Chapter 729

Liang Er was unable to resist, so he had to comply.

"Why are you riding our mansion's horses?" Liang Bin really didn't understand. His family had two fine military horses, but his father and elder brothers had taken them, and the others weren't good enough for the Great King's eye.

The Great King sincerely said: "I just went to the palace stables and took a look; I found no horse that wouldn't attract attention." He also thought keeping extra ordinary horses would waste space, so he immediately decided to come and borrow two.

These days the Xuanjia cavalry is all the rage in the city; the Great King goes out riding two matching horses, likely to be exposed in no time. Moreover, his Little Date and White Dragon are also famous among the folk—who wouldn't notice what horse the emperor rides? After thinking it over, the Great King hurried to Liang's residence on foot.

Liang Er was choked by the Great King's humblebrag, and quickly ordered someone to bring out several fine horses from the manor.

While waiting, Liang Bian greeted the Great King: 'Is Commander Ling not here today?'

Ling Yin has been following us east and west all day, with no time to practice swordsmanship; the Flying Cavalry have also been on leave these days, so I let him stay home to focus on his sword practice.

Liang Bian's scalp tightened—what about today's security?

He knows there will definitely be someone tailing him secretly, but their skill definitely can't compare to Ling Yin's; if anything happens out there, he'd absolutely be a liability.

'Are we just the three of us going out? Should we bring some guards from our manor, all retired military?' He still wanted to argue a bit, but the Great King's mind had already wandered off.

He and Wei Shen today are playing the role of aristocratic young masters, abbreviated as 'playboys'; both are wearing white-toned outfits. Looking now, what a coincidence! In the heat, Liang Bian also chose a light-colored white-toned robe.

Our outfits match perfectly today—looks like we're meant to go out together. Let's go, or are you waiting at the manor for Li Er to come by and catch up?

Liang Bian turned and urged the doorman: 'Where are the horses? Why are they so slow?'

The Liang clan were the first aristocrats to settle in New City; their location is naturally the best, very close to the Purple Forbidden Palace, so the Great King came on foot. The steward gave the area a grandiose name, Auspicious Prosperity Ward—just hearing it sounds prestigious. Not far east of the Eastern Capital Prefecture Mansion lies the Xie Mansion; this area also belongs to the core aristocratic district of You Prefecture, but once you step outside the Liang estate, most of the residences in sight are now empty.

Almost all the buildings here are newly built by the steward, modeled on the scale of the Xie clan, with carved beams and painted rafters; many are still under interior construction, borrowing the style of the old-city houses that Mengmeng redesigned for the Great King—exquisitely crafted and imposing.

With the Xie and Liang clans established here, naturally the prices were driven up to astronomical levels by her—she was trying to swindle a single… no, to sell an entire lot to break even.

The Great King also thought that after relocating the capital to You Prefecture, these grand mansions would be easy to sell, but half a year later, the great aristocrats and many officials are still watching and waiting; only the cheap ones have sold. Does he really have to announce himself that he won't return to Chang'an?

The three walked down the quiet, orderly broad street, the Great King full of regret over the unmonetizable gold mountain.

The silver mine's income for the past two months just went on the books, yet he hasn't managed to scrape together enough to top up and buy grain; the previous dynasty's deficit remains unfilled. The household registrations from populous areas like Chang'an and Hongnong still haven't arrived in You Prefecture, but the Great King has long since hatched a reward scheme, already figuring out how to skim it off. As he passes by the unsold, unmonetized mansions, his poverty fills him with anguish.

'Aren't you getting along well with the great-grandson of the Da Zongzheng family? He doesn't want to live next door to you.'

Liang Er thought, 'Surely there's nothing you don't know,' and could only speak the truth: 'Baili Gao says this area is too expensive; his family is still dreaming that you'll grant them a manor.'

Wei Shen burst out laughing: 'He's also out of his mind.'

The Great King acknowledges that the Da Zongzheng clan has some prestige, but it's nowhere near enough to merit a grant of Auspicious Prosperity Ward. In that ward the steward lists prices starting at 490,000 taels, and even to view a property you need to prove your funds—claiming anyone can enter, yet how could it be a rare bargain? The grants the Great King gives to princely states are even more generous than that.

'You should urge him to return to Chang'an early to get silver and pay for it himself; yesterday I busied myself all morning and earned less than one tael— a manor costing over four hundred thousand taels, unless…' He was about to say 'unify the steppes plus the Western Regions,' but then thought, with money he could do it himself.

'Unless the mountains lose their ridges, heaven and earth merge, and the rivers run dry.'

The Great King's threefold denial made Liang Bian and Wei Shen laugh.

It was clear that it was absolutely impossible.

'I will relay this to everyone.' Liang Bian thought, 'This is hardly not the Great King speaking indirectly,' and decided to go back and tell those boon companions. Forget dreaming of a granted manor—the Great King's poverty, not confiscating estates, is already a grace.

All three only began to speed up after leaving the city through the south gate; at that point, the Great King and Wei Shen, accustomed to good horses, finally felt the difference. In speed and stamina, it was a huge gulf.

The Great King thought he could dash straight to Zhenhai Palace in one go, but the horse only grew slower as they went; Liang Er said it was too hot outside, he could barely catch his breath—let alone a horse covered in hair.

Seeing his face flushed red from the sun, with sweat dampening the hair at his temples, they finally pulled over at a little tea stall at the fork in the road. 'Don't give the workers heatstroke,' he said, 'otherwise they'll have to take tomorrow off.'

The stall's big bowl of cool tea sells for two wen per bowl, horse drinking water one wen; it specializes in business with passing carriages and horses.

The Great King waved generously: 'Drink! This young master is treating.'

Wei Shen wiped his sweat, seeing the Great King's complexion unchanged and not sweating, he envied him greatly—people resent the Great King for being a pro. 'Shouting about two wen so loudly, those who don't know would think you're treating them to Spring River Flower Moon Night.'

Liang Bian originally didn't dare to echo, but upon hearing 'Spring River Flower Moon Night' he grew bold, nodding vigorously in agreement.

The Great King scoffed at their daydreaming: 'My family farms, we don't mint coins—what's this 'Spring River Flower Moon Night'? Just having you drink some cool tea is fine.' The Great King considered Dawu a great agrarian state, and his household indeed farms.

Looking at their attire, the stall owner, an old man, had thought a few noble young masters were coming, his heart in his throat; but hearing they were farmers, he relaxed. 'So you're a big landowner?'

Wei Shen and Liang Bian went to the shade to cool off, while the Great King, oblivious to the heat, squatted beside the stall owner to make small talk.

He asked about the residence, then the population, then the land holdings.

'Near the hilltop there's plenty of flat land; now with sweet potatoes, the soil isn't picky—surely your family can eat your fill?' He was young, just casually squatting on the ground chatting, lacking the airs of nobility, and the stall owner relaxed.

After all, who's ever heard of an aristocratic young master squatting by the road to drink a two-wen bowl of cool tea?

'Some households have few people; not to mention being full, they aren't even going to starve.'

The Great King nodded: 'That works too.'

He heard the population was small, then looked at the sturdy man hauling water to feed the horses behind him, and asked: 'My family's land is all worked by tenant farmers—is there no work in the fields this season? Why are you all out selling tea?'

The old man replied, 'There is work, but we haven't been busy the past two months; our plot is small, and the women of the household are occupied.'

'Haven't you opened any new land? With the policy unchanged, you should be opening more—my tenant farmers, besides working their rented fields, are also out reclaiming wasteland!'

'No opening! But since we're near You Prefecture City, there's no vacant land left to reclaim—it's in high demand. Now many nobles in the city are buying up nearby fields; our original lands have all been sold, leaving only the wasteland we reclaimed last year.'

'Sold to the city nobles? Then they must have made a fortune!'

The old man bowed toward You Prefecture: 'Those are all nobles from Chang'an who took a liking to our land—it's their good fortune.'

The Great King paused.

He said offhand: 'Indeed. But now that His Majesty has returned to You Prefecture, land outside the city must be valuable, right? My father also wants to buy—what price per mu are you asking here?'

The old man shook his head, glanced at the stall where just the three of them were, then lowered his voice: 'The nobles gave a reward.'

The Great King blinked his big eyes twice, 'Eh, what did I just hear?!'

No money was given!

What a bunch—he can't sell his city mansions, yet these people have gone and bought fields outside the city!

The Great King: 'Relocating the capital—hyping You Prefecture real estate!'

Rich person: No appointment! Go buy some free stuff nearby.