Chapter 158: The Situation Has Changed

Liu Zheng and the others were taken aback.

The door had already been pushed open by Hu Xi'er outside, and the girl appeared full of excitement: "Hurry, hurry, come out and watch the fireworks!"

Liu Zheng and the others were left between laughter and tears.

In fact, there was no need for her to shout; as soon as the door opened, the colorful fireworks outside were already blooming across the entire city.

Liu Zheng said no more; since everyone was in such high spirits, he followed them out onto the street.

Today was destined to be the biggest festival in Baiya City. Every year, this Contract Fair was even livelier in Baiya than the Spring Festival. On this day, Baiya joyfully welcomed guests from all over the world, and cart after cart of gold and silver would be brought into this Baiya Prefecture today; the common people were naturally very happy, singing and dancing.

Zheng Yue Ru smiled and said, "I heard that the transaction volume for this year's Contract Fair has reached a new high, which means the Baiya Army will take out at least half to distribute money to everyone in the city. How could they not be happy?"

Liu Zheng smiled and nodded.

Rumors had it that on the first day of this Contract Fair, the gold and silver used by the various Feudatory Kings to purchase War Horses reached ten million!

Ten million!

With a population of one million in Baiya Prefecture, even if only half were taken out to be distributed, everyone would get five taels!

Given that each household's annual expenditure was around two taels of silver, this dividend alone was two or three years' worth of expenses. What kind of concept was this? This had basically achieved a Great Harmony under Heaven!

The War Horses alone were enough to build this Baiya Prefecture to be even more prosperous than Liangzhou.

At a glance, there was singing and dancing, bright lights, and revelry—a scene of a flourishing age. Just as the evening banquet began, dragon dances and lion dance troupes appeared on the streets, making it exceptionally lively.

The group was rarely this happy and followed the crowd as they wandered about.

Jiang Xuan asked curiously, "Young Master, logically speaking, the people of Baiya should cherish the Baiya Army, but why have we been here for so long, yet the people are so indifferent toward the Baiya Army? It is only today that they seem slightly more enthusiastic."

Zheng Yue Ru was also very puzzled.

Liu Zheng chuckled and said, "The so-called 'a peck of rice breeds gratitude, a bushel breeds enmity' is exactly this."

He said leisurely, "Don't believe in the poisonous chicken soup that 'human nature is inherently good at birth.' You must know that human desire is truly endless. From the moment a person is born—or to be precise, even before they are born—they have desires. All competitiveness, all comparison, all vanity, and even all motivation, all progress, and all moving forward are because of desire."

Desire.

It is a bad thing, but it is also a good thing.

Desire gives people motivation, but at the same time, it makes greed boundless.

"The Baiya Army gives them five taels of silver the first year, but then what? The second year? The third year?"

Liu Zheng smiled and said, "If you still give five taels, that might be fine, but if you give even one tael less, look at how people will think."

The group was instantly stunned.

That's right, once all this becomes a habit, people will think it is taken for granted. Then, if you don't give it to me one year, I will be angry!

Baiya Prefecture is ruled by you, and who knows how much money you are making; what is the harm in giving the common people a little more?

In fact, the current situation of the Baiya Army is that it may have reached a utopian level in terms of economy, but it has not yet fully improved in terms of personal quality and spiritual civilization... In the surrounding environment of the Longyan Dynasty, it is indeed impossible to improve.

Therefore.

The common people slowly lost their love and support for the Baiya Army, and some even hoped that the Prefectural Office would return to power—because perhaps they would gain more benefits that way?

Human greed is always endless.

This is also a problem that Liu Zheng needs to pay attention to when governing his territory in the future.

No matter how prosperous Baiya looks tonight, the more it collapses, the more earth-shattering it will be.

"Look, look, there are flower floats over there!"

Along the way, Hu Xi'er was incredibly happy, looking exactly like a little girl. Liu Zheng and the others all smiled and followed her as she darted around.

Just after strolling for a while, someone suddenly tapped Liu Zheng lightly on the back.

Liu Zheng turned his head to look; the person who came was none other than Yang Ke, only Yang Ke was now clearly disguised.

"Young Master Liu, the situation has changed."

Liu Zheng was startled: "What?"

Yang Ke led Liu Zheng and the others into a side hall of a Small Tavern by the street, then lowered his head and whispered, "It is likely that there have been too many people tracking Wei Rong's whereabouts these days. Wei Shao learned that Wei Rong was in danger and has already placed him under house arrest."

Liu Zheng was taken aback, his brows slightly furrowed: "Then can you think of any other Method?"

Yang Ke smiled bitterly: "Outsiders don't know, but I do. This time, the Prince of Wei's order for War Horses is the largest in over a decade. It seems the eldest brother intends to hand over this Account Book to the Prince of Wei, without a doubt."

Liu Zheng wondered, "The Prince of Wei wants this Account Book; I'm afraid it's not just for self-preservation!"

Yang Ke immediately shut his mouth.

Liu Zheng took a deep breath. It seems this Prince of Wei is not as simple as he appears... As long as this Account Book is in his hands, given the Prince of Wei's strength, if the current Emperor were to have any mishaps, this Account Book would be his justification for conquering the world!

Not wanting to think about these deeper layers for now, Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "Then what should we do?"

A sharp glint flashed in Yang Ke's eyes: "There is only one Method!"

Liu Zheng asked: "What?"

Yang Ke said: "Tonight, the eldest brother will host a banquet at the Baiya Palace for those from the pugilistic world who came to show their support. At that time, he will definitely keep Wei Rong by his side, as that is the only way he feels safe... We only have this one chance!"

Liu Zheng slapped his thigh: "Good, then we act tonight!"

Yang Ke nodded and said: "If we act at the Baiya Palace, it will be much more convenient. I will have two brothers coordinate with you!"

The two reached an agreement, and only then did Yang Ke leave.

Liu Zheng and Jiang Xuan exchanged a glance, both of them having smiles in their eyes.

"Young Master, I will go make arrangements immediately!"

Jiang Xuan said excitedly.

Baiya Palace.

Wei Shao had not slept well for several days in a row. To be precise, for the past month or two, he had not had a good rest. From Baiya to Qingzhou, from Qingzhou back to Baiya, the War Horse Fair was coming up immediately. Having just finished receiving the official personnel, he had to receive those from the pugilistic world again.

"Master, soak your feet before you go out."

Wang Shi was Wei Shao's wife of his first marriage; she brought a basin of hot water, her heart aching for him.

Wei Shao sneered coldly, "Are you here to intercede for that spendthrift son of yours again? I said he is grounded, so he is grounded; he is not allowed to leave the house for a month!"

Lady Wang's eyes turned red, "My lord, you only have this one son..."

Wei Shao waved his hand impatiently, "What do women know? How old is he, hmm? Look at that Young Master Liu from Yinzhou; I'm afraid he is even a year younger than him, right? Young as he is, Young Master Liu is already famous throughout the world, with a reputation abroad. And what about this spendthrift of yours, hmm?"

Lady Wang said with a soft heart, "My lord, Wei Rong he..."

Hearing this, Wei Rong in the inner room would not stand for it and roared, "Father, wasn't that Prefect Liu the number one playboy of Liangzhou back then? It was only after the wealthy merchant Liu Dahao went bankrupt that he strove for success! And as for me, I have been manipulated by you since I was small; when have you ever given me a single chance? Without a chance, how am I to get ahead?"

Wei Shao was so angry he could barely speak, "You, you, you, you rebellious son!"

Lady Wang also said, "My lord, I think Rong'er is right. It is one thing that you don't let your son show his face in official matters, but you don't let him participate in the affairs of the Jianghu either. A doting father truly produces a spoiled son!"

"Jianghu people?"

Wei Shao sneered, "With his appearance, those people in the Jianghu would want to crush him to death if they saw him. If it weren't for me, who would give him half a shred of respect! This matter need not be mentioned again; I am doing this for his own safety!"

Wei Rong did not believe it, and Lady Wang kept on interceding.

Wei Shao finally said with an impatient look, "Fine, fine, fine, come with me to the banquet in a while and see how much you are actually worth! But remember, you must stay close to me; without my permission, you are not to leave my side by even half a step!"

"Yes, Father!"

Thinking of having wine to drink again, Wei Rong was immediately overjoyed and turned to go groom and dress himself.

Wei Shao sighed leisurely, looking out the window, his eyes flickering slightly.