Chapter 1065: Chapter 901: To Get Rich, Build Roads First

"Ding Shiliu, take some people to search the backyard of the government office and have the Government Officials cooperate. If anyone doesn’t comply, don’t hesitate to be less courteous." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Gu Chengyu glanced at the Government Official and warned him.

This person was the leader of the Government Officials, so as long as this person was intimidated, the lower-level officials would naturally follow his orders.

"Yes, Sir!" Ding Shiliu’s eyes brightened, searching for evidence was indeed a great task!

As long as it wasn’t excessive, taking one or two things, Mr. Gu wouldn’t question it.

The merchants and three officials inside the room all looked ashen, their legs trembling, uncertain and doubtful.

Seeing Li Taixing being taken away, Xia Clan Leader knew he had come in vain today. Therefore, he rose to bid farewell.

He had to return and quickly send word to the Prime Minister, asking him to find a way to transfer Mr. Gu back to the Capital as soon as possible.

As for Min Feng, Xia Clan Leader didn’t plan to intervene. He was already dissatisfied with Min Feng’s occupation of the resources of the Xia Family, and now that Min Feng had trapped himself, he wouldn’t get involved in this mess.

Min Feng’s misconduct was a concern for the Prime Minister; he wasn’t a court official and had no authority to interfere.

Moreover, even if he pleaded for Min Feng, would Gu Chengyu give him face?

"Mr. Gu, it was unexpected that Mr. Li made such a grave mistake; truly, people cannot be judged by their appearance. However, since you have important matters to attend to, please allow me to take my leave. Someday, I shall host an occasion to indulge my role as a local, and you must grace the event!"

Gu Chengyu raised an eyebrow, speaking in surprise: "Xia Clan Leader, why are you leaving as soon as I arrive? I thought we were on good terms and hoped to share a drink with Xia Clan Leader, yet you’re proposing to leave already; this won’t do!"

Xia Clan Leader frowned, wondering if Gu Chengyu intended to have them donate Silver Coins?

Having detained Li Taixing, does he still plan to use his grounds to coerce everyone into donating Silver?

The merchants present had already half-risen from their seats, but with Gu Chengyu thoroughly rejecting Xia Clan Leader, they had no choice but to give up the idea of leaving early.

However, sitting there filled their hearts with anxious unease, fearing that Gu Chengyu would discover their faults and strip them to the bone, leaving not even a copper coin.

"Mr. Gu, you’re too kind, I was merely acknowledging your busy duties, thus I proposed to leave. Your renown precedes you, and I have long admired you. Today, meeting in person is my greatest fortune!"

Xia Clan Leader, feeling helpless, had to sit back down and casually uttered two pleasantries, simultaneously glancing at the nervous crowd within the hall.

"Xia Clan Leader, you praise me too much. Actually, my visit today isn’t solely for the matter of Li Taixing’s bribery. I originally intended to pick a lucky day to invite everyone for a feast, but there’s no time like the present, so I might as well borrow Mr. Li’s esteemed venue."

Xia Clan Leader knew that if he didn’t offer Silver today, he likely wouldn’t be able to leave the side hall.

Gu Chengyu made it clear that he came for Silver; their Jiangnan was affluent, and those court officials were naturally envious.

If assigned to Jiangnan, it would certainly be a fine position.

Take the Magistrate position, for instance—a term of three years usually yields significant Silver, even for officials who aren’t excessively greedy.

As relatives of the Prime Minister, not donating Silver indeed seems unreasonable, but Xia Clan Leader didn’t plan to let Gu Chengyu easily obtain Silver.

According to the message from Yingnan Mansion, Xia Hongji had already donated a considerable amount of Silver totaling fifty thousand.

Upon hearing this news, he almost rushed to Hangtian Prefecture to scold Xia Hongji for being foolish.

It was a hefty sum of fifty thousand! Although their Xia Family was expansive, such extravagance was unsustainable!

But no matter what, having promised, reneging would only disgrace the Xia Family.

After all, Xia Hongji was a branch of the Xia Family, sent to Hangtian Prefecture to manage business, representing the Xia Family.

...

A procession marched grandly out of the Capital’s gates, galloping along the official road, with ten large iron-rimmed trunks particularly eye-catching in the middle of the procession.

"Qingquan!" A deep male voice from inside the carriage called, prompting a man in dark clothing to ride his horse up to the carriage.

He bowed his head and asked in a deep voice, "Sir, any instructions?"

"Call over the leader of this escort agency!"

"Yes!" Qingquan replied, spurred his horse forward, and went over.

Inside the carriage, the man leaned back against the rear wall with eyes closed—Gu Chengyu! Last time you scored a win, this time I surely want to recover.

This time he’s keeping a close eye on Gu Chengyu, determined to reap some benefits. The man’s mouth curled upward, harboring high expectations for this trip to Jiangnan.

...

"Sir, the total donation tally from the merchants came to two hundred and eighteen thousand!" Ming Mo handed the ledger to Gu Chengyu for review.

Gu Chengyu nodded, took the ledger, glanced over it briefly, then tossed it onto the desk.

He trusted Ming Mo’s work. The ledger only showed revenue, no expenses, leaving no room for falsification.

Although Yingnan Mansion’s river embankment was in decent shape and didn’t need immediate bolstering, Gu Chengyu had other plans.

Yingnan Mansion is upstream from Tianya River, with numerous tributaries converging. Gu Chengyu plans to divert some tributaries to alleviate the load on downstream river embankments.

As Yingnan Mansion is one of the few major tea-producing regions of the Dayan Dynasty, many merchants come and go. In such a bustling area, reliance only on Tianya River for transportation is indeed strenuous.

Given that Jiangnan is also the Dayan Dynasty’s granary, and its silk and porcelain are well-known.

Not to mention, Sunan Prefecture near Yingnan Mansion has several salt fields. It’s evident how prosperous Jiangnan is.

Gu Chengyu clicked his tongue—no wonder those assigned officials would eagerly wish to come to Jiangnan.

In such a wealthy place, even if their term was only one year, they could certainly gather significant Silver.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the court hadn’t fully leveraged the advantages of Jiangnan and other regions, leading to an empty National Treasury and limited benefits for merchants.

Although situated near Tianya River, merchants would typically travel by water, but commerce from the north was quite inconvenient.

Gu Chengyu’s idea is to further develop the official road from the north to Jiangnan, thereby enhancing Jiangnan’s economic development.

Simply put, without investment, there is no return. To become rich, one must first build roads—this is an ancient, unchanging principle.

Of course, it’s not a small sum, almost certainly requiring millions of Silver Coins, but currently, the court can’t produce millions?

Therefore, Gu Chengyu plans to start by reconstructing a section, with opportunities for further development down the line.

Those disaster victims need resettlement; idleness breeds trouble, so it would be better to harness the youthful labor force for road construction.

Relief through work is always a good method for resettling disaster victims, allowing them to fill their bellies and earn some Silver Coins.

Having obtained Silver, they can buy food, ensuring the elderly, women, and children at home won’t go hungry.