Chapter 504: He Has Returned, and Everything Is Well

Aside from those panic-stricken outsiders, there were those lurking in Liangzhou with ulterior motives.

In fact, the people within Liangzhou were, one by one, quite expectant.

With the Young Master back, there would surely be reforms. Liangzhou would also enter a new landscape.

This seemed to have already become a custom in Liangzhou.

"Hahahaha, Heaven has eyes, sending us in Liangzhou a Young Master!"

"Indeed, this Household Registration System reform is truly a blessing for the common people..."

"More than a blessing, it is a subversion of tradition! It is a subversion!"

People talked about it with great relish, full of joy. The entire Liangzhou seemed to have become as lively as the New Year. Existing slave status would, of course, remain slave status, but children born from now on would follow their parents' occupations and directly become free citizens.

Everyone had something to look forward to.

Life had hope.

A while ago, because of the Blockage of the Ship, people were in a panic, and because of the assassination of the Princess, Liangzhou, which had fallen into a state of white terror, suddenly became clear and bright.

"Arrest them, arrest them all for me, and take them back for interrogation!"

"And these few as well!"

A squad of government soldiers was still checking these outsiders on the street.

"You, what are you doing? We are legitimate merchants here to trade! Is this how you treat us merchants?"

Quite a few people retorted with fierce words but weak hearts.

The soldiers sneered coldly: "Merchants? Very well, take out your tax payment certificates, take out your transaction details! Take out your merchant credentials! Those who don't have them and have stayed in Liangzhou for more than half a year will all be treated as spies!"

"You..."

You might ask, will this affect the enthusiasm of merchants who truly come to Liangzhou to invest?

Actually, it will not.

Merchants who do business honestly and properly pay entry taxes and bridge taxes when entering Liangzhou, so the costs for these law-abiding merchants are quite high. However, there was another group active in Liangzhou—people who entered under the guise of traveling or other excuses but engaged in smuggling, which allowed them to avoid many taxes. These smugglers had a huge impact on the interests of legitimate merchants, so the merchants were very supportive and welcoming of the crackdown on this group.

"Pah, serves them right!"

"Let you jump around!"

"Hahahaha, they should have been dealt with long ago. This time, Governor Liu has truly done a great deed!"

These merchants were also one by one incredibly happy.

Yangzhou.

A large mansion.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's bad... over a hundred of our people have been arrested!"

Xie Ling listened with a gloomy expression.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's bad... the rise of the Yinzhou Coin cannot be stopped at all! Are we... are we still going to continue buying?"

Besides Xie Ling, the top wealthy figures from all over Longyan were also sitting there.

Originally, in these past few days, following the assassination of the Princess, the price of the Yinzhou Coin had fallen to the bottom, which was exactly the right opportunity for them to buy at the bottom. Who would have thought that just three days after Governor Liu returned, a single policy was issued, and the Yinzhou Coin had already seen several rises?

This person's energy was truly a bit too strong...

"Tell the people outside to be careful! Buying, what the hell are you buying? Sell it for me, sell it, create market panic, do you understand?"

Xie Ling said in a rage.

"Yes..."

Yang Xiao chuckled from the side: "Your Highness, as long as the Blockage of the Ship is not resolved for a day, the Yinzhou Coin will certainly not return to its previous price. Your Highness's move is truly high, very high! Plus, that so-called Longyang Princess is missing, and at this time, this Governor Liu absolutely cannot jump around!"

The other wealthy figures also echoed his sentiments one after another.

Xie Ling was puffed up with pride by these words, laughed loudly, and snorted coldly: "Hmph, I don't believe that with all the wealth of Longyan gathered here, we can't beat one Governor Liu! Smash it, smash the price of the Yinzhou Coin down for me!"

"Yes!"

The "Household Registration System" was being pushed forward in full swing.

Liu Zheng, at this moment, was sitting in his room, playing a game of chess with Qingyang Shuo.

He recounted everything he had seen and heard at Liangshan to Qingyang Shuo in great detail.

Qingyang Shuo listened with yearning, sighing: "I have always heard of Wangbei Academy, but I have never been there in person. I didn't expect it to truly be a group of people dedicated to academics; I am not as good as them!"

Liu Zheng laughed: "Although they are admirable, they are also prone to being a bunch of guys who get stuck in a rut."

The two had a deeper exchange on how to reform Wangbei Academy.

Qingyang Shuo believed that there was still a large gap in talent across various industries in Liangzhou. He suggested deepening exchanges with the talent at Wangbei Academy, for example, by introducing young talent in Engineering, Agriculture, and Business from Wangbei Academy and giving them direct positions and benefits, or by sending outstanding local students from Liangzhou to Wangbei Academy for further studies.

This proposal naturally made Liu Zheng's eyes light up, and he immediately made the decision and ordered a letter to be sent.

Secondly.

Qingyang Shuo also felt that since Liu Zheng already had the idea of a database, he should not put all his eggs in one basket.

Wangbei Academy could have a database.

Yintan City should also build a database.

This was, of course, something Liu Zheng had already considered before.

The two discussed for a while.

Qingyang Shuo then chuckled: "When things are finished here in Liangzhou, the Young Master should go to Jinghua. Young Master, have you prepared?"

Liu Zheng was stunned, then gave a bitter smile: "What preparation is there? I can only meet moves with moves. That old Emperor in the Imperial Palace has unfathomable depth and is temperamental. To be honest, I still can't figure out his character..."

At this moment.

Someone came to report from below.

"Viscount, that capital group has started selling off Yinzhou Coin in large quantities, and the retail investors are panicking along with them; Yinzhou Coin is plummeting!"

"Viscount, it's falling again!"

"Viscount..."

Liu Zheng waved his hand impatiently and said, "However much they sell, we buy; let's play with them slowly..."

Qingyang Shuo smiled and asked, "How long does the Viscount intend to wait?"

Liu Zheng's eyes flickered: "Wait, wait until they put all the capital in their hands back in!"

He gave a cold laugh: "If they want to short my Yintan City, they had better be mentally prepared to lose everything!"

"And the matter of the blocked ships..."

Qingyang Shuo asked again.

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "I have long had a Method to deal with it."

Hearing that Liu Zheng was confident, Qingyang Shuo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Blockage of the Ship still persisted.

This matter was not only still affecting the grain prices in Liangzhou, but it was even affecting the excavation of the Grand Canal across the whole country.

And Yintan City today was closely linked to the Grand Canal.

These interlocking effects meant that once the matter of the blocked ships was resolved,

it would be the moment those people who tried to short Yintan City lost everything.

After finishing his chat with Qingyang Shuo, Liu Zheng went out alone.

"Young Master!"

Jiang Xuan, whom he hadn't seen since returning, came running over eagerly, unable to hide the excitement on his face.

Liu Zheng scolded him with a smile: "It's been so long, and you still haven't learned to be steady; how are the preparations for the items coming along?"

Jiang Xuan laughed heartily: "With me on it, it's naturally a piece of cake!"

"Let's go take a look!"