After having some tea and snacks, Jiang Yue took a short nap, even though the room wasn't completely soundproof.

Perhaps influenced by the wisteria, she seemed to dream of a loving couple carefully tending to the wisteria...

After waking up again, she ordered people to fertilize the roots of the wisteria with rabbit droppings every seven days.

Honestly, rabbit poop smells awful.

She would be taking a long detour around here, and after confirming the situation with Wisteria, she made an excuse and left.

I'll miss you~

Jiang Yue stumbled and almost fell.

When Lady Ban was alive, she loved listening to excerpts from operas, and this little wisteria vine keeps saying "this humble servant" all the time.

After shaking off a shiver, I hadn't gone far when I spotted Little White and its companion doing something naughty in a corner of the artificial hill.

Sigh, she's all alone now, she should just stay as far away as possible!

As expected, all the students sent their wages back home.

The letters and silver filled a large chest.

It was so heavy that it took two bodyguards to carry it into the carriage.

Wow, looks like another big order!

After completing the formalities, the bodyguards happily went off to deliver the goods.

Master Lu and Master Qian reluctantly bid farewell to the principal and the students, and together with the bodyguards, set off back to the school...

The students' dormitories have been settled, and their work locations are not fixed. They are still organized in small groups, and their three meals a day and late-night snacks are all arranged by designated personnel.

The results are reviewed monthly, with a focus on inventions and creations.

The top prize is generously awarded, and the results will be made public and recorded by name.

In some ways, this is very encouraging.

Imagine, your invention could not only bring you rewards, but also leave you with a name. One day, it might even make you a part of history!

Yes, they weren't officials, and they didn't have the ability.

But they shine in their areas of expertise.

Jiang Yue was somewhat grateful to the emperor for giving her the manpower of a prefecture.

She exempted the people of Yunshui County from taxes for three years, and also exempted them from paying tribute to Jinling for three years.

Both sides canceled out, she neither gained nor lost.

At the end of August, the first batch of financial statements from the eight major townships came out, hmm~

It wasn't a loss.

Yes, since she took over Yunshui County, all eight townships have been operating at a loss, constantly transporting resources in and investing in construction.

Three months to break even, give them another three months, they should be able to make a profit, right?

Besides the eight major villages, the main city of Yunshui County and the four major families' businesses gradually withdrew.

Apart from a few small aristocratic families, there are very few merchants left in Yunshui County.

People's basic needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation are inseparable from the business transactions conducted by merchants.

But did those people think that Yunshui County would decline after the merchants were taken away?

That's completely wrong!

The Wu Family Chamber of Commerce was established in response to this need.

Yunshui County welcomes all kinds of merchants to join the Chamber of Commerce. They can not only receive the protection of the Chamber of Commerce, but also enjoy support policies.

Jiang's Roast Duck was the first to join the Chamber of Commerce.

Soon, a roast duck shop appeared in Yunshui County.

It's always packed with customers, and you might not even get a number even if you queue!

Han's Rouge and Xie's Face Powder quietly opened their doors, offering high-quality products at low prices, and quickly gained a foothold in the market.

Brothers Hot Pot Restaurant and Zhurong Hot Pot Restaurant have merged and jointly acquired the largest restaurant in Yunshui County, becoming a new favorite.

A branch of Huichuntang opened next to Gujia Pharmacy, and the two pharmacies started competing with each other, with one offering free medical consultations and the other handing out free plum juice.

The Zhenyuan Escort Agency was split into smaller units, but the chief escort, having nothing else to do, opened a martial arts school to recruit students and teach martial arts.

The Haitang Troupe, who traveled all over the country, passed through Yunshui County and were invited to set up a stage outside a hot pot restaurant, where they performed for a month.

Everyone knows that the princess has hired a troupe of opera performers for the people of Yunshui County!

Whether you are an ordinary citizen, a bureaucrat, or even a beggar, you can pre-select your opera!

With a steady stream of support, people who had been separated from Jiang Yue and had received her care came to Yunshui County one after another.

Help her build Yunshui County.

The missing sections in Yunshui County were quickly filled.

The common people benefited from the benefits and enjoyed the convenience, so naturally they were very grateful to her, the princess.

Yunshui County was thriving, and the inconvenience caused by the relocation of the aristocratic families was quickly resolved.

But Jiang Yue knew that those people had only left physically, but their informants had remained.

If there's even the slightest disturbance in Yunshui County, it'll surely reach Jinling by then~

Hmph, as long as she doesn't rebel, the emperor should turn a blind eye as long as he lives.

If the emperor were to fall, Yunshui County could become her fortress...

Jinling—

Welcome to the Grand Restaurant, third floor private rooms.

Inside the private room, almost all the owners of the most well-known businesses in Nanjing had gathered.

At the main table sat the heads of the four great families.

Yes, you read that right, it was the head managers of each family, not a single family head came!

The other six tables were occupied by the heads of various large and small businesses!

"This is outrageous!"

"Yes, this is outrageous!"

"I'm referring to Princess Jiang. Who are you talking about?"

"Of course, that's true~"

......

Whether young or old, the heads of the families discussed the matter animatedly.

This wasn't the first time they'd gathered together. A month ago, after their meeting, they came to the conclusion that they would secretly cut off all operations to Yunshui County, turning it into a "ghost town"!

But a month later, their spies and informants reported back that everything was fine in Yunshui County!

On the contrary, their departure brought in new merchants from all over the world, filling every aspect of Yunshui County!

Yunshui County is now completely out of control!

At this point, they started to panic.

In such a short time, they have lost control of Yunshui County, and their interests have been harmed!

What are the four great families doing here again?

"Please be quiet, everyone, and listen—"

Just as the head stewards were about to speak, a loud shout came from outside—

"Oh no! That guy from Yunshui County has sent gifts to the capital again, and the Emperor has bestowed another reward!"

"What?"

Everyone inside was startled. How could things have changed so quickly...?

"What are these tributes?"

"It's a rice threshing machine. I heard that you put rice or wheat ears in, step on it gently, and the grain comes out!"

"And there are modified plows, which are much better than the originals!"

"There's also soft toilet paper, you can use it to wipe—"

"Wipe what?"

"Um~"

Which one?

"This is it~"

"This is an insult to civility!"

"That's really cheap, sold by the dollar, incredibly cheap!"

"Uh~"

The group exchanged glances, then quietly left their seats.

The people of Yunshui County are all so powerful, why don't they turn hostility into friendship?

Why not seize the opportunity to shake hands, make peace, and earn money together?

In the end, only the heads of the four powerful families at the chairman's table remained. These old foxes, though tacitly aware of each other's intentions, maintained their airs while harboring their own agendas...