Chapter 8 A New Beginning: Chen Junbo's Career - Imposing and Awe-inspiring...
"Then tell me."
Unable to bear Li Yuhan's timid and submissive manner, Chen Junbo's eyes narrowed slightly.
Upon hearing this, General Manager Li pursed his lips. "The merchant ships heading north reported that the river embankment in Gao County is about to breach. Why don't we take advantage of this southern tour to repair that section of the river?"
The merchants had already discussed this matter. If there were any problems with the waterway leading to the north, all the boats would be stuck at the east ferry.
If shipping is disrupted, salt cannot be transported out and silver cannot be brought in, which would be a disaster for salt producers, transporters, and salt companies.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Zhengyuan's cheeks puffed out, his beard trembled, and he squinted at the magistrate of Gao County, his two thin eyebrows twisting into long worms.
The magistrate of Gao County, an elderly man, immediately rose, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, “Your Excellency, the county’s waterways are bearing an increasingly heavy burden, which has deeply worried me. I have already submitted a memorial outlining a plan to widen the waterways, and now I await the Ministry of Works’ approval before implementation.”
Lord Zhong's long eyebrows relaxed, his eyes crinkled into a smile, and he gestured for him to sit down.
Seeing this situation, Chen Junbo knew that the matter could not be resolved today.
That magistrate of Gao County is utterly cunning!
If this matter reaches the Ministry of Works, who knows when it will be resolved? If it coincides with a major flood, I'm afraid...
He's gambling on how long the river can hold out.
Thinking of this, Chen Junbo's face darkened.
The magistrate of Ganquan County, standing nearby, said loudly, “Your Excellency, Ganquan County is located west of Songshan Town. Due to its isolated terrain and lack of waterways, the people are confined to their fields, and their produce is difficult to sell. In my humble opinion, it would be better to take advantage of the imperial court’s southern tour and large-scale construction projects to allocate funds to build a land route connecting the two places. Once the trade route is opened, the county’s produce can be transported to other places, and the people’s livelihood can be improved.”
He paused briefly, then added, “This will also help the Emperor’s procession proceed smoothly, demonstrating the Emperor’s benevolent virtue in comforting the people. Although this will cost a great deal, in the long run it will surely generate tax revenue, making it a win-win solution that benefits the present and future generations.”
“I have long known that Magistrate Wen loves the people like his own children. It is a blessing for the people of Ganquan County to have a magistrate like you. I hope you will continue to uphold this virtue and live up to the Emperor’s grace and the people’s expectations.”
Zhong Zhengyuan was filled with deep affection.
That's right! Welcoming the Emperor should naturally bring about a new era, so that His Majesty can see my courage and loyalty! If His Majesty were to personally inscribe a message, sharing the joy with the people, and showing the Emperor's boundless grace, what a glorious sight that would be!
As for that old dike, it's just routine maintenance; how can it be compared to the grand event of welcoming the emperor? When the emperor sees the new, open road, he'll be too happy to notice an old dike. No matter how well it's repaired, it will be taken for granted, and no one will remember the merit.
He could almost see himself being promoted and ennobled, and his face flushed slightly. "We must concentrate all our efforts on doing this well!"
Having just offended Zhong Zhengyuan, Li Yuhan was now very eager, saying, "Sir, you are a man of profound wisdom. I wonder if you intend to target Shaojia Village, or if you prefer to connect to Chenjiaji in Ganquan? Both places have their advantages, so please enlighten me, sir."
The Li family has been inextricably linked to the development of Songshan Town since their father's generation. The town's city walls, which withstood countless pirates, were built under their supervision. Since then, the Li family has been involved in every project, large and small, in the town, from road construction and canal dredging to dike reinforcement.
His experience was profound, and he hit the nail on the head.
Shaojia Village is located on the easternmost side of Ganquan County, about 40 li (approximately 20 kilometers) from Songshan Town. Chenjiaji is located on the westernmost side of Ganquan, about 60 li (approximately 30 kilometers) from the town.
The two differ by half, and the corresponding manpower and resources are also different.
The magistrate of Ganquan County was delighted and turned to Li Yuhan: "We'll be at the east entrance of Shaojia Village."
Li Yuhan nodded, then asked, "I wonder if it's forty li of stone road or forty li of dirt road?"
Magistrate Wen said, "The stone road is certainly better."
"A forty-mile-long stone road?! Wait, did I hear that right?!" Liu Yitong jumped up upon hearing this. "Even if it's only two zhang wide, it would still take eight months to build. The labor, stone, and transportation costs... goodness, that must be three million taels of silver!"
As he spoke, he had already calculated the accounts.
"Goodness, you really dare to say that! You say a stone path is better? Pshaw! Everyone knows a stone path is better. If it's so good, why don't you go and build one yourself..."
Chen Junbo patted his arm from behind, and he finally shut up and sat back down, still muttering, "Like someone's money just falls from the sky..."
Those familiar with Liu Yitong were used to his sharp tongue, but Magistrate Wen had never seen such a wealthy merchant before. He was so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he hurriedly said, "Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, if not, the dirt road is fine too, it is fine too!"
"Tch!" Liu Yitong suddenly blurted out, his face contorted in a grimace, looking no less grotesque than the old woman at the village entrance.
“I think this dirt road is feasible,” Li Yuhan quickly interjected.
He then whispered to Liu Yitong, "Once this dirt road is built, labor will be needed, and once people have money, they will need to make purchases..."
Nine out of ten shops in town belong to these three main merchants. They make money by going out of one pocket and coming back into another, and they can even make a living by attracting customers. He believed Liu Yitong could figure this out.
Then he said loudly, "Mr. Liu, please calculate again how much silver is needed if it's just a dirt road."
Liu Yitong, who was gesturing with Chen Junbai, suddenly had a flash of inspiration upon hearing this. “Forty miles of dirt road, it can be completed in a little over two months, 100,000 taels will be enough.”
Chen Junbo glanced at him sideways. This guy, with a quick dart of his eyes, could throw abacus beads at someone's face. He was young, yet he was petty, sharp-tongued, and mean-spirited.
Upon hearing the amount, Li Yuhan immediately declared, "This 100,000 taels of silver will be provided by my Li family's Guanghe Salt Company!"
Liu Yitong was not to be outdone, "Then my Liu family's Tonghua Salt Shop will also contribute 30,000 taels. Hehe, these two factions on the road must plant trees and cultivate seedlings. When the Emperor comes later, he will see the peach blossoms and willows and maybe reward each of them with a yellow jacket to wear."
Liu Yitong was adept at this kind of high-risk, high-reward strategy, where others paved the way while he built the bridges.
He turned to Chen Junbai and smiled, "Ziheng, don't bother with these little things, my brother and I will take care of them for you."
Chen Junbo's lips curled up. "Of course, I absolutely cannot compete with you for that yellow jacket."
Everyone burst into laughter, and Liu Yitong, having gained an advantage, didn't mind and laughed along.
Zhang Youdao quickly brought everyone back to the main topic, "Since you all share the same view, let's settle on this charitable act of road construction."
He glanced at the crowd and then said, "However, it is getting late, and I am afraid that it will delay our official business. Let us discuss how to prepare for the reception of the Emperor."
Subsequent proposals all revolved around the principle of "no extravagance," each one more shabby than the last. Even Lin Yihuai frowned and shook his head upon hearing them, and the discussion in the hall gradually subsided.
Lin Yihuai's tiger-like eyes gleamed as he looked down at Chen Junbai and said, "The Emperor's arrival in the south is imminent. Mr. Chen is a man of great experience and has attended many grand ceremonies. He must have some insightful opinions on this matter. Why are you silent today?"
Everyone looked at the two of them.
In the hall, a smile conceals a dagger; below, composure reigns.
Zhang Youdao quickly smiled and agreed, "President Chen, please speak freely and don't hold back."
That's a much more polite way of putting it. According to Lin Yihuai, if someone as experienced as Chen Junbai couldn't offer some insightful explanation, it would be seen as a lack of respect for the Emperor.
No wonder Chen Junbo just held his teacup and drank by himself, without even blinking.
He put down his teacup, dusted off his robes, and stood up, saying, “Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, the Emperor’s southern tour is a grand event to be celebrated by all. The welcoming ceremony should be the most magnificent and elaborate. We should order a variety of performances to please His Majesty, decorate the palace with colorful lanterns to make the night as bright as day, and renovate the palace to make it as magnificent as possible, so as not to fail the Emperor’s grace, to demonstrate the power of the nation, and to satisfy the people’s expectations.”
Lin Yihuai's expression hardened, and he said in surprise, "General Manager Chen, the words of the imperial edict are still ringing in our ears! Just now, Lord Zhang proclaimed the imperial decree, 'All matters concerning welcoming the emperor must be conducted with frugality, and there must be no extravagance whatsoever.' Have you already forgotten these resounding words? Wouldn't that be going against the emperor's wishes?"
These words caused an uproar in the room.
“Hiss—Lord Lin is right! The ink on Tingji’s character ‘frugality’ was still wet, and General Manager Chen’s approach is the opposite of what Tingji did. It is indeed… indeed slightly different from Tingji’s.”
"What do you know? President Chen has a deep and abiding respect for the Emperor. He is able to befriend the Emperor while still a commoner. His understanding of the Emperor's will is naturally far superior to that of us dullards."
"However, this act of imperial decree is blatant disregard for the laws and regulations of the court. One wrong move and we will incur the wrath of the emperor, and we will all be implicated..."
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