Chapter 14 - Twelve: The Prince Arrives at the Farm

Chapter 14: Chapter Twelve: The Prince Arrives at the Farm

The first person to notice the approaching procession was General.

The rooster stood on top of the tool shed.

He stared toward the northern road.

His feathers rose.

Then he crowed.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Lin Yue looked up from her ledger.

"What’s wrong with him?"

Shen Rui looked toward the road.

"He sees something."

General crowed again.

Lin Yue sighed.

"Of course he does."

She walked toward the edge of the farm.

The orange lights were closer now.

Lanterns.

Horses.

Carriages.

Armed guards.

A great many of them.

The black carriage at the center carried a silver crest.

Shen Rui’s expression became serious.

"That’s the royal crest."

Lin Yue stopped.

"Royal?"

"Yes."

"How royal?"

"The very royal kind."

She looked at him.

"That wasn’t helpful."

"It means someone important is coming."

"How important?"

Shen Rui pointed.

"Enough to bring soldiers."

Lin Yue stared at the procession.

Then looked at her muddy boots.

Her plain work clothes.

The basket of carrots beside her.

She sighed.

"Why can’t important people arrive after lunch?"

Panic at the Farm

Within minutes, everyone knew.

Qiao’er ran across the courtyard.

"Miss!"

"I know."

"Royal people!"

"I know."

"There’s a prince!"

Lin Yue stopped.

"A prince?"

Qiao’er nodded rapidly.

"I heard the guards say it."

Lin Yue looked toward Shen Rui.

"Which prince?"

He shook his head.

"I’m not sure."

"Why don’t you know?"

"Because I wasn’t expecting one."

Lin Yue frowned.

"Wonderful."

Uncle Zhao approached.

"What should we do?"

Lin Yue looked around.

Workers were running everywhere.

Some were trying to hide tools.

Others were sweeping the courtyard.

One man was attempting to wash mud from his trousers.

Lin Yue immediately raised her voice.

"Stop!"

Everyone froze.

"Don’t hide anything."

The workers looked at her.

"This is a farm."

She pointed toward the fields.

"We shouldn’t pretend it’s a palace."

Then she pointed toward the muddy boots.

"And nobody is changing clothes just because someone important is coming."

Qiao’er whispered:

"But Miss..."

Lin Yue looked at her.

"We have nothing to be ashamed of."

That quieted everyone.

The Royal Carriage

The procession stopped outside the farm.

Several soldiers dismounted.

Then a man in dark blue robes stepped down from the carriage.

He was young.

Perhaps twenty-five.

Tall.

Elegant.

His black hair was tied neatly.

His expression was calm.

He looked nothing like Lin Yue had imagined a prince would look.

She had expected someone arrogant.

Instead, he seemed tired.

Very tired.

He looked at the fields.

Then the workshop.

Then the school.

Then the irrigation channels.

Finally, he looked at Lin Yue.

"You are Lin Yue?"

She bowed politely.

"I am."

"I am Prince Zhao Mingyuan."

Lin Yue nodded.

"Welcome."

The prince blinked.

That was apparently not the response he expected.

"You aren’t surprised?"

"I am."

"You don’t look surprised."

"I don’t know what a surprised person is supposed to look like."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Shen Rui looked away.

Lin Yue noticed.

"You’re laughing."

"No."

"You are."

"I’m not."

Prince Zhao Mingyuan smiled.

"This is interesting."

Lin Yue immediately became suspicious.

"What’s interesting?"

"You."

She frowned.

"That doesn’t sound reassuring."

The Prince’s Questions

The prince walked through the farm.

He examined the irrigation channels.

"Who designed these?"

"I did."

"The drainage?"

"Also me."

"The grain storage?"

"Me."

"The accounting system?"

"Me."

"The school?"

"Me."

"The printing press?"

Lin Yue hesitated.

"The blacksmith helped."

The blacksmith immediately puffed up proudly.

The prince looked impressed.

"You built all this?"

"Not alone."

Lin Yue gestured toward the workers.

"They did most of the physical work."

The prince nodded.

"That distinction is important."

Lin Yue glanced at him.

"You understand."

"I do."

He stopped beside a field.

"What crop is this?"

"Beans."

"And that?"

"Grain."

"And those?"

"Experimental varieties."

The prince crouched.

He examined the plants.

"Your fields are unusually productive."

"We’re improving the soil."

"How?"

Lin Yue began explaining.

Crop rotation.

Compost.

Mulching.

Water management.

Seed selection.

Pest control.

Record-keeping.

The prince listened carefully.

When she finished, he asked:

"Would you teach other farmers?"

Lin Yue stared at him.

"I already do."

He smiled.

"Good."

The Real Reason

Eventually, they reached the pond.

The prince stopped.

"I didn’t come because of your farm."

Lin Yue looked at him.

"I suspected that."

"I came because of the Northern City."

Her expression changed.

Shen Rui immediately became alert.

The prince continued.

"Three weeks ago, strange lights appeared over the mountains."

Lin Yue said nothing.

"Then ancient records began changing."

"What records?"

"Royal archives."

Lin Yue frowned.

"Changing how?"

"Previously unreadable inscriptions became legible."

Her heart skipped.

The same thing had happened to the stone tablet.

"The archives mention a Keeper."

Lin Yue’s fingers tightened around her notebook.

Prince Zhao Mingyuan watched her carefully.

"You know about it."

Lin Yue considered lying.

Then decided against it.

"A little."

The prince sighed.

"I was hoping you’d say that."

The Royal Archives

The prince explained that the kingdom had maintained an ancient archive for generations.

Most records were incomplete.

Some had been written in an unknown script.

Others described things that no scholar could explain.

For centuries, the records had been considered legends.

Until recently.

"When the lights appeared," the prince said, "the inscriptions changed."

"What did they say?"

He looked at her.

"When the Keeper returns, the sleeping land will awaken."

Lin Yue’s expression became thoughtful.

"And?"

"There was another line."

"What?"

"The Keeper will build where others abandoned."

Silence.

Lin Yue looked toward her farm.

That description was uncomfortably accurate.

Prince Zhao Mingyuan continued.

"The royal court believes the Keeper has returned."

Lin Yue sighed.

"That’s inconvenient."

The prince smiled.

"Very."

The Royal Request

"What do they want from me?"

The prince’s expression became serious.

"Nothing."

Lin Yue blinked.

"Nothing?"

"Not yet."

"That sounds worse."

He laughed softly.

"The royal court wants to know whether you are a threat."

Lin Yue stared.

"Do I look like a threat?"

The prince looked at the muddy courtyard.

Then the enormous chicken standing behind her.

Then the printing press.

Then the rapidly expanding fields.

Then the workshop.

He paused.

"Honestly?"

Lin Yue narrowed her eyes.

"Yes."

"You look harmless."

She relaxed.

"But..."

She immediately became suspicious again.

"...you have built a surprisingly dangerous amount of infrastructure in a very short time."

Lin Yue considered that.

"That is fair."

Shen Rui Intervenes

Shen Rui stepped forward.

"If the court has concerns, they should speak directly to the family."

The prince looked at him.

"You are?"

"Shen Rui."

Recognition appeared in the prince’s eyes.

"Ah."

Lin Yue looked between them.

"You know each other?"

"We’ve met."

"When?"

"Years ago."

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

Shen Rui looked uncomfortable.

"It never seemed important."

Lin Yue stared.

"You knew a prince."

"Yes."

"And never mentioned it?"

"No."

She crossed her arms.

"You are becoming increasingly suspicious."

The prince laughed.

Shen Rui sighed.

"I apologize."

Lin Yue turned away.

"I’ll deal with you later."

A Strange Proposal

The prince eventually revealed why he had come personally.

"The northern provinces are suffering."

Lin Yue listened.

Poor harvests.

Flooding in some regions.

Drought in others.

Soil degradation.

Food transportation problems.

Disease outbreaks caused by contaminated water.

The royal treasury was spending heavily on emergency grain.

Lin Yue frowned.

"You need agricultural reform."

"Yes."

"And sanitation."

"Yes."

"Water management."

"Yes."

"Better storage."

"Yes."

"Roads."

"Yes."

"Accounting."

The prince smiled.

"Yes."

Lin Yue stared at him.

"You want me to solve the kingdom’s problems."

"No."

He shook his head.

"I want you to teach us how to begin solving them ourselves."

That answer surprised her.

Lin Yue’s Conditions

Lin Yue didn’t answer immediately.

She sat at the table.

Then wrote several things.

"First, no forced labor."

The prince nodded.

"Agreed."

"Second, farmers must own or benefit from the improvements they make."

"Reasonable."

"Third, knowledge should be distributed."

He hesitated.

"How widely?"

"As widely as possible."

The prince smiled.

"You’re asking the royal court to allow agricultural manuals to circulate freely."

"Yes."

"That may be difficult."

"Then don’t ask permission."

He stared.

Lin Yue smiled innocently.

"Print them anyway."

Shen Rui covered his mouth.

The prince laughed.

"I see why the records describe the Keeper as troublesome."

Lin Yue frowned.

"They say that?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what do they say?"

He smiled.

"They say the Keeper asks inconvenient questions."

"Good."

The Sanitation Lesson

The prince remained at the farm for several days.

Lin Yue showed him the water system.

The drinking water came from an uphill spring.

Waste was kept downhill.

Animal areas were separated.

The pond was protected.

Food storage was elevated.

Hands were washed before food preparation.

Tools were cleaned.

The school taught children basic hygiene.

The prince listened carefully.

"This seems simple."

"It is."

"Then why don’t more people do it?"

Lin Yue shrugged.

"Because simple doesn’t mean easy."

She pointed toward the drainage channels.

"It requires planning."

She pointed toward the waste area.

"Discipline."

She pointed toward the well.

"Maintenance."

Then toward the school.

"Education."

The prince nodded.

"I understand."

The First Royal Inspection

The prince asked to inspect the farm’s accounts.

Lin Yue handed him the ledger.

He read silently.

Income.

Expenses.

Worker wages.

Seed costs.

Tool production.

Printing costs.

Food reserves.

Emergency funds.

He looked up.

"You keep very detailed records."

"If we don’t know where money goes, we can’t improve."

He smiled.

"Would you teach the royal treasury this method?"

Lin Yue nearly choked.

"The royal treasury?"

"Yes."

She stared at the prince.

"You want me to teach accountants?"

"Perhaps."

"That sounds dangerous."

"Why?"

"They’ll start asking questions."

The prince laughed.

"That is exactly why I want you to teach them."

A Little Romance

That evening, after the prince retired to the guest house, Lin Yue sat beside the pond.

Shen Rui joined her.

"You handled him well."

"He wasn’t difficult."

"He’s a prince."

"He’s still a person."

Shen Rui smiled.

"You really don’t care about status."

"Should I?"

"No."

He sat beside her.

"You’re different from everyone here."

Lin Yue looked at him.

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes."

She smiled.

"Thank you."

He was quiet for a moment.

Then:

"You looked beautiful today."

Lin Yue froze.

"What?"

Shen Rui immediately looked toward the pond.

"I said the weather was beautiful."

"No, you didn’t."

"Yes, I did."

"You said you looked beautiful."

"I was talking about..."

He pointed at the pond.

"The weather."

Lin Yue stared at him.

"The weather is over there."

"Yes."

"You are terrible at lying."

He smiled.

"You’re difficult to compliment."

She laughed softly.

"Maybe you’re simply bad at it."

"Perhaps."

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

Then—

SPLASH!

Moon jumped into the pond.

Both looked over.

Lin Yue sighed.

"Of course."

Shen Rui laughed.

"He has excellent timing."

The Prince Meets Moon

The following morning, Prince Zhao Mingyuan encountered Moon.

He stopped.

Moon stopped.

They stared at each other.

The prince slowly crouched.

"You are the Moon Fox."

Moon sniffed him.

The prince’s expression became reverent.

"So the legends are true."

Moon walked closer.

Then sniffed his sleeve.

Then bit it.

The prince stared.

Lin Yue laughed.

"Don’t take it personally."

The prince looked at her.

"He bit me."

"He does that."

"Why?"

"He likes people."

The prince looked at Moon.

Moon bit him again.

"I see."

Lin Yue picked up the fox.

Moon immediately settled against her shoulder.

The prince stared.

"The Guardian Beast chose you."

Lin Yue frowned.

"Or he chose free food."

Shen Rui laughed.

The Northern Road

On the seventh day, the prince prepared to leave.

Before departing, he handed Lin Yue a sealed document.

"What is this?"

"A royal agricultural commission."

She opened it.

The document gave her permission to establish demonstration farms in several provinces.

Lin Yue stared.

"You’re giving me authority?"

"Limited authority."

"For what?"

"Teaching."

She looked at the prince.

"Why trust me?"

He smiled.

"Because I visited your farm."

"And?"

"I saw what you built."

He looked toward the fields.

"You don’t seem interested in power."

Lin Yue smiled.

"I have too much work for that."

The prince laughed.

"Exactly."

He mounted his horse.

Then looked at Shen Rui.

"Take care of her."

Shen Rui nodded.

"I will."

Lin Yue blinked.

"Why are you telling him?"

The prince smiled.

"Because I suspect you won’t listen if I tell you."

Then he rode away.

The Farm Returns to Normal

The moment the royal procession disappeared—

General escaped again.

Qiao’er screamed.

"MISS!"

Lin Yue closed her eyes.

"Of course."

Shen Rui sighed.

"I’ll catch him."

"No."

Lin Yue rolled up her sleeves.

"This is my responsibility."

They chased the rooster through the courtyard.

General ran.

Qiao’er followed.

Two workers followed.

Then the children.

Soon half the farm was chasing one extremely pleased rooster.

General finally stopped beside the granary.

He looked behind him.

Everyone stopped.

He crowed.

Lin Yue pointed.

"You are going into the pot."

General immediately ran.

"GET HIM!"

The New Project

That afternoon, Lin Yue returned to the workshop.

The prince’s visit had changed something.

The farm was no longer isolated.

People beyond the estate now knew about it.

The royal court knew.

The northern city knew.

The ancient Guardians knew.

Soon, ordinary farmers would know too.

Lin Yue looked at her plans.

She added a new section.

Regional Agricultural Training Center

Then:

Water and Sanitation Training

Then:

Printing and Education

Then:

Tool Manufacturing

Then:

Seed Preservation

She stared at the growing list.

Shen Rui appeared behind her.

"You’re doing it again."

"What?"

"Making another enormous plan."

Lin Yue smiled.

"This one is necessary."

"Why?"

She looked toward the northern road.

"Because if we’re going to help the kingdom..."

She tapped the first line.

"We need to teach."

Then the second.

"Build."

Third.

"Record."

Fourth.

"Improve."

She looked at him.

"And make sure the knowledge survives us."

Shen Rui smiled.

"I’ll help."

Lin Yue’s heart fluttered.

She pretended not to notice.

"Good."

The Golden Space’s Response

That night, the golden space responded.

The progress meter climbed.

[Development: 39%.]

Lin Yue smiled.

"One percent."

Then—

[Milestone approaching.]

[40% development requires establishment of a self-sustaining settlement.]

She looked around.

The fields.

The workshop.

The school.

The seed house.

The library.

The homes.

The pond.

The valley.

Everything they had built.

She nodded.

"We’re close."

But another message appeared.

[New threat detected.]

Lin Yue’s smile disappeared.

[Northern City Guardian Council divided.]

[Faction One: Support the Keeper.]

[Faction Two: Observe the Keeper.]

[Faction Three: Eliminate the Keeper.]

Her blood went cold.

Then another message appeared.

[Faction Three has begun mobilization.]

Lin Yue slowly looked toward the northern mountains.

The peaceful night was over.

Somewhere in the ancient city—

people were preparing for war.

And this time, they weren’t coming to talk.