Chapter 119: I wish us a happy cooperation

"Well, let's wait until after the New Year." Xie Yingmian thought about it seriously.

"After the New Year, you will be almost fully recovered and won't neglect the girls."

"I don't have many connections, and I don't know the character of the girls from different families. I have to ask the Queen Mother for help on this matter. As long as the Queen Mother and the Prince like it, I have no objection."

Yu Lingye: ...

He really shouldn't have expected anything from Xie Yingmian.

This woman's brain circuit is different from that of normal people.

Yu Lingye was afraid that he would be unable to resist shutting her up, so he changed the subject in a sullen manner: "Let's get back to the point."

"What I want to discuss with you is the matter of mochi bread."

"To be exact, a way to detoxify cassava."

Xie Yingmian was skeptical.

It's just a method to remove the toxins from cassava. Is it necessary to give her 100,000 taels of silver?

Yu Lingye explained:

"My fiefdom is barren and is a well-known impoverished area in the Dayu Dynasty."

"There are few good farmlands, rugged mountain roads, and inconvenient transportation. There are many rivers and mountains."

"The fertile fields located below are often submerged by heavy rains, causing flooding disasters."

"The soil on the mountain is barren and cannot hold water, so droughts are common, creating a unique landscape with floods below and dryness on the mountain."

"This year's rain was particularly heavy, with heavy rain falling for several days, flooding the few arable lands we have."

"Grain production, which was already low, has been reduced by 60%, and the remaining 40% has to pay a 10% national tax."

"There are hundreds of thousands of people in the fiefdom. We can't survive the winter with just that little food. The heavy rains have flooded the fields and affected farming, so there's no guarantee of a harvest next year."

"As the lord of a fiefdom, I cannot watch my people starve to death."

"At first, I planned to spend all my wealth to buy food and help the people in my fiefdom overcome their difficulties."

"But this measure only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. Even if we get through this difficult time, there will be a next time, and a next time."

"I can spend all my wealth this time, but next time, and the next time, I might not have anything left to spend."

"When I was at my wit's end, Fu Mo told me that you can remove the poison from cassava."

Yu Lingye's usually cold voice was mixed with strange emotions.

There were stars twinkling in his eyes as he looked at Xie Yingmian.

God knows,

The ecstasy he felt when Fu Mo accidentally told him that cassava that had been detoxified could be used as a staple food.

The dark and bleak dead end became brighter because of these few words.

It's not just the road that's turning bright.

There are also hundreds of thousands of lives in the fiefdom.

A stove was lit in the house.

The newly added golden charcoal made a crisp crackling sound.

The flames rose, and the flames rushed out of the furnace like a dragon, and were pulled back a moment later.

The air was burning with flames.

Yu Lingye's voice was blocked, and it was only slightly audible in the limited space: "There are many cassava trees on the mountains of the fiefdom."

“It’s all over the mountains and plains.”

"Because cassava is poisonous, and extremely toxic, if you eat it, you'll lose half your life, if not die. People don't dare touch it, so it grows even more recklessly and wildly."

"If you can find a way to remove the toxicity from cassava, you can save the lives of countless people in the fiefdom."

"In addition to solving the food problem for the people in the fiefdom, I also want to use cassava to increase their income. For example, I want to learn how to make mochi bread and other ways to cook cassava."

"Compared to the lives of the people and compared to my spending all my wealth, the money I give you is nothing."

Xie Yingmian finally understood.

Yu Lingye wanted to buy out the method to remove the toxins from cassava.

She looked at Yu Lingye with admiration.

Yu Lingye is not only a businessman, but also a good prince who cares about the people.

Starving people everywhere, people exchanging their own children for food, are just eight light words mentioned in history books.

In reality, it is a bloody hell on earth.

Before the development of nutrient solution in the 29th century, there was also a period of great famine.

Plants and animals mutate, and food becomes unfit for consumption.

Due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, most of the food that was originally sufficient for food was destroyed.

When hungry, people are no longer human, but beasts and animals.

Xie Yingmian had watched that famine footage several times, and every time he watched it, he felt cold all over and his heart was filled with fear.

In an era of rapid technological development and strong productivity, such horrific scenes as cannibalism still occur.

Not to mention the ancient times when people relied on the weather for their livelihood.

"I don't need your banknotes." Xie Yingmian said.

“I will tell you how to detoxify cassava for free.”

"But, I have a condition."

Xie Yingmian looked into Yu Lingye's eyes and said, "I want to invest in the company."

“I offer methods to detoxify cassava, various recipes suitable for cassava, and so on.”

“You’re responsible for turning that into revenue.”

"Your fiefdom is an extremely poor place. I think you may need support for the first two years. You may not be able to make a profit in these two years. After two years, I will collect 10% of the profit each year."

"But I think, with your business acumen, two years is a conservative estimate. You might be able to make a profit in one year at most."

"If you agree, we'll sign the contract."

"If you don't agree to my participation, that's fine. I will take 10,000 taels of silver as compensation for removing the cassava poison, and I won't take care of anything else."

Yu Lingye didn't say anything.

He looked at Xie Yingmian quietly, with a light in his eyes that Xie Yingmian could not understand.

Xie Yingmian continued, "I need to remind you."

"The cassava in your fiefdom should be pure wild cassava."

"This cassava is extremely poisonous. Even if I give you a way to detoxify it, it can't be guaranteed to be foolproof."

"If the deaths are caused by the people's improper handling, you can't blame me."

Yu Lingye said, "Of course."

"I will sign a contract with you. I will draft the specific terms. As for the profits, I can give you an extra 10%. You get 20% and I get 80%."

"The condition is that you need to check it."

Xie Yingmian narrowed his eyes.

28%, the sponsor is generous.

She extended her hand: "Well, I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance."

Yu Lingye looked at Xie Yingmian's hand, his eyes flashing.

He held her hand gently.

The voice was as clear as a spring: "It's a pleasure to work with you."

…

Two major events occurred in Hedu District.

The first big thing.

The Goshawk Gang was destroyed overnight.

All those villains who had relied on the power of the Goshawk Gang to bully others were arrested.

The villains' actions were all recorded in a book. The serious ones were beheaded and exiled, while the minor ones were beaten and driven out of the capital.

The second big thing.

A new force called "Nightingale" emerged.

Nightingale used lightning speed to recruit the gang members at the river ferry dock.

Led by Nightingale, the three parties, including Nightingale, dock coolies and merchants, held a meeting and formulated special dock regulations.

Most of those regulations are beneficial to the poor people at the bottom.

The benefits outweigh the disadvantages for businesses.

Compared to being exploited by the Goshawk Gang, the current regulations have greatly improved the business environment at the port.

The merchants and coolies gladly accepted it.

After the three parties signed the treaty, the dock was completely transformed.

In Prince Ling's Mansion.

While applying medicine to Linglong, Yumozuo and Zhuyue shared the news they heard from the kitchen.

Linglong was shocked and trembling.

She grabbed Tamamo's hand, her face pale: "Sister Tamamo, what are you talking about?"

"What happened to the Goshawk Gang?"