"I heard that yes, Her Royal Highness the Princess personally supervised it." A young man next to him interjected, "I used to help catch insects in the fields, and I saw with my own eyes that the cotton grew up little by little and spun out. I didn't expect that they could actually change. Such beautiful clothes.” "Oh, then our family can wear new clothes like this this year?" A middle-aged woman clapped her hands excitedly, "This cotton looks much finer than linen, and it will definitely be comfortable to wear." "Yes, yes, I want to try it too." A young girl next to her said with longing. She stretched out her hand and gently touched a piece of cotton hanging from the edge of the high platform. "It's really soft. It feels like It’s like touching the clouds.” Similar conversations and exclamations continued from the crowd. Everyone was talking around the high platform, and everyone was full of curiosity and expectation for these novel cotton clothes. Some people are asking about the production process of the clothes, some are guessing their prices, and some are already starting to fantasize about how they will look like wearing these new clothes. And those farmers who have participated in insect catching operations before are even more proud. They stood in the crowd with their backs straightened and smiles on their faces. Whenever someone asked questions about cotton cultivation and cotton cloth making, they would answer enthusiastically and share interesting stories about working in the fields. The entire exhibition was in full swing, and the atmosphere was warm and cheerful. Zhao Yingluo stood on the high platform, overlooking the excited crowd below, her heart filled with satisfaction and relief.
She knows that the curiosity and joy of these ordinary people are the best affirmation and encouragement for her. She firmly believed that in the days to come, with the widespread cultivation of cotton and the mass production of cotton cloth, the people of the Song Dynasty would be able to wear more comfortable and beautiful clothes and live a happier and better life. Outside the palace, the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere after the high platform display had not completely dissipated. Zhao Yingluo once again summoned officials to prepare to go to the fields to help farmers harvest the cloud-white cotton. This time's action was not only to experience the hard work of farming, but also to witness with one's own eyes the harvest scene brought about by the cotton industry promoted by himself. The autumn sunshine shines on the vast cotton fields, and the golden leaves and white cotton wadding interweave into a beautiful picture. From a distance, the cotton fields seem to be covered with a thick layer of snow, and the falling cotton wool is like light snowflakes, dancing in the autumn wind. Such a scene was unprecedentedly novel and shocking to Zhao Yingluo and all the officials. They walked through the cotton fields and looked at the joy of the harvest on the faces of the busy farmers, and their hearts were filled with satisfaction and pride. These farmers, who once frowned because of the raging bollworm, are now smiling from ear to ear because of the pure white cotton. They had been working hard for several months, and finally the long-awaited harvest moment came. Looking at the cotton wool, they seemed to see a beautiful life with plenty of food and clothing in the future. However, amidst the laughter, the arrival of a group of businessmen broke the tranquility. They were wearing gorgeous clothes, with false smiles on their faces, and they were carrying heavy bags of silver in their hands, looking like they were rich and wealthy. "Fellow folks, I heard that you had a good cotton harvest, and we came here to buy it." A businessman came up and said with a smile on his face. "Yes, the cotton is growing particularly well this year. We didn't expect there would be such a big harvest." A farmer replied simply. "That's great, let's start negotiating the price now." The businessman said, taking out a shiny piece of silver from his bag, "Ten taels of silver and one hundred catties, this is a fair price." Upon hearing this price, the farmers looked at each other. Although they did not know much about the market price, they also knew that the price was far lower than what Her Royal Highness the Princess had previously said. "But... Her Royal Highness the Princess said that this cotton can be sold at a higher price." A bold farmer said hesitantly. "Oh, don't listen to Her Highness the Princess's nonsense." The merchant immediately put on a dismissive expression, "What does she know about the market? We are professional merchants, and the prices we give are definitely the most fair." As he said that, he took out a few more ingots of silver from his bag and weighed them in his hands: "Look, this is all wasted money. If you miss this opportunity, you won't be able to find such a good buyer." ” Seeing the shining silver, some farmers began to waver. They have worked hard to grow cotton for a year just to sell it at a good price and live a good life. Now faced with this tempting money and the businessman's sweet words, how could they not be tempted?
However, at this moment, Zhao Yingluo came over with Baiguan. She saw through the treachery of the merchants and the confusion of the farmers at a glance. There was a surge of anger in her heart. These shameless businessmen dared to bully the people under her nose!
"Stop!" Zhao Yingluo shouted, "You shameless businessmen, how dare you bully the people with such a low price! Do you know the market value of this cotton?" The merchants were startled by Zhao Yingluo's sudden appearance. They did not expect that the princess would come to the field in person to supervise the acquisition process. They exchanged glances in panic, and one of the businessmen stepped forward bravely and said: "Your Highness, please calm down, we are giving you a price based on market conditions..."
"Market conditions?" Zhao Yingluo sneered, "Do you mean by market conditions to bully the people and drive up prices? Let me tell you, the market value of this cotton is far more than ten taels of silver and one hundred catties! If you businessmen dare to be so shameless again, Liang, don’t even think about doing business in our Song Dynasty!” Hearing Zhao Yingluo's words, the merchants suddenly fell silent. They knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess was true to her word. If she really angered her, she might not be able to gain a foothold in the Song Dynasty in the future. So they all expressed their willingness to increase the purchase price as requested by Her Royal Highness the Princess. Throughout the autumn, the cotton fields of the Song Dynasty were filled with the joy of harvest. Those white cotton not only brought warmth and comfort to the people, but also opened a door to a wealthy life for them. And all of this is thanks to the wise and brave Princess Zhao Yingluo. In the vast fields, farmers finally ushered in the full cotton harvest season. In the endless cotton fields, the once white clouds of cotton have disappeared, leaving only the bare cotton stalks swaying in the autumn wind. Zhao Yingluo stood on the ridge of the field, looking at the harvested cotton field in front of her, her heart filled with satisfaction and relief. She knew that the hard work and sweat put into this land had finally yielded fruitful results. And those cotton bolls that had no time to spun out were also pulled out by farmers under her order and dried in the open space, waiting for further processing. "Your Highness, the cotton harvest this year is so good!" Jiang Laosi stepped forward and reported to Zhao Yingluo with a happy face, "A total of one million shi of cotton was harvested around Kaifeng, which is unprecedented in the Song Dynasty. What a great harvest!” Hearing this number, Zhao Yingluo couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. She knew that this was not just a numerical harvest, but also the best reward for her and all the people who worked hard to promote cotton cultivation. "Okay, okay, okay!" Zhao Yingluo praised repeatedly, "This is the result of everyone's hard work. Jiang Laosi, you are indispensable!" Jiang Laosi was a little embarrassed to be praised by Her Highness the Princess. He touched his head and said with a smile: "Hey, this is all the result of Her Highness the Princess. If you hadn't pushed against everyone's opinions to promote cotton planting, how could we have the bumper harvest we have today? !”