is Her Highness the Ninth Princess of the realm, Princess Wuyang!”
Guan Xiaorou had never imagined she would meet a princess one day. Her mind went blank; she could only stand there grinning foolishly and forgot to curtsey.
Seeing this, Tang Xiaobei gave a slight squat and curtsied properly. “This common woman, Tang Xiaobei, pays her respects to Your Highness!”
Only then did Guan Xiaorou snap out of it and hurriedly follow suit. “This common woman, Guan Xiaorou, pays her respects to Your Highness!”
“You two must be the master’s wives. Sister Muluan has mentioned you many times in her letters,” the Ninth Princess said with a warm smile, showing no airs. “You are indeed as beautiful as she described.”
Guan Xiaorou blushed scarlet at the compliment, could only wave her hands, and became tongue-tied.
Tang Xiaobei smiled and replied, “Your Highness is the most beautiful woman Xiaobei has ever seen.”
“I hear the Jinchuan Trading Company has always been managed by Sister Xiaobei. To run it so successfully, Sister Xiaobei must be very capable!”
“The company was only able to enter the capital market thanks to Your Highness’s help. Xiaobei is deeply grateful!” Tang Xiaobei said, curtseying again.
“You two can chat more later,” Jin Feng interrupted when he saw them warming to each other. “Your Highness, I have something to deal with. Why don’t you go back with Xiaobei to rest first?”
“No need. I’m not tired. Let Sister Xiaobei and Sister Muluan show me around the village.”
The Ninth Princess smiled.
Qing Muluan had written about West River Bay so often that the princess had long been curious.
Besides, she also wanted to see how Jin Feng would handle Xu the Third and the concubines.
“Very well,” Jin Feng said, turning to Guan Xiaorou. “Xiaorou, go tidy the main house and tell Runnian to prepare a fine meal. We must not slight Her Highness.”
“Yes!” Guan Xiaorou, eager to escape, nodded quickly, gave a hurried acknowledgment, and fled without another word to the princess.
“Your Highness, please forgive my wife. She is timid by nature. I hope you will overlook any discourtesy,” Jin Feng said helplessly on her behalf.
“It’s quite all right. Your wife seems a simple and kind person. I rather like that sort of character,” the Ninth Princess replied with a smile. “Besides, had your wife’s brother not sent help in time, this palace would probably be lying at the bottom of the river by now.”
“Actually, Xiaorou is very talented too. The first soap the master made had no scent at all. All the fragrances were blended by her,” Qing Muluan added.
“That really is impressive.”
The Ninth Princess was slightly surprised.
With her sharp eye, she had taken Guan Xiaorou for a shy mountain woman and had not paid her much attention.
Now she realised she had misjudged. Guan Xiaorou could actually blend perfumes.
While in the capital, the Ninth Princess had kept close watch on the Jinchuan Trading Company and knew perfectly well that the variety of scents had been crucial to the soap’s success.
She had never expected those scents to come from a woman who blushed and lost her words in front of strangers.
Seeing villagers streaming toward the entrance, Jin Feng excused himself to the princess and leapt onto the raised wooden platform used for village meetings.
The Ninth Princess did not leave. She had the coachman move the carriage to one side and invited Tang Xiaobei aboard.
“Sister Muluan, my husband went to rescue you. How did he end up meeting Her Highness?” Tang Xiaobei was still baffled and immediately began questioning Qing Muluan once inside.
Qing Muluan started from Wulang Mountain and recounted everything that had happened in recent days.
While the three women talked, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly rose from the village.
The female workers from the textile mill appeared, marching in neat ranks.
West River Bay now had several textile workshops. Besides spinning, a new weaving workshop had opened.
The hemp thread produced in the spinning workshops was no longer sold to Guangyuan but was processed further into cloth before sale.
This had greatly increased overall profits, and the textile mill had grown rapidly. The day-shift workers alone, plus support staff, now numbered over a thousand.
A thousand might not sound like much, but gathered together they were an impressive sight.
Four abreast, their column stretched from the village entrance deep into the settlement, the end nowhere in sight.
“They all work in the master’s factories?” the Ninth Princess asked in astonishment.
“These are only the day shift. The night shift hasn’t arrived yet,” Qing Muluan answered.
As soon as she finished speaking, the off-duty workers resting in the dormitories arrived from the south, led by a workshop supervisor.
Then came the West River Bay villagers and the second group led by Old Zhao.
Finally, the village head brought the men from the construction sites and brick kilns.
The huge threshing ground was soon packed with people.
When Jin Feng saw that almost everyone had arrived, he jumped onto the wooden platform in the centre.
“My fellow villagers, brothers and sisters, I’m sorry to take up your time, but I have discovered a very serious problem that must be dealt with at once. That is why I called you all here.”
Jin Feng cupped his fists toward the crowd.
“Brother Feng, what is it?” many villagers called out.
Jin Feng raised a hand to quiet them, and silence fell instantly.
“Recently, many families in our village have taken concubines, haven’t they? I’ve heard some have taken eight or nine!”
Jin Feng’s voice was cold. “I know what you’re thinking. You want more concubines so the family line can grow and so they can work in the textile mill and earn money for the household.
If the girls are willing, I have nothing to say about it. But have I not said before that no one is allowed to beat a newly arrived girl?”
His voice suddenly rose to a shout. “A man who beats women is the most useless sort! If you have the guts, go fight bandits, fight the Dangxiang, fight the Khitans! What kind of man beats a woman?”
After this outburst, many men in the crowd lowered their heads.
Some looked defiant.
“What, some of you disagree? Fine. Step forward now. Tomorrow I’ll arrange for you to be sent to the Iron Forest Army. Lord Qing is fighting the Dangxiang right now. You can go fight them!”
Jin Feng sneered. “Anyone willing? Step forward!”
At these words, the defiant men all dropped their gazes.
“No one has anything to say?” Jin Feng continued. “Then let us talk about the concubine problem.
I want every one of you to understand something. These girls marry you not because you are great heroes or mighty warriors, but because they could no longer survive in their own homes and had no choice but to come to West River Bay!”
Jin Feng’s voice rang out loud and clear. “These girls were born and raised by their own parents. They do not come to eat your food for free. They earn more in the textile mill than you do. What right do you have to beat them?”
These words struck straight into the hearts of the women. A great cheer rose from the textile workers’ ranks.
