Boss Pan couldn't help but stare at Mu Wanqing and cried out, "You...you are Brother Mu?"
That extremely smart and quirky little brother always remembered that the tea brick making technology was taught by Brother Mu.
But, he is obviously a boy, and his origins are mysterious.
Mu Wanqing smiled slightly, "Boss Pan, long time no see."
With a "thump", the cup in Boss Pan's hand fell to the ground, his face full of surprise.
Surprisingly, it’s true!
My mind was completely blank and confused. I had countless things to say, but when I spoke, they all came together into one sentence: "You are a girl."
How could this be possible? He had been dreaming.
Mu Wanqing was still young at that time. She had an androgynous pretty face, without a trace of makeup, and behaved in a graceful and elegant manner. Who would have doubted her?
"Is it okay for me to dress up as a man? Most people can't tell."
Boss Pan’s mouth was so big that a duck egg could fit in it. “It’s really you… why…”
Mu Wanqing looked calm and said, "I just want to make some money."
This reason is powerful.
When Boss Pan walked out of the box, he was still in a daze, like a puppet.
Guo Er looked at him with a smile, patted his shoulder, and walked past him.
Boss Pan came to his senses and grabbed his neighbor, "Guo Er, tell me quickly, what's going on? My head is like a paste, it's so confused."
I can't think at all.
He insisted on dragging Guo Er out for a drink. Okay, Guo Er did not hide anything from him and briefly told him what happened.
After hearing this, Boss Pan became even more confused.
At the age of fourteen, he had already fooled them around and played everyone to his heart's content, and even he, an old hand, didn't notice it at all.
"When did you know this? Why didn't you tell me?"
Guo Er couldn't help but burst into laughter, "I just want to see your face change in real time."
He got great comfort from seeing that there were people who were even more stupid than him.
Boss Pan: ...
I don’t want this friend anymore!
"At that time, she was still an exiled prisoner."
"Yes, now she is the Princess of Qingping County. You don't have to feel too ashamed. After all, she is not an ordinary person." Guo Er thought for a while and revealed a little bit of the news, "She even dared to play tricks on the prince of Northern Chu and the minister of Xiwu, and she was able to escape unscathed. What kind of person are you?"
Boss Pan's eyes lit up, "Prince of Northern Chu? Tell me what's going on?"
"It's hard to say much, but I'm determined to follow her." Guo Er not only ordered cotton cloth, but also helped to rebuild a street of local specialties. He rented several stores and opened a Guo's Business, which specializes in selling local specialties from Jiangnan.
"I bought a house and a farm in Liangcheng, and I'm also building a restaurant."
The family originally looked down on the border, but, unable to resist the temptation of cotton, they allocated some manpower and resources to let him manage it.
The other brothers hoped that he would stay in Liangcheng forever and not compete with them for the position of head of the family, so they all contributed their efforts.
After hearing this, Boss Pan insisted on taking him on a tour. After the tour, he quickly ran to the government office, bought a large piece of land to build a farm, and also bought a house in the city.
"I plan to grow some cotton with the Qingping County Lord."
He was considered to be a courageous man, as he bought tens of thousands of acres of land at one time.
Of course, he is not the only one who does this. Guo Er said, "The land price in Liangcheng has increased, and it will increase further after the war."
Before, an acre of good land yielded three taels, but now it yields five taels.
Wasteland used to cost one ounce per mu, but now it’s only three ounces. However, even so, wasteland is still in great demand.
Merchants from all over the country come here to place their bets. What if they win?
As soon as the merchants entered, the business of restaurants, teahouses and inns became booming, and the surrounding business also increased.
Liangcheng's unprecedented prosperity was not affected by the war at all.
All this is thanks to the advent of cotton.
Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, and businessmen have a keen sense of smell. They sensed this early on and placed their bets in advance.
As long as you abide by the rules when doing business in Liangcheng, there will be no chaos. The overall business environment is very good, which makes businessmen feel relieved.
If you encounter injustice, you can seek resolution from the government. It is efficient and effective, and you don’t have to use connections or give money to bribe officials.
Workshops of all sizes opened, more people were doing the work, and people were willing to spend the money they had. This virtuous cycle made Liangcheng prosperous.
The snack street of the Mu family is even more lively, with customers flocking in every day and the supply cannot meet the demand.
An ordinary horse-drawn carriage made a circle in Liangcheng. Du Shuai, who was in the carriage, had just recovered from his injury and couldn't help but come out for a walk.
The streets lined with shops are busy with traffic and people coming and going, shoulder to shoulder, and noisy and lively.
Peddler was carrying goods on his shoulder, and his cries of hawking could be heard from time to time, and everything was full of life.
Every face was filled with smiles, calm and peaceful.
These are what Du Shuai has always protected.
He couldn't help but say, "This is different from the Liangcheng I remembered."
He only remembered that the two main streets were bustling, but other than that, the streets were quite deserted. Ordinary people rarely went shopping on the main streets because things were expensive.
As a son-in-law, Jiang Tongzhi would go to accompany Du Shuai whenever he had nothing to do. Now, Du Shuai dragged him out to wander around the streets.
"Since the Princess of Qingping County took over the Dusi Mansion, she has reclaimed wasteland, cultivated land, built water conservancy projects, vigorously supported industry and commerce, and built workshops, which has brought about the current prosperity."
This is a city that is not shrouded in the shadow of war. It was obviously impossible, but Mu Wanqing did it.
Du Shuai frowned slightly, "Supporting industry and commerce?"
The national policy of the Great Qi Dynasty was to emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce, and the status of merchants was not high.
Jiang Tongzhi naturally knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry, Princess Qingping knows what she is doing. Agriculture is always the first priority. We will develop commerce on the basis of agriculture and rely on each other. Food and cloth are strategic materials and must be firmly in our hands."
"She formulated the strategy of stabilizing market prices, imposing heavy taxes on businessmen, and ensuring that the government had full control over the economy." Note (1)
As a result, the economy flourished, a lot of tax revenue came in, and the government had money.
With the money, they reclaimed wasteland, supported agricultural development, and built large and small workshops. After going through the entire process, the three pillars of commerce, industry, and agriculture moved forward steadily.
Du Shuai finally felt relieved and looked at the pedestrians on the street a few more times. He found that they were all wearing cotton coats. Although they were black, blue and gray, they were brand new.
"What's the price of cotton?"
Jiang Tongzhi knew this very well. "The most common cotton cloth costs 100 wen per piece, and cotton wool costs 50 wen per pound..."
When ordinary people go out to work, they have to earn at least 20 cents a day, which means they can buy these things after working for a few days, so the pressure is not that great.
"So cheap?" Du Shuai was a little surprised.
Jiang Tongzhi nodded with a smile, "Yes, but the sales are limited. A family can only buy five kilograms of cotton wool and two pieces of cloth based on their household registration."
This is considered a benefit for the residents of this city.
Du Shuai calculated that one piece of cloth could make three sets of shorts, "This is only enough for a family to wear cotton jackets and trousers, but not enough to make quilts."
"There is no other way. We supply the army first, and the rest is supplied to the residents of the city at a fair price. The few that are left are sold to other places to at least make back the cost." Jiang Tongzhi couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "Princess Qingping is really great. She can obviously make a lot of money."
This is enough to prove that Mu Wanqing is an excellent ruler and a person with great feelings.
"Buy more seeds from her, and we will plant half of them next year." Du Shuai came out for a walk because he wanted to submit a memorial to the court, telling about Mu Wanqing's contribution and asking the court to make a decision sooner.
This matter has been delayed for a long time, and the court has not paid any attention to it or issued a formal appointment letter. I don't know what it means.
Jiang Tongzhi laughed, "Her seeds are sold at a high price, but the demand still exceeds the supply. She can make a fortune just by selling seeds."
In the final analysis, Mu Wanqing will not suffer any loss no matter what.
Du Shuai nodded slightly. Mu Wanqing was not a saint who only knew how to give without asking for anything in return.
She is very shrewd but never reveals it; even more rare is that she is decent and generous, and knows how to handle both public and private matters just right.
He is impeccable in his official duties.
"Hey, why are these streets so clean?"
Jiang Tongzhi chuckled, "The Princess of Qingping County has set up trash cans and public toilets on the roadside, established a cleaning team to clean the streets, and also set up public buses."
He pointed to a carriage coming at full speed from the opposite direction and said, "Look, this carriage has the word 'Public Bus' written on it, which means that people can take the bus for just one penny, and it can take them to any place in the city."
"Transfer stations were built next to the four city gates, and the oxcarts and donkey carts entering the city were placed at the transfer stations,"
This prevents livestock from defecating and urinating everywhere, making the streets dirty.
Du Shuai: …
"What about shipping the goods?"
“There are special trucks.”
Du Shuai felt like he didn’t even recognize Liangcheng anymore. It had only been such a short time, and yet there had been such earth-shaking changes.
"Let's go and take a look at the Mu Family Academy."
Mu Family Academy, today is the graduation ceremony for the first batch of students, it is full of a sense of ceremony.
The audience was filled with students and their parents, and everyone's faces were filled with excitement.
The two young ladies of the Du family were also invited to attend the ceremony and brought their own children.
Miss Du looked at the students in uniform school uniforms and felt a little envious. Men and women were treated equally, and they had an open-minded patriarch.
“After this batch of graduates leave, the college will become deserted.”
Miss Du was the vice-president of the academy before. Now she adjusted her job and became the general manager of the wool workshop in Shuimu Farm. She has become more confident and has the demeanor of a professional woman.
"How could that be? There are too many people who want to come here to study, and everyone is waiting for the Qingping County Lord to start recruiting students. It is said that she will recruit a group of outstanding talents from the society."
A group of children from powerful and wealthy families had entered the academy before, but their number was small and they could only enroll after passing an assessment.
Here, no matter what your background is, you are a student, and acquiring knowledge is the first priority.
If you don't study hard and make trouble here, you will be kicked out in minutes.
There are no privileges here. Everyone believes that the strong are respected. Mu Wanqing is the strongest in everyone's heart and is worshipped by the students.
Miss Du's eyes swept across a familiar face. It was her husband's nephew, who was making a lot of noise at home and was like a rebellious young man.
But now, he is sitting quietly among his classmates, with a very calm profile, as if he has become a different person.
"By the way, how did the academy tame these troublemakers?" "Corporal punishment is not practiced here, and beating or scolding is out of the question.
"Involution." Second Miss Du said with a somewhat mischievous smile, "Weekly exams, ten-day exams, quarterly exams, those who place last in three exams will be expelled."
Just dealing with exams has exhausted all my energy, so how can I have time to do anything?
Miss Du: ...
I understand. A rebellious young man also needs to have dignity. If he is dismissed, how can he survive in the circle? It will be embarrassing for his parents and family.
On the stage, Mu Wanqing was looking at the crops of leeks, oh no, the grown young boys and girls, with a smile on her face.
The students felt her gaze and puffed out their chests even higher. "Dean, look at me! Look at me! I'm the most capable!"
Mu Wanqing delivered a passionate speech, which was very inspiring. The central idea was to work hard, strive to be independent as soon as possible, and become the pride of the college. It was hoped that their names could be engraved on the college's honor roll as soon as possible for all younger students to admire.
Receiving the diplomas from her and listening to her comments and affirmation of each graduate, the students were so excited that their eyes were filled with tears, and they wished they could devote their entire lives to the dean until their death.
There is no better dean than her. She cares about them so much, knows every situation of each person well, and provides targeted guidance.
He also praised them as excellent talents.
The atmosphere was extremely warm, countless people had tears in their eyes, and even outsiders were infected and felt very excited.
Du Shuai hid in the dark and watched for a while. He had to admit that Mu Wanqing was also good at education.
Suddenly, a voice suddenly sounded, "County Lady, something big has happened. There has been an uprising in the Prince of Wei's Mansion."
The statement was earth-shattering and the whole audience was shocked.
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Note (1) Excerpted from Baidu.
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