Chapter 73: Managing Nanjing
Don't get me wrong, Xiao Si, the militia commander, wasn't a proper commander. A Liaodong commander like Wu Sangui was equivalent to a military district commander. But Xiao Si's militia commander was a low-ranking official.
Fortunately, there was no limit on the number of soldiers in the group training. You could recruit as many as you wanted if you had the money. With the title of group training soldier, Xiao Si was like a fiber optic cloak.
Zheng Xuan asked with a smile, "Militia commander? What's this prince consort thinking? Can he afford to recruit so many people?"
"Your Excellency! The Prince Consort said that it is his duty to share the country's worries! Asking me to recruit more refugees will be beneficial to the stability of the surrounding counties, so as to prevent bandits from crossing the border in the south." Xiao Si said.
"Really? Your Highness is really helping the country. I don't care about anything else. As long as these refugees don't cause trouble, I won't interfere. Take your silver back!" Zheng Xuan said.
Xiao Si was stunned. It was the first time he had seen an official who refused to accept money. He stammered, "Sir, this is the Prince Consort's wish. It's difficult for me to do this!"
"Since it's the Prince Consort's intention, I won't make it difficult for you. I will write a letter to the Prince Consort! Go away!" Zheng Xuan said, serving tea and seeing the guest off. Xiao Si saw Zheng Xuan chasing people away and left helplessly.
At this time, an old man in his sixties came out from behind Zheng Xuan, saluted and said to Zheng Xuan: "Sir, I think this prince consort might have some rebellious intentions? He recruited so many refugees and has the title of militia commander. What if there is a rebellion..."
"Can he still stir up trouble in Jiangnan? Unless the capital falls, the world will change drastically!" Zheng Xuan said very confidently.
"this……"
"Youping! Don't worry, he is just a royal concubine. There are many royal concubines in our dynasty, but I haven't seen him have any abilities." Zheng Xuan said confidently.
Xiao Si returned to his manor in Jurong, now known as the Zhao Family Manor. Fang Xinyu was building a reception center according to the map Zhao Xiaofei had given him. The journey was smooth sailing, and they successfully landed in less than a month. The recruitment of refugees was also remarkably smooth, with no objections raised.
Of course, no one objected. Anyone with a common sense would want to rule without those ragged refugees. It was a nuisance to watch, and it would be a shame to recruit all of them. However, they also had certain conditions. First, they had to be relatively healthy. Disabled people with missing limbs were not accepted, and those without family were not accepted. Of course, some refugees were clever and agreed to be family with other refugees, then signed up to make a living at the Zhao Manor. And so, the refugees recruited people. There were about 3,000 truly strong men who could be trained into the army, and the rest were women and children, who could work in the fields.
At the construction site, dozens of strong men were moving wood to build a fence. Fang Xinyu, standing high up, said to Xiao Si, "This is really interesting! This is the first time I've heard of an official who doesn't love money!"
"Yes! I was stunned at the time, but I asked around and found out that this governor is an honest official. Unlike other officials who are greedy, he also writes books and is a great scholar." Xiao Si said.
"What do the prefects and county magistrates in the surrounding areas say?" Fang Xinyu asked.
"They! They took our money and told us to do whatever we want. They even want to take all these refugees away. In the Ming Dynasty, it's hard to do things without money, but everything is easy with money!" Xiao Si said.
"The world has been corrupted by these corrupt officials!" said Fang Xinyu.
Xiao Si didn't respond, but instead said, "Why did the Prince Consort buy these wetlands? I never understood."
"Divide this wetland into plots. Dig a three-meter-deep trench down the center of each plot, or ten feet. The surrounding water will naturally drain through the trench, discharging excess water. This way, the surrounding land can be used and become very fertile," Fang Xinyu said. This kind of thing might have been acceptable in ancient times, but it would definitely land you in jail in modern times. Fang Xinyu only learned this from the pamphlet Zhao Xiaofei gave him.
"Your Highness is wise! This way we can buy the most land at the lowest price without having to conflict with the locals!" Xiao Si said.
"I heard yesterday that the young lady is pregnant?" Fang Xinyu asked. He'd heard from his concubine yesterday that his wife, the eldest, was at home every day, and the concubine had to go to the young lady's house every day to take care of her. She'd come back yesterday and said that the young lady had been vomiting a lot lately and might be pregnant. Fang Xinyu thought to himself, this child is pretty strong. They'd been wobbling along all this time, but nothing had gone wrong.
"I've asked the best doctor in Nanjing to confirm that the young lady is indeed pregnant. Once you've built this place, write a letter to tell the prince consort!" Xiao Si said with a smile. In fact, he was also going to be a grandfather, and his eldest daughter-in-law was also pregnant. He didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl, but it would be great if it was a boy.
At the mansion, Li Sihong hadn't been able to eat anything these days. She'd sent someone to Nanjing to buy some preserved fruit, especially the sour kind. Zhaocai was feeling the same way; she and Xiao Wen had secretly done it before they got married. So, she and Xiao Wen were pregnant around the same time. She must have been pregnant in the capital, but it wasn't obvious. She only realized she was pregnant when she arrived in Nanjing, when her pregnancy symptoms became severe. Now, she's taking extra precautions every day, barely daring to leave the house. She's worried she might have miscarried.
Jinbao walked into the room at this time, greeted Li Sihong and said, "Madam, this is today's account book." Then he handed it to her with both hands.
"I won't look at it. How much did the Liulifang earn today?" Li Sihong asked, putting the account book aside.
"Madam, today we collected a total of 986 taels of silver. Excluding costs, we have about 700 taels of revenue. In addition, many dignitaries have asked us to open our shop in the evening as well!" Jinbao said.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
