Chapter 89 The Aristocratic Families' Attention to the Domains
"Ha... cunning."
Huang Dong, who was squatting on the side of Conghu Street, drinking with his companions without any regard for his image, looked up and heard this sentence. He chuckled and lowered his head.
Merchants wanting to buy tickets flocked to the street next to the Prince's mansion, where the servants lived. Ordinary people wouldn't go to fancy restaurants like the Bai Family Restaurant; they'd just come here to try and build rapport. The merchants all wandered around, and the place became bustling and lively, like a new market.
The conversation just now took place between two unfamiliar merchants who had only recently arrived in Liuzhou City. The merchant they were asking about—well, Huang Dong knew that man.
Isn't that the businessman Wang who has a partnership with the Prince's Mansion and is in charge of the pig farm?
As a 'local,' he must have already used the ration coupons, so his words now carry no persuasive power. However... his persuasive tactics are quite effective.
The two clever merchants immediately looked suspicious, sizing up the merchant Wang's energetic appearance: "I don't believe a single word you say."
"Judging from his appearance, could it be that he's made a fortune and is afraid we'll take the vouchers from him?" another merchant questioned, having overheard the commotion.
Merchant Wang immediately glared at him and retorted defiantly, "How could that be? I've been watching all day, but I haven't bought any vouchers! Who knows if these things will become worthless again someday? Or if they'll become useless after a while?"
"Then shouldn't we buy them now?" The first merchant wasn't swayed by his words. Instead, he cleverly drew his own conclusion: "As long as we buy now with the vouchers, we can get exquisite and rare goods, and then resell them. Who knows how much money we can make!"
"Yes, I need to hurry... otherwise..." The merchant murmured to himself, but then suddenly realized something and stopped talking, glancing around warily.
I heard that this voucher was created with the support of the local Prince Rui.
Prince Rui is quite something; he always manages to create strange and wonderful things, which bring in huge profits when shipped out of town. He's also generous to them, and merchants all adore him, eager to become his disciples. I don't know why Prince Rui has such a terrible reputation outside, but he's incredibly famous locally. How could such a prince create vouchers that become worthless? Even if they're terrible, shouldn't they at least be redeemable for something tangible?
People don't believe it because the government can't do that.
These are the foundations of trust... He immediately decided that he should go and buy the tickets.
The reason the merchant suddenly stopped midway through his speech was that he suddenly realized with alarm that while the people of Liuzhou were willing to sell their ration coupons to merchants at high prices to buy goods, this was neither sustainable nor cost-effective. It was nowhere near as convenient as directly joining the ration coupon system. As a merchant, shouldn't his priority now be seizing opportunities to cooperate with the Prince's Mansion and local businesses in Liuzhou?
If you go too late, other merchants will take it!
The merchant suddenly realized what was happening and, without a word, hurriedly disappeared into the crowd. He moved very fast, but there were too many clever merchants among them. Several merchants exchanged glances, said nothing, and then, as if their backs were on fire, hastily chased after him.
They rushed to be the first.
As a "shill," Wang, the merchant, remained alone in the same spot and smiled, his face full of smug joy: "Sigh, I already said I didn't buy it... You people just believe what you think."
He took out a small, elegant wooden box from his person; it contained the most popular perfume balm in Liuzhou. The businessman, familiar with the process, rubbed a little of the oily, white, translucent balm with his index finger and applied it to his neck, releasing a faint, rustic fragrance that at least masked the usual stench of the pig farm.
Then he walked away with his hands behind his back, looking quite pleased with himself, waiting for the next wave of out-of-town merchants who rushed over in a panic to inquire.
Sitting by the roadside, Huang Dong took in the entire scene without being noticed, enjoying the spectacle: "..."
These days, he spends most of his day covered in dust and dirt, wearing the same thin shirts as the other men, always carrying a wooden bowl, sitting around a small bamboo barrel filled with cheap, cloudy liquor.
Now, Huang Dong is in charge of installing toilets in Liuzhou.
But he was no longer personally leading the team. After the initial few days, the repetitive work was handled by the men in the infrastructure team that Huang Dong had brought along. He only needed to grasp the overall direction and glance at the work each time.
So Huang Dong has recently been taking on some jobs repairing walls and houses for wealthy families, studying local architectural techniques and the intricacies of bricks and tiles. After finishing a job, he can sit on the street and relax with his companions, loudly boasting, buying a small bucket of cheap, cloudy wine, and having everyone take turns scooping a bowl, enjoying boiled beans and spicy snails, and reveling in the bustling noise of the marketplace.
...It's absolutely gorgeous!
Having not eaten snails for a whole winter, not only the locals miss them, but Huang Dong, who has only been here for a little over half a year, has also started to love them.
"The snails don't taste good in spring... In two more months, they'll be much more fragrant, bigger, and plumper!" A local young man said regretfully, his hands moving quickly as he picked up a snail and popped it into his mouth.
"I'll definitely try it when the time comes!" Huang Dong raised a bowl of swaying wine, his mouth watering, and took a big gulp. He had been hearing this group of people boast about how delicious the snails were around Qingming Festival since he first arrived. He had been hearing it for more than half a year, and finally he had the chance to taste this local delicacy.
“…Your Highness?” Huang Dong looked up and saw a familiar figure in the distance. The young prince walked towards him with a clear purpose, a hint of regret on his face: “Mr. Huang—I think you won’t be able to eat.”
"What?" Huang Dong was stunned for a few seconds.
Half an hour later, Huang Dong went home, changed into clean clothes, and went to the Prince's study. After listening to a lot of confidential information, Huang Dong's head was buzzing.
"I plan to build a shipyard near the coast in Lingnan." Qi Chengming didn't waste any words and immediately handed the matter over to Mr. Huang. "I also need—ships that can actually sail at sea, not just those near the coast. I can provide some of the information, Mr. Huang, can you take charge of that?"
Ancient craftsmen, or rather, master architects, were often erudite and capable of applying their knowledge across disciplines. While others might not know the truth, Qi Chengming knew that the Mr. Huang recommended by his younger cousin was indeed knowledgeable and a genius. Could he shoulder this responsibility?
“I can build a shipyard…” Huang Dong frowned as he finished reading the thick stack of documents His Highness had given him, cautiously remaining silent. “For shipbuilding, I need to find local shipwrights to work with.”
"Of course." Qi Chengming smiled. He had originally hoped that Huang Dong would go to the local area to assemble a suitable shipbuilding team, bringing along experienced veteran craftsmen to take on this job.
“If there are any existing seagoing vessels in the area, you can buy them and modify them as quickly as possible. I will have the Liu family go with you, as usual, they will help you with the trivial matters.”
If Huang Dong were alive today, he would be a suitable chief engineer; you can't expect him to do the ground-level work.
His knowledge, talent, and vision would make him the helm of a large ship, firmly controlling its direction and progress; or the conductor of a symphony orchestra, who, even if suddenly placed in an area he is not particularly good at, would quickly learn and understand his responsibilities.
"This matter is urgent, but I don't know when I'll be back. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Huang," Qi Chengming said sincerely.
"Understood." Huang Dong replied calmly and casually, "It's nothing—as long as I can come back and eat snails during the Qingming Festival sometime in the future, that's enough."
He seemed to be enjoying himself.
Wherever he goes, Huang Dong, now alone and free from his inner turmoil, will find great satisfaction in serving His Highness. He will be able to immerse himself in countless unfamiliar or fascinating architectural challenges with a clear conscience, absorbing new and interesting knowledge, refining his skills, and single-mindedly tackling these tasks.
Having lived in the South for more than half a year, his tanned skin no longer resembled that of a refined scholar; instead, he possessed a muscular physique and a weathered, carefree air. He looked rough now, but if you asked him to go back to those days, he would absolutely refuse.
Huang Dong then took his leave.
He needed to go back to pack his bags, settle his construction team who usually followed him, and select the people who would go to Lingnan with him—this was a highly confidential matter. Once everything was ready, he would have to leave in the next couple of days.
"Sigh." Qi Chengming sighed deeply in his study before beckoning someone in.
Since both Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi were present today, there was no need for formalities. The two eunuchs cleared away the leftover tea and served a new one. After presenting a plate of fragrant tangerines, Qi Chengming waved for them to sit on the low couch next to the study to rest and talk.
"Your Highness, please don't work too hard. Take care of your health," Xiao Dezi said sincerely, seeing that his Highness had been working non-stop for almost ten days.
Xiao Chengzi, with his sharp ears and eyes, heard the sigh just now. He hesitated for a few seconds and asked, "Is something troubling Your Highness?"
"I didn't have any worries before, but they were bound to come these past few days... They're all gone now, sigh." Qi Chengming sighed and unconsciously pinched the corners of his dry eyes.
Last night I bought some dry food for Wen Er. He went back to the inn to pack his things today, and I should go see him off soon. Mr. Huang is leaving now too. After he finishes copying the entire "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" in a while, my cousin will also be leaving once he gets it.
Qi Chengming originally didn't have this sorrow of parting, but the departure of one familiar person after another eventually stirred up some thoughts in him.
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi exchanged a glance. All they knew was that Young Master Wen and his cousin had to join the army for a while.
—Is this why Steward Song kept muttering to himself in a dreamlike state for most of the night?
Xiao Dezi had no idea what to do, and gave him a look: 'What should we do?'
Xiao Chengzi was usually meticulous. He stared at the floor tiles for two seconds and suddenly remembered something: "Your Highness, Mr. Qin also has something to report. It concerns the distribution of the vouchers over the past two days."
The council members are physically exhausted, and others are mentally troubled. Between the two, Xiao Chengzi felt it was better to let His Highness relax.
Mr. Qin is efficient and good at winning His Highness's favor. With a prefect who always tries to speak well of His Highness, he shouldn't have time to worry.
"Oh, right." Qi Chengming glanced at the sky, taking the opportunity to check the current time on the infrastructure system panel. Even after traveling for so long, he still couldn't tell the time from the sky like everyone else.
Before going to the city gate to see Wen Er off, there was still time to go to the county government office.
Just then, Qi Chengming was also planning to discuss with the people in the county government how to arrange for the merchants and other people's shops in the city.
He was silently making plans in his mind.
This round of infrastructure construction has three tasks: the first two phases of establishing a currency have been completed, and preparations for stabilizing prices have also been finished. Only the shipbuilding task remains, which will take a long time…
It's almost here. Once he spreads the Liuzhou ration coupons throughout the entire Liuzhou area, the third stage of establishing a currency will probably be completed—it just needs time to ferment.
With that thought in mind, Qi Chengming immediately set off for the county government office.
This time—
He encountered Prefect Mu, who had just returned from out of town, as well as Prefect Lu, whose obsequious smile still made him seem like a bad person, and Master Qin, whose smile was weary.
“There is some news, Your Highness,” Prefect Mu said thoughtfully. “The additional taxes and military pay cannot be reduced; the amount has been determined by the court this time. However, a friend of mine said he is willing to offer eight ships of supplies, including silver, rice, silk, and brocade, to help Your Highness. Letters and family ships have already arrived here.”
"Hmm?" Qi Chengming glanced sideways.
He was now quite adept at dealing with these unexpected gifts of filial piety, and calmly asked, "What's the situation with your friend?"
“He is a fellow scholar of mine, a member of the Wang family of Taiyuan, and now an official in Guizhou,” Prefect Mu introduced. “This aristocratic family is extravagant, so even if Your Highness has no interest, it is fine for you to accept this batch of supplies.”
His underlying meaning was that this amount of wealth was of little importance to the aristocratic families.
Qi Chengming suddenly realized, but then he began to ponder deeply...
Wow, this prince who was abandoned and eliminated is now finally being targeted and contacted by powerful families.
Why is it that Liuzhou requires a ticket?
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Author's Note: First update of the day!
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