"Right, achieving thirty percent counts as mission success. If calculated this way, the gold and silver confiscated—if Emperor Mingxi uses it for public welfare and military development—wouldn’t the task of building a strong army also be accomplished?"
Yue Fuguang shook her head. "Not necessarily, but no worries, I have a backup plan."
"What backup plan?" The system was curious. The two of them were practically inseparable—when had her host prepared a backup plan?
Yue Fuguang tilted her head proudly, her short legs swinging on the high-backed chair. The system instantly understood and smoothly delivered a stream of flattery, leaving Yue Fuguang as intoxicated as if she’d drunk ten pounds of fool’s potion!
She said, "Didn’t I go into business with the Crown Prince? The earlier profits will go toward public welfare, and the later ones will fund the military!
Besides, why do you think I had you suggest in front of them that I take on practical tasks? It was all groundwork for this!
Building a strong army using modern training methods—do you think it’ll work?"
"That’ll cost a fortune. Where will the money come from?"
"Of course, we’ll fleece our neighboring countries! Glass and cement for public welfare, sugar and alcohol for the military. With such high-quality goods in our hands, are we afraid we can’t get their wool?"
"So next, you’re going into the sugar and alcohol business?"
"No, no, not me—the Crown Prince and Emperor Mingxi will handle it. I’ll just contribute the technology and take my share of the profits.
I’m not about to do the hard work myself!
Once we’ve saved enough, I’ll suggest Emperor Mingxi build another strong army. If I step in, he probably won’t object.
If he dares refuse, I’ll threaten to run away and scare the daylights out of him!"
"Hahaha, yes, yes! Scare them good! If it doesn’t work, we’ll just leave!
You didn’t see how the officials’ eyes lit up when you said that—they were practically ready to follow you onto the ship! With this dangling in front of them, they’ll support you even more. Right now, their favorability toward you has increased by one or two points.
Aside from your grandfather and father, the Wu father-and-son pair gained the most—three points each.
Their family has had only one son for five generations. By Wu Yong’s time, he had four daughters before finally getting a son. Knowing there’s an escape route to the islands, they’ll be even more loyal to you. You can trust them in the future!"
"System, I’m also planning to set up textile factories. We’ll start in the capital as a test. If it works, we’ll expand across the entire empire, so we’ll need good land for cotton.
Silk and hemp are available here, but not cotton. Get me some high-quality cotton seeds.
Also, draw up the blueprints for a loom—nothing too advanced, just the most efficient manual one.
And a spinning jenny with eight spindles.
I’ll have the Ministry of Works make them."
"Only hiring female workers? And no advanced machinery? You just want to rely on manual labor, don’t you? Host, you just can’t help yourself!"
"Not at all! I just think money gives people courage. In my past life, even living alone, I was never afraid.
Partly because my family was alive and wouldn’t truly abandon me, but more importantly, I had money—that was my confidence.
Ordinary people rarely face problems money can’t solve. And if they do, those problems probably can’t be solved anyway!
Women in this era are the same. A stable income gives them the confidence to live independently without relying on men or their families.
I believe economic power determines voice and status in the family. Maybe not in every case, but for most ordinary families, it’s true.
Unless they lack the will to stand on their own—those aren’t our concern. We only help those who want to save and empower themselves.
Our motto is: Aid, but don’t enable!"
"That’s a lot of responsibility. Finally giving up your lazy days?"
"No, no, I’m still that same lazy fish. No rush—I’ll just find a suitable manager when the time comes. If not, I’ll hand it over to the Crown Prince or the Ministry of Works. I’ll just get the ball rolling.
Poor families’ daughters and wives would probably jump at this job. Earning their own money beats relying on scraps from their families, right?
Besides, I have my grandmother, mother, and aunts to help steer things. They’re officials’ wives—experienced and well-connected.
And my sisters can pitch in too. Giving them shares is better than just relying on family dowries, isn’t it?
They’re all just labor anyway. We’re immortals—doing manual work is beneath us!"
System: Just admit you want to slack off instead of making such grand excuses!
"Later, I’ll also recruit literate women to teach female workers who want to learn—for free. I’m sure some will be interested."
"For cotton land, the south is ideal—near Nanzhao and Nanyue. There’s a patch at the border of the three kingdoms, similar to the cotton-producing provinces in your hometown.
Do you want that land?"
"Who owns it now?"
"It’s a gray area at the border—a no-man’s-land. Not huge, but enough for cotton. And you won’t just plant there anyway."
"Perfect. Another reason to train troops. After the New Year, I’ll convince Emperor Mingxi to build a new army and station them there for training—and to grow cotton for me!"
After settling this, the system remembered something else. "Host, Emperor Mingxi’s birthday is in five days. Have you decided on a gift?"
Yue Fuguang’s eyes gleamed as she smiled. "Emperor Mingxi is the best advertisement. Of course, I’ll give him a set of exquisite glassware and fine wine. With all the foreign envoys gathered for the banquet, it’s the perfect chance to promote our products.
The Crown Prince has been producing glass all this time, but I haven’t let him sell a single piece—just for this occasion.
But since there are still five days, we can start building hype. Let one or two pieces slip into an auction house to drive up prices for the rest."
Though Yue Fuguang’s heart always leaned toward laziness, once she decided on something, she acted immediately.
Well, mostly because she only had to give orders—the real legwork fell to the Crown Prince, Xie Zhiyan.
Yue Fuguang couldn’t shake the feeling of being the boss who just talks while the underlings run ragged.
So when Xie Zhiyan received the letter Yue Fuguang sent, he got to work at once.
As he rode toward the workshop, tightening his cloak against the cold wind, a pang of bitterness struck him.
Three partners, yet he was the only one actually working!
But what could he do? One was his father, the emperor, and the other was a little immortal even his father didn’t dare offend. If they claimed they’d help, he wouldn’t dare actually order them around!
While Xie Zhiyan was busy ensuring the glassware would dazzle at the upcoming auction and become the must-have luxury for the elite, things were unfolding at the Yu residence.
Ever since Yue Fuguang exposed the scandal about Yu Qingyu’s fiancée, Wei Shujun, having an affair at the banquet, the Wei family had come the next day to annul the engagement.
Their excuse? Wei Shujun had a chronic illness, and the Wei family didn’t want to delay the Yu family’s promising young man.
At least the Weis had the sense to take the blame themselves.
