His Majesty the Emperor thought it over and found it increasingly suitable, and couldn't help but smile at Consort Rong: "This won't stop them from making money. After the reservoir is built, the land given to them can also be turned into silver, which would be great for them to use as estates..."
In short, it's great in every way.
Consort Rong simply said, "You should discuss this matter with Xiao'er yourself."
The emperor actually went to discuss it with Qi Yunxiao. He didn't ask anyone to announce his arrival, so he saw Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao lazily leaning against a soft couch eating fruit.
The fruit was clearly not from this island; he assumed the two had brought it from the mainland and didn't pay any attention, striding over.
The two young men quickly stood up and bowed.
The emperor waved his hand: "Qingyu, please sit down. Xiao'er, I want to discuss some things with you."
Qi Yunxiao had no choice but to agree, but his tone carried a hint of resentment: "Is it really my father who disturbed his time with his wife? You'd better have something important to say!"
The emperor then explained his plans.
Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao exchanged a glance: It wasn't that they couldn't do it, and His Majesty had said that he would give them some land as compensation afterward.
In reality, His Majesty is getting something for nothing.
If the reservoir isn't built, those places will have no water source, and what use will the fields be? Nothing can be grown there.
Once the reservoir is repaired and water is available, the land will have value.
When this was mentioned, His Majesty the Emperor suddenly had a wandering thought: "If you are interested, you can also build roads leading to various prefectures and towns."
The couple were taken aback and looked at His Majesty the Emperor.
"If you are willing to build roads, I can provide land so you can build houses and shops along the roadside..."
Another case of getting something for nothing.
You work for me, I'll give you land.
If it's just a muddy field, it's naturally worthless.
But if the road is repaired, more people will be willing to come and do business, then the land will have value.
So His Majesty the Emperor's overall thinking was: you make my land valuable, and then I will give you land.
As expected of an emperor, he certainly has a unique way of thinking, can draw inferences from one instance to another, and is shameless.
Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao looked at each other, knowing that there were some things they couldn't say in front of His Majesty.
Fortunately, His Majesty was a sensible man. He knew that such an important matter required the couple to discuss it, so he grabbed a huge apple and left.
Shen Qingyu sighed: "Look, it's not that I want to go back, is it? It's that your father wants you to go back and be a donkey pulling the millstone, isn't it?!"
Qi Yunxiao sighed as well: "Why don't we just refuse?"
Shen Qingyu did not say a word of refusal.
In my heart, this kind of thing is naturally mentally and physically demanding, and it's not a business that makes a lot of money, nor does it bring in money quickly.
For Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao, who could easily earn tens of thousands of taels of silver, this amount of money was nothing and not worth them going overseas to make the trip.
But Shen Qingyu also knew very clearly that these were all great things that would benefit the country and the people!
If you want to get rich, build roads first.
The roads leading from the major prefectures to the capital are maintained by government officials, so they are passable by carriage at any time.
However, the roads leading from various towns to the prefectural city were of varying quality.
Some wealthy prefectures spent money to repair roads and bridges.
The rest depends on the people...
In most places, the roads from towns to the prefectural city are mostly dirt roads, not to mention the roads from villages to towns.
“Road construction is feasible. His Majesty can be instructed to first conduct a survey of the population and road conditions of various prefectures and nearby towns, and have them report which roads need to be built. Then we can decide which road to build, how much land to take, and what kind of houses to build for sale.”
Towns with large populations will definitely be given priority.
Putting people first is essential in any dynasty.
“Reservoirs can be built, but we must first screen and select them.”
Population should also be given priority.
In a place so remote and desolate that there are only a few dozen or a hundred people, don't even think about building a reservoir...
The remaining task is to decide who to send.
The Dragon Guard is the most convenient.
Then came Shen Zhongyi's personal guards.
We also need some Hidden Dragon Guards, otherwise His Majesty will think that Qi Yunxiao is keeping the Hidden Dragon Guards in his hands and not using them for business, and that he must have other ideas.
After considering their options, Qi Yunxiao, representing the couple, went to speak with His Majesty the Emperor.
Who knew that as soon as they stepped out, they would run into His Majesty the Emperor, who had returned.
"Xiao'er, where did these apples come from? They taste delicious, your mother loves them. Give me some more."
Since His Majesty the Emperor spoke up, Qi Yunxiao naturally wouldn't refuse. He turned around, went inside, and took out the plate of apples in front of Shen Qingyu.
There were only four large apples on the table. His Majesty took one, and Qi Yunxiao gave him the remaining three.
"Please eat first. If you want more, just ask us."
The emperor nodded, then asked as if remembering something, "These apples were brought from Daqi, right? Where were they bought? I'll have some sent to the palace as tribute. That way, your mother can eat them more often."
You're so greedy!
You even want people to pay tribute to your daughter-in-law's personal space!
Qi Yunxiao: "...It's not from the Great Qi, it's from a foreign country overseas."
His Majesty the Emperor was both disappointed and puzzled: "Is it from overseas?"
Could it have been brought back by a ship that went out to sea for trade?
The father and son walked and talked. After Qi Yunxiao explained his and Shen Qingyu's ideas, His Majesty the Emperor nodded: "This is feasible. I will write a secret report and have someone take it back to do it first."
The matter was settled, and the two had just reached the door of the study when a bodyguard came running over!
"Your Majesty, this is your letter."
His Majesty the Emperor glanced at the wax seal on the letter, his expression changed slightly, and he stuffed the apple into Qi Yunxiao's arms before taking the letter and opening it.
A moment later, His Majesty was so angry that his chest felt like a bellows!
"He is truly my good son!"
In this critical moment, Qi Yunxiao remained obediently silent, looking down at the apple as if it were carved from the finest gemstone, worthy of careful appreciation.
But His Majesty the Emperor had no intention of leaving him uninvolved. He casually tossed the letter to Qi Yunxiao: "Take a look! Quickly come up with a solution."
Before Qi Yunxiao could react, he snatched the apple from Qi Yunxiao's hand and rushed into the study like a whirlwind.
Qi Yunxiao unfolded the letter and looked at it, and he was also dumbfounded!
The letter stated that the outcome of the struggle between his brother, Prince Heng, who was supposed to be causing trouble in the capital, and Prince Gong was now in the lead. It seemed that Prince Gong, who was usually more reserved, had temporarily won and was now trying to execute Prince Heng on charges of treason.
Prince Heng has lost ground and is heading towards Whale Fall Island. He's currently on a ship and should be able to land today!
However, Prince Heng never expected that his own father, who was rumored to be recuperating at a certain divine physician's clinic, would also be here.
What should we do?
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