Aside from the increasingly frequent replacement of porcelain in the Crown Prince's residence, the following period was remarkably tranquil.
Gu Yanshu finally found himself with rare leisure.
His days settled into a comfortable rhythm:
Morning exercises with Qin Lu, followed by breakfast and handling household and business affairs.
Afternoons brought brief naps before retreating to the workshop with craftsmen, tinkering with inventions to enhance daily comforts.
Frequent visits to the glass conservatory to check on his beloved vegetable sprouts became routine.
Perhaps due to the approaching New Year, Qin Lu's official duties also lightened—
Returning to the residence shortly after noon each day, granting the couple unprecedented time together.
To any observer in the Prince's household, the deepening intimacy between them was unmistakable—
A closeness that excluded all outsiders.
Servants witnessed countless endearing scenes:
Their master being ordered about by the Princess Consort during crafting sessions, only to be banished from the workshop after crushing some delicate creation with his brute strength.
The sight of the formidable Prince lingering outside like a chastised hound—
Ears metaphorically drooping, yearning to approach yet fearing further reproach—
Became one of the residence's most remarkable spectacles.
Then there was the unforgettable image of the Prince wielding a hoe in the conservatory.
This originated from the vegetable sprouts in the main courtyard's glasshouse.
The Princess Consort favored greens—
Or more accurately, while appreciating meats, he required vegetable accompaniments to avoid feeling overly greased.
This preference was household knowledge.
During their wedding season, weather permitted fresh produce despite its expense.
But with winter's full arrival, only dried vegetables, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots remained—
Gu Yanshu's diminishing appetite concerned the entire household.
When the conservatory was completed, he immediately began experimental vegetable cultivation.
While servants could handle soil preparation, a sudden whim—or perhaps the tantalizing prospect of fresh greens—
Inspired Gu Yanshu's declaration:
"Turning soil? I can manage that!"
Thus began his enthusiastic but ill-fated farming debut.
Neither Young Master Gu nor his modern counterpart had ever performed manual labor.
Regarding agriculture, he was like one who has mastered nine-tenths of a subject—
That is, completely ignorant.
Initial enthusiasm powered his hoeing, but after barely covering one-sixth of the plot, reality struck—
Lacking technique, relying solely on brute force, his palms began stinging.
Inspection revealed ominous redness; continued effort would surely raise blisters.
"Perhaps this subordinate could complete the task?"
Xing Ren's timely offer presented a dilemma:
Admitting defeat wounded pride, but blistered palms promised literal pain.
As Gu Yanshu hesitated between face and comfort, Qin Lu returned—
Discovering his consort's predicament upon entering the courtyard.
"Trouble?"
That familiar baritone was Gu Yanshu's salvation.
Lighting up, he dragged Qin Lu into the conservatory, thrusting the hoe into his hands:
"Perfect timing! I'm preparing vegetable beds—since you're here, you might as well finish turning this soil."
Gu Yanshu's logic was impeccable:
What's mine is yours, and yours is mine—therefore you are me, and I am you.
Thus your words are my words, and your deeds are my deeds!
By this flawless reasoning, having Qin Lu hoe the plot equated to doing it himself—
No face lost!
Qin Lu, oblivious to this sophistry, eyed the tool:
"Couldn't servants handle this?"
Not about to confess his earlier bravado, Gu Yanshu countered righteously:
"Don't homegrown vegetables taste better?"
The argument failed to convince.
After all, no one understood specialization's importance better than Gu Yanshu—
Movable type, soap, steel refinement, telescopes, even charcoal pencils—
All were accomplished through delegating to skilled hands.
Why suddenly insist on personal farming?
As Qin Lu hesitated, Gu Yanshu narrowed his eyes:
"Could it be...you don't know how?"
"That much I can manage."
Qin Lu's response wasn't empty boasting.
During three years campaigning, frontier garrisons often faced food shortages—
With arable land scarce and imperial coffers emptier, soldiers turned farmers.
Many troops hailed from agricultural backgrounds, teaching others through mutual assistance.
As commander, Qin Lu had participated to bolster morale—
Thus gaining firsthand farming experience.
Meeting Gu Yanshu's expectant gaze—though somewhat baffled—Qin Lu first removed his heavy cloak, draping it carefully over his consort's shoulders before turning to the task at hand.
The difference between amateur and professional became immediately apparent.
Qin Lu's posture radiated practiced ease, each stroke of the hoe turning soil far more uniformly than Gu Yanshu's haphazard attempts.
Most strikingly—
The speed.
Where Gu Yanshu had barely managed one-sixth of the plot through strenuous effort, Qin Lu completed a third in mere moments.
Satisfied, Gu Yanshu turned to Xing Ren with characteristic bravado:
"See? A real man never admits incompetence."
This penchant for provocative remarks was a holdover from the apocalypse—
Where life dangled by threads daily, propriety became collateral damage.
Though aristocratic upbringing had tempered Gu Yanshu's language, years in that environment left their mark—
Occasional vulgar quips slipping through like this one.
Oblivious to Xing Ren's sudden stiffness—
Or Qin Lu's barely perceptible pause mid-hoeing—
Gu Yanshu continued admiring the rapidly expanding cultivated area.
Soon, the entire plot lay transformed.
"Magnificent work!"
Gu Yanshu approached the neatly tilled earth, praise flowing freely:
"I knew Your Highness excelled in civil and martial arts, but farming proficiency? Truly impressive! Once Xing Ren sows these seeds, fresh vegetables should—"
His monologue trailed off abruptly.
Qin Lu's gaze had acquired an unsettling intensity.
Before Gu Yanshu could inquire, that deep voice resonated with dangerous amusement:
"'A real man never admits incompetence'?"
The weighted delivery brooked no misinterpretation.
Only then did Gu Yanshu recognize his phrasing's... unfortunate implications.
That mental "DANGER" sign flashed crimson as Qin Lu's eyes darkened further.
"Your Highness, let me explai—"
"No explanations necessary."
An iron arm encircled Gu Yanshu's waist, hauling him against a solid chest.
"This prince will demonstrate his competence directly."
By the time bedroom curtains were drawn, Xing Ren—having discreetly retreated earlier—
Reemerged to methodically plant seeds in the freshly turned soil, musing silently:
Since the Princess Consort's arrival, His Highness increasingly disregards propriety. Broad daylight, no less!
Yet his hands never paused.
As the saying goes—master and servant share one mind.
While Xing Ren sowed vegetables, Qin Lu engaged in parallel cultivation.
Admittedly, this particular fertile ground—being newly broken today—
Proved slightly more challenging than the conservatory plot Qin Lu had just prepared.
But nothing daunted the experienced Prince of Li—
Merely requiring... extended effort.
When Xing Ren began planting, Qin Lu was still loosening soil.
As Xing Ren reached halfway, their tasks synchronized momentarily—both commencing sowing.
Yet when Xing Ren finished, Qin Lu continued diligently—
The sheer acreage demanding attention until dusk's arrival.