Chapter 238 "No wonder you can attract so many people..."
The whole city celebrated the day Princess Yanni married into the family.
We went through the wedding ceremony as planned, and then shared a room. She slept on the bed, and I slept on the soft, long armchair; that's how we spent the night.
From the second night onwards, she slept in hers, and I slept in mine. We each had our own peace and quiet.
Princess Yanni personally chose a bedroom for herself and decorated it in her own style, while I slept in my original room.
Even though I knew our marriage was based on mutual benefit, I couldn't help but ask Princess Yani, "Why did you agree to this marriage?"
She was intently trimming her toenails, and without looking up, she replied, "Because you're a woman."
Many years ago, both Bernard and Mamboy wanted me to be their mistress, but I chose Princess Yanni. When Princess Yanni asked me why, my answer was—because you are a woman.
Now she has returned it to me intact.
I suspected she was facing some difficulties in the South, and marrying me would be a breakthrough.
But I didn't ask any more questions, because she wouldn't answer me anyway.
On a lazy summer afternoon, I reclined on a deck chair on the courtyard terrace after a nap. It was a treasure; the simple terrace, made of marble, was perfectly shaded by a large, leafy tree next to it.
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers from the courtyard, and a large patch of wildflowers could be seen in the distance. They weren't rare or precious flowers, just wildflowers. These wildflowers were common throughout the Western Regions, but Beatrice had taken a liking to them because of their captivating, delicate fragrance and planted them here.
I love it too. This fragrance is absolutely captivating, so subtle yet leaving a lingering, delightful aftertaste.
I spent the whole afternoon lying on that recliner.
I rarely feel this relaxed; I'm usually busy from morning till night. But I've been working like this for ten days straight, and I really can't wait to take a break.
Bai Ni brought over sandwiches with cucumber and ham, along with fragrant black tea, a few pieces of chocolate, and freshly picked purple grapes.
What seems like an ordinary afternoon tea to modern people is a rare luxury here.
The western region receives little rainfall year-round, resources are scarce, and food variety is limited.
After finishing my sandwich, chocolate, and purple grapes, I slowly sipped my black tea. Suddenly, I felt a little sleepy, so I called Bai Ni to clear the table and then fell asleep on the recliner.
When I woke up again, the sun was already setting. A soft, golden-red light fell on the terrace, dappling the ground. A faint yet rich fragrance wafted over—why was it both faint and rich? Because the fragrance itself was faint, but because it was so close, it was exceptionally clear and also seemed quite intense.
Turning my head, I saw Paria, dressed in a snow robe, placing a vase on the terrace. The vase was filled with wildflowers he had just picked, a beautiful mix of pink and yellow.
"Is this how you used to please the Queen?" I asked.
“The Queen also loves these flowers, but I have never picked them for her.” Paria smiled at me, the fading sunlight falling on his exquisite and handsome features.
"Oh? Is this your first time picking something for someone?"
"Yes, for you, Your Excellency." He made no attempt to hide his flattery, his bright eyes sparkling beautifully in the setting sun.
"No wonder so many people like you." I laughed and sat up halfway. "Power holders come and go, but you remain constant."
He came to my side and handed me a cup of hot tea, which I gladly accepted.
"You flatter me," he said casually.
I took a sip of hot tea, smiled, and said nothing more.
“Your Excellency, may I also become your assistant?” he suddenly asked.
"You?" I choked on my tea and coughed twice. He quickly patted my back, "Don't get too excited, don't get too excited."
I laughed and put the teacup on the table. "Tell me, why do you want to become my assistant?"
"I hope my abilities can also be seen."
"Haven't your abilities been seen before?"
"No, no. My previous body was seen."
I looked at him for a while and laughed, "You don't hold a grudge against me? I used to torture you severely with the Elf King."
"If I were to hold grudges, there would be too many people to hold grudges against, and I would be stuck in a rut, which would be too painful."
His bright eyes held a smile. "Besides, your torture is nothing compared to the tortures of others."
"I'll think about it."
The next day I asked him to help with some ordinary chores. "I'm still thinking about whether to make you my assistant, but you can start by doing some small things for me."
"Yes, sir!" He actually gave a proper military salute, which made me laugh out loud.
To be honest, I have very mixed feelings about him. If I kill him, he hasn't done anything wrong and has never really harmed me; if I don't kill him, he has close ties with the former King of the Western Frontier and the Lord of the Great City, and I also have some minor grudges with him.
I don't know him very well either. People who make a living by being lovers usually don't have very high moral standards, but you can't say he's a bad person.
Forget it, no more indiscriminate killing of innocents, it's pointless. If I really get ambushed by him in the future, I can only say it was my own fault for misjudging people and lacking political acumen.
I took Princess Yanni to the study, spread out maps of the Western and Southern Borders, and told her about my dream of opening a direct trade route. To my surprise, Princess Yanni agreed wholeheartedly, a stark contrast to Bernot's attitude.
Perhaps it's because the South and the West face similar predicaments. Although the South receives plenty of rain, the soil is not fertile, and the harvests of vegetables and fruits have always been poor. In the past two years, it even suffered from floods, which greatly reduced its national strength.
Once the straight road is opened, the trade in fruits and vegetables between the two countries will be greatly improved.
Princess Yani: "I never expected you to have such a mind and courage. Other kings and nobles have mentioned it before, but it all fell through because the cost was too high. I never expected your idea to be so specific. You even have a plan for how to build the road. In the past, when they thought about building roads, they only came up with a general idea."
Modern society has ready-made models, so of course I know what this path should look like.
Me: "So you completely agree?"
Princess Yanni: "Yes, but there's another problem. Where will the money come from? I don't have any money, and you certainly don't have any either. How can we fix it?"
Me: "I'll lend it to you."
Princess Yanni: "Who can we borrow from? And who would be willing to lend to us? Other countries would love for our southern border to decline, so why would they lend us anything?"
Me: "Give me a high interest rate."
Princess Yanni: "How high?"
Me: "Ten percent interest, or higher, thirteen percent."
Princess Yanni: "Are you crazy? What if you can't make back the money from Zhidao? You'll lose everything and won't even have pants to wear."
Me: "We have to take a gamble, otherwise the Great City will never prosper."
Princess Yanni pondered for a moment before saying, "If it's thirteen percent, my stepmother might be willing to lend it to you."
I said, "Haiya should also have a chance." That guy has always relied on me to protect him, so he should agree to lend money, especially with interest.
We started borrowing money. Princess Yani successfully borrowed money from her stepmother at 13% interest. I also borrowed some from Haiya at 10% interest. After learning that Princess Yani's stepmother could get 13% interest, Haiya complained that he would be criticized by the courtiers.
I could only reply, "If you need to use the straight road in the future, I can charge you a lower toll."
Hya then shut up.
With the money borrowed from these two sources, we immediately began work. The sooner the better, otherwise things might change. The nobles of the Independent Royal City, however, adopted a wait-and-see attitude; since they didn't have to pay for it themselves, they were happy to watch from the sidelines.
I personally drew up a map of the straight road, and of course, I had a skilled craftsman by my side to guide me while I was drawing it, in case others couldn't understand my map. I consulted the most capable geologist to ask which route was the shortest and fastest, and I also figured out the difficulties I might encounter along the way, such as wild animals and vast dense forests.
I ordered the dense forest to be burned—it's environmentally unfriendly, but I had no choice. The capital needs to develop, so we have to sacrifice some of the ecosystem. It took a month to burn the forest clean, and the wild animals disappeared without a trace.
“They must have run into the forest about three kilometers from here,” Paria said.
“I won’t touch those forests again,” I said. “Otherwise, they’ll have no home.”
Paria laughed, "There are two forests in that area. Don't worry, they definitely have homes there."
Paria even volunteered to supervise the construction of the straight road for me. I considered it for a moment and declined. This project was too important to entrust to someone I didn't trust.
The previous month, I personally supervised the project, watching the contractors and workers work under the scorching sun. My skin was sunburned, with patches of red and black, and even applying cold water at night caused excruciating pain.
A month later, I returned to the capital, tanned and thinner than ever. Princess Yani laughed so hard she nearly fell over. The second month, I sent the most experienced nobleman in road construction and the hunchbacked chief steward to supervise. The third month, I went myself, taking Bai Ni and Ethan with me, leaving them behind on my return. Only in the fourth month did I send Paria to learn how to supervise.
“It will take about two years to complete,” I told Princess Yanni. “It’s a long project.”
“I hope it goes smoothly,” Princess Yani said, painting her nails. “Your capital is not too far from our southern border, otherwise it would take more than two years, maybe even three, to finish the repairs. If you had agreed with Bernot back then, it would have taken more than four years.”
The shortest distance between the Eastern Territory and the Independent Royal City is much greater than the distance to the Southern Territory. Naturally, the cost is also much higher, which is why Bernot was initially reluctant; it was a massive undertaking.
I also started looking for a site for a school for ordinary people, disguising myself and running into the city every day. After two months of this, I settled on a large, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was the quietest and cheapest place, and there was a large open space in front of the warehouse.
I bought the warehouse, added another floor, and then did a complete renovation. Building it like a modern school building was impossible; I could only do simple things like painting the walls, installing nice windows, laying cement floors, and repairing the roof and other damaged areas. I also bought sturdy desks and chairs, durable candles, and some tall bookshelves.
No matter how simple the school buildings are, they cannot be without a library.
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