Chen Xi wasn’t speaking carelessly. Judging by the severity of Lub Su’s angina, it wouldn’t be long before he fixed his gaze upon Fragrance Pavilion. If by that time Fragrance Pavilion remained in its current discordant state, Chen Xi wouldn’t be able to say much, since openly operating on the main street was rare for businesses of its kind, despite their ubiquity elsewhere.
Such establishments usually had their own designated places, like within a certain alley housing several, but having one so brazenly on the main street was quite insane. To other brothels, this outlier that ripped away customers with such ferocity must have been a thorn in the flesh.
Indeed, Fragrance Pavilion had suffered considerable damage due to both him and Guan Ping. His suggestion to relocate served as compensation. However, at the time, Lub Su was too clouded to ask questions and unwittingly accepted a hot potato. Now, for Chen Xi to turn a blind eye and just let things be was somewhat inconsiderate.
After all, they hadn’t done anything wrong; they simply stood out uncomfortably where they were. There were issues intrinsic to their business, but there was no fault on their part except for the unfortunate location. Thus, Chen Xi decided to give them a chance. Whether they would take heed didn’t really matter. He would have done what he should have.
"Zichuan, I must take my leave now. The situation in Xiliang has been somewhat unusual lately. It’s a bit too far away, leaving many reports unclear. I’m not sure what’s going on with Hann Wenyue and Ma Shoucheng. They’ve been causing quite a stir," Guo Jia said, unsteadily rising from the stone table, his head swimming.
To think, in Guo Jia’s eyes, a war of such a scale in Xiliang was just a minor squabble. One wonders what Ma Teng and Hann Sui would think if they heard such a description.
"And Chang’an?" asked Chen Xi curiously. What was happening now? Were those two still fighting?
Historically, at this time, weren’t Hann Sui and Ma Teng supposed to lead a hundred thousand troops, proclaiming their support for the king, to fight against Li Que and Guo Si, only to be nearly beaten to death by Guo Si and then shrink back to Xiliang, where they licked each other’s wounds? As they licked, they bonded, becoming sworn brothers, only to start biting each other again over some other issue later on.
"It’s still the same situation as before, but Guo Si and Li Que have had some discord over military authority. Now is the time for His Majesty to seize the opportunity and accordingly orchestrate a division amongst them, to set a tiger to fight a wolf," Guo Jia’s eyes sparkled briefly, before dimming again.
Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Indeed, it was a prime moment to seize imperial power, and with some strategizing, one could indeed play others against each other to consolidate military authority. It was a pity that Liu Xie was not cut out for such acts. If only Liu Xie could have done so, the world wouldn’t be in such chaos.
The fleeting disdain on Chen Xi’s face didn’t escape Guo Jia’s notice. He realized the ridiculousness of his own words. Some tasks seem easy, but without the necessary courage, they can’t be accomplished.
"All right, let’s not talk about this anymore. I need to attend to the situations in Xiliang and Chang’an. I’ve entrusted Cao Mengde and Yuan Gonglu to Fa Xiaozhi. He has made considerable progress lately. Probably in another three years, I will hardly be able to contain him. Have you secured a suitable position for him?" Guo Jia spoke with a hint of emotion, as Fa Xiaozhi was, after all, his protégé.
"Don’t worry, he won’t be overlooked," Chen Xi smiled and said, "By the way, help me pass a message to two people."
"I’ll remember to inform Zizhong and the Zhang Clan," Guo Jia nodded, realizing that the new commercial rules of Fenggao were taking shape. After this period, it would become much harder to find such opportunities.
"I think they’ve probably drafted the rules during this time. After I review them, we should be good to go, and it’s about time to open up the street." Chen Xi smiled. Mi Zhu might not have thought of this before the tax revenue was restored, or even while in a daze afterward, but the Zhang Clan had certainly made early preparations.
"One street?" Guo Jia’s eyelids twitched, and his previously determined footsteps halted. Now, there were many merchants looking to set up shop in Fenggao City, and apart from the Wu Family, the real persons in charge of the Five Great Merchants were all here. When Chen Xi mentioned developing one street, just the land for that street alone was estimated to surpass the agricultural tax revenue of the last six months."
"Are you interested?" Chen Xi turned his head with a teasing look on his face.
"Do you believe me if I say I’m not interested? The land on the second street has risen to a point where, overall, it is almost catching up with the agricultural taxes from the first half of the year. Zijing complains about a heartache every day precisely because he sold too early. One street, tsk tsk tsk!" Guo Jia was not at all perturbed by Chen Xi’s mocking tone; land was far more powerful than tax revenue.
After finishing his thoughts, Guo Jia furrowed his brow as if he had just remembered something, "However, speaking of which, when Ziyang was tallying the accounts before, he discovered that the lands of one street had already been sold, and what’s left on the books dates back to before Fenggao City was built. It was your doing, wasn’t it? Back then, I believe you were the only one capable of foreseeing this current situation."
As he said this, Guo Jia stared intently at Chen Xi and questioned him. Although he had guessed that Chen Xi was the only one capable of doing this, it was over a year ago when the future was uncertain. It was madness.
"I have already shown mercy. I haven’t bought South First Street, alright? But for North First Street, I indeed spent money," Chen Xi said indifferently.
"It cost you over a thousand strings of coins, right?" Guo Jia said with a pained expression, massaging his temples. Muttering to himself, he added, "We, representing the state, are willing to buy it back for ten thousand strings of coins; we can give even more."
Chen Xi looked at Guo Jia with disdain. Seeing Guo Jia’s embarrassment, he realized that if North First Street was indeed ten thousand strings of coins, it wouldn’t be cheap—it would be outrageously cheap, as if the cabbages had rotted black...
"Ah, I forgot to say." Chen Xi finished the white liquor in his wine cup and, grinning at the embarrassed Guo Jia, said, "Actually, I didn’t spend any money on those lands. At that time, those places were where I set up my steamed bun shops and White Stripe exchange points. Once Fenggao City was built, using the White Stripes, I was able to secure those places."
Guo Jia almost spit out a mouthful of old blood. So Chen Xi had managed to get something for nothing, not spending a single coin. Considering that time when tens of thousands of people were building Fenggao, the steamed bun shops had income every day. Moreover, to gather the displaced people, the storefronts for the steamed bun shops were very large. Heaven knows how much those lands were worth back then. It was possible that after Fenggao was built, Chen Xi calculated the extra White Stripes and spent whatever the amount came to in order to buy the lands occupied by the steamed bun shops at a high price.
"I’m very clever, right?" Chen Xi said with a smile.
"Clever!" Guo Jia reluctantly said, "Once you sell one street, you will surpass the Five Great Merchants. And you’ll have cash in hand. I always feel like Zijing will strangle you to death." Guo Jia muttered.
"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t get strangled. I won’t be that cruel. I’m just giving you a heads-up about long-term benefits. Look, the land that was worth over a thousand strings of coins is now soaring to over a million. See how good that is—" Chen Xi looked at Guo Jia with a smile.
Guo Jia fell silent, understanding the implication of his words and why Chen Xi wanted everyone to know that he now owned all of one street, especially since he had purchased it one and a half years ago. It was a warning. Without great foresight, they should not even think about dealing with Chen Xi, nor should they consider opposing the laws that Chen Xi was pushing, because their vision was too short-sighted.
When Guo Jia left the Chen Family’s residence, it was clear he felt somewhat dejected. Chen Xi’s composure this time had put a lot of pressure on Guo Jia; it was a plan calculated far into the future. (To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes at Qidian ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)