Chapter 96: Industry

Within the Gong Yuan, Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin, both wearing deep blue official robes and with leather belts around their waists, walked side by side along the path between rows of examination rooms. Scholars were diligently writing inside the rooms, while a crowd of officials silently followed behind the two men.

After walking out of the examination hall, Zhang Zhuo glanced at Chen Liqin beside him, dismissed the officials behind them, and chuckled lightly, "Lord Chen is indeed a good father, specially coming to the Gong Yuan on the day of the autumn examination to support your two young masters. Are you afraid they will fail the exam? If the Imperial Censor knew, they would surely submit a memorial and accuse you of the crime of not avoiding suspicion."

Chen Liqin's expression was somewhat unnatural. "Lord Zhang misunderstands, I was just worried that something might go wrong with the autumn examination."

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily. He patted Chen Liqin's shoulder and lowered his voice, "Rest assured, this time the officials for the inner curtain were all personally selected by Old Lord Xu. They are all his students and old friends, so it's ten to one in their favor."

Chen Liqin slowly smiled. As the Assistant Prefect of Luo City, he did not oversee the paper reading for the inner curtain officials; he only managed the outer curtain. The power to select inner curtain officials had always been in the hands of the Cabinet Chief Minister, Xu Gong. Zhang Zhuo was Xu Gong's niece's husband and currently handled all outer matters.

With Zhang Zhuo's promise, Chen Liqin could rest assured.

After a moment of thought, Chen Liqin hesitated before speaking, "My family still has a young son."

Zhang Zhuo laughed, "Is that the one who defeated Jing Wang in chess?"

"Exactly," Chen Liqin said frankly. "He made some mistakes before, and seeing him repeatedly fail to reform, I sent him to Taiping Medical Hall to be an apprentice."

Zhang Zhuo was surprised. "Oh? I observed that child has a good character and a steady and reserved personality. What mistakes could he commit?"

Chen Liqin hesitated for a moment. "Several years ago, he was led by his fox friends and dog friends to a gambling house in Hong Yi Alley. In one year, he actually owed several hundred taels of silver."

Zhang Zhuo was amused. "I thought it was something serious. Who hasn't made mistakes in their youth? Why go so far as to send him to be an apprentice? Look at my dozens of sons, how many of them are worry-free?"

Chen Liqin sighed. "I didn't expect it either, but he has actually reformed in the past two years. I sent people to inquire with his neighbors, and everyone praises him for being knowledgeable and reasonable, diligent and hardworking."

He looked at Zhang Zhuo and said, "Lord Zhang, I plan to bring him back to the mansion and send him to Donglin Academy next spring. At that time, I'll still need your help to smooth things over."

While he said smoothing things over, he was actually asking Zhang Zhuo for another promise. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to pass the imperial examination, but for people like Zhang Zhuo and Xu Gong, it was the simplest matter.

Zhang Zhuo stroked his sparse beard. "A few days ago, Old Lord Xu had a cabinet draft rejected by the Ministry of Revenue. It wasn't a big matter, just Old Lord Xu wanting to repair a few roads for his hometown. I wonder if your father can accommodate this matter?"

Chen Liqin frowned for a long time. "I will send a letter to my family father and mention this matter to him."

Zhang Zhuo's eyebrows lifted in a smile, and he patted Chen Liqin's shoulder. "Lord Chen is a good father! He truly worries himself sick for his children."

Chen Liqin sighed. "It's a pity the children cannot understand their parents' painstaking efforts. I'm not afraid of Lord Zhang laughing, but my young son is still unwilling to return to the mansion with me. He won't even call me father."

"No harm, no harm," Zhang Zhuo consoled. "He's just angry with you right now, that's all. Can he truly abandon the Chen family's lineage? How much money can an imperial physician earn in a year? Once he suffers enough in the marketplace and understands the desolation of one coin being able to stump a hero, he will naturally sneak back home."

Zhang Zhuo laughed cheerfully and said, "Last time, my third son said he wanted to go to the jianghu and be a knight-errant, to learn chivalry and justice. As soon as he left, I sent people to steal his purse on the street. That boy left in the morning and was back home by noon, just in time for lunch. To me, you should just directly cut off your son's allowance, and he will naturally come back home."

"This is indeed a method..."

At this moment, Zhang Zhuo's eyes flickered. "Right, I wonder if your son, Chen Wenzong, has any marriage proposals? I have a daughter like a flower and jade, just waiting in her boudoir..."

"Lord Zhang!" an official came forward to report.

Zhang Zhuo said displeased, "What is it? Can't you see I'm discussing important matters with Lord Chen?"

The official said awkwardly, "Lord Zhang, Wang Ye has sent people to summon you to Liu Family Village. He says he has thought of a strategy to solve the refugee problem, and your political achievement is saved."

"What?" Zhang Zhuo's eyes lit up. "Is this true?"

"It's true," the official turned his head to look at Chen Liqin again. "Just right, Lord Chen is also here. Jing Wang has summoned both of you to the kiln factory in Liu Family Village."

"Summon me for what?"

"Wang Ye says that your river dike is also saved."

Chen Liqin was startled. The kiln factory in Liu Family Village, wasn't that where he had previously gone to find Chen Ji? How could there be a method to save the river dike there?

Inside the kiln factory, the crowd was still in joy.

"Chen Ji, we succeeded!"

"Chen Ji said before that we could leave our names in history, and I still didn't believe it! But afterwards, when building river dikes, they will use our cement, and when building city walls in every state and prefecture, they will also use our cement. It's impossible for history books not to remember us!"

Shizi excitedly asked, "Will the history books really write like this: In the autumn of the 31st year of Jianing, Chen Ji, She Dengke, Liu Quxing, Liang Mao'er, Luo Zhuishajia, Zhu Baili, and Zhu Yunxi created cement, benefiting eternity!"

Bai Li smiled and said, "After the kiln factory's work is finished, I'll invite everyone to the Yingxian Building for a feast. Eat whatever you want, and drink until you're drunk!"

Shizi looked at Bai Li confusedly. "Didn't Dad confiscate all your monthly allowance?"

Bai Li said righteously, "I still hid some!"

Amidst the laughter, Liang Gou'er, who was lazily lying on the grass mat nearby, secretly sized up the group of cheering boys through the gap between the bridge of his nose and his straw hat.

One of the happiest things in youth is doing something together with friends. If there was something happier than this, it would be succeeding in that endeavor. He saw Liang Mao'er's smiling face, and unconsciously, the corners of his mouth also slightly curved up, as if his youth was also passing by him again.

But after just looking for a while, the light in Liang Gou'er's eyes dimmed down again. He pulled the brim of his hat, completely covering his face under the straw hat.

"Chen Ji."

At this moment, Jing Wang spoke, and like a decree, all the laughter in the crowd suddenly stopped. Shizi and Liang Mao'er slowly put Chen Ji down on the ground. Chen Ji straightened his messy clothes and said calmly, "Wang Ye, please speak."

Jing Wang held a broken brick in his hand, rubbing the cement on the brick with his fingers. "Let's talk business. Seeing as you are close friends with Yun Xi and Bai Li, I won't take advantage of you. The price is five thousand taels of silver. You sell me the cement formula."

Chen Ji fell into thought.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Jing Wang said seriously, "Although the salt administration tax revenue in the two Huai regions is only ninety-five thousand taels of silver a year, and the court's annual tax revenue is only fifty-five thousand taels of silver, five thousand taels of silver is enough for an ordinary person to be rich and noble for a lifetime. Don't miss this heaven-sent opportunity for wealth and nobility."

She Dengke slowly looked at Chen Ji, his tone trembling. "Chen Ji, five thousand taels of silver!"

Liu Quxing was also eager. What was the concept of five thousand taels? Even including entertaining guests and handling social matters, the annual expenditure of an ordinary official is less than one hundred taels of silver!

Not to mention the two apprentices whose hearts were moved, even Bai Li felt that his father was quite generous this time.

However, Chen Ji laughed. "Wang Ye is digging a pit for me."

Jing Wang raised his eyebrows. "How so?"

Chen Ji carefully calculated. "Wang Ye said that the court's annual income is fifty-five thousand taels of silver, but he didn't say that the court's tax is mainly in kind, grain. Converted to silver, it could be several million taels. Wang Ye said that the salt administration tax in the two Huai regions is only ninety-five thousand taels, but he didn't mention the accumulated problems of the salt administration in the two Huai regions for many years and the embarrassment of not being able to collect the tax."

Jing Wang gradually restrained his smile.

Chen Ji continued, "Wang Ye also didn't mention that this Ning Dynasty still has civil official families like the Liu family who control the land of one state. Seventy percent of the state's finances go into the Liu family, and the remaining thirty percent returns to the court. Wang Ye is stealthily changing the concept of court tax. I can hear the sound of your abacus in my heart from five thousand li away."

He looked at Jing Wang and said sincerely, "Wang Ye and I both deeply know the value of this cement. Why don't we be straightforward?"

Jing Wang stared directly at Chen Ji, as if he wanted to see through the soul of the young man in front of him, but Chen Ji did not dodge or evade, only waiting for his answer.

Jing Wang suddenly laughed and turned his head to look at Wang Kezhi. "Do you all remember the formula?"

Wang Kezhi said honestly, "I remember it. Little Doctor Chen didn't deliberately avoid us either."

Jing Wang nodded. "Very good. We can modify the kiln ourselves, and we can also make the cement ourselves. Then we won't need to trouble Little Doctor Chen anymore."

Bai Li glared, "Dad?!"

Jing Wang raised his hands and laughed cheerfully. "Bai Li, don't intervene. Cement involves state policy. How can it be in the hands of a few young men? The court treasury is strained now. Being able to take out five thousand taels of silver is already my greatest sincerity. If you are willing to accept, that's best. If you are not willing to accept, then there's no other way."

The powerful prince, failing to trick a small apprentice, actually resorted to being a rogue.

Chen Ji said sincerely, "Wang Ye, this matter is too big. I must go back to the Chen family and ask. If Lord Chen Liqin cannot decide, then let him write a letter to the head of the Chen family and ask him to see how much money he thinks I should sell it to you for, or whether they are interested in this business."

Jing Wang's smile restrained again. "Didn't you not want to go back to the Chen family?"

Chen Ji's eyes were sincere. "I can go back."

Jing Wang silently and seriously weighed the pros and cons. After a moment, he looked at Chen Ji and asked, "What did you say in the previous sentence?"

Chen Ji: "I must go back to the Chen family and ask?"

"The sentence before that."

Chen Ji: "Why don't we be straightforward?"

"Good."

Chen Ji: "......"

Jing Wang lowered his head and paced a few steps inside the kiln factory. When he looked up again, he frankly stated the pros and cons. "Chen Ji, you are very smart, so you must know that you cannot do this business in your hands. It's even possible to lose your life over this."

Bai Li frowned. "Dad, don't scare people..."

Chen Ji raised his hand to stop Bai Li. "Wang Ye is not wrong. Wealth moves hearts. The road to interests is always bloody and cruel."

Jing Wang nodded. "It's good that you are not blinded by interests. Then you should also understand that even if you bring cement back to the Chen family with your concubine son identity, this foundation will not fall into your hands, but will be divided by your Chen family's main branch and second branch. So your best choice is actually Jing Wang Mansion. At least my Jing Wang Mansion does things more fairly."

Chen Ji agreed. "I understand."

Jing Wang looked at Chen Ji and was just about to continue speaking when he saw a carriage slowly stop at the door of the kiln factory. The crowd looked over and saw Old Master Yao slowly getting off the carriage with the support of the coachman.

Old Master Yao slowly walked to the front of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces before he opened his mouth to ask, "What are you all discussing so seriously?"

Liu Quxing quickly said, "Master, Wang Ye wants to buy the cement formula that Chen Ji made!"

Old Master Yao said "Oh" and took out six copper coins from his sleeve and threw them on the ground. Then he turned to look at Jing Wang. "Five thousand taels every year."

"How much?!"

Liang Gou'er suddenly sat up, his straw hat falling to the ground.

Bai Li was stunned. The price of this cement had actually changed from five thousand taels of silver to five thousand taels every year?

Old Master Yao looked at Jing Wang and slowly said, "Wang Ye will not lose by buying this thing."

After speaking, he looked at Chen Ji again. "That's all. You can't keep more money than that."

The crowd silently looked at Jing Wang, afraid that this bold asking price would anger the powerful prince. But Jing Wang suddenly laughed. "Deal."

Chen Ji was stunned. Deal? It's just like that? Chen Ji suddenly looked at his master. He didn't know what relationship his skinny master had with Jing Wang, that he could open his mouth and persuade the other side, changing the price from five thousand taels to five thousand taels every year. This kind of relationship was absolutely not something that could be explained in a sentence or two.

"Master," Chen Ji asked, "Did you specially come to help me?"

Old Master Yao glanced at him sideways. "Why do you have such a big face? I just came to see what fuss you were all making."

Chen Ji: "...Oh."

At this time, Liu Quxing looked at She Dengke in disbelief. "I'm not dreaming, am I? Five thousand taels every year?"

She Dengke punched Liu Quxing in the chest, making Liu Quxing cough several times. "Does it hurt?"

"You son of a..."

Liu Quxing was about to pounce on She Dengke when Jing Wang raised his hand to stop him. "Don't rush. Wait until I finish. Five thousand taels every year is not without conditions. In addition to the cement formula, I want the steel carburization technique."

Chen Ji laughed. "Good."

He wasn't greedy. He just wanted to establish a stable industry to support the Shan Jun Men path, that's all.

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