Lady of the Lord From the East

Wei Wei's question is also something Felix is ​​considering.

They can hide it from the church, because the church has no rights in Prady and can't control them, but the king is different.

As a nobleman, Felix is ​​undoubtedly the one with the most power in his own territory. Even the king's control over him can't be considered too much. When the lord fights, it doesn't matter.

But even so, you can't completely ignore the king, especially the interests. If you don't give the above a little benefit, if people don't like it, even if they can't justify you, they can find a reason to cancel your first. Noble title, **** your wealth openly and aboveboard.

Although the result of doing this is likely to force the nobles to take their territory to the next country, or simply copy the guy to become the king, as long as the king is not stupid, he will not do it so directly, but secretly doing small tricks is hard to prevent.

Moreover, Felix's family is a direct vassal of the king, and the latter has more control over the former than other nobles.

If they start planting high-yield crops on a large scale next year, but they have no intention of giving back to the king at all, even if the king has shown appreciation for him, he will directly turn his face, and when he turns his face, other nobles who have already coveted Sardinson will naturally I won't let this opportunity go, and Felix's situation may be so bad.

So it's still the old routine before, and it's better to bring a copy to the king.

After accepting the benefits of Sardinson, the king will definitely be on his side, as long as he wants to continue to obtain other benefits in the future.

So Felix quickly made a decision: "When the sweet potatoes, together with corn potatoes, are sent to Your Majesty, I will deliver them myself."

Wei Wei was surprised: "Are you going to the capital?"

"Well, it's more sincere for us to send this batch of things ourselves. The sweet potatoes will not be received until August. By then, the church members will also leave. It's not a problem for me to leave for a while, and there are some things in the capital that I need to take care of."

There was news that had just arrived, and Felix hadn't had time to tell Wei Wei.

"Kingsley caught you three people, they confessed that the people who wanted to kidnap you were Beresfords."

Wei Wei didn't remember what the surname represented, and after thinking for a while, she came up with a little impression from the corner.

"That count with a wealthy territory?" Wei Wei tilted her head, vaguely remembering that the reason why this person was suspected was because he and the other two were also in the incense business, and Sardinson gave them the essential oil business. Not a small shock.

Oh, and now it's not only essential oils, but perfumes that have an even bigger impact.

"I thought he was the least suspicious of the three. Is it him?"

At that time, the suspect target, the highest title was the Earl of Beresford's family, and the remaining two were barons, but one was the king's official seal minister and the other was the chancellor of the exchequer. Although the title was lower than the former, in Prady's Political status is higher.

"It's not necessarily him." Felix said calmly: "It's also possible that the other party lied, and those mercenaries are not easy to deal with."

For this matter, he also analyzed which of the three suspects was behind the scenes. At that time, he was so angry that he found the three suspects, but after calming down, he found that although the Earl of Beresford was also suspected, he It is the smallest. His territory is very rich. Although he also does the spice business, it is not the largest source of his wealth. If the time is later, his suspicion will be greater, but at the time of Wei Wei's accident Before the paragraph, the Beresford family did not lose too much because of essential oils, far from the need to take action against Wei Wei, and the Beresford family's territory was far away from the capital, and the earl didn't usually stay too much. In the capital, his influence in the capital should not have reached the level where even if the king ordered martial law all the way, he could kill and throw corpses unconsciously and hide the rest in a monastery.

"Actually, the relationship between Earl Beresford and the church is not very good. He once had his knights destroy the church in the territory. Although there were no casualties, doing so would indeed be bad for the church."

Wei Wei: "The little black house didn't ask?"

Felix was helpless: "It should be useless. Before the Pope's accident, Knight Kingsley took someone to the capital."

So they don't know that there is a "little black house" torture method that does not hurt people's bodies but only hurts people's minds. Naturally, it is impossible to use them.

Well, when Felix takes a trip in person, it will naturally be an eye-opener for them.

The matter of going to the capital was settled like this. Felix went by boat with his subordinates and his belongings. He was going to bring the king a hundred catties of corn, a hundred catties of potatoes and a hundred catties of sweet potatoes, to compare the amount they harvested. Little said, but enough as a tribute.

Of course, it wasn't for nothing. Felix was thinking about whether he could get some benefits from the king, such as ordering someone more.

"If the news leaks from the king, we need to come up with some extra deals."

This is just a precautionary measure, and it does not require too much preparation. Although they prevent other nobles from buying seeds after hearing the news, it is difficult for people who have not seen the yield of these crops to believe the authenticity of the news, just like if he directly Talking to the king about this year's output, the king may be shocked, but then think that he is most likely to exaggerate.

Before seeing the evidence, even if someone would be interested in these crops, it would be impossible to take the risk of replacing all the wheat in the territory with these unseen crops.

Just as Felix was thinking about what to say after seeing the king, while waiting for the church to leave, Pope John's condition was finally good enough to leave.

When Wei Wei gave this diagnosis, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Even the Pope himself, although he really cherishes the time spent with old friends whom he has not seen for many years, but he also knows that now is not a good time. The route and time of the visit to the church have already been set, because they delayed their departure due to this accident. Time, I don't know how much things will be delayed.

Moreover, the attendants who have served him for many years can be bribed to kill him. Pope John does not know if there are such people around him. He hopes to end the visit early and return to Rome to find out who is around him. At the same time, he also wants to Catch the guy who bribed Sean to kill him.

Bishop Umberto also has the same meaning, and he has learned a lot about wheat planting from Wei Wei. Although the booklet he got before has been sent back, he feels that it is safer to have himself when the autumn sowing is carried out. The visit of the church group has been scheduled for several months this time, and they are going to many countries. If there is a delay later, it is very likely that they will not be able to return to Rome before the autumn sowing.

Of course, the more important thing is to deal with Sean's business.

Originally, Bishop Umberto felt that he could mention to the Pope that he could withdraw from the visiting group in advance and return to Rome first, but the Pope was left alone to deal with the remaining two bishops. .

Fortunately, he had already written to another reliable companion and asked him to investigate the people behind Sean, hoping that when the visiting group returned to Rome, they would hear good news.

And not to mention Bishop Roberto. He has been looking for opportunities to pass the news, and it has been successful, but it was a little late when he spread the news about Sean. He was worried that the Pope's side was better than his own. It would be too disadvantageous for them to find the people who persuaded Sean early and find more people by following the clues.

What Bishop Roberto was more worried about was that this matter would eventually involve him, so he was not even interested in exploring Sardinson's secrets during this time, and he only thought about how to solve this matter every day.

Even if Pope John was just a puppet pope, trying to murder him would be a disrespectful offense, disenfranchisement would be trivial, and life imprisonment and the death penalty would be the consistent outcome of a trial.

Everyone wants to leave Sardinson early, but the Pope is not good, no one can mention this. Now that the Pope is good, they naturally leave as quickly as possible.

There was not even a day's delay. In the early morning of the second day after confirming that Pope John was well, they packed their bags, adjusted the team, and prepared to leave.

When guests bid farewell, of course, as a host, you have to express something.

Wei Wei prepared some things from Sardinson as gifts, essential oils, perfumes, pasta, bolognese, fish, canned everything, and almost put in the cosmetics, but considering that the clergy of the church must remain single and high-level There will be no women, she is not prepared.

Three gifts were prepared for the Pope and the two bishops. She selectively ignored that there was still a bishop waiting at the port of Princia, and there was no point in bringing him a penny. The things were valuable. , even the lord's house can't be so wasteful.

The three gifts look no different from the outside, only a little more from the Pope, but Wei Wei and Felix discussed it privately and put a bag of corn seeds at the bottom of the gifts from the Pope and Bishop Umberto, only five pounds. , comes with a planting and storage manual, but it doesn't say what the yield is, it just says that it is a specialty staple food in the silk country. It is drought-resistant, cold-resistant, barren, adaptable, and tastes good. They can try it. a bit.

The reason why they finally decided to send some was that they had to ask Bishop Umberto for the bank’s affairs. The two sides were considered cooperative, so they still had to give some sincerity, so they gave some corn seeds. When it comes to the yield of these seeds, let them only plant them and see whether they are good or bad.

This year, they can't plant it. They can only wait for next year. Next year, Sardinson will also plant corn on a large scale. When the church can infer the yield per mu based on the yield of five kilograms of corn seeds, it is no longer a matter. It’s a secret, and it can even be used to spread the word. If the church finds you, it will be good. They will definitely sell the harvested corn and other things as seeds. The price is higher than the grain, and the church will find it. bring them more business.

Wei Wei is already very generous in asking herself. Although the Pope and Bishop Umberto only received five kilograms of corn seeds, if they are planted well, they will have more than one thousand kilograms of seeds when they are harvested, and they will plant dozens of acres in the next year. The land is not difficult. Even Wei Wei's earliest corn seeds were only about a pound. The starting point she prepared for them was too high. If they still felt that it was not enough, of course they had to pay for it themselves.

As for tithing? If we want to pay it, we will use other things instead. Unless corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes are worthless, they will never use these to pay tithes. It really annoys them. They simply don’t give a grain of food. Di is also a regular operation. As long as the operation and donation of the church in the territory can be guaranteed, the church cannot even protest, because the tithe is not in the law of Prady, and the people will teach. On the one hand, they do believe in God. , Sincerely give, on the one hand, the nobles are making money in the name of the church, but in fact it is really uncertain whose pockets the things go to.

When the gifts were delivered to their respective carriages, Bishop Roberto cryptically looked at the boxes that were opened in front of each other, and determined that the contents were almost the same, except for the Pope's a little more, and then withdrew his gaze and kept silent as he loaded the wood.

When the carriage and the team disappeared from view, Wei Wei exhaled a long breath: "Finally gone."

Yes, it's finally gone.

Everyone around her showed expressions of deep agreement.

With the church here, not only the two masters and the hostess, but also the servants and guards felt uncomfortable. During this time, the atmosphere in the castle was very delicate, and it was always in a tense state. Everyone had to be careful when doing things. You should also be wary of quilts, and if you do anything you feel in the way, who can stand it.

Therefore, as soon as the church members left, even Father Matthew, who was a member of the church, was obviously relieved.

He laughed and said, "Now I can go to church and continue to go to class."

Originally, Father Matthew was almost finished, and could go back to the church to continue to preside over the work of the priest. As a result, because the Pope and the others were there, the only priest in his castle could only accompany him, and he couldn’t find time to go to the church. He was also very tired to deal with the various demands made by Bishop Roberto.

Considering that when he came to the church, he was completely on the side of Satinson, and he didn't say anything that shouldn't be said, and Felix's trust in the elder brother's godfather also increased a lot.

Wei Wei nodded in agreement as a doctor: "Of course, you can go back at any time, but you can't work too hard. You should rest when it's time to rest."

After sending off the Pope and his party, the atmosphere in Sardinson Castle immediately relaxed, everyone returned to normal working conditions, and the corn, potatoes and peanuts that could not fit in the villa were also sent back to the castle.

This time, the corn and potatoes were really bumper, and Wei Wei didn’t hesitate to take out some of them to reward everyone for their hard work. The number of peanuts was relatively small, and most of them had been stored in the cellar of the villa, so she didn’t move them. Flowers, please eat only corn and potatoes.

The sun-dried corn is sent to the castle's special mill to be ground into corn flour, which is combined with the flour to make tortillas. Eggs and sugar are added to the tortillas, and they are fried in oil. The surface is crispy, but the inside is soft. In addition to the aroma of corn, there is also the umami of eggs and a touch of sweetness, which is delicious and filling, much better than toast with only one flavor.

There is also pumpkin corn soup. The freshly cooked pumpkin is not as sweet as the old pumpkin, but it has a fragrance. It is cooked with the pre-soaked corn kernels. The taste is very light, and it is very appetizing and invigorating the spleen.

The method of potatoes doesn't need to be said by Wei Wei, it was done in the kitchen last year. This time, the chef took the apprentices and servants to make a bunch of potato cakes, mashed potatoes and potato stew, etc., and cooked a whole table.

Then the castle opened the banquet, and all were able to participate, even the servants were allowed to go back to the kitchen to enjoy their own dinner after the master and stewards and knights had dinner together, and the meal was made of corn and potatoes. The main food, except for the lack of some precious spices, is the same as what the masters eat, and the same is true for the soldiers on both sides of the castle and villa.

Among the slaves, the slaves working at the villa also got a tortilla. Of course, this was not dinner, just an extra reward.

Although Felix wanted to hide these high-yield crops from the outside world, he was more assured of his people, and he didn't say the output of these crops, just let everyone know that these grains were brought by Wei Wei, And recognize their deliciousness.

But although they didn't know the output and only ate these delicacies, they showed a good impression of the new grains. Someone at the table couldn't help but ask Felix if Sardinson Castle was going to grow these grains.

Felix smiled and said with a glass of wine: "I have this plan. Next year, part of the land in Sardinson Castle will be replanted with these, and everyone will be able to eat these delicious foods every day."

Someone said regretfully: "But now we have eaten all these, will we have enough seeds for next year?"

Others think about the tortillas they just ate. It is really better than white bread. It would be great if they could eat it every day as the Count said, but think about how many people eat them today. It is said that even servants and soldiers have a share, how many seeds can really be left?

Because the corn kernels in the soup look like seeds, they naturally know that they are eating seeds that are sown like wheat. Now that everyone has eaten so many seeds, even if there are still, they will not be able to plant much land next year, right?

And everyone still remembers how Wei Wei came to Sardinson, although she brought back a lot of hidden things one after another, but thinking about the weight of those things, even if they were all seeds, it would not be too much , and who would run away with only a bunch of seeds when he could carry possessions? What's more, the maids are always saying in private, don't look at their countess coming to Sardinson alone, in fact, she is rich, and the silk she brings can be directly made into a dress. There are still many leftovers. There are many kinds of jewelry, even what she calls porcelain. There are many precious utensils that everyone has never seen. Deducting these, the seeds should not be many.

"We naturally left enough weight." When sowing next spring, everyone will naturally see the seeds he prepared, not to mention that the people who transport corn and potatoes into the cellar are all people from the castle. A lot, so he said generously: "If anyone wants to try these new crops, they can ask your countess to bring some back to try."

Hearing what he said, everyone turned their attention to Wei Wei, who showed an elegant smile: "The seeds will not be sent to you until the spring of next year, otherwise it will be a pity if they are damaged in winter, of course, those who want You can sign up with George first."

George was Felix's steward when she sold the land. Wei Wei saw that he was serious in his work and had a good character, so he used it all the time. Now he is in charge of other agricultural stewards in the manor, and he is a big leader.

So of course George came to the banquet this time. Hearing Wei Wei's words, he quickly got up and saluted her: "Please rest assured Madam, I will do it well."

After the banquet was over, everyone left the restaurant, still discussing the matter.

"Are you going to sign up?"

In the restaurant where the knights usually dine, the candles were lit, and 12 knights who stayed in the castle gathered together. There were some simple and delicious snacks on the table. Everyone had a large-capacity wooden cup at hand, and the cup was bright yellow. The beer is rough and has no added hops, and the liquor will not be bubbling, but it is still the favorite drink of knights at parties. They think that drinking beer is much more refreshing than sipping red wine.

Because the countess could not stand the mess, the count was not allowed to get drunk at the banquet of the count, and for this reason, the amount of alcohol the knights could drink at the banquet was limited, but no one complained, because they could gather together in private afterwards. Drinking, food and drinks are all handled by the kitchen, which is absolutely enough. The Earl occasionally participates in such gatherings, but it is rare. First, the wife does not like it, and secondly, he is too busy to sleep for a day drunk.

The knights can understand the Count's busyness, and their followers are usually very busy. In fact, this kind of private gathering has not been held for a while.

If the count hadn't held a banquet this time and gave them another day off, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to get everyone together.

The knight who asked the question was quickly answered by the other companions.

"I'm going, I love the taste of it."

"Me too, I think the seeds that the Countess can bring must be a good thing. Isn't that the strawberry we brought back before? The strawberries in my field are growing well. After they are picked, they will be taken to Dingle to sell. A lot of money."

There should not be too many merchants and noble squires from the surrounding areas in Dingle Town. Although the strawberries cannot be stored for a long time, it will not take much time to send them there. The outsiders in the town are already interested in the affairs of the castle. There is also the matter of Wei Wei distributing strawberry seedlings. They have heard about strawberries for a long time but have never seen the real thing. Now that they have seen it, they are naturally curious to buy it and try it.

Moreover, strawberries are not only delicious, but also look good. They are big and can easily sell for a good price. It is also a time when things are rare and expensive, so even if he only grew a few tens of kilograms in the field this year, he has exchanged them for them. Just one gold coin is not a big profit.

The others were almost the same, so everyone expressed their willingness to sign up to receive corn seeds.

The knight who spoke first was not reluctant, he was just a little worried: "What if the corn is not good? I might be punished by the count if not." There are no particularly powerful farmers in his fief, the land It is also very poor. Before Wei Wei came, the wheat harvest was very poor, so he really had no confidence in farming.

And this year's wheat is growing so well, shouldn't everyone be gearing up for a variety of wheat next year?

The knight who had a good relationship with him suddenly smiled: "So you are worried about this? What are you thinking, how could it be possible for us to be bad with the Countess?"

Another knight took a sip of wine and agreed loudly: "Yes, the countess is so good at farming, you can see that she didn't tell everyone everything clearly, we just need to listen to her instructions. "

Another humane said: "As for the output, don't worry about it."

Everyone else looked over when they heard the words, and seeing that it was the knight who had been arranged to deliver the food to the villa, they knew that he must have inside information.

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "I'm here to tell you this news, you must keep it a secret, otherwise you will anger the count, and everyone will not want to use him again in the future."

The people around him pushed him: "Come on, you can't talk about the castle. We still understand the rules."

The others nodded.

They all know that the Count is generous, but the rewards and punishments are clear. If you want to serve him, the most important thing besides loyalty is to keep your mouth shut.