Chen Feng was completely impressed by Chen Qingqing's extensive knowledge and omniscience, and admired her from the bottom of his heart.
I used to secretly learn from Wu Shih-jen, intending to open a small shop to earn enough money to feed my family.
Unexpectedly, with Chen Qingqing's help, his business expanded rapidly, and he became a wealthy man in Anyang County with 30% of the profits.
"Little sister, you know so much. If you hadn't told me, I would have smashed my head and still not come up with these strange and wonderful things. I'll go to the restaurant right now and write a franchise notice so that we can open our Ruyi Restaurant all over the Great Ning Dynasty as soon as possible."
"Alright, remember to proceed steadily and not be impatient. If anyone is interested in joining, make sure the contract is written clearly." Chen Qingqing then turned to Da Bao and said, "Da Bao, you should also help your brother spread the word. If anyone is interested in joining, they can come here to discuss the details."
“Okay, Sister Qingqing, I’ll take care of this.” Chen Dabao nodded in agreement.
******
Chen Qingqing was secretly pleased. Making money was her life goal, and she would never complain about having too much money.
The sugar mill expanded, the restaurant chain grew, and money flowed into their pockets like water – wonderful!
She is now a princess personally appointed by the emperor, with the fief of Anyang, so it is necessary for her to learn more about Anyang County.
It seems it's time to meet the newly appointed magistrate, Zhou Jingyuan.
Anyang County Government Office.
The county magistrate, Zhou Jingyuan, was twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Although he was not old, he was the top scholar in the previous autumn imperial examination in Shengjing. He was temporarily appointed as the county magistrate of Anyang.
Despite his young age, he is exceptionally capable.
In less than two months after arriving in Anyang, he had already cleaned up the mess left by Qin Shousheng and restored the salt factory to normal operation.
Moreover, he was upright and incorruptible, and handled cases with a clear distinction between public and private matters. The people of Anyang respected him greatly.
Upon hearing that the newly appointed princess had come to visit, Zhou Jingyuan frowned.
Chen Qingqing is quite a legend in Anyang. She started her family's sugar workshop from scratch and is a very capable young woman.
It's only right that men should be the ones to make money. Is it really okay for a woman to always be out in the public eye?
Being bestowed the title of princess was merely a stroke of luck; she had fortunately cured the Chu Emperor's incurable illness and caught the eye of the new Emperor, Chu Jiuqing.
To be honest, he didn't really want to have anything to do with this princess.
However, given Chen Qingqing's current status, if they didn't see her, it would give others something to gossip about, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out to greet her.
Upon reaching the door, I looked up and saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old, standing there gracefully in a light green dress.
Her face was free of any makeup, yet her skin was flawless, delicate, and radiant with a natural glow, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
With just one glance, Zhou Jingyuan withdrew his gaze and respectfully said, "Greetings, Princess. May I ask if Your Highness has any official business in mind for visiting the county office?"
Chen Qingqing had already noticed the fleeting disdain in Zhou Jingyuan's eyes. She understood the pride of scholars.
But what did that look in his eyes mean? Who did he look down on?
She smiled faintly, "Lord Zhou, there's no need for such formalities. I have come today with something I'd like to know, and I hope you can tell me in detail."
“Very well, I will certainly answer to the best of my knowledge.” Zhou Jingyuan gestured for her to come in, “Princess, please come in!”
The inner room of the government office.
Chen Qingqing sat down and got straight to the point.
"Lord Zhou, the Emperor has bestowed upon me the title of Princess Anyang, with Anyang as my fief. I would like to know how many towns, how much land, how many forests, and other industries Anyang has that can generate income. I need detailed data."
Sure enough, all show and no substance, just a bunch of useless idiots. One Qin Shousheng left and another damn princess came along; they're just parasites sucking the blood and flesh of the common people.
Zhou Jingyuan felt disdain in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. The princess was on the royal register, and he couldn't afford to offend her.
But it's not yet harvest season, and the people have very little food left to live on.
Imposing taxes at this time would be tantamount to taking their lives!
Zhou Jingyuan couldn't bear it, so he forced a stiff smile.
“Your Highness, it’s not harvest season yet, and the people don’t have much surplus grain. Do you think we could collect this tribute of grain from the people in the fall?”
Well, they thought she was here to exploit the people, no wonder they saw the hatred in her eyes.
Well, Anyang is, after all, under its own jurisdiction. Having such a reasonable and honest official is a good thing.
Chen Qingqing pursed her lips and pulled a long face. "The Emperor bestowed Anyang upon me, so I am the master of this fiefdom. Don't I have the right to know what's in my territory?"
Zhou Jingyuan's face stiffened; he hadn't expected to feel fear from a young girl. "Princess, please calm down. That's not what I meant. I...I..."
Chen Qingqing chuckled. "Alright, Lord Zhou, you misunderstood me. I just wanted to find out more. I didn't intend to force the people to pay taxes. The Emperor bestowed Anyang upon me, so I have an obligation to ensure that the people of Anyang live a prosperous life. How could I possibly disregard their lives?"
Zhou Jingyuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Did the princess speak from the heart?"
"That's natural."
Zhou Jingyuan's heart sank back into his stomach.
"Your Highness, Anyang has fifteen townships and ninety-eight villages of varying sizes, including 36,800 mu of arable land."
However, most of the land was held by wealthy landowners in various towns and villages, and was either rented by tenant farmers or managed by long-term laborers hired by the landowners.
But Princess, rest assured, 20% of the harvest from these fields will also be offered to you as tribute.
More than 5,000 mu of substandard land are in the hands of the people, who are required to hand over 40% of their grain annually.
The mountainous area is vast, stretching for hundreds of miles, but Anyang is located in the north, where winters are exceptionally cold. To keep warm, the locals have few trees on the mountains, leaving virtually no usable forest.
Wolf Valley was an exception, but it was teeming with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, so the locals dared not approach it.
Chen Qingqing already knew that life in ancient times was hard, with firewood used for cooking all year round, and there were very few trees on the mountain.
It's nothing like the novels I read in my previous life, where people casually dig up ginseng or eat undeveloped foods. Those things simply don't exist. The ancients weren't that stupid.
"I know all that. Now tell me, what are the pillar industries?"
Zhou Jingyuan frowned slightly. "Besides having a lot of saline-alkali land and salt wells, our Anyang County is mostly populated by small vendors and peddlers."
"If we're talking about industries, your sugar mill and restaurant pay the most taxes."
Well, after all the questioning, they've come to question her directly. Chen Qingqing gave a self-deprecating laugh and continued...
"Lord Zhou, Anyang produces salt, shouldn't we be quite wealthy?"
......
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
