Chapter 122: What Is This Infrastructure You Speak Of

Yan Ning looked suspiciously at Lu Huai, the Junior Minister of Dali Temple.

Lu Huai continued to flatter her: "I actually think it's brilliant to run an Official School and arrange official positions for the teachers at the School; it's not at all the useless endeavor those few old fogeys who oppose it claim."

Yan Ning looked at him, finding it truly strange.

Although most people had accepted the status of the Crown Prince, a small minority still felt that appointing a woman as Crown Prince was somewhat inappropriate.

Lu Huai was one of that small minority.

In the Court, whatever Yan Ning proposed, he would pop up to voice an opposing opinion; he was practically a contrarian.

Yet now, he was actually lowering his status and flattering her in a pleasant tone.

Yan Ning's first reaction was that this person had either lost his mind or wanted something from her.

Yan Ning said directly: "If you have something to say, say it; I am very busy."

Lu Huai felt a bit embarrassed for a moment, but he still said: "It's just that there is a wine shop, and the Fruit Wine inside tastes quite good, but the production is very low and it's not enough to sell; every time I go, it's already sold out."

"Later, when I inquired, I found out it was actually made by His Highness and the Ji Family in partnership, so I thought I would come over to beg you to save a jar of Fruit Wine for me. If I hadn't tasted it, it would be one thing, but I had a cup before, and the taste was truly excellent; it's just a pity that I can't buy any."

Yan Ning had wondered what it was; it turned out to be just a jar of wine.

Thinking it was no big deal, Yan Ning said: "Fine, I will tell someone."

Lu Huai's eyes lit up immediately.

Lu Huai said right then and there: "From now on in the Court, I won't intentionally sing a different tune from you."

Yan Ning:???

"So you were intentionally singing a different tune from me before? Opposing me regardless of whether it made sense or not?"

Lu Huai rubbed his nose: "It wasn't quite like that."

Yan Ning told him to follow her to the Eastern Palace.

Although he didn't know what Yan Ning wanted to do, he followed along anyway.

As soon as he arrived at the Eastern Palace, Lu Huai saw several jars of Fruit Wine.

Yan Ning was young and couldn't drink alcohol, so this wine was left for Grand Tutor Chen and Grand Master Jiang.

The two men were somewhat surprised to see Lu Huai following behind.

Yan Ning said: "He wanted to drink Fruit Wine, so I brought him here."

The two old men looked at Lu Huai with surprise in their eyes; didn't this Lu Huai oppose Yan Ning being the Crown Prince before?

The two seemed to have thought of something, their expressions subtle, as if to say: Is it really worth it for a mouthful of wine?

Yan Ning "humphed" in her heart; since he made a point of singing a different tune from her in the Court, she would make him lose face a little today.

Lu Huai was indeed very embarrassed at this moment.

He suspected that Yan Ning was doing it on purpose, but he dared not say it out loud.

Yan Ning said with a smile: "No need for you to buy it; I have extra here, I'll give it to you."

Lu Huai was mortified.

Looking at her expression, Lu Huai was certain and sure that Yan Ning was doing this on purpose.

However, looking at the wine in his hands, he left feeling satisfied.

Once Lu Huai left, Grand Tutor Chen pointed to a black gift box on the Table Desk: "This was sent by the people from the Glass Workshop."

Yan Ning opened the box casually, and the two old men's eyes widened.

"This, is this a pen made of Glazed Glass? It is crystal clear and very beautiful."

"This Bamboo Joint Pen is truly beautiful; I have never seen a more beautiful pen than this."

Yan Ning carefully examined the Glass pen; it wasn't as exquisite as in her previous life, as the craftsmanship and tools were insufficient, but it was already quite good to have made it like this.

Looking at the expressions of Grand Tutor Chen and Grand Master Jiang, one could tell how popular this pen was.

After all, if old men were surprised by it, let alone those young people?

Yan Ning picked up a pen: "It's a pity that this pen is a 'pretty piece of trash'; it's very uncomfortable to use, not as good as a Bamboo Pen."

Grand Tutor Chen and Grand Master Jiang didn't believe it: "How can that be? This pen costs five hundred taels of silver each outside, while a Bamboo Pen only costs two copper coins!"

Yan Ning spread her hands: "That's why I say the Glass pen is a 'pretty piece of trash'; if you like them, you can take them."

Yan Ning began to write and draw on rice paper with a Bamboo Pen; speaking of which, her calligraphy with a brush was limp, but her writing with a hard pen was neat.

Yan Ning wrote a few lines with a hard pen and began to recite what she had memorized today.

Grand Tutor Chen didn't believe it; he took a Bamboo Pen from the side and wrote on the rice paper, finding it quite smooth—one would get used to it after using it more.

Looking at the Glass pen again, the shape of the pen body was not suitable for holding, and on top of that, the nib was either too thick or too thin; the effect of writing with it was truly hard to describe.

No wonder Yan Ning didn't like using it.

How could there be such a difficult-to-use pen?

It was difficult to use, yet they had produced many; those aristocratic youths and wealthy merchants would buy a dozen Glass pens of different styles at once.

Yan Ning saw their thoughts and said: "This pen is indeed not very good, but many people like this kind of flashy 'pretty piece of trash'."

"Speaking of which, besides Glass pens, we also sell various small Glass ornaments, such as osmanthus trees and white cranes, which are suitable for placing on a desk and have good meanings, as well as Glass Paperweights."

"With just these trinkets, we can earn a lot of money."

The two felt that Yan Ning had a good head for business.

Or rather, Yan Ning had a sharp mind; not only was she good at business, but she also had a way of governing the country.

But Yan Ning was now fourteen years old by nominal age, and her character had not yet settled; they couldn't let her become a money-grubber.

Throughout the dynasties, they had never heard of any Crown Prince partnering with others to open workshops.

Yet Yan Ning continued to mutter: "When the time comes, we'll make MSG, pottery, cement... we'll open workshops, it would be great to open dozens or hundreds of workshops."

Upon hearing that she wanted to open dozens or hundreds of workshops, Grand Master Jiang's eyelids twitched.

Grand Master Jiang weighed his words: "Your Highness, if all your energy is spent on making money, I fear it will delay your studies."

Yan Ning was stunned; she clearly had not expected Grand Tutor Jiang to think this way.

"How can this be considered a waste of time? I want to engage in infrastructure, but the national treasury doesn't have enough money, so I can only find ways to earn more."

"Besides, my father is still young and can serve as Emperor for several more decades; I can learn slowly."

Grand Tutor Chen asked, "What is this infrastructure you speak of?"

Yan Ning explained, "Infrastructure is the construction of the foundation, such as building roads. Once the roads are built, they can stimulate the economy. Besides land routes, I also plan to develop waterways and establish ports everywhere."

"There is also digging canals, building water conservancy projects, providing basic medical care for the common people, and various flood control and irrigation measures."

As she spoke, Yan Ning became a bit worried: "Everywhere requires money, and it takes a massive amount of money. I calculated the accounts, and even with ten national treasuries, it wouldn't be enough to cover these expenses, so I must set up more state-run workshops. Right now, even building a Cement Road is a bit tight."

Perhaps in the future, it will be possible to build an electrical grid so that every household has electricity to use.

Yan Ning gave a bitter smile; these things could only be imagined.

Seeing Yan Ning sighing, Grand Tutor Jiang felt a surging tide in his heart; he had not expected Yan Ning to be able to think of these things.

If the national treasury were full and these facilities were built, I fear no one would dare to invade the Daxia dynasty ever again.

Grand Tutor Chen was also shocked, and he asked, "What is this Cement Road you speak of?"