"My lord, our family's free-range eggs are very good for the lady. This basket only costs one tael of silver, which is very cheap."
"How much do you want?" I looked at the basket; there were at most ten eggs. Buying just one or two ounces? What a rip-off!
"One ounce!" the chubby girl shouted, drool dripping from her mouth.
Fortunately, Xie Yuancheng rode off on horseback. He rang the bell twice, and a man in black jumped out, grabbed two chubby children, and took them to the street. Just as they put them down, a fat woman ran over.
When I looked back, the fat woman was kneeling on the ground begging for forgiveness, saying that she would not let her child be sold for such a high price in the future and would teach him properly when she got back.
"Is she really their mother? How could she teach children like that?" I leaned against Xie Yuancheng to rest. These days, unscrupulous merchants really know how to do business.
"Of course she is. Everyone in the city is saying that the mansion has mountains of gold and silver. Anyone who leaves the mansion spends more than half the price of others."
"That's going too far! Do Lin Yang and the others not want to stay anymore? Just kick them out!" I was a little angry. Xie Yuancheng's achievements today are the result of countless sleepless nights.
“They are all from the village. The first time we go back to the village, we will rush back. If we find them again, we will kick them out and never let them come back.”
"The way they acted just now was because their own mother corrupted them. You should send them away. There are many children in the city. If they are influenced, they will end up like those kids who clamored to be your wife last time."
“Ying’er, they won’t bother you. Someone will take care of these little things. Now is the time when people in the city start to make trouble. It’s a good time to drive some of them away and turn all their houses into flat roads or resting places. It will save us trouble in the future.”
"What about their house?" I was worried that Xie Yuancheng would turn into a ruthless person.
"Of course they have to pay compensation. Since they don't have any bottom line, they should compensate according to the minimum requirements of the imperial court. Even if they cause a scene, there will be a written agreement."
Xie Yuancheng cracked the whip twice, and the horse galloped faster. We arrived at a bustling street. I used to see stalls that were always neat and tidy, but now, whether it's a broken basket or a piece of cloth, they can all take up a space.
Some people were standing at the door looking around. I asked Xie Yuancheng, and he said they were people who used to set up stalls, but now they were being disturbed by people from the countryside who didn't follow the rules for setting up stalls, so it was very chaotic.
Why don't you go and fix it?
“They are pitiful people too. I let them earn some money to supplement their family income first. If they don’t behave themselves after repeated warnings, I can’t let them stay here.”
"But this is very unfair to others." I watched these people hawking their wares, arguing like they were fighting, getting red in the face over even a penny or two.
"No, we only need a small number of people from the lower classes here. The rest are just going to stay put and do their jobs properly. Right now, we're just forcing more people out of the woodwork. Once they've all shown their true colors, we can drive them away."
That was his original idea, but if no one replaces the people who were driven away, wouldn't it become a ghost town? How would we manage this place in the future?
I told Xie Yuancheng about Gu Ji, and he said there are still a large number of people waiting for these people to leave on their own, as they are eager to come in.
"You mean, let them go down a dead end and wait for better personnel to come and fill the gaps?"
"Yes, Linyang City isn't actually that big. Outsiders can't stay here for more than three days. Back then, the teacher noticed that the people in the city were just putting on a good show on the surface, but in reality, they were quite lazy."
Last time we went to 2020, I saw a very beautiful capital city from a certain dynasty. Linyang's layout is very similar to theirs, so I want to make it look like that.
It will take four or five years, by which time Uncle Cui and my parents-in-law should be arriving, so we don't need to worry too much. They've worked hard for us for most of their lives; now it's our turn to repay them.
"Dynasty?" Looking at the houses under repair on both sides, I finally realized which city he was referring to. It did look somewhat similar. Of course, I supported his idea; no wonder it required so much money.
"However, we can't make it too obvious. Just keep the layout roughly the same, otherwise it will easily cause a lot of trouble. At the time, I only wanted about 50,000 households in the fiefdom."
However, for it to last, circulation is necessary, which is why it was later changed to 100,000 households. Our soldiers will also age, and we need many new soldiers to replace them.
They've followed me all over the country for many years; some have started families, some haven't. They've done so much for me, and now they're stationed to guard Linyang. They're given the lion's share of the profits, and they're also responsible for training new recruits.
Xie Yuancheng told me about some of the structures, which I remembered. We were having a good time when suddenly a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old, carrying a basket on his back, ran up to us.
"My lord, I have some good things to sell. You can buy them for your wife or the young ladies and gentlemen in the manor to play with."
Seeing that we had stopped, she quickly brought out several wild rabbits, patting them occasionally and even holding them by their ears. She was selling each one for a hundred coins; she was truly greedy for money. People nearby were watching the spectacle, but Xie Yuancheng ignored them and left through another alley.
I couldn't believe she dared to chase after me. She walked with surprising force, her eyes filled with indifference. Someone like her must be forced to do business. I recognized her clearly; she was a young girl. I told Xie Yuancheng to hurry up and leave.
"Ying'er, she's not even a tenth as pretty as you, don't worry~"
"That's not how it works. She's dressed in rags right now. If she were dressed up, and I happen to have the ability to keep you here, wouldn't you take her back to your manor?"
Xie Yuancheng snorted: "Do you think I'd take any woman? If it weren't for you, what about other women with the same name as you? Even if they were prettier, more talented, or had a higher status, I would only glance at them and leave."
"My little darling, she's so good at talking." I looked back and saw the girl running after me, holding up rabbit ears. Her face was a little dirty, and she could run so fast even though she was wearing tattered shoes.
"Thump!" I was still wondering when she would run up when the constables on both sides hit her calves with long sticks and she rolled to the ground.
When I looked up, I noticed the sound of drums and some wisps of smoke. "Are you spreading messages in the city?"
"Yes, I am a prince, and not just anyone can strike up a conversation with me when I go out. If I had been a little more ruthless just now, it wouldn't have been as simple as just crippling her leg."
“I think she’s pretty fast, maybe she can be of help.”
“Ying’er, there are many talented people. If their character is flawed, they will be unappealing from the start. The next step is to assess their abilities. She is just fast, and her eyes are full of greed. If we take her back and accept her, she will cause chaos in the manor.”
Besides, I don't lack men. You don't even know how many people work for us, do you?"
I quickly shook my head. "I'd better not know. Let's keep it a secret. If something happens to you, I can lend a hand."
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