Chapter 502

Digging up that precious plot on Qingyu Mountain is only a matter of time; before that, external trade routes also need to be opened; the greatest value of such inkstone is the inkstone platform.

An unremarkable stone on the mountain, after being polished by craftsmen, transforms into the foremost of the Four Treasures of the Study; its price is not low, and its profit far exceeds that of the iron pots forged by the Yang clan's young men swinging their arms.

If high-quality inkstone meets a skilled craftsman, its value will increase severalfold.

It is not merely a utensil; it is also a social tool for the scholar-official class and one of the favorite collectibles of literati.

If these things were not valuable, the wealthy of Hezhou would not have fought bloody battles to seize this mountain.

When Chen Wuji mentioned the inkstone platform, Yuan Qi's pupils dilated slightly, and he immediately thought of its origin: "Commandant, are you referring to Qingyu Mountain?"

"Don't play dumb with me, old man; with my grand show of force opening the way, you, a well-informed man of Hezhou, couldn't possibly be unaware—it's the inkstone platform of Qingyu Mountain." Chen Wuji said.

"Opening the road is no great difficulty; mining is merely a matter of time. Although the Yuan family does not engage in trade, they associate with no commoners, and surely they have extensive contacts with the scholars of the Lingnan Six Commanderies; I think opening this trade route is not difficult." Chen Wuji said.

Yuan Qi was somewhat excited: "Commandant, you guessed correctly; our Yuan family indeed has extensive contacts with the scholars of the Lingnan Six Commanderies, but… such a major business, are you really handing it over to us so lightly?"

"I will mine the stone; the craftsmen and the trade route belong to the Yuan family; we split profits fifty-fifty—what do you think, Yuan family head? Mining Qingyu Mountain is not easy; I take fifty percent of the profit, which I don't consider taking advantage of the Yuan family." Chen Wuji said.

Yuan Qi waved his hand: "Commandant, taking fifty percent is too little!"

"I'm not being polite to the Commandant out of courtesy; I genuinely feel this way. Because of this Qingyu Mountain, Hezhou City has seen its share of deaths in recent years, yet even though the government office took the lead and coordinated all sides, Qingyu Mountain remains there, with everyone stuck outside, only able to gaze longingly but unable to turn this treasure mountain into mountains of gold and silver." Chen Wuji said.

"Commandant, you've solved the hardest part but only take fifty percent; the Yuan family would be getting a great bargain. How about a seventy-thirty split? That would be more appropriate." Chen Wuji said.

Chen Wuji waved his hand: "Whether you're being polite or genuinely feel that way, this account will be split as such; we both took on difficult tasks, none of them easy." Chen Wuji said.

"However, I have a few conditions for doing this." Chen Wuji said.

Yuan Qi laughed: "If the Commandant has any other conditions, then I would not dare to refuse this fifty percent share. Commandant, please speak; this old man listens respectfully."

"Workers should primarily employ the impoverished populace of Hezhou, wages should be relatively increased, and for those whose homes are far away, we must provide food and lodging; the food should not be too coarse and bland." Chen Wuji said.

"We must not mistreat the craftsmen; it's best to have rewards and punishments. If Elder Yuan has no ideas, he can look at how the government office rewards and punishes the workers opening the mountain road; so far, I find this reward-and-punishment system I've adapted from military practice quite satisfactory." Chen Wuji said.

Yuan Qi agreed to all of them, and finally self-mockingly laughed: "This old man's big talk was premature; had I known the Commandant's conditions were these, I wouldn't have uttered those unnecessary words." Chen Wuji said.

"Since the Commandant cares for the people, our Yuan family ought to follow suit and do what we can." Chen Wuji said.

Chen Wuji raised his hand to cut off Yuan Qi's words: "No need to say more; if these matters can be accomplished, I, Chen Wuji, will henceforth be able to boast modestly of being an official who gets things done." Chen Wuji said.

"The Yuan family will do its utmost!" Yuan Qi rose and bowed.

After finishing his talk with Yuan Qi, Chen Wuji then met Cheng Zhiheng and Zhang Xun.

After inquiring about the disposition of the Jia clan and other powerful families, Chen Wuji produced a recruitment plan he had carefully considered; he intended to lay out a commercial route for paper to give Hezhou a quick recovery.

"Commandant, with such a grand undertaking, won't there be some risk?" Cheng Zhiheng furrowed his brows, asking worriedly, "Compared to bamboo slips, paper has multiple advantages—being cheaper, more portable, etc. —so merchants, after comparing, will certainly not hesitate much."

"But if someone were to learn the papermaking technique, it would greatly affect our trade route." Cheng Zhiheng said.

Chen Wuji smiled and pointed at Cheng Zhiheng: "Why worry about these useless things? Besides, papermaking technology isn't easily reverse-engineered; even if it were, it wouldn't matter. The world is vast; then he'll sell his, I'll sell mine—no problem." Chen Wuji said.

Zhang Xun nodded in deep agreement: "This is indeed not worth overthinking; nowadays many iron workshops make iron pots, but the Yunan Yang clan's iron pots remain the most renowned and are considered the best by the people." Zhang Xun said.

"My wife is just like that; she'd rather wait a few extra days to buy a Yang clan iron pot." Zhang Xun said.

Cheng Zhiheng, who had guessed wrong again, quietly let out a soft sigh.

Ever since that fellow Zhang Xun showed up, his official duties have become increasingly burdensome.

Hezhou's officialdom used to not be like this……

"Does this set of measures need any additions? Say whatever comes to mind—speak freely!" Chen Wuji said.

Zhang Xun looked at the plan on the paper, lowered his head in thought for a moment, and said: "Commandant, I don't see anything improper elsewhere; however, the Lingnan Six Commanderies are now filled with war and smoke, making communication difficult, so it's hard to say how many merchants will be able to come." Zhang Xun said.

"Merchants value profit; as long as there is profit, even if knives fell from the sky, someone would come." Chen Wuji said, "If few people come, we'll proceed according to the few who do, gradually, bit by bit, we can first lay out this situation." Chen Wuji said.

"Once the paper gains some reputation, we won't need to do anything; those merchants will come on their own. If there are no other issues, quickly summon the entire government office, mobilize everyone's connections, and spread the news." Chen Wuji said.

After a pause, Chen Wuji added: "Furthermore, from now on, the government office upper and lower should also have reward silver. As for the specifics, you can discuss later and draft a regulation for me." Chen Wuji said.

"For example, in this very matter, regardless of rank, whoever can bring in a merchant will receive an additional one hundred taels of reward silver on top of their monthly salary." Chen Wuji said.

"The same applies to other matters. But one point: you must clearly distinguish that officials fulfilling their duties is their responsibility; doing it well brings no reward silver, doing poorly earns a beating. Achieving merit brings promotion and rank; failing, you get demoted." Chen Wuji said.

"I'll give a random example: suppose an official proposes a beneficial idea for Hezhou's development—give reward silver; or creates something that can bring benefit to Hezhou—add reward silver. You all pool your wisdom to broaden this as much as possible." Chen Wuji said.

"In the future, this will be a legitimate way for everyone to earn extra income." Chen Wuji said.

Chen Wuji dropped two heavy bombs, leaving Cheng Zhiheng and Zhang Xun somewhat dazed.

Awarding reward silver to officials—this is truly unprecedented!

But without a doubt, this is a good thing.

The two of them are already somewhat eager for that reward silver.

Bringing in a merchant equals one hundred taels.

If more people come, they seem as if they could instantly get rich on the spot.