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In Zhu Family Village, Zhu Wuliu was surrounded by people, as if he were the moon among stars.
Yesterday, he lived up to expectations by acquiring a steam-powered textile production line, which truly excited the villagers of Zhu Family Village for an entire night.
“Brother Wuliu, when are the people from the steam engine workshop coming? We’ve already paid the silver, can’t they be a bit quicker?”
Shangguan Yong was a bit anxious. He wished he could get the textile workshop running right away.
Zhu Wuliu, hearing this, calmly said, “What’s the rush? The prefectural office’s land hasn’t come through yet. Even with a steam engine, it would just be for show.”
Shangguan Yong scratched his head. He changed the topic and asked, “Brother Wuliu, have you seen this steam engine? Can this thing really do textile work?”
“Of course I have. For this matter, I personally went to the textile workshop in Qingzhou Province. I’m not afraid to tell you, just one steam engine production line is worth a thousand people weaving cloth.”
Zhu Wuliu knew that the villagers putting up silver was a sign of their trust in him, so he dared not be careless about this matter.
“A thousand people.”
The villagers of Zhu Family Village looked at each other, and then their eyes revealed expressions of wild joy.
A group of people were discussing when Zhu Wuliu’s father appeared at the village entrance. The villagers immediately ran over.
Zhu Wuliu ran the fastest. Upon reaching his father, Zhu Wuliu asked, “Father, what about the land for the workshop?”
Zhu Wuliu’s father had a dark expression, appearing very angry. He said nothing, only let out a heavy sigh.
Zhu Wuliu’s face turned pale at this sight. The reform was known throughout the six prefecture, and the decrees sent by the prefectural office to various prefectures and counties clearly stipulated the free lease of workshop land for five years to merchants who opened workshops.
It was precisely because of this decree that Zhu Wuliu had made up his mind to open another textile workshop.
“The prefectural office isn’t giving us land?” A surge of anger suddenly filled Shangguan Yong’s body. He roared, “What do we do now? We’ve bought the steam engine, and our silver is only enough for some cotton. Now the entire village is ruined!”
Zhu Wuliu was even more anxious than Shangguan Yong. He said in a panic, “I’ll go see Senior Grand Secretary Pang! He’s the one who said it! How can the prefectural office deceive people like this?”
“Pfft, hahaha…”
Just as the villagers were filled with righteous indignation, Zhu Wuliu’s father suddenly burst into laughter. He took out a contract from his bosom and said to Zhu Wuliu, “I tricked you! The prefectural office approved the land! It’s just outside Qingzhou City!”
“Father, at a time like this, you’re still playing tricks on us!” Zhu Wuliu rolled his eyes in exasperation. His father had always been fond of playing small tricks, and this time, he unexpectedly fell for his cunning scheme again.
The villagers of Zhu Family Village relaxed at this point.
Shangguan Yong’s expression changed from gloomy to bright. He said, “This reform was initiated by the Emperor. I told you no one would dare to mess around.”
Zhu Wuliu’s father stopped laughing. He said, “Don’t be happy too soon. The land is approved, but the workshop building requires the villagers to contribute labor to build it.”
“That’s easy! There’s nothing to do in winter anyway.”
“As long as we can earn silver next year, this little bit of effort is nothing.”
“…”
The villagers of Zhu Family Village eagerly spoke one after another.
Zhu Wuliu nodded. At this point, he began to assign tasks to the villagers: some to purchase cement and red bricks, others to clear the land for the workshop.
This time, the prefectural office had, like establishing an industrial park, separately demarcated a large area outside Qingzhou City for merchants, and his workshop land was located within it.
Upon receiving Zhu Wuliu’s orders, the villagers immediately sprang into action, dedicating themselves to the construction of the workshop.
At the same time, Ding Wu, Dai Zixing, and other major Qingzhou Province merchants had already mobilized their servants and laborers on their own workshop lands.
“Brother Ding, I heard that you and Cao Zhengyang had a bit of a disagreement at the auction this time?” Dai Zixing said as he inspected the working laborers and servants.
Having started his fortune by manufacturing cement pipes, Dai Zixing had now clearly become one of the few prominent merchants in Qingzhou City.
“Indeed, good news never travels far, but bad news spreads quickly,” Ding Wu gently snorted. His relationship with Dai Zixing had always been good.
After a moment of contemplation, he said, “This Cao Zhengyang is acting quite arrogant now, and I always feel he has ill intentions.”
“Ill intentions? What do you mean by that?” Dai Zixing asked, dumbfounded.
Ding Wu thought for a moment. He said, “This Cao Zhengyang has too much ambition, and he often says shocking things. It’s said that he has gathered a group of merchants and often discusses with them the matter of merchants participating in government affairs in the West.”
Dai Zixing was so shocked he almost shouted. “Does this Cao Zhengyang want to die? The Emperor abolishing the four classes of society was already the greatest mercy to us; how dare he harbor such extravagant hopes?”
“Exactly, that’s why I repeatedly refuted his improper remarks, and thus offended him,” Ding Wu said.
Dai Zixing said, “If that’s the case, I must also distance myself from him. Life has only just started to get better for a few years, and he’s looking for trouble himself.”
“Exactly! My father repeatedly warned me to strictly obey the decrees and never to be reckless, fearing that one day we might displease the Emperor, and we merchants would suffer again.” Ding Wu sighed, then seemed to recall something. He whispered to Dai Zixing, “However, it’s said that the Prince of Chu has recently reinstated the Cao family, and it’s even rumored that the Cao family has been given a seat in the Prince of Chu’s residence.”
Dai Zixing was dumbfounded. “Could that rumor be true? So, the Cao family is now actually participating in government affairs in the Prince of Chu’s territory?”
Ding Wu nodded, “This Prince of Chu fears dying at the hands of the Emperor like Prince Zhao and the others. Now, he’s desperate and listens to whatever those Frenchmen say. However, his doing this has caused many merchants to flock to Lin’an.”
Dai Zixing remained silent. He said, “Even so, the Prince of Chu is no match for the Emperor. Just consider something as miraculous as the steam engine. Does the Prince of Chu have it? So this Prince of Chu is nothing but a grasshopper in autumn; he won’t be jumping around for much longer.”
Ding Wu dusted off the dirt that had fallen on him. He said softly, “The Prince of Chu doesn’t have it, but he can buy it, after all, the Prince of Chu is still a subject of the Emperor.”
As the two spoke, more and more merchants appeared in the North City Industrial Zone. Acquaintances greeted each other, no longer discussing the previous topic, but instead talking about the business of running workshops.
Compared to the bustling scene in the North City Industrial Zone, the weather in Qingzhou Province was growing colder. Along with the cold current from the north, news of the six prefecture’ reform also reached the south.
“Steam engine? How is that possible?” Richard looked incredulous.
The Prince of Chu looked puzzled. He asked, “What exactly is this steam engine?”
Richard’s expression gradually grew serious. He said to the Prince of Chu, “The steam engine is a very powerful machine. With this machine, much labor can be saved. The British kept it a secret from us for a long time. We only recently learned that they have been using steam engines in industry.”