sjar Chapter 376 Relocation of the Capital?
Chapter 376 Relocation of the Capital?
At night, Gao Mengli and Lin Xi were about to go to bed when Mengze knocked on the door.
"Master, Madam, I've been to many places recently, and there's only one suitable estate that I'm selling. Here's the map."
Mengze took out a leather scroll, laid it flat on the table, and pointed to the general location of the estate.
Gao Mengli took a closer look and saw that the map was detailed and complete. Moreover, this village was not far away; it could be said to be very close to Jiangzhong Village.
It covers an area of 2,000 acres, plus a large mountain and an artificial lake.
Lin Xi looked at Meng Ze with a face full of curiosity, "Do you know why this estate is being sold?"
These words made Mengze lower his voice: "He didn't say the specific reason, but I stayed in the manor for several nights and overheard the two in charge chatting and they let it slip."
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi looked up at the same time and asked in unison, "What's the tone?"
"I heard that the original master of the manor was a high-ranking official in the capital, but the Northern Mu Kingdom's iron cavalry is pressing in, and the capital is about to fall. The old emperor has decided to move the capital!"
Therefore, the burden of raising the funds for relocating the capital fell on the shoulders of the lower-ranking officials.
Upon hearing this, Gao Mengli gasped.
It wasn't because the old emperor was moving the capital, but because the world was about to descend into chaos.
She and Lin Xi simply wanted to live peacefully in this strange world, eating and drinking, dying of old age, and living out their lives.
But if war breaks out, swords and spears will have no eyes and could spread to the prefectural city, jeopardizing their safety.
Lin Xi's breath hitched, and she looked at Meng Ze, "Do you know where the capital will be moved to?"
Mengze shook his head. "I don't know. I doubt we could find out such a secret."
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi exchanged a glance. Lin Xi quickly went to the bedside, took out her money box, took out 100,000 taels of silver and handed it to Mengze. "You must buy the manor no matter what. After that, keep an eye on the surrounding area. If there are any manors for sale, buy them all!"
With him and Mengli in Fucheng, and with Dou Weiyi, that money-grubbing pragmatist, the economy is sure to develop rapidly.
If these were estates owned by princes and ministers, wouldn't they be able to earn money in the prefectural city and use it to support the emperor in his old age if the capital were to be moved later?
It's best to nip this problem in the bud.
Mengze was about to leave with the money when Gao Mengli called out to him, "Mengze, have Hei Wu go back to Wangyue Village and have Zhao Chen inform the village that they've saved up so much money for so long, it's time to start investing!"
Upon hearing this, Mengze's eyes lit up, and he nodded, turned around, and went out the door.
Lin Xi moved closer to Meng Li and gave her a thumbs up. "Mengli, you really know how to do things!"
Pingyao has little arable land, and everyone earns a lot of money, so they don't usually use their silver. They put a lot of it into Qianyun's money shop!
"We can't possibly eat such a huge piece of cake. You're practically asking them to come to the capital to build their own fortunes and even divide up the assets of princes and ministers!"
Most importantly, Wangyue Village is full of our own people!
In the future, when planning what to plant and what roads to build in the prefectural city, we will no longer have to worry about those merchants who hoard goods and speculate, nor will we be constrained by the power of princes and ministers.
The people of Wangyue Village scattered throughout the city, which meant they had put down roots there.
In the future, when it comes to transporting grain seeds and repairing irrigation canals during spring planting, everyone knows each other well and will respond to any call.
Moreover, they can act as "bad apples" among the crowd—I mean, as advocates—to persuade other farmers to plant together or develop the economy, achieving twice the result with half the effort!
Gao Mengli nodded, her gaze falling on the map on the table.
Relocation of the capital has always favored locations with flat terrain, abundant water resources, and economic development hinterland.
The plains in the middle of the river are definitely the place to choose.
That place is only a five-day journey by water from Ling'an Prefecture...
This is not good...
It seems we need to urge Dou Weiyi to speed up the recruitment process, as time is running out to make money.
The next day.
The village chief of Jiangzhong Village had been waiting in the main hall for a long time.
Seeing Gao Mengli and Lin Xi come downstairs, he happily handed over the land deeds with both hands, "You two esteemed guests, these are the land deeds for our village. Lord Shi has already signed them all today."
Lin Xi stepped forward, examining the land deed with admiration in her eyes. "This new official, Lord Shi, is quite efficient!"
Gao Mengli's gaze also fell on the land deed, and the corners of her lips curved up: "Lord Shi is steady and reliable in his work, which has saved us a lot of trouble."
The village chief rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously, “That’s right! This morning, Lord Shi, accompanied by the clerk, didn’t even have time for breakfast, but managed to sort out the land deeds of the hundred or so households in the village clearly.”
They both nodded.
It's true that having connections in government offices makes things easier; at least things aren't delayed.
Gao Mengli sat at the table, tapping her fingers absentmindedly.
half an hour.
She looked up at the village chief, who looked nervous, and asked, "Village chief, I need to hire long-term workers for your village, but there's no one to manage them right now. Would you be willing to be the foreman?"
I pay two taels of silver a month, with the same benefits as the farmhands.
The village chief knows everyone in the village well, and he figured that having someone he knew well would make things easier to get on track.
The village chief suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He stammered, somewhat uncertainly, "My esteemed sir... what did you say? You want me to be a foreman?"
Seeing his reaction, Gao Mengli softened her tone, "That's right!"
You know the temperament of everyone in the village, who's good at tilling the land, who's quick and efficient—you know it all. This job is perfect for you.
"Two taels of silver..."
Village Chief Jiang murmured, repeating himself, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
He was content and happy with his monthly salary of 500 coins as the village chief. He never expected that he would have another job that paid four times his monthly salary!
Isn't that four times the happiness and contentment?
The thought of this made his limbs go weak, and with a "thump," he was about to kneel down.
Lin Xi reacted quickly and caught him, saying, "Village Chief, don't kneel down, let us finish what we have to say!"
When Lin Xi helped the village chief up, his arms were still trembling. "My lord, no, my master, tell me! I'll go through fire and water for you, even if it means going through murder and arson!"
In the past two days, he has come to realize that his master is kind and good-hearted. If he were to kill someone, it would be someone who deserves to die, so... killing someone isn't entirely unacceptable...
Gao Mengli raised her hand, signaling him to calm down, "Village Chief, you're too kind!"
If you become the foreman, you'll have to leave Jiangzhong Village for a while and go to Wangyue Village in Pingyao County to take a look.
The village chief's joy froze instantly, his brows furrowed, and he subconsciously asked, "Wangyue Village in Pingyao County? That place is far from here!"
"But don't worry, sir, I'll hire an oxcart. It should take about half a month to get there!"
Lin Xi chuckled softly, making the village chief speechless. "Master... is there something amiss?"
Lin Xi waved her hand, "Sending you on a business trip... means going to Wangyue Village. We'll cover all your expenses, you won't have to pay a cent!"
Gao Mengli added, "The reason I sent you there is to let you see more and broaden your horizons."
Two years ago, Wangyue Village was a place where people were struggling to make ends meet, but now it is richer than the county town!
Life is convenient; everyone has work, and everyone can earn a monthly wage. Even the children in the village can earn at least one or two taels of silver per month!
"Can even a child earn an ounce of silver?"
Village Chief Jiang's eyes widened in disbelief, and he nearly tore the hem of his clothes in his hand. "This... how is this possible? The kids in our village at most help dig for wild vegetables and gather firewood, how could they earn so much money?"