Chapter 485: Transfer

It was evident that Ma Zhou was already choked up, almost on the verge of tears.

But none of those present laughed at him, nor could they.

Although people like Du Gou, Fang Yizhi, and even Chen Yan himself were destined from birth not to worry about their futures, they also knew how difficult it was for a low‑born youth to make a name for himself.

If anyone present could empathize with Ma Zhou, it might be only Li Yifu.

He had come from a humble background, and before Chen Yan recruited him, he was almost at the point where mere survival was difficult; Li Yifu understood their hardships all too well.

Even Zhang Wenguan fared far better, at least having a livelihood to tend to.

"You shouldn't thank me; I didn't help you. Your current standing is mostly due to your own ability and opportunities,"

Chen Yan said softly, "I think the only one you should thank is yourself!"

"Be grateful to the you who never slackened, never gave up, and never lost spirit day and night,"

Ma Zhou's lips twitched as if he wanted to speak, but he remained silent and simply gave a gentle nod.

Having spent so long with Chen Yan, he already understood that Chen Yan didn't care about such formalities.

When Chen Yan claimed he hadn't helped him, it was modesty; Ma Zhou knew well that without Chen Yan's repeated behind‑the‑scenes assistance, he would never have repeatedly caught the attention of Chang'an's great figures, and his name might never have appeared before Li Shimin's desk.

Had it not been so, the only ones leaving this time would likely have been Du Gou and the other two, with him certainly not among them.

Perhaps next time it would be his turn, but in official circles, even a one‑month delay could cost many opportunities.

Ma Zhou simply kept his feelings toward Chen Yan in his heart; the days ahead were long, and perhaps one day he could repay the favor.

For someone like him, any kindness shown during a low point is worth engraving in memory.

"Lord Chen, then, when roughly will you all depart?"

Dai Zhide asked aloud, "It's no small matter for the Xianlya to let the four of you leave at once; we fear many official duties will need to be handed over in advance to avoid problems."

"Not quite certain yet," Chen Yan said with a hint of helplessness; Li Shimin had never disclosed a specific departure time, only that it would be before the end of this year.

But he thought Li Shimin was unlikely to wait until year‑end; based on a few matters, he could at most offer a rough estimate.

"Probably about three months, say September or October,"

"There's still plenty of time; no need to rush!"

The others nodded in understanding.

Chen Yan continued, "Next, Brother Du, Brother Fang, and you, Old Ma, the three of you should gradually hand over the official duties you hold."

"In two days, I'll write to His Majesty, asking him to send a few people over so we won't be short‑handed after we leave,"

"That will be the end of this matter; there are still a few months left, and saying too much now is pointless,"

"At present, the most important thing is the business concerning Weinan County!"

When Chen Yan mentioned it, everyone's gaze turned to Xu Lianyue, who had spoken little up to now.

Since Xu Lianyue arrived, she has shown extraordinary talent in commerce, and Chen Yan has entrusted all such matters to her.

Xu Lianyue mused, "Is it because you gentlemen are leaving that the business concerning Weinan County needs to be altered?"

"Exactly!" Chen Yan nodded slightly, speaking calmly, "At present, whether it's white wax, white sugar, silk cloth and the like, most of it is nominally assigned to the Xianlya, but in reality the money passes through the Crown Prince and ultimately ends up in His Majesty's pocket."

"Very little business truly belongs to Weinan County; aside from a commercial street that's about to be completed, there's only a Public Transport Boat."

"You should all be clear on that point,"

Everyone nodded, indicating understanding.

Many at the Xianlya were still unaware of this, but they certainly knew.

"Hmm... how should I explain it to you? You already know well how the silk‑cloth trade comes about; the reason His Majesty puts the Xianlya forward as the front man is because I'm here,"

"If I were to leave, many things would need to be split, since Chang'an is our main future development hub,"

Chen Yan stopped there, and the others grew a bit impatient; Du Gou asked in confusion, "Brother Chen, do you mean... we should gradually transfer these businesses to Chang'an?"

"If that's the case, what about Weinan County? We've worked hard to develop it to this state; once we pull out, aside from the losses incurred during the transition, the very idea would be hard for the county's people, who have just begun to enjoy better days, to accept,"

"Moreover, the transfer would inevitably deal an unimaginable blow to Weinan County's development, rendering many of our plans futile,"

The others also nodded, clearly sharing Du Gou's sentiment.

"Hehe... you've misunderstood," Chen Yan said with a smile, waving his hand, "I never said we should move all the business to Chang'an."

"Weinan County's development to this point is not only your hard work but also mine; I hope it becomes even more prosperous someday, so why would we uproot its foundation?"

"I see now," Du Gou said, blushing, "I misunderstood you, Brother Chen, sorry."

Li Yifu said bluntly, "Sir, what exactly is your plan?"

"It's simple!" Chen Yan replied without holding back, "I intend to split the business: Weinan County will become an industrialized county—meaning it will now only handle production, leaving existing workshops untouched and even expanding them in the future."

"Shipping and the like will remain here, since this place has natural geographic advantages,"

"But from now on, aside from the commercial street and the Public Transport Boat business, even the silk‑cloth trade will no longer belong to the Xianlya,"

"When I return to Chang'an, I will establish a Chamber of Commerce, placing all the white sugar and white wax businesses under it, and the workshops will also fall under the Chamber's overseer,"

"As for the Money Shop..." Chen Yan stroked his chin, "the Money Shop is a special case; it can't belong to the Chamber and must remain an independent entity."

Zhang Wenguan pondered, "Do you mean that the so‑called split is merely nominal, that the workshops and current shops will all stay, but will no longer belong to the Xianlya and instead to the Chamber you plan to establish?"

Chen Yan nodded, confirming.

"In that case, not much will actually change," Li Yifu said with a slight smile, "It's only a nominal split and won't greatly affect Weinan County; what's meant to be will be."

"It's just that the focus of commercial development will shift to Chang'an City, with Weinan County becoming a... industrialized county?"

"Yes, exactly, that's what I mean!" Chen Yan said gladly, "I've decided this from the start; because of the Wei He and its natural location, Weinan County is naturally suited to be an industrialized county."

"And another thing, this is also the fastest way to develop the county,"

"......"