Chapter 1217: Compulsory Martial Arts, Everyone at Four Gates

"How much did you say?" Xu Zishuai opened his eyes wide.

The dusk light slanted in, cutting out a piece of brilliant halo.

"569,046 taels and three coins." Hedgehog repeated it, handed over the account book, "Many guests threw thousands of gold, were generous, and gave full-amount treasure silver. Going to the bank, it can be converted into standard fine silver weighing 52 taels and four coins.

These big households who gave treasure silver, some took 52 tickets, some only took 50 tickets, most of them gave two ingots at once, buying 100 tickets. No matter which one, there will be surplus income. Martial Hall disciples watched closely and didn't let the ticket sellers steal the corners.

In addition, even if some people didn't buy many tickets, in order to grab them, they paid in a hurry and would give an extra half a coin, so there was an extra thousand taels in the account. If the heat continues to be maintained, it is estimated that by this time tomorrow, all one million tickets should be sold out."

One million tickets, one million taels!

"Strange, thirteen hours, a little over a day, can sell one million." Xu Zishuai was dumbfounded, "There are too many people coming, at least more than ten thousand people bought it, right?"

Hedgehog added: "More than ten thousand is just the number of ticket buyers, accounting for two or three out of ten tourists. The actual flow of people today should be around 650,000."

The Xu family and Long Eying who came to help also leaned over and clicked their tongues repeatedly.

It was too profitable.

"No wonder you said to build so many toilets. These hundreds of thousands of people, the fertilizer produced in a day can plant thousands of acres of land." Xu Zishuai sighed.

"Where are we now?" Liang Qu closed the account book, even a little dissatisfied with the data, "Once a year, the River God Festival, in my expectation, at least one million people should come, each spending ten taels, and the turnover must reach ten million to meet my expectation.

In the end, the preparation time was too short, and the little mirage dragon didn't find the Mirage Clan until June. In one solar term, the heavy news didn't fully ferment."

Xu Zishuai pondered with his chin supported: "Do Martial Saints also get a fever?"

"What fever?"

"If you don't have a fever, why are you talking nonsense?"

Liang Qu rolled his eyes, leaned on the railing, looked down at the crowd on the bluestone road, pointed down, and asked an irrelevant question.

"Cao Shixiong, do you know how many theaters there are in Nanzhili?"

"Are you asking about the central Nan Dadu of Nanzhili, or all the prefectures in Nanzhili?"

"Central Nan Dadu."

"Don't know."

"Then—Nanzhili."

"Don't know either."

Liang Qu raised his eyebrows: "Then why did Cao Shixiong ask?"

"Ask, you can ask me, you must know the answer, this has to help you explain it clearly."

Liang Qu took a deep breath: "This year's River God Festival, I started arranging it from the time Yixing was divided into a fiefdom last year. I sent people to do an investigation early. Just in one Nan Dadu, there are 472 theaters, opera houses, and entertainment clubs.

Among them, 36 have poor business, and except for the neighbors, almost no one visits, and they are on the verge of bankruptcy, looking for people to transfer.

More than 230 are operating neither hot nor cold, can live, feed people and horses, make a small profit, one performance a day, with about a hundred guests.

For the rest, there are performances every day, plays every day, one performance during the day, one performance at night, each accommodating two to three thousand seats, and the occupancy rate is usually 50%. When famous actors come to perform, it will be full. Cao Shixiong, do you know what kind of scale this is?"

Hedgehog took off the abacus on his back and placed it horizontally.

Xu Zishuai didn't use it, made a calculation, and was shocked.

"Fifty thousand people watching plays and listening to books every day?"

"Exactly! In addition, those who watch plays won't go every day, and new plays won't be performed every day. Watching a play every seven or eight days is considered diligent. Similarly, the potential number of play-watchers is at least several times that frequency. Seven or eight days, seven or eight times, that's three or four million!

This is just one Nan Dadu. Most of Nanzhili is prosperous, and the number of play-watchers can be doubled by three times.

Similarly, the Huaihe flows through eleven provinces and contains eleven provinces. Although it is not as prosperous as Nanzhili, it will never be less.

Various theaters are like this, what about teahouses? Painted boats? Brothels? Rural big landlords? It's several times, dozens of times the 'guests.' There are hundreds of thousands of millions, hundreds of thousands of millions in one province, and there have never been few rich people. What I have absorbed is this part of the people!

Those who have played and seen in Pingyang today, can they eat bran and swallow vegetables when they go back?

Look, within ten years, at least half of the theaters in Nan Dadu will close down! No one will watch, no one will listen!

Their silver will all flow into my pocket in the future!"

The evening wind blew, and the Great Marsh was wavy.

The bold words were loud and clear.

Qinhuai River, Qujiang Pool, Pingkang Square, West Lake—in the previous life, there were tens of millions of people, relying on the dignitaries of one place, and they were not short of such prosperity and sleepless places in poetry.

Yixing County is certainly not a political center or an economic center, but the 【Vortex Escape Path】 is like a tentacle, like a bridge, deep into these centers, solving the most critical link!

The current Yixing can completely rely on more advanced entertainment and richer landscapes to transfer and carry all the Qinhuai River, Qujiang Pool, Pingkang Square, West Lake—

Is there any better-sounding opera than cloth film? Is there any more exquisite pitch-pot archery than dream entry?

It's nothing more than merging these places into one place and transferring them to one place.

Liang Qu had investigated the feasibility of every step that became reality today!

"Closing half, will it offend people?" Xu Zishuai worried for Liang Qu, "Those who can open a theater have some connections. There are so many, it's hard to guarantee that there are no royal relatives behind them."

"So, I give dividends to every Wu Sheng, I give the corresponding authorization to the imperial court, give the favor to His Majesty, and give the breeding of the Mirage Clan to the Turtle King, Hedgehog!"

"Splash, splash."

Hedgehog leveled the abacus and moved the beads.

"Today, 570,000 dream tickets were bought, 20% is 114,000, distributed to various Martial Saints and Demon Kings; another 30% is given to the Turtle King for breeding; another 20% is used to purchase cockscomb fruit from the imperial court to cultivate Mirage Clan members.

The remaining 30%, 170,000 taels, is left in the account, but the cost of the River God Festival needs to be covered.

Today, there are 3,000 Martial Hall disciples, no wages, only three meals a day, the standard is 230 wen a day, beef and mutton are enough, 700 taels a day. Going to other ports, accommodation needs to be solved separately, 20 wen a day—240 people cleaning toilets, cleaning streets, crystal boats, subsidies for Pingyang Prefecture officials, construction—"

The abacus beads clicked.

"After deducting imperial taxes, the actual amount received is more than 34,600 taels."

570,000, suddenly shrinking to 34,000.

From heaven to earth.

Liang Qu was never afraid of trouble; before making a profit, he first considered sharing the profit.

To fight against the old forces, we must first win over and unite a group of new forces!

If there is trouble, others will come forward to solve it. The biggest one to unite is the royal family. The local tax revenue takes 70%, plus various dividends, the Holy Emperor is completely the biggest shareholder.

And all Liang Qu needs to do is earn a little less.

Rather than saying he is making money himself, it is better to say he is a professional manager, and the principal is these thirteen ports.

"This River God Festival, I not only didn't make a profit, but I was even prepared to hold it at a loss!"

"Loss." Xu Zishuai didn't quite understand, "Where is the loss? Isn't it earning more than 30,000 now? And if the costs are spread out, the 30% of the 400,000 behind doesn't need to be subsidized, right?"

Liang Qu waved his hand, pointed to the next room, the attendant bowed, and immediately opened the door.

"Is this the medium, large, and extra-large size you mentioned?"

"Yes, you guys take one and see."

The big white fish "Benbo'erba" piled up like a mountain rolled down, landing without sound.

A very exquisite cloth doll.

The attendant picked up a pile and distributed it to everyone.

Xu family took one, squeezed it, and was surprised to find that it was filled with cotton.

"Cotton cloth doll?"

"Yes." Liang Qu grabbed one and flicked the fish tail, "This cloth doll was designed and created by me with A'Fei as a reference, and it has more affinity in image."

First the toad, then the Turtle King, then the Flood Dragon, and then the White Dragon King.

Moving horizontally and vertically, A'Fei was the well-deserved "diplomat" among the water beasts under Liang Qu's command.

The fat fish proudly puffed out its chest.

Hum!

Bone!

Liang Qu patted its head: "Does Cao Shixiong know why I wanted to fabricate a non-existent 'Benbo'erba'?"

Xu Zishuai shook his head: "You think too deeply, I can't guess."

Liang Qu squeezed hard, tightening the cloth doll: "Not to mention the large and extra-large ones, I plan to sell this medium one for 300 wen each."

"300 wen? Are you crazy?" Xu Zishuai was shocked, "You filled it with white cotton, right? It's so tight, so solid, if you take it out, you can make half a piece of clothing. The cotton alone is worth this price. Are you paying for the extra cloth, dyeing, and labor costs yourself?"

"It's not that expensive. I use long-staple cotton from the Northwest. It has good softness, good elasticity, and good toughness. They grow a lot there. Buy it in summer and transport it by waterway in time. The cost is 30% lower than normal acquisition.

The price difference is enough to make up for the money for using cloth. As for the labor cost, this is indeed what I pay. Counting the sales, selling one will lose about 30 wen."

"No, what are you trying to do? Are you afraid that others won't be able to wear cotton clothes in winter, so you are doing charity?"

"Trying to get a thought." Liang Qu laughed, "I want everyone who comes to Yixing and sees this cotton cloth doll to buy one and take it home. It must be cheap enough to let enough people buy it. Even ordinary people, for the sake of the cotton inside, have to buy one and take it back!

After going home, take out the cotton, refill it with thatch, reed flowers, etc., and I have achieved my goal, letting 'Benbo'erba' become Yixing's memory symbol and enter their homes!

Put it on the antique shelf, hold it in the child's hand, see it and smile, think of it and come, remind them all the time that Yixing is a fun place, and let the guests who come to visit know that Yixing is a place worth visiting."

Xu Zishuai's scalp was numb.

Junior brother is a genius, an unparalleled genius. He had known this fact very early, but today, he actually found that he had underestimated Liang Qu.

Mirage Clan dream entry, thirteen big competitions, running through thirteen ports, layer by layer leading the flow, maximizing the "water storage."

The "memory symbol" at cost price or even at a loss.

Send money to the imperial court in an appropriate way in advance.

One ring after another, one step after another.

Can't understand, can't learn.

"Junior brother, you say how much silver is enough." Xu Zishuai sighed, "If you manage it like this in the first year, won't the wealth roll in later?"

"Far from enough." Liang Qu shook his head, "Cao Shixiong, Mother, I actually have a bigger idea that requires greater investment. If that can be achieved, it will be a real change of heaven and earth."

"Change heaven and earth? You say it so big, come, come, come, what kind of fortune-making point do you have, take your senior brother with you!"

Liang Qu didn't answer, he asked back: "Cao Shixiong, you say how long can normal people live without practicing martial arts? No, it should be asked, at what age, can't move, can't farm?"

"Around sixty? You don't have to pay taxes at this age, and you can't pay them, you can only force people to death." Xu Zishuai looked at Xu family.

"Fifty or so." Xu family thought, "Fifty or so, teeth start to fall out, can't eat much food, slowly can't do work."

"Right, it's teeth. What if the skin, flesh, bones, and blood are refined to the third gate, the bone gate?"

Xu Zishuai pondered: "The body is strong, naturally the life is long. Before the Perfected Form, the life span gap is not big, ninety, maybe more, after refining the bone gate, people's teeth won't fall out easily."

"Exactly! As long as you practice to the bone gate, people can have thirty more years of 'working age.' Then compare the cost of practicing to the third gate? Only talk about those with mediocre roots."

"300 taels of cost as a base, focus on practicing for more than five years, but you can't calculate it like this." Xu Zishuai shook his head, "A farmer, if the harvest is good that year, and then do some odd jobs, maybe can earn 15 or 16 taels a year, 40 wen a day. But a large part of it is used for basic living expenses, eating, drinking, and pulling, can't save it, not to mention the bad harvest."

"A farmer's annual income is 15 or 16, but can't the third-gate martial artist's income double? Not to mention, the thirty years of the three gates are not the thirty years of the farmer, and it should be said that it is the seventy years of the three gates!"

"Seventy years?"

"It's unrealistic for them to save 300 taels to practice martial arts themselves. Even if they save it, they will miss the cultivation time of youth, but what if someone is willing to 'lend' it?"

"Who?"

"Imperial court, vassal king, me! I will 'lend' it to them!" Liang Qu paced, "I have been thinking, can we provide them with the '300 taels' cost in advance when every young good family child is fourteen or fifteen, let them practice to the third gate, cooperate with reading, and then use the 'repayment' of the next seventy years—"

"Will they borrow? Do they dare to borrow? 300 taels, who will carry such a debt?"

"Don't have to repay, as long as it is a good family child, you can learn, I am responsible for the expenses."

"Don't have to repay? Then how to repay?" Xu Zishuai felt that he was circled in.

"This repayment is not that repayment. It's complicated to explain. In short, as a vassal king, as long as they are working, they will create corresponding value. This value will always circulate in my fiefdom, which is enough."

"Hide wealth among the people?" Xu family asked.

"Can be understood this way."

Xu family roughly understood Liang Qu's meaning.

It is not a simple borrowing and repayment relationship, but providing compulsory martial arts, just treat it as an investment. Most people can succeed, then the value that the third-gate martial artist can create is much greater. In his next seventy years of life, it will eventually be collected back from taxes.

If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and no one will come to urge the debt. This part of the failed cost can be covered and offset by the value created by successful people.

Benevolent government without precedent.

"But, what about medicinal materials? If cultivation increases, won't the ordinary price rise?"

"Cao Shixiong, broaden your vision. Rice leeches and rice frogs, there are too many means to increase production. These ordinary drugs are useless to experts. The world has never had only human cultivation, and humans don't just know how to ask. Everything has many mutual benefits and coexistence. Many times, the cultivation of affiliated species is crucial."

"You mean—" Xu Zishuai's mind popped up the "Emerald Dragon" beside Liang Qu.

"Averaged to every year, the recipients need to create four taels of value, excluding those who die halfway, those with poor talent—the cost is calculated as three taels more. As long as they reach the third gate at twenty, the value created every year is seven taels more than a farmer who farms, it's not a loss. If it exceeds seven taels, it's profitable! Cao Shixiong, Mother, Eying, you say—can this thing succeed?"

Dusk shrouded.

Liang Qu's face was almost invisible, leaving only a circle of halo.

Goosebumps spread rapidly, a chill rose in the lower abdomen, Xu Zishuai trembled all over, couldn't help but take half a step back, his pupils dilated, and his breathing deepened.

Everyone at the third gate.

Twenty, forty, sixty years later, in the world—no more mortals?

All are at the third gate, the foundation is like this, and going up to galloping horse, wolf smoke, hunting tiger will inevitably increase. Xu family pondered.

Long Eying's eyes burst into brilliance.

Fat fish squeezed the cloth doll, holding it in its hand and floating.

"Hahaha." Liang Qu walked out of the dusk light and bloomed a smile, "Cao Shixiong, what is this expression? It's just a sudden thought, just mentioned it casually. If one million people want to practice, it will cost 300 million taels. When will I earn it?

If it's really done, there are too many problems. At least wait until the rice leeches and rice frogs spread to the whole world, the number of low-level things slowly comes up, and it's slightly reliable. The competition is about to start, I'll go down to arrange, or you come to explain, Cao Shixiong."

Liang Qu turned and went downstairs.

Xu Zishuai took a deep breath.

Xu hour.

Night falls.

Fireworks in the sky are brilliant.

Liang Qu hugged Eying and received the spiritual link message.

"The Insect Valley Festival this year is set for July 21? Okay, I know, wait for me to finish tonight, help her bury the second divine seed."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1218 =====

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