Several days after the first snowfall in Brambleford, another heavy snow blanketed the region. However, unlike the tranquillity of the first snow, the city of Brambleford was now bustling with activity.

The Chandlier family had purchased all the rice wine in Brambleford and delivered it to the prince’s estate, causing quite a stir. Those who could no longer buy wine naturally cursed both the Chandlier family and the prince. However, some discerning individuals sensed something unusual and stayed up all night to gather information.

"His Highness has ordered that no one is to be admitted, and no outsiders are allowed into the estate!"

At the entrance of the prince’s castle, Walter was stopped by Ysabeau, but he refused to give up, his eyes constantly peering inside.

Ysabeau, with her hands on her slender waist, looked stern and scolded. "Hey! Hey! Why are you still looking inside? Do you want me to have Thomas and William throw you into the snow?"

Under normal circumstances, Walter would have laughed it off, apologized, and taken his time admiring Ysabeau before leaving. But today was different.

The prince had personally visited the Chandlier family, and the very next day, the Chandlier family bought up all the rice wine in Brambleford. Moreover, rumours spread that the prince was brewing a fine wine to be sold by the Chandlier family.

This news unsettled the Goldwynd family. Ever since the prince arrived in Brambleford, the Goldwynd family had enjoyed his trust, consistently overshadowing the Chandlier family. But the prince’s recent actions seemed unusual, as if he were now favouring the Chandlier family.

Cedric, the head of the Goldwynd family, sensed trouble. This was a sign that the Goldwynd family might be falling out of favour. He stayed up all night and the next day berated Walter, blaming him for distancing himself from Simon. He ordered Walter to immediately visit the prince’s castle to reconnect with Simon and gather information about the fine wine.

Meanwhile, Cedric went directly to the Chandlier family to taste the wine and see if it lived up to the rumours.

"You little girl, even His Highness treats me with some respect. How dare you act so arrogantly in front of me?" Walter, anxious, spoke without thinking.

Ysabeau, having been raised by Lady Isolde, held deep-rooted beliefs in imperial authority. The four great families of Brambleford might be influential locally, but outside the region, they were little more than merchants. In Eldora, the true noble families held positions of power for generations. Ysabeau looked down on the Goldwynd family from the bottom of her heart.

Enraged by Walter’s words, Ysabeau’s eyebrows furrowed, and she retorted. "How dare you! Do you not realize where you are? Do you think the prince’s castle is a place where anyone can act recklessly? Our prince is kind, but that doesn’t mean everyone here can be bullied!"

Walter’s heart sank. He suddenly remembered that Ysabeau and Joan were Lady Isolde’s personal attendants, while he was merely a drinking buddy of Simon. If things escalated, he would surely be in trouble.

He quickly apologized. "Please forgive my rudeness, Miss Ysabeau. I was too hasty. Could you please inform His Highness that Walter is waiting outside?"

As he spoke, Walter pulled a silver ingot from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"Hmph, at least you know your place!" Ysabeau glared at Walter, took the silver, and turned to enter the castle.

Walter tried to follow and peek inside, but Thomas and William immediately blocked him, glaring fiercely. He had no choice but to retreat and stand in the snow.

Inside the estate, Ysabeau made her way to the side hall, where the servants lived and the distillation equipment was installed. Seeing Simon by the stove, sketching something, Ysabeau approached and spoke. "My Lord, your prediction was spot on. Walter has indeed come. As you instructed, I made him wait outside. Oh, and I also earned a silver ingot."

Ysabeau proudly placed the silver on the table where Simon was drawing.

"Not bad. You and Joan can use this silver to buy some girly things." Simon said, glancing at the ingot. It was probably around ten caps; Walter was certainly generous.

Joan, who was grinding ink beside Simon, smiled until her eyes curved like crescent moons. But then she pouted. "My Lord, this silver is useless to us. Brambleford has nothing. If there were malt sugar, we could buy some."

Gius, eager to curry favour with Ysabeau and Joan who were second only to Roland in the castle chimed in, "Ladies, that’s easy. I’ll be going to Eldora soon and can bring back whatever you need."

"Yes, that’s right. Give the silver to Gius and tell him what you want." Simon said, pointing at Gius.

In truth, Simon knew how to make malt sugar, but he didn’t have the time for it now. It wasn’t economically valuable, just a treat. He decided to let Gius handle the shopping this time and make some malt sugar himself when he had the chance. He was craving it too; after all, malt sugar was one of the few snacks available in this era.

Ysabeau and Joan exchanged smiles, and Ysabeau handed the silver to Gius, saying. "Spend it wisely, or you’ll regret it when you return."

Gius, accustomed to Ysabeau’s fiery personality, took the silver and spoke. "Don’t worry, ladies."

Ysabeau then remembered Walter was still waiting outside and asked Simon. "My Lord, Walter is still outside. What should we do?"

"Let him wait. I used to trust the Goldwynd family too much, and they became arrogant, dominating the six cities. Baldwin has repeatedly informed me about the Goldwynd family seizing land and oppressing people. It’s time to make it clear who’s in charge here." Simon said with a cold smile.

"No wonder Your Highness visited the Chandlier family personally. It was to balance the power." Ysabeau nodded in understanding.

"Exactly. Although the Chandlier family isn’t exactly virtuous, they’ve always been at odds with the Goldwynd family. If I can divide and conquer, I can use all four families to my advantage instead of being led by them. Only when they compete can I benefit."

Simon was in a good mood and revealed his true intentions.

Ysabeau looked at Simon with newfound admiration. This version of the prince was something none of the other princes or princesses would have expected.

After another hour of drawing, a schematic of a steel production line emerged under Simon’s brush.

Roland had taken the servants from the Engineering Department away for some time. When they returned, this steel production line would be born.

In addition to the production line, there was also a diagram of a crucible. Simon planned to take these drawings to the Engineering Department tomorrow and explain them further. The steel production line would then be almost complete. Although crucible steelmaking couldn’t match the output of converter steelmaking, it was a significant improvement for this era.

Progress had to be made step by step; one couldn’t become a giant in a single leap.

After finishing the drawings, Simon suddenly remembered Walter waiting outside. He immediately instructed Ysabeau to summon him. Two hours had passed, he hoped the man hadn’t frozen to death.