Chapter 145: Is It Really That Ruthless?

Fang Mingyu is from Jincheng and studies at the Imperial Academy.

Usually, he has no chance to return to Jincheng because there isn't enough time off, but the Crown Princess changed the schedule, allowing for two days of rest every ten days.

Even with a two-day holiday, Fang Mingyu cannot make it back; he cannot afford a horse, and a single horse costs ten taels of silver.

But now that the road is paved and there are two days of rest, he can pedal a bicycle to Jincheng.

Before leaving, Fang Mingyu went to a Liuli Shop and casually bought a Glazed Hairpin.

Three hundred and fifty taels—it cost him a fortune.

He had to borrow this money from people near a gambling den, and the interest rate was ridiculously high.

But it didn't matter; the interest would be ten taels of silver at most, so he paid the money and took the Glazed Glass back to sell.

Ever since the road was paved, the price of Glazed Glass in Jincheng has plummeted.

A hairpin that used to cost three hundred taels could sell for several thousand, but now a hairpin that costs three hundred and fifty can only sell for four hundred.

One hairpin wasn't enough, so Fang Mingyu also went to buy pastries and wine; every little bit of profit helps.

Fang Mingyu pedaled his bicycle along the cement road; although there was a cement road, it still took a long time to ride.

Fang Mingyu rode for a while, sat down to rest for a bit, and then started riding again; it took him a full three hours to reach Jincheng.

Before he even had a chance to go home, he was surrounded by people.

The people of Jincheng also know that people often ride bicycles to bring good things from the Capital.

"Are you selling this wine? I've long heard that the Fruit Wine from the Capital tastes good, but I've never had the chance."

Fang Mingyu smiled and said, "I bought this wine for two taels of silver, and now I'm selling it for three; that's not unreasonable, right?"

"Not unreasonable, not unreasonable at all. Old Li and the others are even selling it for four or five taels."

The transaction was completed very quickly.

At this moment, someone asked, "Do you have any Glazed Hairpins? My elder sister's birthday banquet is coming up soon."

Fang Mingyu smiled and sold the Glazed Glass, earning a full fifty taels!

Including the pastries and wine, he earned a total of fifty-three taels of silver; after paying back the money, he would still have forty-three taels left.

The interest on this loan is truly high.

It only took two or three days for them to charge him ten taels of silver in interest.

Fang Mingyu looked at the cement road; it was built so well, convenient and fast.

It's just that riding a bike is a bit tiring.

It's just that Fang Mingyu doesn't know how long this business can last, and the profit will only get lower and lower in the future.

However, Fang Mingyu didn't care much; he was a student after all, and making money was just a side task. Fifty taels was already a huge sum for him.

Clutching the fifty taels of silver, Fang Mingyu muttered to himself, "Thank you to the Crown Princess for building the cement road, thank you to the Crown Princess for opening the Liuli Shop and the wine shop, thank you to the Crown Princess for inventing the bicycle..."

Fang Mingyu was truly grateful.

When he goes back, he might even be able to bring a bolt of cloth with him.

The fabrics in Jincheng are good, and many have entered the palace; perhaps by trading back and forth, he could earn quite a bit.

Fang Mingyu touched his bicycle; he had been frugal and copied books for days to finally save up enough money to buy one.

It really wasn't a mistake.

There are many people like Fang Mingyu, taking good things from the Capital to sell in Jincheng, and taking things from Jincheng to sell in the Capital.

This day, Yan Ning happened to be at the Liuli Shop.

She saw a group of people wearing Prefecture School uniforms approaching.

"I heard this is the shop; everyone says that even if you come, you might not be able to grab anything."

"That's right, this shop's business is very good; as soon as things are put on the shelves, they are sold out."

"If only I could use a Glass Pen, then I definitely wouldn't fail my arithmetic next time."

"Forget it, you bought a pile of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and you're still at the bottom of the class every exam; you just buy flashy things."

"Cousin, you actually said that to me!"

A fair and chubby youth clutched his chest, looking exaggerated.

Yan Ning let out a "pfft" of laughter from the side.

Yan Ning said, "You are lucky; some new products just arrived today and haven't been sold yet. There are plenty of Glass Inkstones, Glass Paperweights, and Glass Pens."

The eyes of the few youths lit up instantly, and the chubby youth immediately rushed to the front, almost wanting to buy everything.

"You are only allowed to buy one of each; don't waste your money."

"Cousin..."

Yan Ning's Glass Inkstones and Glass Pens come in all sorts of colors; some people want to collect them and buy several sets at once.

The chubby youth felt a bit uncomfortable, so he started picking out Glass Inkstones.

Yan Ning reminded him, "The inkstones are frosted; I've heard from some people that after long use, the frosted surface becomes smooth, making it inconvenient to grind ink."

Yan Ning saw that these people were from out of town and didn't understand the properties of Glazed Glass, so she added a word of advice; these are considered consumables.

Who knew the chubby youth's eyes would light up, "Cousin, cousin, did you hear that? This inkstone has a limited number of uses; I'll buy two more."

The chubby youth then picked up a black one and a dark green one.

His cousin's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Seeing the chubby youth holding a pile, Yan Ning reminded him, "Glazed Glass is fragile, and the journey is long; you should be careful."

The few youths packed the items away and placed them carefully.

The little chubby boy had just walked out when he turned back to look at the hair accessories.

He only saw a few delicate pink hairpins and didn't see anything else.

The chubby youth thought Yan Ning was a shop assistant, so he said, "Little sister, my mother's birthday is in a few days, and I want to give her some hair accessories. Could you make it convenient for me? I am willing to pay more."

Yan Ning was in a very good mood today, and since he was buying it as a birthday gift for his mother, he smiled and said, "A small matter."

After speaking, he had someone go to the Glass Workshop and bring out all sorts of hairpins.

The little fatty was satisfied as he picked out a Glazed Hairpin, the price being exactly five hundred taels; he paid and then slowly climbed into the carriage.

Yan Ning looked at these people and felt that building roads was indeed good.

The next day at court, Yan Ning brought up the need to build another Cement Road.

After Yan Ning proposed it, surprisingly no one stood up to oppose her.

Yan Ning was still a bit unaccustomed to this and asked the Minister of Revenue, "Is there enough money this time?"

The Minister of Revenue was stunned, not expecting Yan Ning to take the initiative to ask him.

He gritted his teeth: "There is enough."

Yan Ning beamed, "Then we shall prepare to build the second Cement Road starting today."

The Minister of Revenue added a sentence: "It is just that if we build the Cement Road, there will be no money to build the Railway."

Just thinking about how one Cement Road only costs a few hundred taels of silver per kilometer, while one Railway actually costs fifty thousand per kilometer!

It is not as if we have so much money that it is burning a hole in our pockets.

The Minister of Revenue was truly puzzled: "Why is His Highness so insistent on building roads?"

Yan Ning pondered for a moment: "If we build a Train, we could reach Jincheng in half an hour, and going to Jiangnan might only take five or six hours; if there is money, we could even build a Railway to Lingnan, and it would take no more than a day to arrive."

The Minister of Revenue was still puzzled, "This, who would have nothing better to do?"

Yan Ning said: "Doing this will not only be convenient for merchants to transport goods, but my father and I can also travel incognito, choosing a place to inspect every month based on our mood."

The officials present all gasped.

Is it really that ruthless?