Chapter 59

The Commerce Street was completed, and the first snowfall in Youzhou arrived together.

Da Wang was dressed up as a ball, then draped in a fur-made cloak before being let out of the Wangfu. Nobody believed Da Wang wasn't afraid of the cold—he was immune to all poisons, so wind and snow could do nothing to him.

The officially supported ant-technical personnel had already disappeared last night; today, only Zhao Zhuge remained to accompany him in inspecting the Commerce Street.

Fortunately, Mr. Zhao still had a warranty period, with a recall scheduled one month later.

Leaving the Wangfu's main gate, passing two fang-sized empty spaces, the road ahead extending toward the old city of Youzhou had completely changed in appearance.

Now it is a straight, wide blue-stone road, with varied shops of different heights lining both sides.

Although Da Wang had already looked at it many times on his full terrain map, seeing the actual object after its full completion was still hard to describe.

Mengmeng, what a grand gesture!

"Mr. Zhao, are all these shops now mine?"

Zhao Zhuge produced the large bunch of keys hanging from behind him, saying, "All of these belong to the Lord. The shops have door numbers, the keys are here, and they can be moved into after three to five days of airing out. The street is one kilometer long, with 188 shops of various sizes. Lord, please take them."

The Lord grinned foolishly, saying, "If these shops were in Chang'an, I could support three thousand imperial guards just from the rent." Just thinking about it makes one want to laugh their jaw off.

Da Wang grabbed the brass ring laden with golden keys, heedless of its weight, wanting to sling it around his neck—what a Da Wang, collecting rent would be great!

Zhao Zhuge succeeded in making Da Wang laugh, saying, "Soon enough, Youzhou's north‑south thoroughfare will surpass Chang'an's east‑west districts in fame, known throughout the world."

They stopped talking, and the attendants behind caught up; Zhao Bao approached and saw Da Wang standing in the middle of the street, keys in hand, arms akimbo, laughing……

Since he started eating refined white rice noodles and various stews of potatoes and carrots, the King's autumn fat has built up nicely, growing rounder and rounder. The few pounds he lost earlier have probably all returned—even a little waist fat when you put your hands on your hips is hard to find now.

Mr. Zhao was suggesting the King name this street, when Zhao Bao recalled the 'Big Flower' in the lake and the 'Little Date' of the Heavenly Horse Sovereign, and desperately wanted to stop him. Such a fine, impressive street—let's not let the King mess it up, shall we?

Fortunately, this time the King had a reference.

The busiest stall street in the Myriad Realms is called Phoenix Market, and the King, without a second thought, decided to just mooch off the Myriad Realms.

You're called Phoenix, so I'll call myself Vermilion Bird.

Even after bathing in fire they can be reborn, immortal and indestructible.

He said, "Let's just call this street Vermilion Bird Avenue, running from South Hua Gate to Old City Gate. Vermilion Bird Avenue will surely become the most famous street in You Prefecture… no, in the Great Jin!"

They were standing not far from the street's entrance, and right in front of them was a large three‑shop building. This shop was already the largest specification on the street. Zhao Zhu Ge pointed to the sign beside the door that read Number Six and said, "Then this shop is Number Six of Vermilion Bird Street."

The King thought this numbering system for houses was pretty good—people unfamiliar with the area could easily find a place just by its number.

This shop not only has a large area, the building also looks nice. "I'll pick this one for my Myriad Phenomena City! Vermilion Bird Street Shop Six, selling all kinds of exquisite trinkets from under heaven!" That's the whatever peripheral shop Bai Yang mentioned! Mainly it's close to him, convenient for going out to play, so we don't need to mention that.

Having happily settled on a shop, the group continued forward to look.

Some stalls were small and exquisite, suitable for a tiny business; others had many rooms, obviously set up as inns. As they walked and looked, the King picked out two large premises near You Prefecture City to serve as the royal mansion's official grain store and cloth shop.

"First open these two shops, hang an extra 'You' flag outside so the people know they're official stores of the mansion." Looking and Guang noted it down, and the King again worriedly instructed: "When the grain and cloth are transported in, safety must also be watched—transfer the three hundred men newly eliminated from the palace guard corps last month to Vermilion Bird Street. In winter the manor has no work to do; punishment would turn into enjoyment, so they might as well come work in the shops."

"Yes."

When the safety issue was brought up, the King grew worried again.

He turned his head to look north; from this spot the border couldn't be seen, only the brand‑new Vermilion Bird Street and, at its end, the majestic You Prefecture Manor.

He said, "You Prefecture is suffering drought; I don't know how the people on the plains are faring." Those northern barbarians might come south because of the disaster—that's another thing the King has to worry about.

You Prefecture native Official Wang Lang comforted him, saying, "They didn't come for the autumn harvest this year, so they probably won't come now. Your Highness, as a feudal prince, the northern border neighboring states should already have gotten the news; small‑scale raids would be wary of the palace guard corps that protects the manor. Besides… if they didn't come for the harvest, even if they came now there'd be nothing left to loot."

He was used to the constant threat from neighboring states in You Prefecture, but the King couldn't get used to it.

The King turned his head to look at Zhang Tu, who was holding a sword behind him, and asked, "Commander Zhang, what do you think?"

Commander Zhang looked worried.

"Your Highness, rest assured; I will certainly arrange the patrols and constantly monitor the border movements."

The King wasn't afraid of the slave‑catching gangs like last time; he feared that if the plains suffered disaster, any neighbor might make a large‑scale move. He also feared bandits on the scale of Rock Sparrow Mountain—internal threats must be guarded against as well.

The King sighed, "I really am having a tough time!"

The attendants around him again begged forgiveness, saying they were incapable; the King grew tired of hearing it.

When only Zhao Zhu Ge remained beside him, the King again burst out, "The Myriad Realms Homestead sells everything—if only we could buy troops too!" He would then surely strive to save money and buy more.

Three thousand men—barely enough to get by.

Zhao Zhu Ge smiled slightly and said, "Few numbers have their own ways; even three thousand elite troops can hold off tens of thousands. I've seen the lord's cavalry already equipped with saddles and stirrups, beginning to show true cavalry quality. But their swords are just the standard infantry issue—poor quality. You couldn't even cut a horse; slicing two heads would probably bend the blade. You Prefecture guards the plains, where the finest cavalry in the world resides, apparently far superior to the Great Jin's, so the lord needs a force that can deter them from marching south. The lord drills his troops daily, and the equipment must keep up, or else you'll get only half the result for double the effort."

The King's eyes lit up. "A sword? A curved blade?" He looked at the northern barbarians riding horses, all of whom used curved blades.

"Where can I buy them? I asked Bai Ge—his place is an age of peace and prosperity, and all weapons are regulated products. I've also seen weapons on the street, but they're in quantities I can't afford."

Zhao Zhu Ge chuckled and said, "Not necessarily all curved blades—the Myriad Realms Homestead hoards the Myriad Realms, each a person of great fortune. The King has only been there a few days; what he's seen is just the tip of the iceberg. If the King looks and learns more, he'll be able to have You Prefecture forge its own weapons back home."

The King's diary:

【December 11, Prince You's Mansion.】

I learned a lot today; the cavalry's weapons include spears, lances, swords, halberds, poles, whips, maces, and arrows, each with its own advantages, but my favorite sword is actually useless on horseback—people say it's been eliminated! Obsolete! Done! Wearing a sword to battle is only symbolic.

On what basis?!

The sword looks so good! }