Right now, he's on his way to find Tai Jian, not for any other reason than to discuss the matter of finding the Iron-Eating Beast.
Tai Jian was training troops with Cheng Chu when he heard that Xu Xian had arrived. He hurriedly went out to greet him. At first, he and Xu Xian shared the same plight (because of their names), then they were united in hatred against a common enemy (again because of their names), and later they appreciated each other (still because of their names). Rather than colleagues, they were more like friends with a decent relationship.
Upon hearing that the prefect had arrived, Cheng Chu followed Tai Jian to greet him.
"Greetings, General Cheng." Xu Xian bowed to Cheng Chu. "There are too many people here. Why don't we go inside the camp and discuss this further?"
The three then entered the residence where Tai Jian was staying in the camp. Xu Xian was about to speak when Cheng Chu said, "If Lord Xu has come about the Iron-Eating Beast, may I have a word to say first?"
Xu Xian looked at Cheng Chu—this man didn't look like a general, but more like a scholar. However, judging from the way Tai Jian was chatting with him so happily, he seemed to be a man of both literary and martial talents. After all, it was no easy thing to win Tai Jian's favor.
He nodded as he thought about it, "General Cheng, please speak freely."
Cheng Chu suppressed his smile and sighed deeply: "On the way to Shu Prefecture, the county magistrate and I saw only devastation along the way, with people suffering greatly. The county magistrate specifically instructed me not to use the people's labor to search for the Iron-Eating Beast, and even if we had to use people, we had to provide them with sufficient compensation."
He paused, then, pleased to see the expressions of astonishment and admiration on the faces of Tai Jian and Xu Xian, added, “This money is naturally to be provided by the county magistrate, but she has helped many people along the way and has no more money left. I have seen this all along the way and know that if she continues like this, she may not even have enough for the return journey. The county magistrate told me not to worry about it and to figure it out herself, but I think that if we really take it for granted, wouldn’t we feel guilty and have a guilty conscience? I think we are all intelligent people, so why don’t we work together to think of a way to raise enough money for the people?”
After Cheng Chu finished speaking, he silently praised himself—the county princess only asked him to find a way to get Xu Xian to get the glass done quickly, and he had once again performed exceptionally well, hehe.
Tai Jian was quite flattered.
From a certain perspective, Cheng Chu was a close advisor to the emperor and a scholar-general, skilled in both literature and martial arts. To have him say that he was "wise" was truly wonderful.
Xu Xian's attention was not on this. He naturally thought of the glass recipe that Princess Yang had given him earlier, and suddenly understood.
It turns out that the county magistrate wasn't trying to amass wealth for himself, but rather for the sake of all the people! And what does it mean that the county magistrate entrusted this thing to me?
This shows that she trusts her own abilities and talents!
I'm ashamed.
Xu Xian felt his face burning, and at the same time he couldn't help but sigh in his heart - Princess Heyang, what a good person!
He immediately said, "General Cheng, there is no need to worry. Just now I promised the county princess that I would invite a divine doctor down the mountain for her. The county princess gave me a prescription as a token of her gratitude. She said that this glass could make a lot of money."
He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "The county magistrate said she would cover the cost of the first batch of glass, but she is truly a woman of noble character. I am ashamed, so I will pay for it myself!"
Cheng Chu's eyes immediately welled up with tears: "Good! Lord Xu is so generous! On behalf of the county magistrate and the people, I, Cheng, offer you a toast with tea instead of wine!"
After he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup clean, covering the corners of his mouth that were turning up in a wild smile—the county princess is truly a prophet!
Making money out of thin air, and the money just comes in, right?
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