Xinqi Village’s matter did not weigh heavily on Feng Bailing’s mind; on the contrary, another event occurred during this time that brought a considerable surprise to Feng Bailing.
After the Chuyue Tower was sealed, the original shop was sold to outsiders by the Crown Prince Mansion.
Logically, the location of Chuyue Tower in Chu City was a prime golden area, which should have been highly sought after, yet Chuyue Tower had changed hands twice within a year, and the second owner even encountered legal troubles, causing people in Chu City to say that the Feng Shui of Chuyue Tower was problematic.
Thus, after Chuyue Tower was put on sale, it did not attract much attention; during this time, a pair of brothers with the surname Zhang from outside the area came forward.
In the end, Chuyue Tower was purchased by the Zhang Brothers for 200,000 taels.
The Zhang Brothers went to the Ministry of Revenue to register the property, and soon, Chuyue Tower was transformed into the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
On the surface, the Zhang Brothers were the owners of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, but in fact, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was jointly established by Feng Bailing, Ouyang Chenchen, Li Mubei, and the Zhang Brothers.
Neither the Crown Prince Mansion’s Nalan Yan’er nor Dugu Wu had any knowledge of this matter, and soon, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce opened its doors bustlingly in Chu City.
The villagers of Xinqi Village were vaccinated by Feng Bailing and faced the entry of the Mu Family Army without much anxiety.
The day before the Mu Family Army was stationed, Feng Bailing, with two children and Dongfang Lianhua, went to Xinqi Village.
The village chief, along with Lady Lai and other villagers, came to welcome them.
Feng Xiaoli quickly joined the other local children and played together.
Dugu Xiaojin coolly stood aside, watching the Parasitic Bee Queen shuttle back and forth among a cluster of flowers.
Unlike the carefree children, the villagers all felt somewhat displeased; they were used to being busy, and suddenly having time on their hands made them uncomfortable.
"What if the Mu Family Army doesn’t leave after a month?"
Village Chief Lai’s face was etched with worry.
"Old village chief, you need not worry. Prince Mu’s Mansion would not dare to disobey the royal command. I guarantee that after a month, they would definitely not want to stay."
Feng Bailing had already instructed villagers to harvest all the crops in the fields, leaving not a single grain for the Mu Family Army.
Even the livestock had been driven back into their pens.
With that bare land alone, Feng Bailing did not believe that the Princely Heir could cultivate anything within a month.
The old village chief, not trusting anyone else, only believed Feng Bailing’s words.
"You all don’t need to worry about being idle; this month, we’ll cultivate bugs."
After saying this, Feng Bailing summoned the Zhang Brothers.
She had previously asked the brothers to survey the areas around Xinqi Village, which is surrounded by mountains and water and had never been developed due to the villagers’ farming.
"Feng San, we’ve checked it out. There are Ligustrum, Forsythia, and White Wax Trees among other types ranging over years; these are the tree species that White Wax Worms prefer for growth and reproduction. We tried to cultivate White Wax Worms, and in just two-three evenings, they have produced so much wax."
Zhang Erfa presented a box the size of a honey box filled with wax, which was as white as snowflakes, thick, and yielded several pounds from just one tree.
A few pounds of wax could make dozens of candles.
"We’ve also found a craftsman for wax-making; he’s an old craftsman from the Ka City area. He’s old and wants to take an apprentice; as long as there’s enough wax, production will start soon."
Zhang Dafa was more composed; having arrived in Xinqi Village, he heard about the villagers’ predicaments and was outraged by the military’s actions, and both personally and publicly, he was willing to help the villagers.