Chapter 95: The Grand Finale
He Jing spoke up, "Please take a look, are these people the sons and daughters of your families?"
Hearing the sound, everyone looked over and immediately saw their own child. Before they could even process their surprise, their eyes were all on He Jing's face.
"This looks like General He Jing from the Jin Kingdom?"
"I think so too. I've seen his portrait before."
"Impossible, right? What would a great general be doing in a small town's eatery? He's won a great battle; shouldn't he be returning to the capital?"
"I had heard that He Jing only stayed in the capital for two days before leaving again. I didn't expect him to return here. Is he planning to be stationed on the frontier long-term to prevent other countries from making moves?"
Seeing them in a daze, Yu Wan spoke to the dozen or so boys and girls.
"Are they your fathers? From what I'm saying, you ran away on your own? Since they've come looking for you, you should go back."
The fathers chimed in, “Yes, yes, come home with Dad.”
The world is not at peace yet, how dare they let their children live in a foreign land? If war breaks out again one day, they will be in danger at any time.
To their surprise, their children unanimously refused, "No! We're not going back!"
Yu Wan sighed. Although these little devils were getting better and better at their work, they were all precious children, and she didn't want to keep them!
The fathers were speechless, and eventually lost all interest in arguing. They all rubbed their empty stomachs and cried out that they were hungry.
Yu Wan then ordered a table of food and wine to be served.
Everyone sat down and decided to put aside their own family matters for the time being. No one wanted to get involved in other people's children's affairs at the dinner table. However, there was one thing that needed to be discussed.
But before that, they had to fill their stomachs. The various dishes on the table smelled delicious, and they started eating without saying a word. In less than half an hour, they had devoured everything.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they started arguing again.
"Don't think I don't know that your Xiao Kingdom has always been eyeing our Qi Kingdom covetously, and has been probing us relentlessly over the years. Our country is rich in medicinal herbs, which you don't have, and you don't want to buy them at high prices, so you've set your sights on seizing them! Let's make things clear today. If you continue to be so disrespectful in the future, we won't be polite and will fight you to the death! You used to have the Liang Kingdom backing you up, but now that the new emperor of Liang has ascended the throne and doesn't like war, he won't help you anymore."
"You Qi Kingdom, let alone Xiao Kingdom, you're the same. You've set your sights on our Yu Kingdom's mushrooms, and just because all our routes have to pass through your territory, your people always charge exorbitant tolls. And your bandits even rob us! It's outrageous! I wonder if it was instructed by your court."
"Our Lin Kingdom's golden nanmu is world-renowned, yet all your countries are united in suppressing its price. I'd like to ask you all what to do about it."
Everyone started arguing, each with their own grievances to voice.
After listening for a while, Yu Wan finally understood that these countries all have their own unique products.
Seeing that these people were only complaining and not offering any solutions, she was getting a headache.
She slammed her little hand on the table, "Stop arguing!"
Everyone fell silent and turned to look at her.
Yu Wan rubbed her temples and asked, "Haven't you thought about a win-win solution?"
"Win-win?" Everyone pondered the meaning of these two words. "How can we achieve a win-win situation?"
Yu Wan said, "If your original intention is to improve the lives of your people, rather than to invade other people's territories, then there is still a civilized solution."
The group argued back and forth until their throats were dry, but still couldn't reach a conclusion. Besides, this had been their way for a century, and they dared not hope that they could reach a perfect solution in this informal setting of a restaurant.
They were just venting; they didn't want the country they represented to lose face.
Now, upon hearing another voice, I am unconsciously guided to think in the direction of that word.
Someone said, "Win-win? You mean cooperation? That's unlikely. Everyone will be on their own side. To put it bluntly, everyone is selfish. How can there be truly sincere cooperation?"
Yu Wan said, "First, you need to figure out what you want."
"Of course, it's a time of peace and prosperity for the country, where everyone lives a rich and stable life."
"That's settled then. As long as we achieve a win-win situation, this goal can be achieved."
"How can this be achieved?"
“Resource exchange. Let’s sit down together and discuss a peaceful, win-win agreement. That way, everyone can get what they need and maximize their benefits.” Yu Wan gradually took control of the situation, and everyone listened carefully to her words, finding them quite appealing.
"If what you said can really be done, that would be great, but it's not so easy to negotiate. For example, I might agree, but someone else might disagree. They might be greedy, wanting more benefits and unwilling to concede even a little bit. What then?"
Yu Wan laughed and said, "That's simple. If he doesn't want to play with everyone, then let him play by himself."
"So how exactly do we do it?" someone asked.
Yu Wan spoke eloquently about economic concepts, captivating them completely. These were no ordinary people; they had all worked their way up to their current positions through hard work and struggle. In their eyes, they firmly believed that only strength could deter and even eliminate enemies.
Absolute power means establishing your own authority, and when necessary, climbing over human lives to reach the top.
It's quite novel for someone to tell them that they don't need to resort to such bloodshed and violence, but can solve problems using business principles.
They were quick-witted and understood what she meant.
"Does that mean this method can also be used to govern a country? To give up some of the benefits to the people?"
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Of course. You can all ask around what our Sui County was like a year ago, but now every household is living a good life and everyone is happy."
He Jing added, “Our current emperor will soon lead officials from all over the country to Sui County to learn from their experiences and then promote Sui County’s governance methods throughout the country. As you all are here, you should be able to feel that the people here are living well, in high spirits, and everyone is working very hard.”
“Yes, we just arrived here today and haven’t seen a single beggar on the road. This is a small border town. For the past few years, your Jin Kingdom and Liang Kingdom have been constantly at war. We heard back home that there is a Sui County in Jin Kingdom that is quite extraordinary. Not only does it have delicious food, but the people live in peace and contentment. We didn’t quite believe it at first, but after arriving here, we found that it is even better than they described.”
He Jing said, "Within three years, our Jin Kingdom will definitely undergo earth-shattering changes. Don't you really want your country to be just as good?"
Yu Wan smiled. This guy's got some skills with words. Looks like he was hiding them before.
"But if everyone works together, how exactly should we do it?"
Yu Wan said, "If you're not in a hurry to leave, you can give me three days, and I'll come up with a concrete plan."
The group looked at each other, realizing that since they were already there, they didn't want to leave right away, mainly because the food at Yu's Restaurant was just too tempting.
They had no other choice but to wait and see what method the little girl could come up with.
They didn't really believe it; this was an age-old problem, not so easy to solve.
Yu Wan knew this all too well.
However, she always thinks things through first, then acts on them, and whether she succeeds or not depends on whether fate smiles upon her.
She finished writing the proposal in one day and even gave the dozen or so wealthy children in the shop a day off so they could accompany their fathers on a trip to Sui County.
On the third day, when the agreed time arrived, everyone came to ask about the result.
Yu Wan not only came up with a solution, but also wrote a long plan, had it copied multiple times, and distributed one copy to everyone.
While everyone was watching, she explained, "Each of your countries has its own unique resources, and other countries also have needs. So even if we're fighting, we still have to do business, right? It's just that when relations aren't good, prices become hard to predict. Now that we want to cooperate and achieve mutual benefit, we can't be as casual as before. We need to discuss and agree on a unified price. However, there's a problem: not everyone will agree to this plan. If you do agree, you'll have to go back and discuss it with your monarchs and colleagues."
He Jing said, "Our Jin Kingdom is rich in mineral resources, and His Majesty has agreed to this plan on his behalf."
Seeing everyone carefully studying the plan in their hands, examining it word by word, Yu Wan asked He Jing in a low voice,
"When did His Majesty give his approval?"
He Jing whispered in his ear, "The Emperor recognized your abilities long ago. He already gave me instructions when I returned to the capital to report a few days ago."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Is Your Majesty so wise?"
When she saw how love-struck the emperor was towards the imperial concubine, she almost thought he couldn't get over that relationship. But she was surprised to find that he was now focused on national affairs, which was good.
"His Majesty said he wants to thank you," He Jing said with a smile.
Yu Wan said, "I don't believe it. I've only met him a few times. Did you say a lot of good things about me to him?"
He Jing smiled and said, "It's kind of talk, and it's the truth."
Yu Wan pursed her lips. Why did this person suddenly become so radiant?
Could it be that he's grown another year older, become more mature, and gained more masculine charm?
After reviewing the entire plan, the dozen or so people huddled together, studying it from morning till midnight. They finally decided that although the plan was overly idealistic, it was worth a try. Each person wrote a memorial and sent their men back as fast as they could to present it to the emperor.
While waiting for a reply, they continued to travel and enjoy themselves in Sui County, having a wonderful time and forgetting all about home.
Seven days later, they all received replies from their monarchs, who agreed to cooperate, but they made one request of the Kingdom of Jin.
Yu Wan looked serious. Could it be that these people wanted to take advantage of her proposal to cooperate and ask for some benefits?
"Our Emperor said that he hopes Lady Yu can come to our Xiao Kingdom to be the imperial chef. He also wants to taste the delicious food from the Yu family's restaurant, but it is inconvenient for him to come."
"Our monarch said the same thing, Lady Yu, let's go to our Jade Kingdom first!"
"Me too, me too!"
Everyone surrounded Yu Wan, chattering and vying for her, eager to take her away immediately.
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Everyone, please don't be in a hurry. It would be too difficult for me to serve so many emperors all by myself. But don't worry, I will open branches in your countries in the future, and you will all be able to enjoy the delicacies of our Yu Family Restaurant. There is a solution at present: after the win-win contract is signed, each country can send two chefs to me to learn culinary skills. Who to send is up to you."
"That would be perfect!"
As a result, high-ranking officials from more than a dozen countries signed a century-long truce agreement at Yu's Restaurant, along with a win-win agreement.
Three years later.
Yu Cheng passed the imperial examination with top honors in all three levels and went to the capital to become an official.
Yu Wan lay on the rocking chair and finished reading the materials He Jing had brought, as well as reports from tens of thousands of branches.
Now she finally lives a life of lying down and counting money, but looking at the ledgers is a bit of a brain drain, there are just too many of them.
He Jing asked, "Why don't you go back to your room and rest for a while? These people in charge that you personally selected haven't made any major mistakes over the years, so you don't need to check them so carefully."
Yu Wan said, "That won't do. I need to be fully aware of my business. If I become a hands-off manager, it will slip out of my control. These are all my businesses, so I can't be careless."
He Jing laughed and said, "Okay, I knew you couldn't stay still."
Yu Wan asked, "Now that the world is at peace, why hasn't the Emperor summoned you back?"
He Jing grabbed her hand. "His Majesty has granted me permission to retire from military service, and Vice General Liu will take my place. So, A-Wan, can you grant me a proper title?"
Yu Wan lifted his chin. "You know I'm a very opinionated person. All that talk about the Three Obediences and Four Virtues is bullshit to me."
He Jing held her hand tightly. "No matter how big or small the matter is, you'll be in charge. That will never change. I just want to rightfully fulfill my duties as a husband."
Yu Wan traced the young man's thin lips with her fingers. "What responsibilities?"
He Jing placed her hand on his chest. "You've touched me eight hundred times already, don't you want to take it a step further and do something more to me?"
A month later, He Jing's parents brought half of their family fortune to Sui County to propose marriage.
On the wedding day, representatives from various countries presented congratulatory gifts. These representatives were the children of a dozen or so foreign princes and high-ranking officials.
The Third Princess, representing the Emperor, personally visited and bestowed upon Yu Wan countless gold and silver treasures. She also assumed the position that Xue Xiujun had held, and feasted at the shop entrance every day.
The entire Sui County hosted a three-day, three-night continuous banquet.
From then on, people in all countries lived prosperous lives, everyone lived in peace and contentment, and children of all genders could study, do business, become officials, or do any legal profession.
There were no more wars at home or abroad, and the peaceful and prosperous era lasted for a century.
(End of text)
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