The matchmaker left, but the onlookers were still there. Song Ning felt she needed to explain so as not to affect her business.
"Everyone, my family does business in a completely aboveboard manner. It has nothing to do with men or women, nor with whether I get married or not. I just want my family to live a good life. My family has come from a life of hardship, and we've only been living a good life for a few days, and now some people are already setting their sights on me."
However, please rest assured, regardless of what others say, Xiangyunlou has always operated with integrity.
"I'm so sorry to have spoiled everyone's fun today. Don't worry, everyone here today will get a 30% discount on all their purchases at Xiangyunlou."
Upon hearing this, no one could remember what had just happened.
Back upstairs, Liu Yuelan said worriedly, "Just send them away, why bother provoking those people?"
Matchmakers are not to be trifled with; if you offend them, your reputation will be affected.
“Those people are no pushovers; they can turn white into black with a single word. Afterwards, they might ruin your reputation.”
"I don't care about those things, as long as they don't affect our ability to make money. Besides, didn't I say before that I'm going to have a son-in-law marry into my family? Anyway, I won't get married, so it's perfect that no one is interested in me."
“You child, how can you say such things? Even if we are to have a son-in-law marry into the family in the future, the woman’s reputation is of utmost importance. We cannot allow others to slander her.”
Song Ning smiled nonchalantly: "Oh, Mother, the most important thing for you right now is to get ready to entertain the guests. Nothing else matters."
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Song Ning's reputation spread to several nearby counties.
However, this incident did not affect Song Ning's business at all; on the contrary, it even boosted her business.
Because Song Ning's reputation has spread, many people are curious and want to see what kind of person this girl who has been the talk of the town is.
Once you enter her Xiangyun Tower, you almost never leave empty-handed.
Once inside, the contents and aromas immediately made these people forget why they came.
Those matchmakers were essentially doing her free publicity.
On this day, Song Ning had just come out of the garment workshop when he ran into Zheng Gaoyi.
"I have some news for you."
"What news? Could it be that the border is urging us? Tell those officials to rest assured that we will definitely finish it within the deadline."
Since Tianxiang County became well-known, many people from the surrounding areas have come here, some to find work, and some even moved their entire families here.
The garment workshop has suddenly recruited a lot more people than the soap workshop, so there's plenty of time.
"No, that's not it. I just received a letter from the capital. His Majesty has already sent someone, and they should arrive soon."
Song Ning remained silent for a moment. The arrival of the imperial officials meant that news of what happened in Tianxiang County had spread, which also meant that it wouldn't be long before there were even more people here.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"They're here for the cotton. You need to be prepared. It's the Ministry of Revenue that's coming, and those people aren't easy to deal with."
Cotton was too important to the Jin Dynasty. Once the court received the news, it certainly wouldn't ignore it. The only question was what kind of management method would be used.
"But don't worry, I'll definitely side with you. This is Ying Huai's territory. If things go too far, I won't let it go."
Song Ning realized that these people simply wanted her cotton seeds so they could promote them nationwide.
She could provide the seeds, but whether they would grow successfully was not something she could control.
She could only take care of Tianxiang County; other places were not under her jurisdiction.
But Song Ning never expected that this group of people would actually want to reap the benefits and take over the land in Tianxiang County!
"Gentlemen, do you mean that these lands will belong to you from now on, and we will only be responsible for providing you with the land for farming, and the rest will have nothing to do with us?"
The disbelief in Song Ning's voice was practically plastered on the other person's face.
“That’s right. In the past, our Jin Dynasty didn’t have cotton. Now that we finally have it, it should naturally belong to the court.” One of the pot-bellied officials said matter-of-factly.
Song Ning glanced at the county magistrate beside her. No wonder Lord Zheng had told her to be mentally prepared; it turned out this was what these people were planning.
She had always thought that officials in the court were all very cultured and had the demeanor of high-ranking officials, but she never expected that such a small thing would be like a knife stuck in her buttocks, which opened her eyes.
When it comes to shamelessness, these ordinary people are truly ashamed of themselves.
They worked so hard to grow the cotton, irrigating the fields with so much spring water, and now they claim it as theirs.
"Don't worry, you have done a good job in planting cotton. We will report to His Majesty and you will be rewarded."
Listen to this, they're already acting like the masters of the house.
Who cares?
"May I ask, gentlemen, is this also His Majesty's intention?"
"nature."
Song Ning was speechless. There was nothing he could do; after all, the other party was the leader of this country.
Zheng Gaoyi laughed and said, "Gentlemen, since this is His Majesty's will, please produce His Majesty's edict or decree. Otherwise... I dare not entrust this place to you."
These people knew Zheng Gaoyi's identity, but knowing it didn't mean they would dare to offend him, let alone Xie Linzhou, when it came to their own interests.
“Lord Zheng, do you not trust His Majesty? His Majesty sent us here to take over this place from the imperial court. Although you come from a prestigious family, you are now just a minor county magistrate.”
Should it be taken over by the imperial court, or by them?
Song Ning originally planned to use cotton to open up new avenues for Tianxiang County to the outside world, and cotton would become their specialty in the future.
If possible, it might even boost the development of the surrounding counties, but unexpectedly, these people came and cut off their escape route.
These cotton fields cannot be handed over.
Song Ning suddenly asked the space: I mean, small space, can you take back the spring water I poured on the ground before?
Space: It can't be taken back... but I can make those springs ineffective.
Song Ning's eyes lit up instantly. This function is even available?
Okay, that makes things easier.
Song Ning immediately calmed down. If these lands were destined to be taken back by the imperial court in the end, she would not care about anything and would see how they managed to grow cotton.
"Sirs, how about this? The land in Tianxiang County is to be distributed to the people here. If you really want to grow cotton, we can provide seeds. As long as you have the seeds, you can plant them wherever you want."
Unexpectedly, the man shook his head: "We have tried before, but all of them failed. Now, only Tianxiang County can grow it. Lord Zheng, you should inform them as soon as possible. From today onwards, we will take over this area."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
