Chapter 433 New Blessings Arrive Again
The lobby on the first floor of Xunyang Tower fell into a brief silence.
Facing Ouyang Rong, Pei Shisan Niang forced a smile and said:
"My lord, why don't we go upstairs and talk some more? I've prepared your favorite dishes especially for today..."
Ouyang Rong remained unmoved and continued to question:
"Madam Pei, please answer this official: to whom were these renovated new houses sold?"
Pei Shisan Niang forced a smile and said, "Of course, it's the common people."
"Can you guarantee that the rent for your renovated houses, whether for rent or sale, will be lower than, or at the same level as, those of the current nasty landlords?" He paused, then looked around at everyone. "If you can agree to this, I will warmly welcome you all and will not refuse."
Pei Shisan Niang and her companions exchanged glances, their eyes filled with helplessness and ambiguity: "Naturally, it will be a bit more expensive."
"How much more expensive is it? Ten percent or twenty percent, or double or triple?"
Pei Shisan Niang looked away, avoiding his clear and bright gaze: "There won't be too many... anyway, there will be ordinary people who can afford to live here."
"Ordinary people who can afford it... well, these days everyone's an ordinary person, and Madam Pei is one of them. Buying this kind of house is naturally no problem for her, but..."
Ouyang Rong nodded, then changed the subject:
"All these cheap old houses in Xingzifang have been renovated by Madam Pei and sold to ordinary people who can afford them, just like Madam Pei. I'll venture a guess: those poor people who are currently carrying sacks of stone at Xunyangdu and Shuangfengjian Grottoes, and who return to their cheap old houses to find a moment of peace and rest after work, probably don't belong to the category of 'ordinary people who can afford to live' that Madam Pei is talking about."
"Madam Pei painstakingly acquired and renovated this house; she certainly wasn't after their money. They're already struggling to pay the current rent, there's no room left to squeeze out any profit. Let me guess, Madam Pei is definitely aiming for a big profit..."
"My lord, I was planning to rent or sell to wealthy people, but it is a well-known fact that Xingzifang is dirty, chaotic, and has poor public security."
"Introducing cultured scholars and wealthy families from all over Jiangnan to move in will definitely revitalize the appearance of Xingzifang."
"If Xingzifang could become a clean and tidy neighborhood like Xunyangfang and Xiushuifang, where all residents are polite and well-mannered, it would be a good thing for both the public and private sectors. It would be entirely beneficial to Xunyang City. Most importantly, this would be a remarkable achievement under your rule. Isn't it all thanks to you? I really don't understand why it's not possible."
"This isn't how you calculate it, nor should it be."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and asked again:
"We've brought in wealthy people from Jiangnan, but now, where are the cheap laborers and poor people in Xingzifang supposed to live so as not to disrupt public order and the city's appearance?"
Pei Shisan hesitated: "Of course... of course we should go to a place they can afford to stay. The world is so big, it's not like we can only stay in Xingzifang."
"But Xingzifang is already the cheapest place in Xunyang City in terms of land rent, otherwise they wouldn't be gathering here. Now that you've set your sights on this place, where else can they go to live?"
Her eyes darted around: "At worst, we can leave Xunyang City. Jiangzhou isn't just about Xunyang City; we can find work there. It's a simple matter of going somewhere we can afford to stay. Besides..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly chuckled: "Heh, leave Xunyang."
Upon hearing the laughter, Pei Shisan Niang's face flushed red, and she became somewhat defiant as she was pressed for answers:
"My lord, you are the Prefect of Jiangzhou. You should be thinking about the future of Xunyang City. It is one of your duties to attract scholars and wealthy people to make Xunyang City prosperous. Why bother with those poor people who are destined to be eliminated by the world? They have their own fate. It's not that you want to drive them away. They are just not suited for Xunyang and don't have money. They can go back to their hometown. Although they can't afford a house, they have hands and feet and won't starve..."
Ouyang Rong quietly observed this shrewd and calculating noblewoman, then suddenly interrupted loudly:
"Madam Pei, it is precisely because I am the Prefect of Jiangzhou, the official in charge of the people's welfare, and I must consider the well-being of Xunyang City that I cannot agree with this matter."
Everyone praises Xunyang as a wonderful place. It is located at the confluence of three rivers, with convenient water transportation. It is a place of great importance and the most prosperous place in central Jiangnan. The ancient Xunyang Ferry has revitalized the entire city.
"But may I ask you, are the people who are working day and night in Xunyang, transporting goods from all directions to contribute to Xunyang's prosperity, digging and opening mountains between the twin peaks, and carrying stones in the Xunyang Grottoes to build the Great Buddha for the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the same high-ranking officials and nobles living in luxury in Xunyangfang and Xiushuifang? Are they the monks and scholars who gather in the mountains of Kuanglu to compose poems and make merry all night long? Are they the merchants and tycoons who clink glasses and exchange sharp words in Xunyang Tower?"
"Neither."
Ouyang Rong shook his head, answered his own question, and said softly:
"The prosperity of Xunyang City is supported by these cheap poor people that Madam Pei talks about. Now, Madam Pei is carrying a large sum of money and with a wave of her hand, she wants to buy up the cheap houses, renovate them, and make them all move out of their way so they won't get in the way."
"Madam Pei said that these things are for the good of Xunyang City, but no matter how I look at it, I feel that Xunyang City can do without Xunyang Ward, without Xiushui Ward, and Xunyang Ferry can still operate normally without the gentlemen, but it just cannot do without Xingzi Ward."
The entire room fell silent. As Ouyang Rong spoke, Pei Shisan Niang's face gradually turned ashen.
Ouyang Rong remained calm, looking directly into her eyes, and said:
"Madam Pei, I can really understand your thoughts. I really understand your indifference."
"In your eyes, it doesn't matter where these low-paid workers and poor people who have been driven out of Xunyang will go, what their lives will become, or what their fate will be. According to the business acumen of merchants, this is a clearing out of the labor force in the Xunyang market, a natural process of survival of the fittest. These people are just a little unfortunate."
"In fact, as long as these people are not treated as human beings, but as oxen and horses to work, this statement is indeed correct."
"Even without them, there are plenty of people outside who are willing to line up to come to Xunyang City. After all, three-legged toads are hard to find, but there are plenty of two-legged oxen and horses everywhere."
"However, I have a major flaw: I can't help but treat cattle and horses as human beings. I always feel that the builders of a city should not be treated this way."
"To shift the cost of Xunyang's prosperity onto them, keep the profits within Xunyang City, and then turn around and drive them all away since they have little remaining value... I'm sorry, I can't do that."
Pei Shisan Niang's face turned pale and then purple, still unwilling to give up, she said:
"Your Excellency is as wise and virtuous as a saint, and I admire you greatly. But... are we just going to let Xingzifang continue like this, allowing those landlords to run rampant?"
“These small landlords in Xingzifang have never been the real problem.”
Ouyang Rong suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh and pointed towards Xingzifang:
"It is true that the landlords are stingy, miserly, and domineering, but anyone can criticize them except me and the officials in the Jiangzhou government office."
"Because they were stingy and meticulous in dividing the house into individual rooms, they saved costs by renting them out cheaply for poor people and migrant workers to live in. Although this made the houses in Xingzi increasingly old and dirty, it provided a place for many poor people to stay and allow them to share in some of the prosperity of Xunyangdu."
"In a sense, this replaced the duties and functions that the government and the imperial court should have fulfilled, and satisfied a certain strong demand."
"Those cheap laborers who contributed their sweat to build Xunyang were not provided with a comfortable life by the Jiangzhou government, which enjoyed the fruits of their labor. Strictly speaking, the imperial court... I am not a competent official."
Pei Shisan Niang licked her dry lips, unsure of where to begin her rebuttal, her forehead covered in fine sweat.
The calm yet thought-provoking voice of the young man in the felt hat rang out again, echoing throughout the tense audience:
“Madam Pei, some of the problems you pointed out are correct. Xingzifang is dirty, chaotic, and has poor public security. This is indeed an objective fact.”
"However, if we attribute all the filth, disorder, and public security problems in Xingzifang to the poor people of Xingzifang, blaming them for being poor, for lacking manners, for having undignified jobs, and for making Xingzifang a breeding ground for chaos and disorder..."
"Ha, now they want to renovate old houses, and they even say that they are no longer worthy of living in Xunyang. They even think that as long as they openly or secretly use high land prices to squeeze out those who have contributed the most to the prosperity of Xunyang, they can restore the security of Xingzifang and make the city look brand new..."
"Excuse me, if this is true, then may I ask, is the poverty of these people entirely their own fault? Why is it that they are poor while the rich get richer? They clearly work harder than anyone else, they clearly get up earlier than anyone else, they clearly are more diligent and lovable than anyone else, so why are they still so poor and destitute? Madam Pei, can you tell me why?"
Pei Shisan Niang was at a loss for words and hurriedly explained, "My lord, I didn't mean to blame them..."
"You don't blame them?" Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted, nodding slightly: "Oh, so what Madam Pei really blames... is the court that failed to enrich the people, right? That seems to make some sense."
Pei Shisan Niang stammered, her face flushed, unable to defend herself: "No, that's absolutely not what I meant. I meant... I meant..."
Upon hearing this, some of the people in the hall seemed to be deep in thought.
Xie Lingjiang turned to look at her senior brother's calm expression as he spoke, and suddenly realized that beneath that face, her senior brother's feelings were actually... both angry and sad.
Before the noblewoman could stammer out her words, Ouyang Rong nodded slightly:
"I had no intention of targeting Madam Pei, nor anyone else. Perhaps my tone was a bit harsh just now. How about this, I'll drink a cup of wine as punishment."
After he finished speaking, he reached out, but before he could pick up the nearby wine glass, Xie Lingjiang had already handed him a glass that she had already checked.
Ouyang Rong glanced at her, took the cup, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and spoke again.
This was addressed not only to Pei Shisan Niang, who was equally trembling with fear as she returned the toast, but also to everyone present today:
"What I really want to say is that if the renovated house of Madam Pei can be sold or rented out at the same price as, or even at a relatively lower price than, the current landlord's old house, I will support it a hundred times over. I would even be willing to help out by the Jiangzhou government office, as long as you come up with a feasible plan."
"But if that doesn't work, we should build it into a garden mansion and sell it to wealthy people from Jiangnan, attracting them to Xunyang and turning Xingzifang into something like Xunyangfang and Xiushuifang..."
"I'm sorry, Xunyang City doesn't need any embellishment. Madam Pei, you need not mention this matter again from now on. The same goes for all the distinguished guests present today. Do not raise similar opinions again. As long as I am still serving as the Chief Administrator of Jiangzhou, I will never allow such a thing to happen."
"This is my attitude, please be aware."
The handsome young man in the felt hat spoke with a strong and clear voice, echoing in the silent hall.
Many people looked on, either lost in thought or deep in contemplation, carefully considering his novel yet powerful perspectives and remarks.
The crowd began to whisper among themselves, and the noise in the hall gradually grew louder.
"My lord, it was my oversight. I beg your forgiveness for your words. I will punish myself with three cups of wine..."
Pei Shisan Niang lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
Ouyang Rong shook his head, unwilling to pay any more attention, and glanced at Pei Shisan Niang and the group of Yangzhou merchants behind her once more.
He keenly observed that although Pei Shisan Niang had softened her stance, there were a few men among the salt merchants who had come ashore who did not offer a toast and whose faces were displeased, as if they were somewhat unconvinced.
Ouyang Rong's gaze turned cold as he waited for their faces to fall. Pei Shisan Niang reacted and turned around to glare at them. Only then did this troublemaker slowly lower his head.
The young official, barely twenty years old, flicked his sleeves and turned away.
Under the respectful or complicated gazes of the people in the lobby, he and Xie Lingjiang strode out of Xunyang Tower.
Back in the carriage, Ouyang Rong leaned back against the soft couch, closed his eyes to rest, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Xie Lingjiang gave a few instructions to the coachman, lowered the carriage curtain, glanced back at her senior brother, and suddenly brought up the topic:
"Senior Brother, that little girl in the red coat did not betray you."
Ouyang Rong didn't open his eyes, but sighed softly.
"Why are you sighing, Senior Brother?" She gracefully took his arm.
"Today, I have blocked many people's path to wealth."
Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyelashes, took his hand, and intertwined her fingers. A slight smile curved her pink lips.
"These Yangzhou merchants may be able to bully honest people and landlords, but they can't cause any trouble in front of the eldest brother."
“We’re not even afraid of Wang Lengran, so what can they do? As long as Uncle Li and Uncle Qin are here, these unscrupulous merchants in Jiangnan can’t turn the world upside down. To put it bluntly, if they’re dragons, they have to coil up; if they’re tigers, they have to lie low.”
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to speak, he suddenly covered his ears, looked around, and then lowered his head.
"What's wrong? Is Senior Brother feeling unwell?" Xie Lingjiang asked with concern.
"No...it's nothing."
Ouyang Rong shook his head, lowered his hands from his ears, and composed himself.
A familiar, resounding sound echoed in his ears.
From the long-silent Pagoda of Merit.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.
It is a new blessing.
Today is my birthday, and I met up with several authors: Mizhiji, Mitian Dasha, Gugu, Tianbao... They are all big names, but Xiao Rong is the biggest flop, only slightly better in terms of youth and good looks.
I spent the whole night typing away at the esports hotel, the keyboard clattering loudly. I glanced over and saw that, apart from the useless Mitian, everyone else had faster typing speeds than Xiaorong. Damn it.
After midnight tonight, I won't be 18 anymore. It's a bit bittersweet. I'm just writing this down in the hope of maintaining a youthful spirit. Let's encourage each other!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
