Chapter 138: Urban Renovation

The group ushered the Emperor to the main seat, and Zhang Fu busied himself with pouring a fresh pot of hot tea for the Emperor.

Princess Yongning clamored to go see the birds, and Zheng Xi'er smiled, leading Princess Yongning out of the hall together with Zhang Fu.

"Sit." Once the few had left, the Wanli Emperor looked at Zhang Yunxiu and instructed.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled at the Emperor and took the opportunity to sit on the Emperor's left side.

Once seated, the Wanli Emperor asked impatiently: "Yunxiu, didn't you say you would help Us make money? Why are you spending such a large sum of silver now, tearing down the entire West City and building new houses? How much would that cost?"

It so happened that a few days prior, a memorial had been submitted by the Grand Secretariat.

The Wanli Emperor opened it to take a look, and it was actually a proposal to tear down the West City, clear it out, and rebuild it with new houses.

Furthermore, every household displaced by the demolition would not only be allocated a house but would also receive a sum of silver.

Once he calculated the accounts, the Wanli Emperor felt as if his heart were bleeding.

Consequently, he seized an opportunity to slip out of the palace, determined to find Zhang Yunxiu and get to the bottom of it.

Upon hearing that this was the matter, Zhang Yunxiu raised an eyebrow and explained to the Wanli Emperor in a leisurely manner: "Your Majesty, most of this West City area consists of dilapidated streets and alleys; the houses aren't worth much. If We tear them down and re-plan the area, this land will no longer be at this price."

"But giving away houses and money—wouldn't the imperial court be at a loss?" The Wanli Emperor still felt a pang of heartache.

"There won't be a loss." Zhang Yunxiu said, taking the opportunity to move his chair closer to the Emperor, "Think about it, Your Majesty. Once these commoners have money, they will naturally think about spending it. As long as they spend money, the merchants below will have money to earn, and if they have money to earn, the imperial court can collect taxes."

"This money will eventually return to the hands of the imperial court."

The Wanli Emperor's eyes lit up as he listened, and he clapped his hands, exclaiming: "Listening to you say this, We understand a little. The money We spend is like drops of water; they roll around and then gather into a river, flowing into the imperial court's treasury."

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Yunxiu complimented him with a smile.

As long as the common people are willing to spend money, commerce will naturally be revitalized; with prosperous commerce, more employment opportunities will naturally increase.

Conversely, if these people hoard their money, that would be a major problem.

Money is only called money when it is spent; if it isn't spent, it is just individual cold steel coins.

The Wanli Emperor was enlightened, knowing that he would not suffer a loss, and his mood improved greatly. He stood up at once and said with a smile: "Since it is beneficial to both the imperial court and the common people, then this matter must be done, and it must be done quickly."

"Yes." Zhang Yunxiu nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, the Wanli Emperor spoke some words of encouragement and made a gesture to leave.

Zhang Yunxiu saw his guests to the gate of the residence, and the Wanli Emperor turned back and said: "Remember, this matter must be done quickly and well; it must not be delayed."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this subject will urge this matter as quickly as possible."

"Alright, go back. Take good care of those three birds."

The Wanli Emperor waved his hand, rose, and left.

Princess Yongning, however, looked as if she still had more to say. She made a face at Zhang Yunxiu and chided, "Take good care of this Princess's birds. If they are thin when I come to see them next time, I will hold you accountable."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and smiled apologetically, watching the brother and sister board the carriage and slowly move away.

Until the two disappeared from sight.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhang Yunxiu turned and stepped back into the residence.

In the blink of an eye, it was October, and the demolition and relocation of commoners in the West City began to get on the right track.

The vast majority of commoners were happy to have it this way.

After all, the imperial court promised to compensate them with a sum of silver and also allocate a new house. For those who had lived in stinking gutters for so long, it was truly a windfall from heaven.

Once proposed, many commoners began to make plans to move out temporarily.

Sun Yuan was one of them.

Because Zhang Yunxiu had informed him in advance, he didn't have much of a reaction; he just hung his head and busied himself with packing up miscellaneous items.

He had lived in this house for over twenty years; although it was a bit dilapidated, he had feelings for every blade of grass and every tree in the room. Now that they were suddenly parting, he really felt some reluctance.

Thinking this, he stood rooted to the spot like a wooden stake, staring straight at every scene and object before him.

"What are you still standing there for? Why aren't you packing? Ours is the first to be demolished. For this broken house of ours, the imperial court is willing to compensate us with seventy Silver Dollars and give us a new house—this is simply a heaven-sent blessing."

Just as Sun Yuan was dazed, his wife walked in. Seeing her husband staring blankly, she couldn't help but shout: "If we are slow and the imperial court doesn't tear down our house, you can just wait to cry."

Sun Yuan smiled and shook his head, blowing on the dust-covered book in his hand.

"Don't say that, I'm still a bit reluctant to leave this place."

"Reluctant to leave what? Reluctant to leave your little lover? Or reluctant to leave the smell of urine here?" Sun Yuan's wife crossed her arms and asked him with a ferocious face.

Sun Yuan was about to retort when footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard. The couple stopped talking and tilted their ears to listen outside.

A slightly majestic voice rang out: "Sun Yuan, come out."

"It's Thousand-Household Han." Sun Yuan recognized this as one of Zhang Yunxiu's trusted men.

He dared not delay and stepped out, pulling up his robe.

In the small courtyard, over ten Imperial Guards were standing, and leading them was Han San in full military attire.

Upon seeing Han San, Sun Yuan hurried forward and asked fawningly: "Thousand-Household Han, why have you come? Look, it's very dirty and messy here, and there's no place for you to stand."

"The Young Master sent me to check on you, and by the way, to see if anyone has embezzled your relocation fee." Han San waved his hand and took out a list directly: "Sun Yuan, seventy taels, right?"

"Yes, seventy one-tael Silver Dollars, not a single one less." Sun Yuan chuckled.

"Alright, as long as it's not less."

Han San nodded slightly, reached out to pat Sun Yuan on the shoulder, and joked, "Ambassador Sun, don't look down on your Weapon Bureau now. As long as you work hard, your future will be limitless."

"I know." Sun Yuan replied, bowing and scraping.

"As long as you know." Han San grinned, left two Imperial Guards to help, and then covered his nose and mouth, leaving the small alley as if fleeing.

After exiting the alley, he turned left and right until he reached a teahouse at the end of Chongwen Street.

Inside a private room on the second floor, Zhang Yunxiu was leaning against the window, looking out at the commoners leaving the West City with their families. Many commoners chose to seek refuge with relatives or move into small sheds temporarily erected by the imperial court.

To take care of these commoners, Zhang Yunxiu had also set two good plans for them.

Those with manual skills could stay and participate in the urban renovation, with food and housing provided, and wages settled monthly.

Women could also stay to cook and would likewise be given wages.

If you really don't want to stay in the capital, that's fine too; just go work on the ships.

Drift on the sea for a year or two, earn some silver, and once you return, you can live comfortably in a new house, while also saving yourself a whole heap of trouble.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Han San walked in quietly.

Zhang Yunxiu turned his head to look and asked, "Have the people all been arranged?"

"They have all been arranged. The first batch to be demolished totals three hundred and five households, and not a single Silver Dollar of the actual payout is missing," Han San replied respectfully.

"This is only the first batch; there are plenty of troublesome matters ahead," Zhang Yunxiu shook his head.

Han San shook his head and said with an expression of disbelief, "This is a grand plan of the imperial court; the Senior Grand Secretary and the imperial court are both watching this. Who would dare to cause trouble?"

"Didn't there just happen to be commoners a few days ago who wouldn't move and were clamoring about wanting to live here for their whole lives?"

"Oh, this one has already sent people to negotiate with them, and that family is willing to relocate," Han San grinned.

"Don't go too far."

"This one understands."

(End of chapter)