Unlike the commercial street that Emperor Feng Zhao had imagined, the shopping mall was exceptionally clean despite the bustling crowds, and every shop was brightly lit, making people want to enter.
The mall is very large, and many shops are not yet open, but notices are posted on many doors, indicating that some shops have already been opened.
Emperor Feng Zhao casually entered a cloth shop.
"What kind of fabric would you like, sir? These are all silks just delivered from Jiangnan. Feel them, the quality is absolutely excellent," the shop owner greeted warmly.
"Business is good, boss." Emperor Feng Zhao said casually, watching the customers coming and going in the shop.
The shop owner smiled broadly, "I owe it all to the inn and the mall. My business has improved a lot since we moved in."
Emperor Fengzhao, having not grown up in the inner palace, was quite familiar with market prices. He was somewhat surprised to hear the prices of these silks. "Boss, these prices are very reasonable, but aren't you afraid of losing money?" He even suspected that the merchants were using low prices to attract customers.
"It's all about small profits and quick turnover. To be honest, even so, I still make a profit. Besides, the prices at the fabric shops around here are all about the same, so we can't afford to set prices arbitrarily. If you want to be a shop in the mall, you have to abide by the pricing rules here."
Seeing that Emperor Feng Zhao seemed interested in learning more about this matter, the shop owner didn't hold back and explained some of the rules and regulations for businesses.
"At first, I also thought that there were too many rules and that business would suffer. But I didn't expect that by operating with integrity and building a good reputation, business would actually get better and better."
Compared to other places, you don't need to worry about the prices or quality here. Especially the quality; if anyone is found to be selling inferior goods, they'll be kicked out of the mall immediately, and might even face jail time. So you can rest assured when buying things here. Many people travel from afar just to buy our products.”
Emperor Fengzhao visited several more shops and gradually developed a different view of merchants.
"Let's go check out the amusement park." He had heard that the amusement park had stalls specifically for the general public, so he decided to take a look at these vendors.
Upon entering the amusement park, Emperor Feng Zhao showed little interest in the rides and headed straight for the commercial street.
Commercial streets are also the places with the highest foot traffic. Unlike shopping malls, the stalls occupy a small area and sell limited items such as snacks and trinkets.
Every stall owner had a smile on their face, and you could feel the happiness of life just by looking at them.
"Let's go back."
"Sir, aren't you going to come in a bit?" Li De asked curiously. They were only standing at the entrance of the commercial street and hadn't gone in yet.
"No need, I already have the answer in my heart." He had always thought that merchants were profit-driven, liked to deceive the people, and reaped benefits without working. He never expected that once they were regulated, merchants could also promote economic development.
Li De lowered his head and followed Emperor Feng Zhao out of the amusement park.
Soon, an order was issued from Huaixi City.
Liujia Village is a small village on the northwestern border. In recent years, natural disasters have occurred frequently. Although the village has not reached the point of having to flee famine, the crop yields have been greatly reduced, and the villagers often go hungry.
They live far from the Fairy Inn, and the road is difficult to travel. Even caravans don't want to detour here.
"Ding ding ding!" That was the sound of the village gathering. In no time, the small open space was filled with villagers.
The village chief, leaning shakily on his cane, stepped forward, pressed his hand down, and the chatter ceased.
"Listen to me, everyone. Just now, Yaozu from Liu Laoshi's family came back from town and saw the county notice. He asked me to come and talk to you all."
Liu Yaozu was the only literate person in the village, which made him quite learned in this remote little village. "Gentlemen, those officials say they're about to conscript laborers."
"Whoosh—" The once quiet open space suddenly erupted into noise, with many people looking distressed. For them, forced labor meant death. Panic gripped the crowd, and some women, thinking of their husbands' turn, began to weep.
Seeing the way everyone looked like the sky had fallen, Liu Yaozu quickly continued, "Quiet down, quiet down, let me finish."
But everyone was too excited to listen to what he was saying.
"Yaozu, how long do the officials say this corvée labor will last?" The question came from a respected elder in the village. As soon as he spoke, everyone quieted down and looked at Liu Yaozu.
Liu Yaozu had never been so valued before. He swallowed hard, thinking of what the officials had said, and said excitedly, "This time is different. Anyone who goes to work will get paid, twenty coins a day."
Everyone was stunned. If it weren't for the formal occasion, they would have thought Yaozu was joking with them.
Twenty coins, that's 600 coins a month. If they go to town and find good work, they can only earn a maximum of 500 coins a month.
Liu Yaozu didn't keep anyone in suspense and repeated what the officials had said.
"Yaozu, is what you're talking about, called 'work relief', true?"
Everyone stared intently at him, afraid of hearing a negative answer from him.
"It couldn't be more true. I reckon the officials will be coming to conscript people in a few days. And I heard the work is being done around here, to build a dike for us. If you're worried, you can have your wife bring you food."
"That's wonderful, thank God." Many women clasped their hands together, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to God.
"That's right, that's right. We used to get flooded a lot. Now that the dikes have been repaired, life is much better."
Liu Yaozu chuckled, "There's even better news. I heard from those officials that there's a trend of 'charity businesses' these days, and some businessmen are planning to fund road repairs in our county. I just wonder when it will be our turn?"
"Oh my, those merchants are so kind, they're such philanthropists!" The crowd's impression of merchants changed completely, and they showered them with compliments. Although they knew that road repairs wouldn't be needed for this impoverished village anytime soon, it didn't diminish their gratitude towards the merchants who donated money.
"Do you think it would be much more convenient for our county to go to Huaixi City if the road is repaired? Wouldn't it also help the county develop in the future?" Someone thought of the benefits of repairing the road.
"Probably not. Even if it's fixed, we're still a long way from the Immortal's Fate Inn. I really envy those who live close to the inn; I heard they're even richer than the local gentry."
After hearing this, the others immediately shifted the topic to the Immortal Inn, their tone filled with envy.
The person who initially proposed the idea felt that things weren't so simple. He had a sudden inspiration and decided to take a gamble and become a peddler.
Scenes like this happen everywhere. When they hear that the so-called corvée labor will be paid and will not be as hard as before, they are so excited that they cannot express their feelings.
Many people were even more grateful to Prince Duan after learning that the policy was proposed by Prince Duan under the guidance of an immortal.
Their gratitude towards An Ge was reflected in the fact that more people were offering incense at her temple.
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