How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

The Ice Sculpture Festival will be open for a month. As the wind and snow gradually subside, more and more people come to visit.

"Your Highness, excluding the disaster relief funds allocated by the court, the sponsorship funds from the three major chambers of commerce, and your private treasury, the total profit is 230,000 taels!"

After finishing the accounts, Sheng Yiren couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise, "After deducting the initial capital, you actually made so much money. You are worthy of being His Highness!"

This is just the money earned by the imperial court. Those small merchants also made a lot of money by relying on the price increase during the ice sculpture festival. I believe they will be able to use the money to do some big business this year.

"It's only two hundred and thirty thousand taels."

Xie Chengze lay in a wooden rocking chair, covered with a soft and warm fur cape, and said lazily with his eyes closed, "It can't even make up for the disaster relief funds in Yizhou. Jian'an's fiscal deficit is really unbearable."

"That's all?"

Sheng Yiren put down the account book in her hand and roared, "Your Highness! Do you know that in all dynasties, the royal family has always lost money and could not get back the principal when they built the Dragon Tower and the water barrier? You not only earned back the principal at the Ice Sculpture Festival, but also made extra profit!"

"It's not 10,000 taels of profit, it's not 100,000 taels of profit, it's 230,000 taels of profit, and that's just until today!" Sheng Yiren grabbed her head with both hands, her eyes full of admiration and disbelief, "This is the first time I've seen the court making money by building a building!"

Dynasties throughout history built expensive buildings, either for the sake of royal majesty or to squeeze the people's money for their own enjoyment, which ultimately led to an empty treasury and suffering for the people. In the end, the ones who could get the money were mostly the corrupt officials who lined their own pockets, rather than the court itself.

On the contrary, this ice sculpture festival not only made money for the merchants, but also opened up channels for the trade routes in the north. It allowed them to trade with the grassland ethnic groups and establish connections with local chambers of commerce. Although only the profits from the first ice sculpture festival belonged to the court, its benefits to the future development of Jian'an North were endless.

This is enough to show how wisely the Second Prince governs the country.

Oh shit!

Why isn’t the Crown Prince the Second Prince?

I really want the Second Prince to become the emperor right away!

At this moment, Sheng Yiren's psychology coincided with Li Dongyao's, and her desire to let the Second Prince ascend the throne reached its peak.

"Alas." However, the lazy cat lying on the wooden rocking chair sighed softly, "You are right. If the imperial palace could allow merchants to pay to visit, Jian'an would not be so poor."

He looked longingly and said, "You said, if you only spend 100,000 taels of silver, you can sit on the dragon throne for a quarter of an hour and enjoy the feeling of being an emperor. How much money can the court make in a day?"

Sheng Yiren: ???

Your Highness, this is not necessary, is it?

Royal majesty is still very necessary!

Looking at Xie Chengze's face full of longing and eagerness, Sheng Yiren immediately suppressed the idea of ​​letting Xie Chengze ascend the throne.

Because she felt that if the Second Prince ascended the throne, he might really do something like selling tickets to the "Dragon Throne", which would shock the government and the public and history! !

"Speaking of which, the Spring Examination is coming soon, and students from all over the country should also prepare to go to Beijing to take the exam, right?" Xie Chengze rocked the rocking chair, his tone a little lower.

"Yes, after the New Year's Day, students who live far away will have to go on the road to take the exam." Sheng Yiren nodded, "Why did your highness suddenly mention this?"

Sitting on the wooden rocking chair, Xie Chengze slowly opened his eyes.

"Nothing, just..." He smiled slightly, and the tone that came out of his lips was obviously gentle, but the meaning of the words made people shudder: "The snow has stopped, and some people should lose their heads."

The snow really stopped.

For more than half a month, there has been no heavy snow in Liaozhou. The cold winter has passed and the north has ushered in a new life.

In a shop at the entrance of the city, a pregnant wife gave birth to twin newborn babies. The babies cried loudly, but when they heard the sound of the carriage of the second prince leaving the city and returning to the capital, their tears turned into laughter.

The man from that family stopped Xie Chengze's carriage and begged the Second Prince to give a name to the twins who survived the snowstorm.

In Jian'an, being able to name a newborn usually meant using one's own luck to bless and influence the child. At the same time, the good fortune represented by the newborn would also be fed back to the person who gave the name, and the good fortune contained in twins was doubled.

It can be said that being chosen by the host family is enough to prove how much the host family trusts the other party and hopes that their children can become the same person as the other party in the future.

Xie Chengze naturally did not refuse. Hearing that the host's surname was Jiang, he said, "We were able to survive this snowstorm safely because of the efforts and perseverance of thousands of people. The snowstorm will still come, but as long as we remain resolute and united, nothing can stop us."

"So I gave him the name Jiang Buqu and Jiang Jianyi."

Later, Jiang Buqu and Jiang Jianyi studied martial arts diligently since childhood, and became two capable generals at the Jian'an border. They challenged the Xiongnu king who tore up the peace document, took his head, and successfully recovered the grassland for Jian'an, leaving a strong mark in history.

-

On the carriage returning to Beijing.

Xie Chengze was lying limply on the chair, with a handsome man sitting next to him, reaching his hand into the fur coat.

"Hiss... Ugh~"

"Ah, it feels so good..."

"Shen Lang, your skills seem to be getting better and better? Um... ha, could it be that you have secretly practiced with someone?"

Shen Yuan's fingertips sank slightly, and Xie Chengze groaned, turning his head and staring at him with wet eyes, "Why are you suddenly so strong again!"

"I just feel that the atmosphere is not right." Shen Yuan eased his pressure again, his star-like eyes filled with a half-smile. "The soundproofing of this carriage is not very good. There are the eldest prince's troops outside. I think Your Highness should know what those rough guys would interpret if there were any strange noises coming from the carriage."

Xie Chengze immediately smiled awkwardly, "Isn't it just a good massage technique? What else can you understand it as?"

After saying that, he quickly changed the subject, "I don't know if the 230,000 silver earned this time can complete the relocation and reconstruction of the people of Pingcheng."

"It's still a bit difficult, but after the Spring Examination, Yang Qinghui's stolen money will probably be cleared, at least we won't be short of money when we take it." Shen Yuan pondered, "As for the remaining money, it's more convenient to confiscate the family property. It just so happens that the Spring Examination will select a group of new officials to replace these old officials, which can be regarded as bringing in the old with the new."

Xie Chengze narrowed his eyes and sighed, "Master Shen, you have changed. You only know how to solve problems by confiscating property."

It is obvious that in his previous life, this powerful official was very capable and was able to win over various officials and wealthy people like the Jiang family to solve the problem of lack of money.

"Isn't it just that those who keep company with pigs become lazy, and those who keep company with ink become corrupt?" Shen Yuan used force again, pinched the young man's waist lightly, his moon-like eyes filled with a teasing smile.

Xie Chengze suddenly shrank his waist and cried out in pain: "Ouch!"

Who is the pig? You are the pig! I am not lazy!