[Liuli Pavilion Operating Principles]
[1. This pavilion exclusively serves the wealthy. Poor folks, keep out.]
[2. All goods are marked up a hundredfold. Buy it if you want; if not, forget it.]
[3. Seventy percent of this pavilion's monthly net profit is compulsorily allocated to the 'Taoyuan County Infrastructure Fund' for building roads, constructing bridges, and developing water conservancy; thirty percent is used to subsidize the braised pork in the mine's cafeteria and the high-temperature allowance for the Night Soil Department.]
Song Yubai stared at those lines of text for a long, long time.
Especially the last one.
Seventy percent for road construction.
Thirty percent for supporting the people.
The Xu family... takes not a single penny?
Even the so-called "hundredfold markup" was stated so openly, so straightforwardly!
Boom—
Song Yubai felt a bolt of lightning flash through his mind, shattering all the fog.
He understood.
He completely understood!
"Robbing the rich to aid the poor..."
Song Yubai's eyes instantly turned red, his voice choking so much it was barely audible.
"How is this a profiteer? This is the method of a saint!"
"The wealth in this world is unevenly distributed; the rich own endless tracts of land, while the poor lack even a place to stand. The imperial court wishes to regulate this through taxes, yet always meets with heavy resistance."
"But what about Master Xu?"
"She uses such ingenious novelties to create these irresistible luxury goods, making those misers willingly empty their pockets!"
"She is using the greed of the wealthy to fill the holes in the Great Qian's infrastructure! She is using that silver reeking of copper to buy a hot meal and a flat road for the poor commoners!"
"What is this called? This is using greed to control greed! This is acting on behalf of Heaven!"
Song Yubai slapped his thigh fiercely, ignoring the astonished gazes of the people around him, and bowed deeply toward that blackboard.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
"Compared to us pedantic scholars who only know how to rote-read books and spout empty talk about benevolence and righteousness, Master Xu's method is the true great learning of practical application!"
At this moment, the fat man who had been thrown out because things were too expensive was no longer a victim in Song Yubai's eyes, but a contributor successfully "harvested" by Master Xu.
Every single tael of silver would turn into a piece of braised pork in the bowls of the mine workers!
"I'll buy!"
Song Yubai wiped away his tears and took out a thick stack of banknotes from his chest; that was all his travel funds for this trip south.
"Give me a ticket to the top floor! Even if I go bankrupt, I must add a brick and a tile to the infrastructure of Taoyuan County!"
...
The top floor of the Liuli Pavilion.
This place was not open to the public; only distinguished guests holding a special VIP gold card could come up.
Ticket price: One hundred taels per person, sightseeing only, tea and water charged separately.
Song Yubai paid the money with a painful pinch, feeling his heart bleed, but at the thought that this was a "donation," he felt an invisible badge of honor on his chest shine even brighter.
The top floor was extremely spacious.
All around were transparent floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering an unobstructed view.
Standing here, one could overlook the entire Taoyuan County.
That straight concrete road was like a giant gray dragon, passing through the busy streets and extending all the way to the distant mines.
"What a prosperous scene..."
Song Yubai held the supposedly priceless glass goblet. Inside was red wine; although it was only a sip, he tasted the flavor of the nation and its people.
He was just about to find a seat and properly comprehend this saintly method.
Suddenly, the crisp clinking of cups came from behind the nearby folding screen.
Immediately after, a deep, magnetic, yet somewhat languid voice drifted over.
"This wine... really goes to your head. That girl Xu Qinghuan said this is an '82... Lafite? I wonder which dynasty's reign title that is."
Song Yubai's hand trembled, almost dropping the expensive glass.
This voice...
It was too familiar.
So familiar that even if he heard it in a dream, he would break out in a cold sweat.
He subconsciously held his breath and carefully peeked through a crack in the folding screen.
He saw a man dressed in a dark brocade robe sitting on a soft couch by the window.
The man had his back to him, looking at the scenery outside, casually playing with two walnuts in his hand.
Although it was only a view of his back.
Although he wasn't wearing the coiled dragon robe that symbolized supreme power.
But that seemingly innate nobility, that oppressive aura that made people dare not look directly at him, could absolutely not be mistaken!
The third son of the current Emperor.
Known as the Virtuous Prince, yet possessing a cold personality and utterly despising mercantile affairs—Xiao Jingyan!
"Third... Third Highness?!"
Song Yubai felt his head buzzing; his legs gave way, and he almost knelt directly on the ground.
How is this possible?
Why would the Third Prince be here?
This is the Liuli Pavilion, where merchants gather! It's the place where that girl amasses wealth!
Right at this moment, Xiao Jingyan seemed to have noticed the movement behind him.
He didn't turn his head; he merely tilted his face slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the crack in the screen like lightning.
That single glance was indifferent and profound, yet it carried a sharpness that seemed to see right through a person's heart.
Song Yubai was just about to open his mouth to hail him.
Xiao Jingyan's slender index finger was gently placed against his lips.
"Shh."
The gesture was slight but carried an unquestionable command.
Immediately after, Xiao Jingyan retracted his gaze and continued looking out the window, as if nothing had happened.
But the corners of his mouth curled into an extremely faint, playful smile.
Song Yubai slumped into a chair in the corner, his back already drenched in cold sweat.
However, the panic in his eyes was rapidly fading, replaced by an unprecedented ecstasy and certainty.
Even the Third Prince is here!
Even this cold-faced prince who hated corrupt officials the most and was the most principled... had tacitly approved of Xu Qinghuan's actions?
And was even enjoying them?
What did this mean?
"So that's how it is... So that's how it is..."
Song Yubai clutched his wildly pounding chest, feeling as if he had stumbled upon the core secret of the Great Qian Dynasty.
"This Taoyuan County is not the Xu family's exclusive domain at all."
"This is clearly a 'special reform zone' tacitly approved by the imperial family!"
"His Majesty and His Highness are playing a massive game of chess! They are using Xu Qinghuan's hands to carry out reforms unseen in a thousand years!"
"No wonder Master Xu dared to ask for an exorbitant fifteen taels for the cement! No wonder this Liuli Pavilion dares to sell things at astronomical prices!"
"Standing behind all this is the entire Great Qian imperial family!"
Song Yubai trembled all over with excitement.
He felt he had made the right move; not only had he made the right move, but he had also stepped right into the mighty currents of history!
He had absolutely hit the jackpot!
