Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 106: Greedy
News from the State of Cai suddenly shook the virtually defunct Great Xia Kingdom—was the Kong family actually colluding secretly with the State of Cai? This is treason!
Although no one is a good person, why is it that the Kong family has been caught with their hands in the cookie jar? Don’t they understand the principle of how the wind breaks the tall trees and the rain beats down the exposed beams?
The State of Cai stated clearly: it was the former prime minister who betrayed the State of Cai and privately collaborated with the Kong family. Now, the State of Cai has expelled the former prime minister’s family and issued a wanted notice.
Look, since the State of Cai has done this, will your Great Xia Kingdom also expel the Kong family?
Undoubtedly, this news has forced the Kong family onto a tightrope; there’s no other way out! With no way to go, the Kong family only has one path left, which is—revolt!
However… the one currently in charge of the state affairs is Li Yulong, who is exceptionally skilled. He immediately sent someone to contact the Kong family—if you revolt now, it won’t be beneficial; the emperor is not dead yet, and your preparations are not sufficient; for your own sake, you should do it this way…
Thus, the current head of the Kong family, Kong Donglai, immediately submitted a letter to the court, stating that this matter has nothing to do with us; it was the State of Cai that first secretly sent envoys to find us, and only then did we seek the prime minister of Cai; the subsequent events unfolded from there. This entire situation was orchestrated by His Majesty the Emperor of Cai!
In short, the Kong family bit back—this matter was actually planned secretly by His Majesty the Emperor of Cai, and has nothing to do with our Kong family or the former prime minister of Cai.
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Moreover, to show sincerity, the Kong family is willing to present 100,000 taels of gold to the imperial tomb.
No sooner said than done, within five days, the Kong family gathered 100,000 taels of gold and set off in a grand procession.
His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom immediately issued a decree stating—very good, I am greatly comforted.
Before a conspiracy could even begin to unfold, it vanished without a trace. The State of Cai, wanting to take advantage of the situation to disrupt the Great Xia Kingdom, unexpectedly found themselves bitten back by Li Yulong. Now the State of Cai is at a loss for words—turns out it was not the prime minister who betrayed the state, but your emperor who is incompetent.
And what about Anyang, far in the east? Yan Zean, who had just begun to handle the affairs of Anyang, remained silent for a long time after witnessing Li Yulong’s tactics, only saying one word: “Impressive!”
Xu Ren remained leisurely and confident, “Indeed, brilliant! With such a simple move, it left the State of Cai utterly embarrassed, and it also lifted your wanted notice. Most importantly, it can continue to maintain this virtually defunct Great Xia Kingdom for a few more years. And in these few years, it will be enough for Li Liang to completely conquer Kaiping County and for Li Xian to consolidate his foundation.
One stone, multiple birds!”
Yan Zean looked at the relaxed Xu Ren and finally couldn’t help but speak: “Your talent is no less than mine; you are completely capable of fulfilling the role of prime minister.”
“Ah~~~” Xu Ren shook his head, “The prime minister’s position is too exhausting; being a strategist is much better. Look at me, how relaxed I am, while you are entangled in various affairs. Ha ha…
Well, well, don’t turn hostile; I’ll speak frankly. Young Master is someone whose thinking tends to leap around; he appears easygoing but is often stubborn. This requires someone to bind, persuade, and guide him; temporarily, it seems only Xu can take on this role.
Thus, political matters must be entrusted to Prime Minister Yan.”
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“I see. Today, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Currently, the Brilliant Star Group is under pressure; the dock construction has been delayed, and the iron-clad ship project is also stuck in production. Now, almost all the stainless steel is being used to produce tridents for the Sea Clan.
My thought is whether we should temporarily suspend the dock and iron-clad ship projects?”
“Suspending is fine, but the research cannot stop. We must ensure the advancement of technology.”
“Whew…” Yan Zean obviously let out a sigh of relief. No one knew that Yan Zean had been even more exhausted these past few days than when he saved the State of Cai from its collapse—too many new things, too many developmental directions, and too many unheard-of plans had drained his mental energy.
Xu Ren was unhurried, pouring his own drink; after waiting for a while, Yan Zean spoke again, “The textile factory has already accumulated 500,000 bolts of cloth, and I’ve reconnected with some old friends in the State of Cai. The dumping plan is about to commence.”
Xu Ren glanced at Yan Zean, who appeared hesitant, and a faint, meaningful smile crept onto his lips: “Are you having second thoughts?”
Yan Zean’s grip on the teacup seemed a bit tight. “The current State of Cai was ultimately established by my own efforts.”
“But that is the Emperor of Cai’s. Anyang is the place where your dreams lie now!” Xu Ren slowly rose and walked outside. “The strategist’s creed: serve the ruler faithfully and loyally. If the ruler can be served, then assist him; if not, seek a new master. Betrayal and indecision are not what we should do. I hope Prime Minister Yan will consider this carefully.”
Yan Zean sat on the stone bench, his expression changing several times, and finally let out a sigh.
In the afternoon, Yan Zean officially issued a decree: the dumping plan targeting the State of Cai is initiated. The first batch of dumped goods will be cloth.
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With a single command, the merchants who had long been waiting rushed to buy the cheap cloth. These merchants from the State of Cai, as well as those preparing to do business in the State of Cai, didn’t know what a dumping plan was; they only knew that the price of this cloth was really low, and that was enough!
The power of wealth is limitless. On the same day, 500,000 bolts of cloth sold out completely, creating a massive commercial chain that connected Anyang directly to the State of Cai.
Similarly, textile materials from the State of Cai were also delivered. The textile factory, which had fully relocated to the outskirts of Anyang City, began hiring that very day, recruiting 2,000 female textile workers.
Covering an area of up to 150 acres, the textile factory became a cash cow in the eyes of countless people, producing up to 20,000 bolts of cloth a day. The enormous textile factory resembled a beast, continuously devouring vast amounts of textile materials and then spitting out mountains of cloth while also generating immense wealth. The daily net profit reached several hundred taels of gold.
Naturally, such strong profitability finally made others envious!
The development of industry went from being scorned at the beginning to being acknowledged, to being valued, and finally to being envied—all within just a year.
On the third day after Anyang began executing its dumping plan against the State of Cai, envoys from the southern Lüliang County and the southwestern Zhongshan County arrived.
In the grand hall of Anyang Prefecture, Xia Qingqing sat high in a side position, while Li Xian’s seat was empty; sitting on the other side was Xu Ren, with Yan Zean, Beichen Yuqing, Yan Zhengqing, and others beside him.
Xia Qingqing looked at the two envoys. “May I ask how you are addressed?”
“Lüliang County, Deputy Governor Guo Xiaolin.”
“Zhongshan County, Deputy Governor Zhang Pengfei.”
The Deputy Governors held positions equivalent to those of Song Xing and others beside Li Xian; they were the trusted confidants of the Governor.
From her elevated position, Xia Qingqing inquired, “What brings you here?”
Guo Xiaolin from Lüliang County spoke first, “Your Highness, we report that due to the recent prosperity of Anyang’s commerce, Lüliang County has greatly benefited; the people of Lüliang are immensely grateful.
However, there is a small issue—while the trade routes have opened up, banditry has also increased. To eliminate these bandits and protect the trade routes, we have already spent a significant amount of money and suffered substantial casualties. At present, we can no longer sustain this situation.
May I ask, Your Highness, what should we do?”
Xia Qingqing turned her gaze to Zhang Pengfei, who responded straightforwardly, “Zhongshan County is facing the same situation.”