Chapter 107
The evening sky was red, birds were returning to their nests, and a gentle breeze was blowing across the ground.
Ye Jia sat in the carriage, pondering what was next. Zhou Jingchen had already gained power. After taking the Anxi Protectorate, he would launch a war against the Central Plains. War was costly, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Beiting and Anxi had no shortage of troops, but they lacked money and food. Once the war broke out, unless Zhou Jingchen swept through like a whirlwind, wantonly plundering the local people's money and food, it would be difficult to sustain.
But given Zhou Jingchen's temperament, he might requisition food and fodder appropriately, but he was unlikely to commit acts like robbing the people of their property and food. Then, if a war broke out between the imperial court and the government, how could a poor army defeat a well-equipped and well-stocked elite force? Even if the Northwest soldiers were brave, they wouldn't win if they were hungry.
It is necessary to make money, and in addition to making money, you also have to stockpile food.
Ye Jia now had seven warehouses full of food, spending nearly a third of her fortune. But Ye Jia knew that this amount of food and fodder could only sustain one campaign for Beiting's 100,000 border guards, and it wouldn't last long. Unless she could secure more fertile land and generate consistent income to sustain high consumption, her meager fortune would only sustain Zhou Jingchen's one campaign.
After all, besides food and fodder, war also requires money for food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Weapons and medicine also require financial support, and Ye Jia's calculations do not include medicinal materials and medical care.
Of the hundred acres of fertile land she had taken to Khotan this time, at least half would have to be used to grow food. Cotton and rapeseed were also needed. Ye Jia wondered if she should raise livestock as well. Just feeding them dry rations wouldn't do. To keep the soldiers healthy, they couldn't go without meat.
After much thought, he still felt that he was too poor: "...I still have to make money. I can't be lazy."
Ye Jia rested her hands on her knees, calculating the extent of the Yang family's ancestral inheritance. She had left in such a hurry that she hadn't yet fully understood the situation within the Yang family. Now, she only held the family seal and a list of assets. She wondered if she should rob the rich and help the poor. There were also some unpopular wealthy families in the northwest, like the Wu family, who were quite suitable candidates for robbing the rich and helping the poor.
Ye Jia was calculating as the mule cart creaked to the farm. Old man Zhang Changli, wearing a bamboo hat, had gone out to wander the ridges of the fields that afternoon and hadn't returned yet. The people on the farm, fearing Ye Jia would wait too long, hurried to the ridges to look for him.
It was a quarter of an hour later that Mr. Zhang came back with his hands behind his back. As soon as he entered, he opened his mouth and asked for water.
Ye Jia happened to have a pot of tea nearby, so he poured a glass of water and handed it over. Old man Zhang Changli, used to living in the countryside and rather rough, took the tea and gulped down two glasses of water before looking up at him.
Seeing Ye Jia, he was pleasantly surprised: "Girl, when did you come back?"
"Early this morning."
Ye Jia was out on business, so Zhang Changli was unaware of the situation; he only heard Yu's general outlines. During the spring plowing season, the old man couldn't find her, so he relied on letters to decide what to plant. Zhang Changli knew that Ye Jia had purchased more fertile land in Khotan; Ye Jia had sent him a letter when she bought it. "I'm here to discuss the planting of the land in Khotan with you, Teacher."
It's already early April. Even though it's only been a little over ten days, some crops are already late. I need to consult with professionals about how to plan the fields in Khotan.
Ye Jia didn't hide his desire to grow more food, and told him, "Teacher, can you send two of my brothers to Khotan?"
Of course he could. Zhang Changli could manage just a hundred acres of fertile land by himself.
Zhang Changli had a selfish motive for keeping the two students by his side, as it was a condition for following Zhou Jingchen's instructions and coming from Xichang to help the Zhou family. Zhou Jingchen hadn't actually intended to bring his two students along. But in terms of their abilities, they were already capable of standing on their own. Ye Jia had previously written to him about the purpose of the land purchase, and the old man had guessed it, so he naturally didn't hesitate.
"But girl, have you told Yun'an about this?" Old Master Zhang Changli was the typical old scholar who didn't care about what was happening outside. He had transferred him to the good fields at the bottom of the valley. He was just wasting time here, not knowing what Zhou Jingchen was doing outside.
Ye Jia also knew that the old man had feelings for the court. Although he disliked the new emperor's various actions and cursed him behind his back, he still secretly adhered to the etiquette and supported the court. Ye Jia would not explain many things to him too clearly, so as to prevent the old man from doing something foolish when his mind was not clear. Although such a thing was not certain, it was always necessary to take precautions. "My husband will know."
The old man nodded. He was just asking, and of course he wouldn't interfere in other people's family affairs. "If the person can be taken out, I won't interfere with how you arrange it."
Ye Jia felt relieved after hearing what Mr. Zhang said.
As for the other two, Zhou Jingchen had already dealt them a warning when he had driven them out of the West Field. These two weren't old-fashioned types like old man Zhang Changli. Though they'd never shown their true colors, they'd long hoped Zhou Jingchen would dethrone the tyrant emperor and redress their grievances. Ye Jia didn't need much mobilization; they'd naturally work diligently.
As soon as the people were released at the bottom of the valley, Ye Jia immediately arranged for someone to send the two over.
Besides the two of them, someone else was needed to handle the chores. Ye Jia thought for a moment and sent Old Man Sun over as well. He was worried about asking others to handle some of the chores, so in addition to Old Man Sun, Ye Jia also sent Lingdang over.
This is what Yu said to Ye Jia.
In reality, Lingdang had been relatively inconspicuous since arriving at the Zhou family's home. Back when she was still living at the garrison, she was quiet, doing little housework and raising the children. Ye Jia had considered her a weak, literate woman. Only recently had Yu Shi informed Ye Jia that Lingdang was an expert accountant. Besides accounting, she possessed a sharp mind and a strong memory. Though a quiet person, she was incredibly perceptive.
Of course, there's more to managing a hundred acres of fertile land than just planting. Accounting and general affairs also require people. Ye Jia sent the two of them out together.
They left in a hurry, and it was confirmed that day, and a carriage was arranged to take them there early the next morning.
Ye Jia didn't give any specific orders about what to plant, only a single task: to ensure a yield of 300 kilograms of grain per mu. Ye Jia wouldn't interfere too much with the four men's specific plans. After sending them off, the shop still needed to be arranged.
There's only one Cao Ruyue in Khotan right now, and no specific arrangements have been made yet, so a manager needs to go there. Yuan Chunsheng has recently expanded Ye Jia's shop east of Jizhou, expanding even faster than Ye Jia anticipated. Seeing how capable Ye Jia is, he's given him considerable authority. Now, he's unsure if he has the right person to take over.
As soon as Ye Jiayi came back, he basically worked non-stop.
Seeing Ye Jia so busy, Yu was always worried. Although she was still young and didn't need to be too strict, being too busy was harmful to her health. "Jia Niang, why don't you bring in some more help? You can't handle running around like this all the time."
Ye Jia personally ran many of the household chores. Yu Shi wanted to help, but she wasn't particularly strong herself. She might not be able to figure things out after a couple of tries, and end up wearing herself out, becoming a burden. Ultimately, she simply didn't have enough people on hand.
Yu knew that Ye Jia didn't like hiring servants, but now that things had come to this, she had no choice but to buy one: "You should take a break. There's always work to do. Besides, if you don't trust the slaves in Beiting, why not see if there are any capable people in Xichang? If there are, tell Yun'an and ask him to get some people back. If that doesn't work, Ajiu will be back in a few days."
"Nothing, I know what to do." True to the old doctor's words, Ye Jia didn't feel tired thanks to his youth and good health. "The shop and spring plowing are all arranged, and we can take our time later. When will Ah Jiu be back?"
"I heard from Yuanniang that he will be back around the end of this month."
Ye Jia pondered for a moment. She knew that Ajiu was a businessman on the surface, but secretly working for Zhou Jingchen. She even suspected that Ajiu's group was behind the unrest in Kucha. A few days before she was taken away from Dongxiang Town, she had seen Ajiu coming home late at night and talking to Zhou Jingchen in the study for a long time.
After that, Ajiu took his men out to do business.
However, this was just Ye Jia's guess, so there was no need to delve into it. "It just so happens that my husband should be back at the end of this month."
Yu hadn't seen her son for a long time, and to be honest, she missed him a little. But Yu was different from Zhou Jingchen, and the mother and son couldn't get along. When they talked, Zhou Jingchen was often silent, and Yu was so angry that she wanted to hit him and scold him. Thinking of this, she could bear not seeing him for a long time: "He really should come back."
Ye Jia smiled and did not stop Yu from quietly scolding her son.
Speaking of which, Lin Zeyu hadn't appeared at the Zhou family since he followed Ajiu. Speaking of being unused, Ye Jia somehow thought of Lin Zeyu. Ye Jia remembered Zhou Jingchen saying when they bought him that he would be very useful. But he hadn't seen that yet. After thinking about it, Ye Jia didn't have time to dwell on it anymore. The shop's account books and income for the recent period were delivered to him.
"Mom, please take care of the things at the workshop. I have other things to do."
As Ye Jia spoke, she asked the delivery person to take the things to her bedroom.
Yu sighed as she looked at her hurried back.
In the past few months, Yuan Chunsheng's ability has far exceeded Ye Jia's imagination.
He simply opened several branches from the single Qingxuexuan, not only in Luntai, Yongzhou, and Jizhou, but also in Zhongyuan, east of Jizhou. He also established two branches in Loulan, Anxi Protectorate, and Wulei City. No wonder the pear blossom paste was in such short supply. With so many shops selling it simultaneously, a small workshop on West Street alone couldn't sustain itself.
Besides the shops, private purchases of food and fodder never ceased. Without Ye Jia's explicit instructions to halt the purchases, Yuan Chunsheng would continue to do so without a word. Small, long-term purchases were difficult to detect, but the cumulative amount was staggering.
It didn't seem too difficult to handle two months' accounts for so many shops. Ye Jia needed at least five days to check the accounts, so she took stock of the incoming payments.
In two months, the ten shops had taken in a combined revenue of over 16,700 taels. After deducting costs and labor, and adding in the costs of purchasing food, hiring staff, and maintaining daily operations, the net profit was approximately 10,700 taels. This had recouped all of Ye Jia's previous investment, and even Ye Jia was pleasantly surprised by Yuan Chunsheng's abilities.
No wonder Zhou Jingchen wanted to get this person out, he really has a golden hand!
Ye Jia was afraid he might have missed the mark on his first count, so he recounted several times. He didn't feel tired even after counting until dark, and the more he counted, the happier he became. After counting the silver, he no longer felt uncomfortable looking back at the numerous account books. When you have money to earn, you can endure any hardship.
Ancient account books differed from the double-entry bookkeeping of later generations. Modern ledgers tended to be more like running accounts. Income and expenditure were recorded one by one, with a balance calculated each month. Although Ye Jia studied engineering, she also invested in her later life and frequently reviewed company reports and ledgers. She had a specialized method for doing this, keeping a separate double-entry book that she could understand.
Although it said it would take three months, the shop's accounts were actually quite simple. Since it only sold pear blossom cream and fragrant soap, the calculations weren't difficult. Ye Jia had originally estimated it would take five days, but she underestimated her ability and managed to sort it out in just three.
If the accounts are recalculated according to the methods of later generations, the profits will be even higher.
After all, many of the items purchased in the shop could be considered fixed assets rather than mere expenses. She recalculated the accounts and discovered something fishy. Besides these incoming payments, some money must have been embezzled. However, Ye Jia didn't point it out, considering the amount was small.
As the saying goes, when water is too clear, there are no fish. Since Yuan Chunsheng is capable, Ye Jia is not stingy in giving him a little sweet taste.
Currently, with the income from the past few months, plus the family savings, various businesses, and land, Ye Jia has approximately 25,670 in cash, 200 acres of fertile farmland, and 17 shops. In just less than two years, from being penniless to his current wealth, Ye Jia felt that he had put in a lot of effort. But overall, it was rewarding.
She snapped the account book shut and let out a deep breath. This was still not enough.
With 100,000 soldiers, each strong man consumes six taels of rice a day, which translates to sixty thousand kilograms. While the burden of supporting the troops wouldn't fall entirely on Ye Jia, the territories of the Beiting and Anxi Protectorates were limited. Fertile farmland wasn't as abundant as the grain-rich Central Plains, and food was already in short supply. There was no guarantee she wouldn't run into financial difficulties later on, so she had to eliminate any worries and ensure that nothing could go wrong.
After excluding the property of her subordinates, Ye Jia took out the Yang family's roster and looked through it.
The Yang family's fortune in the Anxi Protectorate was immense. Five generations had been there, but the lineage was cut short by Old Lady Yang's own childlessness. Having been passed down through so many generations, it naturally couldn't be small. Now that it was in Ye Jia's hands, he naturally had to capitalize on it. The list of properties alone was a finger thick. Ye Jia flipped through it and, apart from anything else, the sheer amount of fertile land was staggering.
She seriously suspected that the Yang family had taken over all the fertile land in the Anxi Protectorate. How could a single family own thousands of acres of fertile land? Was land annexation not so rampant in ancient times? Or had it become so serious?
The more Ye Jia looked, the more astonished he became. It wasn't just the fertile fields; the Yang family also had numerous businesses. While most of them were concentrated within the Anxi Protectorate, with sixteen shops, primarily jade and jewelry, their assets were naturally substantial. Two mountain spring villas and a jade mine were jaw-dropping enough. Furthermore, the Yang family possessed countless gold, silver, and jewelry, ancient books, calligraphy, and paintings, granaries, and hundreds of servants holding death indentures.
But on second thought, with so many things under their command, how could Old Lady Yang and her two servants end up in such a situation?
Ye Jia's feverish mind also came back to its senses, and at least one thing was clear: most of these things might have fallen into Qiao Zhengyuan's hands, or most of them were in a state where Old Lady Yang could not move them.
Her fingers tapped on the table, making a light clicking sound... Ye Jia couldn't help but think.
What's the situation with Zhou Jingchen right now? When will the problem be resolved? Apart from anything else, those thousand acres of fertile land should already be planted with grain by now. In other words, if Qiao Zhengyuan were to be taken down, that much grain would be readily available.
She was thinking in the room when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Ye Jia was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses: "What's the matter?"
The person standing outside the door was naturally Huanpei. Huanpei had been serving Ye Jia personally since she came back. Xiaoli would occasionally go out to run errands, but Huanpei would never leave Ye Jia's side. At this moment, she stood outside the door and said softly, "Master, a guest has arrived."
"Um?"
Ye Jia blinked, wondering who could possibly come at this hour. Huanpei called in from outside, "It's the Wu family."
...Wu family?
"What are they here for?" Ye Jia closed the roster and put it in his desk drawer.
"I don't know." Huanpei said taciturnly, "Now he is waiting in the flower hall."
Ye Jia thought for a moment, then stood up from her seat and opened the door. Ye Jia didn't like having outsiders around when he was checking the accounts and counting the money, so Huanpei tactfully waited outside. Seeing her come out, she quickly followed.
Ye Jia's residence wasn't far from the Flower Hall; in fact, it was originally the outer courtyard. Initially, Ye Jia, along with Yu's fourth sister and the others, had lived in the front courtyard for convenience. The Flower Hall was only two gardens away from her house, a walk that took about an incense stick of time.
Why did the Wu family come? Ye Jia was a little confused.
In fact, ever since Suletu was found dead from a stroke on his concubine's belly, the fifth concubine of the Wu family has completely disappeared.
By now, Luntai was firmly under Li Wenzhu's control, and the Fifth Concubine had become a thing of the past. Whatever favor her two children had accrued, it was now gone. Logically, the Wu family, a powerful landowner with ties to the deceased Grand Protector and a past history of offending Ye Jia, should have hunkered down to avoid retribution. So why had they dared to come to Ye Jia's door?
Feeling confused, Ye Jia walked to the flower hall and heard someone talking from a distance.
Yu was already there, sitting in the main seat, her expression completely different from her usual cold demeanor. Below, the head of the Wu family, Wu En, and his three sons sat down below, their postures more reserved and humble. As soon as Ye Jia reached the door, the four seated Wu family members, father and son, stood up.
"Please sit down." Ye Jia glanced around inconspicuously and said calmly, "I wonder what brings Mr. Wu and his companions here?"
Previously, Ye Jia might have given them some face. But now that Zhou Jingchen's identity had been exposed and Beiting was under his control, Ye Jia naturally had to act with authority. She walked into the room without looking away, slowly walked over to Yu's side, and sat down.
Master Wu's attitude this time was as humble as it could be. He really wanted to carve the word "regret" on his forehead: "Your Highness Princess, I have come here specifically to apologize for my crime."
As he spoke, several people behind him knelt down with a thud.
The eldest of them, Wu Min, even pretended to be serious. He pulled out a stick as thick as his arm from behind his back and raised it. He respectfully handed it to Ye Jia, asking him to punish him. "We were blind to the truth and did many things that offended the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince. Now that our Wu family has long recognized our mistakes, we have come to apologize. We ask the Crown Princess to be magnanimous and forgive us."
These words were spoken without any regard for face, as if the arrogance of the past was an illusion.
Ye Jia was suddenly bewildered by the Wu family's flexible attitude. Honestly, while she had long resented the Wu family and had considered giving them a lesson in the future, Ye Jia, after all, had grown up in a modern society governed by the rule of law. Her heart was set on handling matters rationally. But being treated this way by the Wu family left her feeling a certain inexplicable embarrassment.
She didn't say anything at the moment, but looked at Yu and narrowed her eyes.
Yu's attitude remained as cold as ever. Despite her usual gentle demeanor and seemingly lack of temper, she was the legitimate consort of Prince Jing. Three of the prince's outstanding legitimate sons were born from her womb, and her position within the palace was unchallenged. Yu was inherently proud and arrogant. She didn't bat an eyelid at the Wu family's behavior.
"You're quite eloquent," Yu said, taking a leisurely sip of tea. Her voice and tone became erratic. "According to what you're saying, if my family doesn't forgive you, wouldn't that be magnanimous?"
You know what, after Yu finished saying this, the backs of the four people from the Wu family who were kneeling below suddenly stiffened.
The atmosphere suddenly grew cold, and beads of sweat began to form on Wu En's head, kneeling in front. Ye Jia glanced at Yu Shi, who was remarkably composed. She continued to sip her tea leisurely, as if no one was kneeling below her. Ye Jia had learned his lesson, and he had to endure the discomfort. In today's society, some people refuse to accept a toast, and if you're polite, they'll just think you're being insolent.
The stalemate lasted only a moment before the Wu family lost their temper. Wu En pulled something he had prepared long ago from his pocket and held it high, ready to offer it to Yu. Yingtao stepped forward, took it, and brought it to Yu.
A thick stack of silver notes, quite heavy, with large denominations of 500 taels each. Judging by the thickness, there must be at least 40 of them.
Twenty thousand taels, at least twenty thousand taels. Ye Jia's heart was beating fast.
Besides being extremely surprised, she was filled with an inexplicable anger. Well, she just had a slight hatred for the rich. The small Wu family casually handed over 20,000 taels. It was self-evident how deep their wealth was. Ye Jia had expected the Wu family to be wealthy, but she had never imagined they were so wealthy that they could hand over a sum equal to the entire Zhou family fortune.
"What do you mean?" Ye Jia glanced at the banknotes and said in a cold voice.
"This is a tribute to the Crown Prince's Consort and the Princess." The Wu family was truly panicked after Suletu's death. They had originally thought that the Fifth Concubine could ascend to the throne through her son, but that had been strangled in the cradle. Now that the Grand Protectorate had been sealed, it wouldn't be easy to settle accounts with them.
Ye Jia: "...filial piety?"
"This is just a filial tribute." Wu Jia couldn't sense the meaning behind Ye Jia's words. He gritted his teeth and took out another stack of things, saying loudly: "The Wu family is also willing to offer half of our family property to help the prince compete for the throne."
Ye Jia: "..." What do you mean by "chasing the world"? It's clearly a reasonable crusade!
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